To achieve greatness, you must be willing to grow as an individual and improve yourself. To grow as an individual and improve yourself, you must be willing to expand your skill set and be willing to have many experiences that can improve this skill set. This means that you cannot be afraid to challenge yourself, take reasonable risks, and stepping outside of your “comfort zone.” If you are fearful, you will not reach the greatness you can achieve.
Many people are fearful and hesitant to step outside of their “comfort zones,” preferring to do things that they are familiar with. They prefer to do activities and stay in fields that they are comfortable in, that they know they do well in. Few people prefer to step outside of those zones to try something new, handle new, etc. for a few reasons. One reason is because they fear they will not do well with the new activity or challenge. A second reason is fear of embarrassment because other people may see them struggle with this new activity or challenge. A third reason is that they fear ridicule from people because they struggle with this new activity or challenge.
Fearing taking on new challenges or activities for any of the above reasons or any similar reasons only keeps you from achieving the greatness you can achieve. By not challenging yourself with new tasks and challenges, you will be unable to grow as an individual because you will not learn any new skills to add your skill set. You will continue to excel and be productive in the skills you know, but you won’t expand your skill set to grow as an individual and possibly be even more productive and capable than you currently realize. This is a key reason why you won’t achieve the greatness you are capable of; you won’t even know if you’ll find a better skill you can use to achieve greater goals and accomplishments if you don’t take on new tasks and challenges.
Therefore, fear can stop you from achieving greatness because it hinders your growth as an individual and prevents you from learning more about yourself and increasing your skill set and abilities to handle various tasks and challenges. By being willing to overcome that fear and challenging yourself with new tasks and challenges that get you out of your “comfort zone,” you can grow as an individual and be able to achieve the greatness you can achieve.
I used to pooh-pooh the statement that disaster is everywhere. I read with a great deal of skepticism that disaster was in the streets, inside campuses, and even inside your home. The question is not whether we are safe (because no one is really THAT secure anymore) but whether we can do something to lessen the odds of ever becoming a victim.
I used to laugh at preppers.
We were very happy in our little ranchette in South Central Texas and even laughed in February of 2021 when the weather forecasters predicted a polar freeze coming.
Zap! We were without power for over a week and without water for seven weeks and only got water restored because my son flew in and spent 24 hours repairing the twenty-plus breaks in our line from the well to our house. It took over three months until the plumbers could get to us and inspect his work.
We did not freeze because we had a propane heater in our living area and our bathroom and a propane stove. They operated continuously for three weeks until we could count on electricity again.
We thought it can’t happen again then in Feb 2022, it happened again with a severe ice storm. Although it did not last as long, it still caused significant damage tom our property.
It got me to thinking.
What is a disaster, anyway? By definition, a disaster is any catastrophe or tragedy that occurs (can also be identified as a destruction or calamity). That doesn’t sound good at all, does it? We should be alarmed at the mere mention of this term, and we have good reasons to be because there are so many kinds of disaster.
Name it and it has it. Think of the natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, flood, tornadoes, tsunamis, cyclones, or even fire and, you wouldn’t want this last one, aggression.
So, now, I am starting to invest in some books we found on Amazon to help us survive in case we get involved in another situation. So I am slowly but surely ordering books from this list so we are better prepared. (Full disclosure – have placed this list in an affiliate link where I might get a few pennies if you to order any book from this list.)
We also ordered and received a 90-day supply of emergency food with a 25-year shelf life like the ones on this list (also another affiliate link). I am also looking at ordering more from this list.
I am also looking into putting in a whole house emergency backup power generation system to ensure if the electrical grid goes down again, we will have power.
In conclusion, things are changing and after being the victim of unforeseen circumstances, I am starting to prepare a little at a time.
Virtually everyone wants to achieve greatness, whether it is something monumental that changes the world or just being the best person he/she can be and positively impacting the lives of the people he/she cares about. However, achieving greatness isn’t easy, and it doesn’t come overnight. Learn how making mistakes can help you to achieve the greatness you are capable of.
You may be thinking, “How does making mistakes help me to achieve greatness? Mistakes are usually considered bad or undesirable; how can that lead to greatness?” Mistakes are often considered bad or undesirable by most, but most also realize that they are virtually unavoidable; we are only human, after all, and human beings do make mistakes from time to time- no one is perfect.
When mistakes do occur, you need to learn why the mistake occurred and how to prevent it or similar mistakes from happening in the future. Then, the mistake is worthwhile and can help you to achieve greatness. This is because you know what you need to do to avoid such a mistake, thereby leading you to perform the actions you need to take to achieve your best work and to achieve the greatness you are capable of.
Mistakes are truly bad or undesirable when we repeat the same or similar mistakes repeatedly, as we don’t learn from them. As the old saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” This saying refers to the fact that mistakes are not the bad or undesirable element most make it out to be when we learn why it is a mistake and how it occurred so that we can avoid it in the future. This is how mistakes can help you to achieve greatness.
Therefore, you should not see mistakes as something bad or undesirable, so long as you learn from the experience the first time a mistake occurs so that you can keep the same or similar mistakes from occurring again. Take note of what the mistake is and how it occurred so that you can learn how to take actions necessary to keep the mistake from occurring again. By learning the actions and skills necessary to prevent such a mistake from occurring again in the future, you are taking positive actions that improve your skill set and help you to achieve the greatness you can achieve.
Part Two – How Learning From Failures Can Boost Your Self-Esteem
This is Part Two of a Ten Part series on how to overcome the depressing “Dark Night of the Soul” that some writers and others experience.
Learning from failures can boost your self-esteem because you realize that you can rebound from tough challenges, plus learn valuable skills that can aid you in overcoming future tough challenges more easily. Virtually everyone faces challenges in life; no one has it easy all the time, which means there will be things in your life that will not go as planned. At times, it seems like the whole world is against you and nothing goes in your favor, nothing turns out as planned.
Times like these are bound to bring down your self-esteem and make you question whether you can do high-quality work, achieve your goals, etc. It is at times like these that you need to reflect upon past failures so that you recognize that you have gone through challenging periods before and have the capability and skill set needed to go through them again and be able to come out stronger than ever before.
That is the other key element you must learn when reflecting on your past failures: Learning from them so that you don’t make the same or similar mistakes in the future. When you make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world; on the contrary, you have a learning opportunity to learn what you did wrong or not as well as you could have, then learn how to do the situation better if the same or similar situation arises again.
Learning from your past mistakes can show weaknesses in your skill set that you can strengthen over time through learning from the experience and gaining insight into what you can do better. By learning what you can do better, you can feel more confident in handling the same or similar situations in the future, which can boost your self-esteem.
Therefore, you should not look upon making a mistake as the end of the world, and you should not allow it to bring down your self-esteem either. Everyone makes mistakes; the key is learning from those mistakes so that you don’t make the same or similar ones in the future, plus you improve your skill set so that you can handle the same or similar situations with more confidence and ability in the future. This will allow yourself to gain more self-esteem through analyzing and learning from your past mistakes so that you make fewer mistakes and achieve more in the future.
Part One – How Learning From Successes Can Boost Your Self-Esteem
This is Part One of a Ten Part series on how to overcome the depressing “Dark Night of the Soul” that some writers and others experience.
Learning from successes can boost your self-esteem because you can learn more about yourself and your strengths. Virtually everyone excels in at least one area (often more than one area); this can help you to learn where your best skills lie and to do more activities that enable you to take advantage of these advanced skills more often.
When you do something well, you feel a sense of accomplishment, pride, and confidence surge in you because you were able to achieve something that either helped yourself and/or helped others. In many cases, you were the best person for the task and were more easily able to achieve it than other people would have. Therefore, other people will look up to you because you were able to complete the task and/or achieve the feat so quickly and easily as compared to others.
When you are having a difficult time or struggling with challenges, it is important to look back upon your successes and realize that you have the capability of doing great things and succeeding at whatever you are doing. Sometimes, life “throws us a curveball” that makes us uncomfortable and causes us to struggle a bit with tasks that we are not used to completing and have a hard time completing at a high level.
The key is that we must remember that even during these difficult times, we have the capability to adapt and succeed. Reflect back on those times when you’ve had successes, especially those tasks that others struggled and they called upon you to do them. Whether it was an issue with a computer or electronic device, an item at home that needed repairing, or just offering helpful advice to someone dealing with a situation you dealt with before, you were able to succeed where others couldn’t or would have a harder time succeeding.
By reflecting on your past successes and realizing you have the capability to adapt and do many tasks well, you will realize that whatever present challenge you’re facing can be overcome as well. You just have to focus on the task at hand, utilize the lessons you’ve learned from having past successes, and put the work in to overcome the present challenge. By taking time to reflect and learn from your past successes, you can keep your self-esteem during times of great difficulty and be able to overcome virtually any challenge that comes your way.
It dawned on me the next day that my 30-year-old son was probably the oldest person in the group other than myself. Here I was, one month shy of 57 years old, amid a group of 12 adventurers and three guides (all of whom were twenty-something) rafting the whitewater rapids of Six Mile River in the Kenai Peninsula located in Southwestern Alaska, about 100 miles from Anchorage.
Although I was seriously out of shape, I dug my oar in the water of the first canyon on our trip while our guide, Pete, barked orders.
The ride down the first two canyons consisted of alternate bouts of frenzied activity, where adrenaline-fueled precision paddling kept our boats upright as we shot over waterfalls, rocks, and whirlpools.
Periods of relative calm followed these rushes as Pete maneuvered our craft into eddies and drifted us by the edge of the river to show us bear tracks where a mother and cub had been sighted earlier in the day. Eagles and hawks drifted overhead, and it began to dawn upon me that things were taking on a feral air.
Fatigued, my mind nevertheless raced with elation as we continued down the canyon. Although I had read that this trek took us down a Level 4 canyon, this term held no relevance for me. I discovered later those Level 4 canyons were considered the second most difficult canyons to navigate the whitewater rapids while a Level 5 canyon was the most difficult. Unbeknownst to me until later, the first two canyons we rafted were rated as Level 4 canyons, while the third canyon up ahead was considered a level 5 — the most hazardous.
I was excited. The primitive nature of our surroundings thrust me back in time — to a time man lived by his wits, surviving against the elemental forces of nature. The wind and water blew in my face as we traveled down the river, enhancing the wildness festering, growing inside of me.
I felt surges of energy mingled with the gnawing feeling of exhaustion. I realized the deep-seated fatigue had begun to settle in because I started to miss the cues Pete gave us. I paddled backward when I should have gone forward. I paddled when I should have rested. I knew I was becoming extremely physically spent because I was too focused on regaining my concentration to even consider stuffing my oar down Pete’s throat on those many occasions when he reminded me of my shortcomings. He was tougher than the drill sergeant I remembered from my initial training in the air force. Pete’s comments lessened somewhat when, which a tremendous effort of will, In was able to get my body to paddle forward at the right time, paddle back at the right time, and rest — glorious rest — at the right time.
I was feeling great. My feet and hands were wet and cold. My body. Underneath the dry suit issued to me, was slick with perspiration. I was exhausted to point of blacking out. My legs ached from jamming my feet under the boat pontoons to keep myself anchored to the boat; my arm muscles ached beyond belief; wind and water spray pelted my face; and every bone in my body shook and jarred every time the raft hit the rocks in the river or crashed against the side of the ravine. Despite all the discomfort, exhilaration and euphoria ran rampant as our tiny raft plunged down the canyon, battling the raw power of nature and winning, at least temporarily: I felt alive!
As we completed our trek through the second canyon, a guide on another raft yelled something about a “swim test.” I remember thinking maybe I should tell someone I don’t swim very well when we all disembarked and one of the guides led us up the side of a hill until we on a bank about 50 feet up overlooking the river. Then, like lemmings racing to the seas, everyone, including my son, leapt into the river below. Everyone, except myself, of course.
As we started down, I realized I had failed to communicate my limitations about swimming when the guide escorted me to another spot about 35 feet up from the flowing river. The guide said he wanted me to see the view. As I leaned over to enjoy the view, I felt the guide’s hand gently on my back, encouraging me to jump.
I will never admit I was pushed.
Let’s just say, for a millisecond, my enthusiasm overrode my common sense, and I found myself hurtling from solid earth into the swirling river below.
When I hit the water, I remember noting I didn’t hit bottom. I’m six foot, three inches tall and weighed 245 pounds, so when I didn’t hit bottom, I figured it must be deep.
When I was about 20 feet under, I realized I still had my glasses on. I wasn’t worried about losing them; I had them connected to a holding strap and my helmet was in place wedging them on my head. I did wonder if I had shattered them.
I also marveled at the number of thoughts running through one’s head at 20 feet below the surface of the water. The final item racing through my mind as I headed for the surface was the fact that I wasn’t a particularly good swimmer.
“What have I gotten myself into now?”
As I started swimming toward the bank, I realized the water was flowing at a fast clip. I flowed at about 10 miles per hour, which doesn’t seem like much until you are swimming in 30 feet of feet of it trying to reach a small patch of beach before you get swept downstream.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest. I tried to suck in all the oxygen in
Alaska with each deep breath. My arms flailed against the rushing water. I didn’t know whether to scream for help or keep going. I must have looked to the others like I was doing okay. When I noticed them, they seemed to be talking amongst themselves. I kept stroking my arms in an overhand stroke, pausing only to see if my feet could hit bottom. I was amazed (and scared) that it was so deep this close to shore.
I persevered and eventually my feet hit bottom and I dragged my beaten, exhausted body up on the shore.
When I stood there, wobbly from exhaustion, elated and enthusiastic, never more alive, and trying to look cool, two of the original thrill-seekers departed. My son and I quickly conferred. Although we had originally only planned to do the first two canyons, we agreed we could do the third canyon. I didn’t realize at the time the third can yon was rated as a Level 5 canyon, the most difficult. Considering my high level of enthusiasm at the time, it would not have made any difference.
I did realize, however, that my exhaustion level was so severe, I didn’t have a prayer of holding my own paddling the oars. I asked to be transferred to a larger raft which had a metal frame to hold larger oars. With the frame and the larger boat’s higher stability, one of the guides did the paddling. As the only passenger, I reasoned all I had to do was hold on. As it turned out even that task proved extremely difficult.
Once underway, my new guide and chauffer, Brian, announced we would have to disembark and portage around a particularly bad and hazardous spot on the river. My mind flashed on a nice easy trail. We reached the spot and Brian instructed me to walk over toa certain area and wait while they carried the rafts over the racks.
I soon noted even working over the area was extremely hazardous. Razor sharp rocks awaited the hapless individual who slipped as he or she made their way over slimy, moss-covered stones. I slipped and lost my balance, my legs sliding in the water. Scrambling up, I perched on a rock, then moved carefully to the next rock, thinking, “This is hard work.”
It would have been extremely hard even if I wasn’t completely and utterly exhausted. Somehow, I made it to the designated waiting spot.
My son had already arrived ahead of me. Under the circumstances, I would have been embarrassed with my stumbling performance; but I was too tired and too grateful to have arrived unscathed to care if I was embarrassed or not. Besides, I had noticed some of the twenty-somethings were also having difficulty navigating the rocky area.
As we stood there, watching the guides struggle to get the rafts across the rocks and rushing water, time froze.
My son, always the warrior -poet, turned to me and together we gazed at the tableau before us. We saw the raw power of nature as the guides worked to get the rafts over the rocks. We felt the wind whistling through the canyon and saw the sun beating down the center of the ravine, creating shadows along the sides of the canyon walls. We saw the tremendous force of the water rushing down the rocks, creating rapids which dropped off into the canyon floor.
Time stood still as we embraced this sight.
“Dad, this is Alaska.”
“What do you mean?” Exhausted 56-year-old dads are very dense.
“THIS is Alaska, not Anchorage.”
As usual, my warrior-poet son was right on target. Here we were amid one of the most elemental powers of the universe. A raging river flowing through the wilderness, part of the last frontier: Wild Alaska!
Even though the most hazardous part of our rafting trip had yet to begin, the rest of journey seemed anti-climatic to me. That moment crystallized the entire experience into a timeless memory which spoke volumes.
Later, as we resumed our journey, my boat hurled me out as it dived into the water at a right angle and inertia propelled me straight ahead. There I was, suspended in midair facing the tumultuous river, and my mind froze. No significant last thoughts. I don’t remember thinking anything in those few seconds as I found myself suspended in midair facing the raging river. Had I thought anything, I can only hope it would have been something momentous — worthy of 56 years of life.
Somehow, a miracle occurred. I didn’t go over the side into the rocks and swirling waters. The raft suddenly surfaced below me, and I fell back in as gravity drew me downward.
I do remember noticing Brian having a strange expression on his face.
As we continued, Brian and I made it through two more serious waterfalls, before tackling the final obstacle, known as “Jaws.” Somehow, Brian and I made it through Jaws, but Pete’s raft (with my son) on board) wasn’t so lucky. One error, and Pete’s raft rammed into a rock at the summit of Jaws and spilled everybody out into the raging river. Fortunately, others were able to rescue them from the swift torrents of water. I remember the feeling of helplessness and the surge of relief I felt when my son surfaced, standing in shoulder deep water, raising his arms in a victory symbol. After a head count, we determined everyone had survived with not serious injuries.
Pete’s raft had wedged itself underneath an underwater rock and it took the guides 45 minutes to dislodge the craft. Then the journey resumed.
I knew when we concluded our adventure, I would need help removing the dry suit. I was too debilitated. My thigh muscles throbbed from wedging my feet under pontoons to stay on the rafts.
I didn’t care.
If I needed help, so be it.
I had experienced something few people experience in a lifetime.
I had tasted the frontier. I not only tasted it, but I had also devoured it with every fiber of my being.
I had experienced Wild Alaska.
This is Alaska.
The End
****
Thank you for reading. I wrote this in 1997 after my trip to Alaska — I hope you enjoyed the rantings of an Alaskan whitewater rafting survivor
As an amateur historian, I can’t help but notice how when history demands a strong, forceful leader, one emerges.
I remember that in September 1939, when Britian declared war on Germany after Hilter invaded Poland, one of the first acts the British government took was to call Winston Churchill back into the government as the First Lord of the Admiralty.
It was ironic because Churchill was in disfavor and considered a has-been because he had advocated the Dardanelles campaign which resulted in heavy causalities during World War I.
Everyone felt at the time that Churchill was doomed to obscurity because of the massive defeat of Gallipoli during 1915. It was such a devastating defeat that Mr. Churchill had to leave the government as the First Lord of the Admiralty, and everyone thought his career was over.
His stint as the First Lord of the Admiralty was short-lived because shortly thereafter, he become Prime Minister and served as Prime Minister until the end of World War II.
He was there when history called and so it appears was Volodymyr Zelensky when the Ukraine needs a strong, charismatic leader. Many thought, including the former United States administration, that this former comedian would be a pushover. The world has found out differently.
Both Winston Churchill and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are expert communicators. He has evoked passions when he uses Pearl Harbor and 911 images in his address to the U. S. Congress and echoed Winston Churchill’s “never surrender” speech of World War II when addressing the British Parliament for more help battling Russia.
Will Volodymyr Zelensky become the modern Winston Churchill?
The world got the message early in the current conflict when, the Allies offered to evacuate him and key members of his government, to safety, his reply was “I don’t want a ride, I want arms!”
HISTORY HAS CALLED, AND VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY IS ANSWERING THE CALL!
I don’t believe he will hang up the call until the power goes out.
There was an older, more experienced truck driver who had been all over the country in his career. One day, he had to train a new, much younger, inexperienced driver.
The old one allowed the younger one to drive for a while. The young one drove the big 18-wheeler for about five hours and became very tired and asked the trainer to take over for a spell.
The trainer drove for 10 hours and was not even tired.
The young man was flabbergasted and asked the old man how he could drive for hours on end and not get tired.
The old man asked him, “What do you do in the morning just before you leave your house?”
The young man replied, “I kiss my wife goodbye and tell her I am going to work.”
The old one said, “That is your problem.”
“What do you mean, ‘problem’?”
The old man said, “When I leave in the morning, I kiss my wife goodbye, but I don’t tell her I am going to work. I tell her I am going for a drive in the country.”
Everything is a matter of attitude.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s attitude reflects the courage of the Ukrainian people.
If more people shared their attitude Volodymyr Zelensky and his fellow countrymen have shown in the face of the brutal attack on Ukraine, the world would be a better place.
He could have woken up this morning and said,”I’m going to spend the day in a shelter and try to avoid the invaders.” but I venture to say,he woke up , kissed his wife, and said, “I going to go out today, kick some Russian butt, and drive these invaders back home to Russia with their tails between their legs.”
I think what is happening in Ukraine is horrific, but as an ex-military planner I think it is safe to say that the Russia military, in invading Ukraine, has gotten its nose blooded.
Unfortunately, if Russia keeps its continued onslaught up, the sheer numbers will mean a bad end for Ukraine.
****
But, who is to say if we personified the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, then Putin would represent Russia, and Zelensky would represent Ukraine.
To poke a bit of fun at the Russian bear, I have taken a story that has made the rounds, set it in the UK, and turned it into a fairy tale or fable.
With that in mind, here goes
****
A big city London lawyer, who just happened to be named Putin, went duck hunting in rural Scotland. The lawyer always presented a manly front. One time he posed shirtless for a London fashion magazine. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer’s field on the other side of a fence.
As the lawyer climbed over the fence, an elderly farmer, who just happened to be named Zelensky, drove up on his tractor and asked the lawyer what he was doing. The farmer had been a comedian in the local theater group before he turned to farming full time.
The lawyer responded, “I shot a duck and it fell into this field, and now I’m going to retrieve it.”
The old farmer replied. “The hell you are. This is my property, and you’re not coming over here.”
The indignant lawyer replied. “I’m one of the best trial lawyers in the UK, and if you don’t let me get that duck, I’ll sue you and take everything that you own.”
The old farmer smiled and said, “Apparently, you don’t know how we do things in Scotland. We settle small disagreements like this, with the Scottish Three Kick Rule.”
“What is the Scottish Three Kick Rule?” the lawyer asked.
The farmer replied, “Well, first I kick you three times and then you kick me three times, and so on, back and forth, until someone gives up.”
The attorney quickly thought about the proposed contest and decided that he could easily take the old codger. He agreed to abide by the local custom.
The old farmer slowly got down from the tractor and walked up to the city fellow.
His first kick planted the toe of his heavy work boot into the lawyer legs, which dropped him to his knees.
His second kick nearly ripped the nose off his face.
The lawyer was flat on his belly, when the farmer’s third kick to a kidney nearly caused him to give up … but didn’t.
The lawyer summoned every bit of his will and managed to get to his feet and said, “Okay, you old tosser, now it’s my turn.”
The old farmer smiled and said, “Naw, I give up, You can keep the duck!”
****
One can dream, can’t they?
My heart bleeds for the Ukrainian people but the courage the Ukrainian people have shown in their resistance also serves as an inspiration for the world.
In a world of anti-heroes, Volodymyr Zelensky remains the antithesis of the anti-hero. He has risen to history’s call to rally his people and the world to the cause of the beleaguered nation of Ukraine.
He is the “Eddie Mifflin” to the world.
You may ask, “Who is Eddie Mifflin”
****
You won’t find the name Eddie Mifflin in the baseball record books, but the little-known baseball fan played a starring role in the creation of one of the sport’s most legendary storylines.
Was he the most important and influential baseball fan in history? I’ll let you decide…
The story begins in a Baltimore train station when Ted Williams was approached by a stranger.
“You’re Ted Williams, right?” the fan asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you really planning to retire when this season is over?”
Now, at the time, Williams was about to turn 36 years old. He had missed most of the 1952 and 1953 seasons serving in Korea.
As recounted by Mike Shatzkin, Ted’s life at that time had very clear personal preferences for Ted: “No weddings, no funerals, no ball games.”
It was in the middle of that season that the fan asked the Splendid Splinter about retirement in the train station.
“Well, you better not retire if you want to make the Hall of Fame on the first ballot,” said the fan. “The writers vote for the Hall of Fame and they hate your guts. And your numbers just aren’t good enough. If you quit after this year, you’ll never make it on the first ballot.”
Since Williams had hit well over .300 in every season he’d played, and hit with power from the very beginning, he was skeptical.
“What do you mean my numbers aren’t good enough?”
“You missed too much time fighting in the wars. Your lifetime totals just don’t cut it.”
Williams’s curiosity was piqued. He arranged to meet the fan again soon in New York. They stayed up all night talking. At the end of the session, Williams said, “Okay, what do I have to do?”
“You have to hit 500 home runs. If you do that, they can’t possibly keep you out of the Hall of Fame. They’ll have to put you in on the first ballot.”
At that time, only Babe Ruth, Jimmy Foxx, and Mel Ott had hit 500 home runs in all of baseball history. Lou Gehrig was 4th on the all-time list with 493 home runs.
At the end of the 1954 season, Williams had 366.
The following spring, he was divorced, reported late, and started the season late. But his pledge to retire had been forgotten and he kept right on hitting.
And his new friend kept in touch with him, kept encouraging him, and kept tracking how Williams was doing against the lifetime records that had been posted before him.
Williams hit .356 in 1955 and .345 in 1956. In 1957, the season in which he turned 39, that .388 average won the batting championship by more than 20 points over Mickey Mantle’s career-best .365.
But age caught up with him in 1959. He had a painful pinched nerve in his neck that hampered him all year and, for the first time, his average fell below .300. He only hit .254.
But he finished the year with 492 home runs, one behind Gehrig, eight short of 500.
That meant just one thing: He couldn’t retire.
So he volunteered for a pay cut and came back for a final year in 1960.
And in that final season, Ted Williams climbed back above .300.
More importantly for his legacy, he hit 29 home runs, bringing his career total to 521.
And in one of the greatest moments of poetic justice in baseball history, Ted Williams even slugged a home run on his very last at-bat as a major leaguer.
Five years later, after the mandatory waiting period was over, Williams was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
And you won’t find the name Eddie Mifflin on the Splendid Splinter’s plaque in Cooperstown, nor was he mentioned in Ted’s very short acceptance speech.
But make no mistake: There might never have been a plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y. bearing the name of Theodore Samuel Williams if it wasn’t for a chance meeting in a train station one day with Edward B. Mifflin.
****
Different from Eddie Mifflin, the whole world knows who Volodymyr Zelensky is. But he is the Eddie Mifflin to the world.
We can only hope his inspiration will cease the situation in Ukraine.
Like many others, I am praying Volodymyr Zelensky does not become a martyr, but if that regrettable event does occur, the world will know in one brief, lighting flash — a hero arose.
