Tag: Problems

Be careful what you wish for

Barbed Wire Sunset

Anger that cannot be expressed in words of single syllables

Spoken with such venom as to frighten e’en the brave

Words, frustration-born and vicious, defamation in their wake

To punish those whose motives are only true and just

Speech that tolerates no mercy with honour cast aside

Respect a mere illusion the upright to deride

Assassinate the character of those who came to help

Creating phantom sickness to cover true intent

Wild accusations flying ‘gainst those who came to rescue

Whose only “crime” is caring, who saved you from yourself

A soap box, neatly positioned to spout specious arguments

Before so-called friends, while victims stay publicly silent,

Protecting the integrity of those dishonouring them

And of those who would suffer most

And why?

Perhaps a need to justify a conscience seared with sin

Perhaps because of jealousy barely hidden deep within

Perhaps because of knowing the ignored advice was wise

Perhaps because the innocent are unable to defend themselves

Brazen conduct masquerades as indignation

Against the protectors of future generations

A challenge thrown down to those who turn the other cheek

Be careful what you wish for, oh would-be assassin

You might just get it

And who will you hide behind, then?

Suits you, sir

What’s the weirdest coincidence you’ve ever experienced?

Rushing, up against time, I left my suit jacket at home, 25 miles away with 15 minutes before giving a presentation.

I walked into a charity shop 100 yards away from the venue. The first jacket on the first rack not only fitted perfectly, but it was also a perfect match for the suit, right down to the material and colour.

Someone must have been looking after me that day.

Never Be Anxious

What’s a quote that perfectly describes your outlook on life?

Never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles.

It’s not always easy to live by this principle, but it gets me through most days.

No Good Crying Over Spilt Milk

What’s a lesson you’ve learned recently that shifted your perspective?

We spend all our time trying to control every aspect of our lives. But the reality is that we have very little real control.

A lot of our lives are controlled by others, or by our circumstances. Employees are controlled by their managers, managers by their directors, directors by the business owners, business owners by the market demand. Children are controlled by the needs of their children, and children by the needs of their parents.

And even when we have free time, our freedom is controlled by the circumstances around us.

Take yesterday, as an example. My plan was to work around the house. Then my son called to tell me that he was available to help me with a different task. So, I drove to his house to collect him.

Leaving his home, we were greeted by a number of neighbours asking if it was my car. Yes, it was. Because a bus has just hit it, and the driver took his bus and left the scene before exchanging insurance details.

And that meant that after caring for the heavy lifting with which my son had come to help, and taking him home, I spent the day making reports to the police and insurance company. And now I’ll have to go through the trials of getting the car repaired. And because the bus driver is unknown, I’ll have to pay the excess on my insurance.

What have I learned? That we’re not as “in control” as we’d like to think we are.

How does it change my perspective? It’s a car. No one died. No one even got injured. It’s just a car.

Was I able to do what I wanted to, yesterday? No. I’ll have to do that today. But there’s no point worrying about it. As the saying goes, there’s no good crying over spilt milk. It’s gone. Like the time I’d set aside yesterday, it’s gone. No point worrying about it. I’ll never get that time back. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

So why worry? Why get angry? Will it help get my car fixed? No. Will it make me feel better? No. Will it get the bus driver punished? No. All it will achieve is cause me stress, and shorten my life. So why worry? Why get angry?

Instead, channel that energy into positive acts that get things done.

The positive side of yesterday was that I had less time available, so I carried out a different, shorter task. And strangely, that made a bigger difference than everything I’d planned but couldn’t do!