Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDXXII

Who of all of your family, friends, and personal acquaintances do you most admire? I'm not asking for names, or even that you personally respond to this message, but if you had to name the top five individuals whom you most admire from the above list, who would they be? Naturally the next questions as you think of each one are, "Why is that person on the list? What qualities does each one possess that would cause him/her to deserve that honor?" Maybe it's simply because I'm somewhat of a dreamer, but I can't help but wonder how it would feel to actually have MY name on someone's list. If that's the case, maybe I should look at the characteristics that placed each one on my list and see how I stack up. I'm thinking of one person right now. I won't call his name, but let me give you a brief description of some of his qualities and what he does and does not do that earns him the honor to be one of my top five. First of all, I believe him to be one of the most intelligent men I know, and I've learned so much from just being around him, although he is a man of few words. He teaches with his actions, and I'm learning from observation. He understands that knowledge is acquired, not by much speaking, but from much listening. He is not easily rattled. When trying times come, he remains calm and thoroughly thinks the situation through before acting. He is an open minded person, yet he is not easily swayed by enticing words of others. I've never heard him speak up and offer his opinion on topics he knows little about, but I HAVE witnessed him remaining silent as someone else spouts off uninformed opinions on topics in which he is well versed. He's slightly older than I am, and he has acquired a significant amount of wealth during his lifetime, but I've never heard him brag. I've never seen him lose his temper or his sense of humor. He has made his share of mistakes down through the years, but he'll be the first to admit when he's wrong, and he rarely makes the same mistake twice. He reads! Some of the best books I've read have come from his recommendations. He is completely devoted to his wife, his kids, and his grandchildren. He understands the verse from Ecclesiastes that says "....a fool's voice is known by its multitude of words." Wow! Can you see why this man made my list? Of course, if you watch anyone long enough (me included), you will also see some examples NOT to follow, but hopefully all of us who are constantly trying to improve our lives are aware of the fact that perfect people don't exist. However, if we will open our eyes and close our mouths long enough, we'll discover people within our circle of influence who serve as tremendous role models as we try to raise our standards. Who do you most admire? Whoever that person is for each of us, we can all be more like him/her. But first, we have to want to. Preston