"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."--Mahatma Gandhi
“Paul Harvey died today,” I walked into the room feeling an odd sense of remorse for a person that I had never met yet, yet whose storytelling magic I aspired to.
“Paul Harvey died today,” I repeated into the silence wanting someone to speak. Please deny the obvious reality of loss….say something, my mind begged.
Throughout my life, I have always heard people express this type of loss with the remorseful words of “I remember where I was when…” My father has said, “I remember where I was the day that President Kennedy was killed.” My mother usually follows that with memories of her own of that same day.
As I repeated the words again, “Paul Harvey died today,” a sudden maturity dawned on me that it was not simply the memory of an historical moment in time. It was more than just a blip on the radar that affected one person. The moment was startling because these life events, such as the tragedy of 9/11, serve as a massive WakeUp Call issued to a group of people at large, which in time shifts their very perspective of life. For some, it will move them into action to change the way they live, act, and interact with their family, friends, even themselves. For others, they will continue to feel the weight of passing time pressing on them to move forward with intended plans to rewrite their tomorrow.
More often though, struggling with the pain of an extreme situation that pushes us out of our comfort zone, we lapse back into the familiar to find peace and stability, despite having felt that deep need for change. In that moment, the maximum power of the WakeUp Call begins to fade.
Instead, in these historical moments that touch and tear our lives, if we take a few minutes to take stock and meditate on the message we are receiving, then the fear has time to subside and the power to change starts to seep in a little at a time giving us the courage and clarity to actually take a small step this time, rather than letting another good intention float by. We can gain support and momentum through reaching out to others, often looking for a validation, to realize that happiness does consist of those moments when our actions, thoughts, and words are in complete harmony with what we feel to be true.
You may be thinking: “But I am just one person; how can I make a real difference?” The answer is so simple that people miss it every day. Follow your passion! Many times, I, like so many others, met with Paul Harvey over our radio. We listened as he entertained, educated, and enlightened us with his friendly, kind way of sharing stories and part of himself. But, even more than that, he was following his passion to share life and kindness with the world. In a time and place that was filled with the violence of racism, the oppression of war, and the struggles of poverty, Paul Harvey became a voice for hope for millions of people. Proving a simple smile and a warm embrace with his signature “and now you know the rest of the story,” generations of people grew up to understand that there was optimism in the world through his homespun words of wisdom. We learned that every cloud did indeed have a silver lining seen not through rose colored glasses, but with the positive attitude and persistence that truly changes people’s lives.
Years and years passed without stifling the words of Paul Harvey. The internet moved from a big business enterprise to common day application in every home. Telephones went cordless and cell phones became smaller than your palm. Online chatting, texting, and blogging replaced known communication between human beings. And, dinner table conversations became the exception instead of the rule. But, one thing never changed…Paul Harvey and his unwavering dedication and passion to show the world as a better, brighter place than existed a few minutes before we heard his voice. And, that is the simple energy of passionate synergy. It is the heartfelt need to make a difference in your life and other people’s lives because you can.
If today, you use the passing of Paul Harvey as a WakeUp Call to examine your life and ask, “how can I make small changes,” then I believe it would be the ultimate homage to an incredible man who made us laugh when we did not even know we could smile.
What is the “rest of your story?” Share your favorite Paul Harvey story with us and tell us how you will commit to a small change at www.rewriteyourtomorrow.wordpress.com today.
Here is mine…Enjoy….!
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYEFkYtANVg
This article is based on WakeUp: Your Life is Waiting for You by Mike Jaffe.
The Wake Up moment arrived on September 11th when he stepped out of the subway 20 minutes late for work, just after the first plane slammed into his office floor. Mike Jaffe knew he had to change his life and the lives of others in honor of his co-workers.