I will tell you upfront when it comes to communicating with me, you have to be very basic, give it to me straight, that way we’ll both win. Don’t use parables, poems, or inferences…say what you mean and by all means, mean what you say. You would be wise not to make any assumptions and please, dot every “I” and cross every last “T”. No, this is not to say that I am simple, stupid, or anything of the sort. It’s just me being incredibly transparent and honest because there are times, a lot of times, when I just don’t get it; simple as that.
As it turns out, one of my “don’t get it moments” just so happened to be what I now know to be a turning point in my life. A friend of mine had given me what she thought was clear direction on an important matter and you guessed it, this guy, based on what I was told thought I did everything right only to come to find out that I actually dropped the ball.
She brought it to my attention and we went back and forth on what was supposed to be done, what got done and how in God’s name, I let things go so horribly wrong. The conversation raged for what seemed like hours but I know it was only a few precious minutes with her stating her case and all the while becoming increasingly frustrated.
How did I handle the situation you ask, well I tried (unsuccessfully I might add) to get her to see that a mistake, an omission, a misstep on my part was not done purposefully…I just didn’t understand. Back and forth we went with her now talking over me and me over her as we both tried to win what could, at this point, only be classified as a loss for both sides.
Confused and by this time, frustrated I asked her why she was having such a hard time believing that a simple mistake could have been made on my part, that somewhere along the lines through no fault of mine, translation was lost. She turned and shouted, “How could you not understand what I meant?” What she said next struck me to my very core.
“Lynn…YOU are a writer”…
From that moment on, whatever she said was a blur…in a respectful way it was nothing more than a bunch of garbled noise. I don’t remember a word of it…I was stuck on that powerful epiphany that filled the void where conversation once lived, a door that up until that point had only been cracked but based on a simple misunderstanding, had now swung wide open. Oh sure, I had scribbled down a couple of things on social media, got 10 likes here and 3 or 4 shares there but I thought nothing of it.
“Lynn…YOU are a writer…”
For years, friends and family members would ask that I compose letters, help out with a project, freshen up a resume or proposal but I never thought those requests to be anymore than what they turned out to be. Little did I know that each one was a push, a gift, God beautifully guiding me as only He can toward what He called me to be.
“Lynn…YOU are a writer”…
I had this job once where I was misemployed as a technical person, developing solutions and doing all kinds of geeky things. Can I be honest with you? I hated every minute of it and it showed. One day just to keep me busy (and employed) the Team Leader gave me the task of writing our response to a rather large bid. No problem as I was always a good workplace soldier and I dutifully went about the business at hand. When I was done, he complimented me saying in all his years, it was the best he had seen. That company eventually downsized and I lost my job but I took that skill (which I now know to be a gift) and built an entire business around it but more out of defiance and a lack of trust in Corporate America than a true recognition of a God-given talent.
“Lynn…YOU are a writer”…
I live with my eyes and ears wide open, looking for this, listening for that that I shape and mold those experiences and pass them on to incredibly beautiful people like you with the hopes that in some small way, your life, your journey will become that much more fulfilling.
So who am I you ask?
I am a child of God…
A proud son…
A younger brother…a good brutha…
A lover of sports…
I’m the guy who likes his food at room temperature…microwaves and stoves are nice but I’ll take mine, especially if it’s pizza, at room temperature.
A book lover…I read books because it opens my mind…
I’m a marathon runner…that’s a place where you can find a lot of missing things, missing things that can make you whole again.
A mentor…who was once mentored.
A good friend…and on this journey, maybe I can become yours but first, allow me to introduce myself.
