Jack’s Winning Words 6/5/08
“The world is full of people who never quite get into the first team and who just miss the prizes at the flower show,” (Jacob Boronowski) The only trophy I ever won was a 2nd Place Cup in a Ping Pong Tournament. I’m proud of the common, ordinary folk who are the real successes in this world. Do you know any of them? ;-) Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: “Winning is all in how you frame it in your thinking. I have a white ribbon dangling from the mirror of my car (perhaps a little Solzhenitsyn lard) that says “finisher” it was from a 5K “race” in 2006 a few months after a slight heart attack. It was part of my cardio rehab. My time was 41:34. That was a winning time for me. The “winner” was probably in the 14 minutes or less range (they were already showered and gone when I came in), interestingly there were a whole bunch of folks behind me. To me, sometimes finishing is winning. Maybe we don’t need more winners, just less quitters.”

FROM MOLINER, C.F.: That doesn't make them losers.

FROM PR J.S. IN MI: I don't know that "common, ordinary folk" are the only real successes in life. Some very uncommon people have been great successes, too. Wy limit success to one type of person? JACK'S REPLY: All I'm saying is that we shouldn't overlook the ordinary people.

FROM MOLINER M.H.: I'm reminded of a little poem I learned eons ago:" If you can't be the pine at the top of the hill, be a bush in the valley, but be, the best little bush on the side of the hill. Be a bush if you can't be a tree."Lots more to the poem, but the essence was "be the best at whatever you do". (That makes most people winners.) JACK'S RESPONSE: And here's that poem....
"If you can't be the pine at the top of the hill,Be a shrub in the valley below.The best little scrub in the valley below,Be a bush if you can't be a tree.If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,And some highway happier makeIf you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass,But be the liveiest bass in the Lake!We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,There's something for all of us here.There's big work to do and lesser to do,And the task we must do is the near.If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,If you can't be the sun, be a star.It isn't by size that you win or you fail,Be the best of whatever you are."- Douglas Malloch (Be the Best)

FROM EMT SINGS: This really gave me cause to think! I have not really ever excelled at anything. I am kind of a good singer, but never won any prizes. Some thing that I am really proud of though is that in their teen years my 3 kids collaborated on making a very nice "award" for me, proclaiming that I am the "World's Best Mother". Oh, and also at a job that I had at a nursing home the Nurse's Aides got together and planned a special party and had a plaque made for me commending my help and support of them. So really, it kind of says that most of us may fit the category of being very ordinary and have small "sucesses" throughout our lifetimes. On the other hand, I do personally (almost) know a basketball player from Traverse City that went on to play with the Phoneix Suns. And many others who have acheived greatness in the kind of people they are!

FROM R.I. IN BOSTON: Over the years I've been a winner several times, but for some reason never got really interested in competing with others. However, I have pretty consistently competed with myself, determined to improve. Do I know any ordinary folk who personify success...you bet. My father was one, and right now I'm writing to one.

FROM C.H. ON CAPE COD: Hey, congratulations on the 2nd place in the ping pong tournament! We just bought a ping pong table for the youth (OK, in part because one of the pastors really likes to play!)
My sister, while living in Alaska, won a huge, huge trophy for dogsled racing; only when you look carefully at the trophy it says, "Last Place. Awarded for great effort." !!!

FROM J.D. IN MN: IN TODAYS WORLD KIDS GET TROPHIES FOR JUST PUTTING ON A UNIFORM. THATS THE NEW AGE