Two of the biggest threats to the sustainability of our blue planet today are pollution and climate change. Pollution that clogs our waterways and spews an unimaginable amount of plastics into the ocean. Climate change is causing sea levels to rise, ocean acidification, and temperatures to reach unprecedented levels killing off many species. Is there hope?

This week a new book by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson will be released. The title is – What If We Get It Right – Visions of Climate Future. Last week I listened to an interview on NPR with Ayana where she discussed this new book that includes interviews with 20 experts across various disciplines to provide their perspective. Her position is that we don’t get to give up. 

In 2021, I retired from corporate America after more than 35 years. After being discharged from the US Navy, I had the opportunity to work at Sonalysts, Inc, Hewlett-Packard, The Hartford and Travelers Insurance. Each stop along the way gave me the ability to learn, grow, have unique experiences and work with outstanding professionals. That retirement from Travelers was not really a retirement. I refer to that as Retirement 1.0. You see, in 2017 I also became an owner of Scuba Shack in Rocky Hill, CT. At the time the circumstances seemed right to make the investment. In July 2021, I would move from the full-time corporate world to the full-time small business owner. Retirement 1.0 wasn’t really retirement and now is the time for Retirement Part Deux.

Last week, I officially wrapped up my work at Scuba Shack. The dive shop was sold at the end of July and I have been engaged in a transition to the new ownership team. With this work complete, there is the newfound freedom. Just how will that look?

I recently returned from having spent a week onboard a liveaboard dive boat. The trip was in the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez. We traveled from Phoenix to Puerto Penasco before getting on the boat and heading to the Midriff Islands located approximately 130 miles southwest of the port. Even though the islands are in close proximity to Baja California, they are quite isolated. I would essentially be off the grid; disconnected for the entire week. Would I suffer withdrawals? Would I constantly be reaching for my phone to check social media or email? Or would I choose to embrace the solitude of being isolated for the week. I decided I would take advantage of the loss of the cell service and no wifi access and that was liberating.

Yesterday was the 4th of July and we celebrated our nation’s birthday. I did not feel like celebrating, however. My reflections centered on the debilitating polarization across America. Republican versus Democrat, left versus right, liberal versus conservative. It made little sense. What happened to the middle? You know, the middle where we respect one another’s opinions, debate our points of view, and compromise when necessary to achieve a greater good. Can we make the move to the middle once again? Our world of scuba diving is certainly an example of how we respect the middle.

In my latest episode of Scuba Shack Radio, I touched briefly on how some people take our scuba diving course and may never dive. Some people may only dive occasionally, while others become scuba divers. So this got me thinking a little more deeply about being versus doing. It is the difference between being a scuba diver versus doing scuba diving. (This doesn’t just apply to scuba diving. There are so many other endeavors in life where this resonates)

In 1986, Maverick and Goose felt the need for speed. Top Gun was all about speed as the F-14 Tomcats raced across the sky battling MiGs and bogies. As the long-awaited sequel to Top Gun hits the movie theaters, I’ve got to wonder do we still feel the need for speed in 2022. Or do we really need to slow down? Do we really need to take the lessons learned from the pandemic and realize there is much more to life than going Mach 2.5 with our hair on fire?

Scuba diving teaches us to slow down. Slow down our movements. Slow down when we prepare for a dive. Scuba diving teaches us not to rush and not to take shortcuts. All of our training runs counter to the need for speed. This doesn’t mean that we can’t be quick and efficient. One has to strike the balance between moving at warp speed and being stuck in the mud.