12/18/2012

Greatness and power wait within us all. Oh, and merry Christmas!

Not long after I got back from my massive US journey, I participated in a local Christmas project: a flash mob that would go to one of the shopping malls, emerge out of the crowd, sing the Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah, and fade away again as if we had never been there. And so we did.

You know what's really great about flash mobs? What the whole point of them is, for me? That at any point, the stranger next to you — even the friend next to you — could come forward, reveal their true power, do something amazing, and then just smile and wander off to go about their business. That a person can carry within them, utterly unseen, a glowing coal of greatness and might, smoldering perhaps for years until the moment it bursts forth and accomplishes wonders.

Christmas is specifically a time of hidden power, humble people, and the astonishing realization that we are all much, more than we seem. What a cool way to illustrate that: for entirely ordinary-looking people to arise from amongst the crowd and sing. As we went on, some people who weren't even part of the planned group started to join in. Babies danced. People even wept. For that moment, every person there was so much more than just a harried holiday shopper.

Where are you when you're reading this? With other people? Look around, and exult in the possibility of power and glory that may smolder in any one of them. Are you by yourself? Then exult in the possibility that it might be you.

6 Comments:

At 1:52 PM, Blogger Helen V. said...

Lovely. I love me a good flash mob and this was definitely one.

 
At 1:54 PM, Blogger Laura E. Goodin said...

:-) Thanks!

 
At 3:30 PM, Anonymous Gillian Polack said...

Fun!

I particularly love the alto part in the chorus. It saves learning more than one note... (well, most of the time)

 
At 4:13 AM, Blogger Kelly said...

ah! And I was exactly in the mood/mode for a bit of wisdom. Thank you! And was that Houston directing it all?

Happy Christmas!

 
At 9:35 AM, Blogger Laura E. Goodin said...

Yes, it was -- and happy Christmas to you, too!

 
At 12:04 AM, Blogger Houston Dunleavy said...

A great, fun time was had by all, it seems :)

now to work out how to top that lol!

 

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