59 years ago today, the president of the United States was assassinated (of course, many of you weren’t even alive then we can say the same about 9/11, the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor Day, and many other significant moments in history).

I would imagine that the majority of you that are old enough to remember this remember exactly where you were when it was announced. I know I do. No matter what your political beliefs, this was an unspeakable act – the President stands for all of us and to attack him was an attack on all Americans.

It was violence and cowardice all rolled into one.

We seem to see that daily now as so many shootings occur without any kind of logical reasons behind them. Violence and anger are not logical or rational. When you are angry, part of your rational brain loses blood flow and your ability to make decisions is significantly impaired.

The last things you want to do when you’re angry is continue any “discussion” because you will say and do things you don’t mean – and might not even remember. This is a survival mechanism. However, that is not an excuse.

What does violence accomplish? What does anger achieve? What does your reaction to anger lead to?

Teach your kids and grandkids about the horrible acts that have occurred in our past and on Thursday, give thanks you have not been an “innocent bystander” in a school, church, nightclub and have not been targeted for something you believe. In this country, you should be able to believe and be whatever you want as long as you’re not harming anyone else.

It’s only depressing to wonder what has happened and why but it’s also natural.

Take the next step, though, and see what you can do to positively impact the life of someone else today and all week. In fact, why not every day!

As Dolly Parton says “If you see someone without a smile, give them yours!”

I’d rather be an influencer (much as I cringe when i hear that word and its current meaning as on Tik Tok and YouTube I guess).

I don’t know about you but when I see someone that I might say “inspires” me, it’s just a feeling like “wow, how special that person is. look at all they overcame. I’d like to be like that.”

But, for me anyway, that’s pretty much where it ends. It’s a positive emotion but if emotions were currency, we’d all be rich.

I want to see WHAT or HOW someone did something to get to where now everyone is calling them an inspiration. What steps did they take? We know that no one is truly an “overnight” success no matter what it might seem. They had to work to get there and I want to know what those steps were. I also want to know what they overcame to see if I can identify with it and then put their techniques into practice for my own improvement. If i have no clue what their obstacle is like because I’ve never experienced anything similar, I won’t get as much benefit from following their steps (we can always benefit in some way).

Of course, most “inspirational” people have dealt with physical, mental and emotional aspects of adversity or desire.

I would much rather someone say “gee, Terrie, I didn’t realize how important it is to rest/sleep before making significant decisions until you kept hammering it home” than to hear “you are such an inspiration.” I don’t know what you did with that inspiration. If you tell me, then that’s different and it’s meaningful.

I want to teach and guide and help those who want to learn about how I got from point A to point B – and more importantly, perhaps, what i learned that I should have done to make the trip easier.

Which would you rather be? Which has a greater impact?