Gratitude
Blogging sounded very appealing to me when I first heard the term many years ago and now, better late than never, this is my first one. I find it fitting that I start with something seemingly unrelated to my business but upon closer inspection, my want for the first blog is very much related to business. The topic of this first blog is gratitude.
This past weekend we graduated my youngest daughter from college. As I sat in this massive indoor arena and took in the scene of the immense volume of the building and the literally thousands of 20- to 22-year-old human beings below me dressed in splendid caps and gowns with tassels and such, I was struck by a deep sense of awe and gratitude. One of my mentors along my bumpy path in life used to say that every moment in our lives is an opportunity for awe and gratitude, no matter what its source, no matter what the circumstance. He was a great teacher and I was, how shall I put this, an average student. But some of what he had to say stuck and now as, how shall I put this, a seasoned adult, I periodically allow myself the space to have those moments. Saturday was one of them.
Related to this topic, a few years ago I came across a quote that had a significant impact on me and I want to share it with you now. I cannot give proper credit to its creator because unfortunately, I have no idea who wrote it. But all the same, here it is:
“How is it that in this infinite gaggle of galaxies and quasars, quarks, and black holes that somehow, I find myself here, in this place… with you?”
Now think about this, of all the billions of people on this planet, what are the statistical chances that I would write something and you would read it, possibly, or likely thousands of miles away. If one keeps “pulling on that sting” as I like to say, what are the chances that of all the people in the world, anyone in your life right now, or in your past for that matter, would be there? Statistically it would be almost zero but here we are, in this place, together, at this time. So, what I want you to know is that I am grateful to be here, doing what I am doing and sharing my life and my talent and hopefully having a positive impact on the world through what I do. I know for a fact that my staff all feel the same way about it as I do. So, let’s see what happens next and allow for the moments of awe and gratitude to come forward.
My warmest regards and best wishes to you.
David Grant Howard