43. In your social circle, you are often the one who contacts your friends and initiates activities 

I pretty much AM that guy. 

We have a reunion every year with the artists that all worked together back in our studio before they went to Cartoon Network. I’m pretty much the guy that got the ball rolling on every reunion. I would initiate the contact, find the dates for us to settle on, find the host home, settle who would bring what, etc. I did this for years. Whenever I get together with friends I haven’t seen for a while, I’m the one who initiates the contact and pushes for something to happen. I’ll usually try three times and if I don’t get anything by then, I just assume that they aren’t all that interested and let it go.  

I’ve found that friendships come and go. We’ve had a bunch of couples we were really tight with over the years, but at some point, life moves on and we don’t see them anymore. I’ll try and keep in contact, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. But it’s almost 100% my effort. 

44. If your plans are interrupted, your top priority is to get back on track as soon as possible 

If I’m not in full disagreement with this, I’m only one step removed.  

I’ll make my plans, but if they don’t work out, they don’t work out. I’ll go through your metaphorical open doors, and if those close, I might try a side door, but I’m not interested in fulfilling some plan no matter what. I usually just chalk it up to an idea that didn’t work out. No big deal. 

I think this is applicable even if it’s something relatively small too. I may get interrupted at work on something I’m working on, and when I’m done, I just get back to it. But that’s assuming I’m being paid to do that particular thing, in which case blowing it off isn’t really in the job description. I’ve got to get back to it. 

But even in conversation it will often happen that I’m making a point, and someone will interrupt me, and if it’s not at a convenient spot to go back to the point I was making, I’ll just assume they weren’t interested and I’ll drop it. I don’t want to be a bore to the people I’m talking to. 

45. You are still bothered by mistakes that you made a long time ago 

There’s one or two that haunt me, but in general, no. I’ve learned from my mistakes… in some cases… and don’t even really regret having made the mistake. But there are a few I’ve regretted. 

So, I guess it’s confession time. 

Years ago, when my youngest was still pretty small, I kicked his legs out from under him for no particular reason. I meant to do it as kind of a joking/messing with him thing, but it was just all-around ill thought out. As soon as I did it, I saw that he was hurt by it. I apologized and hugged him, but I’m still kicking mySELF for that moment, and I wish to God I’d never done it. 

Years ago, I was taking an adult-ed class and a classmate confided in me that he was going through a divorce. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but the gist was that he must have been making some mistakes too and that basically, If he was living his life right, this wouldn’t be happening to him. It wasn’t quite that brazen, but that was the gist of it. 

About 6 weeks later I found out my wife was having an affair and she was planning on leaving. All my callousness to that guy came back at that time. I had a chance to minister to the guy and I just totally blew it, and came off as conceited and a jerk. 

Sometime later, my sister Rhonda was staying with us, and she was going through a rough time in her life. At some point in the discussion she asked me point blank what the answer was. I had a golden opportunity to give her the gospel and I didn’t. I wasn’t particularly walking with the Lord during that time either, and even though I thought of the gospel at that moment, I wasn’t in a place to tell it to her. I’ve regretted that moment ever since. But I did learn from it. Later I was faced with similar moments and made sure that I didn’t balk when the time came. But I still regret that one. 

Finally, I got involved with a young woman a few years ago. I flirted when I knew it was dangerous, and all the while, the Holy Spirit was screaming at me to stop. But I kept on. It came crashing down on me 6 months later and the result was pain for everyone involved. I knew too, because I’d counseled other men in the same position, that once I crossed a line, there was no way out without hurting someone. I’d hurt the girl, or I’d hurt my wife. As it ended up, I hurt everyone when it went public. And I hurt them a lot worse than I could have ever imagined.  

This has been surprising to me. I would have had the immediate response that no, I’m not bothered by mistakes I made a long time ago. But on reflection, I certainly am bothered by some of them. Maybe I’d put this one at a 2 on the scale.