On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first of only 12 people to walk on the surface of moon. Many of us learned about this event in history class and we read about what they said that day. Neil Armstrong’s words were immortalized as he stepped onto the dusty moon, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Buzz Aldrin, as he descended the ladder of the lunar module said, “Beautiful view, beautiful desolation.”
But what about the other guy- the third astronaut? That is a name that most of us have either forgotten about or have never heard of. Michael Collins, the third astronaut, had the job of flying the command module around the moon so that Neil and Buzz could dock safely for the return trip to earth. It could be argued that the third astronaut had the most important job of the Apollo 11 mission because without Michael Collins there to receive the lunar module, there would be no going home again. So, Michael orbited the moon over 30 times, observing from his little window while Neil and Buzz were doing and saying things that would be recorded in the history books.
A reporter asked Michael what he was thinking during that historic moment as he circled the moon. He replied, “I was thinking about how every piece of this spacecraft was designed by some government contractor that had the lowest bid because he used the cheapest parts.” In a light-hearted way, Michael embraced the challenges and stress of the mission, though I am sure he would rather have been given the chance to walk on the moon.
We can learn an important lesson from Michael Collins. Most of us will not have the opportunity to do something exciting or dramatic like walking on the moon. What matters most in life is not the dramatic or exciting moments, but faithfulness to be where you are here and now. So, wherever you find yourself today, whether you are doing something exciting and dramatic or just showing up to work and doing your job- do it to the best of your ability. When you are tempted to look out at your life and you want to be elsewhere, remember that you are here for a reason. It may not always be dramatic and exciting, but what matters most in life is that you did the difficult and far more important job of simply being faithful to the task before you today. Your family, friends- even your future self will be grateful for your faithfulness to the ordinary.
