Fly me to the moon

Today chatted on MSN to Sarah (my eldest daughter) who was busy filling in an application form for work placement with Unilever. She was struggling with the answers to two questions which involved detailing how her contribution to tasks/events in her life had altered the course of those events or contributed to their success. With a bit of thought she was able to come up with an example and after some consideration I emailed her a reminder of another occasion. I know that with some more thought on her part she’ll come up with more examples because she’s the kind of person who can’t help affecting people around her! One big reason she’s struggling is that Sarah is the kind of person who just seems to get on with the task in hand and doesn’t really consider that her capabilities are anything exceptional. She’s a great girl of whom I’m extraordinarily proud.

Later today Alice (my middle daughter) asked me to print out some research she’d been doing for a school project on Neil Armstrong. Here was an ordinary guy, born on a farm and with an unexceptional childhood apart from the fact that he so much wanted to learn how to fly that he took various jobs to finance his flying lessons and passed his test at the age of 16! Another 16 years later and he became an astronaut and a mere seven years after that and he became the first man to walk on the moon! He now lives a quiet life on his own farm in Ohio.

So what’s the connection? Allcalma! They both have it. Neil Armstrong didn’t wait around talking and dreaming about flying like a typical 15 year old boy. He went out and financed his own way through lessons. By all accounts though he has always considered himself an ordinary guy who got himself into some extraordinary situations.

Sarah has yet to become an astronaut but she’s already an exceptional woman. She’s managing to have a steady relationship, hold down a responsible job and is currently halfway through a degree course in European Politics. (Not quite the easiest option subject wise).

I wish her well.

Night Night

Mikey