For Me? Oh, You Shouldn't Have!

      Last Monday was my 63rd birthday so I started thinking about all the different presents I have been given over my lifetime.  I can't tell you everything I've gotten, but I can tell you that, at times, I was disappointed in what I received.  Okay, so I am sure we all can say that.  I think for me, part of the disappointment is that people did not really know what I wanted or needed.  Now days we tend to give people gift cards so they can get what they want.  Doing that makes gift giving easier and safer but we lose the personal touch that says we put effort into the gift giving because we really care about that person.  The sound you are now hearing is me climbing down off my soap box.
      Three of the gifts that have meant the most to me did not come on my birthday but they had a great effect on me.  Full disclosure, I did not see them as gifts at the time, that came later.
      When I was in 5th grade we had moved onto a farm in Minnesota and, as a result of being on a farm, I began to neglect my school work.  My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Graham however, would have none of that.  I remember sitting out in the hallway because I did not do my homework.  It did not take long for me to decide that ignoring my homework was not an option.  I now consider Mrs. Graham my favorite teacher and I am grateful for the life lesson she taught me. 
      Another gift that has changed my life is that of my wife Kathy's health challenges these last four years.  I'm not glad she was sick but I am glad about what that has taught both of us.  At times, I had to step up and shoulder more responsibilities.  It has taught me that I can do more than I think I can and it has definitely deepened our relationship and love for each other.  As a result I can say that I like myself and love my wife more now than ever.
      In January of this year I was in a car accident.  It was my fault, which was very humbling.  It was also the end of my Toyota Camry.  I won that car over 20 years ago.  Now that was a very very good gift and I definitely knew it at the time.  It was a huge financial blessing, but it also made me feel special.   How many people can say they won a car?  But it turned out to be just as much of a gift when it left as when it came.  
      Losing my Camry forced me to look at my situation and make some needed changes.  Change is good but you might have noticed that we all tend to resist change.  I went back to work as a school bus driver to pay for a replacement car.  I ended up with more hours and over $4 more an hour.  In the end, I can say it has been a good thing.
     Maybe you have been given a gift but you don't recognize it yet.  My thought is that how we see our circumstances and how we respond can make all the difference.  Problems and difficulties can become a great gift or something we regret and makes us bitter.  The choice is ours.  Just a thought.
     Next week I will share mistakes I have made driving school bus and what I am learning about mistakes.  Come back next week for "Oops, My Mistake!"
      
       
   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seeds of Good Deeds

Image
     Growing up on a farm in Minnesota was very good for me and it taught me things that I have used ever since.  Working hard and having chores to do has given me a work ethic that has served me well all these years.  I was thinking recently about planting the crops.  I am sure they are far more advanced these days but back then we had a four row planter.  It had four compartments for seed. One for each row and a companion compartment for each which held fertilizer.  At least that is how I remember it.      Dad always did the planting and my job was to wait at the end of the row in the pickup which held bags of seed corn and fertilizer. When Dad got to the pickup he would stop and I would help him get the bags, cut them open and fill the planter back up again.  There were times when we had to replant because of hail or heavy rain.  We had one low spot in the field which was very susceptible to getting rained out.  I...
Read more

Which is better, iPhone or Android?

Image
     Ok, here is the answer to the question you have been waiting for all week.  Which is better, iPhone or Android?  It depends on who you ask. My wife is an iPhone X user and for her, the iPhone is the best.  Now I have a Samsung 9 user and for me it is the best.  Kathy likes her's because it is easy to use. I like mine because I can customize it a little more. So you get to decide which phone gives you what you are looking for.  A really fancy phone won't do you much good if you don't know how to use it.      Just this afternoon Kathy accidentally turned on the flashlight on her phone.  Instead of trying to remember all the steps to turn it off, she hit her Siri button and said "Turn off my flashlight" and it was done.  I guess words do have power. I could argue that I can do it as fast by swiping down from the top and locating and hitting the flashlight icon but the important thing is the job gets done whichever way...
Read more

I Can't Take the Pressure!

Image
     We begin our story today with what happened at Costco last week.  I had been wanting to buy a pressure washer for quite some time and had seen the one at Costco which, by the way, just happened to have a little more than the recommended PSI for cleaning driveways and sidewalks. Anyway, there is was, $80 off.  I was not going to see that price again for some time, so the pressure was on.  Pun intended.  I had the money but was having trouble deciding if I really needed it.  My brother has offered to let me borrow his but I really wanted my own.  Mostly because I could use it a little bit at a time.  Trust me, I have big plans for my new little friend, which I did buy. How could I not buy something I had wanted and was now on sale?  Plus, it had a Briggs & Stratton engine.  When I was a kid we had a mower that seemed to last forever. You guessed it. It had a Briggs & Stratton engine. These had to be signs!   ...
Read more