READY, WILLING AND ALMOST ABLE

I love enthusiasm. It really does make me feel good to see someone excited about a project or idea. And it lulls me into this sense that you can depend upon the person to actually do what they promise when they have fire in their eyes and joy on their lips.

Which would be wonderful if it translated into action. That is the part that often seems to suffer. And when it follows some even where I hear this speech about how great something is that only adds to my disappointment.

Now I’ll be the first to admit as a professional and devout “blow-hard” that talking is something I do better than some things. As a politician lying and making speeches just comes so naturally. And I naturally have learned how to talk without having an ounce of sincerity to back up my comments.

Only for some stupid reason I assume that doesn’t apply to most people. I just figured somebody had better values than I did and at least a smidgen of ethics or morals. Not having any myself I am not in a good position to gauge how others would, but I just figured surely there were a lot of people out there who didn’t have sleaze for a middle name like I do.

I guess part of the problem is all the success one can have just in terms of impressing other with the right kind of speech. I ought to know since I’ve made a career out of that type of behavior.

However I just thought that surely somebody with a great way of showing passion for a given need would actually WANT to help a specific cause. And I still believe there are some out there who do fit that qualification. So I’m not going to suggest they all our weak-kneed and far weather help like I am.

The one thing I can observe though is how often some project or cause just gets a lot more attention in the talking phase than it does during the doing phase. It is like when they have these telethons to raise money for a needy cause. Picking up a phone and promising to help isn’t that hard. But when it comes to the part about writing the check out now that isn’t always as easy to do.

Over in my part of the world that is part of the reason I had having concerned citizen meetings. Oh you can get all kinds of folks to attend and vie for being the chairman and all. Plus they will even keep record of the minutes for posterity.

Yet when the meeting is over and time goes by and I call up somebody from the meeting to ask them to keep a promise they made during the meeting, man do I get such a pile of manure shoved in my face. The excuses they come up with. My personal favorite is the dude who claimed he had a temporary case of Alzheimer’s when he made the promise, but was later healed by some evangelist on television. (Yawn!)

So let me pause by applaud the rare and truly unusual individual who actually volunteers to help in such situations and then goes on to do some of the work. (Personally I would suggest you might benefit from some therapy to get over this being responsible, but I don’t think I’ll actually offer the observation.) Cheers for the truly good and loving people, wherever you are and here is hoping you don’t come around me too often in case your decency might rub off on yours truly!