Last evening, I was looking for something to watch when I came across a segment featuring Jimmy Valvano, the late basketball coach and founder of the “Jimmy V Foundation.” The segment included a speech he gave after receiving the Arthur Ashe Award, and came two months before his life was taken by cancer. As I listened to him, I thought how remarkably brave a man he was as he faced a life-threatening disease for which there was no cure. His tone was one of hope and appreciation for all that he experienced in life, and he consistently, throughout his talk spoke to his love of life and how we can all achieve our goals if we never give up hope that we will succeed. His quote that “in every single day, in every walk of life, ordinary people do extraordinary things,” speaks to the fact that each of us has the ability to touch the lives of others in a very positive way.
We often look around us and are often amazed by the achievements of others, failing to realize that while we might lack their talents, we need to look inward and recognize our gifts and how we can use those gifts to mark achievement in our lives. Jimmy Valvano said that “a person really doesn't become whole until he becomes a part of something that's bigger than himself.” In Darien, we live in a community where we can each become involved in one of our many service, civic or social organizations, and as part of that organization, we can make a significant contribution to our Darien community. We are entering a time of year that is marked by great happiness by some and great sadness for others. At this time of year, we have an opportunity to work toward alleviating much of that unhappiness through our joining with others to serve our community. What greater gift can you give than to work at bringing joy to an individual or individuals experiencing hardship?
I believe the best message that Jimmy Valvano left us as he battled cancer was to enjoy life and appreciate that which we have in our lives and that which we can share with others. I will never forget the last words of his speech, when he stated, “I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get your emotions going.” Thanks, Jimmy for your wonderful advice.