Four Extraordinary Things About Ordinary People
by Human nature sometimes compels us to measure our own success against world-class athletes, multi-millionaire business people, accomplished scientists and famous screen stars. What I found is that the odds are stacked against me for “making the cut” in these circles.
So instead, I’ve begun to look a little closer to home and have discovered some real champions worth looking up to. Here’s a short list of those people I admire:
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Life Long Pen Pals
Handwriting a personal letter seems like a lost art form these days. Many people shoot each other e-mails and text messages or pick up the phone. On the other hand, my 78-year old mother-in-law and 22-year old niece take to the pen and have kept in touch through good old-fashioned letter writing for years. There are no rules of engagement, nothing gets tagged as spam and the beauty of the written language takes shape in the form of jokes, sarcasm, worries and laughter. Some time may pass between correspondences, but I admire this delightful practice for the simplicity it involves and the romanticism it invokes from a bygone era.
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Soccer-Moms and Stay-at-Home Toms
OK, so many of us have gone out into the workforce and climbed the corporate ladder, maybe with an eye on a corner office. There’s also a lot to be said for the committed teachers, sanitation workers, public servants and union workers who put in long hours, for sometimes low wages and lower recognition. But having stepped into my child-bearing years and adding a couple of units for the census count, I often beg to get back to a 50-ish hour work week out of the home.Let me state it for the record in case you are unaware of the feats being conquered on the home front by moms and dads alike, just a few of my observations of some real miracle workers.
- Feed family, find schoolwork, walk dog, make lunches, do laundry, clean house, food shop, banking, wait for repairman/installers of something
- Bake for fundraiser, volunteer at library, plan PTA craft fair, plant spring flowers, decorate for holidays, send thank you notes for last week’s birthday party, get car serviced, rotate seasonal clothing in closets/storage
- Drive to school/sitters/sports practice/scout meeting/religion class/child’s playmates house
- Make dinner, help with homework, lay out clothes for school, bathe kids, build castle or color with kids, get kids to bed
- The above is not meant to be an exhaustive list by any means, but just a taste of what gets done day in and day out by the non-working, non-paid family members that make it possible for breadwinners to work, kids to shine, communities to flourish and households to run. More amazingly, there are tons of working men and women who do the above while maintaining a job, some kids who are forced to “raise” their siblings so parents can work.
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Creators
Whether it an artist on canvas or sheet music, a wordsmith or blacksmith, a chef or gardener, I celebrate the individuals who have learned to master what they love or love what they’ve mastered. It has become a long time dream of mine to be great at something I love to do. I’ve tried my hand at photography, cooking, golf, (writing), and a myriad of other things that I have only scratched the surface of with moderate success. Due to my humble position, I applaud those people who seem to have raw talent that they’ve nurtured into realized potential. So go ahead, paint that silhouette, play that ballad, draft that novel, craft that sculpture, create that feast and plant that garden. I will be watching, learning, practicing and marveling as I find my own level of success in the things I love to do.
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Volunteers
There is no two ways about it. Volunteerism is a beautiful thing done by beautiful people. I challenge everyone to read this statement over and over, take a deep breath and go find something, somewhere that you can do to make a difference to someone or something else – all while not expecting a darn thing in return. The gift will come back to you ten-fold, anyway. By the way, I put mentors in this category too. Make the most of what you’ve learned and share it with others. You may help them avoid pitfalls and roadblocks that you encountered.
Mend clothes, wash uniforms, do dishes, participate in school phone tree, pay bills, etc.
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