What an interesting weekend! So much happened to get my mind on 'speed dial' I debated on my topic this morning.
On Saturday, the sentencing for Brian Nichols was completed. Brian Nichols was convicted of the Fulton County courthouse shooting THREE YEARS ago. I'm not even going to get into the aspects of the trial or the who's or why's of the entire ordeal or why he should or should not have gotten the death penalty. My attention to the outcome and the reason I became glued to the TV to watch as the sentences were read was to see Brian Nichols reaction to it all. I watched his facial movements, expressions, hand gestures, and where he was staring with his cold, dark eyes.
Of course I wondered what he was thinking. Was he sorry? Was he remorseful? It was hard to tell. So I let my mind wonder back many years ago and saw a little boy named Brian Nichols. He was about 5-6 years old. He loved his mom, riding his bike, and school. He was as excited about life and growing up as any 5-6 year old boy could be. Even as a teenager, he could never in his wildest imagination dream that one day he would be sitting in a court room with hundreds of people and thousands more watching him on television to see if he would live or die by the hand of the law. Sitting there, he must have felt like the most hated person in the world. He sat straight and upright. I wondered if he was wishing he could crawl under the table and hide like the little boy he once was. As I sat there watching, I began to feel empathy for Brian Nichols and wondered "where did it all go wrong?" He made a mistake, then another, and another. Does he wish he could go back in time and change things? My thoughts turned to my own life, and I realized how many hundreds of mistakes I have made. No, I never killed anyone or committed heinous crimes. But I have made many mistakes that could have resulted in much different outcomes in my life. I began to be thankful that if given the chance to have a "do over", I believe I would end up pretty much where I am right now in my life. Maybe a little more successful and healthy, but no real dramatic changes.
Then they led him away from the courtroom in cuffs and chains. And I'm not saying he didn't deserve to lose his, but there was just something about watching someone else lose their freedom that made me SO PROUD that I still have mine! I spent the rest of the weekend feeling grateful for my opportunity to live, work, and be free in spite of my mistakes!
By the time I watched the 60 minutes piece and heard the doom and gloom reports for 2009 & 2010, I was mentally in a state of success 'in spite of', and it has not phased me at all. I plan to make 2009 the best year of my career, and I know that I will succeed..as will you!
Join me to Rise and Shine in 2009! And, in the wise words of General Douglas MacAthur..."There is no security on this earth: there is only opportunity."
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