“Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though it were his own.”
-Goethe

“The ornament of a house is
The friends who frequent it.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was just backing-up photos and saw images of the October wildfires. It’s been almost a year since we awoke surrounded. A brush fire storm moving at greater than 100-miles-per-hour cannot be outrun, so we waited inside, hoping after the raging flames passed we’d be able to exit through a door or window that wasn’t burning. As we watched waves of frenetic orange embers tumble toward us, I sent out the cryptic text messages I thought might be my last words. I saved some of them on my phone.

6:00 am – “It was too late for us to evac. In house just waiting.”
6:03 am – “Fire here now. Don’t know if we’ll get out.”
6:05 am – “I love you.”

Messages came back.
6:00 am – “Oh my God.”
6:01 am – “We love you.”
6:48 am – “Praying for you.”
 

The fire-filled, hurricane-like winds passed. Our roof was on fire but after hours of work we were able to extinguish it. Amid noisy 100 mile-per-hour wind gusts, darkness, smoke, flames, propane tank explosions, failing water supplies, falling trees and other impediments, we battled. We didn’t use any extra words. We worked as a team, but each with unique contributions.

Meanwhile those to whom I’d said goodbye were waiting, in silence, not knowing our fate. Finally, hours later, I sent the most celebratory message I’d ever punched out on my phone.

11:09 am -
“All Liguori’s, pets, and house ok!”

Afterwards I was overwhelmed by the “goodness” of people. Rarely have I felt so loved and connected… part of a larger whole that is in life together. Despite our declinations, friends showed up and went to work cleaning, and digging, and cutting down burnt trees. They brought food, generators, batteries, shovels.

That day feels surreal, but I think I’ll always remember it with a humbling feeling of gratitude.

Today a friend shared with me a quote that resonated-“How do you double your success rate? You quadruple your failure rate.” For him, having this mindset removes the pressure he used to feel not to fail. Now he views each failure as moving him closer to success. 

It’s commonly noted that Edison failed thousands of times before creating his version of the light bulb. I’ve thought the moral of the story was that persistence pays off, and a person can be successful in spite of setbacks.

Today I’m appreciating a different perspective. I’m seeing failures not just as obstacles which can be overcome with fortitude, but as steps forward themselves. Armed with that view, I think I’ll feel freer and less afraid to fail. What risk is there when even failures advance us toward our goals?