Gently Used Anvil for Sale
Last week I got flattened. And I’m so much better for it!
Paying a visit to my amazing internist, Allan, who happens to be one of the finest listeners on the planet, he informed me that I was due for the second of two immunizations for shingles. The first one, about 8 months ago, resulted in the same shoulder soreness you’d expect from a tetanus shot. This second injection wasn’t as fun—my shoulder felt like someone took a baseball bat to it, and I experienced full-blown flu-like symptoms for 24 hours, including a fever, chills, aches, and loss of patience with my wife. Oh, and my hair hurt.
Like Wile E. Coyote taking a square hit from an anvil (Acme) in a scheme to capture the even wilier Road Runner, I suffered a temporary setback only to emerge much stronger.
Like Wile E. Coyote taking a square hit from an anvil (Acme) in a scheme to capture the even wilier Road Runner, I suffered a temporary setback only to emerge much stronger. I have gotten up, shaken myself back into 3 dimensions, and am now looking forward to a shingles-free life.
This is just another apt example of the adage “that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” or as I start my book, Don’t Be a F*cking Dick: Leadership for Vibrant Communities, “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.”
For the first time since the existential threat of World War II, we are now all staring up at a precariously suspended virtual anvil, hoping that it’s eventual fall doesn’t find its way to our own head. We are ALL in this together, regardless of political and spiritual ideologies. Like I’ve always posited, sometimes the earth could use a good (but not devastating) meteor strike to make us unite in humane, loving ways. We’ve become complacent with abundance, and have egotistically allowed our self-interest to play zero sum games, where we get to win at the expense of others losing.
Not this time, as the virus in our midst knows no socioeconomic and privilege bounds. We must be united in this, and will thrive only if we all do our fair share and deeply consider the well-being of others. Yes, this will be painful, yet I’m confident that we’ll all learn from this and agree that, moving forward, there are more important things than winning economically. We will emerge stronger, and have the tolerance to tolerate—even accept—differences, remembering that our very existence will hinge on compassion, humility, generosity, and empathy.
When we’ve safely returned to our restaurants, community centers, religious institutions, and other gathering places, make certain you’ve invested in a good anvil. We can’t forget the lessons of today.
Howie Milstein is a writer, coach, and consultant with The Institute to Stop Taking Yourself So Seriously! in Plymouth, MN. He has proudly been annoying people since 1959.