“If people looked at the stars each night, they’d live a lot differently. When you look into infinity, you realize that there are more important things than what people do all day.“
- Bill Watterson (b.1958), American cartoonist and creator of Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side are engrained in my psyche. And, while I don’t remember where I found this quote from the former’s creator (I’m betting it was a Monday Morning Memo from Roy H. Williams), I’ve been considering eternity and infinity even more than usual, lately. And, when I’m reflective, more than usual, I quickly run to some old playlists that connect me to the best of me and the best of times.
One of my favorite bands is the Rainmakers. There’s a lyric in Long Gone, Long:
“Drinking underneath the stars
Watching counting meteors
Robert said you know those fell a hundred years ago
The light is just now reaching earth
I said man, for what it’s worth
I think you are wrong and you really don’t know”
Bob Walkenhorst‘s lyrical style and distinct voice have kept me drawn in for 43 years since I first saw them at a bar in Kirksville, MO. Another of their lyrics is from The One That Got Away:
“I’d give all I got for just one more shot at the one that got away…”
I’ve been thinking lately that it’s about possibilities more than probabilities, and it’s about tomorrow more than yesterday. Sometimes, in life and business, it’s challenging to remember those truths, let alone focus on them.
Whether the stars fell a hundred years ago or whether the one that got away shines more in our memory than it should, taking time to look into infinity and consider what we want our footprint to be is likely a worthwhile exercise. Making it a discipline will shape what we do here, now, on our way to leaving that footprint.
Editor’s Note: That second clip of the band was filmed live in Switzerland, where Rainmakers remain one of the largest-drawing musical acts. I feel oddly validated by that snippet…
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