Brush with fame
I once worked as a delivery driver for a flower shop in Beverly Hills, California. One day, a call was placed to the shop requesting delivery of a bouquet to the home of Milla Jovovich who had just given birth to her first child, a girl, and was already home recovering.
After arriving at her beautiful LA estate, the house manager buzzed me through the gate. I then maneuvered my way into the house while carrying a huge floral arrangement. A moment later, this striking woman appeared from behind a door and slowly began to approach me. Only I didn’t recognize who it was until we were standing face to face. It was Milla Jovovich!
She was still dawning a little weight from her pregnancy which, by no surprise, looked radiant on her. In all honesty, she was literally glowing. But despite our pleasant exchange, I had other floral arrangements to deliver and so was on my way.
Then a few days before the Thanksgiving holiday, I was called upon to deliver another arrangement to her home. Only this time, I got to speak with her mother who was equally beautiful. While setting up the new bouquet in the kitchen, her mother and I stumbled upon the topic of philosophy.
Meanwhile, Milla was nearby in her library breastfeeding the newborn baby. It seemed as though she couldn’t help but overhear us because she asked, “What are you guys talking about?” I replied by asking, “If you felt that your talents could help make the world a better place, would you pursue them?”
Without any hesitation, she replied, “Absolutely, always follow your dreams!” She then proceeded to hand her daughter over to her mother and remarked, “I have a book you should read.” The book was Journey to Ixtlan.
Even though she was offering to lend me a book, I found it challenging to keep my gaze from unintentionally drifting toward her exposed breast. While I remained composed with a professional demeanor, she seemed unaware of any need to cover herself.
While searching for the book, she eventually covered herself up. But as fate would have it, she couldn’t find her copy. I was a tad disappointed as no celebrity had ever offered to lend me anything before. Even so, she had me jot the name down and encouraged me to read it as soon as possible.
I eventually tracked it down and read it cover to cover. It actually became one of the works that inspired me to write, The Reward of Not Knowing. So, with utmost appreciation, I owe Milla a sincere “Thank you!” Her encouragement helped stir my journey to heights I once thought unreachable.
This experience helped me realize something vitally important. Never hesitate to make an ass out of yourself. And don’t allow the world to judge you too harshly for doing so either. Really, just go for it, without fear of looking foolish along the way. After all, failure is just another means of stirring us in the direction of our destiny.
