Can we please have a straight talk? I mean, the holidays are coming up, the fires are out, rain is falling, the power is on and we are all still above ground. Everything else can be solved as long as we listen to the great philosopher and ex-Creekside student Warren Kelsey who posted this on Facebook the other day:
3 things you don’t want to accept
-Your weight is a reflection of your daily habits.
-Your wealth is a reflection of your daily habits.
-Your mood is a reflection of your daily habits.
90% of the problems in your life are your fault.
Excuses won’t solve anything.
Did you read it and feel it the way I did? Initial anger followed by denial followed by “Hmmmm, maybe it’s kinda true.” followed by “OK, how can I do better?”
Think about the happy people you know. Not fake-happy like what you see posted on social media but the real happy people, the ones who seem to be living well most of the time, who are healthy, and who make enough money to treat you to lunch. What do these people have in common?
When I think of successful friends and students there are some simple common traits. Hard working, respectful, genuine, empathetic, curious, balanced and intelligent. Now of course people can be dealt shitty hands, one of the most vibrant women I know was recently diagnosed with cancer, but has that derailed her? No, she is doing everything she can to stay positive so that she can kick cancer’s ass. Come celebrate Lorene tonight, Thursday the 12th, 6-10 at the Moose Lodge. “Excuses won’t solve anything”.
“But Walt, it’s just not that simple, I can only control so much.” Well, that is just not true. You control what goes in your body and what that body does through the day. Not happy with your weight or job or mood, log off this site right now and go for an hour long walk and think about what you are here for. Even if you have never thought about it, you have a purpose in life, if you didn’t you wouldn’t be here.
After an hour you won’t be thinner or healthier or have a better job but you will be moving in the right direction. Then if you continue to walk every day, you will get thinner and healthier and maybe you can think of why you are on this giant spinning ball and move toward more wealth or a better mood.
I have Word-Document-Backlog right now. It happens whenever my ADD brain comes up with the greatest idea for a blog then I open a new document, add in a few lines then save it at the bottom of my computer. Currently I have 20 years of Thanksgiving (a big humble brag about making dinner for students), Rewriting History (A reaction to Fake News and Tarentino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollowood”), Religion (How polarization is rooted in religion and has been forever), Impeachment (Snooze) and this gem about personal responsibility.
For whatever reason, these topics either get swallowed up in other writings or I get tired of trying to complete them and press delete. And there is the message I want to get across, you can always press delete. In fact, sometimes you should press delete.
If you believe in our Democracy and are following what is coming out of Washington how can you not be disgusted? The system is broken and instead of working on a solution, we are swimming in the sewer lobbing turds at one another. We know exactly what will happen in the Impeachment hearing (House Yes, Senate No, American people angry and polarized-tired of this yet?).
How about working to change the Electoral College so that every vote matters? Or finding new sources of energy? Or finding a cure for cancer? Imagine working together to beat a common enemy. Excuses won’t solve anything.
Will Greta Thunberg winning Time’s person of the year make any difference? Doubt it but inspiring a generation to walk out of class in protest every Friday might. We should have solved climate change and many other problems (including curing cancer) years ago but we have been focused on the wrong things, things that do not move society forward. Yes, it’s nice to be able to watch “Hustlers” on my phone while waiting for my Laser hair removal appointment but is it really progress? No.
Think about what is really important to you this holiday season. If you don’t know then start with that. Next, make it your problem and take responsibility for finding a solution. Finally, do the work. Excuses won’t solve anything.
Walt Williams is in it for the money, that and the prestige that goes with 22 years of teaching in California high schools (he’s not the smartest tool in the shed). He firmly believes in more standardized testing and that fitting all students into the same box is really the answer. He strongly supports fracking and that climate change is a fantasy made up by hippie liberals, also that the military needs more funding and that schools should just stop whining.