In Cool J's hit song Mama said knock you out he declares, "don't call it a comeback!"
and in one of the seasons in the hit show One Tree Hill, star basketball player, Nathan Scott, begins to play ball after not playing for a while (not gonna spoil the show!). Often in the show upon playing after stopping he'll make the remark, "don't call it a comeback!"
I last saw One Tree Hill in college, but I remember being curious about what it meant: How could it not be a comeback? He is returning to the sport.
As I was making a decision to reach out to guests for an interview and had been on pause from podcasting for a few months, the answer arose!
Consider the quote by Heraclitus: "no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he's not the same man."
How could that make sense if someone is returning to something they have done before?
The answer is quite philosophical, esoteric, and it is profoundly true. Even over a short period of time, the river may have endured a storm or some environmental impact, and man had several experiences take place that make him a different man. The man who went into the river the first time will have learned something new and/or experienced something new with either of his senses.
This is true for us each and every day. For example, have you ever taken the same shower? I bet not. There are hot showers, cold showers, showers you sing in, quick showers, long showers, showers with this shampoo or that one. Each shower you take is unique!
It's not a comeback because there is no coming back. Each moment there is a new thought, a new experience, a new action, a new approach, a newness of its own.
Rather than thinking of going back to something, or seeing things as same ole same, be inquisitive and look for the uniqueness.
LL Cool J dropped an iconic track, Nathan's approach and mindset improved, Michael Jordan won a championship after playing baseball, and G-d willing, America will boom upon this transformation from quarantine. In addition to being a new person, a comeback could mean one lost an edge or took a step back. Don’t call it a comeback cause it's not the same thing and I'm not the same person!
So remember and be mindful of what Heraclitus said, no man takes the same shower twice, for it is not the same shower and he is not the same man... or something like that!