Since, once again, this is outside the scope of Montressa's experience and she has graciously allowed me to commandeer her blog...
I was driving back from Florida this past week in an effort to beat the storm to my hometown... and I did get there before the storm did.
I have some select tunes on my phone - and I connected by Bluetooth to the radio errr..."entertainment console" of my car. I played the Bruce Springsteen song, "Land of Hope and Dreams" and something came over me - is the best way I can describe it. To provide some back story, my mom lived in Asbury Park a few blocks from where Bruce Springsteen lived and one night friends of hers and I were chatting and telling stories about Bruce. One told about how they used to see the neighborhood kids gather at his porch and Bruce would come out and jam with them. This was during the early 80's at a time he was struggling to make headway with the E Street band. Fast forward, I watched the show he appeared on with Jimmy Fallon one night and then we attended his "Wrecking Ball" concert in Pittsburgh in Oct. 2012. and watched him perform live and crowd surf the audience... so I feel very close to Bruce...
As I listened to the lyrics of the "people's poet" I marveled at his greatness. Suddenly, Bruce and I were hanging out at a small dinning table. He had a warm cup of coffee in front of him, his hands wrapped around the cup and I could feel his calm and almost self-effacing energy. He was staring at the cup, almost mesmerized in the moment. So, I told him, you know this song is great. He shrugged his shoulders... "It's what I do, you know? There isn't another way."
In another instant, I was immediately transported to the previous week. I was sitting side by side with my son who was looking at and processing my daughter's marine biology diving pictures on his MacBook. His fluidity with it blew me away. I then saw I was sitting next to greatness. The Greatness of who my son is... and the Greatness of who my daughters are and the Greatness of their significant others... I was transfixed at this realization as I drove... and I returned to Bruce then and asked to no one in particular... what IS Greatness? By this time, the honor of being allowed to see all this greatness caused tears to well up and run down my face as I drove.
Then I asked again - So what is this Greatness?
Please... please really get this...
Here's the answer:
"Greatness is about the "excellence" with which you approach who you are..."
Greatness is about the "excellence" with which you approach who you are...
ReplyDeleteCan you elaborate this for me mike?
Thank you, Carie and glad you asked. Yes, I can elaborate on this. For one, this is what I would call an "internalized" comment because it is so broad in scope. This comment speaks in your being. In "greatness" is the accpetance of all of who you are. You can have judgments about yourself, but the judgments don't define you. You pick up your judgments and take them with you in all you do. And, if there is a "truth" for you in a particular judgment you act on it. This is where excellence comes in.
ReplyDeleteIn greatness is gratitude for all you are. You accept and treat your life with paramont importance, knowing all the time that others lives are as important, whether others get that or not!! So, there is a great respect for all life in it.
All life has meaning. This perspective is part of the excellence with which you approach yourself.
I have seen greatness up close, so I recognize it instantly. The funny thing about this "vision" with Bruce, is that I don't particularly like some of his lyrics. While the lyrics do express truths of life in terms of places we go, emotionally and otherwise, he lets it sit. He does not shift it. No one is a victim, yet some of his lyrics show it that way. Still, he written some "great" things in my opinion. So, he was the perfect person to teach me about greatness!!
Thank you for this. I would agree in your definition of greatness. Recognising ones own grand design and doing everything in ones power to express that on a physical, manifested way. Bruce is able to do it through song which is amazing. Sometimes our Loy words don't coincide or maybe cover up the true feelings we're trying to express so maybe that's what the "victim" lyrics are about. But we can still feel his ability to express greatness if we let go of the meaning of the words and feel the expression behind them. Thanks for this Mike. What a grand way to start my day:)
ReplyDeleteCarie - Love this: "Recognising ones own grand design and doing everything in ones power to express that on a physical, manifested way." I would only add - just doing it - without having anything to "prove" about yourself!! Bruce's comment, "It's what I do..." is very telling.
ReplyDelete