October 21, 2009

Do You Know Leo?

My neighbor did something yesterday that reminded me of Leo Buscaglia.

Leo Buscaglia was a warm, wonderful man who spoke passionately about living well and loving one another. After watching him on PBS, I felt inspired to live my best life.

Here's one of Leo's videos about love:




Leo once told a story about how some of his college-aged students came over to his home for a meeting, and while they were admiring the beautiful fall leaves in his yard, a blustery neighbor marched over and said, "Leo, this is unsightly. You'd better get rid of all these leaves. Rake 'em and bag 'em like the rest of us."

Leo didn't rake 'em nor did he bag 'em. He and his students carried them all into his living room and dropped them. There, among the colorful, crunchy leaves, they continued their meeting.

That's how Leo lived. That's how I want to live.

Last night, my neighbor, Pam, knocked on my door. She handed me something wrapped in paper towels. "Leaves," she said, smiling. "And a couple acorns from our trip to New Jersey."

Autumn leaves! Pam knew how much I missed the lovely leaves of autumn, so she brought the leaves to me.

What else could I do with them? I spread them on the living room carpet.




Thank you, Pam. Thank you, Leo.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” -- Leo Buscaglia

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