Pride goeth before a fall.

"Hunger always precedes ascent,
the drive, the will to win it all.
But don't forget to pay God's rent,
for pride goeth before a fall."

-- just a little poem from me

And what is "God's rent" for this extreme privilege of living, you might ask? Simple things, like:

Appreciation of the gift of life
Compassion for those who are hurting or in need
Forgiveness of those who hurt us
Humility in everything we do and say
Love of God, family, our fellow man, and the world
Obedience with regard to His laws
Surrender to His daily instructions
Trust in His purpose for our lives

When we forget to put these things in the "most important" category of our daily activities, and our ego and pride set in and take control, especially when we're busily seeking to "win" at life - to secure our foothold on that next great peak - look out, we know what's coming next.

A Pythagorean string of thought

"Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they please."

-- Pythagoras of Samos (500 B.C.)

I love the power and simplicity of this quote, and if I were to update it with my own thoughts and beliefs in 2003, it would read more like this:

"Rest satisfied with doing the right things and doing them well, leaving the results up to God, and leaving others to talk as they please."

God rewards us for making effective choices with a rich experience of an abundant life that emanates naturally from those effective choices. And it is not about amounts or fame or rank or scores. In fact, it is not measured by external, societal measures of any kind, but only by one's own level of inner peace. Speaking of which, I was with a couple today where the husband stated that the most important priority of his life was achieving that inner peace, and he also happened to be a huge John Wooden fan, so I found this modern extension of the ancient wisdom stated above, from a source he can really relate to:

"Worry more about your character than your reputation. Character is what you are, reputation merely what others think you are."

-- John Wooden

That was for you, E.S., with great respect and admiration. All of the work you are taking on these days is in the realm of character-building, and that is truly what matters in life. And you can never control what others think, only what you think. So, this morning, as I woke up and turned the page of my bathroom calendar, there once again was synchronicity showing up in the following message that I found there. Not only was it perfect for E.S., but also for M.M., who I visit with later this morning.

"Peace isn't determined by circumstances outside us or other people's actions. Peace stems from our own forgiveness. Pain doesn't stem from the hate expressed or love denied us by others, but rather from the love that we deny them."

The wonder of it all

"Nothing is too wonderful to be true."

-- Michael Faraday

I have spent a good deal of time lately in complaint and worry mode. Not my normal state, mind you, but one that I have frequented as of late, letting my fears get the best of me on more than a few recent occasions. OK, I'm done with that for now. It was fun while it lasted, and I'll be back to visit, I'm sure. I think this trip there was actually good for me, but I'm now ready to be really great again, realizing beyond a shadow of a doubt how joyful, magnificent, and rich my life is. I am feeling healthy, and my fitness increases every day, having run 9 miles on Sunday (not bad for a geezer) and on track for another 100 miles this month, with 66 as of this morning. I feel emotionally centered and grounded, and I love God more than ever. Anne is blossoming into an incredible phase of her life in which she is happy, proud, and strong, and she is ready to do something truly miraculous - deliver our baby at home. All 3 of my boys are flourishing; Jim and Mark are unique, self-empowered, focused, and aware young men, and Jake is a bubbly little dynamo. My family is coming together around the failing health of my father, and it is an amazing process that is enriching all of our lives, starting with my father's. I have great friends who love me and a bustling community (take a bow, bustling community) that honors me with their daily presence and feedback. Work has never gone better or been more rewarding, in every way, especially spiritually, where it really counts.

Too good to be true? No, not at all. The whole truth? No, there's challenges galore. The truth I get to experience when I am clear about who I am and why I'm here? Absolutely! And this is the man my wife and family need right now, so I am up to the task, having given myself an ample opportunity to be real and human first. I will always have stuff I can complain about, and I will always have stuff I can crow about. And then I get to choose which to do based on what's needed at the time, either for me or from me. Right now, my life feels too wonderful, ... and yet so true.

Conceive your own happiness, and help others do the same.

"Men who cannot conceive a happiness of their own making grudgingly accept a definition of themselves imposed upon them by others."

-- Earl Shorris, in Scenes from Corporate Life

Our job in life is not to be "enslaved" by others (whether they be other gods, other institutions or other people), but to "break free" of our own self-imposed bondage - to return home thankful and whole. And, as strange as it may seem, the job of our leaders is to help us do it.

So, for you leaders out there, please consider these possibilities:

"The first order of business is to cultivate groups of people who, under the influence (not control) of the institution, grow taller and become healthier, stronger, and more autonomous."

-- Robert K. Greenleaf, in Servant Leadership

"If organizations are to survive, a redistribution of purpose, power, and privilege will have to take place with the involvement and consent of those who in some ways stand to lose the most, the managerial class. This is basically what choosing service (over self-interest) requires."

-- Peter Block, in Stewardship

Real glory

"The real glory in life is in being knocked to your knees ... and then coming back for more."


-- Vince Lombardi

I am picking this quote as my birthday tribute to my Dad. His birthday is really tomorrow, when he turns 72, but today is my sister Nancy's 46th birthday, so I can use this occasion to wish her a wonderful day as well, thereby saying both birthday hello's on time. Happy Birthday, Sis! As you all know by now, my Dad has just been "knocked to his knees" by Pulmonary Fibrosis, a nasty and incurable lung disease. It has ravaged his lungs and taken a terrible toll on his body, as everything overcompensates to secure sufficient oxygen, but his spirit has never been stronger. During my visit last week, after first seeing him looking much skinnier, older, and more frail than I'd ever seen him, then watching him with a nervous eye as he moved around and through his day, instead of him being the slightest bit nervous or scared I saw him soaking in every precious moment of life and love and breath. I felt inspired and moved to tears by my Dad, and he never looked more thankfully alive and powerful to me. Happy Birthday, Dad! I hope you have a day in which your body and this disease cooperate to let you dance and sing as you are being celebrated by your family and friends. I wish we could be there with you. Know that we're there in spirit. We love you and admire you so much. And by watching you these days, we are all learning great lessons about what it is to have an indomitable spirit and to experience real glory.

Speak them, choose, and be free.

"We all walk in the dark, and each of us must learn to turn on our own light."

-- Earl Nightingale

"When we speak our fears we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are even more afraid. So it is always better to speak."

-- Audre Lorde

"When our fears are left unspoken, they control us and eliminate our choice of action. When both our commitments and our fears are spoken openly, choice remains present. From this place, we can help each other make the more 'effective' choices by reminding each other of our highest commitments, while respecting our deepest (and scariest) humanity. We are 'strengthened' to choose effectively when our personal integrity - being all of who we say we are and doing what we say we’ll do - is being proactively 'worked' moment-to-moment."

-- Yours Truly

Last night Anne and I had our last date for a while. Her Mom's Support Group made that possible, and for that I am very grateful. I used the opportunity to dig deep and speak my worst fears to Anne. I was very scared to do so. She needs my strength and support right now. I'm used to burying my feelings for another in the smallest of things. This is a big one. My deepest fears don't make me look too good. In fact, they make me look kind of selfish and weak. But there they were, staring me in the face and taunting me. So, last night I chose to let them go - to say them out loud - to honor all parts of me. This morning I feel better, and I am ready to support my wife in delivering this baby - in our home. I remember our midwife saying that the only human experience that comes close to the unspeakable pain of natural childbirth was "hitting the wall" in running a marathon. I said I'm going to run the marathon in January. Now I know why I'm doing it. I am finding a way to "strengthen" myself by doing what I said every day, through this pregnancy and beyond. I'm going to go do my first 9-mile run in over 8 years. And then I'm going to remember who I am. Then, within days now, when the big moment comes, I can forget me and focus on what really matters, being "unwavering love and support" for my beautiful, courageous wife as our new little baby enters this world.