Today, I’m thankful for those who dream big.
Welcome one and all to Saturnalia. I recognize that some of you probably have a perplexed look on your face about now, as you justifiably think to yourself: ‘Wait, what?’
Let me take a moment to explain.
During the time of the Roman Empire, the most highly anticipated pagan holiday would commence on this day (Dec 17) in recognition of the auspicious god of agriculture and time – Saturn. During this mid December event that heralded the impending winter solstice, Romans would celebrate by singing, playing music, and decorating their homes with wreaths, holly, and other greenery. They would shed their white togas for colorful coverings, while they reveled with their loved ones at raucous family feasts and communal celebrations. More so, during this most festive occasion, they would offer gifts to their family, friends, and, of course, the Roman gods. The Roman poet, Catullus, famously described the 7-day event as ‘the best of times.’ With the closing of schools, businesses, and other administrative offices, Saturnalia was akin to the ‘Mardi Gras’ of the Roman era. Basically, the holiday was a time to reach beyond the ordinary, shed conventional practices, and even release oneself from one’s usual inhibitions.
In essence, it was a time to ‘go big’.
In our lives, we are all too comfortable and content to follow a standard, 'tried-and-true' process that we know works. Our societal norms reward those who follow tradition – go to school, get an education, start a family, and then retire peacefully, hopefully with a grandchild joyously balanced on your bended knee. Organizations tend to reward those who maintain the status quo & allow for slow, steady progress forward. Colleagues and friends who have an innovative idea are rarely applauded because novel concepts take time, expend resources, & often fail. In other words, our current world is not well equipped to handle those willing to ‘go big.’ Yet, I’d argue that we need paragons willing to break convention and attempt something just a bit out of the ordinary.
Today, I’m reminded of a few courageous individuals who were willing to step out of their comfort zone and try something different.
One of these was Carole Penny Marsciarelli, who was born into a very Italian family in the Bronx in October 1943. Carole never graduated from college, instead opting to drop out to marry a fellow student and football player at the University of New Mexico (after she became pregnant with his child). Sadly, the marriage ended poorly, so she packed up her bags, with child in tow, and headed to glitzy Los Angeles to do what most idealistic actors in their early 20s aspire to do – make it ‘big’ in show business. She met up with her brother Garry, a comedy writer, while she looked for work.
The best Carole could muster in La-La Land were mundane roles in a few commercials. In one commercial, Carole was pitted as the ‘homely’ girl next to the ‘pretty’ girl in a before-and-after beauty ad; interestingly, that pretty girl turned out to be Farah Fawcett. But, eventually with some perseverance, Carole secured appearances on a few sitcoms, including The Odd Couple, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Happy Days, before eventually gaining a full time role in a situational comedy as the wisecracking Laverne DeFazio. In this 7-year television show, which incidentally aired immediately following Happy Days, Laverne toiled to eke out a living in Milwaukee, working alongside her trusted roommate, Shirley Feeney, in the Shotz Brewery.
But, when Laverne & Shirley came to a close, Carole could no longer find suitable work. A few years’ later, a close friend named Whoopi Goldberg encouraged Carole to fill the empty director’s seat for the movie Jumping Jack Flash, in which Whoopi starred. At that time, female directors were a rarity in the all-male Hollywood world, but Carole took the leap and ‘go big’.
Carole was a natural. Over the next two decades, her success as a director of a number of movies, including Awakenings, A League of Their Own, Rising in Cars with Boys, and, of course, Big, would pave the way for other aspiring female directors to follow suit. Sadly, after a nearly 3-decade career as a director, Carole Penny Masciarelli – better known to most of us as Penny Marshall – would pass away on this day (Dec 17) in 2018.
But, this college drop-out turned director extraordinaire would remind us that the opening lyrics to the Laverne & Shirley theme song can become reality if someone is willing to dream big:
“Give us any chance - we'll take it Read us any rule - we'll break it We're gonna make our dreams come true...doin' it our way”
But, Penny Marshall is not alone on this day as someone ‘doing it their way.’ Take a second to think about 2 brothers – both high school dropouts – who decided to break convention at the start of the 20th Century. As the owners of a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, Wilbur and Orville Wright decided to think big. The Wright Brothers had an unusual idea to take travel in a different direction. For more than three years, the Wrights tried to perfect powered flight, but they were unsuccessful in their early attempts. However, after some trial & error, they made steady progress. Unlike others at the time who were heralded by the press as being on the ‘cusp’ of the first flight, this relatively obscure duo had quickly surmised that human flight could not be controlled by some command center from the ground – rather you need a skilled pilot in charge of a rather lightweight vehicle to steer a ‘flyer’ in the sky.
So, using what they learned from fixing bicycles, the Wrights designed a 40-foot, 605-pound flyer with a small 12-horsepower, gasoline-operated engine connected to a bicycle chain drive to power 2 propellers. Comprised of spruce wood, cotton cloth, and some sophisticated mechanical devices (which incidentally the pilot controlled with his hands and hips), the Wright Flyer was finally ready for a ‘pilot’ run on an open field in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. On this day (Dec 17) in 1903, the two brothers achieved the first controlled flight of their aircraft. Although their initial flight went only 10 feet off the ground and flew for less than 150 feet, they kept at it. By the end of the day, the plane flew an impressive 852 feet. By 1909, the brothers could be seen flying their airplane around the Statue of Liberty in New York City.
Innovation never comes easy. When someone approaches you with a novel ‘big’ idea, I’d recommend that you don't immediately shut it down. Take time to think it through. Who knows? Maybe their idea will one day change our lives.
The Wright Brothers taught an important, simple lesson: When it comes to invention, even the sky's not the limit. Next stop, Mars, and then perhaps Saturn?
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