Make Room For Polishing Crystal
In the grand tapestry of life's adventures, it is often the unassuming threads of the mundane that weave the most remarkable tales.
Literature and history abound with stories that began as ordinary if not downright tedious, beginnings. Yet within the routine and the commonplace, the essential components of epic journeys were quietly collected.
From the sage wisdom of Mr. Miyagi imparted through the art of "wax on, wax off," or the daunting task that Hercules faced in mucking King Augeas's stables as part of his twelve labors, these tales remind us that greatness often germinates in the soil of the ordinary.
Eowyn's patiently waiting for her chance at battle, and Santiago's stint in a crystal shop while pursuing his Personal Legend in Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist," further underscore this enduring theme. Even a parable from Jesus admonishes us to be faithful with little before entrusted with much.
While these beginnings are far from the parts of the stories we cherish, they are the silent architects, the unsung heroes, and the untelevised rehearsals that pave the way for the action scenes of our beloved epics.
Yet, even with this understanding, we, too, find ourselves yearning for the thrill of the penultimate battle while we toil away at our own "polishing crystal" or "wax on, wax off" tasks. This paradoxical longing resonates with our desire for instant gratification in a world that prefers to skim over the foundational work.
Recently, I embarked on a new quest, a project I had been waiting to start for over a year. I set stringent constraints to make it fit in with my existing commitments. But over the past month, as I took some initial steps, it became evident that there were more crystals to polish, and more stables to clean.
The moment, though close, was not yet ready to be fully unleashed. There was still some boring accounting to do.
However, I embraced the necessity of completing these seemingly mundane tasks with a newfound perspective, recognizing how they were meticulously preparing me for what lies ahead, within the context of the epic adventure I envision them becoming stepping stones towards.
It has caused me to look at each daily chore as another chance to show excellence and a commitment to being the kind of person that epic adventures happen to. That I am being faithful with the things I have already been entrusted with so I might be entrusted with more.
This isn't the big fight scene 70% of the way into the movie. This is the awkward teenage years of this story. And it is just about to get it's glow up.
