A Time to Celebrate...

Today, I'm celebrating Martha Stewart's release
from jail.

Why?

Because of the quiet truth it holds for the youth
of the world, and for many adults as well. Let me
explain.

It took me many years to understand that life is
NOT fair. Fairness has nothing to do with it.
I wasted a lot of time whining and complaining
to others about things not being fair.

Not being a particularly quick study, I also
didn't realize there would always be consequences
for my actions. When those consequences came to
visit me, I continued whining about things not
being fair. It took me a while to get the
message.

When the lightbulb finally came on, and I was in
my mid 30's, I began to understand that everybody
in this world would not be blessed with wealth,
nor would they be blessed with great beauty. Most
importantly, fairness had no regard for anybody.
Damn, I thought. I'm ugly and poor and I can't
complain that it's not fair. What to do?

The answer slowly began to appear. It was a major
discovery for me.

The answer? Persistence.

Nothing takes the place of it. It's one thing
that anybody in the human condition can do that
will yield results. Not maybe, but absolutely.
The more persistent you are, the more results you
will get. Equipped with that nugget of truth, I
began to be aware of the fruits of persistence
in the lives of others. Winston Churchill.
Ernest Shackleton. Martin Luther King. Martha
Stewart.

So with Martha's release from jail, I celebrate
the fact that I finally learned that life
has consequences, that life is not fair,
that persistence will see all of us through
-- if we will merely keep on keeping on.

My favorite Churchill quote:
Never give in -- never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
--Sir Winston Chuchill, Speech, 1941, Harrow School

More than her release from jail, I'm celebrating Martha's persistence.

Go Martha!