"Yesterday's the past. Tomorrow's the Future, but today's a gift, that's while its called the present." Bill Keane

Last week's Weblog, featuring Boston slanguage generated a number of responses, most of them favorable and/or nostalgic in nature. Several people identified phrases and words that were omitted, so be on the lookout for 'Wicked Pissah Part 2' because I like hammering the same topic over and over.

This week's edition is a version of one of the earliest Weblogs. I have added to it since I am older and wiser than the message from three years ago. Sometimes when I share an opinion, some disagree, but what you are about to read, is hard to argue with because...you'll see.

We are all persistent. We all pound our way through obstacles and problems. Some of us brag about how resilient we are or how tough we can be when faced with problems, or how we've responded under intense pressure. All of what we say and believe is true. 

We can think of dozens of times we didn’t give up, didn’t back down, or didn’t buckle under extreme situations. As proud as we are of the things that we were able to overcome, sometimes or many times in our life, we have been faced or will be faced with a mountain we are not strong enough to climb or a river that is too deep for us to cross or a wave that is too big for us to withstand.  

It happens.

You can be the toughest person on the deck, (or the meanest SOB in the valley, as some say) but when the biggest wave hits; your resolve will not keep you dry. 

Many times in our lives, the size of the wave we are facing is simply too big for us to withstand. It could be the birth of a premature baby. It could be a serious personal crisis. It could be an inherited disease. 

It could be an addiction. It could be a financial crisis. It could be rejection by a loved one. It could be the loss of a job. It could be the death of someone close. It could be any of a thousand major 'waves' that sweeps us away.

There are times in our lives we will face a wave bigger than we have faced before and it will knock us over. There is no shame in being overwhelmed by a big wave. Houses, beaches, and roads have all been destroyed by big waves. Cities have been devastated by waves bigger than expected. The recent earthquake in Turkey is a horrific example of something that no amount of toughness can withstand.

What separates the mediocre from the good and the great from the near-great is what happens AFTER the wave hits. How quickly and solidly the road, or country, is rebuilt, how soon the life is put back together or how effectively the beach is restored. 

The list of big waves thrown at us is almost endless:

• The entrepreneur who loses it all and then rises again. 
• The addict who kicks the habit and stays clean. 
• The town that was hit by a tornado and comes back bigger and better than ever.
• The pitcher who has arm surgery and makes it back to the big leagues. 
• The person who is fired and then comes back to lead the company.
• The child who has leukemia and beats it.   

Those are also examples of the people and things in our society that we really admire. Everyone gets knocked down and will continue to be knocked down. We admire most those who overcome adversity to succeed. 

I admit that when you are lying flat on your back after taking one of life’s devastating blows, it can be hard at that moment to realize it was the size of the wave, and not you. But the length of time between being knocked down and getting back up obviously determines how quickly you will return to where you belong. 

So, the next time you are faced with a mountain too high, or a river too deep or a wave too big for you to handle, remember that what you need to do is focus not on what you just didn’t do, or couldn’t do, but what you need to do next. 

Many years ago, my four-year-old son got it right. I was sitting on a lawn chair in the front, and he was riding his tricycle around and he rolled up to me and said: “It’s always today, isn’t it Dad?”  

Yes, Joey, it is always today.

Yesterday is gone, and what you did or didn’t do then is not nearly as important as what you do today or tomorrow. 

What happened yesterday determines your history. 

What happens today determines your future, and you determine what happens today. 

You determine what happens today, and it is always today.

If a four-year-old could recognize that, it should be easy for us.



May all your waves be small, and your resolve be strong, today.