Failure Is Not The End

Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others. Amelia Earhart

Post written and copyright by Doris McCraw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today at work I had an interesting conversation with a couple. They were fun and gracious. The subject of trying new things, having more than one career became part of the short interlude we shared. It made me remember my parents. They were unique and probably the perfect parents for someone like me. They themselves were far from perfect, but the gifts they gave to their daughter were priceless.

I lost my father in 1978 and my mother in 2011.  I miss them, but also realize they accomplished much in their lives.

I would watch my father maneuver the ins and outs of company and family politics. He did not always succeed, but more times than not, he was able to straddle a fence without getting hurt.  Everyone seemed to like him, and looking back, I believe it was his ability to see both sides and not judge the players in the game to harshly.  To illustrate: I once came home hurt by what someone had said about me.  My father looked at me and calmly said, ” Many times people say hurtful things because they wish they had what you had. They are probably jealous.”

My mother was another type altogether. You did not mess with this lady. She would tell you what she thought, and did not suffer fools gladly. She once told me, “People think I am not being tactful, but if they knew what was in my mind they would realize how tactful I truly am.”

Of all the wonderful and sometimes painful memories I have. The greatest and most precious memory I believe is the conversations with both, individually and together, was the constant reinforcement of the idea that I could do whatever, be whoever I chose. They did not place limits on my abilities. The only requirement they had  was that I be happy and accept responsiblity for my decisions. They made me understand that everything had a consequence, that the consequence was neither good nor bad, it was what I made with those consequences that would make me the person I would become.

So to my mother and father, I thank you for the gift of my music, my writing, my career in corrections, my friendships and my love of life. I think you did a pretty good job. As the quote above says, sometimes you fail, but that failure should be the challenge to try again.

I shall leave you with a quote from Plato: Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence. A reverence for the possibilities of life, where failure is not the end.

 

HOME FOR HIS HEART by Doris McCraw, available from:

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“Film & Photography on the Front Range” : the stories of the people who made film and photograph history on the Colorado Front Range. You can buy online at: http://www.amazon.com