Moments & Tests of Greatness

 

Once upon a time when I was 18 years-old and glorying in my last few years of stupidity, a few of my friends went to Old Main Hill in Logan Utah to go "sledding"-- and by sledding I mean we wrapped a dorm-issued mattress in cellophane with the intention of sliding down the hill on it. 

For those of you unfortunate souls who've never been to Logan and have never seen Old Main Hill, you can't fully appreciate the stupidity. It's basically vertical and it's peppered with trees.  And may I help you understand that when you wrap a mattress in cellophane you loose almost all ability to hold on to it.

So, we stood at the top of the hill and found the best location with the least amount of pine trees and at the bottom of the hill was clear of cars (there is a parking area down there).  My friend Anna, our Chinese friend Xiuang (more affectionately known as "Tim" to us) and I piled onto the mattress with Anna in back, Tim in the middle and me at the front. We tipped forward and began our mad decent. 

The glory of the moment quickly faded as terror at how bouncy and slippery the mattress was took over.  But we managed to stay on, screaming like banshees all the way.  About halfway down a car pulled up directly in front of us and Anna yelled, "BAIL!" She jumped off to the right, I jumped off to the left and poor Tim just screamed louder as the mattress started spinning with him in the middle trying to hold on. Then smack! Tim ran into the parked car. 

Anna and I stood for a minute, horrified that Tim may be horrifically injured, if not dead, waiting to see if he moves. Tim, a lump in the snow grunted, rustled and the stood.  He teetered to the side a little before turning around, lifting his arms in the air, pumping his fists, crying out, "I'm okay! I'm okay!" 

I fell over laughing. From that day forward nothing made Tim happier than to recount his day of "greatness". 

I think we are all meant for greatness and beauty. Within every single one of us is an individual and singular sense of wonder that comes from the desire to fulfill our very individual and singular destined potential. 

We will all have moments to define our greatness (hopefully not including running into cars). We are all faced with choices and opportunities that can lead to our personal triumphs and grandeur, but we can also choose to walk away.  The Universe will not give greatness to us, it will not override our agency to choose who and what we will be. The Universe will provide us with opportunities and nothing else. It is entirely up to you to seize your greatness when it comes, or it will go.

I don't believe we are offered all our greatness at once, it will not be a momentary chance that if we pass we will never have it again, but I do believe that once one opportunity comes, it will go. If only we could be subjects of heroic stories and have obvious and concise opportunities and destinies, but we don't. Our chances come and go in quiet, drawn out ways.

Love, 

Me