Who Am I?

“Am I still the person I have spent a lifetime becoming, and do I still want to be that person?” asks Mary Catherine Bateson in “Composing a Further Life.”

Bateson says that identity crises are not only for teens but are “revisited in every stage of life.” That’s why she recommends reflecting on one’s past as a prelude to planning the future.

So I did that. I divided life into childhood, teen years, my 20s when I was a camp director, 30s and early 40s when I pastored a church, and 43-on when I taught college English. In each category I listed things I most enjoyed.

• Adventure (it started in childhood)
• Dreaming/Innovating/Organizing (I like to design the adventure and take others along with me)
• Communicating/Teaching (especially if it inspires hope in others)
• Enjoying nature and the outdoors (where I like to do all the above)

So what does this tell me about my still-murky future?

Suggestions?