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Music for keeps
Posted at 02:22 AM
The music is not as loud as it used to be, but far more satisfying. By Paul Honda When the music plays, will you be there to hear it? Or will you be too busy being busy to know that you're missing it at all? Somewhere between the music and the decisions of every day life are the moments that exist only when you're there in every way. That's why I've found that the art of leading is neither lost nor found. It's a matter of choice, and it has less to do with chatter and a lot more to do with where you are. It requires a different scale, another kind of measurement because most of us are born without natural ability to lead. For a few of us, it is intrinsic. I found myself thinking about this quite often in the past year. Helping to coach my nephew's basketball team. Advising some promising young writers about their options, the voice of experience (and hopefully, wisdom) speaking into their lives. Doing the chauffeur role for my mom during her lengthy rehab stint, and wheeling around town for my nephew. Sometimes leadership is simply about showing up and carrying out the task on a daily basis. It's about being there. Other times, it's a choice to fill the gap, to spend extra time with the people in your life who are going through a transition, people who are in the midst of change. Without you, the change stagnates a bit. Without you, the change isn't witnessed up close. It can even be forgotten. If you are one of the hubs holding the spokes in your universe together, you understand what I'm talking about. There are thousands upon thousands of us in these islands, living every day quietly (most of the time), trying to survive, just hoping we can fulfill the needs of our families. There is nothing else, the old phrase goes, like learning on the job. In my case, it means learning to care for two people who are 70 years apart, which can be quite funny at times. I've learned that every sacrifice made to satisfy the responsibilities granted to me, every bit of doubt about whether the right decision is to take care of my family's needs first ... I've never, ever gone back and wished otherwise. There are some aspects of work I've missed. Moments I wish I'd seen. But to give up the minutes and hours of spending time with the most important people in my life? There is no choice, really, than to be there when the day becomes night and there is an empty stomach to feed. Even more, the soul needs nurturing, both for the old and the young. I won't go to my grave wondering what it would've been like to see my aging mom every day during those difficult, yet blessed later years. And I won't have to regret missing my nephew's daily growth, even in those one-sided conversations when everything about school was A) good, B) good, or even c) good. In another decade, I was happy to drive 100 miles to cover a game, not a care in the world, not a thing to worry about other than the possibility of an empty gas tank. Today, things are different. I'm back with my roots, and life is a treasure no matter how strange, complicated or unfair it occasionally seems to be. I think about priorities and decisions, what I stand for, who I stand by, and it's easy to be grateful. Life as it is today wasn't something that came across my path by chance. I'm glad it was, and still is, a choice. Previous Article: A nerd and a dinosaur Comments Post A Comment © Copyright 2003 HondaReport.com/Leahi.Net
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