I’ll be turning fifty years old this coming March 17th, and it’s a meaningful milestone to me. As I’ve been reflecting back on my decades of life, I’ve been thinking of the many mentors who have taught me and changed my life. One of the big ones—a mentor in both coaching facilitation and in life, who also shared my same birthday—was Mal Morgan.
Recently Mal passed away with Covid, and I’d like to honor him here. He was dynamic, straight forward, and hell-bent on having fun, always willing to “buck the system.” (Mostly in a good way.) Mal was a true Cajun.
As one of my mentors, he taught me “that true facilitation comes from being in the moment with the audience and the intent of the lesson.” I never forgot that, because it was true. I learned that whenever I rushed through material or pushed the group to “get a concept,” I would fall flat.
Mal was a Master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), which he used throughout his interactions with people to support their development. He introduced me to NLP and over time and years of practice I too became a Master Practitioner. For that I am grateful.
His poem titled “Let When Be When” sums up how Mal lived.
I sincerely offer Mal’s poem as a gift to you and ode to his dynamic giving and bright life. I hope it helps you “let the when be when” and “be bright” as Mal always said and signed off his emails.
Honestly, I find myself failing by missing “the colors in the trees” more often than I like to admit. However, especially since his passing, I do my best to “take the here-and-now while it’s here.” Thank you, Mal.
Let When Be Ben by Mal Morgan
The Road ahead is not clear
It’s end is not in sight.
It rounds a bend not far ahead
While the day becomes the night.
Worry on this turn ahead
Distracts me from the now.
I miss the colors in the trees
And I miss the point somehow.
The path of life is my heart
I’ve let it down again.
I looked ahead and wasted time
And I sought the now in then.
Life has never worked that way
To plan the now in then.
Take the here-and-now while it’s here
And let the when be when.
