Coming of Age

My nephew turned 18 yesterday and is planning on joining the military when he graduates High School.  That is a very difficult decision to make when you are only 18 years old, but it is only the first of many difficult decisions that we will have face once we become adults.

When I was a young man, I lived on my own from the time I was 16 ½ years old. Being on my own gave me both the freedom to make my own decisions and also forced me to be careful about the decisions I made. There was nobody to pay my debts and nobody to bail me out if I got in control. Unfortunately, despite being a good person at heart, I did make some bad decisions along the way that were very painful.

I remember it like it happened yesterday. I had made a string of bad decisions over a period of a few years that threatened my health and my career. And despite being a normally positive and cheery fellow, I had fallen into a full-blown depression. So I decided to hike to my favorite spot near the top of Black Mountain in San Diego and try to sort things out. I sat down on a rock and as I thought about my life and my future, I began to cry. How did I get so far off track? How could I be so stupid? But I didn’t just sit there, I prayed, and I prayed hard. I prayed for forgiveness, and I prayed for strength, and I prayed for wisdom. And then I prayed for forgiveness some more. When I finished, I opened my eyes and noticed that a hang-glider was soaring slowly over head. Black Mountain was a favorite spot for the early daredevils of the gliding sport and something about the beauty and the freedom of the man flying effortlessly through the sky touched me inside. To me it was a sign… a sign that if man could fly… maybe anything was possible!

I made a decision that very moment to write down all the things that a man should strive to be. It would represent my character and become my personal code of honor. It would be my own personal rules for living life, that I would honor for the rest of my life. I am happy to say that it instantly changed my life and put me on the path to become the man God planned for me to be when he planted me on this earth. In honor of my nephew’s birthday, I would like to share some of these simple rules for being a good man (or woman) that I wrote down nearly 40 years ago. They won’t keep you from making bad decisions, but they will help you find the path in your life that leads to hope, happiness and good health. (By the way, I still carry it with me… that faded yellow piece of paper with the simple words written on it so many years ago.)

Be true to your God, and true to yourself.            

Be honest at all times and fair to everyone you know.

Stand by your friends and family regardless of potential harm to yourself.

Never use illegal drugs or abuse alcohol.

            

Never steal or take anything that does not belong to you.

Never lie or hold back the truth when it could harm another person.

                    Commit to a healthy lifestyle, stay fit.                         

Give as much as possible to those less fortunate.

Sometimes the questions are complicated, but the answers are simple.

~ Dr. Seuss