By Louis A. Zona
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – My father, rest his soul, once told me to protect a good reputation. Once lost, a stellar image is difficult to rebuild and nearly impossible to reclaim.
I once knew of a public figure whose early career was anything but stellar. Let’s just say that he was difficult to be around for any length of time. He ultimately matured into a person who was fairly liked but whose character flaws were difficult to completely erase.
I know that he wished he could relive those early years over again. For sure, he wouldn’t have associated with other individuals who tended to drag him down.
I think it was the comedic genius Groucho Marx who once quipped, “If I knew that I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”
I would borrow the idea from Groucho and say, “That fellow would have lived a more upstanding life had he known that he would be in the public’s eye later in life.”
I once mentioned to him that he could have been the mayor had he been more protective of his early reputation.
Some of us choose not to stay on the straight and narrow and look to the easiest way to solve problems.
I think of that popular television program focusing on weight loss.
On the program is an interesting doctor who works at a clinic in Houston – Dr. Now. The good doctor is frustrated that his many patients often do not follow his restrictive diet and remain heavy. In a unique voice he warns his patients that they’re going to die if they don’t lose the weight.
Journeys such as his are particularly challenging. Failure ever looms over folks with good intentions but who so often strike out.
I once heard a lecture by a professor who believed that love is the answer to most problems. He made a point to emphasize the fact that our focus should be on the journey and not the destination. I agreed with the professor about the journey but feel that most journeys worth pursuing are humbling experiences.
Growing up, my idol was New York Yankees player Mickey Mantle, who just might have been the greatest player ever.
Mantle could do anything on the baseball diamond, and some of his records are still intact. What made “The Mick” so very special was that he could hit for average and hit with power from either side of the plate. Such abilities were unheard of then and now.
But Mantle wasn’t just born with that unique talent; he was the son of a “wannabe” father who wanted his son to be the greatest ever and forced him to hit from both sides.
Dad forced his son to learn to do the impossible. It is said that his father would work with him until his hands bled. Mick would cry with pain as he was forced to swing from the opposite side of the plate. The elder Mantle clearly forced his son to focus on that painful journey.
Was it worth it for dad to put his son through that excruciating daily workout to become what he could never achieve on his own? I’m sure that Mickey’s father saw it as a journey to victory, but traveling such a road can be a rough ride.
Attempting a different road free of potholes is clearly the answer. But no journey is perfect; obstacles are always in the way.
The answer may mean discovering a totally different path.
Like a bright man once stated, just because a different path has been found, that doesn’t mean that I’m lost.
My mother loved the adage that life is like a rocking chair: We rock and rock and get nowhere.
It may be a journey in which the destination doesn’t exist. But to that journey I say, “Rock on!”