I like to keep in touch with my family. My mom and I have always been close and helping out is something I enjoy doing. No, not just talking about the latest and greatest in being good family. Sometimes I like to pick up a hammer and whack a good beam or two. All in the name of good fun.
I usually bring along an audiobook to help add some learning to this usually unconscious process of tearing things to shreds. But this time was a bit different. I brought the goodies to keep my ears full of lessons, but didn’t fire them up.
I noticed something while I ripped through the walls and mounds of nails that day. A little bookmark with a big message and it got me thinking. When you turn your mind to growing, you see growth in everything.
Beware the Wasted Waiting Room
Sure, I’ve sat in a very long DMV or Wal-Mart checkout line before without much on my mind. Well, except for something having to do with the busy times, slow service, or number of coupons flying out of a fancy pouch.
But I’ll be the first to admit these were times I wasted. Times I wasn’t looking to use the “waiting room opportunity” the best way I could. I was using that time to find fault in the world for holding me back. I was externalizing what I should have been fixing from the inside.
I had a similar mood sneak up on me while I tore through some 2×4’s at my mom’s house a few weeks back. Not an upset mood, but one where I was just in a “lesson-less” flow. Getting the work done without complaint, but not using it as best I could.
Until I slammed through a big chunk of wood that had a nice little surprise behind it. It was a bookmark with a poem on it. Talk about a really out of place piece of inspiration in this dusty mess.
I stopped everything, took a deep breath, and decided to let this little break sink in. I wiped off the years of grime that had taken over the bookmark and began to dig in. Here’s the piece:
“The Man In The Glass” by Peter Dale Wimbrow, Sr.
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.He’s the fellow to please – never mind all the rest
For he’s with you, clear to the end
And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.
Lemons to Lemonade, Demo to Memo
Not all messages life throws in our path with be as obvious as a bookmark with an inspiring reminder on it. But thank God these pop up every once in a while. Sometimes it’s nice to have an overt reminder in this life-long self-discovery journey.
Make this your own reminder to find the messages in life. No matter what you do, where you are, or what situation you’re in there’s a reason and meaning. Find what makes the most sense to you and you alone.
See what you need to see in life to make your path clearer. Break the barriers, clear the dust, and find the bookmark in your life story. Buy the book, but read it, too. Yours is a story that deserves to make it off the shelf. Get read and make your mark.
Share your own “finding inspiration” story with us in the comments below.