Make a Bold Move
It’s Never Too Late to Make a Bold Move
Meet Birney T. “Chick” Havey
I live in Galveston, Texas. Last Sunday, walking down a popular tourist area called the “Strand”, I noticed an older gentleman sitting next to a table with a stack of books. He was wearing a suit jacket and baseball cap. Curious, I walked over and asked what was going on. He introduced himself. “My name is Birney Havey,” he said, “and I’m here selling my new book, Never Left the Battlefields. I am 95 years old, a veteran of WWII and the book tells the story of my involvement in the war. Please call me Chick.”
“Wow,” I thought to myself, “Here is a member of “The Greatest Generation.” one of the soldiers who fought for and won one of the hardest battles of all time. “So glad to meet you, Chick,” I stated. I am a student of WWII history. In fact I spent last summer in Normandy, France and just finished watching “Band of Brothers” about Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division and their incredible story of the invasion of Europe.
“You mean these guys?” Chick stated as he reached for a copy of the book and his gnarled fingers slowly turned several pages to show me pictures of several of the Band of Brothers. As I read the back cover of his book, I noted he is a decorated veteran with 8 medals including the silver star and three bronze medals awarded for valor.
I was amazed. Here, on a Sunday afternoon, 72 years after he returned home, this grizzled, 95 year old veteran with twinkling blue eyes wrote his memoirs. If that’s not BOLD, I don’t know what is. How many of us think we have a book in us and never do anything about it? What made Chick finally do it? Why did he wait so long? Was it the completion of an item on his bucket list? Regardless of the answer, there he was, telling his story to the many people that passed by on the Strand that day.
So, take a lesson from Chick. It’s never too late to be BOLD. Whether you’ve always dreamed of writing a book, climbing that mountain, or sailing around the world on a sailboat, be BOLD and get outside your comfort zone. Don’t waste time. We may not live to the ripe old age of 95.
Lorraine is an author, speaker and developer of leaders. To learn more go to:
www.lorrainegrubbs.com
