I have a lot of emotions going right now. It’s probably because I just got done watching a sad movie… A Star is Born. I’m out of town, missing my family. Also, our oldest dog, Callie, passed away the day before yesterday.
Back to the movie… obviously, the ending is sad, but the message is sweet…ish. Plus, I love the soundtrack!
I think the moral of that story is that if you can’t be a positive force in the lives of the ones you love, then probably best to not be there at all.
I like to think I’m a relatively positive guy. I definitely try to see the best in people… sometimes to a fault. I try to provide for my family and contribute to worthy, helpful causes where I can and where it doesn’t interfere with providing for my family. Amending my previous statement, I don’t just try to see the good in people; I’m not sure that’s enough. I try not to see the bad in people.
I think everyone has some good and some bad in them, thus, the nature of mankind. It’s a matter of what you spend time thinking about, what you spend time doing and who you spend it with and what you do with them.
I plan to spend my life continuing to see the good in people and not the bad. People sure do make it hard sometimes. I plan to try and be a positive force in the lives of the people with whom I come into contact. I plan to not be a negative force in the lives of people. I hope my kids have learned something good from me. I hope I will continue to be a positive influence on them and their kids… and maybe even their kids’ kids. I hope to be a positive influence in Melissa’s life. I want to support her in whatever it is that she wants to do. I think she’s had a tough few years too. After all, what is life for except for us humans… interacting, and doing for each other… good or bad. I hope I never get to the point where I can’t do good for someone. If I get to that point, I hope God brings me on Home.
About three years ago, at the behest of my new boss, I did a thing called Strengths Finder v2.0. It asks a bunch of questions and gives you your strengths. My number one strength is “Context.”
Here’s what it says about “Context”:
“People exceptionally talented in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.”
I think “enjoy” is a strong word when some pieces of the past aren’t as pleasant as others. All this positivity has been difficult for me the last couple of years. Nevertheless, I hope to continue to be a student of my past and learn from it… also teach from it; so the people I influence don’t make the same mistakes I made or make the same mistakes that were made at my expense.