Character, in great and little things, means carrying through what you feel able to do. – Johann Wolfgang von Goeth
The meaning of character may be interpreted in many ways: one’s essence, ethics, spirit. Arguably, it is built or developed in as many ways as it is defined.
I used the following poem (a personal favorite) in one of my early blogs. It bears repeating in light of today’s thought: development of character in dealing with what I consider some of the Big Things and Little Things in my life, and possibly in yours.
10/29/89
Our lives are spent dealing with
Big things and Little things.
You graduate,
You can’t get a job.
You get married,
You’re getting a divorce.
You’re pregnant.
Congratulations!
It’s triplets.
You get a new job,
Sorry, you’re fired.
You build a new house,
It burns down.
You’re invited to a wedding,
You go to a funeral.
Heart attack, Cancer, Brain tumor.
You survive.
These are the Big things.
They’re large, tangible, visible.
You can embrace them,
Put your hands around them,
Wrestle them to the ground.
You can beat them.
You can win.
Then there are the Little things:
“We’ll install the phone, Tuesday.”
You take the day off.
“Sorry, we meant Thursday.”
Your kids say the water’s fine,
You don’t have a pool.
“This is the ninth and last time
I take the car back to him …
I swear.”
Your dental appointment is at one,
The gynecologist at three.
Twenty‑four for Thanksgiving;
The power goes out.
Your vacation starts tomorrow,
Your temperature is 102.
Your daughter pierced her own ears,
And her girlfriend’s, too.
Her father’s a lawyer,
But he’ll never sue.
These are the Little things
That make us crazy,
Drive us to drink,
And make us disappear
In the middle of the night.
Unlike the Big things
They are small and elusive,
Nearly impossible to catch.
They are with us
From birth until death.
But, if you’re patient and humble,
You can win over them too. – Excerpt
From “I’m Afraid”
Big Things, undoubtedly, are legitimate sources of worry, anxiety, and fear. But, so too, are their apparently benign counterparts which are more than capable of pushing them aside and stealing their spotlight.
Little things like impatience, annoyance, anger, mistrust, resentment, and pride. Eventually, I discovered that it was these Little things, not the Big things, that disrupted my life the most, and instilled in me the greatest fear.
It seemed as if I spent a lifetime struggling with fear, but I never imagined the power, intimidation, and control it possessed. Not until manic depression and cerebellitis entered my life. – Excerpt from “I’m Afraid”
The Big Things in life are monstrous, visible, and threatening; the Little Things tend to be small, evasive, and tormenting.
Both seem to exist to test our mettle, courage and character.
If confronted in the light of day, both can be grappled with, pinned to the ground, and defeated.
It requires determination, experience, perseverance, and a variety of weapons like patience and humility.
I offer these thoughts for your consideration.
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The saga continues in my next blog.
Do Not Be Afraid!!!