It is not the critic who
counts,
not the man who points out
how the strong man stumbled,
or where the doer of deeds
could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the
man who is actually in the arena;
whose face is marred by dust
and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly,
who errs and comes short
again and again;
who knows the great
enthusiasms,
the great devotions,
and spends himself in a
worthy cause;
who, at the best, knows in
the end the triumph of high achievement;
and who at the worst, at
least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall
never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
- Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt
Simply, and with great hearts of
dedication, all across our country (and other countries) former excellent
executives are clicking computer keys - letter by letter - working hard to
sharpen their technology skills. Hands that long ago worked hard to move up
steps to well-earned supervision placement, have returned to once again feel
the deep ache and notable satisfaction of manual labor; only now their
bodies have grown older (yet they have found a strength they had not realized
still remained). Former outstanding managers, who treated others with profound
respect, have cultivated an even greater skill of respectfulness as they have
endured the scrutiny
of interview evaluations, or even the emptiness of no response. The now-common
term "homeless" has spread a wide net in unthinkable ways; yet, it
has also more clearly and graciously redefined what "home" is really
about.
As Teddy
Roosevelt so succinctly points out, the steps to
recovery exist in each dedicated individual who remains in the arena - no
matter how small an action. Each time we click a computer key to learn new
skills, or endure another interview or rejection, or revisit work that we
thought we had grown beyond, we cultivate remarkable grace and fortitude for
our futures. And home is what lives within each of us - we can choose to say: "My home is right here within me in the form of love and comfort I
give out to others."
And all of those
precious whispered vows and promises to "carry on" are becoming the
stair-steps to a greatness that is just beginning to unfold... I have hope. I
hope you do, too...
(The stair-steps in the photo were taken at the Santa Barbara Mission - those steps have marked time and the perseverance of many - most prominently the Franciscan Friars - since the early 1800s... something to think about...)
