Today’s big question is “What is your favorite quote?” Actually, I have many. Some are biblical, like Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Others are philosophical, like Friedrich Nietzsche, “What does not kill me makes me stronger.” Or poetic, like Henry David Thoreau, “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.” There are also quotes from songs, such as Imagine by John Lennon, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”, and movies such as Jerry Maguire, “Show Me the Money!” But lately, there is one in particular that sums up my attitude towards life…
“Is that the hill you want to die on?”
It has so many connotations. Do I really want to pick that battle? Is this what seems to be of utmost importance? Am I willing to lay it all on the line to prove my point? I am not backing down, come hell or high water. For me – probably not. For some people I know – absolutely!
This summer I decided to change the landscaping in front of our house. I came up with a rough draft. I removed some shrubs, added flowering bushes and perennials, and included some eye-popping art work, along with flower boxes underneath the windows. Once I had a realistic version I showed it to the husband. He loved everything – except the flower boxes. Okay. I can live with that. I am not going to die on a hill over a window flower box.
A man won’t pay his child support because he refuses to get a job. That man is now not allowed to see his children because he refuses to accept his responsibility. Is that the hill he wants to die on? For him, I guess so. The bottle takes precedence over finding a job and having a relationship with his children. Definitely, NOT a hill I would die on!
At one of my previous law firms, a strapping young man walked in around closing time. He sat down in front of my desk and started asking random questions. Finally, I told him it was closing time. Did he need to make an appointment to return? No, he was just “passing through.” As I was ready to walk out the door, I noticed this young man was lurking around the parking lot. I was the only person left in the office. I did not feel safe walking to my car alone. I called the Sheriff’s office and was informed they would send a squad car over. In the meantime, the Sheriff’s office had contacted my corporate office and I received a phone call from HR. I was scolded because I did not call them first and ‘ask’ how to handle the situation. Ummm…they were 100 miles away. Seriously, how were they going to “handle” it? The phone conversation became so unreal that at one point I was being told if I did something like that again I would be terminated. So, yes, that was a hill I was willing to die on. What good would it have done to walk to my car anyway, only to be attacked?
So…what’s your favorite quote? More importantly, what does it say about the life you choose to live? Because sooner or later, every one of us will find a hill. Just make sure it’s one worth standing on.
Until next time,
-Molly