Today’s quote is walking a fine line.
Through the years, I’ve become less sensitive to what other people think of me. There are certainly people walking the earth who think I’m a jagoff. Thankfully, none of them are part of my daily life here in the Divorced Dad District.
A couple of former colleagues, my ex-wife, and a few old friends who had the audacity to put ketchup on a hot dog in front of me come to mind.
The other side of that fine line is convincing ourselves that we are the smart one and everyone else is an idiot. That is where the old saying comes in…
…opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one, and they usually both stink.
History gives us plenty of examples of people who were hated, ridiculed, or dismissed, yet stuck hard to what they believed in. Socrates, Galileo, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King Jr are the ones that came to mind.
The lesson isn’t that they thought everyone else was foolish. The lesson is that they were willing to stand alone when they believed they were right.
Most of us won’t be remembered in the history books. We won’t have statues in Grant Park, or National holidays. We can still follow the same path on a smaller scale.
Stick to kindness.
Stick to integrity.
Stick to honesty.
If you do that, you will earn the respect and recognition of the people who actually matter. Your family, your friends, your neighbors, and the people who know how you act when nobody is watching.
It is going to be another hot and humid day today. Apply the Gold Bond generously to those nooks and crannies. Don’t let a little sweat on your brow keep you from enjoying the astonishment that June 10th has waiting for you.
