Get Back Up

Have you ever had your bell rung? It can be a mind clearing experience. Have you ever rung someone else's? It can be scary. I've experienced both and found out you can learn from these unfortunate situations, if you decide to get back up.

One night as a teenager, I decided to tuck a pillow under my arm and tried to score an imaginary touchdown in my bedroom. For some reason, I decided to leap while attempting to score. The result was my head slamming on the doorframe and my feet sailing through the air. There was a horrific thud as my body slammed to the floor. I laid in silence, but it was only for a brief moment as I heard my dad’s footsteps coming up the stairs. Suddenly, I was miracously healed. Fear of my father motivated me to get back up.

When I was in my twenties, I was warming up to pitch in a softball game when a throw got away from me. The ball had sailed over a snack stand and directly behind it were bleachers full of spectators. Quickly, I ran to retrieve the ball. To my horror, I found my coach’s mother-in-law laying in her daughter's arms. At first glance I thought I had killed her, thankfully she was fine after the headache wore off. The realization I needed to improve (and of course, practice in the opposite direction of the fans) motivated me to get back up and eventually pitch again.

One very early morning a few years ago, as I attempted to get up for work, I lost my balance and banged my forehead squarely onto a desk. I felt like Goliath lying on the floor as I waited for the room to stop spinning. The commotion apparently woke my wife and she asked, "What are you doing?" Not having a good reply I got up, dusted myself off and left for work. Embarrassment motivated me to get back up again.

We all suffer setbacks from time to time and some more serious than others. Perhaps the best advice is to follow this Chinese proverb, “Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up.”

Swavel