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            Do you ever consider, at your age, how adventurous you would like to be in your life?

This week is the first week of my lifelong best friend, Johnson, working at his new company, a high tech firm. At the age of 53 he is still energetic, enthusiastic, passionate, and adventurous at the field he enjoys so much that, ever since his graduation some twenty years ago, he keeps this habit of studying and coding at least three hours every day/night nonstop. What he usually reads and studies after work are programming languages, technologies, or knowledge that he thinks would boom and be popular in the future. Thanks to his A genes, he is about to be right at the trends almost every time. My admiration comes from his unusual young spirits, longtime developed passions, strong determination, perseverance, and commitment to his belief, to who he is.

            Johnson’s life is an ING. ING means a person is always on the move (be vs being); there is always something going on in his life that s/he would be engrossed herself/himself at to enjoy the life to its fullest. When others spend time and money on TVs, entertainment and its equipments, tools of enjoyment possibly acquired on the market Johnson devotes his to improving his skills, knowledge, and education. Schooling is not for a degree to him; instead he goes to school because the learning experience itself keeps him fresh, new, and available for next potential career, next new field he finds interesting and of challenge. Johnson is a person not afraid of change.

            At the field of public library, the thing I enjoy the most is to talk to people: asking questions, suggesting something I have tried before and workable, or simply chatting with patrons to allow them to be comfortable with me. Sharing something with people thrills and excites me. This past summer was a season I wouldn’t forget for it’s my first try to see if I could be good at selling and marketing; I consider the library is a business entity providing services for the well being of its patrons. To be a successful salesperson, I have to overcome the embarrassment and fear when a potential customer says NO to me. Once I understood what I wanted and knew my goals I set daily goal/number to challenge myself. The moment the number was met another number was ready to be beat. It’s an ING, a game never stopped to be played until the end of the due date. Though, at the end, I became a bit disappointed to learn that my branch was the second branch for this program, next year’s goal was set and a plan was formed in my mind. No matter if it’s a success or a failure, they are in the past became history. What I have to look forward to is tomorrow, the unknown and exciting future.

            A good librarian is also a good salesperson for s/he is selling helpful services to the public. Don’t waste any handy or coming opportunities I constantly warn and remind myself of the reasons why I like to work in the public library. It’s a safe place and a promising land for someone like me who cherish and admire the values of sharing and hard working. Every book I touch holds future, dreams, and promises for whoever needs it. I have learned from a mother that because of a biography a young girl read at her childhood this young lady was inspired, made up her mind, and went to the prestigious West Point Academy to pursue her dream being an officer. Who knows if this person I have served will become a world known leader? Or the book I have helped reserved or checked out to certain patron would inspire and influence this person allowing her/him to be SOMEBODY, some great mother, father, successful CEO, or a great person of his kind. It’s this potential, challenge, and opportunity that excite me at work. Unknown and uncertainty, though daunting and scary, hold hopes, promises, and paths to greatness and successes.

            Are you a person of ING or is your life is an ING? It’s never too late to become one or have a life of ING. Do you ever ask yourself what heaven looks or feels like? To me, heaven is the present, NOW. It’s not a place in the unknown future or afterlife. It’s your mind set. Living at present, NOW, you know you are alive, living, who you are, and what you are. What happened belongs to history and won’t come back. The future is unreal for it’s not here yet. Now, you hold the keys for answers, hopes, dreams, promises, and a well-considered and plotted future. What you decide and act now is the path toward tomorrow; a future leads to adventures, excitement, enjoyment, and more heavens.

            ING could be a concept if you like it. ING could be wheels riding you to places, status, anything you want to visit, go, or seek. Better yet, ING could be YOU.