On my way to lunch yesterday, one of the campus police cars, which was driving the opposite direction, turned on its lights and pulled over right in front of me. With that came the accompanying trepidation that seems concomitant with police encounters wherein I asked myself what I could have possibly done incorrectly now to warrant a visit from the police. To my surprise, he actually got out of his car in order to pay me a compliment. He told me that for several weeks now he's told himself he'd pull over and ask me how much I walk daily and why, and when I told him, he was honestly impressed so much that he told me that I was very fit. You see, he sees the same young people on campus that I do, and despite what people think, I'm probably in better shape than most of the kitten caboodle physically, financially, ecumenically, spiritually, and grammatically. I do different things, and some people may consider those weird, but we all too often forget that others may consider us odd reciprocally. I was surprised to see this officer spin his words positively since I encounter so many police who unjustly ascribe evil to men and expect to find it when they scrutinize you, but this gentleman stopped in order to praise me. He showed me that the officers who responded when I was mugged and robbed in May were not the exception, because he's learned to look beyond the outward appearance and notice other things not easily ascertained by the eye untrained. It was an interesting and positive experience in many ways.
Different does not denote deficient. Shakespeare wrote that each has his entrance and exit, and I believe that everyone has his own strengths, and we ought to play to those. I am a Germanic Nord, and my build supports that. My hiking buddy thinks I was built to be a warrior, and so I do most of what I do in order to build endurance and with an eye towards the long game. Most of what I do vocationally and financially has an eye on events and dates many years if not decades out in the future. If you want a better future, there are things you must start today. Plants cannot sprout from seeds you did not sow. Fruits cannot spring unless you nurture first the bough. I have decided to grow different plants that bear different fruits, and those are not necessarily unworthy ones. I find them worthy. Whose life am I supposed to live? Whose preferences am I supposed to keep? In the absence of other opportunities, responsibilities, and duties, I choose to plant a garden, walk my errands, and spend my time burning calories because I know that while most attempts to spin relationships out of nothing will bear no fruit, investments in myself will bear some fruit at least, and most of it will be good fruits. The officer praised me for what I do as an educator; I thanked him for his work in law enforcement. I think it's very telling and interesting how many of these men, who all earn more than I do, look up to and respect me as a member of higher education. I think it's interesting and telling how many of my elders approve of most of my decisions and that virtually every finance article says I've done the right things for a good financial future except for having a good partner.
Denotation makes a great deal of difference. The officer praised my dedication and tenacity and pointed out that he believes it makes me better fit. I pointed out to him that recently other people decided to refer to this as obsession. My mother asked me last Sunday if having a fitbit made me obsessed, I answered quickly and emphatically yes it does. However, it also gives me feedback, and more importantly, it gives me measurable data that I use to gauge my progress and achievement potential. Before the fitbit, I had no idea what my basal metabolic rate might be, and now I know I burn 1920 kcal/day STAYING ALIVE, which means I can eat more than the USRDA of foods if I'm active and not pay the price. You call it obsession; I call it information. You call it fanaticism; I call it tenacity. You call it routine; I call it discipline. The police officers on campus have decided to respect and esteem me for my efforts. I guess you can paint it how you like.
There is more to it than meets the eye. When I first started walking everywhere, it was summer 2015, and it was hot outside. One night, when my brother called me during my walk home and noticed that I was breathing heavily and asked how hot it was outside, even I thought I was completely nuts. At first, people looked down on me, like I was homeless or poor, but they eventually stopped worrying I was there to rob the place or even check my receipts as I came several days per week, bought groceries, and returned home. Now, I even get a slight discount for using my own bags. However, there are still some people, most noticeably young, attractive women, who take this as a sign that I am unable to run errands in a car because I don't own one. Likewise, the exercise I do isn't blatantly obvious. In summer of 2015, when I took a Canadian lad up to the peak at Mt. Charleston and returned in under nine hours, many forest service personnel were rightly and noticeably impressed. However, note-worthily, the young, attractive, skinny female supervisor was not. Like too many her age, she judges fitness by her eyes and not by experience, and so when we hiked together and I drove, I think that was one of the first times she started looking at me differently. I asked my dad years back if I should worry about speed or distance, and he advised me to train for the long haul, and I believe he was correct, at least for me. I see no point in driving to a store, risking a wreck, fighting for a parking place, waiting in lines, and spending more gas than is necessary for a trip that takes me barely longer to walk. Sure, sometimes it's colder or hotter than I like, but since I am outside all the time, I become accustomed to it, and I have a very nice tan for a Nord.
Last year, God sent me a Christmas Card telling me I was perfect the way I was, and this year He sent a police officer. I found it well timed after a phone conversation I had Wednesday during which a female coworker of my faith essentially blamed my plight on my attitude. Far too many people seem to see deficiencies in me and use words that denote negative meanings. Even when some of them know about what has happened, they like to feed me trite aphorisms and presume that good ideas never cross my mind or that I don't do them. You don't become a good man by making habits of bad things. If I am a good guy, it's because I make a habit of doing good things. One cannot make a quality product from rotten ingredients. Especially at Christmas, it's nice to get some positive perspective, friendly feedback, and inspiring introspection. After this exchange and some prayer, I realized that the fault in my case does not lie in myself. Sure, I could be happier, more optimistic, and expect good things now; I do expect good things, but I temper that with an understanding that I may have to wait until judgment day in order to reap what I sow, especially when other people are free to make choices that hurt me, however accidental those decisions may be. Excellence is a habit. I am excellent. I hope that the people who felt otherwise find excellence on the paths they choose. I know things will one day be bright for me. I'm certainly working very hard for it, and if a police officer can notice and take time out of his day to come and tell me, maybe that's God trying to send me a message too that He who seeth in secret will surely reward me openly.
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