There are people that are larger than life. It is a unique list of individuals that are influential in your life and mine. Their life and words inform us in a way that directly reaches into our hearts and minds. I grew up with a very short list. Grandpa Lange and my parents were at the center. Over time, others have joined the ranks as my elite advisors. Since many are still alive, I will spare them the burden of knowing how important their voice and actions continue to be.
When one author said that it is the actions that we take when nobody is paying attention that most reflect our true heart, they forgot to add what it means to others. It is in the mundane moments of life that we speak to others the loudest. Sometimes our actions are like ripples on a passing pond. We touch the pond and never see the picture that unfolds. On other occasions, we touch the lives of those around us.
I recently talked to one of my heroes. It was an unguarded moment, one that you will find buried in any day. I realized I was interrupting. I had no idea what I should do. He was kind enough to give me the time, paying attention to my words as if they were a gift. It was a mundane human moment filled with life lessons.
Life is a mix. It will not always be exciting. It was not always hold our attention. In one moment, another gave me the gift of being fully present.
Life is filled with good and bad. Nobody is perfect, even our heroes. An old reminder is one I need to keep close to my heart. “Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t.” (1 Corinthians 4.1)
Life offers us the opportunity to move forward. We can learn from the past. We can, do anything.
It’s a new day. It is like any other and yet it is new. We hold an invitation to move beyond yesterday’s myths and into the real.
