Well that was stupid. Did you learn anything?

Top Five Victories of a Common Man

...or an Autobiography in Life Lessons

ONE

I certainly make mistakes in life. My past is littered with mistakes, errors, blunders, miscalculations, gaffes and full-blown fiascos. As my Marine Corp Drill Instructor might say: “Good initiative, poor judgment.” Sometimes, it wasn’t even good initiative. The reality is every one of those experiences has value. Of course, many are painful, some are embarrassing, and occasionally hilarious, but all are meaningful. Embracing my mistakes, instead of being ashamed of them, is an accomplishment that changed my outlook towards life.

TWO

How to love – there is an achievement worth mentioning. The tests are varied. Most are differentiated in order to maximize student comprehension: how to love a parent, a brother, a daughter from afar, an ex-wife, the ying and the yang, life, the enemy, myself, and the Universe. I’m still learning. Sometimes, I have to retake test. Sometimes, I get to teach the course.

THREE
Success! What an achievement! A checklist: Fortune? No. Fame? No. Glory? (He says with a chuckle) No. Then what is the merit for calling it achievement? A family reunited, a love found, a service performed, renewed trust, a seed planted, a garden grown, a risk taken, a wrong righted and truth honored and honored by truth. These are the results of a 1,000 personal and anonymous achievements.

FOUR

I hated my family. Not for any one particular reason, there were many. Given time I could probably list off several dozen. The perceived slights, slams, and snubs of an oversensitive and immature man trapped me behind resentments and fear. How the times have changed. Because of willingness, honesty and humility the hatred is gone replaced by respect and love – there is an achievement worth mentioning.

FIVE

When my daughter knocks on my door, I’ll be ready. I’ll be the best man I can be. When I wake-up every morning the goal is to be a better man then yesterday. Sometimes, I am. Sometimes, I’m not. I am more often then I use to be. If I’m dead, and she asks about me, I hope my friends can tell the truth without embellishment – “He was a fine man who loved you everyday.” That is the achievement I live towards.