To lead: to be a monument, a pillar, a symbol to others; or a defined concept that places pressure rather than inspires, causing withering rather than bolstering the idea general audiences see when they watch the play where the hero triumphs over evil.
So lost in the stories, both true and fictitious, are we that the simple definition of leading
has been removed from our mindscapes.
We see heroes leading the people against the armies of darkness,
Washington leading his troops against the British,
but not the hardworking mother taking a double to feed her children
or the gay teacher who inspires their LGBTQ+ students just by existing.
We forget that the plain initiative to give someone a lollipop on their worst day
can inspire them to seize it instead; no unfathomable event needed
to lead.

Inspired by Drew Dudley’s TED Talk “Leading with Lollipops”