Is Your Life Just a Footnote in the Cosmic Scheme of Things? Or Something More?

This weekend, I’m in Florida, for a visit with Sarah’s parents at the Villages. We go down a couple of times per year, take in the sun, and give Nana and Pop-Pop some quality time with our kids, Brendan and Susannah (Susie). We hang out, cook out, go out to eat, swim and generally enjoy the good weather and all that “America’s Favorite Hometown” has to offer.

But this time, it’s going to be a little different. Not just because it’s Easter. Not because we live closer since we moved to Georgia. This trip figures to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

No, we are not going to Disneyworld, Universal Studios or SeaWorld. (Been there done that. Going to do it again, but since I’ve been to all of those several times (9 or 10 times so far to Disneyworld), those don’t qualify as “once in a lifetime.”

We’re going to see the Space Shuttle take off. And they are only slated to have 4 more missions after this one, because they are slated to retire the whole fleet.

Sarah and I share a love for space exploration. At different times, we both dreamed of being astronauts. Not enough to actually go into the military and train for NASA, but it’s definitely a dream worth having. I actually think that Sarah would have been a great astronaut.

What greater metaphor exists for reaching your human potential than leaving the planet to see what else is out there in the universe? Space exploration represents the drive of humankind to conquer the unknown, to search for new knowledge and experiences, and to connect with the mysteries and wonders of all creation.

I’ve always had an affinity for the space program. Part of this actually comes from a family connection to NASA. One of my cousins, (1st cousin once removed) Edward Galen Givens, was an accomplished test pilot and instructor, and was tapped for NASA’s original group of 19 astronauts in 1966. He was a member of the Apollo 7 support crew before his untimely death in a car accident in 1967. He was 37 years old.

I never did meet Galen, since I was born two years later. But when I was young, I did hear stories about him from my Dad, and we did have visits from his parents: my great Uncle Bill, and great Aunt Helen. They were gentle, funny, good-natured people, and clearly enjoyed life, despite having lost both their sons (their other son, Don, was also a military pilot and was killed on a routine training mission when his plane crashed.)

Galen’s story is just one from the many people related to NASA, and to some, his life and career will seem one footnote on one page of one chapter of one book about mankind’s quest to explore the stars and the mysteries of the universe.

But to me and to members of my family, and to those who knew him, Galen’s life and career represent something far greater: the archetypal quest to discover your life purpose, reach your potential and perhaps to push beyond into uncharted territory, where the greatest learning can begin.

It’s a quest I hope to assist others with in my coaching practice.

Where are you going in your life?

• Do you know your life purpose?
• Are you striving to reach your maximum potential?
• If not, would you like a partner to assist you on your personal journey?

Like Fox Mulder used to say on The X Files, “The Truth is Out There.”

Are you ready for the search?

For a great article on the life, career and Death of Galen Givens visit the following excerpt of the book Fallen Astronauts: Heroes Who Died Reaching for the Moon. or visit the Amazon Reading List in the sidebar. (Affiliate Links)