"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable." – Sir Thomas Foxwell Buxton
It’s almost halftime. In a week, I will have completed my 45th year of life. There’s an old saying about the game of life: "Nothing is less important than the score at halftime." I’m not sure I totally agree with that, but the point is well-taken.
Here are some of the things I learned in the first half of life:
I learned how to see, I learned how to crawl,
I practiced standing up, then I mastered the fall.
I learned how to lie, and that led to another,
I learned how to apologize to my father and mother.
I learned about the three R’s, that was a bore,
Though later in life I started craving them more.
I learned how to ride, first with training wheels,
Then I found out how falling down really feels.
I learned how to fight, and got sick of defeat,
I learned that this falling stuff is where the road and rubber meet.
I learned that it was ‘dog eat dog’ and I wanted mine,
And if I took the things I wanted "I" would be fine.
Then one day, about a quarter-way through this game
I thought I was standing tall, but was living in shame.
I looked around me and no one was anywhere about
I had fallen without knowing it, I was down and flat out.
With His help, we turned this ship right,
Though the goal of a loving life was not yet in sight.
I started on the inside, beginning deep within,
Hoping that I would find a natural smile again.
I learned I could love, and she’s stuck by my side,
Thanks Cindy-baby – It’s been a heck of a ride.
I still fall, still getting better at it too.
But I get up quicker, we’ve got things to do.
So if I could learn all that (and much more I didn’t say)
What can be accomplished now, even in a single day.
I learn to laugh at falls (after the Merthiolate, of course)
We’ve got things to do – so we get back on the horse.
Whether it’s our work or our marriage – yes, even our blog.
Stick to your stance, you’ll get through the fog.
You might fall, get bruised or called out by the mobs,
But diamonds are lumps of coal that stuck to their jobs.
So as I get ready for the second half, no more falling (yeah, right)
I realize that great things are not achieved by sudden flight.
And what of you, my friend and reader – how’s the trip on your train?
Remember - If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain
