Week 5: Meet Efren Penaflorida, a true blue hero
"Before we were ridiculed and laughed at. There were skeptics who would discourage us to stop and would say that it’s just a waste of time. But after the CNN Heroes they became believers."
Week 5: Meet Efren Penaflorida, a true blue hero
"Before we were ridiculed and laughed at. There were skeptics who would discourage us to stop and would say that it’s just a waste of time. But after the CNN Heroes they became believers."
Week 5: Meet Efren Penaflorida, a true blue hero
"Before we were ridiculed and laughed at. There were skeptics who would discourage us to stop and would say that it’s just a waste of time. But after the CNN Heroes they became believers."
The real deal
What if you could meet one really great person a week for one whole year?
Like flowers in the desert, extraordinary people alter the landscapes of the lives they touch, often inspiring goodness, creativity and, yes, love. But how often in our daily lives do we get to meet these extraordinary people whose talent and actions set them apart from everyone else? And when we do encounter them, how many of us take the time – or get the chance – to uncover the person beneath the personality?
This year, I’m going to take the time to get to know one great person each week for 52 weeks – my 52 brushes with greatness. Depending on where these great people happen to live, I’ll pick up the telephone, get in the car, send an email, do whatever it takes to have that in-depth conversation. In the next 52 weeks, I will ask people to let me into their lives so they in turn can come into mine – and yours – even if it’s just for an hour or two.
What’s the point of this exercise? That’s for us to discover as we meet a new person each week. Perhaps, with each encounter, we’ll learn to be a little kinder, a little braver, a touch more willing to behave outrageously once in a while. Because I hear that’s what great people do: they transform you and help bring out the best in you.
I’m good with that. And maybe at the end of 52 weeks, I’ll be great as well.
– Marjo Johne
