Although my experience with The Shot happened nearly sixty years ago, it still lives inside me. And the lesson I took from it has carried me through decades of life’s challenges: Why put off the inevitable? In a very profound sense, Nike had it right: “Just Do It.”
The power of this lesson inspired me to start collecting other stories from my life that captured some important moral. Whenever I’d recall one, I’d grab whatever was handy — a Post-It note, a scrap of paper, a napkin — and scribble down a few key words as a reminder:
•what do women want?
•beat by a computer at tic-tac-toe
•press button for better sound
•you are NOT going to Disneyland!
•the booby prize of life
One by one, I would place them into a folder labeled LIFE LESSONS, stash it in my filing cabinet, and then get back to doing whatever it was I was doing.
Over the years, the folder became thicker and thicker, eventually brimming with dozens of notes. I hadn’t given much thought to what I was going to do — if anything — with them. But I knew they were important to me.
On occasion, in my work as a psychologist and a professor, I’d share a few of these anecdotes when they seemed relevant. I was struck by how frequently they resonated with others. I came to realize the impact of these stories is a result of their being both personal and real.
Gradually, the collection of ideas metamorphized into the form of a book. I decided at the outset that I did not want this book comprised of my experiences as a therapist working with clients. There are several such books out there — many of them quite good. Instead, I envisioned a book that reflected experiences of everyday living, both ordinary and extraordinary: passing moments, distressing episodes, all kinds of occurrences that most people can relate to.
But how to organize these anecdotes? At first, I toyed with the idea of grouping them by themes: facing fears, letting go, envy, aging, life is grand, life sucks, and so on. However, as I amassed more and more of these stories, a different structure emerged. I saw that, when placed in roughly chronological order, they traced the arc of my growth, my development, my life — story by story.
As you pass through the gallery of these essays, I hope they will prompt you to reflect on your own stories and life lessons. Maybe you can even share them with others, as I’ve done with you…
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P. S. The names used throughout this book are real. (Except those that aren’t.)