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M Simone Boyd

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A Face of Courage: Antoinette Tuff

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Last week, Morris and I studied courage. In the series, The 12 Traits of the Greats courage is defined as the mental or moral strength to venture. 12 Traits explains that courage is more about action than forethought and that success is simply the action of getting of the bleachers and getting involved.

Antoinette Tuff
Photo from Gwinnett Daily Post

That’s what Antoinette Tuff did this week when she persuaded a would-be murderer at an elementary school to put down his AK-47 and surrender to the police. She got involved.

 

Ms. Tuff didn’t wait for others to get involved. She didn’t wait to see what was going to happen. She didn’t analyze the perils of getting involved. She just went with the wisdom of Nike and just did it.

 

And, because of her courage untold lives were saved.

12 Traits says that when you force yourself to do the opposite of what your natural tendencies are telling you to do, and when you turn toward fear instead of away from it, your fear shrinks.

After hearing the story of Ms. Tuff, I decided to start marketing my writing again and shrinking my fears. You see, I had a couple of story ideas rejected in the past year…and it takes some time for me to bounce back. So, I haven’t submitted any articles to publishers in weeks. But, hearing Ms. Tuff’s story inspired me and gave me courage – I submitted three stories this week to newspapers and magazines.

 

Other folks in my family are shrinking their fears too. My brother, Izo, is leaving his job at a mortgage company this week to pursue his dream of being a producer- with no job prospects in sight. And my brother, Zaiah, has a tryout with a developmental team for the NBA in early September.  I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

Courage has many faces, and here are a three that inspire me:

Sir Winston Churchill
Photo from Wikipedia
Tank Man in Tiananman Square
Photo by Charlie Cole
Cesar Chavez
Photo from Wikipedia
What  face of courage has inspired you?

The Battle of the Bulge

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It was a cold, misty day in December of 1944. One thousand tanks and 200,000 German troops launched Hitler’s final attempt to beat back the Allied Troops in France. The Germans began their assault in the Ardennes Forest. The line of defense stretched for 75 miles (pictured above), and a rag-tag bunch of inexperienced and war-torn American soldiers were stationed there for rest.  The Germans broke through the line (depicted in yellow) after a day of fighting and surrounded most of an infantry division.

Stories of horror began to spread. And, the Belgians began to hide their Allied flags and bring out the swastikas. The British waited to see how the Americans would respond to such a terrifying German offense.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Allied Commander, rushed in reinforcements to help beat back the Germans. And, within days American soldiers were launching counterattacks. The story of this battle is one of American courage. American soldiers, often isolated, were relentless in slowing down and fighting the Nazi advance. They blocked roads. They burned stored gasoline to keep it from enemy tanks. And, marched in deep snow drifts to restore the line of defense that set the stage for victory.*

Sir Winston Churchill described the battle as “…the greatest American battle of war and will.”

I heard the story of this Battle a few months ago on NPR. And, I thought it was appropriate to share because 1) it is Independence week and 2)  it made me think about my own personal battles**.

The Battle of the Bulge was a huge setback for the Allied Forces. The war had appeared to be almost over. And, then the dang Nazis came charging in. But, the American soldiers didn’t give up. They kept fighting.

April and May were good months for me. Our small group Bible study ended well. We had an awesome Cub Scout end of the year picnic. I began running again. I lost five pounds. I was writing consistently. Our family reunion was a success. I was blogging regularly, and getting good traffic.

Then June came.

And, I found those five pounds. And, I didn’t write or blog. And, I felt guilty. Because I planned to report on my goal progress in June, but my progress has been dismal. So, I revisited the Battle of the Bulge.

The Battle was a turning point in War World II, and the Allied Forces went on to win. I find it super encouraging to know that a setback was not the end of the story, and it  makes me want to fight even more for my goals. I did lose some ground, but the end of this year is going to be awesome.

If you have lost any ground on your goals this year…don’t lose heart. We have six months ahead of us.
So, let’s get to work.

*Source: Army Features- http://www.army.mil/botb/overview.html

**In NO way am I trying to equate my personal struggles to those of the aforementioned American heroes.

Idle Threat

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Morris and I saw an inspiring documentary last week, Idle Threat. It explained the threats posed to the environment by running your engine for minutes at a time while your car is in park. The film was shown at a community center in our neighborhood in conjunction with the environmental film festival.

I know what you are thinking, how is that inspiring?

Well, the 60-minute film is centered on George Pakenham’s one-man fight against idling in New York City. George fights idling by knocking on the car windows of unsuspecting idlers, explains the hazards to the environment, the associated fines for idling in New York City, and asks them to turn their engine off.

 Based on his reports, 80 percent of offenders turn off their engines. However, it is the responses of the other 20 percent that make for a funny and entertaining movie.

Mr. Pakenham has documented more than 2000 interactions with idling offenders, lobbied the New York City Council to enforce the current idling laws, and won by having parking enforcement officers assigned to write tickets to idlers.

I found this movie inspiring, because Mr. Pakenham is making a difference in the world…something I want to do too. So, it got me to thinking.

Am I passionate about anything? Is there anything I am willing to talk about  everyday to complete strangers? As a christian, I know what the answer should be…but I feel like I am really falling short by comparison to Mr. Pakenham.

Inauguration 2013

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Morris and I had different ideas of how to celebrate Inauguration. I wanted to celebrate on the couch by watching the inaugural festivities on the television. But, Morris wanted to be out in the thick of things with the crowds and the cold.
 
So, we comprised. 

Morris’ dad came into town, and they went to inauguration. I went to the suburbs for the weekend, and watched inauguration on television. And, a good time was had by all. 
The Capitol Pre-Inauguration
This Band was filmed in the movie Lincoln
Presidential Impersonators (Right to Left): Lincoln, Roosevelt, Jefferson, and Washington. 
Inauguration 2013

Why is Work So Boring?

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I have asked myself this question over and over again for the past year. And, the past few months  have been especially challenging. Almost every day is a battle to get up, be there, and be cheerful. Almost every conversation with a friend, family member, or Phillip ends in me disparaging my work. ( Forgive me for that…I am going stop it.) And, at least once a week I end up crying in my office with a sinking feeling that I am trapped and will never get out of this crummy job.

In all fairness, my job is not all that crummy. I have a wonderful boss and I love most of the folks that I work with on a daily basis. I make more money than I ever thought possible at this age. I am off every other Friday, and I have a beautiful walk to work. So, why am I bored and miserable?

The past year has lead me to one answer. My job is not a good fit for me. I love people. I love talking to people, learning about people, and helping people. And, I need a job that allows me to do that. So, I began the quest for my dream job in June.

My dream job has not materialized. But, I have met some great people in the process and my friends and family have been both patient and supportive. I made the decision today that I am going to be grateful for that. The new job will come when the time is right. Just like everything else.

*I gained back the two pounds that I lost last week. Booooo me.*

Why Japan?

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Morris and I were often asked this question before, during, and after our honeymoon to Japan. There are two reasons. First, Morris’ sister used to send him Japanese baseball cards when he was in middle school, and he always hoped to see the country. Second, my sisters and I spent one Christmas holiday watching the entire Karate Kid trilogy, and I thought “it sure would be nice to see the land of Mr. Miyagi.” Below are five of my favorite photos from Japan and the video that Morris made of our trip. Enjoy!

Us at the Edo-Tokyo Museum
Tsuiki Fish Market Safety Briefing
Tsuiki Fish Market…Can you believe that is a Tuna?
Kinkaku-ji (The Temple of the (solid) Gold Pavilion)
The Bamboo Forest
*I lost two pounds this week. Woot! Woot!*

Fly

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Ford's Theatre Presents Fly about the Tuskegee Airmen fall 2012

Morris and I went to see Fly  this week at the Ford Theatre in Washington, D.C. Fly is based on the experience of four Tuskegee Airman flying in World War II, and it was nothing short of brilliant. It incorporated  live action, actual video footage from the war, and tap dancing that expressed the range of emotions the pilots faced.

It had sad parts and it had funny parts. But, the dedication of the Airman to seeing each other succeed was the key to their success. Despite all the hardships face, they won.

 

Jury Duty

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I have Jury Duty today, and I am pretty excited. Jury Duty is our civic responsibility. I hope that I am picked and that I serve well. But, I have another reason that I am really excited. People will go to extremes to get out of Jury Duty. So, I’m hoping that the day will have some entertainment value also. Is that terrible?

 

In Memory of Pete, Greet A Passerby

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After seeing Pete on my walk to work for 4 and a 1/2 years, he is gone. Pete and I weren’t close. He would say “Good Morning” and “Have a Good Day”, and I would politely nod and smile. On really hot days, I would hold my breath  as I walked by…Pete had a tendency to smell on those days.

Sometimes, I would see well-dressed folk stopping to talk to Pete, and I often wondered “why are they talking to that homeless guy?” But, now I know why. Pete was kind and cheerful.

I don’t know his story, but I imagine life had dealt him a few blows. Despite living under a tree with all his possessions in a shopping cart, he was kind and cheerful. But, I never made time to talk to him.

The world needs more people like Pete. People that will be kind and cheerful, no matter what personal challenges they face.

Bears On Top

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Question: How do two people live in a 400 square foot studio
apartment?

 

 

 

Answer: Bears on top.

 

You see, Morris and I live in the aforementioned small space. Thankfully, we have nine foot ceilings so we have utilized our wall space to the upmost. We also use every nook and crevice to store and hide things. For example, the two-inch space between the refrigerator and the kitchen cabinet becomes a home for our folding chairs and broom. The space underneath my writing desk stores our files, speakers, printer and a box of miscellaneous papers. And all of our bears are placed on the top shelves of our wall-mounted bookcases.

 

My handsome husband, Morris, graduated from Baylor University. The mascot for Baylor is a bear. While Morris did part with many items to make space for me in his apartment, he did not part with the bears and rightly so because I like that he is sentimental for simple things.

We hope to enjoy/endure this small space until we kill all of $51,236 dollars of our student loan debt.