I know that most have gone back to work or school and the
thought of stepping up and doing something out of the extra ordinary is
definitely a challenge! New Year resolutions are usually a thing of the past by
the middle of January. So is there any
hope for average or normal people like you and me for seeing change take place
in life?
What inspires me isn’t the post of some superstar but the
rather simple but extraordinary choices of my friends that don’t seek to be in
the limelight. We had painted 9 houses this last November of seniors that live
in poor neighborhoods. What stands out is one of my new grandmas who went out
of her way to send me thank you cards and Christmas and New Year Cards. If you
were to meet my Grandma Bernice it is her amazing smile that stands out and
makes your day incredibly different!
I know that we live in a world where someone’s
accomplishments can go viral in a day and become an instant sensation. I will
always remember my mom’s rather amazing life where she always told me that what
matters most in life is doing the ordinary routine of life in an extraordinary
fashion. Yes it is possible to go to
work and stand out because you have my Grandma Bernice’s smile and my mom’s
passion to always give a 110% regardless of whether anyone notices your
efforts.
It was just recently that I became aware of someone who
initially lived a rather typical life for a wayward youth in the post WWI era.
It was through his brother’s push that he developed a passion for life that
first was focused on running. He became his High School track super star
because of his brother’s ongoing push to let go of his past and give his all
with that exterior glow like my Grandma Bernice. The story of Louis Zamperini shows that
anyone that pursues the ordinary in an extraordinary fashion can face anything
in life.
What I loved most about this ‘Unbroken’ story is that it was
really about how someone that shouldn’t have made it through life because of
being broken made it. I can’t fathom the
jealousy of the typical superstar type that Zamperini was around in High School
and then college. He was the type of person that should have landed in prison
for stealing a car or ripping off someone’s wallet. Yet, the story of
‘Unbroken’ becomes a quest for how someone can face anything in life that is on
the horrible scale where life becomes impossible to face.
The purpose of this blog isn’t to make Louis bigger than
life but be reminded by the little creatures around us how the impossible
becomes possible everyday. I have a picture of an ant lifting what appears to
be a gigantic stick over its’ head with the caption, “If you cannot do great
things, do small things in a great way!’ The other picture is of a ladybug that
ever so slowly makes it to the top of a twig with the following caption, ‘Keep
going. You can do it! Each step may get harder, but don’t stop. The view is
amazing at the top.’
I know that most that watch ‘Unbroken’ will think of Louis
Zamperini as an olympic star, war hero or superman type of person. Yet, the
real Zamperini would be someone that readily admits to his failings and
weaknesses. He would be someone that could relate to the story of the little
ant or ladybug when it comes to doing the ordinary in an extraordinary way!
The real picture of the coming New Year will be that only a
handful will live on a life raft after a plane crash and that the majority of
us will face the decision to get out of bed each morning and purposely choose
to put a smile on our faces understanding that we have to make the ordinary
count to have an extraordinary life.
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