Advice from a Loser: Don’t Wish Your Life Away
There was a teacher at my high school who was … there’s no other way to say it … a loser. Because of his own indiscretions, his personal life was a mess and it spilled over into his work. He was frequently unprepared for class and was easily derailed by our dumb personal questions.
Nevertheless, he was such a broken individual that he didn’t try to act like he was better than his students. We took pity on him and treated him with the cheerful deference reserved for teachers who regularly dismissed class early.
We’ll call him Mr. Pitiful.
My school had a daily meeting period we called chapel, even though it was not a religious affair. Usually a few students would give their required chapel talks, but sometimes a teacher would address the group. If a round of talks went long, it ate into our lunch time. If it went short, we got extra time at lunch.
One day at chapel, we sat in silence after the announcements and waited for our speaker to stand and deliver. We waited. And waited. Finally, Mr. Pitiful popped up, said “Oh, it’s me,” and walked to the front.
He was clearly unprepared. He stood at the podium for at least 30 seconds, gathering his thoughts amid our uncomfortable laughter. Finally he spoke in an even, measured voice:
I’ve spent most of my life wishing I was somewhere else. When I was a teenager, I wanted to be older so I could drive. When I could drive, I wanted to be older so I could buy beer.
[Long pause.]
Don’t be like me. Don’t wish your life away.
Thank you.
The place erupted in a long standing ovation. Most were clapping because his short talk meant we got an extra 20 minutes at lunch, but I like to think some were clapping for the message.
More than 10 years later, his words come back to me when I’m stuck in an unpleasant situation. It doesn’t always work, but when I think of him, I try to live in the moment and not wish I was somewhere else.
