I was walking into my apartment today when I heard the rumble of an airliner flying overhead. I found myself in awe.
Carrying in two containers of litter (I’ve become known as a crazy cat dad—it’s a vibe), I stopped before entering the building to watch the massive plane seemingly float over my head. In that moment, I had nothing else to do but exclaim:
Man, humans are cool.
I couldn’t help but imagine how radical it would have been to be a human 500 years ago and witness such a sight. What would I have thought was happening? Aliens? Angels sent from God?
Humanity has come such a long way in such a short period of time. Just over 100 years ago, the first plane took flight. Before that? What I saw today—a regular occurrence for anyone who lives near a metropolitan area—would have been considered a once-in-a-lifetime, holy event.
Later in the day, I had the privilege of helping a friend move into her new apartment downtown. She had sent out a request in a group chat asking for help, and I eagerly accepted.
Let’s be honest—moving sucks. But doing hard things in the company of good people has a unique appeal. The rate at which we packed her studio apartment into that U-Haul was frankly impressive. We had her entire place packed and loaded within an hour, and unloaded into her new place within the following half hour.
This reminded me of the thought I had earlier in the day: humans working together can accomplish so much, so quickly.
Feats that seem impossible, or mightily difficult for one, become easy with many.
After moving, I experienced a few DLMs (refer to my last post) in rapid succession.
I checked my phone to see that one of the individuals who inspired me to start this project had written a post—not only referring to my project but promoting it. Unprompted and out of the blue, Andrew, the creator of A Letter For (please check out his work! You won’t regret it.), decided to give me a shoutout. Andrew is a creative thinker, innovator, and leader. We worked together in a previous job where he put me through the wringer, holding me accountable to my piece of the job to ensure it stayed up to speed with the rest of the company. His mind and approach to life taught me so much.
It’s fascinating to inspire someone. Andrew inspired me to start writing here, and he deserves full credit for that. If you look closely, you can see elements of my writing that are inspired by his. I’ve felt more fulfillment in "work" this past week, since starting this project, than I have in a very long time. If you had told me two weeks ago that I would be waking up excited to write, I would have called you crazy.
Share Your Gifts
Humanity has the potential to accomplish such amazing things. I don’t think people put enough stock into that truth.
The best things in our world are accomplished when people allow the unique gifts they’ve been given to be shared with the world. This isn’t easy—it requires bravery and courage—but it is mandatory for the progression of our existence.
Everyone has something to give, and the greatest gift is the ability to share what you have with others, no matter how small it may seem.
I urge you: share your thoughts, start that company, begin that passion project, and let the world hear your voice.
It will be better for it.
With love and admiration,
Brady
Agree - humans are cool. The most cool. We should strive to be more human every day