The Quest for Greatness

Perhaps it was the Opening Ceremonies that got me to thinking that everyone has a secret, or not so secret, desire for greatness.  Those who discover their particular brand of greatness early in their lives appear to have a decided advantage over the late bloomers.  Certainly we are more aware of them, but if you live long enough, you usually get to see them fall as well.  Some more gracefully than others.

As for the late bloomers, a group I include myself in, I wonder if they/we ever know our true greatness?  For most people, they unlike whoever it was that said each person gets fifteen minutes of fame, go about their lives without fireworks and standing ovations. 

Still, deep inside, I suspect there is a desire that bubbles up to the surface now and again.  I wonder about people that don't receive their accolades in their lifetimes.  Heroes known to their families, or the lady across the street.  People who do amazing things that just make the world a better place to live.

I'm thinking of a secretary I used to know.  She always managed to keep it together.  I was one of the few people who knew that she often came back to school after dinner and got things ready for the next day.  The only reason I knew is because that was when I went back myself. 

We made an agreement somewhere along the line to stop scaring the crap out of each other when we came in by singing or saying hello quite loudly.  This always amused the night custodian, who laughed easily and was happy for the company.  We seemed to develop another agreement, tacit for sure, that we didn't chat socially-we came to get work done, and we never mentioned that the other was there to anyone else. 

I sometimes think of her late in the evening and wonder...I wonder about a lot of people actually, including myself.  I wonder how things are getting along without us?  I wonder which of the seven million things I did actually changed someone else's life?  I wonder about my own life, and how it will play out over the next couple of decades?  I wonder about things that happened, and to be honest, I wonder about things that didn't happen a whole lot more.  I wonder about greatness and if this desire will be quenched by some event or fade like some teenage fantasies? 

Sitting here, at the computer provided by the love of a brother and his wife, I wonder about things that people do out of the kindness of their hearts.  I wonder if we ever really know the true greatness of people from different political parties, people from different social classes, people who work behind the scenes to make certain that everything is ready for tomorrow?  I hope they know their greatness, I hope they know that it is not the same without them.

I wonder if I could know that each and every person that I have ever or will ever meet in my life has a greatness?  I believe that the more I can be mindful of this simple fact, the better my own life will be.  I believe that the more each of us can be mindful of this, the better the world will be.