July 18th. Just Another Day?

Is there such thing as just another day? Shouldn't all days be unique and beautiful in their own way? Why do we let most days slip into the dusty corners of our minds? Can we not find something extraordinary within the ordinary everyday. Are we too busy to lift our eyes from the grey and black streets of humdrum living to the skies, and behold the symphony of color composed by God. Can we not exalt our minds above the ugliness of mediocrity to see the simple nobility of a finch flying through the air or ponder upon a mighty oak swaying in the wind? Life is made up of seemingly ordinary days that mature into the remarkable.

In 1925, a simple book was published on a seemingly ordinary day about a man's struggle and pain. A book that told of, among other things, an evil in the world...communism. It told of a problem and how to solve it. This book began a revolution, no, it began a war that soon consumed the world. The book, Mein Kampf, and the author, Adolf Hitler. I am certain that it was an ordinary day to virtually all of the world. But, because of this one person and his book the world was torn apart; millions gave their lives to fight one man's idea, one man's book. An ordinary man that rose above the poverty of a country ravished by the aftermath of war. Adolf did not settle for any mediocrity and though what he did was a heinous atrocity; an act that the world should never have known. He did it. And just for the simple reason that he was able to revolutionize an impoverished country and make it more powerful than any other country in under two decades is awe inspiring. It all commenced on a seemingly ordinary unimpressive day.

The year is 1918, a child is born in a small village in South Africa. It happens everyday, nothing out of the ordinary. This child attended school like all others. His father died of tuberculosis when he was only nine years-old. He grew and matured and became a political activist in his country. He opposed an entire regime, an entire ideology that made the civil rights movement in America seem like a petty playground fight. He fought for what was right and true. He served twenty-seven years in prison before becoming the President of South Africa. He persevered despite all odds. This boy born on this seemingly unimportant day became the liberator of South Africa. His name is etched into the sinews of time and is synonymous with freedom and tenacity.

Are days just ordinary? No. There never has been just another day. Who knows, someone born on this day could change my life forever. Perhaps it will be an idea that will revolutionize how I view the world; its people, its culture or its places. For most, this day will slip into the dusty corners of the world's mind. For me though, this day will always be historical because someone was born on this day, this seemingly unimportant day, who may change how I view the world. To that one someone who was born today I say Happy Birthday!