We all need fans.
There’s something powerful about knowing that, in advance of an achievement or an accomplishment, or in advance of something you release to the world, there’s a receptive audience.
For your ideas.
For your visions.
For your dreams.
When you think of the greatest achievements the world has known, you often think of two universes circling the achiever. The ideator.
You think of those who came so close to genius, and instead of creating space for it, cast it aside. Walked past it, or even more powerfully, stopped, stared, and let it walk on by instead.
“I’m not even going to do the work of dismissing you; you can do that yourself.”
That’s one universe.
The other universe though, is the fan.
People rise and fall to the expectations we set for them. That message is meant for the people setting expectations.
It’s most important though, for the people upon whom those expectations are set.
Which is why in those stories of genius it’s amazing to think of the power of being a fan.
One fan can offset hundreds, even thousands of detractors. One fan can negate all of the doubt, and set a bar so extraordinarily high, the doubters fade from the rear view mirror and are soon so far gone, it’s ridiculous to think they even existed.
Today, on your birthday, my magic, you did it again. You reminded me why I’m your biggest fan. You reminded me why from the moment you were born, everyone had a name for you, but I had a feeling.
“Magic.”
I watched you set up art stations in our garage for all your friends. I watched you circle the room to make sure everyone was taken care of. I watched you pick individual paint-by-numbers for each person based on what they like and what they’d like to paint.
I watched you.
I also watched you heave after all was said and done. As your friends clustered off together. I watched you circle our house alone. And then, when I tapped you on the shoulder I watched you shake your head free of some of that self doubt and questioning, and come back to earth, and make sure nobody else played alone, and make sure everyone had their goodie bag.
You make friends everywhere you go. You design, build, construct, friendships. When you make friends, you truly make them.
I watched you love and care at age 7 like many at my age can’t even fathom.
It’s when I realized that I need to be an even more vocal and bigger fan of you and the love you’re capable of bringing into this world. And so I shall.
I’ll forget sometimes. But I’ll come back to this post. I’ll look at these pictures. And I’ll remember.
That for you and your ability to love so creatively — so artistically — I’m downright fanatical.
As you turn 7, today my love for you is like what the greatest connoisseurs of art feel for their favorite artists. And then some.
I love you my magic. Keep loving the world as exceptionally as you do. I’ll remember my place and I assure you, like all great things, the world will take not and celebrate it more and more.
Suneet Bhatt 