#13: Nancy & Terry Metheny on balance, if that's what you want, and the long-game

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts112/v4/3b/97/8a/3b978a3a-2a66-1130-f3eb-9fac44a21460/mza_5591040286370484861.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Dealing With 40

Clark Vandeventer

17 episodes

20 hours ago

Turning 40 is a big mile-marker in life -- and one that makes you reflect on life. Host Clark Vandeventer is dealing with some big questions as he approaches his 40th birthday. In short, he's had a really hard time dealing with 40. Did he squander the promise of his youth? Why has he accomplished so much less than he thought he would have by now? In seeking some perspective, Clark has turned to people who've climbed a little higher. A series of interviews addressing deep questions with people about life after 40.

Self-Improvement

Education

RSS

All content for Dealing With 40 is the property of Clark Vandeventer and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Self-Improvement

Education

https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded/3289342/3289342-1582229192056-b6aa3a826a22e.jpg

#13: Nancy & Terry Metheny on balance, if that's what you want, and the long-game

Dealing With 40

52 minutes 13 seconds

5 years ago

#13: Nancy & Terry Metheny on balance, if that's what you want, and the long-game

Today my guests are Nancy and Terry Metheny.

Terry and Nancy were parents of a very good friend of mine from high school. I spent a lot of time at the Metheny house when I was in high school. They also helped coached Academic teams I was a part of.

Nancy and Terry have been married for 43 years -- they have five children and 18 grandchildren -- and having observed them over the years I can tell you they are deeply connected to their kids and so proud of them.

They’re long-time Hoosiers. Terry studied mechanical engineering at Rose-Hulman and worked at Eli Lilly for 39 years. Nancy went to BYU; stayed home with their children for 20 years and then went back to work as a high school English teacher for 20 years. Both Nancy and Terry retired two years ago.

They’re devoted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: as part of that lay ministry, Terry served as bishop of their local congregation for 12 years. Church service is a vital part of their lives.

They’re travelers. Terry enjoys reading, gardening and golf; I enjoy crossword puzzles, homemaking, and entertaining.

Although we’ve been connected over the years, and Facebook friends over the years -- this conversation is the first significant conversation we've have had since I was in high school, or perhaps early in my collegiate career.

The Methenys made a big investment in my life -- and I would say they believed in me. They thought I was capable of great things. If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while you probably know there’s a tinge of fear that perhaps I have disappointed them. Maybe they expected more from me. But I have no doubt that they’re going to give me some perspective today.

Things that struck me in this interview:

1. The numbers 20/20. I knew Nancy as a stay-at-home mom. She was getting back into teaching right around the time I was going to college. But in my mind she was always a stay-at-home mom. Doing this interview, I realized as long as she'd done that, she'd had a whole 20 year teaching career afterwards.

2. Terry talked about wanting balance. That was his value and he arranged his life accordingly. But he suggested that maybe some people don't value balance as much. He was open to the idea that balance is not the ultimate value. It was just his value.

3. This long view of success and life building that they hold, in part because of their faith.

4. What I saw when they were 40-ish (as a 17 or 18 year old kid hanging out at their house) vs. the challenges they struggled with. They struggled as parents and they lived paycheck-to-paycheck.