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Give A Little Bit
For it is in the giving that one receives. –St. Francis of Assisi It is difficult to be authentically generous and righteously entitled at the same time. It’s like trying to smile and frown simultaneously. You end up in this awkward grimace. Nothing much is accomplished. When I am feeling uncertain, the solution for me is to give. Give my time, my energy, my talent. Giving is the ultimate plot twist. It moves me from a scarcity mindset to abundance. Despair to hope. Groggy to focused. I am not a doctor, scientist, or mystic but I’ve participated in a number of real world “experiments” and the theory always holds true. Giving changes me. Nature abhors…
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Noblesse Oblige
Surely, you can’t mean me. There must be some mistake. In every tale of triumph, there is a moment when the protagonist doubts himself certain that he lacks the necessary talent, knowledge, or courage to meet the challenges that lie in his path. In a culture of pivoting thumbs, it is easy to slip into the habit of self-doubt. Whether externally messaged in a 1,000 different ways or simply as the verdict passed down through the court of our own perceptions, the certainty that there must be some mistake is the rally cry of all would-be heroes. It is also the prelude to greatness. Through the years, I have had…
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All Aboard
“I hear the train a comin’ It’s rolling round the bend…” — Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison Blues Human beings take up their own place, time, and space like all physical things. From a singular point of view, it may seem at times that our needs do not align with the desires of those around us. We operate under the illusion that the confluence of our lives is to be like a grand rail station…each of us moving forward with a predetermined schedule and pace. Each dutifully keeping to their own tracks. Maybe from a distance, life appears that way. But when you’re at street level, it can seem random and chaotic. All decisions become a different stop along the tracks. Should we keep this job or pursue…
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When You Put It That Way
“The level of your commitment is how quickly you return to it.” — Anonymous Much as I hate to admit it, I am someone who evaluates accomplishment in degrees. For example, to call myself a runner it’s not enough to run in the local 5K race for charity. A “real” runner, runs daily and competes in marathons. All kinds of characteristics are subject to this type of evaluation. Being a writer only counts if you’ve been published. Baked goods are only legit if they are made from scratch. You get the idea. For every activity there is a bar, and quite often, I have to be on my tippy toes to reach it. True, I’ve…
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Cash and Prizes
As long as I can remember, I have been innately selfish, self-sufficient, and competitive. My ego, manifested as an internal dictator’s voice, has always decreed, “Me first!” and “I got this.” When I was younger, I didn’t recognize it as self-centeredness, but that’s what it was. Me first…like the plot-steering scene in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, when Ricky’s father sets the trajectory of Ricky’s life with the phrase, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” The first time I saw that movie, my ego shot its little ego fist in the air and shouted, “Oh hell yeah!” As a result of this attitude, living in community with others has been, at times,…
