Sunday, November 8, 2009

Things my dad taught me.

November 11 is Remembrance Day. We will remember all the soldiers who died for our freedom. All the soldiers who gave their young lives without having a chance to live their own. All the soldiers who stood up for something, and gave their life for it. As we remember this sacrifice, I hope we take the time to ask ourselves - are we living the life that we deserve to live? Are we living our lives to the fullest?

Or are we taking it for granted, and frittering it away, aimlessly wandering, waiting for someone to pull us out of our haze. Are you at least trying to discover your own potential, or are you lost and disengaged. Do you know there is a planet under neath your feet and a sky above you? Do you know that this life is a gift? A fleeting gift?

Sometimes I am disillusioned when I see people become disengaged from all the parts of our lives. We go to work, seeking to be entertained. (Hello, it's called work for a reason.) We think we have the right to complain and do nothing about it. We don't stand up for change, and we don't want to make it happen. We only want to talk about. Complain about it. Rate others and not ourselves. We all want "you" to change, but we will not change ourselves, or take responsiblity for our actions, decisions and behaviours.

This concept of self - responsibility is something that I believe in. To me, it's about personal freedom. The freedom to choose. The freedom to live. The freedom to be accountable for one's actions. The freedom to . . . be free. So often, I see people forgo being responsible for themselves. I hear people blame others for their lot in life. I see people judge those who try to make things better, without lifting a hand themselves.

I become impatient when I see this happening. And then I remember what my dad says.

1. Where ever you go, you are the only constant.
2. You can't change people. You can only change how people effect you.
3. All you can do is your best.
4. Show up.
5. Don't say that word.

So on this important day of remembrance, take the time to remember the people who stood up for freedom and peace so that you and I have the freedom to choose the life we want to life. And spend a few minutes considering whether you are doing justice to the sacrifice.

A Pittance of Time - Terry Kelly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kX_3y3u5Uo

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I also remember him saying, "I don't care if you choose to pump gas for a living, but if you do, I expect you to be the best at it". Certainly our work ethic came from both of our parents, who never missed a day no matter what. I also remember one day after church he took me up to a store on Broad Street, bought me a bag of cheezies (Hawkins of course) and we parked across the street from the store while I ate my cheezies. Across the street was a hand car wash. Probably 8 to 10 women washing cars. Dad said to me, how would you like to do that for a living? I thought for a minute and said, I think it would be fun! He said really, can you imagine doing that for 8 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week and barely making ends meet ? I again thought for a minute and said, no, I couldn't imagine that. He then said, none of these women got an education. Thats all he said. Thats all he had to say. He is a man of few words.....