A Funny Looking Guy

My "Frankly Scarlet" day lilies are blooming!

Last night I stumbled upon a PBS special, Excuses Begone by Wayne Dyer. I only caught a few minutes of it, but it was a powerful few minutes. A funny looking guy named Dan Caro was speaking. My first instinct was to surf right past this strange man. But I heard just enough to realize that he was talking about not making excuses. If anyone could reasonably make excuses, it's this fellow. He had no hands, and his face and head were scarred, almost disfigured. I thought I might be able to learn something from him, so I kept listening. As a young boy he was burned horribly in a house fire. He went on to tell how he struggled as a child to learn to tie his shoes. He described his first attempts in kindergarten, along with the rest of his classmates--who of course accomplished the same goal in short order. And then he recounted the first time he successfully tied his shoe laces. At age 12. Seven years later! He considers this the single greatest accomplishment of his life. He didn't say this, but I think it's because of the persistence and perseverance it took. The believing against all reason that it took. The absolute unwillingness to accept the excuses he may have been tempted to make for himself. Or the excuses others may have offered him. The man has no hands! How does someone with no hands and fingers grasp a shoe lace -- let alone do anything with it? Belief. Hard work. Unrelenting practice. Try, try again.

Turns out that Dan Caro is an accomplished musician. He plays the drums! It was awesome to watch and hear! Just imagine what it took for this young man with no hands to learn to play the drums. Belief. Hard work. Unrelenting practice. Try, try again.

"Never, never, never give up."
~ Wintson Churchill ~