Tuesday, Ridgewood, New Jersey

It was 39 years ago this week that Neil Armstrong (proud graduate of Purdue University!) jumped down off the last ladder step of his space craft and walked on the moon! Even today, in the midst of our breath taking technological revolution, this is an astonishing feat.

Blown out of the earth’s atmosphere in an untested rocket ship, three men: Neil Armstong, Buzz Aldren and Michael Collins, traveled to the cheese ball and after circling for a day, sent down a tin can with Armstong and Aldren inside to let them take a stroll.

The event and extraordinary achievement stunned the world and gripped the nation watching it all live on television! I was a sophomore in college at the time and spending that summer working for the Brooklyn Union Gas company digging up streets to get to leaking pipes. I was doing grunt work and feeling unfocused in school. But that night, I sat in our small den and my head almost exploded with what I was seeing on the screen!

How do human beings figure out such things, build such things that can do such things? It gripped me and, in a way, overwhelmed me. It revealed the chasm between my my self confidence and the accomplishments of these individuals. I was awestruck and, quite deeply humbled about my own aptitude. And while I still have no idea how these geniuses did such things four decades ago, I have come to a place where I can applaud their gifts even as I am thankful for my own, different gifts.

I hope you have found the balance between celebration of the gifts of others and gratitude for the ones you have yourself.