WE CAN LEARN ABOUT A FULL LIFE FROM OUR FAILURES!

October 13th, 2025

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

WE CAN LEARN ABOUT A FULL LIFE FROM OUR FAILURES!

Every now and then we reassess our lives. Especially when you get up an age like me. Hey, I’ve had a good life. But there have been my share of bumps in the road.  The key is do we learn from these trials and tribulations and possibly see some light, or do we wallow in self-pity? Do we all have a little Charlie Brown in us?  Who can forget the Peanuts comic strip where character Lucy sums up her friend.

“You, Charlie Brown, are a foul ball in the line drive of life! You are a miscue!  You are three puts on 18^thgreen!  You are a dropped rod and reel in the lake of life! You are a missed free throw, a shanked nine iron, and a called third strike.”

I sometimes wonder how Lucy would have assessed me. We all have miscues, mistakes we’ve made in the past, and our share of tumblings. But I’ve learned that even though one may suffer brokenness, if you set your mind to it a brighter life can spring from what seemed like despair.

My friend, pastor Max Lucado suggested to me a number of ways that if you break something, some goodness can bring a new beginning. Broken soil gives crops. Broken eggs give life. Broken skies give rain. Broken crayons still color. Broken cocoons give flight. Broken alabaster jars give fragrance. He also suggests that the broken bread of the Eucharist gives Hope.

So how am I doing in my effort to look forward? What can I accomplish at 85 in the coming years when you readers know I am winding down? I do not resume to cram a lot of living in the short period of time I have left. Yes, there’s much I want to do, but at my own pace.  It’s not like I have deadlines to meet outside of this weekly column. But there is a sweetness of life that causes me to return to proficiencies of the past.

I have written extensively, both in short bursts through these weekly columns, as well as longer ramblings in book form. I’ve tried overtime to express my views in a wide range of subjects from marriage to spirituality, to children, issues of value and politics. Yes, there are a number of instabilities that I have ignored. Bob Seger said it best of youth.

Workin’ on mysteries without any clues.

I will continue to write. And expand on my imagination. Hemmingway has a book called “Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy.” Perhaps his title fits me. My boat and I have sailed many seas together. I’ve written about being a soldier of which I’m quite proud. A spy? Maybe not. At least I’m not sayin’. But I will continue to write whatever my talents may be.

At my age, I just need to let go of discovery and relish in pleasures and gratifications of the past. I’m not suggesting that I should slow down, but I hope to relive experiences that I so often have enjoyed.  So that’s my plan. To stay healthy and live a much longer and productive life. I don’t worry about eventually passing away. In fact, I’m not sure we do. Whitman said of old men passing:

          “They are alive and well somewhere, the smallest sprout shows there is

                            really no death, and if ever there was it was, it led to a forward life and

                          does not wait at the end to arrest it.”

 

With my controversial past, a life of highs and lows, and in my twilight years, I’m willing to let the afterlife take care of itself. Sure, I would like to go back, take back and relive so many past decisions and actions. But I’m willing to be judged on the totality of my life. A legacy to leave behind. I’ve told you I’m a sailor. And if the wind does not blow my way, I’ve learned to adjust my sails.

I will visit with you next week in a new column. God bless to all my readers.

Pace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.