An Ounce - For Your Consideration

How do you feel about your mistakes? Do they make you angry, embarrass you, make you feel like a failure, or cause you to want to give up?

Do you blame them on someone else?

Do you try to ignore them? 

Do you repeat them again and again?

 Have you ever tried to take hold of those mistakes, and own them, and let them make you better?

I had a fun conversation with Charlotte, a 14-year-old cousin of mine. And, she’s already got it figured out. You'll enjoy what she has to say!

Here we are at the close of another summer. Kids are back to school, the nights are cooling off, and if you haven’t yet, you’ll probably be watching a football game. Be it community league, College, Highschool, heck – you might be one of those who still watch the pro’s play in spite of the politics and the egomaniac personalities. 

I get it.

Back in 1978-79, before the internet – and shortly after the end of the renaissance, I was in my senior year in high school. Football always began 2 or 3 weeks before classes started. The coaches figured players needed to get in shape and show their stuff as they vied for a place on the varsity team. It was two-a-day practice's. A physical and metal trial that began as the sun came up – and when the coach figured you were exhausted enough you got a break, you could go home, sleep, eat, and be back at the field by 3 PM for the second practice of the day. 

And it was an extraordinary year – we had a perfect season. That’s right, an un-marred and flawless achievement set to go down in the annals of Emery High School History - But probably not in the way one might expect...

Well, I’ve never been one to shy away from a good story, even when the historians and other ‘experts’ can’t agree on the details. And, this story… It’s a good one - about the deadliest Sniper ever in the Russian military.

The problem – the facts seemed to be in doubt. Some claim it’s all about propaganda. That the record of this Hero of the Soviet Union was padded. In orderder to make the story better, more powerful. 

Ok, maybe it was, and there is an equal chance it wasn’t. As this sniper had a way of ruffling the feathers of superior officers – who were known to do their best to sully the reputations of those who crossed them.

On the whole, the sniper's life shows a one that was not only unconventional for the time but also one of integrity and principles.

Not an easy thing when your ideals bump up against the status quo. But then, having true integrity, though always right, is seldom easy.

For more information consider these and other sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyudmila_Pavlichenko

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/eleanor-roosevelt-and-the-soviet-sniper-23585278/

https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-03-09/life-and-myths-lyudmila-pavlichenko-soviet-russias-deadliest-sniper

https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=296

Corkie Mann shares a story about overcoming the negative labels and tags placed on us. She shares a sweet story as an advocate for one of her children. And, with encouragement, how he overcame challenges and accomplished more than he believed he could. 

Corkie talks about never giving up, showing up, and expecting to win.

Like many folks, my wife and I are closet preppers. We try to keep a supply of emergency food and supplies stashed away, just in case. It came in pretty handy during the recent ‘pandemic inspired’ economic shutdown.

One of the items we had stashed away was about a decade old, and according to the directions it was within a few years of passing its ‘best if used by’ date. It was a #10 can. That is a can that is about 7 inches tall and 6 inches in diameter. It was filled with dehydrated, sliced, bananas. And, yes that is a lot of bananas.

What we found inside, however, was a bit of an unwelcome surprise.

One of the great joys in life, especially during the late summer, is the crunchy, sweet, and buttery satisfaction of good sweet corn on the cob. 

In one particular small farming community there lived a brilliant farmer who raised the best sweet corn ever. It seemed every year at the county fair this farmer won the prize for the best corn. He was an institution. There was just no one who could coax a little yellow seed up into a 7-foot stalk of corn with ‘scrumptious kernels of golden joy on a cob’ like he could.  

His secret of ongoing success. Well, it was a little surprising - it was kinda' like giving away the secret family recipe. But, everyone was better for it.

Have you ever played with one of those little brain teaser puzzles made from two pieces of metal? They are usually intertwined in some way that makes them seem impossible to separate them, but there is a way. It takes finding the right perspective and innovative thinking to figure it out – sometimes the solution appears to be counterintuitive. Once solved the solution seems so simple. 

Ever had one of those puzzles? In this case, I’m talking about a problem or challenge in life that seems to have no solution. The kind of thing that just plagues you, makes you scratch your head, and seems impossible to overcome – so, often, you just live with it. 

There is a story that might help us take a step back and see the power of thinking differently.

August 7, 1945, began as such a pleasant day, in spite of the state of the world at that time. Tutsumo Yamaguachi remembers the sound of a single aircraft circling above the city. This was a common occurrence, so he gave it little notice.

Then, just a few seconds after 8:15 AM he was knocked off his feet. There was a blinding flash of intense light, followed by a sound so earsplittingly violent it felt as if the world was falling apart.

He said, “I didn’t know what had happened. I think I fainted for a while. When I opened my eyes, everything was dark, and I couldn’t see much.” 

The first nuclear bomb had just been dropped by a B29 called the Enola Gay. The detitanation occurred 580 meters above the ground, and the city of Hiroshima was left completely devastated. 

Unfortunately for him, this was going to be a nightmare that repeated itself one more time, in less than 3 days.

It’s kind of interesting how one can get so much more than the words out of a song. It seems to be a more comprehensive way to communicate. Even when the lyrics are nonsense, there is something there – and sometimes even more so when there are no words.

My point – communicating is about so much more than words strung together in an attempt to convey meaning.

In fact, my experience tells me, that using just words might be one of the most faulted ways to be clearly understood.

One of those things in US history that is well known - and beyond debate - is the identity of our iconic first President, General George Washington.

The one who chopped down the cherry tree and could not tell a lie to get himself out of trouble.

The guy who held out during the brutal winter in Valley Forge. 

The one who with his troops, crossed the Delaware River and kick the brits butts.

The General who lead our new nation to victory.

However, a little deeper dive into American history brings up a bit of a challenge to that fact. 

Listen in as I argue both sides of history - and let you decide for yourself.