During a recent trip to Gloucester (MA), I snapped this photo of the Thacher Island Twin Lighthouses while traveling by sea north toward the Gulf of Maine while doing a little whale watching. That said, there is nothing ‘little’ about whale watching as humpback whale calves are generally 14 feet long and 1500 pounds at birth! A story for another day.
According to a few sources, the Thacher Island lighthouses were constructed in 1861 and are 124 feet high, 22 feet in diameter and have 156 steps to the top of the towers. Each are constructed with 10 tons of granite block with 2 feet thick inner walls. Each lighthouse, daily, withstands rigorous weather elements and serves as a critical navigational point through its steady presence and beacon of light.
What about your own life? Who serves as your lighthouse, metaphorically speaking? Think about the attributes of a lighthouse and how many times one is depended upon for guidance – during the day and at night…when it’s sunny, cloudy, windy or raining. Who withstands the storms of life yet maintains a sense of beauty, dependability and resilience? Whose light do you depend upon during calm and tough times – while navigating issues of sensitivity, adversity and crisis? It does not matter the velocity or ferociousness of the situation, the lighthouse maintains its ground, purpose and posture in any crisis.
Reflections:
- Who serves as your lighthouse?
- Who views you as their lighthouse?
- What are you doing to thicken your walls and brighten your light?
There are two ways to lead during critical times – be the source of the light or reflect the light from another source – both are critical and needed to protect people, secure assets and strengthen brands.
Back to the reflections: (1) thank them; (2) know them; (3) be the beacon.
