Sometimes I'm an idiot..

     Ok let's face it friends.. sometimes we're idiots. All by ourselves with no encouragement or poking or prodding from any outside source, we all seem to have a real knack for sometimes being pretty..well..dumb.  Of course for most of us this is a periodic occurrence, usually a single event or episode of verbal diarrhea. But for some more unlucky people, idiocy seems to just be a way of life...which is rather unfortunate. But I'm not really here to point the finger so let me just tell you, dear friends, about my own experience with being a space cadet.

     In the very recent past I have said and done some things I really shouldn't have said or done. We'll not get into those details.. I have also kept my mouth shut when I really should have spoken up. Those details aren't really important either. But what is very important is the fact that I have made mistakes. BIG ones. And not just recently, but throughout my young adulthood, and really my entire life. And I can promise you that as sure as I continue to breathe, I will continue to make mistakes. It's a given. But I have found that there is something of way greater importance than the fact that I will undoubtedly continue to mess things up. The reality is that every time I stick my foot in my big mouth or turn around and kick myself (go ahead and picture those acrobatics!) for whatever bone-headed thing I just said or did, I will hopefully learn a lesson.

     A very wise person (who probably stole this quote from someone else somewhere along the way) once told me that "Life is the hardest teacher for it gives the test first but the lesson second." Oh my goodness gracious were they right! It never ceases to amaze me how I can manage to completely foul something up but then turn around when it's all said and done and say, "Hey I really shouldn't have done that! I'll know better next time.." Isn't it cool how that works? Isn't it grand how hindsight is SO 20/20?

     Um.. actually no, it's not usually fun. But we all know that, right? We all know that actually having to look back at some unpleasant situation, in which we were at fault, often has a way of..say...hurting one's pride? Ripping one's guts out? Breaking one's heart and then running over it with a Mack Truck, throwing it in reverse and hitting it again? Ha! Ok, I got a little dramatic with that last one.. But you get the picture. Long story, short: it pretty much sucks.

     But there's good news, friends! The complete and total suckiness of the situation doesn't have to be the end all, be all! And here in lies the great part, my friends. The good Lord above has blessed us all with brains-- granted some are capable of more than others-- and along with those brains He gave us the ability to learn from our mistakes. And that is what we have to embrace. Not the total crappiness of the fact that we just messed up, but the fact that after messing up, we receive the gift of just a little bit more knowledge. We suddenly know a little bit more than we knew before. And that is a very, very good thing.

     So.. what are some of the most recent tidbits knowledge I have been blessed with? Well, I'll tell you.. 1.) If you've got something to say, say it. You might not get another chance. 2.) THINK about what you say BEFORE it actually leaves your mouth. Are the words you're fixin to share with everyone really going to help the situation or just muddle it up even more? Save yourself some heartache and figure that out before you grace your acquaintances with your thoughts and opinions. And 3.) DO NOT set your cruise control to 81mph in the 65mph zone of I-85/I-40 that passes through Alamance County. That's a really bad idea and should also be pretty self-explanatory.

     And I believe that's it for my life lesson tonight. Hope you were able to find something profound hidden somewhere in the words above. I didn't hide anything specific in there, so if you find something good, let me know. :)

Night friends!

K-rock