Voices of Humility

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DocStram

DocStram

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Joined
Feb 16, 2006
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
This past weekend I was trying to finish up a chapter for the book I'm working on with two colleagues. The chapter is called "Voices of Humility". While writing the chapter I found myself reflecting on mistakes I have made and the lessons of humility that I learned.

I was taking a break from the chapter when my phone rang.

A year ago, harsh words and angry posts in IAP ended a friendship with somebody special. Just as I was finishing the chapter on Saturday afternoon my phone rang, I picked it up and the voice said, "Doc?".

That was all I had to hear. We cleared the air with each other and resumed our friendship.

If I had just waited a 20 minutes before hitting the "reply" button, we wouldn't have wasted 12 months of friendship.

There's a Lyle Lovett song that goes.... "words are like poison, they sink down inside you". Think about it the next time you're ready to fire away.
 
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That's great Doc... In my younger days I would blast away... knee jerk reactions without any thought at all of the consequences... and there are still a few out there that I think about that still dislike me for my brainless tirades... Becoming a Moderator of a forum finally woke me up, and forced me to engage my brain before hammering away at the keyboard...

Good post Doc... thanks...
 
Glad to hear the good news Doc. The two hardest words to say in society today are "I'm sorry".


BTW your signature is great, still gets me laughing. Did it leave a mark?
 
Doc, your story reveals the true beauty of this group. A true friend is someone that knows everything about you, but likes you anyway.
 
Thanks for this post Al.

Just sharing this. LOML's favorite quote.

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The Practice of Humility by Mother Teresa

"These are the few ways we can practice humility:
To speak as little as possible of oneself.
To mind one's own business.
Not to want to manage other people's affair.
To avoid curiosity.
To accept contradictions and correction cheerfully.
To pass over the mistakes of others.
To accept insults and injuries.
To accept being slighted, forgotten and disliked.
To be kind and gentle even under provocation.
Never to stand on one's dignity.
To choose always the hardest."
~Mother Teresa (excerpt from "The Joy in Loving")

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Al,
Great post, and enjoy all the comments following..

My philosophy is very similar... Life is short, true friends are a very rare commodity.. sometimes it's better to be "wrong" even if you are right.
The old saw, "never go to bed angry" can or maybe should apply here as well as with our relations with our loved ones.

This is a great resource for those rare gem of friends, I know no one here personally, and have only met a very few.. but I enjoy every encounter I make on the IAP, the TPS and any other of the wood turning forums I belong to.

I'm glad you were able to set your friendship right again. Good for you both.
 
Doc
When I read the subject of this post, my first thought was, is this about me trying to get a great CA finish?
Anyway, I love stories like this. Thanks for sharing.
 
Doc,thats just great for both,him for making the call and you for answering.The thing about freinds is that you never lose them they just are sometimes misplaced. I think I know who your misplaced freind was.
 
There is nothing like that first step. Not only does it take a great person to offer the olive branch it takes an equal one to accept. Everyone need a little color in their life and Doc you have just added a palette.

Mike & Linda
 
Thanks for this post Doc. I hope it will help remind us all just how important our friends really are in our lives!! Both of you deserve the happiness brought by great friendships :)

Linda
 
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