This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Were You Ever A Somebody?

“Sir, excuse me, didn’t you use to be a somebody?” This was said by a young boy to George Kunz, a former Baltimore Colt when he saw George in a restaurant. George went to school to become a dentist when he was 59 years old which is quite rare. He is now a prominent dentist at age 66.

This is a delightful remark from a youngster.

Just think about it about yourself. If someone came up to you and said that to you because they thought they knew you had been a somebody; you would probably say “no son, I was never a somebody.”

Find out what's happening in Severna Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

You would be wrong because all of us ARE a somebody, one way or the other. We do not need to be a famous Kardashian or a Lindsay. We are our self and in that alone, we are winners.

I remember when I danced as a competitor amateur with my professional coach in my first dance competition in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in the early summer of the year of about 1979. I did not win but I did not expect to win the first time I was competing. One rarely wins in amateur dance competitions the first time they are on the circuit. Usually, when you go the second time as I did in 1982 to a Florida competition, you will probably win a few heats as the dances are called. Even if you win one trophy or medal, it is an exhilarating experience you never forget. The second time I won five out of nine dances and I was so excited that when leaving to come home on the plane, I carried all huge five trophies wrapped up in two towels that I took from our room.

Find out what's happening in Severna Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The clerk at the airport made me open up my carryon bag with these gigantic trophies. I think he thought they were rifles or large guns. He looked at and said “are you a professional dancer.” I said to him, “no I am a somebody in the dance competition world who just won and earned these five gorgeous trophies and I won’t let them out of my sight. I worked five years to earn them.” Everyone laughed. I was so proud I could hardly get my swelled head and ego through the plane door.

So you see if you will look back in things you accomplished in your current years or the former and younger years, I bet you were and are still a somebody.

I know of a woman who holds her head up so high and proudly in the job she performs which is an ordinary position in an office. She feels good about herself because she does a competent job for eight hours a day, she is neat and polite to the clients/customers, she dresses nicely and she has a sweet manner. She talks to the people who come in the office with assuredness and knowledge. In her way, she is a somebody too.

All of us are somebodies and let no one take it away from you and dim your lights as I mentioned in a former article.

You are your own biggest fan and this is important in your life. As my first professor in college told me in 1968 when I was thirty-four years old “Mrs.Clayman, you can and will do better.” This was on my first essay college test and he gave me a B. He made me feel like a somebody that cold February 4th wintery day forty-five years ago and I can now see him writing it on the test booklet. In fact, I saved it and savor what it meant to me and how much it inspired and encouraged my college studies.

George Kunz said he was surely the oldest dental student at age 59, he did not know how to turn on his computer. A young person in the class helped him and the rest was history as he graduated a few years later and began his practice.

You are never too old to accomplish anything you want, whether it is your occupation or a hobby.  I was forty-three when I ballroom danced competitively sometimes against much younger people. At first, they placed us older folks dancing against twenty year old dancers.

  Then after complaints, they separated the under thirties from the over forties. It was the proper thing to do and it made a difference in the outcome. It was fairer to judge people against their approximate equal same aged competitors.

As Dr.Ben Carson said “By avoiding risk, are you also avoiding the full potential of your life?”

Take the risk, as one of his books is called. You will become now a somebody.

 

 

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?