What's in Your Wallet? down2basics: Grrr! What's in Your Wallet?
Thursday, July 14, 2005
By Mike Straka
What's in Your Wallet?
The question, as seen on television, is more like a threat. If you carry the right credit card, you won't die at the hands of raiding Vikings.
But let's take that question one step further and ask, what else, besides credit cards, business cards or money, do you carry in your wallet?
Is it a picture of your family, your pet or your significant other? Or is it something even more private? Is it something that means something important only to you?
I used to carry a love letter that Lori, my high school sweetheart, wrote to me. I found it in her jewelry box after she was killed in a car accident. She wrote it, put it in an envelope addressed to me at college, but she never sent it.
She never got the chance.
I found the letter while picking through the various necklaces and earrings that I gave her over the years, searching for the one piece I would put in her casket for her to take with her. I carried that letter for more than a decade. I still have it, but it no longer goes with me everywhere I go. It's now replaced with pictures of my daughter.
So what's the point?
Believe it or not, the letter and the memories it brings back to me were inspired by a recent book I read called "Coach," by Michael Lewis, the author of "Moneyball" and "Liar's Poker."
The book brought back memories of my years as a high school wrestler, and the coach who inspired me to push myself harder and harder, day in and day out, season after season.
"Coach" is a story about a high school baseball coach whose military-like discipline in today's world -- where kids are bequeathed with self-esteem at birth by "well-intentioned parents" -- has become passé.
Coach Fitz, according to Lewis, taught life lessons way beyond the field of play. Coach Fitz is a dinosaur, and so many coaches like him across all kinds of sports are in danger of becoming extinct in America.
Don't forget that it was the dinosaur that taught the cavemen about survival of the fittest, and without those tough lessons, where would we be today as a civilization?
But it's just a game, you say.
The point is, self-esteem has to be earned, and for many of us, that comes from competitive sports.
Parents can't inspire greatness in their children by constantly patting them on the back, win or lose, or from protecting them from a mean coach who yelled at little Johnny or suspended little Suzie from the team because she was caught drinking at a party -- a party where the booze was supplied by mommy and daddy!
At some point in our lives we have to be held accountable for our failures in order to ever achieve success. I know that this column will offend many parents who believe that protecting their children from hurt is of the utmost importance, but what kind of world do you live in?
What's in your wallet? What was it that made you who you are? What inspired your success? What life challenges did you overcome, but more importantly, what did you learn along the way that helped you pull through?
The answer might just be, Coach. (And yes, the dinosaur and cavemen is metaphorical).
Re: What's in Your Wallet? justmenow: [quote"> At some point in our lives we have to be held accountable for our failures in order to ever achieve success.[/quote">
FINALLY! Somebody I can agree with on how to raise my children. My kids are always held accountable for their actions and have learned how to deal with consequences. This is something that so many parents are afraid to do these days. These "new wave" parents are there to be their kids' best friends. Bull. That is not my job. It is a nice perk sometimes to hang out with my kids and laugh, but when push comes to shove I am their mother and have to make some unpopular decisions at times. I think that as much as they get frustrated with me sometimes, it provides them with a lot of comfort to know that I am there and I am watching and I care enough to be a pain in the @ss.
Re: What's in Your Wallet? WhiskeyGirl: Excellent post D2B!!!!!
Re: What's in Your Wallet? down2basics: Thanks guys! ;D
