The Question Is How?

Eleven years ago a found myself uprooting from the big city to a small little village. I was by default Kevin Bacon in “Foot Loose” I knew there was a reason for being placed in this small community. If anything it was for people to stare at me everywhere I went. I didn’t fit in; to be honest I had no desire to fit in. I was giving it a year then I was packing up and heading to the bright lights. In retrospect my mind was made up, I made a promise to myself that I would give it a year then reassess my current situation.

 Now before I go ant further, I believe in a Creature. If you don’t, well, you don’t. The fact of the matter is I do. Looking back now I see the footsteps paved for me to live a life of purpose. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined it would be in this native village that by copywriting laws I’m not sure I’m aloud to say. But there was always this lingering thought in the back of my mind that I could make an impact in someone’s life, perhaps someone who never stepped foot out of Mayberry, or someone who had gone there whole life living a fabricated sense of achievement then realized it was all crumbling down.

So the question is how?

How do you make an impact in an environment that is equally empowering and overwhelming?

The answer, I believe, starts with an old-fashioned skill: Listening. Listening enables trust, and trust is the foundation of positive change. We need to slow down and listen more before doing. This is a lesson I’ve come to learned after almost ten years of marital bliss. I notice that when I listen to a stranger speak for 30 minutes about their cat with three paws, it makes them feel better. When they feel better, I consider my calling for that specific time complete...