John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough defeated the French and Bavarians on August 2, 1704. Today, how many people know or care? But, if you were the Duke or his British soldiers at that time, you cared a lot! If any one individual was ever the inspiration for stories of intrigue, mystery, action, or romance, it was this man. He could be the springboard for many cozy mysteries too, with a bit of tweaking here and there.
What is important to you today? And, to me? Probably, our lists would be long; yet, in 300 years, who will care? Will our words or action make a difference to anyone now or in the long run? Will we just sort of sail through the sea of life with scarcely a ripple, or will we roil the waters? Is anything important enough for us to go against the current or do we not care to make any waves? Just a thought.
I could find only one direct quote from the Duke preserved for these three centuries, but it tells us a lot. It pictures a man in a hurry, fresh from battle, loyal to his queen, who, without the aid of cell phone or telegraph, had to get a message to her. His method of transportation was quite different from ours too. “I have not time to say more, but to beg you will give me my duty to the Queen, and let her know her army has had a glorious victory. Monsieur Tallard and two other generals are in my coach and I am following the rest.”
Just as a fun exercise, why not jot down a few facts about your thoughts or decisions you’ve made. It might start like this: “This day in history, I looked out my window on the world and…” You never know what impact your words or decisions are going to have.
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