Her Name Was Yvonne…
I am not a big fan of birthdays - my own that is.
It started when I turned 22. (21 was quite an event.)
At 22, I started to use my birthday to think about what I had accomplished - and what I my life would be like on alternative paths.
Usually the weeks leading up to my birthday are soft of bittersweet. The closer it gets, the more intense the review…
Yesterday, I flew from Detroit to LA. For the first half of the trip, I read a book. After two hours, my seatmate and I started chatting.
We discovered we both grew up in Metro Detroit and currently live about ten miles apart.
Somehow we learned that we were both the same age - and a few topics later discovered that my birthday is this Saturday and her birthday is one week later.
We were very alike - and yet so different.
She had chosen to stay home after her kids were born 15 years ago. I had taken the professional path and currently don’t have any children - except Raindrop.
We whipped out our digital cameras and shared the story of our lives with each other - interested to see how the other’s hand had played out.
As the plane landed, we felt a peaceful satisfaction. She and I had traveled such different paths - and both turned out to be really neat women with bright futures ahead of us.
As we walked off the plane and to the gate, we parted friends of the heart. “Goodbye,” she said, “My name is Yvonne.”
We had shared so much and yet names had not mattered - until that moment as if needing to be able to label our memory.
My trip with Yvonne - whoever she is - helped me to gain perspective on what I had done and where I’m going. What a meaningful gift for me. I’m actually looking forward to enjoying celebrating my birthday with James tomorrow.
As a leader, how do you help your team take an occasional pause to appreciate what you’ve accomplished so far - and the path you are traveling together?
Filed under: Savvy Leadership
