We have all had our moments. Good ones, bad ones and ones we would rather forget but we've had moments. We are sometimes reminded by others of our moments. It is the idea of a finest moment I am thinking about this morning. Nothing in particular comes to mind and so I thought, have I had my finest moment and don't even know it ? The possibility exists. At your finest hour I would think you shouldn't be aware of that. I mean, consider a heroic act. They are never planned or scripted events, they just happen. In fact for many of those events if you knew what was in store, you wouldn't have done it. Heroic deeds are impulses from your soul urging you forward. But I'm not thinking of heroics either, I'm just thinking of the everyday happenings in our lives.
I do believe we are given chances every day to have a moment. It may be as mundane as helping a senior citizen with the door, or saying a kind word. Those are moments. They are moments to the one receiving them, and appreciated, for the most part. Then there are the moments that are significant to you. It is those moments that we remember. I wonder though if they are our finest ? I guess that depends upon your disposition. Which gives you greater pleasure, helping others, or your own accomplishments ? We all know the answer but how many will tell it ? It is a bit of a paradox. It has been my experience that true heroes are the reluctant ones. They would just as soon not be recognized as it is of little importance to them. There are others that strive for that recognition. For those I think that recognition is a form of validation. They have a need for that before their contemporaries.
It is easy to list some great memories and moments in my life. The difficulty lies in determining my finest. Although I am not one to have a large circle of friends I do think of myself as a member of a group. Sounds a little corny, I know, but I am an American. That is what comes to mind first and I can further refine it from there. I served in the Navy for twenty years. Strangest thing about that is my favorite memory of that is retiring. It was a goal reached reluctantly and then met with a sense of sadness instead of relief. I did get my " moment in the sun " but so does everyone else that stays around long enough.
My finest moment ? No, I don't think it was. I can't say I've done anything heroic. I did give artificial respiration to a co-worker years ago and resuscitated him. Not a heroic feat just a product of training. Really no different than shutting off the water if you're a plumber. Just something you know how to do. So just what is a finest moment ? I'd have to say it is a collection of small insignificant actions taken over the course of a lifetime. In the town where I was raised we had a phrase that summed all of that up. It would be said, " he was the finest kind. " That person didn't just have a finest moment, he had the finest life. A person that was kind, generous, understanding, honest, straightforward, hardworking, compassionate and all those traits that are good. Simply put, a friend to all. Something to aspire to. Not aspiring to a moment, but rather to a lifetime. An end met with reluctance and accompanied by sadness. An end that is your final " moment. " Another little paradox in life, the reward comes later. I wonder if we'll know it ?
I do believe we are given chances every day to have a moment. It may be as mundane as helping a senior citizen with the door, or saying a kind word. Those are moments. They are moments to the one receiving them, and appreciated, for the most part. Then there are the moments that are significant to you. It is those moments that we remember. I wonder though if they are our finest ? I guess that depends upon your disposition. Which gives you greater pleasure, helping others, or your own accomplishments ? We all know the answer but how many will tell it ? It is a bit of a paradox. It has been my experience that true heroes are the reluctant ones. They would just as soon not be recognized as it is of little importance to them. There are others that strive for that recognition. For those I think that recognition is a form of validation. They have a need for that before their contemporaries.
It is easy to list some great memories and moments in my life. The difficulty lies in determining my finest. Although I am not one to have a large circle of friends I do think of myself as a member of a group. Sounds a little corny, I know, but I am an American. That is what comes to mind first and I can further refine it from there. I served in the Navy for twenty years. Strangest thing about that is my favorite memory of that is retiring. It was a goal reached reluctantly and then met with a sense of sadness instead of relief. I did get my " moment in the sun " but so does everyone else that stays around long enough.
My finest moment ? No, I don't think it was. I can't say I've done anything heroic. I did give artificial respiration to a co-worker years ago and resuscitated him. Not a heroic feat just a product of training. Really no different than shutting off the water if you're a plumber. Just something you know how to do. So just what is a finest moment ? I'd have to say it is a collection of small insignificant actions taken over the course of a lifetime. In the town where I was raised we had a phrase that summed all of that up. It would be said, " he was the finest kind. " That person didn't just have a finest moment, he had the finest life. A person that was kind, generous, understanding, honest, straightforward, hardworking, compassionate and all those traits that are good. Simply put, a friend to all. Something to aspire to. Not aspiring to a moment, but rather to a lifetime. An end met with reluctance and accompanied by sadness. An end that is your final " moment. " Another little paradox in life, the reward comes later. I wonder if we'll know it ?
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