by Steve Trombulak
She says, “I don’t care what you do for a living.”
But I do, and I want to know why you do it.
Does it feed your soul?
Will it feed the world?
Will it lead you to your heart’s longing?
Or is it merely a safe path
A safe haven
Chosen for reasons you are embarrassed to say.
A betrayal to your own life and a world
That needs you now to dig in with both hands.
She says, “It doesn’t matter to me where or what or with whom you’ve studied.”
But I disagree.
I want to know all of these things …
And I really want to know what you have learned.
What books have you read and how did they change you?
And how would you change them?
What have you written, and how has that unlocked your ability
To dream of a better world?
And will it all lead to you teaching others what you’ve learned?
Making them makers of more knowledge …
And more makers.
She says, “It doesn’t interest me how you came to be here.”
Really? How can that possibly be?
I can think of nothing more important about understanding who you are
Than knowing where you came from.
And how you got from there to here
And why you chose that path
Or how you found the courage to travel a path
Chosen for you
Despite the debris and detours.
That will tell me much about whether I can count on you
To stand with me in the fire
Or in the dark
Outnumbered naked
Armed only with the truth.
I don’t want to know if you can live with failure.
I want to know if you can learn from it
With eyes clear
So that when you stand at the edge of the lake
You shout, “I will never make that mistake
Again,” and mean it.
I don’t want to know if you can see beauty everyday.
I want to know if you can bend your back
And break a sweat
To create beauty and be a source of strength
And inspiration for those who need it.
Let me peer into the house you have built.
Let me know what you will stand for
And who you will stand with.
Let me know who you are striving to become so that
I might know if I can stand with you.
copyright 2012 by Steve Trombulak