What would Jack do? – finding inspiration from the TV series ‘This is Us’

_{Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson. Photo: Ron Batzdorff/NBC and image taken from Vulture.com}

Inspiration..

If you haven’t seen the TV programme 'This Is Us', well, I guess it’s unlikely you will be reading this post, since it’s probably the title that drew you in and if you’re anything like me, you’ve been totally captivated by this thought provoking TV series.....and I must admit, I can’t believe it has affected me so profoundly nor that I would be writing about its impact.

Jack isn’t perfect, even he has his demons, but the reality folks is, that we are all growing, developing, educating and evolving....not one of us is faultless.......not yet anyway.

Inspiration comes from many sources and sometimes they come from the unlikeliest of places and who would have thought that I would be finding myself saying ‘What would Jack do?’, in times of difficulty or struggle.

A kiss was the answer.....phew!

One such moment occurred this morning, my wife made a simple statement that the washing machine was on and would I mind emptying it when it was done. I, for some reason, took her tone the wrong way; I heard a nagging voice that inferred that I never empty the washing machine and that she had to remind me all the time. So I stated, ‘you say that as if I never empty it ’, which of course led my wife to react in an equally obtuse fashion and after a bit of ‘back and forth’, I then heard a voice in my head saying ‘what Jack would do?’ The resulting effect of that voice, of course meant that I had to kiss her, making sure it was a proper kiss along with an apology...........phew that sorted it.

What’s interesting here is the thought appearing in the first place, how could a fictionalised character have such an effect on my own psychology?

Well that last question, needn’t have an answer, I’m just grateful it does affect me so much, because, and I say this with some hesitation, Jack makes me a better man.

The right time..

Perhaps the programmes affect can be attributed to my being at a certain point in my life. Becoming a husband has an effect in itself, to a certain extent you feel like the ‘emotion-ometer’ has been switched on.....just a bit. This combined with passing 40 (I’m now 45) and then the big whammy – becoming a father. Wow, this last one definitely hit me like a speed train, all of a sudden, everything falls into place, you realise your life is insignificant, there is no time for selfish thoughts, if you didn’t have patience you’d better find some quickly and for me, you breathe a sigh of relief that you no longer have responsibility over your own life but for someone else’s – someone whom really needs your support and strength, you’d better ‘step it up’. So given the premise of this programme, I guess it’s come at exactly the right time.

Jack is learning too..

Jack is depicted as someone whom is still learning, he makes the odd mistake but quickly adjusts and adapts his thoughts and his driving thought is to be a better man than his father. I was lucky, I grew up in a stable home, two supportive, loving parents and really I should have created better life for myself earlier on. For some reason, however, I needed to figure out a lot of things about who I was, before I could even choose the ‘right path’, perhaps I’m closer to his son Kevin, minus the good looks. Everything clicked though when I became a father and since that day in 2014, I have been evolving, growing and of course looking for inspiration.

Being responsible..

Responsibility can be a millstone around your neck and if I’m honest, it was for me at first, but then when you realise the context to that responsibility, when you remove the ‘self’ from your thoughts, it becomes easier and then it actually becomes the source of your inspiration and reason for being. If you have to have the odd reminder from ‘Jack’ along the way, well nothing wrong with that and a simple checking in question to yourself of ‘what would Jack do’ can be the catalyst to finding the right answer.

Don’t do it on your own..

I have found that working with others whom are on a similar journey, other parents whom want to ‘step it up’, other adults whom are seeking a better way of life or just those that are educating themselves to further evolve, has been a real help. Finding a community of like minded individuals, amongst this technological world, that unfortunately creates so many barriers to human interaction, is key. If you’re seeking inspiration and Jack’s words aren’t quite enough and you want to ‘step it up’ and create a better life for yourself and family, then time to educate yourself and join a community of folk doing the same.

Thank you for reading....now go away and evolve...