"'Why are you looking at me like that?' Augustus half smiled. 'Because you're beautiful. I enjoy looking at beautiful people, and I decided a while ago not to deny myself the simpler pleasures of existence.'" - Augustus Waters
This idea of stopping with the pretense of what society expects of us and just letting ourselves "see people and then letting them know you appreciate them and why" just resonated with me to my core. I took it as a call to action to start telling people that pass through my life and shape it in some way just what they did for me. I feel like I do this with my loved ones although probably not as often as I should. But I have rarely done it for people that I'd describe as strangers. I'd like to share with you 2 instances I recently encountered along this vein in the hopes it will inspire you to share with those that have touched you too.
Tale 1:
A few weeks ago, I saw the Rockwell Collins Women's Forum was hosting a brown bag lunch learning session on "Leading Yourself". The presentation was going to be given by Bob Chiusano, a retired COO at Rockwell Collins. Having never worked with Bob, I must say, my first (highly prejudiced) thoughts were, "what's this old white guy gonna be able to teach me?" Well I went anyway, misgivings and all. WOW - was I was dead wrong!!! It was the best learning hour I've had at work in years(?) I left that meeting feeling energized and excited to be working for Rockwell Collins again! Bob is one of those rare people that is amazingly passionate and completely authentic. He is the real deal and has certainly found his calling in motivational speaking. Afterwards, a friend of mine was getting his contact information to schedule another brown bag session for a different audience. I asked if she'd share that contact information with me when she got it. A week later, I got his email address and without even stopping to think, I wrote the following email of gratitude and threw it over the wall:
Bob,
having never had the opportunity to hear you speak, I attended the Forum presentation and thought to myself they really threw down the gauntlet when they introduced you and gave you such high praise. I was so happy to have been proven wrong, that hour(+) was the best and most informative hour I spent at work last week!
I wanted to share 2 things with you.
First, I'd like to give you a BIG THANK YOU, for letting your light shine and inspiring others to have the courage to do the same. I wonder how many people attended that one event that were sitting at a cross-roads, and your words were the catalyst to incite necessary change?
Second, I was one of those people at a cross-roads. I, like so many others, have been content to just let my career decide itself. I have been in the same department for 13 years now and have been actively disengaged for much of the last year, but too afraid to do something about it. Your words struck a nerve and reiterated a core truth that I've really come to terms with in the past half a year. Only through change, do we grow to become our best selves. Its not the layups in life that hone us, but the half court shots. These challenges cause us to rise up and become more than we were and even if we fail, we will have grown and learned so much in that process that it was worth it.
The day after your presentation, I accepted an opportunity to enter back into leadership in a role I've never experienced. It will be stressful, new, perhaps even overwhelming. But I'm excited again for the possibility and wanted to tell you thanks for the courage to take a half court shot :o)
Sincerely,
Chrissy Littler
Bob responded within the hour and left me with this tidbit, which I loved and am including here. I hope you will do the same!
Chrissy- wow !! Thank you. As I spoke to you all, remember I said receiving notes such as yours is why I do what I do.
If we can do something as huge as to change the course of ones life by doing something as simple as being there, sharing experiences and offer assistance and encouragement why can't we all do it?!
I wish you nothing but the best but ask you do one more thing. Go find someone who's struggling like you were and help them get up and make something special happen Chrissy!!
Thank you for your kind words and wishing you the best!
Bob
Tale 2:
Ok. <deep breath> This one is pretty personal, so my apologies for excessive capitalization here. If I was telling this to you in person I assure you my voice would be raised and my arms would be gesticulating wildly.
For those of you on Facebook, you probably saw me raving over Wally Lamb coming to visit Cedar Rapids. Yeah, big deal, just a big name author coming through town, right?
No. NOT for me...
I've not talked much about my weight issues until recently. If you haven't read the Thunder Thighs post, you might want to read that first for some perspective. As a little further background, I was very active in high school sports but was one of those lucky ladies who exited basketball senior year with a torn ACL knee injury. Not wanting to give up my last season of track or softball, I played on said torn ACL until the end of the softball season and then I entered college at ISU right after surgery, complete with crutches and a medical parking tag. Between the bum wheel and the stressor of "being on my own for first time", I easily added on the freshman 15(+). The next year wasn't going much better, when along came Oprah's book of the month, She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. I devoured that book in 1 night, all 368 pages of it. I was Dolores Price... Before going to sleep around 4 am, I wrote down on a piece of paper all the emotions that book made me feel and what I had to address about myself so that I could love ME. In short, that book made ME come UNDONE, and from it I became MYSELF. It was the moment I read that book that I owned whatever happened next in my life, no more excuses. The following day, I stopped using the elevator in my building (I lived on 6th floor). The next week I started going to the REC center next door for 30 minute walking sessions every day. By March, I could run 3 miles nonstop and by June I could run 6! All from the power of words on a page. Words that ripped a hole clear through me and out the other side.
So yeah... Did I mention Wally Lamb was in town on Friday? AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!! I was so worried he wouldn't live up to these expectations I had in my head. I mean he's not a speaker, he's an author right?? But that's not it at all, HE is a STORYTELLER. And a brilliant one at that. I laughed ALOT during his talk and even cried a bit, all in an hour and a half. There was a book signing afterwards. I got in line, probably in the first third of said line, but it was a LONG line. Did I really want to stand there for maybe an hour just to tell him how he had touched me? Hmm, not really. I chickened out. I told myself I'd write him a letter instead. I got out of line, walked to the other side of the building and was heading out to my car when I just knew I had to turn around. I'd never get this chance again. So after a quick stop at the restroom, I got back in... at the END OF THE LINE. And I waited. Over an hour and a half. There were 4 people in line behind me, and they all got to hear this.
Me: "Hi Wally, sorry I didn't bring a book to sign."
Wally: "You want me to sign your arm?"
Me: "Ha! No, you can sign my stomach <a reference back to the craziest book signing he did> I'm just kidding, no way I'm lifting up my shirt! <laughter> I just wanted to tell you that you can count me among those your words have saved. I read She's Come Undone as a sophomore in college when it came out on Oprah's list. I was 50 lbs overweight at the time. I read it in 1 night and the next day I started a journey that ended with the person you see in front of you today, happy and healthy. I wanted to tell you thank you for touching my life and I'd like to give you a hug."
And as we hugged, I whispered to him, "Thank you for writing and thank you for coming tonight."
I am SO very grateful.
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