You ever know somebody you hope never ever manages to back you into a corner so they can talk and talk and talk talktalktalktalk till your ears scream out for mercy?

That was me yesterday. I’m here minding my own business and doing some data entry, when I get verbally jumped by one of my coworkers, who decided I really needed to hear what he had been doing for the past 9 days:

HeyLinc!SoIwasgoingtothestorebecausemy
computerwentdownandIhadtogetitfixedbutthe
technicianhadproblemsandhewasn’tabletofixitright
awayunlessheorderedapartsoItookittoanother
technicianbutthenIdecidedtocomehome
andtestitoutmyselfbypluggingitinandjigglingthe
cablesalittleandguesswhatitcamerightupbutthenmy
wifehadaproblemwitherprinterthatIhadtofixas
wellbutallIhadtodotherewasclickclickclick
clickclickandboomitwasdonejustintimefor
mydaughtertofinishherreportsoshecould
printitoutandtakeittoschoolandthenblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
blahblahblahblahblah
………………………

20 minutes later I faked having to go to the bathroom and hid out there for another 15 minutes until I was sure he was gone.

I now have a newfound appreciation for silence.

Recently I saw the movie Rocky Balboa, which was surprisingly a good film, perhaps the best one out of the entire Rocky series. There was one scene though that hit really close to home and brought me to tears. I wish I had had a father like Rocky, but unfortunately children don’t get to pick who their parents can be. And like Rocky says, I can’t be looking for excuses for why I can’t never seem to get anywhere in life. It’s time to stop letting the world beat me to my knees and to start moving forward, no matter how many hits I have to take to do it. Somewhere along the way, I had lost the will to fight. I just got so tired of always losing that I gave up fighting altogether. What was the point anyway? I’d just lose like I always do. This movie reminded me that the true victory comes in refusing to give up.

You ain’t gonna believe this. But you used to fit right here……. I held you up and said to your mother, “This kid’s gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid’s gonna be somebody better than anybody ever knew.”

And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you, every day was like a privilege. Then the time come for you to be your own man … and take on the world. And you did. But somewhere on the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you “you’re no good”. And when things got hard, you start to look for something to blame. Like a big shadow.

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshines and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place……and it don’t care how tough you are, it’ll beat you to your knees and keep it there permanently if you let it. You, me and nobody … is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit …. and keep moving forward. How much you can take … and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.

Now if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying you ain’t what you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!

I’m always loving you no matter what, no matter what happens. You’re my son, you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start to believe in yourself. You ain’t gonna have a life.