One more thing about Melinda, the woman I mentioned in yesterday's post.

She has worked as a greeter for Walmart for the past eleven years and, because of her tenure, is somewhat of a local celebrity among regular customers.  The Athens Walmart is Melinda's space.  It is her corner of the world; the place where she spreads her shine.

Come to think of it, I spent last weekend in Louisville, Kentucky celebrating the 60th anniversary of Bellarmine University and the twentieth anniversary of Dr. McGowen's presidency.  President McGowen is an artist and Bellarmine University's campus is his canvas.  He has a vision that Bellarmine University will one day look and feel like Montepulciano, a beautiful hill town in the southern Tuscany and birth place to St. Robert Bellarmino.  Bellarmine University, it turns out, is Dr. McGowen's space.  It is his corner of the world; the place where Dr. McGowen spreads his shine.

Today I attend my weekly Rotary meeting in Grapevine, Texas.  I will eat lunch next to Marci, Allen and Walt - all members who have been with the club for thirty plus years.  Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, but it is also a space.  It is Marci, Allen, and Walt's corner of the world; the place they go to spread their shine.

Everyone has a space; a corner of the world where he, or she, can go to spread their shine.  Slowly I'm warming up to that idea.

I am settling into the idea of a space - one space.  I spent a long time believing that, in order to make a difference, one's impact must be felt far and wide.  Not one space serving a limited population, but lots of spaces serving millions.

Lately, though I have become more aware.  I have noticed that many of the people for whom I have the greatest respect pick a corner of the world and then commit to spreading their shine in that space.  They don't worry about all the spaces they aren't reaching.  Instead, they channel their energies into making a big difference for a small group.

Melinda says The House of Shine is my space; the corner of the world where I get to spread my shine.

I find myself warming up to the idea more and more and worrying less and less about all the spaces I am not reaching.

How about you?

Join us in the Community Forum, labeled Today's Post and tell us about your space; the corner of the world where you go to spread your shine.

Shining off until tomorrow...