During our morning conversation over coffee, the topic of education came up. An opinion was shared that many of us grow up working in an occupation we never dreamt of in our early years. Granted, I wanted to play basketball like Dr. J, but as I reflected on the thought of what my more practical dreams were in my youth, it occurred to me that I am doing what I desired to do as a child. I wanted to be a probation officer like my hero…my dad. That was a bit of a jabbing thought to my soul as I considered how badly I want to walk away from this job at times…but it’s in these moments I feel so close to a man I said goodbye to over 7 years ago; it’s like I see his footsteps out in front of me…and I’m following a path he established.
I began to consider the lives I have crossed paths with over the years…the stories I have “read” as I’ve gotten to know the men and women on my caseload. My blog includes stories about a few lives who have impacted me in some unique way…although so many have touched my life and left some impression, some imprint on my perspective and my values. There are diamonds-in-the-rough, incredible people that we could walk right past in the grocery stores of life simply because we’re too busy to pay attention to the moments we’re living through. In this culture we’ve created, we want maximum information in small sound bites…we quickly glance at a book cover without examining the pages…yet we are willing to compartmentalize the content of the pages based on our impressions of the cover.
My mind drifts to Jim the solder (Click Here to read His story), and to RockStar and Eric who’ve desperately battled addiction…stories so much more than the cover we may observe. Several months ago, I had the privilege of attending a graduation of a young lady who I crossed paths with indirectly by supervising men she had been in relationship with over the years. That experience has impacted me in an amazing way…and caused me to redefine what community looks like.
In recent weeks, I’ve been introduced to new stories…Michael, an inactive member of the Bloods gang who’s tattooed face can create shock and lead a person to resist even picking up the book and instead make inaccurate judgments from afar, completely missing out on the beauty of his story… And then, there’s Ray; he’s a guy whose story was almost cut short on several occasions due to overdose. Today, he’s been sober for a year, working in the trades, and genuinely seeking to be set free from the root of his wounds.
On and on I can go…and mostly because I’ve had the privilege of operating in a position that allowed me to meet people I never would have met otherwise. I imagine you have your own stories, paths you’ve crossed in some capacity through work, friendships, or perhaps by volunteering.
I ponder the deeper meaning of things often, and most of the time, I never write my thoughts to share with others, but this morning I am so moved to compassion regarding those less than attractive book covers that can tell tragic stories about beautiful and amazing people.
As I wrote that last statement, I immediately thought of Richard…a guy who spent time in prison in Texas and now in his mid-30’s, wants a better life. When he’s in a specific setting with me, he courageously struggles through reading assignments that expose his academic struggles in front of his peers. A desire he has…getting his GED. How amazing! I’m rooting for you Richard…take a chance and allow yourself to be the great man you were meant to be!
Division in the Land
There is so much division in our land isn’t there? We’ve categorized both ourselves and others into separate groups and we distance ourselves from engagement with those in other groupings. We hate on one another and dehumanize those outside our belief systems…we’ve forgotten that we once played on the same playgrounds. We’ve failed to read the stories of other lives and learn to appreciate how we all got where we currently stand in this life.
Change
Change begins with me…and it begins with you. Make the decision today that you will share your story with others unlike yourself and learn theirs…take a chance, be risky and learn the amazing journey others have been on in this life and gain understanding about why they stand in the place they do…what they’ve come through. Allow others to learn and appreciate your journey.
It’s so easy to maintain our privacy fences, to fall into the trap of being so busy with tasks that we fail to see the opportunities right before our eyes. This life is amazing…and the Jims, RockStars, Erics, Michaels, Rays, Richards and others have added so much to my own story.
Done!
Thanks for reading. I recognize you have so many other things competing for your time and attention.
And one more thing…if this story spoke to you, consider sharing it. One of my dreams is to figure out what I’m supposed to do with this desire to write…a work in progress for sure.