Clichés; athletes are allegedly trained to use them. We gave 110% effort today. I kept my eye on the ball. We took our swings. You can’t win them all. We brought our A-game today… In the movie Bull Durham, the grizzled old catcher played by Kevin Costner taught Tim Robbins character several clichés before he headed up to the major league team. “We’ve got to play them one day at a time.”
A few clichés came to mind when we recently freed up some clutter in the house to hopefully make someone’s Christmas a little brighter. We offered up a few ‘free to you’ items to anyone in need of gifts. Three people took us up on the offer. All strangers: one for a local men’s halfway house, and two needed gifts for youngsters in their lives.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. All three were quite happy and thankful for items we no longer needed or wanted in the house.
Never look a gift horse in the mouth. None of them acted as if the items we gave them were subpar and not worth accepting.
No good deed goes unpunished. We found our people of need by listing the items on Market Place. While perusing Market Place this week, we found several of the free items up for sale by one of the recipients… See “One man’s trash…”. It probably should not matter, and more power to them if they can sell the item’s that their “kids” didn’t want or need. We will not share the name or expose the items…but seeing those free items for sale rubbed us the wrong way. Like perhaps we were duped by a grifter…
There are also famous speeches and quotes and poems: Like the beginning of the Gettysburg Address; “Four score and seven years ago…” Like the beginning of Dickens Tale of Two Cities; “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Like many of William Shakespeare writings; “To be or not to be? That is the question…”
Perhaps it would’ve been easier to give them all to The Good Will or St. Vinny’s where those in need would have to pay a small sum to obtain the items. That would reduce the chance of a deceptive person misrepresenting the need. However, we are no worse off for the endeavor and we will continue to be charitable in the future.
The experience reminds me of a famous poem that is frequently credited to Mother Teresa. She, however, borrowed it from a Harvard student named Kent M. Keith from the late 1960s.
“The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student council”, Harvard Student Agencies, 1968.
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
Ron's Ramblings 