Throw Deep!

Give it your best shot!

The world is filled with half-hearted people who give half-hearted effort to half hearted causes.

Every now and then, somebody rises up to make a difference – and the barbs start flying.  Like lobsters in the pot, we’d much rather pull each other down than to see someone else climb ahead and succeed.  Misery loves company.

Watching a news channel on television the other night, I was amused by hearing the talking heads squabble.  They argued, growled and vented their spleens about society’s ills.

I thought, “If they spent as much time doing something about the problems as they’ve spent complaining about them, we’d all be a lot better off.”

Unfortunately, it is much easier to sit around on the sidelines and find fault than to roll up our sleeves and make a difference.

So often, we punish those who make an effort by clucking our tongues, shaking our heads, and pointing out all the mistakes.

Consider the NFL quarterback who is striving to do his best – giving it 100%, while the beer bellied commentators frown and belittle him.  I’d like to see them switch places for about twenty minutes.  That would be a relief to the quarterback and an education for the commentators!

I think it’s better to be the one criticized than the one doing the criticizing.  I’d rather be an eagle who soars in the sky than a chicken who squawks in the coop. 

Life is packed with wonderful opportunities.  They are like raspberries growing on the vine – all you have to do is go get them!  Sure, you’ll be poked with thorns, bitten by bugs, and bothered with a sore back – but just think of the end result!  Fresh raspberry pie!

Author Jack London said, “I would rather be ashes than dust!  I would rather that my sparks should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot.  I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.  The function of man is to live, not to exist.  I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.  I shall use my time.”

Someone once asked former NFL quarterback, Kenny Stabler what London’s quote meant to him.  He grinned and replied, “Throw deep!”