I Should Be Committed

I sat at my daughter’s track meet yesterday and watched the kids in the region giving their all to win their events. There was fall out everywhere, kids limping, ice-packs on pulled muscles, arms over shoulders as cramps were being walked off. I was sitting next to the dad of one of my daughter’s friends and we couldn’t help but wonder at them. He asked me, “Which is more important, talent, hard work or commitment”. I queried, “Without commitment, there wouldn’t be any hard work”, to which he agreed, but we were stumped when it got down to deciding between the other two.

I have actually been stewing on the question a bit anyway. I was with a group of couples several weeks ago, and over dinner we discussed what we would study if we could go back to school. I sat quietly and listened as I had nothing to offer. I left college after my freshman year, choosing to work before and after getting married in that next year. But honestly, if I had told my husband I wanted to complete my education, I would have gotten full support, it’s just that I was relieved to get out. ADD was not understood in those days, I just thought I was dumb. It troubles me both that I have no degree and do desire to get one. Or at least at this point I have not yet thought of a talent of interest I want to work that hard at to get a degree in.

If I am going to get down and ugly with myself, I have to be honest and admit that most of my life I have just wanted to be comfortable. Yep, without ever having really put it quite like that before, that seems to sum up my life. Why go camping? I have a perfectly comfortable bed and who wants to smell like campfire and bug spray? Why would I jog two miles when I can walk the same two and make my doctor and my knees perfectly happy with me? Ever see anyone who was jogging and smiling at the same time? Why in heaven’s name would I buy cheese in a block and go home and shred it when I could buy it already shredded?

I was beginning to look back on my life and think maybe I hadn’t accomplished anything at all, but no, I have given my all to comfort. Hey, and though I may be patting myself on the back, I have worked hard at it! I have scrubbed, polished, shined, organized and decorated 15 homes in the last 30 years, filling them with dusted tables and homemade cookies and amazing people. I may have some talent, at the risk of bragging, I have created a Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that makes people cry like a baby when they eat one. I learned to quilt, so now, over a hundred quilts later, somewhere or another there are warm comfy people wrapped in talent AND hard work.

I am committed, I have a modicum of talent and I am willing to work hard at it. Anyone know a University with a degree in Living the Comfortable Life?