As part of my grade school experience, fourth grade happened to fall on the year we learned French. That continued through sixth grade. Then into middle school. Four years in high school. Then, considering the classes I took in college, may have even qualified as a minor. Wanted to study in France a semester, but other things in life crowded that opportunity out.
Today? I may recall “merci”, days of the week, “Mon dieu”, or “merde” if I need to utter an expletive under my breath. After that, sorry to parlez, “Je ne me souviens pas.”
In between all of that, for the past sixty some years, three excellent professors have learned me to speak a compelling version of Latin I can literally put to use at a moment’s notice.
For those of you with an open mind, here is a short sample of swinging the alphabet in a classroom setting:
For those more comfortable in a relaxed, lunch room environment, this approach might be etter-bay:
Though my exposure to a romance language for so many years undoubtedly shaped my educational foundation, finding my roots in vulgar latin has been life changing. Thank goodness for reruns and now You Tube. Otherwise, how would I ever been able to attend a class held back in 1938?
I tend to be a giving person. Often to the point of over stepping, reacting, functioning and just about any other word, phrase or idiom you wish to have follow “over”. But from an advice perspective, that would definitely fall into the misnomer category.
To this old stoic, advice would appear to reflect great knowledge and expertise. Honestly, I do not think I am quite yet qualified to carry that moniker. This guy is still earning his stripes. But I have benefited from a life littered with missteps, misdeeds, miscalculations, misspokeness, missoportunity, and yes, mistakes.
Plenty.
So perhaps when it comes to this day’s assignment, allow me to tweak it a bit to “what wisdom would you offer someone younger than you?” To me, that makes more sense. Advice is born of an expert. Wisdom is earned through life. You seem to pay for advice through commitment accompanied by commission. Wisdom is simply shared free of charge with love. The only stipulation being to be open and to listen.
There is this phrase I have held dear for some time though I don’t recall its origin. I know I have shared it in one form or another because of the wisdom it conveyed to me in practice. Even now, its benefits continue to flow inward. For proof, think about where I am and what I am doing this moment.
“Discipline creates independence”.
In a variety of configurations, I have made it my intention to embrace self-discpline. Not that It has been perfect in its implementation and there have been zero flaws in the execution and outcome. But when you engage in the variety that is focused on your self, little by little, freedoms will emerge. They may be in the shape of ten minutes here, less double handling there to start. But in time, the more sef-discplined you become, the more independent you can be. Mathematically speaking, what you then get to do is inversely proportional to what you have to do.
As Roger and the boys once sang, “I’d call that a bargain, the best I ever had, The best I ever had”
My kids saw this performed as they were growing up.
Starting, taking care of and finishing what had to be done opened the doors to what got to be done. I see it now in how they live their lives today. Heck, I can learn some tricks from them. And these days, I continue to live by that phrase for this old guy and those in my life around me. I see what happens when it is tried and what doesn’t when it is ignored.
So maybe let’s end with this.
I don’t really want to offer any advice. I still don’t know what I am doing. But I am more than happy to share the wisdom I earned and learned in the process of trying to make sense of life.
You are free to do with it whatever you choose.
I just know I get to do now because of what I had to do then.
Some days, following communion service or mass, I run into a man that is busy replacing all of the entrance mats in and around the church. For lack of a better term, he always has this air of “being totally into it” about him. We exchange “good mornings”, “looks like a great day” and “take care”. Who knows how many he does in the course of the day. That is not easy work. But he does. And he is into it. Making things just right for all those coming and going.
A young man I got to know through coaching football is starting a podcast. His mission is two fold. First, to invite athletes to discuss their personal side, what they are about, what they have had to overcome, who they truly are and what they intend to become. Through growing that audience, he hopes to generate the support that will help those that are less fortunate overcome, be who they truly are and begin the work to become all they were intended to be. When I watched him talk to this teammates on the field and in the locker room, you could literally see the passionate concern flow out and touch those all around. It was was never about him. Always them.
Those that I support via job development and coaching have their own burdens to overcome, and yet they show up for work, on time, do their best and look out for their teammates. One in particular simply leads by example. Parts of the establishment are now cleaner than ever before, he addresses stocking issues when he sees them, makes the aisles customer friendly and will help any customer that approaches him looking for the chrome go faster or the platimunm ectawhatsit. He knows where everything is and will take every lost soul where it can be found.
There are other folks in my life that simply put themselves out there for others. Most times small, Sometimes medium, and once in a while, in a big way. They all understand in a deep and genuine fashion that it really isn’t about them. It is all about those in their universe. Without accolades, a million or so clicks, likes or followers, they just go about life putting the other guy first. Because they can. Because that is how they are built. Mostly, just because.
So you want to discuss influencers?
These are three off the top of my noggin that change the world every day through their intention, their effort and genuine love for the other.
For most of my life, I have been my harshest critic. Choosing to look back, dissect myself, my value worth, esteem. Yada yada. Also, becoming a cultist, so to speak, following the assessment of others about me as the gospel truth.
This would in turn lead to the development of a scathing personal critique, followed by a self absorbed Teams invite involving me, myself and I, in the proverbial, but sarcastic form of a “come to Jesus” meeting. The type ego driven micro managers inflict on those lesser than themselves.
Get all that?
Then, God forbid I look ahead, destined to set the stage for yet another poor performance where lines are forgot, entry is on the wrong side and cues are never recognized or followed. I was convinced I had to live in the past, but abhor the future because, hey, I couldn’t do anything right and it would simply end up like before. But this time, not just FUBAR. But now, SAPFU. (those sterling acronyms just happened to raise their hands in my cranium. So I called on them….)
I have since embarked on a different path. One not bound up in this type of toxicity. I respect thee past and how it brought me to this point in my life. And the future? Not in my hands.
Affirming this perspective and the health that it brings across all levels, this appeared towards the end of a reading at mass the other day. Witnessed and shared by St. Matthew:
“Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.”
Followed by a closing sentence, “Sufficient for a day is its own evil”, something to the effect that each day has with it trouble of its own.
Two things strike me with a poignance all its own about his witness of Jesus and what He taught.
First, Levi was a Hebrew tax collector. The worst of the worst in that world. Unethical, ego driven, lording over others in any way, shape or form to ensure Cesar gets what he is due.
But then, their paths cross. No such thing as coincidence. Just that He is present. Then two words shared changed everything.
“Follow me.”
No need for Levi o gather up and carry a long a past. Definitely no clue or promise of what was yet to come.
Simply “Follow me”.
Maybe I am wrong, but sure seems like he felt it before it was ever said. And he became an exemplar of what He did say. For he chose to become Matthew. Knowing that would simply take care of itself.
Top tip?
“Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.”
In honor of those of us being recognized tomorrow, I thought it pertinent to share this interesting bit of news.
In an effort to reduce their operational costs while improving efficiency, the Norwegian Defense Department announced that they would begin the process of bar coding all of their naval vessels, from destroyer class all the way up to aircraft carrier.
Their reasoning was that upon their return to port from a military exercise, they could simply Scandinavian.
Seems like a process well anchored in paronomasiac thinking.
...my temporary assignment. 