Pictures on the Wall

Have you ever wondered about the pictures people choose to hang up on their walls and the stories behind those photos?

Sometimes I will see someone talking on Instagram stories and behind them is their hallway or a wall with photos hung up. I find myself curious about the stories behind each of those pictures.

“Why did they choose that particular photo?”

“What does that mean to them?”

If it’s a wedding picture, I want to know why that particular image made it on the wall.

I just find this fascinating.

So, today I thought I would share the story behind one of the images I have hanging up in my office.

After receiving my bachelors at a small private college in Kansas and after spending my entire life in Kansas I decided I wanted an adventure and I wanted to continue my education. I applied (and to my delight was accepted) into King’s College London where I received my Masters of Arts.

While I was living in London. I had the opportunity to travel and explore many other places in England and in Europe.

This is an image of Cornwall, England. It’s a peninsula that shoots from main body of England on the far southwestern end.

Cornwall is a beautiful place with lots of stunning landscapes. They have beaches, hills, and rocky cliffs. However, I did not hang this photo up because of the beautiful landscape, but because of the people who call Cornwall home.

There are two people, in particular, Kathrine and Julyan. Both of these individuals had a deep impact on my life and how I choose to show up each and every day. It has been over three years since we interacted and I still vividly remember them, the lessons they taught me, the stories they told me, and the way they made me feel when I was around them.

When I first met them I had crippling fear. The weight of pleasing others and not wanting to let anyone down was heavy on my life. These two people (without saying it in black and white terms) gave me permission to live my life just as I am.

They encouraged me to be different, and live out the ambitious calls on my life. One of my favorite saying from Katherine was “be a square peg in a round hole.” She reminded me that no one who played by the rules or lived a life that was “expected” of them ever made much of difference in our world. One of her role models in this capacity was Martin Luther King Jr.

Julyan and Katherine were incredibly generous to me by opening up their home to me and by spending their unrenewable and precious gift of time on me on hikes and over meals. They would listen to my struggles, let me ask all the questions I was afraid to ask others and help me regain my life back.

In my life if I can embody a small percentage of the generosity and kindness they shared with me, I know I will have done something right.

When I got married Julyan shared an old Cornish saying with me. "Yn hav, perth-cov gwav" - "In summer, remember winter." His interpretation of this saying was, keep a little back for the lean times. There will be good times and bad times in any relationship. As entrepreneurs, we all know that there are ups and downs in our businesses as well as our lives. However, I choose to believe that there is always good around the corner.

That is why I have this photo hanging up in my office! When I see this photo, I’m reminded of Katherine and Julyan. I am reminded that I cannot please everyone. But my mission in life is to serve others well with a generous heart and kind spirit.