Midland Matters
I never intended Midland to be my final destination. It was supposed to be just a stop, a push-pin, on a detour from Dallas to Lubbock. I was scheduled to attend a Victory Summit, a large-scale event organized by the Davis Phinney Foundation in Lubbock on Saturday. Even though I would not be speaking to the audience as a whole, I still considered it a privilege to attend events such as these and to share my story. I wasn’t about to let an act of God keep me from participating.
By car, Lubbock was six hours from Dallas, driving through the night alone would put me in my hotel around 6:00 AM. But there was a more appealing option; pick up a last-minute flight to Midland, and make a two-hour drive to Lubbock saving me three hours of travel time. It was brilliant. A pit stop in Midland was a small price to pay.
One Voice, One Message
Aside from an occasional cheap shot at CNN or a drunken Sparty, my message each week has been the same; one of hope to those with early-onset Parkinson’s disease that an extraordinary life is attainable. I may have taken the readers down a rabbit trail a time or two, but in the end, the message is consistent: You can still be you, maybe even a better version of you.
Countless voices, emanating from of the blogosphere, are competing for an audience; seldom is their message heard. Since the first of this year, I had a growing sense that my voice was facing the same fate. The challenge before me was clear, how do I attract those that are looking to understand how the disease can impact their life with a message that is timely, sharp and genuinely unique? I needed to create amplification and increase reach. Attending large advocacy events, like the one I was about to miss in Lubbock, is the best way to do so.
Angels in Texas
While I was pacing back and forth in front of the closed rental car counters, arguing with the company that booked the car for me only a few hours earlier, she overheard me. Over the angry tones in my own words, I could hear a gentle voice loaded with southern charm say, “Excuse me, sir, are you trying to get to Lubbock?” I could barely comprehend that first question when she asked me a second, “Would you like a ride to Lubbock with my husband and me? We are heading that way!”
It took me a few more seconds to realize what was happening. At that moment, a glimpse of heaven crashed into my world and made something beautiful out of dust. Two hours later, a little after 3:00 AM, I was delivered to my hotel in Lubbock. Before that night, if someone were to tell me that I would encounter Angels in Texas, traveling from Midland to Lubbock in a rented Chrysler mini-van, I never would have believed them.
The Next Step
At some point after my leap of faith, I unwittingly planted a seed of doubt and convinced myself that I missed a fork in the road. Maybe I zigged where I zagged or turned left instead of right where that old school-house used to stand. When I should have been investing my energy into expanding my platform, I settled for a regurgitation of the past holding on to it for far too long. For some reason, I held on the notion that I needed to have a map in hand, complete with voice prompts, before I could take my next step, when in fact all I needed was the courage to act on a faith that could only offer me a dimly lit path.
Something amazing happens when we take the next step along a dimly lit path; we get a glimpse of the next step and then next. That which was unimaginable in Midland became crystal clear In Lubbock. It’s a humbling experience to walk down that dimly lit path as it takes on the form of a trail, that when followed will lead us in a direction that opens doors to opportunity and hope. That is precisely what happened; it was in that place of opportunity and hope, I made connections with like-minded, influential people who are uniquely positioned to make amplification and reach attainable.
All that was asked of me that day was to take a step of faith and get on the plane; the rest would work itself out. I did, and it did, and it did so in such a supernatural way that I can’t take any of the credit. The act of God that stranded me in Dallas was, in fact, one of many that I would experience that day all because I met two Angels in Texas were willing to shine their light on my dimly lit path that would affirm that I heading in the right direction. I just needed to take the next step.
Updates to follow.
Thanks for reading, liking, and sharing,
Good question Ivy, I don’t know why Chrysler doesn’t offer a Hemi in their mini-vans. It certainly would help those Angels get around the open roads of Texas much faster.
Al and his faithful, but speed-conscious teenage sidekick, Ivy the wonder pup.
You might want to leave your need for speed in your crate, pup! You only have a learners permit.