"All Human Actions Have One Or More Of These Seven Causes: Chance, Nature, Compulsion, Habit, Reason, Passion, And Desire."
-Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC)
-A Story From Mountain Wings-
It was a dark morning in downtown Atlanta.
My father was a businessman, he had a store downtown, a wig and cosmetics store. He would take his sons downtown before school around 5:30 am and we would pass out flyers to women hurrying to work.
I stood on a particular corner. I learned a lot about crowd psychology from those early cold downtown mornings. If there was a crowd of people coming across the crosswalk as the light changed, it was vital that you got the first person in the crowd to take one of your flyers.
If the first person took one, the rest would likely take one.
If the first person refused, the rest would likely refuse.
One morning a particularly rude lady brushed me aside with a rather mean look. That wasn't unusual and it is not her that I remember. The rest of the crowd following her across the street also refused my proffered circulars.
It was just a circular, and you get used to rejection when passing out circulars in the pre-dawn hours of a major city.
I don't remember the rude lady in front of the crowd.
I remember the last lady.
She was an older lady, perhaps mid-sixties to early seventies.
Her race was different from mine.
Her hair was white with age and her frame frail from the years.
She wore a black dress.
Did those things matter?
No, I just remember them.
She didn't need a wig and looked as if she never had or would wear one. That I could plainly see.
Knowing the demeanor of the rest of the crowd, I made no real attempt to give her a circular, after all, she was the one person in the crowd that couldn't use what I was selling.
She stopped and extended her aged hand for one of my circulars.
I gladly gave her one and with that transfer, it lifted the rejection of countless others before her.
She spoke three words . . .
"Jesus loves you"
and walked away.
There are times in our life that constantly ring in our head because somebody made a difference. Something that if you retold the person would probably not relate to it. They have a similar story they remember and will forever but won't totally grasp the entire emotional experience you are. I have countless memories of moments that ring. Good and Bad. Our memory is selective. Some have better recall of conversations and what not but those moments that move you either good or bad are unforgettable.
For Example...
Last year I had a test on my left wrist to see the ligament tears. The clerk put on a little band around my wrist. She must have noticed I was nervous because as she put on my bracelet, she touched me with both hands....and rubbed my arm calming me down big time.
She said something. But, I don't remember what she said.
I do remember the touch though. It has stayed with me for some time now. Anyone who really knows me knows that I pass out for most medical procedures due to a disorder I have called Vasovagal Syncope. Basically because I am a pussy.
It is amazing how such a simple thing can be remembered for so long. Think back on an act of kindness that you remember from long ago. I just wrote a blog on inspiration. Those are the moments of inspiration whether you chose to let your mind absorb them as such. I guarantee they happen daily. I guarantee it.
Monday, May 01, 2006
You Can't Wait for Inspiration. You Have To Go After It With A Club
"Had it not been for you, I should have remained what I was when we first met, a prejudiced, narrow-minded being, with contracted sympathies and false knowledge, wasting my life on obsolete trifles, and utterly insensible to the privilege of living in this wondrous age of change and progress."
-Benjamin Disraeli
"Here is the secret of inspiration: Tell yourself that thousands and tens of thousands of people, not very intelligent and certainly no more intelligent than the rest of us, have mastered problems as difficult as those that now baffle you."
-William Feather
Each weekday when I drive to work, I notice an overweight woman jogging. She is often so very red that I find myself worrying about her, but I am also deeply moved when I see her because it is clear that she has a fair amount of weight to lose.
2 weeks ago, while driving to a very early morning class, I observed the woman out jogging in the rain.
I felt compelled to pull over and share with her that I see her each morning and I am so impressed by her discipline. I gave her my heartfelt praise at her diligence and determination and told her that she should be SO very proud of herself!
She could barely respond, but upon catching her breath, she told me that at the very moment I had stopped to speak with her she was feeling so tired. The hill that she had just run up was especially difficult for her and she was feeling quite discouraged and overwhelmed and was questioning whether she was actually making any progress toward her goal.
I told her that I was certain that she was indeed not only making progress, but I also knew that she had all she needed to achieve her goal. She thanked me, and, as I pulled away, I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw her broadly smiling as she jogged away.
It was in that moment that I was reminded that we are, all of us, faced with hills in our lives that so often seem more than we can climb. We grow weary, and it is in those times that an encouraging word can mean so very much and help us find the strength to keep going.
In that moment I also knew that while she thought it was she receiving much needed encouragement, the truth is that each time I have seen her running, no matter the challenge that is in my thoughts for that day, I find inspiration in her spirit and believe that I can manage whatever hills are ahead.
-Benjamin Disraeli
"Here is the secret of inspiration: Tell yourself that thousands and tens of thousands of people, not very intelligent and certainly no more intelligent than the rest of us, have mastered problems as difficult as those that now baffle you."
-William Feather
Each weekday when I drive to work, I notice an overweight woman jogging. She is often so very red that I find myself worrying about her, but I am also deeply moved when I see her because it is clear that she has a fair amount of weight to lose.
2 weeks ago, while driving to a very early morning class, I observed the woman out jogging in the rain.
I felt compelled to pull over and share with her that I see her each morning and I am so impressed by her discipline. I gave her my heartfelt praise at her diligence and determination and told her that she should be SO very proud of herself!
She could barely respond, but upon catching her breath, she told me that at the very moment I had stopped to speak with her she was feeling so tired. The hill that she had just run up was especially difficult for her and she was feeling quite discouraged and overwhelmed and was questioning whether she was actually making any progress toward her goal.
I told her that I was certain that she was indeed not only making progress, but I also knew that she had all she needed to achieve her goal. She thanked me, and, as I pulled away, I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw her broadly smiling as she jogged away.
It was in that moment that I was reminded that we are, all of us, faced with hills in our lives that so often seem more than we can climb. We grow weary, and it is in those times that an encouraging word can mean so very much and help us find the strength to keep going.
In that moment I also knew that while she thought it was she receiving much needed encouragement, the truth is that each time I have seen her running, no matter the challenge that is in my thoughts for that day, I find inspiration in her spirit and believe that I can manage whatever hills are ahead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)