While it’s been a lot of work, unpacking boxes has been a bit like Christmas in summer for the boys. They’re finding all sorts of toys and gadgets they haven’t played with in a long time. Last night, as I said goodnight to Oaks, he showed me this new Lego scene he set up. I oohed and awed because there’s always a story in the details of these scenes and it’s insightful into what going on in that brilliant mind of his. I asked him what he liked the most.
“The carriage!”
“I noticed the carriage had one different wheel. Tell me about that.” He explained that he couldn’t find that 4th one, so he grabbed a smaller wheel with a hole on the bottom and inserted a pick axe, like a little ski. With a string of dental floss for the rope, he was off to the races. He said, “I know it doesn’t look normal, but it works great.”
That’s where the magic happens.
I knew this was the message for you this morning, so I asked if I could take a pic and share the story with you. He obliged, because around here, we welcome out of the box ideas and unusual solves. In our home, we celebrate the things that don’t look “normal”. Sometimes that fourth wheel doesn’t exist. So you have a couple of choices. You can choose to throw your hands up in surrender.
Or, you can make another way.
The new way you make? It probably won’t look “normal”. It might feel super awkward at first. You’ll likely have to let go of the expectations you had on how things were supposed to turn out. There’s no doubt, you’ll be stripped of any dependence on impressing people with the way things look on the outside. There will always be people who judge what your path looks like on the outside.
Let them judge.
Then let them watch you never give up in the face of daunting, seemingly impossible odds. Let them learn from your tenacity, your vision and your faith. Let your life be the bright example of what it looks like to make a way, when there seems to be no way. Because the people who judge are the same ones who are hurting the most. They need to see you make it.
You don’t need their approval.
Don’t judge them in return. Let them have their own path and you stay on yours. By all means, do not give up.
One more point: A good player never stops until he’s actually out, running as hard for first base on the almost-certain-to-be-caught fly or grounder as he would if he were sprinting the 100-yard dash.
If Henry Ford hadn’t kept going in the early days despite ridicule, we would never have seen the Ford car. It’s been much the same with almost every great man you could name. He kept plugging when everybody said his chances of making first base were nil. You just can’t beat the person who never gives up. ~ Babe Ruth
Find a pick axe and some dental floss if you must. This season is making you exactly who you need to be, to do things you could never do with four perfectly “normal” wheels.
There’s always another way.
Sometimes you just have to make it.
to more love,
Crystal
P.S. The theme of this post rings true to the theme of our upcoming “Staying Alive GNO” that’s focused on paying attention, understanding the way your brain works in fear and seeing your surroundings through new lenses, in order to survive any life-threatening scenario life may send your way. You should totally join us.
