Have you ever been in such an emotional crisis that you feel your shoulders could bear no more weight, no matter how slight? That just one more detail, complaint, or person calling your name, would send you over the edge, or at least to your knees? Your mind so overly stimulated that the common, such as light, or everyday sounds, make you jump in nervous angst? Yeah, me either.
I have spent the better part of the day reading reports and surveys about the economy, and how it is effecting the auto industry. Not the most encouraging reading. Yet many indicators show the economy to be healthy, robust even. But in this industry, and others that feed off the auto business; repair shops, financial institutions, and the like, we simply are not seeing the results of a healthy economy. Scary!
I wore a pink oxford to work today, Hey, it looked nice! And this afternoon, a friend of mine stopped in; he was wearing a lavender shirt! I told him we would not be allowed to be seen in public together today.
I have been working on securing a loan for a credit challenged individual. The bank required a utility bill to prove residency. He brought me in the bill today… it was a termination notice for his gas. You can’t make this up!
My mom is moving this weekend. She is leaving the place her and my father had lived for several years before his death. Although she misses my dad terribly, she is eagerly anticipating moving on with her life in a new home. They would have celebrated their 53rd Wedding Anniversary a few weeks ago. I couldn’t help but weep.
A recent incident helped me decide I will no longer be nice to rude fuckers!
Although everyone’s life has it’s ups and downs, mine has hit a very nice rhythm.
One of the things that separates successful people from others, is the number of opportunities afforded them. “Success breeds success” because there are so many more chances to be successful. As I look back on my life, each time I was presented an opportunity, and took it, I moved to another level. Granted, personal responsibility has a great deal to do with how you handle the opportunity. You must be prepared, watchful, and courageous, when the door opens. But you still need the opportunity! In days gone by, I to muttered to myself, “I am always in the right place at the right time“! The time has come to begin rehearsing these words to myself again.
Recently I was questioned about the foundations of my life. What aided me in making the tough decisions?, Where did I turn in times of grief and sorrow?, My philosophy on how I parented my sons? How I respond to humanity, to the environment? How I feel about God? My response was the Bible. It is the bedrock of all I do. I didn’t say I always did it the Bible way. Far from it! But it was the most influential teacher in fashioning the man I am today. I am far from perfect, I have many flaws and a multitude of scars to prove it. But when faced with most of life’s situations, my mind instantly ask, “What does the scripture teach about this?” So I pose the same question to you. What do you use as the foundation for your life? What is your moral compass?
1. Stay fit- work at it.
2. Stand firm for what is right.
3. Laugh- especially at yourself.
4. Follow through.
5. Listen to your heart as well as your head.
Listening to: “Word of God Speak”, Mercy Me
Over the past few days I have been given a special gift from many people I have encountered. A gift, I admire more than almost any other. The gift? Meaningful conversation.
Often while playing golf with friends and you hit a poor shot off the tee. Someone will tell you to hit a “Mulligan”. A mulligan is an invitation to try again, hit another shot without penalty, a “do-over”, if you will. Most of the time you get one mulligan in a round. If you were offered one mulligan in your life; What would you do over?
Exhausted from the long flight, he quickly checked into his room, tossed his bag on the bed, and headed back downstairs to the lounge for a drink. Upon entering the bar, the music was playing softly, and the lights were dim; the perfect atmosphere to relax and gather your thoughts after a long day of travel. Escorted to a small table in the corner, he sat alone soaking up the music, and the calm, for what seemed like an hour. He had just finished his first beer, and looked up to order another; when she walked in!
A forty-something woman, with beautifully highlighted hair that fell gracefully to her shoulders. She stood about 5′9″ tall, with a slender, yet shapely figure. Her eyes were dark and thoughtful, and she carried herself with with style, yet a hint of uncertainty. Floored by her beauty, he could not take his eyes off of her, and for a moment time stood still…
As he stared, she turned, and their eyes locked upon one another, it was Magical! As they both felt the power of this moment. In that instant; a torrent of emotion surged within him, and his mind raced through a lifetime of questions… “Is this the one? Could she be my best friend? My lover? The one I have sought for all of my life? And somehow, deep inside, he knew the answer was Yes! This was the one! He had never believed in “Love at first sight” but this was different! This was not chance! Something more than that was transpiring here. Or, was it? For at that very moment; a man whom she was obviously with, entered the doorway, and her smile faded, her sparkling eyes became filled with sadness, and she turned, and they walked away. She was gone!
A pain he had never experienced before, instantly replaced the exuberance, as he watched her walk out that door. In stunned silence he returned to his room and mused on that moment all night long. The next morning he was on the 7:30 flight back home.
That was many years ago, and he has dutifully moved on with his life. But sometimes; in the wee hours of the morning. When all is calm and still, he allows his mind the freedom to wonder about this beautiful stranger, and imagine, “What if”?
Exhausted from the long flight, he quickly checked into his room, tossed his bag on the bed, and headed back downstairs to the lounge for a drink. Upon entering the bar, the music was playing softly, and the lights were dim; the perfect atmosphere to relax and gather your thoughts after a long day of travel. Escorted to a small table in the corner, he sat alone soaking up the music, and the calm, for what seemed like an hour. He had just finished his first beer, and looked up to order another; when she walked in!
A forty-something woman, with beautifully highlighted hair that fell gracefully to her shoulders. She stood about 5′9″ tall, with a slender, yet shapely figure. Her eyes were dark and thoughtful, and she carried herself with with style, yet a hint of uncertainty. Floored by her beauty, he could not take his eyes off of her, and for a moment time stood still…
Everything was going so well. I was enjoying the band, perusing the bikes, talking with others passionate about their motorcycles. The air was charged with a party atmosphere as it often is, when men who have had too much to drink, mingle with scantily clad biker chicks. Then, in an instant, the mood changed. The band stopped, the grounds became eerily quiet, and the sky was instantly black! No, it wasn’t the Apocalypse, but a freak storm. I have never seen anything like it, one minute it is warm and sunny, and the next black and dangerous. Everyone headed for their bikes and it seemed as if on cue, fired them up! It was chilling to hear the rumble of 4500 motorcycles at one time. As I rode home I was certain it was going to be a very nasty trip. Lightning was striking all around, but I made it home safe and sound. Good thing Michelle wasn’t with me!
THE GINGHAM DRESS
A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband,
dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in
Boston , and walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard
University President’s outer office.
The secretary could tell in a moment that such
backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard & probably didn’t
even deserve to be in Cambridge . “We’d like to see the president,” the
man said softly.
“He will be busy all day,” the secretary snapped. “We
will wait,” the lady replied.
For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the
couple would finally become discouraged and go away.
They didn’t,and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the
president, even though it was a chore she always regretted.
“Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they’ll
leave,” she said to him!
He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone
of his importance obviously didn’t have the time to spend with them, and
he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his
outer office.
The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple.
The lady told him! , “We had a son who attended Harvard for one
year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about
a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to
erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.” The president wasn’t
touched. He was shocked.
“Madam,” he said, gruffly, “we can’t put up a statue for every person
who attended Harvard and died.. If we did, this place would look like a
cemetery.”
“Oh, no,” the lady explained quickly. “We don’t want to erect a statue.
We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.”
The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the
gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, “A building! Do you have any
earthly idea how
much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the
physical buildings here at Harvard.”
For a moment the lady was silent.
The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now.
The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Is that all it cost
to start a university? Why don’t we just start our own? ”
Her husband nodded. The president’s face wilted in confusion and
bewilderment.
Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away,traveling to
Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their
name, Stanford University , a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer
cared about.
You can easily judge the character of others by how
they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.
A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes
