I re-watched the movie Forest Gump (1994) on the weekend. It stars Tom Hanks as Forest and Robin Wright as Jenny. Forest (Tom Hanks) is a simple person with good intentions. His best friend and childhood sweetie is Jenny (Robin Wright). It traces his life where he has experiences all related to his good intentions.

His sole purpose throughout the movie is to reunite with his best friend. He is in love with Jenny.

There is a scene where Forest is speaking about Jenny’s dad and states he was “some kind of farmer”. I guess the director didn’t want to come right out and say Jenny’s dad was a tobacco farmer. I knew he was because I could see the tobacco fields in the background.

My dad was “some kind of farmer”. I was raised on a tobacco farm and my dad Julien taught me about growing tobacco. One of the things that stands out for me was his passion when it came to curing the crop. He made it an art form. He could tell you about the quality of the raw leaf going in the kilns or what the weather was like the day we primed the leaves. By smell he knew what to do with temperature and air. There was a wet bulb and dry bulb to read. This led to other adjustments. The feel and texture of the leaf at various stages provided him with other insights. He was a “Kiln Whisperer”.

I think back on that time and realize that my dad was working in his area of “Unique Ability” (a Strategic Coach concept). We all have this kind of genius, and we spend our lives looking for it. Some find it earlier than others. When you do find yours, make the most of it. It will provide you with the freedom to be yourself.