the greatest

I don’t know what called me to rush home to watch the memorial service for Muhammad Ali this past Friday. For three hours, I sat glued to the TV, my body swelling with emotion moving between sadness and joy as I listened to the speakers and those who eulogized him. I was touched, inspired, enlightened, surprised and really glad that I responded to the urge to get home. While there were so many good speeches and prayers, one young woman captured my attention more so than the others who came to the podium. She had never met Ali however he had changed her life and her words, raw emotion and fearlessness as she shared her story rocked my soul (do yourself a favor, search Natasha Mundkur and listen to her eulogy in its entirety; it and she are dynamic). I found myself jotting down something she said that I know will make an impact on the young people I work with -- impossible is not a fact, impossible is an opinion. 

After some reflective time, I found myself composing a quote of my own which I will also use in my workshops -- I can, so I am. I can do, be anything if I put my mind to it and persevere. Speaking in terms of positive affirmation, as if it already is, I am already that anything or as Thich Nhat Hanh puts it, “you already are what you want to become.” 

Ali truly was and will forever remain The Greatest. Though he is no longer here, his spirit and the courageous way in which he lived the life he was given are the gifts he leaves behind that serve as an inspiration and model for us all. One of my favorite quotes by him is, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth,” words we should all take to heart and embody. My hope is for the unity witnessed as the world celebrated his home coming to last for more than just a few days; let us pledge to be great and…

keep your peepers open!®