"For me, the freedom of living my authentic and genuine life is unbounded."

Scott Heidecke - May 2004 Grad

China. Coming here was a distant dream that began when I was nineteen. I made a lot of zigzags in my life since then, twists and turns that my parents would tell me show instability. For a living, I’ve ranged from dishwashing and pumping gas to carpentry and gardening and then late bloomed to a PhD in Chemistry at thirty-nine, followed by 18 years of corporate life, working in more than ten countries. There were a couple of years of real estate work mixed in there too. I had two marriages with kids and several other “serious” relationships with women. Though vivid in my heart and memories, and still maintaining the important relation connections, this is the past, gone now. Scattered? Yes. Unstable? Yes. And I accept it because, “that’s the way I like it, uh huh uh huh.”

During nearly 3 years of Wings work, especially in Lifeworks and Internship, I found the few simple truths of my heart. Adventure, truth, learning new things and giving service to others are my profound values. My life has sometimes been consistent with those values, and sometimes I thought I “should” try to value other things like long-term commitments, money, and stability. I am a loving and compassionate man, and sometimes I haven’t known how to integrate this with my other values. When I do something, I’m all-in, and when I’m finished, I’m definitely finished. I also know that my “should do” and “should have done” thoughts can offer me some lessons when I listen for a while and don’t serve me well when I listen for too long.

Authenticity and being genuine are the Wings take-home lessons for me. And for me that means, I understand my deepest values, I honor those values by making choices that are consistent with them, and I honor others by honestly and completely disclosing who I am, what I think, what I feel, what I want and wish for, and what I will do. This is the wheel of awareness, carrying me and whomever I relate to from not understanding to understanding. Period.

Now I am living the dream of the 19 year old young man I once was and the 57 year old man I now am. I live in a third-world city in China, teaching English to university students that came from peasant families. My heart and mind together are open to all of the experience. I am learning the language and culture and I’m making deeper discoveries of my own biases, judgments and preconceptions. Every day is a challenge on all fronts, happiness and sadness mingle, and no matter if I think it is “good” or “bad,” I am present, I accept, and I feel joy. I also feel grateful. For me, the freedom of living my authentic and genuine life is unbounded. Peace and joy to you. I am a joyful, compassionate man, choosing in alignment with my values. Owl Who Laughs in Daylight.