“I got pole position, Mom.”
That’s what I used to say when, as a young man, I wanted to be first in line for my mom’s prayers. Poll position is the place that the lead car gets, at the start of a race. We didn’t watch car races when I grew up. Nonetheless, I knew about the concept of strategic positioning and its relevance to Mom’s prayers. Because she sometimes fell asleep in the middle of those prayers.
Our dog Minka has her priorities straight. A puppy who recently turned one, she understands the order of things. Her toy dragon is typically at the top of the list.
You have probably heard of “BHAGs”: Big Hairy Audacious Goals. They are game-changing objectives, monster-size ideas that are large in scope and carry tremendous opportunity for change.
Please permit me to introduce the notion of the sbug: the small bald unassuming goal.
Many years ago, I wrote a novel on personal value. The title, “Worth Ethic”, was a nifty word play, an obvious replacement of the word work with worth. Because I haven’t looked at the book since I finished it, I can’t recall very much about the plot or the characters. It doesn’t matter though. There is a reason first novels are meant to be hidden.
I recently told someone that life has been offering plenty of opportunities to exercise my humility muscle. It seemed like a nice turn of phrase – until I realized that talking that way was contrary to the essence of modesty. It sounded as if I was proud of my progress becoming humble.
A friend who has been facing some health challenges recently shared with me two pre-surgery goals. The first goal was simple: stay alive.
I got caught in a lop-sided game of freeze tag a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I was disadvantaged by a combination of Irish heritage and too many formative years of unprotected sun exposure. Because my opponent was a dermatologist with a spray can of liquid nitrogen, I didn’t stand a chance. The final score was 12 to zero.
I’m relearning how to brush my teeth. It’s not that I have bad technique; the brush is electric and, if I move it around to the right sections of my mouth, it does a pretty good job. What I’m working on is something more important than technique – attitude. Perspective. Put simply, my mental mindset for tooth brushing is poor. I find the twice daily ritual boring. It has become a chore.
In the Wizard of Oz, the cowardly lion has a problem: he’s afraid. Of noises. Of other animals and people. Of the world around him. When’s the last time you heard of a scaredy-cat lion? Humfph. Lions aren’t afraid. Lions rule. Lions dominate.
Which is why lions – aside from our friend in the famous story – can’t have courage. Because in order to be courageous, you have to first have fear.
Life can be awkward. Some of us don’t achieve certain milestones – be they physical, emotional, or spiritual – at the same time as others. We can be over or under-shaped. We can be slow in achievement, whether that be in ability, insight, or character. We can feel impoverished from the perspective of vocation, identity, or purpose.
If you have experienced a sense of tardiness in life, a feeling that somehow you either didn’t receive or have lost an invitation to some or most of life’s opportunities and wonders, don’t worry – there are many seasonal cycles for arrival. In fact, not only can blooming occur later in life, sometimes the most striking blossoms happen well past expected ages and phases. Take, for example, my Aunt Daisy.
She’s still blooming twenty years after her death.
