Accepting the Good in Life

"Accept all the good things. Ignore the pathetic things. And, in the meantime go fishing."

• Bob Conard
  

Accepting the Good in Life

Not more than two days ago I was thinking about calling my friend Bob Conard. We were roommates in college and grew to be close friends during our years studying. Even though we've lived a great distance from each other for almost thirty years and have raised our families apart our friendship still runs deep.

What makes our friendship so interesting is that when we first met; our differences would have seemed to preclude a close relationship. But, it soon became apparent to me that Bob was a man with a great heart, impeccable character, and wisdom rarely matched. I'll never forget the things Bob has done in sharing these traits with me.

Back in college we shared our lives in a fun sort of way. Since we were both away from home we decided to be a father to each other; and to this day we call each other "Son." My daughters find this to be a most peculiar behavior to be sure! But, Bob is as much family to me as they are. How else could I feel about someone who has shared so much of life with me?

I'll never forget being ill one night in our home. I was very weak, standing in the kitchen, and then I collapsed. Luckily, Bob was standing near! Before I hit the ground he deftly scooped me up and carried me to bed. I was fortunate to have Bob as family then and am still fortunate to have his friendship these many years. So, it wasn't a real surprise that after thinking about making a call to check in with Bob, a number I didn't recognize popped up on my caller ID and I heard a familiar, "Hi Son."

He was calling to ask my advice, but as always, I was the one who ended up benefiting from our conversation. This time he taught me about accepting the good in life when he said, "Accept all the good things, ignore the pathetic things, and in the meantime go fishing."

When I heard this wisdom I immediately thought of our relationship. When we first met by just happening to move into the same house as students, I could have never guessed I would be accepting immeasurable good in life by simply becoming Bob's friend.

That's the lesson. You never know exactly how or where the good in life will come so, keep your eyes open and always accept it when and wherever it comes to you. It's like fishing. Just keep casting in the right spots and you'll soon feel a tug on your line. It's that tug, the good in life, which will allow you to ignore the water in your boots and the rocks banging your ankles.