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Woulda, Coulda,
Shoulda
I was reminded the other day
of a decision I made long ago about how I wanted to conduct my life.
I was about to turn 30 years old when
I saw an interview with the late singer/songwriter, Harry Chapin.
Something he said struck a chord in me that had been lying dormant my entire life.
Chapin said that when he got to the end of his life, he didn't want to look back with regret about the things he didn't do, and wonder how things might have been different, if only he'd had the gumption to take a risk at the time. When I heard those words, I realized that I had spent the better part of my life avoiding certain choices and opportunities because I was afraid of what someone else might think or say, or whether I might fail.
I made up my mind that minute that I would not waste another day living in that self imposed cage; that I would embrace every opportunity that came my way with no regard for anything except whether I wanted to do it and it was legal, moral, and ethical; that no one else would run my life but me. Since that day, any time that I hear someone say that something cannot be done, I usually take that as a challenge to prove them wrong.
There was a young woman who worked at the nursery once, who was living in a tent on the Flint River when we hired her. She had been around the block a few times and had the tattoos to prove it. One of her famous quotes was, "There ain't much I ain't did."
I can identify.
I've gotten my share of bumps and bruises along this path I've chosen, but at least I got my uniform dirty and I can be proud that I have lived the last thirty years of my life
on the playing field and not in the stands.
How about you? Have you been living your life in the stands or have you gotten your uniform dirty yet?
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