Be the Best of Whatever you Are
If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley – but be
The best little scrub by the side of the hill;
Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.
If you can’t be a bush, be a bit of the grass,
Some highway happier make;
If you can’t be a muskie, then just be a bass -
But the liveliest bass in the lake!
We can’t all be captains, we got to be crew,
There’s something for all of us here,
There’s big work to do, and there’s lesser to do,
And the task we must do is the near.
If you can’t be a highway, then just be a trail,
If you can’t be the sun, be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or you fail -
Be the best of whatever you are.
– By Douglas Malloch
What a lovely poem. I’m particularly struck by the line about we can’t all be captains, we got to be crew. With such a strong push all around us to be the best, to strive for perfection it’s just as important to be able to lead from whatever job we’re in, whatever role we’re occupying at that moment. Ben Zander the conductor calls it “leading from any chair”. By which he means the 8th violinist can lead the orchestra if called on to do so. So being crew is a great place to be – as long as we do it wholeheartedly.
Hi Tilla,
I’m sorry for not replying sooner. I am not quite in the swing of on-line life, maybe I never will be?! I’m glad you liked the poem. No we can’t all be captains, and each of us has a significant part to play. Our contributions are all as important as the next, and I guess what’s most important is the energy and enthusiasm we bring to it. Kay