Climbing The Ladder Of Success

 

Climbing The Ladder Of Success

I’m so done with that

Anthony Lawrence (Pcunix)

WORKING

Firefly image of a long ladder into the clouds by author
Firefly image of a long ladder into the clouds by author

Climbing The Ladder of Success

Some people step on other people’s fingers on the way up.
Some people say “Excuse me” as they climb by.
Some don’t bother to climb at all.
Some kick other folks in the throat and laugh as they fall.

Some help other people climb.
Some climb up just so far and are happy.
Some are never happy.
Some find a ladder that isn’t so damn crowded.
What kind of climber are you? (Tony Lawrence)

I’m retired now and done climbing ladders. I wasn’t done when I wrote those lines back in 2009, but now I’m retired and just happened to come across this in an old file.

I was lucky to find a ladder not so crowded and equally lucky to have no great ambition to climb very high. I could have climbed higher, but as I’ve explained elsewhere, my wife became ill and I wanted us to have our time in the sun while we still could. So I cut back on work and we played until she couldn’t. I’m glad we did that, I think it was a good decision, though in these uncertain times, I wish we could have put aside more for retirement.

Still, I do not regret squeezing in some early Golden Years.

I don’t think I stepped on any toes, though I’m sure that I pissed people off now and then. I know that I helped or tried to help quite a few people climb their own ladders. Sometimes I had to point out where the ladder was, sometimes I gave them a little boost. Sometimes I just stepped aside and let them climb.

I’m glad that I did those helping things and wish I had done less of the pissing people off stuff.

I can’t be as generous with my time or my money now as I once was. I have a sick wife to take care of, but even without that, I think it’s time to rest a bit. I can be nice to people, be a little generous, and try not to get anyone angry at me. Thank everyone even if I don’t mean it, over tip a bit, smile without gritting my teeth when things go off kilter. That’s enough for now.

Though even that’s not always easy. I’m still really good at being an opinionated jackass and sometimes I play to my strengths. Yeah, I need to work on that. I will.

I was thinking recently that maybe someday I’d like to volunteer somewhere, doing something good for others, but who knows at what or if I ever could? Maybe the library? I might like that.

I hope that my writing here helps some people. Maybe so, maybe no. I’m going to do it anyway, because it helps me. I can be selfish that way sometimes.

What kind of climber are you? You don’t have to tell me, but I hope that you think about it and aren’t stepping on many fingers.

Just my thoughts for today.

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