It's been super windy here in KC for the last couple of days, so windy, in fact, that Ollie the wiener dog had a tough time making his way on our walk this morning, partly because his ears were flapping so furiously and he kept stopping and shaking his head in what I call "the wiener dog helicopter shake." I call it that because the noise his ears make when he shakes reminds me of a helicopter. I know, I know ... I'm crazier than a loon, as my mom used to say. Back to the wind ... I put off walking yesterday for several hours, hoping that the gusty winds would calm down a bit. I finally decided in the afternoon that Ollie and I should go ahead and brave the howling beast and head out for our walk. Dry, crunchy leaves blew all around us as we reached the end of my street and waited for a couple of cars to pass so that we could walk across the main road and get on the trail. Ollie would take a few tentative steps, stop and do the wiener dog helicopter shake and look up at me as if to say, "Really? Seriously? You are really going to make me walk in this ferocious wind? We should go back home and wait a while ... let's wait until it's not so windy." But despite his tugging on the leash and trying to turn around ... despite his adorably cute sad face ... despite his ears being turned inside out by the blustery gale, I dragged him along as I said, "Come on, buddy, come on. I'm not waiting for the wind to stop for us to walk. Let's go little furry friend ... I've waited all day, and I'm not waiting any longer."
I've been blessed during my years in the advertising business to have worked with a whole lot of really great people, and I'm even more blessed that quite a few of those awesome folks keep in touch with me on a regular basis. Just this afternoon, I had lunch with a former co-worker who lives in Wichita, her 13-year-old daughter and her friend. My friend Ele is truly an amazing person, and I'm pretty sure bringing her daughter Chase and Chase's friend Grace to a big concert here in KC tonight earned her a serious spot in the mom of the year competition. I don't remember Ele and I being super close friends when she worked at SHS, but she has become a solid rock of support and encouragement to me during the last year, and I count her as one of my dearest friends. She doesn't hesitate to kick my butt when I need it, and she challenges me to do more, be more, love more, care more. We ate at my favorite Thai joint across the street from my office, and then I gave the girls a tour of where I work. I also gave them M&Ms, which I'm thinking must have helped me out in the coolness department. It was so very good to see Ele today, and I'm thankful that she cares enough about me to have included me in their special day.
Last night, I had dinner with another former co-worker, Vicki, and her husband Mike. Vicki is one of those people I felt an instant connection with from the moment I met her, and she and Mike are truly some of the most genuine people I've ever known. Much like Ele, Vicki is an ever-faithful source of support and encouragement to me, and she's been there for me through some of my darkest times. As we sat at the table in the restaurant chatting about various things and catching up on what's going on in our children's lives, I couldn't help but smile at the ease and warmth of the conversation. One of Vicki's many responsibilities in her current position at the company where she works is that of planning and coordinating large community-wide events that feature well-known speakers. The most recent event was on Friday, and the featured speaker was the highest ranking firefighter who survived the collapse of tower two in the World Trade Center disaster on 9/11. I spoke the words "I can't even imagine" over and over as Vicki recounted the man's story of being buried beneath the rubble along with three of his fellow firefighters when the tower fell. But it was when she told me what the man's mantra for life is now that emotion welled deep within me and I knew that there was a huge lesson within the gentleman's words that I was meant to hear.
Many people would have been filled with bitterness or anger if they had lost so many friends as the firefighter did or witnessed such devastation, but instead he told the crowd on Friday that he cherishes every moment of every day in a way that he never did before. He looks for the good in all situations, and he vocalized his appreciation for those good things when he discovers them. He told the crowd that he doesn't wait any longer until he has enough money or enough time or enough anything ... he recognizes how quickly life can be over, and he's not waiting to enjoy and appreciate every single moment, every single experience, every single person ... he lives each day as if it could be his last. He's not waiting anymore ... he's not waiting to live every single moment to the fullest.
It's so easy to get tangled up in the stuff of everyday life ... stuff that demands my attention and my time. It's so easy to let the tyranny of the urgent overtake me, stress me out, consume me. Let me say that again ... it's so easy to let the tyranny of the urgent cause me to miss what's really important in life ... really important stuff like someone who needs a shoulder to cry on or an ear to hear their pain or a heart to love them unconditionally. It's so easy to let the tyranny of the urgent tell me to wait ... to wait before I reach out ... to wait before I listen ... to wait before I love. It's so easy to let the tyranny of the urgent make me wait, to wait so long that I miss what is most important of all ... people.
I think it's time I stop waiting and start walking ... I do indeed.
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