INTEGRITY - WHO AND WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE?

I was thinking the other day about a couple of moments in my life that gave me a glimpse of the kind of person I desire to be. I dunno, I'm guessing we all have these kinds of experiences at some point or another? Not to say that I'm doing these ideals justice a whole lot of the time. God knows I fail dismally, regularly. Be that as it may, the fact remains that these moments were for me, indicative of traits and virtues that are worth aspiring to.

The first took place some years back as I was driving a young lady home after we had just been on our first date. It was a relatively long drive, and as we approached the last stretch of the journey, I looked over towards the passenger side and I saw the young lady sleeping peacefully in the car seat next to me. Now...there's every chance that her slumber was symbolic of her opinion of my company, but I'm going to dismiss that option in favor of another! Instead, it made me feel really good inside to know that this girl felt comfortable enough with me on our first date to be able to drift off to sleep next to me like that without a care in the world. I took it to mean that she felt completely safe and at ease. It was a moment that made be understand the kind of person I desire to be.

Another instance, also some time ago, involved another girl. Only, in this situation, the girl in question was about 4 years old (that's my guess at least). She looked like a little Annie from the movie of the same name. And no...it wasn't a date for flip sake! :) I had been asked at the place I was working at the time to deliver a message to a single mother. This mom was spending the morning in a single mother's group with her little girl, and about two dozen other moms and little ones. I approached the large room in which the group was meeting and opened the door just a crack to try and identify the relevant mom, while attempting to avoid all the chaos. Right then...this little 4-year old girl spots me from the other side of this very large room. I'm still not sure how she did, since she was quite a distance away, and I literally had the door open just a crack. The next second I see this little girl running toward me as fast as her little legs would carry her. She's pushing other kids out of the way, jumping and falling over toys. When she gets to the door where I'm standing, she slips her little hand into the gap between the door and the wall, flings the door open, and then promptly proceeds to wrap herself around my leg for dear life and hug the heck out of it. She just would not let go...looking up at me with her gorgeous, glowing smile. It was an entirely unexpected and unrehearsed moment with a little girl I had never seen before in my life...and it made me feel like a million bucks! To be that attractive and magnetic to a little person so innocent and vulnerable...it made me understand the kind of man I desire to be.

Have you had a similar moment in your life? What kind of person did it inspire you to be, and what are you doing about it?
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Grant Alexander Cyster owns the blog entitled "I THINK, THEREFORE I ACHE.", offered as part of his Cape Town based freelance media business at: www.grantcyster.com