Being fully present at mass this morning, a parallel three-fer was spoken and are now one with the other shared in 2.0.
The way.
The truth.
The life.
Because I cannot, I need to be shown the way.
The truth is, He can, and will.
So I will let go and let Him give me life.
It’s only 9:03 AM CST and this is still ricocheting around my noggin. Looking forward to being all in this beautiful day and allowing any other epiphanies to wedge their way into this old stoic.
If nothing else, at least I have AFV on the radar.
But that is about as far as I want to look ahead these days.
Interesting question. I am not feeling real confident about fully addressing it in just one prompt. It might have to be a 2.0. You see, despite the length of my time here, direction is one thing Ithat I am still trying to figure out.
Of late, what seems to provide this stoic with some solid guidance is remaining in this moment. Being fully present.
In doing so, a couple of things occur. First, I no longer dwell on the past and all that entails. Not that I was really ensconced there. Just that any focus applied back there blurred those right in front of me. Then there is the looking too far ahead and trying to control what hasn’t even happened yet. That pretty much speaks to that version of total futility.
Remaining present is predicated on full intention, honest faith and genuine trust. A whole different amalgamation of thoughts, words and deeds, founded on a simplistic action. That of simply “letting go”.
And as I alluded to in a prior prompt, this thought someone shared with me, pretty much says it all about what helps give me direction.
I cannot.
He can.
So I will let Him.
Still a great deal to discern and reflect upon. Direction is not to be taken lightly. That being said, I will sleep on it. And if given tomorrow, perhaps I will be back to you with what He shared.
I cannot say I live by one, but I can say I think of some more than others. It is a rather fluid situation. Their respective rank has shifted and changed over the course of time, largely because I have changed over the course of time. Or rather, I am in the process of changing over the course of time. Wait. I am finally realizing change is needed now because there is not a lot of time remaining. Boom! There it is! My digress in the prompt of the day….
Most of what has stuck in my noggin are thoughts pertinent to the motivation of student-athletes I have had the opportunity to coach for going on twenty five years. If by chance, any one else happened to read those thoughts I would share, they too would get to know about some of these wonderful authors. Lots of James Allen, Whitman, Emerson, Angelou, Einstein, King and others. Digging deeper, I found inspiration from the ancients like Aristotle, Seneca, Socrates, Aurelius and the like. Those of the cloth; Merton. Nouwen and Aquinas. Bringin’ up the rear, men like Dungy, Lombardi, Wooden and those that found their way into my life.
The change I alluded to is essentially focus related. Going from what can be made of oneself on the field, in the weightroom, during class and within the community to what is intended to be created from within. Not alone mind you. But in concert with THE best coach ever made.
For example, Coach Lombardi spoke of excellence in this fashion: “Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”
A mentor of mine, Coach Rauch, offered: “Adversity is not an ‘if’ but a ‘when’ event.” Another man who saw things in me I never recognized, Pastor Freyer, offered: What you are someday going to be, you are now becoming.” And this one from James Allen: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so shall he be”
All very individual focused, on what each could aspire to in an effort to raise up all those about them. Ideal for football and life, in the perspective they offer as to the lasting impact of effort, knowing that opportunity lay in adversity, how intention can positively command direction and what you think creates the words and deeds towards becoming what you were intended to be.
By becoming the best that was in you, you brought out the best in others, being witness to your transformation. A non-transactional gift given to the one next to you. Partly out of being on a team and being a teammate. But moreso, out of love. Leaving it all out there for them. One doing so leaves its mark. But imagine five. Ten. Thirty some players willingly and selflessly serving another. Together. Talk about excellence. Talk about joy.
Those days built the foundation for this man.
And now, my desire is to fully be what it is I was intended to be. No one is here randomly. There is a reason for our existence. A purpose. And a mission designed specifically for each one of us. Perhaps the inklings of that was shared when I wore the pads and then when I traded them for a whistle. My teammates will always be a part of me, don’t get me wrong. It just appears as though my current team has shrunk to two. And it is no longer confined to a field.
During a conversation this past week, someone said; “I cannot. He can. I will let Him.”
That one has stuck with me. With it, I can maintain fatihful effort, receive the grace of opportunity that lay in all adversity, intentionally and positively follow His direction and listen for the words that lead to deeds so I can finally become what He intended me to be.
“Most productive” implies an end. A result. Aiming to get something done.
I guess I like to think more so a long the lines of intention. So, not so much as to what I am seeking to accomplish. Producing. But more so what I am trying to learn to be a long the way.
Becoming.
Even now, as I rap this out on my Chromebook, I want to understand things in a different light. I want to grow. Know myself better. Become a better person. Open up and share with all of you.
This fifteen minutes or so stays with me the rest of the day. Guiding additional thoughts and ideas. Helping me engage with others. Leading to new interactions and strangers I already seem to know.
I have no clue as to what I am gonna produce.
But sure am getting a better idea as to what I am becoming.
...my temporary assignment. 