"it's easy when you know how." - charlie chaplin


that's true, to an extent. limitations are a tricky thing to deal with. physical limitations. mental. it's tough to deal with, very humbling, when i am reminded that i am getting old. not old, old. just older. i was reminded of this thursday night, as i often am, when playing in a church league basketball game. you see, charlie, i know how to play basketball, but i don't know if it's easy. not anymore. not that basketball was ever my best sport, but i knew how to play and could usually overcome my "whiteness" because i knew how to play. for those of us that take sports seriously, we will all reach a point where the mind and body don't click as one anymore, and that is frustrating. i see a pass. i see a passing lane. most times i make it. but there are those times that it takes just a click too long for by body to respond to my brain and i screw up. the lane closes. i make the pass too late. limitations are a tricky thing to deal with. i do like the challenge, though. i always have. to be confident even though i am not the best athlete. to know that my team will win just because i think it. no matter the sport. no matter the game. softball season is just over a month away. we have a title to defend. i can't wait. and even though we haven't had the best basketball season this year, i bet we'll bounce back. why? because i know how.

a cool story that i haven't told anyone about yet...

...the kind of thing that doesn't usually happen to me. the kind of thing preachers usually make up in order to help out a sermon that hasn't filled it's "feel good" quotient...

i am in the store wednesday. it's close to lunchtime, but i've only had one customer so far. a lady. a regular. i knew what she wanted before she opened her mouth and she liked that. a few minutes later, a man comes in. judging a book by it's cover, he looked like your normal 40-ish year old guy. 'til he opened his mouth. it was like his mouth and brain were in a brutal fistfight. i had heard stuttering before, but nothing like this. the amount of physical energy it took him to get words out was absolutely astonishing. it took me aback, but patiently i waited on him, gave him the lowdown on how the store worked, took his order, talked as much as he wanted to, took his money, and said thanks. he walked over to the regular that had already been served and sat down. i was a little confused, but didn't think too much of it. as they were leaving, the lady asked for my attention and told me in so many words, "that is the most patience that i have seen anyone give my brother in a very long time. thank you very much. it made his day. i think you'll see him again soon." i told her no problem and that i would look forward to seeing them both soon, and they left. a definite feel good moment.

limitations are a tricky thing to deal with. compared to some, my limitations are very, very minimal. i hope, most days, that i can be the kind of person that makes other's limitations easier to deal with. to ease their burden. to lighten their load. whatever that might be. it may be a speech impediment. a bad back. a bad day. whatever.

"it's easy when you know how."

true.