People

Her eyes we slightly wrinkled around the edges. Fine lines. Her pupils were a faded blue of pastel strength. Mixed in was a hint of green that made her eyes not hazel, but not true blue, either.

Her face was soft yet strong. Hair was mostly a corn silk mixed with a tinge of gray giving her a sense of age a bit more than 60 years old. Soft spoken but with fervor and conviction.

She had a passion to share with others. Hers is holistic health unencumbered by modern age procedures and medicines. All natural with a whole lot of common sense thrown in. A survivor of cancer, she has a message that must be shared. She took charge of her recovery and fired her doctors. She did recover and is invigorated to spread the word and save others.

Another woman wonders if her story will help others. She survived a lifelong scourge of alcoholism in the family. Accompanying that was violence and verbal abuse. It weighed on her mind. So much so she wrote a book of her experiences. Throughout its entirety, the book is positive and supportive of strength and healing even in diversity. How do we help her spread her word?

A fellow nearing retirement is marginally employed and getting by nicely, thank you. He and his wife look forward to senior years of renewal and excitement as they invent a new life not dependent on earning a living. He is an idea man. He works those ideas into puzzles of great suspense and researches the internet to find the ways and means to share the puzzles. Can it be something that is self sustaining?

She loves to travel. She loves to share her love of travel with others. She plans travel for others as a hobby. Travel with purpose. Not an idle plane ride to an exotic place, or a sandy beach for a Mai Tai and a good summer read. No sir! Instead she seeks a journey with a goal – understanding diverse cultures. So she travels to India, China, Africa and Caribbean islands. She studies cultures and parallels with yet other cultures.

This person also thinks about problem solving. In Africa, for example, she wonders about clean water for small villages. Do they have it? If not, can she help them acquire it? How about medical clinics; are they readily available? If not, how can she help them get one? And schools. And public safety. All in the name of understanding diversity and culture and preserving it for others to behold.

Now that’s a mission worthy of travel! How do we help her bring that into being?

People. Ideas. People with ideas.

The Pope tells Cubans to serve people, not ideas. That’s good. But ideas come from people and hopefully serve them as well. So maybe serving ideas is OK because in the end it serves people. I get what he means, though. We should not serve ideologies unless they serve people very well, indeed. Doing so will keep us fruitful and on point.

People – you and I – alone or together, we are the power that makes the world go round. Do we ponder that often enough? Do we consider where this might take us? Are we brave enough to do it? Interesting question, that! It does take courage to move ahead without knowing the consequences. We do it all the time but don’t give it much thought. Just imagine what we could do if we did think about it before stepping off the curb?

Another woman I know is a fit, near-40-year-old. She is an expert in women sports, especially those that participate in the Olympics. She coaches some of their athletes, some of the US Olympic teams, and a whole lot of others who wish they were of Olympic caliber. She is a fitness coach, too, but loves speaking before diverse audiences the world over bringing them news and advice on physical prowess and fitness. How can we help her along this new path?

You have met in this posting several people who have asked SCORE for help in starting their new businesses or improving a fledgling enterprise. Each is a center of hope, ideas and energy. Each has a story to tell. All have life to share with others. You know, so our lives will be bountiful, too.

What a world we live in! And how the people do make a difference!!

September 22, 2015