Failure is Fuel.

“I’ve failed many times in my life and career, and because of this, I’ve learned a lot.  Instead of feeling defeated countless times, I’ve used it as fuel to drive me to work harder.  So today, join me in accepting our failures.  Let’s use them to motivate us to work even harder– Phil Mickelson 12 days before winning a Major Championship at 50 years old.

Good morning, it’s me, Andy T., my kickball name, people always want to know, do you go by Anson or Andy and I say flip a coin.  If you knew me as a kid, I’m Andy; if you met me as an adult, I’m Anson.  Either way, I’m me, you are you, and a name is just a name. I would be remiss if I didn’t share that my dog is eating a cow penis.  They are called Pizzels; before getting PVHT, I did not know such a thing; I start this week enlightened.

We hung out yesterday morning and walked our pup; we took a long walk before buying some bread for our family; we headed east to my wife’s mother’s home.  We were going to shoot some guns.  Hey, it’s Indiana; it’s what we do!  Summertime in Indiana means road construction; there is no longer a clear path; you have to be on your game to navigate this world.

We arrived in Richmond, Indiana, about 1:00 p.m.; we sat outside; when we arrived, Remmy, my mother-in-law’s dog, always wants me to throw rocks in the pond so he can retrieve them.  We brought PVHT, and when she saw Rem in the pond, her mind was opened.  PVHT had never swum, but seeing Rem, she jumped in the pond and began swimming.  We sat on the deck, our friend Cindy showed up from Cincinnati, and we gather ourselves and our guns to go to the woods and shoot.

Cindy and I walked the quarter-mile back, my wife and her mother took a gator.  Wally and Kay Kay took their jeep.  We met back by the shed in the woods; Wally put up the targets and got out our first gun.  He’s an instructor; he showed us how to load it, how to hold it, how to shoot it.  As a newer dog owner, I did not think to bring treats; we went to shoot guns; I didn’t know the impact on our dog—shame on me.

As we began shooting, our dog was stressed; after a few rounds, she headed back to the house for a long hike; it was a safe place with no loud noises.  I left our group and followed her back to the house.  As I walked to the home, she saw me and made a beeline towards me. Not noticing the creek, she face-planted into a large rock and began bleeding profusely.

The rest of the crew were shooting; I was a little concerned about my pup.  She kept using her hands (she has hands) and scratching her snout.  I thought she broke her nose when diving in the creek.  After a few minutes of angst, the bleeding stopped; I got her a treat, put her safely in her crate, and walked back to connect with my crew.

By the time I returned, they were shooting 38’s.  I learned how to load it, hold it, and shoot it, and I was not bad.  My wife is a better shot than I; add that to the list of things my Queen can do better.  We shot a few guns; one had a “laser” I like lasers.  On April 25th of 1965, my wife’s father traveled to Colorado Springs and bought her a Winchester 410.  It was a gift for his two-year-old baby girl.

Yesterday, we opened the box for the first time; we found the receipt, loaded it, and shot it for the first time.  Wally had worked with her dad to find the gun; I think Jerry was watching us with glee from someplace people no longer on this earth occupy.  We got home, and I saw where Phil Mickelson had won a major at 50.  Cheers Lefty, way to go for us old folk.  Some of us still have gas in our tank.

We watched American Idol before heading to bed.  Our favorite won, the top three were all solid; we were happy if any of them won, but we liked our guy.  It was a three-hour show; we got to bed late, we both slept in a little.  I was reminded yesterday that nothing good happens after midnight; my two “sense” was nothing good happens after 9:00 p.m. our bedtime.

I’ll end by sharing a conversation I had with our youngest kid.  She shared she had two weeks off between graduation and when she started her job.  She said, “Dad, I don’t think I will ever retire; having nothing to do, nothing to hold you accountable is not fun; I hated not working.”   I told her that work gave life meaning.  When you work, your life gains purpose.  Don’t work all the time, but work to contribute to society; not everyone has that in their DNA.  And don’t view your job as work; view it as another part of your life that adds value to you and your community.

“I’ve failed many times in my life and career, and because of this, I’ve learned a lot.  Instead of feeling defeated countless times, I’ve used it as fuel to  drive me to work harder.  So today, join me in accepting our failures.  Let’s use them to motivate us to work even harder– Phil Mickelson 12 days before winning a Major Championship at 50 years old.