I used to think joy was something I would build—
architected, scaled, delivered.
For decades I worked at the intersection of innovation and communication, building companies and communities, crafting messages meant to inspire. And they did. But somewhere along the way, I forgot how to sit still in the moment I was in.
Then came the retreat—my last as a business leader.
And something unexpected happened.
My daughter, Brittany, joined me. It was her first retreat, and my last in that role. Afterward, she gifted me a simple video. No speech. Just an offering. A quiet mirror reflecting what she saw:
“Dad, you already are what you seek.”
That moment cracked something open.
It reminded me of the story that started it all for me: Green Eggs and Ham.
Sam-I-Am offering the unfamiliar with joy.
That’s how I’ve lived most of my life—demystifying the strange, inviting others to try.
But now, it was time for me to try something new.
Not to scale the message…
but to become it.
So I did something unfamiliar.
I paused.
I listened.
I softened.
And in that softening, I discovered that I was not walking one path—but many.
A Pathfinder’s Blend
Seeker. Phoenix. Sage.
I have walked many paths.
Not in a straight line—
but in spirals, in fire, in silence.
Once, I chased momentum.
Now, I follow meaning.
Once, I scaled to reach the world.
Now, I pause to hear the whisper within.
Seeker.
Curious. Unsettled.
Not because I am lost—
but because I sense there is more.
A hunger not for answers,
but for the sacred unknown.
A walk not for distance,
but for alignment.
Phoenix.
I have burned.
I have let go of lives that no longer fit.
A body that begged for stillness,
a spirit that whispered, “Begin again.”
Not from scratch—
but from experience.
From ash, I shape intention.
Sage.
I have nothing left to prove.
What I offer now is presence.
A meal. A look. A line of poetry.
I do not shout.
I sit.
I wait.
And when called, I rise.
This is not a midlife reinvention.
It is a remembering.
That joy doesn’t need to be earned.
That legacy is not scale—
it is resonance.
I am the seeker who surrenders.
The phoenix who rises softly.
The sage who listens first.
This is my path.
Not mapped.
But meaningful.
Not fixed.
But faithful.
I walk it one breath at a time.
And let the message become me.
I was just back at MEA last month and will be there again this month, not as the person who once facilitated transformation, but as someone still deep in it.
Maybe you are too.
If so—welcome. Let’s walk together for a while.
-Jack
Jack Abbott is a lifelong innovator, storyteller, and seeker of meaning. After four decades building creative agencies and immersive tech ventures, he now focuses on cultivating joy, presence, and connection through retreats, reflection, and slow living. Jack is an MEA alum and returning guide, and shares more of his journey at www.madeforjoy.life. Here’s a beautiful, short video Jack made based upon this poem.