If you could meet one person, living or dead, who would it be?

My answer to this question has varied depending on who I was in awe of or had influenced me recently. I have thought of everyone from my favourite grandfather to Barack Obama. But the answer never felt satisfactory, a niggling feeling that the interaction might feel empty .

Today I was re-reading one of my favorite books and finally the answer came to me in a flash – Morrie Schwartz. He was an enigmatic, loveable sociology professor whose final days were recorded in the best selling book, “Tuesdays with Morrie”.

How was it that I believed, in my bones, that meeting this man who I have only read stories of, would be an important meaningful interaction in my life? Why was Morrie different from all my other heroes?

The answer lay, not in his accomplishments or my image of him, but what he gave to those who interacted with him. Love. Time. Undivided attention.

Most importantly, how he made them feel about themselves. That was the difference.