A gifted violinist was asked how she became so accomplished to which she replied “I practice first and then I do my work.”
The lesson to be learned here is that in order to accomplish anything we have to be focused.
If we try to do everything other people want us to do we won’t have time to do the things that we want to do.
If we aren’t focused we may find ourselves scattered, “living in the gray areas, knowing neither victory nor defeat.”
There are so many lessons to be learned if we will just take the time to listen and learn from other people who have gone before.
Much jealousy would be eliminated if we would read Desiderata by the poet, Max Ehrman. He admonished us by writing: “Avoid loud and aggressive persons. They are a vexation to the spirit.” How true.
Them he went on to say “Be gentle with yourself, you are no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here”
In the same vein of thought he said “do not compare yourself to others. There will always be greater and lesser persons. Listen to the dull and ignorant. They too have their story.”
Desiderata could easily be a creed for life, thus eliminating much strife in our nation, home and market place.
One of the greatest lessons comes from the the Bible when Solomon wrote “pride goes before and a haughty spirit before a fall.” And in another place the Bible says “let another man praise you and not your own mouth.”
That is a mouth full!
There is much to be learned from divine writ as well as those who have the wisdom to know how to live.
Life is truly a learning place with no dress rehearsal which reminds me of something I heard someone say “when they are lowering me in the ground I will sit up and say ‘hey wait a moment. I have it all figured out.”
We never get it all figured out.
We are human but maybe — just maybe we can listen to the words of others and protect ourselves from disaster if we close our ears to those who have gone before us.
The Italian psychologist Doctor Leo Buscaglia, added his two bits when he wrote “We would get along better if we would look at each other as just grown up children.”
If we would do this there would be less friction.
Oh well, enough for one sitting but I derive much pleasure from letting my thoughts roll, printed on the page. I know that if I don’t tell my story no one else can or ever will because we each have our own story that just might lend support to future generations but we must first write it down.
Without God I can do nothing.
Sarah Hudson Pierce is an author who lives near Mooringsport, Louisiana
