Monday Motivator: Choose the Right Role Model

Last weekend, I went to the Y at a different time. There was a family on the track that I’ve seen occasionally over the years. It was a woman with her parents (and sometimes her kids). The woman and her father walked together; her mother would take off on her own. This past week, her mother still walked on her own. The woman and her father still walked together, but this time the father was using a walker.

It occurred to me that I had been looking in the wrong direction for role models at the Y. Like many people, I have a tendency to get discouraged when people lap me on the track, when I look over to the toned folks lifting weights and looking like pretzels as they do yoga.

But that’s not the only way to think about it. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good. There’s nothing wrong with appreciating all our bodies can do. In fact, since the Olympic Trials began, I have been running three miles on the track instead of my usual two. But at some point, our bodies are going to fail us.

That’s where the man on the track comes in. He could have stayed at home in his recliner. No one would have blamed him. But he’s decided to do what he can still do. And that is still walking on the track, even if he needs a little help.

That is what I want to do. I want to keep going, even if it’s not what I once could do. So, I smiled at the woman and her father, and silently thanked him for being a role model.

Monday Motivator: Sometimes It Takes Time

A few weeks ago, Colleague Carly and her husband decided their cat Oliver needed a little brother. They adopted Willem, a tiny black kitten who loved nothing better to run, play, and be loved. Everyone loved Willem. Except for Oliver. Who felt quite happy being the only cat and had no intention of welcoming the tiny interloper.

 Carly and Lucas did everything right. They talked to their vet. They did all the things that Jackson Galaxy recommends: scent swapping and gradual introductions, but Oliver was simply not having it. He was stressed. They were stressed. The only one who wasn’t stressed was Willy.

  Just when talk of rehoming started to enter the picture, Carly had some friends visit. We still don’t know if it had to do with the extra people in the house or if it all would have happened anyway. But one night, both cats were in the same room, coexisting peacefully. They had not become best friends, but they were not fighting.

  Last week, she sent me a picture of the two of them side by side looking out of the window.

  The lesson here is that sometimes things just take time. We hear about instant connection and think that’s the norm. But not always. In fact, often it takes time to get used to ideas and people.

  If you don’t feel that instant connection, don’t decide that it’s not meant to be. Think of Ollie and Willy, who started as enemies and now are BFFs.

Monday Motivator: Be Like Louise

Last week, I had dinner with my favorite six-year-old, Louise. As usual she taught me some basic life lessons.

I asked if she had made any changes since turning six three weeks ago.

She nodded. “Yes. I no longer like princesses, and I like swimming.”

Lesson 1: Never let a birthday go by without making a change. Don’t get stuck in a rut.

Then the server took her order and asked if she wanted ketchup. She nodded enthusiastically. Her mother sighed.

“She always asks for ketchup and never eats it.”

A little later, when informed her meal came with an orange pushup, she nodded enthusiastically again, even though she had no idea what it was.

Lesson 2: Say yes to stuff. You never know when you might change your mind about ketchup. And the dessert might be tasty. (It was.)

In general, it’s good to hang out with six-year-olds every so often. They have a lot to teach us about life.

Monday Motivator: Do the Good You Can Do

Octavia Spencer was on her way to pick up a script when her car broke down. No one offered to help her. Then a motorcycle pulled up. A young man got off to help her. That man was Keanu Reeves.  Spencer noted that once people recognized Keanu, they started to help as well.

I like this story because so much of the time, when celebrities do a good deed, I hear folks say, “Well, if I had their money, I could be as generous.” But Keanu didn’t help because he was a rich actor; he stopped because he saw an opportunity to help, and he did. He did what any of the other people could have done if they had chosen to.

But I also like this story because it reminds me that, whether movie star or librarian, there is always an opportunity to help others if we just keep our eyes out for the chance.