Fit By ___

One of my favorite movies is “With Honors”… have you ever seen it? It’s about these college kids that end up taking in a homeless guy and learning more from him than their school. The High Honors student ends up graduating without school honors, but graduating with a different kind of honors. Every time I watch this movie, I am reminded to look to the things that really matter… the things that might seem like nuisances or time wasters. Things like having real conversations with people and really listening or just being present in your daily life without constantly moving on the the next thing. In my job, I have to operate that way… it’s my job, but it’s still a struggle sometimes.

I’m getting off topic, sorry…

A month ago I finished my first Masters Degree (A three year process) and ended up graduating with honors. So what, right?

Let me go back in time a bit…

When I was is grade school, I went to public school until third grade, and after that time my parents transferred me to a private school. I never did well in school, in fact I really struggled. My parents and teachers, noticing my struggle, suggested that I go somewhere with smaller classes so that I could get the attention that I needed. Over the next years of 4th grade through 8th grade, I would spend my time doing normal kid things but also getting tested and figuring out why I didn’t learn the same way as everyone else. I ended up with glasses and a diagnosis of being dyslexic. Basically, I have trouble with reading/ comprehension and seeing words or numbers as they are written/typed. The struggle followed me through High School and on to college. I would fail tests and get so frustrated at reading, that I would quit and fail things.

School was a place of fear, anxiety, and insecurity.

In High School, I never failed a whole class but I would get close. In college I failed each English class I took, the first time.

I would even go as far to say that I didn’t really learn to read until late college. At some point in my final time in college, something clicked and I taught myself how to read. I couldn’t write papers well and every paper that I handed in would look like a murder had taken place on top of it. Anything with words, I hated.

So… what do you do when you are up against the wall unable to move forward because you have real and legitimate things stopping you and pulling you back? (It’s not a trick question)

You keep working until you move. You… keep going!

After college I ended up being a part time writer for a publishing house here in Nashville and even co-authored a book… thus giving the middle finger to all those people who gave me such a hard time in school.

So, when I say that I graduated with honors from a Masters Degree that was all reading and writing… that’s saying something! It’s also giving the middle finger to that religion teacher who said he would NEVER recommend me to go to seminary. Take that sucka!

I know I didn’t talk about food today, but hopefully you can see the parallels. So many of us get pinned against a wall with real problems, but it’s your choice whether or not you stay there against the wall. Even if it seems impossible, you can and will move forward. What’s got you pinned against the wall unable to move?

Just be sure to…

Keep Going!