I am a big fan of TED Talks.  TED is a nonpartisan, nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks.  One of my favorite inspiring talks is by Drew Dudley called Everyday Leadership.  He says that many of us unfortunately don’t view ourselves as leaders and we perceive leadership as something reserved for the extraordinary -- basically changing the world type stuff.

We take moments where we truly are a leader and we don’t let ourselves take credit for it or feel good about it.  He believes that we have all changed someone’s life -- usually without even realizing it.  He asks that we celebrate leadership as the everyday act of improving each other’s lives.

How many of us have had a moment where someone said or did something that you feel fundamentally made your life better?  I think many of us would answer yes to this question but did you ever tell that person they did it?  Surprisingly, the more common answer is no.  Drew wonders why not and makes a joke that we celebrate birthdays where all you have to do is not die for 365 days and yet we let people who have made our lives better walk around without knowing it.   

My boyfriend and I saw Patriot's Day last week - the movie about the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. What was already a really tough movie to watch was made even harder because of a personal connection to that fateful day. 

I grew up with Jessica and her sister, Sarah, as they were neighbors just a few houses down and went to the same schools as I did. Sarah is my age and we were best friends in elementary school. Jessica used to babysit me and my sister, and our families were very close. Jessica and her new husband, Patrick, both studying to be doctors and working in Boston area hospitals, were at the finish line that day and each of them lost legs from the blast. Jessica lost both legs below her knee, and Patrick lost his left leg.

Unbeknownst to me before walking into the theater, both Jessica and Patrick have prominent roles in the movie and are both featured in an interview at the end of the film. To read email updates from Jess' family is hard enough, but to see a realistic re-creation of what Jess and Patrick went through was heartbreaking. 

Ultimately, the takeaway from the film - and the reality of the years since that awful day - isn't about the hate of a few, but the love from many. Jess and Patrick received hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of donations for their medical bills and their future wellbeing from strangers across the world. Jessica has had over 30 surgeries since 2013 (doctors recently had to remove more of her right leg) and none of her days have been easy since then, but the love and kindness of strangers has gotten them through their darkest times.

It's hard to comprehend the capacity and the depth of hate that lives in the hearts of a few, but it's never present for long. The overwhelming tidal wave of love always swallows it whole. The perpetrators of hatred are always just blips on the radar, but the collective goodness of humankind is always everlasting. 

First, a little Loopception - An announcement from Courtney in a post by Emmeline, who has taken over Matt’s normal Loop day:

"We have a brand new Crusader starting this morning. Be sure to welcome Taylor as our newest PGSS!"

Welcome Taylor!

A new phrase I have picked up by living in Bavaria, is “passt schon”. For those of you who aren’t familiar with German phonetics and Bavaria dialects, it’s pronounced “bahst show”. This is a very important phrase to know here in Bavaria, because it’s thrown around like socks in the dryer. A lot.

There’s such a variety of uses for this small little phrase, and I find myself using it often as well. But I feel like it is such a half-hearted thing. On average, the nicest compliment you will get in Bavaria is that something “passt schon”. It’s alright, fine, good enough.

Most Germans take this approach to guest service as well. Guest service here is not guest service as we know it in the US, and it is definitely not SlideBelts guest service. I was on the phone with a certain parcel carrier just yesterday, and had to wait for the woman to complete her audible 7-second sigh before continuing to explain that I had received a bill for a package I had never received.

Don't get me wrong - Germany is great! And I love Bavaria too! But this experience, among others, makes me eternally grateful for you all. For SlideBelts and its positivity and its continual endeavor to be beyond excellent. To be the best. We don't do anything half-heartedly and we don't let anyone feel just ok. And that is awesome.