"I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following." - Mohandas Gandhi, Spiritual and Political Leader of India (1869-1948)
"Yesterday is in the past, tomorrow hasn't happened yet, so let's focus on today." Those were the words of my Father, Joseph Jonathan Cook II (1919-2002), as he raised our family of 7 with me being the youngest. However, since I have his business sense (but the temperament of my Mother), this is a very hard thing for me to do, especially with the gift of the "eclectic" memory that I have (that's another subject for another Blog post). Living in the "here and now" is difficult when you remember everything that you have done in your past, the people you have met, their physical and emotional characteristics - along with EVERY conversation you have ever had with them including the tone and inflection of their voices, and your experiences - both good and the "not so good." As most of you know, I attended two schools of Higher Education: Simpson College (Indianola, IA) for 3 Semesters (1976-1977) and Northwest Missouri State University (1978-1980), where I graduated with a BS in Journalism on May 10, 1980. My experiences at both schools were complete opposites; Simpson is where I learned my lessons about life (the hard way), and NWMSU is where I met my wife of 30 years on October 19, 1978. Everything I touched at Simpson turned to stone (with the exception of joining the best College Fraternity in the Nation: Sigma Alpha Epsilon), yet everything I touched at NW turned to Gold.
However, this is what makes a person who he/she is today. I would not trade my experiences at either school for anything in the world. I fell in love once per school; the first one - the relationship lasted exactly two months (and the pain lasted much longer), and the second one happened to be my wife when I began trusting women and relationships again (our Love will celebrate 32 years on October 22nd - when both of us realized we had met "the one" - but I already knew it on the evening of the 19th). Every fall, I revisit my past to make sure I learn from it, and to "tweak" myself if I feel I haven't. 34 years ago today, I was a Freshman at Simpson, a Pledge of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and in love with a Sorority Pledge (a Tri-Delt); 32 years ago today, I was a Junior at NWMSU and had not yet met Jill (it would be another 23 days). Both experiences defined me as a person, and I believe those experiences made me a much better Father, a Husband and a human being. I learned the correct way to handle disappointment (although it was very painful), and I learned how to conduct myself in the presence of others. This was indeed a "growing up" period for me, and I came out of that period for the better, and have tried to instill this in Josh and Jordan while they were in their formidable years.
So why did I use today's quote? Simply put: it took me until these past 6 months to hold stock only in what I can control today. I am 52, and it's taken me this long to learn. Now, I still remember everything that has happened to me going back to 1959 (born on 8/13/58); (for example) in 1976: August 28th, September 3rd, September 22nd, September 25th and November 22nd; in 1978: January 16th, October 19th, 21st and 22nd; in 1979: January 1st (the horrific accident on New Year's Day that completely changed my facial features, learning how to talk and form words all over again - but without the lifelong lisp that I used to have, and learning NEVER to take life for granted EVER again, for I shouldn't have survived that accident - but I did through the grace of God!). The only reason I make sure NEVER to forget those days is that they were INSTRUMENTAL in developing who I am today. However, I now live for the present, ever mindful of the lessons I have learned through the past. Tomorrow hasn't happened yet, and yesterday is gone and I can no longer worry about what happened a second ago, but I CAN REMEMBER and LEARN from my life's experiences - and as long as I am alive, I will continue to do so. For the record, I support Simpson College because I learned more about life in 3 semesters than I did in the 5 semesters and 2 summer sessions at Northwest (but I am very proud to be a Bearcat, just as I am proud to be a Redman/Storm). It's just that life was so hard at Simpson (not a Campus Leader), yet so easy at Northwest (a Campus Leader in every way) at a MUCH larger school (780 at Simpson in 1976-77; 5,500 at NWMSU in 1979-80).
My memory? That'll be in a Blog posting down the road. For now, I leave you with this - for those who would love to have a high-functioning photographic memory (with all the bells and whistles imaginable), think again - and be careful what you wish for!
Congratulations to my Kansas City Chiefs! Great game today - from the opening kickoff to the final second! I am proud of all of you! (And while I'm at it, the Bearcats are 2-1 for the season, and the Storm is 1-3. They'll get better - I have faith in Coach Glo!)
Think about it . . .
Yogi: 9/26/2010 3:52PM CDT
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