FknBucky

I recently had the pleasure of hosting my two nephews (10 & 13) for a little over a week here in the QC.  We had an amazing time with lots of laughs and in the future, I’ll share some of them with you.  We did all kinds of things including kayaking, paddle boarding, whitewater rafting, zip lining, drinking beer (that one was me), and just living.  We also went to visit some very good friends of mine that cooked up a barbeque with ribs, homemade mac and cheese, and of course some beans.

My youngest nephew was having the time of his life until he saw those beans.  It was like someone told him that Hillary actually won.  Ha ha. This isn’t political, I’m just having fun with you.  He dreaded those beans with true fear on his face.  I pride myself on being the cool uncle and play that role incredibly well if I may say so.  With that being said, it would have been very easy for me to say don’t worry about, you don’t have to eat those.  Why fight it?? SO much simpler and I get to be COOL.

I like being a prick though so I made him eat some beans.  It was comical.  They were pork and beans and he ate HALF a bean at a time.  Gagged and chugged water afterwards.  I was dying inside.  I’ve never seen anything so funny. I almost gave him another scoop just to keep the party going.  4 hours later (slight exaggeration) he finally finished his beans and we said thank you and goodbye.

While we drove back to Charlotte a real conversation about life sparked up and I make a point to always be honest with the boys.  I told my nephew that I didn’t care if he ate the beans for dinner as it had nothing to do with that.  He asked “Why make me do it then?”

I told him “Because you’re a man in training, and as men we have to do things we don’t want to do all the time.”

Some of you get it and others think that he is only 10.  Let him be a kid.  Here is my answer to that.  He is a kid while swimming, playing, hanging with his buddies, and all the rest of the day.  If the adults in his life don’t teach him that sometimes you HAVE to do things you really don’t want to, how is he going to be a functioning adult.  God willing he will grow up to be an adult, but that doesn’t make him ready for the world.

If you don’t learn to overcome LITTLE things in life, how are you going to react when the world throws real problems at you?? I’ve had my fair share of challenges in life same as you.  Everyone has setbacks, beat downs, and sometimes life just kicks you for no reason, but it is how you react to those moments that make you the person you are.  Now at 38 years old I smile and ask for a bigger spoon!

I’m glad people cared enough about me when I was young to make me “eat my beans.”  I don’t pretend I know anything about being a parent.  I just know what it takes to overcome and that advice is good for anyone.  You don’t pick up a football for the first time at 26 and then go win the Superbowl right??  Those guys start at age 6 now and train for decades to make it.  Shouldn’t we expect EVERYONE to be training every day to be ready for what life might throw at you.

Life is going to come at you that is inevitable.  Rich, poor, black, white, boy, or girl we all know that it will hit the fan eventually. You can sit and wait for someone to “say it’s okay someone else will solve your problem.”

Or you can smile, grab a spoon, and EAT YOUR BEANS.

FknBucky