When
invited me to discuss fatherhood and hunting on his Substack, , I was hesitant simply because it was out of my comfort zone; then I thought to myself, “Well, that’s a pretty good reason to do it.”This week’s Next Adventure provides you with a recording of my conversation with Kyle. I had a feeling our conversation might last longer than anticipated, and it did simply because we had so many interesting topics to riff on.
We discuss our backgrounds & stories, parenting philosophies, nature, and hunting.
Kyle’s Post About Our Conversation:
*Using the Substack App, you can listen to our conversation as you would any other podcast, or listen here using Spotify.
The Call
A concept I bring up in our conversation is the call we’re each answering (not a new concept by any means, but one I’m currently fixated on). When we feel compelled to respond, do something, or take action, we’re answering a call. In recent weeks, I’ve considered the calls we all have:
call to adventure
call to family
call to service
call to friendship
call to duty/work
Since our conversation, I’ve ruminated on this idea of how, every day, I find it helpful to consider what call I’ll be answering for the next ~18 hours after I get out of bed in the morning.
Yet there are other [capital “C”] Calls we experience beyond these daily practical ones. These are times when there’s a Call that is unignorable, and we must answer it.
I count about 10-20 times in my life when I’ve heard this Call and needed to answer it; not just a “gee whiz, I think I’ll do this or that” type of thing, but an “I’m doing this and nothing will stop me” kind of summons and I can’t ignore it. Some may say it’s “listening to our gut.”
The love for my wife, the protection of my children & home, the chase & slaying of particular hunts. Practicing and exhibiting kindness against cruelty.
They are Calls I must answer unequivocally and do so (almost) without thought, and I feel lucky to have them in my life because they’ve guided it in positive ways. These Calls are the prism through which I take action. I’ve changed jobs, moved, and made other significant changes because of these undeniable Calls.
It’s clear to me that Kyle is also answering many Calls in his work and life: to his family, country, craft, and work. And I think this is why we’ve connected; yes, some of our Calls overlap, but I believe the connection is about recognizing that the Call is being answered, which comes through as passion. Witnessing this passion in action is inspirational and contagious.
I enjoy all of Kyle’s posts, but am particularly drawn to those he’s categorized into the Impactful Stories section of Resilient Mental State.
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