The Invisible Kid

[An open letter from the "Invisible Kid" to graduating seniors]

To the Graduating Students of the Science of Leadership Class,

I’ve wanted to write this for a long time but never seemed to have the right words. I am a “nobody.” Some people might think of me as an Invisible Kid. I have never thought of myself as a “leader.” I know who the leaders are in my school. I know all of the “popular” kids. I even have lunch with them once in a great while when I’m invited to join their table.

Sometimes people call us “nobodies” the silent majority. We just sit back and let everyone else make decisions for us. It’s not that we don’t want to get involved. We just don’t know how to get involved. We timidly raise our hand in class to volunteer to help on a special project, but we usually get passed over for someone who is more of a “leader” type. But sometimes we do get picked! I cannot tell you how special that makes us feel. We don’t get picked very often, but when we do, we’re supposed to feel privileged... and we generally do.

When we get the courage enough to actually participate in an activity, we kind of feel out of place and uncomfortable. Those who do try to make us feel more at ease and human-like will forever have our deepest thanks.

I guess I don’t mind being a nobody. I stay out of the way of the popular kids so they don’t have a chance to make fun of me. I’ve never been elected to anything. I’m not a trouble-maker in class, and I even get pretty good grades. I’m only special to me and to those few who are close to me. The spotlight never shines on me - I can only watch it glimmer from afar.

I want you to know that even though I’m a nobody, I have important things that I want to tell everyone. I really do want to share my hopes, my dreams, and my special talents with anyone who is willing to receive what I so desperately want to share.

I hope that by telling you this you will take a moment to stop and think about us nobodies. I think that there are lots of nobodies in the world. Maybe the two boys who killed the students and teacher at Columbine High School thought of themselves as nobodies when they were younger. Maybe they didn’t feel like they belonged to anything. I think they probably felt alone, not loved, and certainly not needed. Maybe that’s why they made up that gang and wore black trench coats and wrote poems about hate and death. Maybe that was their way of trying to reach out and belong to something. I don’t know why they did those terrible things, but I know that the sadness in my heart has caused me to take another look at my life.

That’s why I don’t want to be a nobody any more. Last night I made a promise to myself and my family to think of myself as a “somebody,” even if it makes me feel uncomfortable. I am going to raise my hand more. I am going to volunteer more. I am going to share my hopes, my dreams, and the things that make me special with anyone who will listen... even if it make me feel embarrassed. Please help me to be a somebody by continuing to invite me to be on your team, to sit at your lunch table, to get more involved in school activities. I might say “no,” but please keep asking. Someday I will have the courage to say “yes.” You can make a difference in my life.

The Invisible Kid

50,000 emails... and counting

It's almost like losing a friend. One day everything it's fine and the next you wake up to a computer that doesn't work. All email stops, documents don't open, even that stupid Solitare game is unresponsive. A quick call to a friend prompted a visit... and the "sickness" was diagnosed. My computer was suffering from a case of mega-email-inbox-disorder. In other words, I had almost 30,000 emails in my inbox, another 20,000 or so in my Sent folder, and a scattering (about 7,500) in some miscellaneous folders. The recovery process took almost 3 weeks, but I'm back with fewer emails in my inbox, a new operating system and renewed interest in sharing my thought via a blog.

Make Every Day Count

Make every day count.  Appreciate every moment and take from every event all those truths you can possibly  manage, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk with people you have never talked with before and this time, actually listen.  Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head aloft because you have earned that
right. Instruct yourself to be a great individual and believe in that self, for if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be impossible for others to believe in you. You can make of yourself anything you wish/choose. Create your destiny and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

And most important... if you LOVE someone tell that person for you do
not know what tomorrow may bring.

And learn a lesson in life each day that you live.

Everything Happens for a Reason

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by
employing available good luck.  Illness, injury, love, lost moments of
true greatness and sheer stupidity all happen to test  your soul’s
limits. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like
a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be comfortable
and safe but dull and utterly pointless. The people you meet who affect
your life, your success and mistrials, help to create who you are and who
you become. Even negative events can become learning experiences when we handle them right.

Fact is, they are probably the most important/ poignant ones. If someone
hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have
helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious when you
open your heart.  If someone loves you, love them back—and make it
unconditional, not only because they love you, but because, in a way, they
are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to the real
world.

Warning: Earl Reum is a Blogger

My name is Steve Spangler and I like to consider myself Earl's grandson. Several years ago I remember telling Earl about this thing called email and how he could stay connected to thousands of people without licking a single stamp. Well, Earl now receives between 150-200 emails every day and he stays connected to hundreds of educators who continue to use his words of wisdom (or Little Leads).

It seems only natural that Earl sets sail for a new adventure into the world of blogging. If you're unfamiliar with with "blogging", just do a Google search on the word "blog" and you'll get about 38 million listings! In simplest terms, a blog is a web-based journal where the author is able to easily post his or her thoughts on a topic and visitors can reply with their own postings. As you can imagine, this kind of idea exchange is the perfect vehicle for educators to share ideas. Earl just might have a few ideas to share with the world!