1958, Munich, Germany:  Samuel Smart, an American military dependent, was not the fastest, best fielder, or batter on his Little League team, the ‘NCO Cadets’.  He was one of the most intense and was nicknamed “Sammy Hustle” by his coaches.  Regardless of inning or score Sammy would hustle on and off the field between innings – often arriving at the bench from his Center Field position before his 1^st or 2^nd basemen teammates.

6^th inning, 2 out, runner on 1^st, Sammy at bat:  Opposing pitcher with blazing throwing speed for a 12-year-old already had 10 strikeouts.  Sammy liked to hit pitches that were a little ‘high & inside’.  The Pitcher knew this and immediately got two called strikes on ‘low & away’ pitches.  Although Sammy disagreed with the calls at 0 – 2 he knew that showing upset with the Umpire was futile.

Sammy fouled-off the next ‘low & away’ pitch – driving it outside the Right Field Foul Line.  He did the same with the next two pitches.  Still at 0 – 2, the Pitcher threw a low inside pitch pushing Sammy outside the Batter’s Box.  Count 1 – 2.  Next pitch was a low screamer about to catch the outside edge of the Plate.  Defending the Plate Sammy swung at the last minute and again drove the ball to the far right.

The Pitcher persisted with low-outside pitches.  Each time Sammy fouled the pitches beyond First Base.  With seven foul balls to the right both teams and the parents in the stands were becoming edgy.  The fielders began fudging over toward the Right Field Foul Line.  A ball thrown ‘way outside’ moved the Count to 2 – 2.

Sammy was not trying to hit foul balls.  He was only trying to ‘stay alive’ at the Plate by taking the decision out of the Umpires hands and waiting for a Walk or ‘his pitch’.

Three more line-drive fouls outside the First Base Line.  The Right Fielder moved to stand on the Foul Line.  The Center and Left Fielders moved whole positions to their left.

Two more ‘low & away’ pitches – two more fouls.  Sammy’s teammates on the bench began clapping and stomping their feet.  They were joined by most people in the stands.

The Pitcher let a ‘wild-one’ go way inside – Full Count, 3 Balls – 2 Strikes.     Two more outside pitches.  Two more foul balls outside Right Field.

After throwing 19 straight pitches the weary-armed Pitcher delivered his 20^th pitch.  It sailed-in like a beach ball ‘high & inside’.  With all of the focus like a warrior in battle Sammy swatted the pitch down the 3^rd Base Line.  As the 3^rd Baseman had, many fouls before, moved far inside the Base Line neither he nor the Left Fielder were anywhere near the driving ball.

Sammy tore around 1^st, heading for 2^nd.   By the time the Left Fielder retrieved the ball it had rolled all the way to the Fence.  Erectly occupying 3^rd Base Sammy stood as if this were completely normal.

**

40 years later, back in the USA, I happened to get a phone call from one of my fellow players on that Little League team.  We had not talked or communicated in any way since that 1958 season.  After a brief ‘catch-up’ and without any prompting we fell into reminiscing about Sammy Smart’s 6^th inning ‘at bat’.  Neither one of us could remember who won the game or even who the other team was.   However, with crystal clarity we each remembered the exact pitch-count and how Sammy prevailed after fouling-away 14 pitches.  We confided that it was one of our favorite childhood memories.

After that season had I moved back to the US and never saw Sammy or any of those teammates again.  Yet, countless times I shared this story with future teammates, friends, and colleagues.

For me it has always been an inspiring story about ‘never giving-up’.  It still is.  Through all of Life’s ‘ups and downs’ one of my practices encourages me that, “When I’m focused, at some point, a floating beach ball will come my way that I can smack all the way to the Fence.”  Since I never know when that will be I must ‘Keep Swinging!’.

What are your thoughts about how we can protect ourselves and in the process improve our communities and countries?  How can Small Bites assist you?

Vampires? Real or imagined?

What ‘blood suckers’ are actually among us?

–       Power-crazed, violence-prone despots

–       Politicians who claim to act toward community well-being but are all-out for self-advantage

–       Corporate leaders who use financial, political, and media leverage to push through self-benefitting policies that act against the larger public interest

–       Corporate raiders and short-selling hedge-fund provocateurs who manipulate stock prices for self-gain and in the process damage companies, products, and employees

–       Government bureaucrats who hold public hostage with delays and denials while pocketing unreported/unreceipted fees

–       Teachers with prejudices and/or incompetence that suck the energy and innovative spirit from students

–       People who claim that God told them they had the right and duty to judge and harm others

–       Any body who steals from or physically harms another for only personal gain; i.e., drug-dealers, human-traffickers, child-abusers

How do we protect ourselves from these blood-suckers?

Gandhi said that if we want to make the world a better place it has to start with us.

Virtues of honesty, civility, compassion, integrity, discipline, perseverance, and courage are not weaknesses to be exploited.  They are shields.  They can be learned and developed into effective habits to guide our actions.  The collaborative and collective actions of persons of virtue are the only effective bulwark against greed and corruption.

RSA – Positive Thinking

http://bit.ly/VmcM5N

Petition by STEVE FARBER

We, the undersigned, have devoted ourselves–personally and professionally–to changing the world, in some way, for the better.

We strive to use what we have–passion, talent, desire, resources, imagination, time–to make a difference, to expand the rightness of things.

We don’t consider ourselves to be naive or idealistic–although others certainly may.  We are pragmatists of the highest order: we believe there is nothing more eminently practical than looking at the world, asking, “how can this be better?” and then holding ourselves personally
accountable for getting it done.

We recognize that big, broad, systemic changes need to happen in our society: policies need to shift, attitudes need to evolve, and priorities need to change—and we’ll do whatever we can to contribute to those transformations over time.

In the meantime,

Regardless of what is or is not happening “out there”, and regardless of what other people are or are not doing to change things for the better, we commit to making a difference in the way we lead TODAY.

We are business people, educators, volunteers, friends and neighbors who share a common desire: to help each other to help each other–and we’ll take a Radical Leap to do so.

We are today’s Extreme Leaders, and we invite you to join us.

by Chris Higgins – December 17, 2012 – 11:15 PM

In times of tragedy, we look to teachers for guidance and hope. I can think of no better teacher than Fred McFeely Rogers, better known to us as Mister Rogers–our friendly neighbor–for his gentle wisdom on children, humility, grief, and the specialness of every person. Many of these quotations are collected in the posthumous volume The World According to Mister Rogers, though they come from various sources, including his many television appearances.

1. On Heroes Without Capes

“When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 501-503).

2. On Sharing Responsibility

“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”

Spoken in 1994, quoted in his obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

3. From a PSA Following September 11, 2001

If you grew up with our Neighborhood, you may remember how we sometimes talked about difficult things. There were days … even beautiful days … that weren’t happy. In fact, there were some that were really sad.

Well, we’ve had a lot of days like that in our whole world. We’ve seen what some people do when they don’t know anything else to do with their anger.

I’m convinced that when we help our children find healthy ways of dealing with their feelings–ways that don’t hurt them or anyone else–we’re helping to make our world a safer, better place.

I would like to tell you what I often told you when you were much younger: I like you just the way you are.

And what’s more, I’m so grateful to you for helping the children in your life to know that you’ll do everything you can to keep them safe and to help them express their feelings in ways that will bring healing in many different neighborhoods.

Also, regarding the anniversary of the attacks: “[Children] don’t understand what an anniversary is, and if they see the tragedy replayed on television, they might think it’s happening at that moment.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 596-606) and as quoted in his obituary.

4. On What We Do

“What matters isn’t how a person’s inner life finally puts together the alphabet and numbers of his outer life. What really matters is whether he uses the alphabet for the declaration of a war or the description of a sunrise–his numbers for the final count at Buchenwald or the specifics of a brand-new bridge.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 621-623).

5. On Looking for the Helpers

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers–so many caring people in this world.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 645-647).

6. On Helping

“I hope you’re proud of yourself for the times you’ve said ‘yes,’ when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful only to somebody else.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 390-391).

7. On Pain

“There is no normal life that is free of pain. It’s the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Location 389).

8. On Accepting Our Feelings

“There’s no ‘should’ or ‘should not’ when it comes to having feelings. They’re part of who we are and their origins are beyond our control. When we can believe that, we may find it easier to make constructive choices about what to do with those feelings.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 131-133).

9. On “Disabilities”

“Part of the problem with the word disabilities is that it immediately suggests an inability to see or hear or walk or do other things that many of us take for granted. But what of people who can’t feel? Or talk about their feelings? Or manage their feelings in constructive ways? What of people who aren’t able to form close and strong relationships? And people who cannot find fulfillment in their lives, or those who have lost hope, who live in disappointment and bitterness and find in life no joy, no love? These, it seems to me, are the real disabilities.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 142-146).

10. On Facing Sadness and Anger

“Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and to channel them into nonviolent outlets. It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about our feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 111-114).

11. On Love

“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Location 214).

12. On Humanity’s Intrinsic Value

“As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has–or ever will have–something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 463-465).

14. On American History

“A high school student wrote to ask, ‘What was the greatest event in American history?’ I can’t say. However, I suspect that like so many ‘great’ events, it was something very simple and very quiet with little or no fanfare (such as someone forgiving someone else for a deep hurt that eventually changed the course of history). The really important ‘great’ things are never center stage of life’s dramas; they’re always ‘in the wings.’ That’s why it’s so essential for us to be mindful of the humble and the deep rather than the flashy and the superficial.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 496-500).

15. On Life Not Being Cheap

In February of 1999, Fred Rogers was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. This is an excerpt from his speech (emphasis added).

Fame is a four-letter word; and like tape or zoom or face or pain or life or love, what ultimately matters is what we do with it.

I feel that those of us in television are chosen to be servants. It doesn’t matter what our particular job, we are chosen to help meet the deeper needs of those who watch and listen–day and night!

The conductor of the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl grew up in a family that had little interest in music, but he often tells people he found his early inspiration from the fine musicians on television.

Last month a thirteen-year-old boy abducted an eight-year-old girl; and when people asked him why, he said he learned about it on TV. ‘Something different to try,’ he said. ‘Life’s cheap; what does it matter?’

Well, life isn’t cheap. It’s the greatest mystery of any millennium, and television needs to do all it can to broadcast that … to show and tell what the good in life is all about.

But how do we make goodness attractive? By doing whatever we can do to bring courage to those whose lives move near our own–by treating our ‘neighbor’ at least as well as we treat ourselves and allowing that to inform everything that we produce.

Who in your life has been such a servant to you … who has helped you love the good that grows within you? Let’s just take ten seconds to think of some of those people who have loved us and wanted what was best for us in life–those who have encouraged us to become who we are tonight–just ten seconds of silence.

No matter where they are–either here or in heaven–imagine how pleased those people must be to know that you thought of them right now.

We all have only one life to live on earth. And through television, we have the choice of encouraging others to demean this life or to cherish it in creative, imaginative ways.

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 540-558).

16. On Peace

“Peace means far more than the opposite of war!”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Location 613).

17. On Solitude

“Solitude is different from loneliness, and it doesn’t have to be a lonely kind of thing.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Location 158).

18. On Strength

“Most of us, I believe, admire strength. It’s something we tend to respect in others, desire for ourselves, and wish for our children. Sometimes, though, I wonder if we confuse strength and other words–like aggression and even violence. Real strength is neither male nor female; but is, quite simply, one of the finest characteristics that any human being can possess.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Location 161).

19. On Generations

“One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 586-587).

20. On Forgiveness

“Forgiveness is a strange thing. It can sometimes be easier to forgive our enemies than our friends. It can be hardest of all to forgive people we love. Like all of life’s important coping skills, the ability to forgive and the capacity to let go of resentments most likely take root very early in our lives.”

From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Location 296).

More from Mister Rogers

There’s a lot of wisdom packed into the book The World According to Mister Rogers. You also should look at Mister Rogers Humbly Accepts a Lifetime Achievement Emmy (warning: it may very well make you cry) and 15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever. You can also watch Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood online.

Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/156804#ixzz2FeLgG1BK
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