Life Happens Gradually, Then Suddenly
A completed series of reflection, insight and homage
Post #20 of #20: I am reflecting on twenty years of personal and professional experiences in Birmingham and beyond.
There’s a passage in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises in which a character named Mike is asked how he went bankrupt. “Two ways,” he answers. “Gradually, then suddenly.”
Everyone has an origin story. That story evolves over time as a result of the decision of elders, yourself, and the providence of the season into which you are born. Those decisions and those seasons have a compounding effect that reveals itself most in our life’s inflection points. You know — the big moments that show up suddenly.
Gradually precedes suddenly — always.
This truth has been illuminated more than ever as I embarked on writing my #20For20 series. This series forced me to relive some experiences — some painful, some joyful — and find the throughlines and themes that were not evident while I was immersed in those seasons.
When I conceived this series in June 2020, I naively thought I could write a post every week and finish the series up by December 31, 2020. My goodness — what was I thinking?
