Give what you didn’t get

Chapter 149

Give more. 

Give what you didn’t get. 

Love more. 

Drop the old story. - Garry Shandling

This chapter is being written on Christmas Day 2019. No idea when I might publish it as a blog or in a book or if ever. So if you happen to be reading this, know that it was written on Christmas. That is important because this is a perfect subject for Christmas Day.

To me, this short poem by Garry Shandling is epic. Especially since he evidently had a very difficult childhood - lost a sibling in childhood, emotionally disturbed mother, years filled with anguish. While most people have difficult pieces and events in their childhood, few deal with what Shandling dealt with as a kid.

That makes this recipe all the more potent. Because he chose not to repeat those injuries, he led a much different life, and influenced millions with his choices. If a person like my wife, with a perfect childhood, chooses to live like this, that is easy to understand. But when a person whose childhood was so painful makes a decision to live like this, that is inspiring!

So on this Christmas Day 2019, I sit here looking back on my life and my choices, what I could control and what I couldn’t, and I realize that I could and can Give more and Love more. But the Give What You Didn’t Get and the Drop The Old Story parts, have been central to my life. 

We all need to take a moment and intermesh these ideas more deeply in our lives, adjusting as necessary.

Give more. 

Give what you didn’t get. 

Love more. 

Drop the old story. - Garry Shandling