The Treasure Inside

Imagine that you are walking along a sandy beach. It is a beautiful day outside and you see something in the sand ahead. It is an old chest. It is made of decaying wood and anything that is metal is covering in rust. Barnacles cling to the sides and bottom of the chest and it is about the grossest and ugliest thing you have ever seen.

What do you do? Do you leave the chest alone because it looks completely disgusting and you are worried about catching some sort of disease? Or, do you figure there is a treasure in that chest and you ignore the ugly shell and rip the chest open as quickly as you can.

What is in the chest? You were right if you ripped open that chest. The chest is filmed to the brim with bright shiny treasure. You have hardly been happier by such a glorious sight.

Would you consider closing the chest and throwing it back in the ocean because, although it is incredibly rewarding on the inside, it is ugly and detestful on the outside?

We encounter these chests every day. Some are fat and some are skinny. Some are black and some are white. Some wear sombreros and some wear turbins. Some wear shredded clothes they have not changed for weeks and others wear the finest threads available on the earth. Some are brand new and some are weathered to the point of breaking.

There is a treasure inside EVERY one of us. Do we take the time to find it or do we keep walking by the chest because of the condition of the chest in which it is found? Can we be quick to open the chest and find the treasure in every single one? We will be the most enriched people in the world if we can do this in our lives. Wealth will have a new meaning and our eyes will be opened to the greatness of humanity.

The Challenge of a Lifetime

I have realized recently more than ever how easy it is to be negative and be mean to people. It may be gossip. It may be judging people. It may be tearing other people down because of a certain way they act, dress, or do things. This is the easy way to live.

What about if we reverse it? Try going through a day without a negative thought. Try getting through a day without saying something judgemental or gossip-like about another person. Try getting through a day where you see people for who they are inside and not on the outside. Try and see the good in every one all day. Assume the best intentions of everyone who may cut you off in traffic or eat your food in the fridge at work.

Why is that so hard? Why is it so difficult to be nice to people? It is easy to love those and care for those people who love us and care for us in return. What about being kind to those who dislike us and may even be plotting against us?

Pride is a dangerous thing. It is even more dangerous if we cannot see it in ourselves. Where to start cleaning out the closet of a whole lifetime of protecting ourselves against being hurt by tearing down others?

I am as guilty as anyone else. However, I am ready to start doing better. I know I will fail miserably most days; nevertheless, I will move forward with faith that I will make progress and I will have unbelievable experiences in my efforts to be better. Wish me luck.

Inexplicable

Have you ever done something completely stupid and not had a good reason at all to explain it? It does not happen to me that often (thankfully); however, on July 5th it did. We had a wonderful day of being out on a boat with some friends and we all got sunburned (oh no - that is not it!!). We had fun on this banana tube that we took out. It was pretty awesome. Of the guys, I think I fell off the least frequently (brief moment of bragging). We had a lot of good laughs during the day as our children and wives also rode the tube. Good company and good times.

We were just about to leave, but we pulled into one of the parking lots to wait for the boat to be all ready to take off. We would be going to a nice quiet dinner on the way home and laughing about all of the fun we had just had. I found an appropriate parking place and started pulling in. Somehow, I got my pedals confused (you totally see where this is going) and pressed on the gas when I thought it was the brake. Basically, I rammed the car that was parked perpindicular to the spot I was pulling into. I was in shock. That certainly had never happened before. I hardly believed it was really happening. I had never been in an accident before.

Luckily, no one was in the car. However, the extremely sun burned and angry fellow who owned the vehicle popped out from the other side of the vehicle and said some things I have not heard since my R rated movie watching days (I gave up that nasty habit when I was about 16). I knew I may be in for a fight so I had my kids get out of the car and beg the angry man for mercy......just kidding. Not like it didn't cross my mind though.

I figured I better get out of the car calmly and immediately let him know I was sorry and what had happened. Luckily, that did calm him down a bit and I was not planning my funeral anymore. I was trying to make conversation and asked him where he was from. For some reason I just knew he was going to say Concord, and....he did. We were 84 miles from home and hit someone from my city. I am awesome.

So, we exchanged the usual information. My writing resembled that of an extremely crippled and arthritic doctor because I was so shell shocked. I think he actually started feeling really sorry for me by the end. We left the scene and did enjoy an enjoyale dinner thanks to some good friends.

I cannot park now without that incident (accident) coming to mind. I mentally think very hard about which pedal my foot is on. It was very fun explaining the circumstances to my insurance company. They were nice and said it happens all of the time. How nice are they?? I also loved receiving the letters from both insurance companies saying I was at fault for the accident. I hope they did not spend too many man hours on that investigation!?

I learned a lot from that experience:

1. Don't be an idiot.
2. Don't be stupid.
3. Don't hit angry sunburned people.
4. Brake is on the left and gas is on the right.

That's all for now - enjoy your day knowing you're not as dumb as me!