Over the past few years I have noticed that the personal pronoun "I" is becoming less and less useful to me. Instead the words "we" and "us" appear a lot more in my daily usage. Since we (not I) opened Homer's Coffee House five years ago this weekend, I have learned to rely more and more on my employees, friends, and family.
The things that are most worthwhile in life cannot be done by just one person. We must surround ourselves with a community of people who care about us and care about the things we care about. It is a significant spiritual step to begin thinking in terms of a community and not just about ourselves. It is a big move from "me" to "we."
The Homer's team have demonstrated that to me. It weren't for them, I would certainly have moved on to something else; but the community bond is so strong that I have no reason or desire to leave.
I play in a band - Sky Blue. It has been said that playing music together is one of the strongest of relationships because for several hours at a time we are sharing our feelings and emotions through the language of music in front of a large group of people. It is certainly a clear picture of community where we each have our role and are working closely together for a common goal.
As Rick Warren says, "First of all, it is not about me."
