(Photos of this and subsequent postcards by Hawaiian Odysseus)
Thank God for the extended recession!
What do I mean by this?
Well, you know how they say that necessity is the mother of invention. Or, as another tried and true adage puts it--When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
The veracity of these old sayings hits home to me more and more in the autumn of my life.
I didn't always get along with my dad. (Today, I love him dearly, and I always will.) Time does have a way of healing. More specifically, it gives one a more matured and wiser perception of human nature as a whole. And, for the better, I believe, time has a way of underscoring that a lot of the drama we either create or participate in in our lifetime is truly insignificant.
At this point in today's post, I am reminded of a third wise saying:
To err is human--to forgive, divine.
Once I forgave my father and others, I was free to ask for forgiveness as well as forgive myself. This process then eradicated any need to feel sorry for myself. This then led to greater physical, spiritual, and psychological energy to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, whatever the IT happened to be at the moment.
Finally, it gave me pause to reflect on my life. And this is what I learned. In a nutshell, I learned that I can be thankful for the bad as well as the good in life. The dichotomy of surviving both processes has inevitably made me a stronger human being.
One of the lessons my father taught me, both in word and by example, is that a real man hustles.
No, not in a bad way of using people. But, rather, in a good work ethic way.
I utilized this lesson as a young lad. Realizing at a young age that I wasn't athletically gifted, yet wanting, nevertheless, to make the various youth league baseball teams as well as high school varsity sports teams, I worked extra hard in practices and cheered extra hard while warming the bench. As a result, every now and then, I got summoned by my respective coaches to get in the game.
As a senior in high school, wanting so much to have enough money to rent a decent outfit so I could take my girlfriend to the prom, a friend of mine and I sold 100 pies at a dollar apiece. I paid the vendor $60 and pocketed the other $40. In 1969, that humble amount of money covered my prom expenses comfortably.
I write about these life experiences because they are part and parcel of what I am about today.
I refuse to let anything in life ever get me down again.
So, thank God for the recession.
It has motivated me to expand my eBay business. Over the past few months, I've risked investing increasingly larger amounts of money on credit in more inventory for our family shop on eBay, Lords of the Fly.
In addition, I've ventured forth into new territory, dabbling in vintage collectibles. There have been, I'm happy and thankful to report, a few nibbles. For now, I'll take the small fry. It's a definitely positive rung up the ladder of success.
So, with this background in mind, my latest venture involves the marketing and selling of postcards. In my limited understanding and experience, I'm sure that what I'm offering on eBay isn't old enough to compete with the big time vintage dealers. But it's a start. And, for me, having any impetus forward in the midst of what could arguably be depicted as the worst recession in history without being a depression is a huge PLUS.
I continue to ask God to bless our family business. In recent months, I've seen some promising signs, and I'm more determined than ever to keep working hard.
Yes, life is good. I have renewed purpose.
And everything to be thankful for...GOOD and BAD!
No comments:
Post a Comment