Shaken Not Stirred…
Sean Connery (007) passed away this weekend in his sleep with family and friends around him at his house in Nassau in the Bahamas. He left this world in the same smooth way that he lived, both on screen and in real life. To me and folks my age group and older, there was nobody cooler, smoother, macho(er) or slicker than Connery and his James Bond portrayal in some of the best movies I enjoyed at a very young age…as in all reality he was in his prime before I was born. Shaken Not Stirred…so cool in the way he ordered his martini.
Growing up with nothing as Connery often said resulted in him not really missing anything. Ain’t that cool? If you don’t have anything or don’t know any better, life is pretty simple. He dropped out of school at the age of 13 and learnt reading, speech, acting all on his own. Being cool was just natural. And his coolness lasted all the way till the end.
The last time I saw him on live TV was in 2017 as I watched the US Open that late summer and as the camera panned on him and they showed him on TV and the big screen at Flushing Meadows, NY, Connery smiled. He looked older, unshaven, slower but when he smiled in his imitable style, all I remember was getting up from my recliner and standing as I saluted him. What about Connery moved me to feel so reverent. He was just an actor after all. He entertained…it wasn’t like he did anything so heroic like our soldiers and first responders.
I thought about this yesterday and realized why I saluted him then and will always salute him for the rest of my years. The simple reason is that we all need a Hero or Heroes in our lives. Someone to look up to, someone who inspires you to blaze a new trail, a new path, a new way as only a mountain goat would do in the Highlands of any country. Someone who stands apart from the sheep who follow.
I truly believe that being a mountain goat like Connery was, is what I looked up to in my subconscious. Connery as Bond did whatever he wanted to. He ran towards trouble, he chased any woman he wanted to, he drove any car he wanted to, he played the best games at casinos and so much more…heck he was 007 - Licensed to Kill. He was my Hero. And I wanted to be like him: Licensed to Kill my weaknesses, my inhibitions, my mental blocks and instead blaze new trails.
I have met very few folks in my real life like Connery that stand as my Heroes. One of my Heroes is someone who is my current coach and someone I have learned so much from. We all need Heroes…look for them as they might be closer than you think.
Live Life….a little Shaken Not Stirred….
Be Mindful.