“If love is the treasure, laughter is the key.” —Yakov Shanahan
I did not recognize myself.
The dust and the din of the marketplace have reduced my senses to almost oblivion.
Was that only yesterday or is it today?
What do I remember? How much have I forgotten?
Now I lead a multi-national corporation with a budget of $60 million. I have done this for a decade now and it does not get any easier. There are always cantankerous customers, artful dodgers, livid salesmen, and petulant petitioners.
Maybe I should be doing something else? Maybe these transformations did, in fact, give me confidence. Maybe, in fact, my leadership works. Maybe, always maybe, never for sure. Life, I have found, gives no guarantees.
This is a result of many factors not the least of which has been love.
Yes, love.
When we feel loved, our entire spirit soars and our heart grows lighter. Everything seems possible. We walk on air down the cobbled street thinking how lucky we have become. We sleep soundly and peacefully. We smile.
Like a cup of fresh Summer cherries, life is delicious and juicy. Love is a transformative emotion rendering what used to be into something remarkable. Do I now recognize myself?
What is love?
Why does it empower us? Love is tangible, yet intangible. It is always present and always distant. When children feel loved, they grow in a healthy manner. When children are abused, the opposite happens. Do I know yet? Who is knocking on that door? Will I open it or remain closed? It has to be opened to welcome love in. It cannot remain closed if life is to be full.
No time now for arrogance or pride. No time now not to sing.
What life factors provide for individual growth? Well, the list is what you decide to include, doesn’t it? Trust, integrity, hope, respect, humor, discipline, responsibility, accountability and laughter.
The character of a soul deepens when life makes progress. It can become a place of treasure or an empty vacuum. Do I remember him and his witty repartee? Have I forgotten what I cannot remember? Was he tall and did he wear a brown three-piece suit and tie? I do know he made me laugh. I do recall that his Old Spice after shave was tantalizing. The man could dance.
After time he went his way and I went mine. Why? Was my career more important than his love? Did the career touch me gently when I was sad? Did the bigger bank account count for anything of value?
Could I again go back and recognize myself? Could I say I do not want to be on a fool’s errand? Proverbs 26:5 says “Answer a fool to his own folly. ”Foolish yesterday filled with promise and so many dreams. Today, I give an answer and say “I wish we could have gone the distance. I wish we could have expressed what we chose not to express.”
And Time, that old dressmaker, goes by.