A Call to Action

The other day I was reminded of one of the best life lessons that exists. I would go so far as to say that this story might be what Curly was talking about. You know Curly. The old, wrinkled cowboy in City Slickers that scared the everlovin'-bejesus out of Billy Crystal's character. During one scene Curly shared with Billy that he knows 'this', and he holds up his pointer finger: 'the one thing', 'the secret of life.' We never find out what Curly thinks is the secret of life, but I like to think that this story I just re-read is what he was talking about. What is it you might ask? The Tortoise and the Hare. For those of you not so familiar with the story, here it is (as quoted from ChildhoodReading.com)


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The Tortoise and the Hare - One of Aesop's Fables

Once upon a time there was a hare who, boasting how he could run faster than anyone else, was forever teasing tortoise for its slowness. Then one day, the irate tortoise answered back: "Who do you think you are? There's no denying you're swift, but even you can be beaten!" The hare squealed with laughter.

"Beaten in a race? By whom? Not you, surely! I bet there's nobody in the world that can win against me, I'm so speedy. Now, why don't you try?"

Annoyed by such bragging, the tortoise accepted the challenge. A course was planned, and the next day at dawn they stood at the starting line. The hare yawned sleepily as the meek tortoise trudged slowly off. When the hare saw how painfully slow his rival was, he decided, half asleep on his feet, to have a quick nap. "Take your time!" he said. "I'll have forty winks and catch up with you in a minute."

The hare woke with a start from a fitful sleep and gazed round, looking for the tortoise. But the creature was only a short distance away, having barely covered a third of the course. Breathing a sigh of relief, the hare decided he might as well have breakfast too, and off he went to munch some cabbages he had noticed in a nearby field. But the heavy meal and the hot sun made his eyelids droop. With a careless glance at the tortoise, now halfway along the course, he decided to have another snooze before flashing past the winning post. And smiling at the thought of the look on the tortoise's face when it saw the hare speed by, he fell fast asleep and was soon snoring happily. The sun started to sink, below the horizon, and the tortoise, who had been plodding towards the winning post since morning, was scarcely a yard from the finish. At that very point, the hare woke with a jolt. He could see the tortoise a speck in the distance and away he dashed. He leapt and bounded at a great rate, his tongue lolling, and gasping for breath. Just a little more and he'd be first at the finish. But the hare's last leap was just too late, for the tortoise had beaten him to the winning post. Poor hare! Tired and in disgrace, he slumped down beside the tortoise who was silently smiling at him.

"Slowly does it every time!" he said.
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The moral of the story? Slow and steady wins the race. I've already shared my 'slow and steady' story: getting debt free. Stuart and I worked our tails off for 3 years to achieve a goal that many said was unattainable, but we stayed focused on the finish line and accomplished our goal. We beat the hare.

A Call to Action:

What is your 'slow and steady' story? What have you done in your life that makes you the tortoise? Or, if you haven't done such a thing, what have you done that makes you the hare? Submit your full stories, regardless of length, and I will post them as 'guest bloggers'. One of my favorite blogs (Fatherhoody) has guest bloggers all the time and I love the idea. If you know me and know my email you can submit your story that way as well.

Ash Wednesday

What a great day. I'm Episcopal. I used to be atheist. Long story, I'll save it for another day. For today, I'm loving Ash Wednesday. For those of you who don't know, this is a day when people in the Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran (and possibly other) faiths go to church and get marked with the sign of the cross on their forehead. According to wiki (and the faith the I follow) the purpose of this bizarre ritual is to "Turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel," but this is not why I love this day.

Everywhere I went today I saw a bunch of people with ash crosses on their heads, and everywhere I went today I saw a bunch of people looking at the people with ash crosses on their heads. What I saw everywhere was people with the courage to wear their faith on the face, and others who wondered what it was for. Every year on this day, I get to see the courage that people have to show what they believe in, in as open and honest a way as possible. What I love most about this day, is that people believe in something and are willing to back it up with action.

How often do we shy away from our feelings, beliefs, and interpretations because we are afraid to look silly to someone else? I'm not saying 'we' as in 'we fellow Christians,' I'm saying 'we' as in 'we human beings'. Way too many people are afraid to say what they think and why they think it. If you are human, you have an opinion. If you are human, you have a right to that opinion. Say it, spout it, shout it from the rooftops! Believe what you believe and have the courage of conviction to back it up! I don't care whether it is in faith in God & Jesus, a belief that there is no God, a belief in inalienable rights, democratic leanings, republican leanings, veganism, feminism, or The Flying Spaghetti Monster. What I care about is that you are passionate enough to share your thoughts and feelings, and to have open conversation with those that both agree and disagree. Today, in my faith, is a day to repent for your sins and prepare for your journey into the Lenten season, but it's also a wonderful day to see that there are those people out there that aren't afraid to show what they believe in. Go Ashey people!!!