Cousin A
My life has been very rich.
Not in money or other tangible assets.
But I have been blessed with great wealth. I have enjoyed a wealth of experiences happy,
sad, funny that have enriched my life. I
have been blessed with a wealth of people, some passing along others around for
the long haul. I have been enriched by
every one of them.
There are times when I pause to reflect on a person or an interaction that had a great impact on me. So often when these occur they seem like just another day. But in retrospect I can see the power of that moment and how it has informed my life. Generally I’ve never let the person know the wonderful and positive effect they have had on my life.
A while back I started writing about the folks and the experiences, keeping a sort of “journal of names”. I think I will, from time to time, post one of the entries here to share gratitude for all the wonderful people and experiences that have filled my life.
This is in honor of a short summer vacation shared with my Mom, her sister, my Aunt G and Aunt G’s daughter, my cousin A.
One summer sometime between 1978 and 1980 the four of us vacationed in the mountains of Georgia on the TVA waterway. My Mother and Aunt struggled to get along as only siblings who love each other deeply but have long unresolved and un-discussed issues can do.
My cousin A suggested she and I go out in the canoe. In my mind our venturing out was a wonderful way to escape from the tension at the cabin. I had never been in a canoe before, but A was so positive about my being successful at it that I just stepped in and off we went.
During our leisurely afternoon we discussed many aspects of our lives with an openness and an intimacy not expected from the small amount of time we had spent together throughout our lives. But it felt so comfortable and trusting I just went with it. I remember talking about my work and criticizing my choice as it did not allow me to give more opportunity to being creative.
I equated creativity as being related to the fine or performing arts. I had tried my hand at art school and learned I was skilled at drawing, but did not have the capacity to let go and let imagination and absurdity run loose. So a career as a graphic artist was not in my future.
Cousin A simply, and wisely pointed out to me that my solutions to business problems, be they technical or procedural, my development of training curricula and strategies was indeed very creative. She made me aware that creativity was not limited to being a writer, musician or artist; creativity happened in every area and venue.
The gift of that knowledge freed me from feeling that my efforts were less worthy and allowed me to risk trying new ideas and ventures. That freedom allowed me to enjoy a lifetime of challenging work that fulfilled me on many levels. So, with deep felt love and gratitude I thank cousin A for a most precious gift.
There are times when I pause to reflect on a person or an interaction that had a great impact on me. So often when these occur they seem like just another day. But in retrospect I can see the power of that moment and how it has informed my life. Generally I’ve never let the person know the wonderful and positive effect they have had on my life.
A while back I started writing about the folks and the experiences, keeping a sort of “journal of names”. I think I will, from time to time, post one of the entries here to share gratitude for all the wonderful people and experiences that have filled my life.
This is in honor of a short summer vacation shared with my Mom, her sister, my Aunt G and Aunt G’s daughter, my cousin A.
One summer sometime between 1978 and 1980 the four of us vacationed in the mountains of Georgia on the TVA waterway. My Mother and Aunt struggled to get along as only siblings who love each other deeply but have long unresolved and un-discussed issues can do.
My cousin A suggested she and I go out in the canoe. In my mind our venturing out was a wonderful way to escape from the tension at the cabin. I had never been in a canoe before, but A was so positive about my being successful at it that I just stepped in and off we went.
During our leisurely afternoon we discussed many aspects of our lives with an openness and an intimacy not expected from the small amount of time we had spent together throughout our lives. But it felt so comfortable and trusting I just went with it. I remember talking about my work and criticizing my choice as it did not allow me to give more opportunity to being creative.
I equated creativity as being related to the fine or performing arts. I had tried my hand at art school and learned I was skilled at drawing, but did not have the capacity to let go and let imagination and absurdity run loose. So a career as a graphic artist was not in my future.
Cousin A simply, and wisely pointed out to me that my solutions to business problems, be they technical or procedural, my development of training curricula and strategies was indeed very creative. She made me aware that creativity was not limited to being a writer, musician or artist; creativity happened in every area and venue.
The gift of that knowledge freed me from feeling that my efforts were less worthy and allowed me to risk trying new ideas and ventures. That freedom allowed me to enjoy a lifetime of challenging work that fulfilled me on many levels. So, with deep felt love and gratitude I thank cousin A for a most precious gift.
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