On my way to work yesterday morning, I heard an interview with Sam Solovey from NBC's "The Apprentice". He was the "crazy" one that all of the men, and most viewers, came to actively hate. What struck me was the attitude that he has about all of the madness swirling about him. Were many of us to be in his shoes, we might well be somewhat bitter about being portrayed as such a nutcase (whether deserved or otherwise). When asked if he believed that the show's producers had edited the footage shot in order to show him as unbalanced and ridiculous, his response (heavily paraphrased) was:
Look, if you take away the commercials, each show is 44 minutes. For each minute that makes it on the show, approximately 300 minutes were shot. Do I wish I'd done more to comtrol how I was portrayed? Sure, but a lot of that was out of my control.
His attitude seems to be low on the worry and high on enjoying the ride. On Monday's "Jay Leno", he spoke about how he is engaged to a wonderful woman and is also the owner of a succesful business. He's got a pretty good life, he knows it, and he's not afraid to admit it. A lot of us could learn something from him. And how many of us thought he was just a wacko nutjob? Perspective is everything, no?
Along the same lines, I encountered someone yesterday who is easily one of the most admirable and impressive gentlemen I have ever had the fortune of meeting. This man is 84 years old, was born and has lived his entire life on Galveston Island. He's owned a bicycle shop on the Island for the past 57 years. On top of that, he is kind, genteel, and so relaxed that he should by all rights be checked for a pulse. What I found so admirable was that here is a man who clearly has a grasp on what is important, and he has simply chosen not to worry about anything else. I am not easily impressed by people, because I meet a lot of jackasses as part of my job. Even less often do I meet someone whom I would like to emulate. This gentleman, however, sets one hell of an example for all of us.
This world would be a better (and certainly more relaxed) place if all of us could find it within ourselves to follow these examples. Of course, I can't do anything about the rest of the world, but I can do something about myself. Perhaps it's time I do exactly that.
