April 15, 2015 Posted by Joe Plumeri
Two years ago, my son Jay told me he was going to run in the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. “That happens to be Chris’s birthday. I’m going to run for Chris,” he told me. I was overcome with emotion that he would be running 26.2 miles in memory of his brother, and there was no way I was going to miss it.
My daughter Leslie and I were making our way to the finish line when the first explosion went off. We were only a hundred yards away. Before my eyes, a day full of joy and excitement turned into utter terror. I was in a state of panic until I knew Jay was safe.
In the midst of chaos, I was inspired to see strangers selflessly helping one another. It was a community unlike any I had ever witnessed. Without hesitation, total strangers ran to aide those injured. People were offering shoulders to help runners cross the finish line. Strangers offering their phones so runners could contact loved ones. There were tears. There was fear. What I witnessed was true authentic emotion.
I can’t help but wonder what our world would be like if each and every one of us allowed ourselves to be vulnerable and connected to our emotions on a daily basis, not just in times of tragedy.
For me, today is a day full of many emotions. I feel pain and emptiness that my son Chris is not here to celebrate what would have been his 46th birthday. At the same time I am eternally grateful, that my son Jay was unharmed that tragic day in Boston 2 years ago. I feel excited for the opportunity to share my heart with the world in my new book “The Power of Being Yourself.” Most of all I feel lucky that I am surrounded by friends, family and colleagues who inspire me.
My purpose for writing the “The Power of Being Yourself” is to make you, the readers, feel good about yourselves, acknowledge your emotions, and learn to be present in your daily lives. In the epilogue, I offer readers a Checklist to Being Yourself. Be who you are. Did you cry today? Smile? Laugh? Get Passionate? If you did all of those things, I believe you were connected to your emotions, present, and being yourself.
