Good Advice
"C'mere kid." The voice was graveled and rocky, the throat ropy with phlegm.
It belonged to a shrunken husk of a man; dying alone in a quiet hospital ward, enjoying chemically induced happiness amid the beeping and whirring that clocked his ebbing time. His ears and nose seemed enormous on what was left of his face.
I was a teen orderly, strictly instructed not to interact with patients. But when a dying person asks for something, they should get it. I stood by him, took his hand. It felt like a silk bag of golf tees.
"Couple of things I wanna tell ya, make sure you remember, OK?" Without waiting for an answer, he began.
"About 99% of the time, the right time is right now. Don't ever work for someone you don't want to become. Anything you say before the word “but” does not count. When you lead, your real job is to create more leaders, not more followers. Blowing out someone else's candle won't make yours shine any brighter." He began to cough, it sounded like it hurt.
"Making art is not selfish; it’s for the rest of us. If you don’t do your thing, you are cheating us. Never ask a woman if she is pregnant. Let her tell you if she is. The advantage of a ridiculously ambitious goal is that it sets the bar very high so even in failure, it may be a success measured by the ordinary. Shooting for stars is the best way to hit mountaintops." He coughed again, wheezed a few times, then settled down. I waited for him to continue.
“'It’s better to look at the sky than live there. Such an empty place; so vague. Just a country where the thunder goes.' That one was Truman Capote from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. You ever see that movie?"
"I read the book."
"Good for you." He breathed noisily.
"I think I'd like to go where the thunder goes." He was quiet for a long time, the rumble-clicking inside his lungs the only sound. "I wouldn't complain about storms, I'd dance in the rain."
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Inspired by those romantics over at DVerse Poets, from the Truman Capote quote.
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A wonderful story!
ReplyDeleteI love the imagery here! I probably would've reacted much as the young man. There's no way I would've been able to step away from someone clearly in need of companionship during a trying time.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing story! I enjoyed what the old sick man had to say, and all so valuable in life. Appreciate seamlessly you incorporated the quotes to the conversations. Thanks for joining in.
ReplyDeleteWow, Chris... you really hooked me with this quote:
ReplyDelete"Making art is not selfish; it’s for the rest of us. If you don’t do your thing, you are cheating us... Shooting for stars is the best way to hit mountaintops"
This whole piece of yours is just wonderful, truly.
Yours,
David [ben Alexander]
http://skepticskaddish.com/
My goodness this is good! I especially like; "Making art is not selfish; it’s for the rest of us. If you don’t do your thing, you are cheating us."
ReplyDeleteSuch important life lessons.
ReplyDeleteLoved it. You used the prompt so wonderfully!
ReplyDeleteOutstanding story with sage advice.
ReplyDelete""About 99% of the time, the right time is right now. Don't ever work for someone you don't want to become. Anything you say before the word “but” does not count. When you lead, your real job is to create more leaders, not more followers. Blowing out someone else's candle won't make yours shine any brighter." He began to cough, it sounded like it hurt."