In the outdoor pursuit of hunting game… say, for instance, white-tail deer or ruffed grouse… a hunter soon comes to understand you can find both of those species, more consistently, in and around “transition zones.”
A transition zone being where two or more types of terrain features come together to create a noticeable edge… pine trees, along a path, along a small creek creates a very obvious edge.
You check those for sign… every time.
As a man, as a young EMERGING MAN, we sometimes miss NOTICEABLE transitions of life that alert us to the fact that we are moving from one type of life terrain to the next.
We may feel like we are mired down in a bog, but we don’t know how to maneuver out of it, we can’t SEE a way out.
In the not so distant past a boy went through different transitions of life, at a measured clip, and either his dad, grandpa, or Uncle Joe, would let him know he… PASSED… the transition point of that particular edge of life… maybe after he shot his first deer or grouse… on his own… all that was needed to know he passed was a solid slap on the back, a smile, and a “NICE SHOT!”
And that young man “knows” he passed!
Transitioning from one to the other… whether that’s in the grouse woods or adolescents… may cause you to have to endure a rough patch on your way through.
Without a man in your life like dad, grandpa, or uncle Joe… can leave a young man stuck in a raspberry patch… sometimes of his own making.
Without a proper example, that young man is left to think through those transitions on his own.
And without some training under his belt, his thinking, will in fact be… confused and misguided.
Entering the arena of the “manliness industry” I find myself coming up to a new edge of terrain, as I make my way through this TRANSITION PERIOD… going from dad to granddad.
Most of the manly websites that I have researched are being run by younger guys. And one point they stress in their messages is that… “manliness includes being present for your kids, being a dad.”
They themselves, and the gents that follow them have young kids, say from 13 on down.
My input at that juncture, unsolicited, would come across as sounding like, “Back in my day…”
My kids are all grown. All five of em’.
My oldest son, and his wife, have graced us with a granddaughter.
The EMERGING MAN will need to develop the appropriate message… and voice… for those who find him.
Spotting a transition zone takes a bit of maturity, not so much just in age maturity, you can have manly maturity at an early age, it is a maturity of thinking; of awareness; of focus of thought.
If you are a young man (or a young lady, as the message has reached you also) coming into, or finding yourself amidst a life transition zone… drop me a comment… before you get too close to that edge you might not see… and I’ll try to ENCOURAGE, EQUIP, & ENGAGE with you.
theemergingman.com 