Potential

As he looked at her, there was something that he thought he took for granted. It wasn’t her. That could never be the case. It was her potential.

Potential is the abilities within a person that can be developed and lead to future successes. All of us are born with some level of it. Those who achieve it do so because they desire more. They are interested in accomplishment.

Those who do no achieve it become distracted. He never wanted to be a distraction. But now he wondered if he was.

As younger people, he looked at her and saw a girl with overwhelming passion and strength who could challenge even the best in the world. Now, as elders, he saw someone who he had failed.

He had once seen the motivation. They both had the desire to be better people. To do things in the world and make it a better place. They talked at length about conquering social injustice, charitable causes, and fulfilling the passions and dreams they had shared.

Then life had happened. First, a death in the family. Then a job loss. Then an accidental pregnancy. The raising of a child. The affair. The near ending of the relationship.

From each one they had recovered. But at what cost? One by one, personal and professional opportunities were sacrificed. Little by little, the unfulfilled potential seemingly became more impossible to achieve.

He thought about all they had fought through. Alone, their pain would have been half as much and maybe that potential would have been reached. Together, they had to manage their relationship and make tough choices and compromises along the way. They were always willing. It was for the betterment of them, their family, their life.

But what life was it? Had they been happy?

He looked at her now and saw her looking the other way and gazing off in the distance. He wondered if her thoughts had travelled the same path. Was this a gaze of sorrow and regret?

He said to her, “I’m sorry baby. I’ve let you down. You could have been so much more.”

She turned and he could see her eyes filled with imagination and passion just like he had seen in her as a young girl.

“No sweetheart. You didn’t let me down. You’ve held me up.”

It was then he realized that the potential was still there. It hadn’t gone away through the years. He stood up, grabbed both her hands, helped her stand up, and stared deep into those passionate eyes.

“Then - let’s go accomplish something.”

It's never too late to realize your potential.