David's Speech

“It’s not like you get up every day and put a flak jacket and helmet on, as if you’re needing to go into battle.”  - David Jardine

 

David’s Speech

 

“When people come to me.”  David stopped briefly and then continued.  “They have almost always been hurt.  Most often, they feel as if they’ve been attacked.”

 

David Jardine is my friend and an attorney by trade.  So, when he talks about the pain he’s seen in others, he knows of what he speaks.

 

“One of the first things people often say to me is, ‘I should have been more prepared.  I should have seen it coming!’  That’s when I give them my speech about living happily in the face of what is often the most painful experience of their lives.”

 

I was enthusiastically listening before, but I really perked up to hear what was about to float from his mouth next.  After all, I know very few people who haven’t gone through some type of difficulty; such as a divorce, the loss of a child, a dishonest business partner, or continuous problems with a testing, selfish, obstinate neighbor.  Perhaps that’s why I sat a little forward in my seat and opened my ears so wide perhaps a 747 Dreamliner would be able to fly right on through my head.

 

“It’s not like you get up every day and put a flak jacket and helmet on, as if you’re needing to go into battle.” David continued.  “At least I hope you don’t!  I’d rather live my life believing that most people are good and will do the right thing.  That way I can live happily, looking for and experiencing the good in others!  Yes.  There will likely be a time when someone hurts you, but those times will be the exception, as long as you’re spending your time actively looking for good in those around you.”

 

David sat back in his chair and sort of stared off into space.  At least it appeared to be a contemplative, mental slip right into his own private, thinking space.  Then, he lifted his arms and stretched them up over his head, so he could interlace his fingers, while resting them gently behind his head.  It was a classic signal from someone who has nothing to hide and everything to give.

 

“Most people think I fight for a living.  Maybe they’re right.  But, I don’t see it that way.  I see myself as looking for the best solution.  Working to find what’s best for my client.  And, that usually creates the best possible outcome for all of the parties involved!”

 

His hands disengaged from their interdigitation. Then his arms seemed to glide through the air in a smooth, calm fashion as his chair moved his whole body back in to a perfect, upright position.  A smile spread across his face.  It was an affable look; not the look of someone who fought for a living.

 

My face and gaze had been firmly fixed toward the front.  You can tell a lot about a person and what they’re saying, just by looking at their face, watching their gestures, and feeling the energy radiating from them.  As I saw David’s comfortable and genial manner, I could feel the day’s strain melting away.  After all, when I came to our meeting my opening words were, as he predicted, “I should have been more prepared.  I should have seen it coming!”  And, perhaps I should have.

 

Yet, there was David, a good man, sitting in front of me, giving me good advice as a friend.  His guidance, “David’s Speech,” opened the way for me to, once again, move forward, looking for the best possible solution while anticipating good, now and in the future.

 

You and I can live happily, even in the face of what may be one of the most painful experiences of our lives.