How many times in your life has someone asked you "How can I make your life better?" I have heard that question thousands of times. It has been asked to me and I have overheard it said to others, thousands of times. My husband is known for two things...asking people "how can I make your life better" and replying "never better" to the question "how are you doing?" When you are around someone who constantly says certain things consistently, you have the propensity to not really HEAR them. To take them for granted. So I overhear him asking people that question all day long. I tune out for the most part. Until today. Tom has been gone for over a week and I realized that his whirlwind of positive energy has left me in a quiet void. It's nice for the first couple of days. In fact I loved the solitude so much that I rarely even turned on music or the television. But after six or seven days I realized how much I rely on him and especially his positive “wake up, kick ass, repeat” attitude. It occurred to me tonight what an incredible gift that ONE sentence is..."how can I make your life better?" What? Someone wants to be of service to ME? AND, on the other end, be willing to hear the answer...AND be willing to actually DO something of benefit? What if we all lived our lives encompassing that one sentence? Can you imagine the waves of benevolence that would follow? This is my short love story. About a man who has taught me so much in a mere fifteen years. He is reading the book by Paul Williams entitled "Gratitude and Trust." That's the kind of guy he is. I admire him for some remarkable characteristics. Patience. Patience is more than a virtue. It is peace and faith. Caring. To be heard and to have someone CARE about what you say is a gift..."what can I do to make your life better?" Integrity. You can trust that he will do what he says he will do. These are all characteristics that Tom lives every day and because of his ACTIONS, he has made ME a better person. I love this guy. He says about himself that "he is a great place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there." Well I do live there, and I love it.
2 Comments
Trish
12/21/2014 02:12:43 pm
chicken or the egg...I'd add that you both live in that place of servant leader and servant learners. Namaste
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Marianne Niehus
12/26/2014 04:09:31 am
Thanks for sharing Denice! To know Tom is to love him and experience his high energy every day! Love it
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denice chenaultlet yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray. -Rumi Archives
February 2018
body & wellness
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