[2023-03-11] Saturday Synopsis #34
Looking back at posts from March 2021, I recognize how far I've come. I offer these observations on tonight's ideas and quotes:
- Two years ago, I shared a story from baseball great Cal Ripkin Jr about honour. I thought then, and still believe today, that the way to play the game of life is to be respectful.
- One of the things that Jenesis has reaffirmed is that I am not defined by one thing, namely, cancer. As my Categories page reflects, I write about a vast array of subjects of interest to me, which reflects my commitment to living a full life.
- As teacher Rita Pierson tried to impart to her students, I am somebody. Indeed, I'm a better somebody since facing cancer. And I still have things to do.
- Two years ago, I worried that I would die ("What if I fall?"). To quell those fears, I repeated Erin Hanson's question frequently: "Oh, but darling, what if you fly?" I dared to dream that I might live, and so I have.
- I am worthy of a beautiful life.
3 Ideas From Me
[Cal] Ripken [Jr] tells a story about a game in which his Baltimore Orioles teammate pretended to throw the ball back to the pitcher but kept it so that he could tag the runner on second base when he took a lead. Ripken walked over to the runner and said, "Stay on the bag. The second baseman has the ball." Though his teammates were angry with him, Ripken did not back down. In his view, tricks were not part of the game. He explains in the podcast: "I've always had a principle, whether it's playing cards with Grandma or baseball in the big leagues, if things don't turn out well, there's a way to lose respectfully. And then you just come out and do better the next day. Day after day after day. Preserving my honour on the ball field is as much a part of being a competitor as winning is."
We are not defined by one thing. With Jenesis, I have taken the opportunity to write about much more than cancer. I've shared not only what I've learned in the last seven months, but also what I've discovered over my entire life.
[Rita] Pierson was such a champion to her students. She tells a story of one class that was so academically deficient that she didn't know how she was going to get them from where they were to where they needed to be. So she told the students: "You were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students, they put us all together so we could show everybody else how to do it." Further, she gave them something to say: "I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. I'll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go."
2 Quotes From Others
There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask "What if I fall?"
Oh, but my darling,
What if you fly?
~ Erin Hanson
You matter. You are enough. You are capable of making a difference. Just as you are, in this very moment, you are worthy of a beautiful life, and you are loved.
~ Love Powered Femme: I Am Affirmation Cards
1 Question For You
Maya Angelou said, "This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before." What wonderful thing happened to you today?
