Sweet Smell Of Success

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ~To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.~ Ifts a funny thing about life, it gives each of us the opportunity to meet new people, get to know them, and hopefully form a friendship. There is an uncertainty as to how long that friendship will last due to the period of time you're able to get to know him, her. and/or them. Essentially, we all want to succeed in making friends with people one hardly knows and it can, without a doubt, be a challenge to do so; but its a challenge that can unknowingly give you countless stories that are memorable to look back on.

If you think about it, we meet hundereds of thousands of people who may or may not become either our acquaintances, friends, and/or homies. In a sense, all the people we meet growing up and in life are a part of our own history and vice versa. Each of us have childhood friends who we either remember or don't remember and they are connected to our past, which begs the question do you renember that person's name? Like life, we move on and forge new friendships but the connection with that person is still there. For the laughter that was shared back then can inevitably be shared again when he, she, or they step back into our loves to talk about the good ole' days which can most definitely involve looking at old vidoes and pictures.

Let me ask you this question, how did you meet your partner(s) in crime you hang with and was it a successful interaction? For its these people, who are now in your inner circle, were at one time strangers that you either vibed gradually, in an instant, or not at all in that first initial meeting. For some, most, or all of us can be considered shy, standoffish, and/or quiet at first but once that proverbial ice breaker is given the comfortability level rises and so does one's personality as well. Its unclear though whether it easier for guys to click with each other than women due to the fact that we generally form an instant friendship by either taking sports, particular hobbies, through spirit of competition, or something that involves sheer stupidity, which is usually the case for us.

Working in the asylum for the past 9 years, I've hopefully succeeded in earning the respect of not only my friends/co-workers, past and prents; but also countless kids who have come and gone. Kids who have grown up before my eyes and hopefully have had a positive influence on each of their lives to the point where I'm not just a friend to them, but considered a big brother even though most of them are taller than me. When it comes to kids, its not an easy task to earn the respect or affection for that matter of kids who will disrespect you at a drop of a hat, in a manner of speaking. BUT that's the challenge one is given for a person who works in the child care profession and I'm loving every minute of it even though I've lost most of my marbles doing it.


Last month the asylum opened up its doors for the kids who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, which my best friend and I were able to meet in person if it was for only a brief period of time. Let me tell you something, it was truly a humbling experience as we gave them a chance to have fun, laugh, and to be entertained several hours, which was a once in a lifetime opportunity that will truly be remembered to where we made some new friends. However, life can unknowingly give you second chances to bring fun, laughter, and entertainment to displaced kids again which happened Saturday night with myself and best friend. In that brief time, the laughter heard throughout the night is considered to be, in the end the sweet smell of success that stays with you and will rememebered for years to come.