Are you relevant?

This past week, as I was exiting a supermarket, I ran into someone that I hadn’t seen in quite a while. She was a former elementary school principal and had been retired for several years. We talked for a few minutes about our kids and then she asked me if I was still writing and consulting. When I told her that I was, she said, “It must be nice to still be relevant.” She then turned and walked to her car. I found myself feeling sorry for this woman. She evidently felt that since she no long had a position of importance or a career, she was relegated to being a spectator in life rather than an active participant. As a result, she no longer felt relevant. To think this way is to miss the boat regarding what life is all about. Positions and careers don’t make us relevant, nor do wealth and possessions. Rather, it’s doing kind things for our fellow human beings that does. And, the more kind things we do, the more relevant we are.