Epic .....

Recently on a broadcast of "Sunday Morning" an Arkansas school principle was profiled by journalist, Steve Hartman. In short, he had begun his career at the same school many years earlier as a janitor; however, the principle at that particular time had pulled him aside to tell him he should consider continuing education, as he saw great potential in him, even going so far as to convey to this man, “You should be grading papers as opposed to picking them up.”

Therefore, with grit and determination, the once janitor completed night school, earned a degree in education, then began teaching and eventually completed a Master’s program, which saw him to his present position. Feeling enormously blessed, he now seeks to give his students the same kind of inspiration that had once been given to him when previously ‘no one else’ in his life had taken an interest. I suppose the lesson there is we all at least have the potential to affect people’s lives in a positive manner, and when we do they can go on to effectively change other people’s lives as well. I like that, and try to bear it in mind as I interact with those I come into contact with on a daily basis. One can never know when even the smallest thing they say or do can constructively change the life of another human being.

Once my program was over, I sprang into action doing my requisite Sunday chores including laundry and ironing, as well as my usual housework in an effort to organize my thoughts and environment for the coming week. At that time, we had another winter weather warning concerning another snow which was supposed to follow the cool front moving through later that same day. With no end in sight, winter seemed to maintain its grasp upon the entire nation.

While I was doing my cleaning, I happened to tune into one of my very favorite movies of all time, in fact one I just mentioned to my mom on the same Friday evening I watched a little of the opening ceremonies in Sochi. Although I’ve seen it a number of times, I’m powerless ‘not’ to watch "Dr. Zhivago" each time it plays. I have always been drawn to epic motion pictures. I suppose because the stories portrayed are those that become larger than life as they unfold before you on the large screen. My other favorites include "Gone With The Wind" – for its obvious connection with my beloved South – "Out of Africa", because the dark continent has always beckoned me in the same way Russia has done over the years and finally "Legends of the Fall" for whenever I feel the need to cry with careless abandon. As I pondered this list one day, it occurred to me all of these stories are so sad, which troubled me a bit when I considered that only sadness had the capability of moving me so deeply. Could it be that I was addicted to sadness, and as such was destined not to be drawn to the people, places and things that would eventually produce happiness in my own life?

However, ultimately I came to a very different conclusion. It is in short, because I appreciate depth in both characters and storylines. I’ve known a number of people over the years that have sailed through life seemingly unscathed. Supported by their good decisions and perfect pedigrees, they graciously walk around with a kind of knowing smile that assures the rest of us they know their place in this world is secure as they endeavor to appreciate the fact that people more like me tend to live out our lives a little more precariously, thus they feel a certain sympathy for us as is evidenced by their small attempts at kindness …. an extra dollar in my tip jar or “And how are you today?” uttered without waiting for an actual answer before making their own needs or requests known.

Wouldn’t it be funny if in heaven the so-called ‘little people’ were the ones who ruled while the privileged were made to follow? Maybe that's what Jesus meant when he said ... and I paraphrase, "The last will be the first among you and the first will be the last." I don’t mean to sound ‘negative’ as I actually do appreciate people who are polite as a way of life. What they fail to understand about people like me is my dreams are indeed big and that I have enough drive and determination to actually see them through.

In the end I suppose I kind of feel sorry for them, because without adversity, we have no reason to grow as a means to get in touch with what’s really important in life. Therefore there would be no reason to grab hold of whatever happiness comes our way knowing that life in general is fleeting, and like the weather the only guarantee is ‘change’. People who suffer – like the poet Yuri Zhivago – don’t have to die in order to get in touch with their soul. They are moved even by the simplest of things like the changes of season or the desperate bays of a scared, lonely wolf pack wasting away from lack of food. They are moved by temporal things like lust and passion and the need to seize the moment, because none of us can know what the future may bring. They live life as if walking on the precarious edge of a high cliff knowing one wrong step can hasten their end, and last of all they create so that they may leave something behind worth noting.

I like to think this is the part of the human race that I belong to, and I wouldn’t change that for a ticket on a berth with a much more comfortable ride. I appreciate depth, thoughtfulness, wisdom and creativity in others and I constantly strive to cultivate those same qualities within myself, hoping and praying I might just leave this world a little better by having been a part of it.