Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCLVI

I remember the phone call that changed my life. It was not something that I was expecting, so when I woke up that morning, I had no idea what was about to happen. I can even remember what I was doing when it came...I was fixing lunch, so when I heard the phone, I grabbed the one in the kitchen. After the conversation, I went ahead and ate my food, but my mind was in such a whirl at that time that the meal I was eating was the last thing on my mind. I thought the news was bad at the time, but it turned out to be one of the best things that's ever happened to me as far as my career is concerned.

Do you remember where you were on 9-11? I do too. I remember where I was when I heard the news that President Kennedy had been assassinated, although I was a small child at the time. I remember where I was when I heard about the explosion of the Space Shuttle. I remember where I was in our car as we heard on the radio the broadcast of the first game ever for the New Orleans Saints, and John Gilliam took the opening kickoff and ran it all the way back for a touchdown. I can even remember exactly where I was sitting just a few months ago when I learned that my little infant granddaughter had been born with Down Syndrome. We all have stories of how we can recall where we were when we heard some kind of big news, whether it was good or bad, and it seems to me that the events that we remember the most were unexpected. Within just the last few weeks, there have been two serious automobile accidents at the intersection in front of my home. I feel certain that from now on, all the drivers and passengers who were involved will recall their incident every time they pass my house.

Some of the big events of our lives are things we plan and even direct, but just as many are occurrences that we never see coming and they hit us like a ton of bricks. As you read this, you are probably recalling a few of the big unforeseen events in your own life. I remember one night as I was going to bed in a hotel room in Atlanta, I said aloud to myself: "When I woke up this morning, I sure didn't know I'd be spending the night in Atlanta, Georgia." It wouldn't make sense for me to advise you to be prepared for those types of events. How can you prepare for something that you have no idea of who, what, where, when, why and how? What you can do is look back at all of the unexpected events of your past and know that there will be more...some good, some not so good.

There is one bit of wisdom that I have gleaned over my lifetime that I can share with you now in regards to unexpected events: "I play the cards I was dealt." There's really no other choice. At my age, I surely would not want to have the feeling that I have to start my life all over again, but starting over is certainly better than giving up. I would just have to put my big boy pants on, adjust my attitude back to where it needs to be, and get moving. I'm somebody...I'm not a quitter, and I'm gonna end up a winner! I really mean that, regardless of what happens.

Preston