Beta Max, my traveling companion betta fish, understands change better than most creatures, and certainly better than me. Every day, he’s in a constantly new environment. He travels with me in a small cup with holes on the top so he can breathe, resting comfortably in a cupholder. Then, at night, I transfer him to a wide variety of bigger swimming holes: Tupperware, a flower vase, and at the moment, a tip jar, to name just a few.
Bettas live alone. They prefer going their own way. They don’t school, and fight with their own kind. That’s why they were named “Betta,” after an ancient fighting clan.
I can relate, a lot lately, to what it means to go it alone like my companion Beta Max. I’m divorced, and my two oldest boys are now young adults. My oldest works at a tech startup, while my younger one is just one year away from graduation. For the first time since I had children 23 years ago, at age 57, I need to really start thinking about what I want out of life, on my own, not tied to a spouse, family member, or anyone else.
I need to create my very own Life In Beta.
So what does this mean? Simply, I need to learn how to take better care of myself. I must eat better, drink less, work out more, and work on what really matters to me now, versus what matters to other people.
To seriously change our lives, and live a true Life In Beta, we must fundamentally change our habits. Most of us wake up, in the same place, at the same time and do the same thing, each and every day. We eat the same food, drink the same wine, hang with the same people, go to the same church.
But what happens when we truly live Life In Beta?
Beta Max
That’s what I’m trying to find out now. Stay tuned.