Jay Leno can turn any night into a late night for me. When the alarm clock goes off the next morning, I hear myself saying three, little words, "It can't be" - but it is. As I crawl out of bed, I wish I could hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign around my neck. Because I mournfully realize I won't see my pillow again for at least seventeen hours, I promise to end my relationship with Jay.
Some days are so tightly planned they could explode if someone sneezed. When someone does sneeze, I pretend not to hear. When one of my sons groaned he didn't feel good, I silently groaned, "No, not today". If his temperature was one hundred, I'd try to convince myself he'd feel better after he showered and got dressed. When he sneezed again and the day started crumbling around me, I realized I didn't feel good either.
I'd feel terrific if I had a dollar for every time I said to my sons, "Say thank you". I'd have sent my seemingly ungrateful sons postcards from exotic countries, where I'd be saying thank you in various languages.
Instead, my boys were saying, "It wasn't me". In my house drinking glasses broke themselves, books got themselves lost and the dish obviously did run away with the spoon.
I wanted to run away when it was time for homework. My sons' homework was a succession of "Why's". The older they got, the more I said, "I don't know". By the time they were in middle school, I thought I should go back to school.
Maybe I'd know what to do if I listened to one of my neighbors. Maybe I'd know my dog was barking, my garage door was open and my grass needed watering. Sometimes I want to shout at her, "Get a life" - but not mine.
Thank goodness for my answering machine. It says three, little words for me - "Knight's not home". Often I am home, but I don't want to be bothered. The answering machine gives me time. You can't buy time, but you can buy an answering machine.
If you are online, you can find even more of these people than there were back in the day...you know, when you had to go to a bookstore or a library and actually read a book? Yeah, there's all kinds of answers to questions you never even thought of asking. Gurus and pitchmen on every virtual street corner, and it's sometimes very hard to tell them apart. On top of it all, here I AM, telling you that I know THE secret about, and I quote (myself), "Three Little Words For Lifelong Health, Wealth, And Happiness".
How brazen is that?
Well, I don't have all the answers to every mystery of the universe, but over the years, I have been somewhere near the lowest lows a man can reach, and I have soldiered my way back up to a point where I am happily married, have a great family (including grandkids), make an excellent income, and, even at age 62, feel like I am in the best health and at the best fitness level of my life.
I read a lot of those gurus and listened to tapes and CD's, watched videos and DVD's, and kept my eyes open as I wandered down life's pathways. A lot of what I learned didn't manifest itself until long after I had been exposed to the original concept. Sometimes I put two and two together like the manual said, and came up with seven, twelve, or minus five. Eventually, however, I figured out what I was doing wrong and began coming up with a string of fours.
I learned that there are a lot of helpers to success and happiness in this world, but that's what most of them are...helpers. Underlying every collection of bricks that built the establishment of success in any endeavor, there was a mortar that held everything together so that it did not collapse into a pile of useless rubble. Sometimes the mortar was too thin, or applied too late and the structure fell anyway, but, once the technique was learned, a new edifice could be erected.
As I was casting about for a way to state this principle, I discovered that it was embedded in three little words I heard long ago. I just had spent several years reaching the realization that this little phrase was the ultimate truth that solved the mystery of health, wealth, and happiness.
Now, when I say, "three little words", most people's minds immediately leap to the phrase, "I love you!"
That IS a good one. Saying it to many people, many times, with a genuine, heartfelt belief in the words and what they imply to and about the other person is one good solid brick on which to build a structure of success in many areas...but, it's not what I was looking for.
Ever hear of Carnegie Hall? It's in New York city, and opened in the 1890's. Over the years, while there surely have been events that were bombs, it has hosted some of the finest performers in the world. To be invited to appear at Carnegie hall could often be considered the highlight of any performer's career.
Whether we view Carnegie Hall as a real place that we are striving to reach, or as a symbol of any goal we have set for ourselves, the truth of achieving that goal...to achieve our dreams and desires at that moment and place in history...is symbolized by the following old joke.
A visitor to New York stopped a beatnik (hippie or tramp in other eras) and asked, "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
To which the beatnik replied, "Practice, man. Practice."
Both Knight Pierce Hirst & Donovan Baldwin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Knight Pierce Hirst has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Humour and Internet Marketing. KNIGHT PIERCE HIRST takes humorous looks at life. at. Knight Pierce Hirst's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.
Donovan Baldwin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Women, Health and Bodybuilding Supplements. Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa, and is retired from the U. S. Army. He is the owner of