Blog Post #35: Leaders and Lush Green Summer Wisdom

When I was six years old, we had a neighbor named Sybil. She lived with her son, his wife, and two grandsons. I remember Sybil as a grey-haired woman, with slightly crooked teeth, and always wrapped in a grey shawl. During the deep green days of summer, I would go to her house every day. She often made up games for me to play, with one of her grandsons and another boy who lived in the neighborhood. We memorized a whole song and dance routine. We went thrifting. We explored the small area of woods in the backyard, watched Mickey Mouse on TV while munching on cheese sticks, and spent hours putting together puzzles. 

One day, Sybil told me that there are two types of people in this world: leaders, and followers. She asked me, “Laura, do you want to be a leader or a follower?” Now, this seems like a big question for a six year old. But I had my answer right away. I wanted to be a leader. 

I’ve long since lost contact with Sybil, but her question still stays with me. What does it mean to be a leader? A follower? Can we be both? Is it even possible to be just one? I don’t believe it’s possible to only be a leader or a follower, but I think that’s beside the point. I think Sybil was ingraining into my six-year-old mind the idea that I should have the ability to think for myself, in this world where it’s so much easier just to follow the crowd.

My concept of “being a leader” changes a little bit every day. These days, my idea of “being a leader” involves doing less, but with more intention. Capitalism, social media, toxic productivity call us to do more, more, more. To fill our calendars to the point that we simply do, and do not think. But a full calendar does not mean a full life. I believe that for a leader, it's important to have time to think. To question the systems around us and think of better solutions. To ask ourselves why we do what we do.

I’m a junior in college now, a piano performance major. You’d imagine my calendar might be jam-packed, with rehearsals, concerts, events. But in reality, it’s not. Most of my afternoons and evenings are free. I built my schedule this way intentionally- to allow myself time to practice piano, read about the music I’m learning, talk about life with my friends, and sleep. I want to be a piano teacher, the books I finally have time to read are teaching me all the music history my future self will use to educate my students. Although a glance at my Outlook calendar wouldn’t show much, I finally feel as though I’m starting to connect my music to the world around me.

I leave you with a question- do you want to be a leader, or a follower? And what does that look like for you?