Charlie Brown . . . Struggling, Striving and Successful!
What a wonderful, happy, nostalgic, inspiring, little story, of the consummate and socially, challenged, Charlie Brown, falling in love, with the new red headed "cutie girl" in his elementary school class, also a new neighbor, using love, lust and other stuff, to help him rise above, his state of inadequacy, insecurity, and normal awkwardness, rising to be the class star, with a perfect score, on a test, being honored, adored, and of course, promoted by his little sister, for profit, only to find out that, it was not he, who got the perfect score, but Sir, Peppermint Patty, when both students, waited until the last second to turn their tests in, switching tests, accidentally, having failed to pu their names on their test, and in the hurry, put their name on the other student's test, only to be discovered, at the time, he was being recognized by the whole school, in an assembly, and unlike so many others, I know, personally, Charlie, looking straight in the face of the new girl, he like, manned up and told the whole school, it was not he who got the perfect score, but his friend and classmate!
And, in having the courage, to be honest, which, always is the best policy, in addition to sacrificing his magic show, to help his little sister, finish her talent, with style, fun and frolic, winning the competition for her, denying himself, once again, and staying up all night, reading, Leon Tolstoy's, mega novel, War and Peace, thinking the book, Marcie told him to read, was, Toy Story, written by War and Peace, he took the challenge, to read the book, rising above his normal capacity as a student, mastered this monster, wrote a brilliant book report, for he and the girl he loved, alone, because, she was out of town, until the day it was due, only to have, Snoopy or the Red Baron, flyby, in their continual battle, tearing up the paper, into a million small pieces . . . leaving, Charlie Brown, demoralized, dejected, and defeated, but in the redemptive power of love, lust and other stuff, the new girl, actually, loved, Charlie Brown, not for failing in his attempts to impress her, by winning the talent show, nor is writing the book report for her, or getting the trophy, for being the best boy, dancer, in dancing with the stars, being coached by, none other than, Snoopy, in his shades, and cool hat, but for the sacrifice, the surrender, the saving his sister, for the tenacity to write the book report, and ultimately for the honesty, of being brave enough to admit, he was not the boy, who was the sheer genius, being the one boy in the history of the school, but for being honest enough to say, that it was, and a lesson, in this also, having happened to many times in history, that, it was in fact, his friend a girl, who actually deserved the honors and adoration of her classmates!
That is why, red headed, class cutie, loved charlie Brown! That is why, when students were teaming up as summer pen pals, and when, nobody else raised their hands to be Charlies partner, she raised her hand, ending in the fresh start for Charlie Brown, who through struggle, striving, found success! One of the mantras and perpetual themes of this blog, my life, my history, my career is . . . there is NO shortcut to SUCCESS! I still remember walking through, one of the elementary schools, that my children, attended, and saw the inspiring slogan: Success is when opportunity and preparation meet! I believe that was in the Maeser Elementary School, in Provo, Utah! I saw that, after getting my undergraduate degree, knowing that to be true, and using that all the way through law school, at BYU, and to the United States Supreme Court, growing just like Charlie Brown did, reading War and Peace, then writing about it . . . there is no way to imitate, the actual process, the learning curve, rock the curves, that take you from one level of performance, clawing and scratching, struggling, to being prepared, when through, your struggling and striving, you achieve, success! Always earned, never given . . . like a rock . . . build your career on a sure foundation, like a rock! not sand, that slides and moves under your feet, when a wave, from the sea, reaches you on the shore, for sure . . .
The Labels You Put On Your Children, MATTER!
One of the great things about, educations, is, you pick up little, golden nuggets of truth, and this is one of them, and the Peanuts Movie, does a perfect job, of showing, what happened to Charlie Brown, when he was labeled a genius, a wonder boy, and smart . . . he actually rose to that label, took on that character, that nature, and transformed from a failing student to a successful student, which, can be the path of almost any child! And at times, if the other child, cheated of the appropriate labels, that can throw them into a tail spin, having the opposite affect, unless, that are secure in their mental acumen and prowess, not being deterred, for one second, knowing, full well, what their capacity, ability, and history has been, going unbroken, even through the gates of hell, come, the storms rage, and the sea batters, that person, who has built their, personal, psychic, and personal pursuit of perfection, on a sure foundation, that can be beaten down, over and over again, and the sure foundation, still stands, perhaps, beaten and battered, but, like they say, what doesn't kill you, makes you STRONGER!
In the converse of that, same principle, if you put a false, unearned, and undeserved label on someone, once all those accouterments, wealth, or accolades, are stripped or discovered, and that person, stands, naked, as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, did in the album, Two Virgins, donning the cover, of the music cover, totally naked, much like the story of the Emperor and His New Clothes, every one, pretends they don't see, right through the charade of the new cloths or the false labels, and behind their back, they are laughing at the through that, even the King, can be so foolish, as to think, people don't see him standing butt ass naked, in front of the whole crowd! So, make sure, that, you use, labels, that are fair, encouraging, but real, or you can create more damage than, the good, you intended to do, by putting a false label on the child, who is undeserving.
MANIPULATED, INFLATED, INAUTHENTIC LABELS WILL CREATE MORE DAMAGE IN THE LONG RUN . . . KEEP YOUR ASS COVERED!
I think, this is one of the problems with the new, mentality, that everyone is a winner on a kid soccer team, or that everyone, who gets, 20% of a passing grade, gets a good grade . . . this fosters, meritocracy, and this is not the way the REAL world works, and the child will have a false sense of superiority, only to be shot down by the sharks and barracudas, in the real world! You can be encouraging, without, giving a false sense of the level of competence, like your doing great, or you got a better score than, last week on your spelling test, keep trying . . . or, wow, you kicked that ball, so much farther, you dribbled the better, you passed the ball of better, or man, when you teacher, coach asked you to go get the ball out of bounds, you did it, just like he/she asked, or you cleaned the chalk board, so clean, that I could not see, one white mark left on it. Be careful, because, children, know, when they have performed well, or not, and you will build them up, just to set them up for a big ass fall! The bigger they are, the higher, the expectations, the harder, they fall, if and when that time comes, and life has a way, of showing authenticity, the real, the worthy, the true, and like the Emperor, his royal hind ass, will be exposed, because it is truth that prevails, in the long run!
Just this week, GOP front runner, Ben Carson, I believe in his book, wrote that he was accepted, offered, or presented with the possibility of having a full ride scholarship to West Point, the top military school, in the nation, or one of them . . . and for days, political bundits, were discussing whether his claim, was true or not? and, in this highly technical world of ours, with ready access to records, transcripts, and whatever, it is hard to handle, a cover-up, a lie, or even a misrepresentation, that will haunt a person for life, and possibly, lower their credibility, to the point, it could cost someone an election, because it goes to their character, ethics, and professional responsibilities that are very much, a part of the characteristics we want and expect, in a person, we are going to put into the highest office of the land, as president. So, rather than dealing with the issues, that are at stake, this diverts attention from those issues, positions, and energy, just to get to the truth!
Hillary, on the other hand, was accused, of just the opposite, of being dishonest, untrustworthy, but as hearings and investigations, proceeded, many politically motivated, she started looking better and better, because, none of the emails were confidential in nature, and nobody gave the orders to stand down at Benghazi, and as set up, after the Beriut terrorist attacks on the U.S. Embassy, during the Reagan administration, Hillary did, exactly what she was suppose to do, set up a specially committee to see what happened, what we did wrong, and how we can improve policy, decision making processes, and communication to never make that mistake again! So, as a result of GOP, posturing, with at least 22 to 50 hearings, I heard the first number, but then, it seems, a news commentator, who is up on the news, more than I am, said the later, but, whatever, it was a partisan witch hunt, and Hillary's positions, answers, and stand has never changed, adding to her truthfulness, her authenticity, and credibility, and that is EVERYTHING in a presidential candidate, regardless of your party affiliation, and natural leanings! And her poll numbers and popularity are just going UP! No shortcuts . . . staying POWER!
Just this week, GOP front runner, Ben Carson, I believe in his book, wrote that he was accepted, offered, or presented with the possibility of having a full ride scholarship to West Point, the top military school, in the nation, or one of them . . . and for days, political bundits, were discussing whether his claim, was true or not? and, in this highly technical world of ours, with ready access to records, transcripts, and whatever, it is hard to handle, a cover-up, a lie, or even a misrepresentation, that will haunt a person for life, and possibly, lower their credibility, to the point, it could cost someone an election, because it goes to their character, ethics, and professional responsibilities that are very much, a part of the characteristics we want and expect, in a person, we are going to put into the highest office of the land, as president. So, rather than dealing with the issues, that are at stake, this diverts attention from those issues, positions, and energy, just to get to the truth!
Hillary, on the other hand, was accused, of just the opposite, of being dishonest, untrustworthy, but as hearings and investigations, proceeded, many politically motivated, she started looking better and better, because, none of the emails were confidential in nature, and nobody gave the orders to stand down at Benghazi, and as set up, after the Beriut terrorist attacks on the U.S. Embassy, during the Reagan administration, Hillary did, exactly what she was suppose to do, set up a specially committee to see what happened, what we did wrong, and how we can improve policy, decision making processes, and communication to never make that mistake again! So, as a result of GOP, posturing, with at least 22 to 50 hearings, I heard the first number, but then, it seems, a news commentator, who is up on the news, more than I am, said the later, but, whatever, it was a partisan witch hunt, and Hillary's positions, answers, and stand has never changed, adding to her truthfulness, her authenticity, and credibility, and that is EVERYTHING in a presidential candidate, regardless of your party affiliation, and natural leanings! And her poll numbers and popularity are just going UP! No shortcuts . . . staying POWER!
Premium Headwear . . . Sour Green Apple, Watermelon!
I love, places like Fabulous Freddy's, McDonald's, Burger King, etc., because they have great slogans, that keep me positive, happy, and with fresh fun, thoughts, that drag up, ideas, thoughts, and knowledge that have been buried in the deep crevases and taverns of my, vast, deep and expansive, reservoirs of wisdom, or applied knowledge, that has served me well, and kept me sane, in this insane battle of good and evil, and such is today, with cool, stuff starring me in the face, just going to the restrooms, like a black visor, with the sparkly words, all in one, #befabulous! OK! LOL! There is also a ton of wisdom, in the lyrics of songs, as songwriters, probably more sensitive than the average person, but, right along, the line of being authentic, honest, hard working, earning, everything, you get, through, struggle, striving, and ultimately, finding success, Bog Seger, offered these words of wisdom, applied, knowledge, in the lyrics, and sometimes the timing on the songs, I am listening to in the background, not paying much attention, rise to my conscience and offer thoughts, that coincide with exactly the message I am trying to give to my readers, parents, coaches and teachers . . . Beautiful loser . . . where you gong to fall? when you realize, you just can't have it all! The enemies, the enemies KNOW!
Bluster, posturing, acting, staged outcomes, flash-bang, smoke screens, lip trix, fake bands, false claims of credit, fog, lies, character assassination, bribes, and bull shit, will only get you so far, and all of us, have enemies, who will expose, who we really are, not who we want to be! At the start, of when, they stole my identity, cases, blah, blah, blah . . . my smart son, Chris, said, Mom, all they have to do, is put you in a debate, courtroom, or a writing challenge, and there will be no doubt, who is you, and who is not! Thanks, son, but the problem is, they will NEVER let that happen . . . but their enemies might! LOL! I can calmly proceed, in the storms, with the waves crashing up against me, with tornadoes, hurricanes, ripping at me, because, I actually did, everything I claim to have done, and there is PEACE in knowing that! The Empresses without clothes, stand to be seen for every sagging ass, droopy boobs, pimple on their ass, because, they have exposed themselves to the possibility, of being tricked, into clothes of false, claims, dishonest misrepresentations, deceits, and acts of deception, that must, always be covered, and that, to me, is far worse, that standing firm, in who I am, what I have done, what I should have earned, what I wrote, and the levels I achieved, after the struggling, the striving, and the SUCCESS! And, there is great comfort in that, in truth, and the truth, shall, always, make you FREE!
The Beauty of the Simple Man, The Simple Life
I had the pleasure of joining my daughter, Greta, her husband, Dallas, and their three very cute, and truly smart, children, going to the very simple, but powerful, Peanuts Movie, and I believe, at Dallas's invite, and the warm fuzzy feelings that came, from just this very simple, gesture . . . guess what song is on? Simple MAN! Confirmations from on HIGH, that yes, this path is a true path, and in the words of Henry David Thoreau, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, as he wrote, while simplifying his life, at Waldon Pond! The nostalgia of the simple houses, the simple safe neighborhood, the simple friendships, the simple relationships, the simple love, the simple message, but the power, of the simple, can't be over emphasized, You are familiar with the saying . . . less is MORE! and that is often so true. The pure joy, of looking down the row, at three bright, happy, secure young boys, being raised simply, sitting between Grandma, and their two parents, with Dallas's hand on Greta's back, rubbing it, or just giving a tender touch, off and on during the movie, must give those children, a sense of security, all the money in the world, could not replace!
We all crammed into the Hyland mobile, a white, older, Suburu Outback, with the advertising slogan, Love, and yes, love was packed in that small car, in a happy, simple, adventure, just going to a movie, stopping at the store, first to get, the boys, candy bars, a hot dog, for the adults, and of course, doing our diligence, not to cheat the movie theaters out of their share, getting two large popcorn buckets, and a drink, nothing extravagant, but satisfying and sufficient! I loved seeing the houses, the snow, the ice skating on a pond, the old school house, the baseball diamond, and kids, just doing what kids do best, playing and interacting, with school crushes, and all, learning life's lessons, as they bump up against the challenges they need in life, coming, often from the people we bump into, while on life's journey, rising us above the crowd, and sometimes taking us to our knees, but when all is said and done, generally, God, providence, the universe, brings us, just what we need in life, to learn, to grow, to be challenged, to meet our goals, and dreams, maybe not in exactly the way we think we should have, but in the way that was absolutely perfect for our personal perfection!
I love the idea, KISS . . . Keep It Simple Stupid! That is SMART advice, and smart is BEAUTIFUL, no matter how you look at it!
Rock the Curve . . . I Always Graded My Students, At a University Level, On a Curve, Making Them, Struggle, Strive, in Order to Reach Success in My Classes! I Remember, One of My Former Students, Doing an Internship at the Capitol, When I Was An Assistant Attorney General . . . She Told Me, She Got the First "C" Grade She Ever Got In Her Life, But She Soon Learned That A "C" In My Class, Was An "A" In Every Other Class! So, She Rocked the Curve, The Rest of Her College Career, and I Would Not Be Surprised If She Is An Attorney Today!
P.S., along this line of thinking, grandparents, your job, is to support, backup, and continue to teach your children, in training you grandchildren, their primary responsibility, but a teacher in the same light, and as my grandson, Thaddeus, who asked me to come down to Utah early, two weeks before Thanksgiving, which I did gladly, got to pick out his present, a day early, because Grandma is not great at birthdays, or shopping with a double negative, I like to just take the kids, limit their purchase to a reasonable amount of money, and let them, limit themselves, and work within a budget, as Thad did! But, once he had the present in his hands, he could not contain, his excitement, and he bugged the hell out of me, with his mother backing whatever, I decided he could do with the present, asking me every second, if he could break into the Legos . . . great toys, that I believe, develop the imagination, once, the original suggested, construction, is over, leaving them, coming up with their own ideas, after that, and this has worked, for years, to entertain, and gift, my three grandsons, since I paid $100 to a client, who had a son, who had outgrown, his Legos! But, as he tortured me to open his present, I had the opportunity, to discuss, character traits, like patience, long suffering . . . no--just kidding, but trust, as he tried to sneak scissors, to cut tape, and even tired to teach him, the concept of "delayed gratification!" LOL!
But, he made it through the day, and night, and, the next morning, when I escaped the house, before Thad could wake up, and bug me about opening the birthday present, and I was laughing, and talking to the store clerk, at Fabulous Freddy's, told her about the present, and why I tip-toed out of the house, early! and within, 2 minutes, the phone, rang, and it was THADDEUS! wanting to open his present! LOL! At first I was a hard ass grandma, and said no, but, then the power struggle, softened, as I have, and I let him open his present, so he would leave me alone! LOL! And to keep him quiet, so his parents could sleep in! LOL! But the interesting thing, about the night before, when I would not let him open his present, he had his present with him, but several times during the night, he came and kissed my arm, or my hand, or cuddled up to me, and I thought, much, like my student, he was smart enough, to know, that, he should wait, and it was not his birthday yet! LOL! This is a great lesson to learn, as a parent, a teacher, a coach, or grandparent, that kids, feel, at a gut, level, if you make sense to them, reason with them, and give them reason, to trust you, knowing, that you will do what you say, they dig that stuff! as do, college students . . .
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