Hybrid Life

Hi Friend

I'm sitting on a plane in ATL heading to Denver. I just finished an event in New Orleans yesterday, that went exceptionally well. My wife and I are celebrating our one year anniversary on Saturday by climbing a 14'er. Hopefully we accomplish it. We've done 2 in the past few years. I'd like to climb one a year which would take me to my 100th birthday. You're invited to the party on top of the mountain.

Last Saturday I surprised my blonde beauty with a morning date to Swenson Gardens, which grows Peony flowers. I had never heard of them before meeting Michelle. They are her favorite. She didn't know this little farm was just 45 minutes away from our home. I was surprised how much I enjoyed looking at all of them.

They were hybrids. Human engineered to bring together colors and textures that nature never designed. Honestly, they were fascinating. I'm certain I've never before looked so closely at so many flowers admiring their unique construction. It's both curious and off-putting to me, that each flowers' traits were intentionally combined to create the end result.

How can something be all-natural if it couldn't exist without human intervention? It only convinces me that humans will marry robots in my lifetime. I know, I know, that's quite a leap from beautiful flowers to hybrid-human-relationships... but that's how my brain works.

THE FUTURE

I have seen multiple friends, peers and colleagues post in the last two weeks about how AI could never foster a relationship with a human in the same way a human could. I agree, but in the opposite direction. I suspect the appeal of non-bio friend or lover, is that they will feel like they never disappoint and always prefer their human counterpart. What human wouldn't love that?

People who predict the future, tend to do it from their point of view, not from a current 5 year olds. In 30 years what will have been the norm for that kid? Mores, social standards and technology - mixed with human ambition to push boundaries. Yikes! My life's experience is that the current world is not at all what I imagined it would be 40 years ago.

MINDSHIFT

What if you could ceate the future? What would your version look like in 20 years?

HYBRID

My first experience with a "hybrid" was a 2007 camry. It was Toyota's first model of both gas and electric. I loved it. Unfortunately it got totaled out when I drove through flood waters. The idea of combining two not-expected elements together to create an altogether new thing, is intriguing.

What two things do you think would be cool to bring together? It's not peanut-butter-and-jelly. It's gotta be two things that don't naturally seem to be copasetic. We inherently resist the conjoining of disparate elements. Why is that? I wonder if we were more open to hybrid solutions in our work, relationships and decision-making, we might find more solutions for the challenges we face?

MINDSHIFT

What if you intentionally mashed up two opposing ideas with someone whom you currently disagree with?

WE

Marriage is the greatest hybrid ever created! Two unique humans, full of individuality, distinct personalities, varied histories and a singular way of thinking, coming together to create a "we". So many variables working against its success, yet humans pull it off every day. Congrats if you are one of them.

"Becoming One" is what my pastor said last year as we both committed to embark on this journey for a second time. It's the opposite of synergy... 1+1=1. However, like the Peonies, we both become so much more beautiful and captivating than we were on our own. I'm grateful.

SHIFTING

I hope this week you intentionally create your future, find harmony in bringing together two dissonant ideas & love generously. #ShiftAway