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Patch Adams
Sept. 17, 2011 |
Last weekend my husband and I went to Asheville to see our son at school. It was a special event, a "Family Weekend". We elected not to take our youngest two, thinking this would be a great way to get a weekend away and still see our eldest. It was. And it wasn't. But that's for another post.
One of the things we did was see Patch Adams, who the school brought in for an hour lecture (he was in town for another lecture later that night with some symposium). We had seen the movie of his life, but knew of course that the story had probably taken some creative license.
When he came in, it was a bit startling. He was tall and thin, with waist length gray hair pulled back in a pony tail (of which one half was dyed blue). His appearance soon became the least radical thing about him. He was funny, provocative, controversial, compassionate, zealous, and focused. Whether you agreed with him on everything or not (which I did not), he was inspiring. I'm glad I got to hear him,and in fact got to shake his hand in the parking lot (right after this picture). He made me think.
The next day,driving in downtown Asheville, suddenly there he was crossing the street, wandering around by himself. Wearing the same outfit as Saturday, he barely stood out in the eclectic community of Asheville. He struck me as a man who was truly comfortable in his own skin.
I'm not quite sure of the point of this post, but if I had to guess it would be this.
- Be comfortable in your own skin.
- Challenge yourself in your thoughts and convictions.
- Do something about what you believe in.
- Expose yourself to others who think differently than you.
- Don't be afraid to grow.
Thank you Patch for the free treatment.
Labels: Patch Adams, Sheila Siler, SheilaScribbles
