Black Pearls of Wisdom

I have been hesitant to share this publicly but experiences like the one I am about to share are quite common.   It is important for me to write about what others can relate to.

There is always someone or maybe a few people we can point to having a positive impact on our lives.  This discounts family and friends because that should be a given. I am talking about a work colleague, mentor or someone on the periphery of your life that created unexpected momentum for you.

Personally, there has been 3 people that have done that for me and I lost one of them to Cancer last week.  The ironic thing was that it had been several years since we last spoke.  As I begin another chapter in my life, it prompted me to reach out to him, only to be told by the friend that connected us that he was diagnosed with Cancer.  It was just a mere 3 weeks later another friend called me to tell me he had passed away.   The funeral was the next day and I took the effort to be in attendance, though it was in another state.  I did the same thing when I first met him.  I showed my desire to be his protege by traveling to him and he said that showed drive.

It didn’t surprise me that the services was packed.  There were over  300 people in attendance, over 100 cars, including the Governor of the state in which he lived and several high profile people.  This was no surprise to me. I realized the impact he had on my life was a sentiment shared by all-regardless of who they were or what they had accomplished.

It is true, sometimes the people that impact your life the most are not the people you talk to every day.  They could be in your life for just a moment.  In my case, it was a bit longer than that but the pearls of wisdom he shared with me were black pearls..rare and valuable.

A man of steel words and a heart of gold.

Music mood:  “New York, New York” – Frank Sinatra  – ” If  I can make it here, I will make it anywhere…”  (song sung at the funeral)

Yours truly,

your protege