Little things can make a big difference.
Since this is graduation season, I wanted to share an article about Abigail Mack, a high school senior from Massachusetts, who will be attending Harvard this fall. Since Harvard only accepted approximately 4% of the students who applied this year, this is quite the accomplishment.
As part of her application, Abigail wrote an essay based on the theme: “I hate the letter ‘S.’” Abigail read excerpts from this essay on Tik Tok, and with over 16 million views, you might say it has gone viral. (Spoiler Alert: If you watch the video, have some tissues nearby). Her essay is powerful and profound.
She wrote: “Of the 164,777 words with ‘S’, I only grapple with one. To condemn an entire letter because of its use .0006 percent of the time sounds statistically absurd, but that one case changed 100 percent of my life. I used to have two parents, but now I have one, and the ‘S’ in ‘parents’ isn’t going anywhere.”
“‘S’ follows me,” she continued. “I can’t get through a day without being reminded that while my friends went out to dinner with their parents, I ate with my parent. As I write this essay, there is a blue line under the word ‘parent’ telling me to check my grammar; even Grammarly assumes that I should have parents, but cancer doesn’t listen to edit suggestions.”
In part, the essay addresses how she dealt with her grief. In essence, she made sure her schedule was jam-packed with all sorts of activities. And as you might expect from an individual who will be attending Harvard, she excelled at many of them.
But she ultimately discovered that: I couldn’t fill the loss that ‘S’ left in my life, but I could at least make sure I didn’t have to think about it. There were so many things in my life I couldn’t control, so I controlled what I could — my schedule.
When she determined the grief had to be dealt with in a constructive manner, she decided that instead of looking at the “s” in parents, she would focus on the double “s” in the word “passion”. She explained that by doing so, the “‘s’ got me moving, but it hasn’t kept me going. I don’t seek out sadness, so ‘s’ must stay on the sidelines, and until I am completely ready, motivation is more than enough for me.”
But what really grabbed my attention is the advice she has provided to others: “Pour your passion, whatever it is, into every fiber of your application.”
In reading those words, I was reminded of what one of my mentors told me: “If you don’t want to be ‘a wandering generality,’ be passionate about something – something that will get you up in the morning and motivate you to do things that you never thought possible.”
In the wake of COVID, I love to see and hear about people who are passionate about something in their life. It doesn’t have to be something “BIG” or something that changes the world, but it should be something that can bring a sense of joy and contentment into our lives.
It is interesting to see how important passion has become in helping people get through the COVID journey. For example, at a recent Mother’s Day party, I learned that our family friend Ann is passionate—and I mean really passionate—about quilting. And that is why people who are really passionate about this will spend $15,000 to $35,000 on sewing machines that will help them make really cool quilts.
Ann’s passion for quilting has gotten her through some trying moments in life, such as the loss of her husband years ago. And Ann has pictures of the beautiful quilts that her and a group of her friends have donated to organizations and worthy causes.
In thinking about Abigail and Ann, I am reminded of a verse from Colossians: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.”
I have a quick question for you: What's you passion?
