Abu Dhabi has a unique gastropub that offers the cooking heart of the South. From fried okra to grits and beyond, it is a culinary experience that takes one on a trip to Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee’s heartland. During the day, it is accessible to people of all ages. There is a point in the evening when things change, and being of age is required.
As I read the notice during a conversation with a friend in the early evening, I found revisiting memories of events in my life that only happened once I was “of age”. From getting a better rate for car insurance to being able to vote and beyond, there have been markers across my life. Each reflected a sign of maturity being recognised by an institution or individual.
Reflecting on the highlight reel, one of my last coming-of-age recognitions was linked to spirituality. Unknown and unrecognised at the time, it was an appointment to a role of responsibility within a community that marked the final public milestone. It was an echo of one writer’s observation about another; “Then, having arrived at the full stature of [my] his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek,” (Hebrews 5.9)
Others generously gave me the milestone. Looking back, this was the first step in a slow walk toward knowing how fragile, vulnerable, and transparent life would become.
Everything in life pivots in the moment I have now. Trust, integrity, and purpose are expressed in my words and actions. Each can be broken or lost when I am less than my best. This is not a burden. It is a reality that gives me an appreciation of the responsibility and honour of being fully and completely present. With each expression and choice, I reveal more than I realise. I communicate my values and beliefs, telegraph my priorities, and open my heart and soul to others’ inspection. Seeing what is at stake creates an amazing opportunity to care and make a difference. It is a calling open to all.
