by Marty Coleman | Nov 4, 2016 | Promises Promises - 2014-16 |
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Surgery
Today I am going to have surgery to remove a nasty bone spur on my left heel. It’s affecting my Achilles tendon to the point where it’s not just painful to run but is painful all the time. The surgery is major and I will be in a cast for a month and then an extensive period of rehab before I can run again. How long? it depends but 4-6 months is the estimate I have heard.
Hippocratic Oath
Why am I telling you this? Because it’s all about promises and performance. The Dr. promised to do the surgery as best he can when he took his Hippocratic Oath upon graduating from medical school. The nurses did the same when they took their oath and the hospital staff all promise to do their best when they get hired. They all promise.
But none of those promises matter if they don’t deliver in their performance. If the Dr. does the surgery wrong, if I get the wrong procedure done, the wrong amount of drugs, or have bad aftercare, then those promises weren’t worth very much.
My Promise
This is an outpatient procedure. I am in their hands for maybe 6-8 hours. Then I am going home. Of course I will be dependent on Linda, my wife, to fulfill her promise of help. But I when it comes to rehab I will primarily be depending on one and only one person to fulfill their promise, and that is me.
I can promise all my friends, family and all my fellow runners, those I coach and those who coach alongside me this: I promise to do what my physical therapist says. I promise to follow my Dr’s orders. I promise to not take too many drugs (or not enough, depending). I promise.
My Performance
But my promises won’t heal me. They won’t build my muscles. They won’t get me back to running. My performance will. So, I can think about it all I want. I can persuade and convince whoever will listen. But, in the end a promise is only something you depend on in advance of something. The performance is what you depend on in the middle of something. I have to perform to get better. Do I think I can do it? You bet. But have I done it yet? No, I have not.
Your Promise
So, promise you will keep a watch on me. Promise to encourage me if you think I need it. Promise to kick my butt if you think I need that. But mostly promise to bring by cookies if you decide that is a critical necessity.
I promise I will eat them (slowly)!
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
Quote by James Howell, 1594-1666, Angl0-Welsh writer
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by Marty Coleman | Nov 2, 2016 | George Santayana, Promises Promises - 2014-16 |
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The Orange Promise
The Orange Man promises. The Orange Man knows promising things is easy. He promises to pay people and they believe him. He promises to build things like walls and people believe him. He promises he can fix things for people and they believe him. He promises to make things great and people believe him.
The Orange Promise
The Orange Man doesn’t care about what happens after the promise is made. He doesn’t care because he knows how to blame other people for him breaking promises. He is very good at both breaking promises and blaming others for the breaking. He is good at it because he believes it. He believes nothing is his fault. He believes he has never done anything wrong. He believes he always knows what is right to do, even when he doesn’t know anything about the topic he is dealing with.
The Orange Brain
The Orange Man knows this because he has a good brain. He knows this because he thinks smart things. He knows he doesn’t need to study anything because he is so smart. He knows he doesn’t have to listen to others’ ideas about things because he is smarter than they are. He knows this because he has good DNA. He knows he was born smart, as well as good looking.
The Orange Attraction
The Orange Man knows women find him attractive. He knows they can’t keep their hands off of him because he is the most famous orange man in the world. He knows it is his right to do whatever he wants to whatever woman he wants because he is so smart and so good looking and so rich and so famous. He knows this because he does it and he doesn’t get in trouble.
The Orange Matters
The Orange Man knows he is the only person who matters in the world. He knows this because the only person who matters in the world told him so.
The End
Drawing and commentary © 2016 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
Quote by George Santayana, 1863-1952, Spanish born Philosopher, Essayist and Poet
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by Marty Coleman | Oct 31, 2016 | Promises Promises - 2014-16 |
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What it Doesn’t Say
I had a conversation about this among my live streaming followers as I drew it. Someone said, so you can’t trust anyone’s promises? My response was to point out the wording, “when you MAKE someone promise”. This is about coercing a promise, like coercing a confession. When you do that, you are setting them up to lie to you.
Involuntary Vows
When the vow is voluntary, as it should be in say a wedding, then you should expect they are not under duress or being coerced and will abide by the vow. Of course if it is an arranged marriage against the will of one of those betrothed, or a shotgun wedding due to pregnancy or some other supposed scandal, then it is by it’s very nature coerced and the vow is suspect. That doesn’t mean the person is going to cheat or lie or anything else. It simply means the vow is probably getting in the way of them being honest, not helping them to be.
It’s something to watch out for in our own behavior when we try to get people to be honest with us.
Drawing and commentary © 2016 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
Quote by Molly Ringwald, 1968 – not dead yet, American actress and author (When It Happens To You, 2012)
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by Marty Coleman | Oct 28, 2016 | Promises Promises - 2014-16, Russian Proverbs |
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Promises
It’s so prevalent that it’s become a cliche many times over: Put your money where your mouth is. Put a ring on it. Show me. Prove it. Watch what they do, not what they say. What it means is obvious. Promises mean nothing if you don’t back it up with actions.
Big Talkers
Those are the hard lessons for big talkers to learn. It’s also hard if you are prone to enthusiastic responses to inspirational speeches. I know, because I am both. I have my father’s Irish gift of gab, can propound on any number of things. In the past, I have taken that so far as to say I will or can do something. This is especially flagrant if it was after someone has inspired me to volunteer for something. But I often fell down on the job afterwards, inspired enough to promise something, but not dedicated enough to follow through.
Maturity
Now I am less like that. I am still tempted but years of realizing the difference between promising something and delivering has made me much more cautious about making promises, especially of the grand and exalted kind. Now I really try to work through whether the promise is something I can deliver on AFTER the inspirational moment has passed. It means I promise less, maybe even do less. But it also means what I say I will do I am better at actually doing.
I think we all want to get to that point, right?
Drawing and commentary © 2016 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
Quote is a Russian proverb
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by Marty Coleman | Oct 24, 2016 | Sketchbook History Tour |
I draw in church. I used to draw the pianist quite a bit but then the orchestra got so big I am no longer able to see her. Now I draw other members of the orchestra, most often the French Horn player and the Violinists. They sit where I have a good view of them and many of them stay during the sermon so I can draw them longer.
Here are 4 drawings from my violinist collection.
I have been drawing in church since I would say about 1981 or so, hard to say exactly. I go between drawing something or someone I see as accurately as I can, as in this drawing and making something completely up in my head having nothing to do with what is in front of me.
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I don’t worry to much about getting the background exact. Sometimes I get most of it, sometimes just part of it and make up the rest. In this case only the steps leading to the alter are accurate, with the donation bags full of school supplies sitting in front.
The style I have in each drawing usually depends on the pen I am using. If I use a brush pen the style is simpler, calmer.
Sometimes I will get only a portion of a person on the paper before he or she leaves or moves. In that case I will completely makeup the rest of the drawing.
Drawings and commentary © 2016 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
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