An Authentic Home Plate Call
I write a lot about living authentically because it has been a challenge for me to do just that. I’m happy to report that I have an excellent role model for making authentic life choices — my nephew, Conor McKenna.
Both for high school and university, Conor discarded the conventional choice in favour of the school that stirred his heart. For high school, he rejected the local collegiate, a ten-minute walk from home, and the Catholic school just a few kilometers away. Instead, he was inspired by the tradition and character of St. Michael’s College in Toronto. For four years, Conor woke up extra-early to take the commuter train downtown, and it was worth it because he knew he had chosen the right school.
Just weeks before he was to report to university, Conor did it again. He rejected his original choice in favour of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1500 km away from home. Once again, Conor had made the right choice for himself — he really enjoyed his first two years.
Conor took a bit of a detour on his way back to Dalhousie for his third year. Two days after he left his parents’ home, he called *from Australia* to tell them that he was taking a year off school. His plan was to explore the outback for a few months, then work on a farm, and then travel a bit more before returning home. Conor had planned the whole trip without telling anyone because he had a feeling he might get some push-back on the choice. (Um…yeah!)
Conor thrived while he was in Australia. The work on the farm was hard – twelve hour days, six days a week on a farm 50 km away from even a small town. He missed seeing his beloved Toronto Blue Jays thrill the nation with an exciting playoff run and he missed Christmas with his family. But he was true to himself and he did it his way.
Once again, this past September, Conor’s authentic self had a plan that didn’t include returning to university. His dream is to be a professional umpire. The career path starts with a five-week training course at an academy in Florida. Just as baseball players rise through the ranks of the minor leagues before they reach the majors, aspiring umpires are scouted at the academy and offered positions based on their performance.
Conor is in Florida right now pursuing his biggest and boldest dream. He’s enjoying the umpiring course, studying hard and hoping to move forward with an umpiring career.
What I admire about Conor is his resolve to be true to himself, even when his choices may be unpopular. It’s with big things like his education and career path, and small things like his appearance. He likes to have a beard and long hair. A lot of guys his age do but Conor goes all-in with a very full beard and mountain-man hair. He gets ribbed a lot about his look, but Conor has the strength of character to brush off the critiques and be true to his preference.
Whether or not Conor continues to umpire until he’s standing behind the plate in a major league game, my hope for him is that he always pays attention to his authentic voice. It will surely lead him to his best life.
Listening to that authentic voice will lead each of us to our best life. Let’s make 2017 the year we listen, pay attention and follow its wisdom.
That’s the way to hit the ball out of the park every time!
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