Major Life Lessons Learned On the Way to the Ground
It’s
interesting how and when we receive the Major Life Lessons, or MLLs, as I like
to call them. I received some big ones
on my way to the ground after falling off a ladder recently.
MLL No. 1: I should have known better.
All the
warning signs were there, but somehow I forged on undeterred. No one at the base of the ladder to secure
it. Me, climbing alone, carrying a
100-pound load, no less. That little
voice in my head, saying – no, screaming – “You shouldn’t be doing this.” All of which led to…
MLL No. 2: Listen to the little voice and
regroup as needed.
My friend asked
me several times before they left that day if I was sure I didn’t need help,
but I assured them all was good. The
little voice, even at that point, knew bad things loomed ahead. I should have listened and put the proper
safeguards in place. But I didn’t, which
led to…
MLL No. 3: Appreciate the importance of a
firm foundation.
Once I
crashed down to terra firma – dizzy, with no feeling in my arm, and a
spectacular headache – I quickly realized and appreciated the firm foundation
of family, as enjoyed on the compound we share.
My son called for help, my in-laws responded to care for the kids, and
my wife arrived quickly to get me to the Emergency Room. Everyone was concerned, but no one – including
my son and daughter – became paralyzed by fear because we all were
together. They believed my parting
words, because I believed them: “I’m going to be okay.” What happened next led to…
MLL No. 4: A firm foundation requires deep
roots and continuous attention.
I was
able to leave the hospital that night on my own, with just a concussion and a
badly bruised arm. The docs x-rayed my
arm twice, in fact. They couldn’t
believe it wasn’t broken, telling me, “You’re really solid.” I knew my head was twice as thick as my arm,
any day of the week.
But
seriously, this episode, and how it affected so many people who rely on me,
proved irrefutably that a strong foundation requires strong relationships with
those we love. And that this takes hard,
ongoing, every day work. It takes
digging deep to find the firm stuff beneath.
The bedrock on which to build and strengthen relationships securely.
Life can
throw us into the spin cycle at a moment’s notice. It’s when when we feel out of control that we
need to dig a little deeper, sometimes even into the pain, to discover and
recover the strong foundation inside of us.
I wouldn’t
recommend tumbling to the ground from a great height to internalize this
message, though. Been there, done
that. Just trying to save you the
trouble, is all.
Be Well,
Eric
