Responsibility
…real, personal, perceived, others…. When I was a child, I had no responsibilities. I was free to explore my own little world and knew no right or wrong. It’s hard to put a finger on when the R word began to creep into my world. Was it when I discovered that with a simple laugh or cry that could elicit emotions from my parents? Was it when chores and school work became part of my everyday life? Was it when I made a conscious decision to volunteer to do something for another, or when I got my first paid job? Was it when I became a mother?
responsibility - accountable forsomething within one's power, control, or management
And so we grow, and learn more about responsibility with each passing day until we realize that we are responsible for our actions. If that were all there was, it would be easy, right? Peel the onion…. so many layers of life… only to find that you are responsible for so much more than just ‘yourself’.
As I witnessed firsthand the gift of life, I realized what an honor it is to be responsible for another life. God made each being so wonderfully and entrusted me with that tiny person to nurture and guide. At work, our responsibilities seem pretty basic as we do the job we have been taught. In our relationships, we take it to the next level by not only doing what is normal and expected, but going out of our way to show others how special they are to us.
The greatest responsibility is to be the best example one can be in living well and walking the talk, being a man or woman of your word. For others are watching… and they ‘dismiss’ many and ‘focus’ on the few. As I look back over myDarlin’s Robert Kenui Pope life, I see that he was truly one of the few, and did so in such an easy going manner that the many were drawn to him without even knowing why. His easy going Aloha spirit was the foundation, but his sense of responsibility to God, his family and friends – aka Ohana – was a choice that set him apart.
Today I am grateful that we all have a choice to take responsibility to the next level, to walk the talk, to guard our words and actions to reflect only the best that God and life has to offer.
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