Gathro’s Aphorisms
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Only fools think they are in control, so ruthlessly eliminate all expectations of your day. A lot of things won’t matter in all of space and time. We learn retroactively how to live in the future.
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Remember to take your identity to what you do, not from it.
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If you “hold it together,” others will be more able to “hold it together” as well.
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You can’t control what others do, but you can control what you do and how you react. The ability to determine your attitude in any situation is a great freedom. No amount of guilt can change the past. No amount of anxiety the future.
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Shift the responsibility on God to change the things you cannot. It’s His worry. Note: “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justice…now. Love mercy…now. Walk humbly…now. You are not obligated to complete the work but neither are you free to abandon it.” Rabbinic Commentary
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Risk taking reminds us that we are alive. Don’t be afraid of the fact that failure is always “on the table” when you take risks. We are truly alive when we live a bit outside of our comfort zone. And, don’t be afraid to take responsibility for failures.
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Forgive and ask for forgiveness.
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You were born into someone else’s story. You must understand it in order to differentiate your own from it.
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What people aren’t up on they will be down on.
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Remember, life is 99% about relationships. All else is just details.
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Sorrow (a promise that life keeps) and Redemption, both allow imagination and creativity to flourish. Suffering is a teacher.
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It is what it is, and God is in the middle of what it is. All that takes place today – including the irritations and disappointments -- will somehow work together for your good. It all passes through God’s sovereign hands. Romans 8:28-29 is still in the Bible as far as I can tell. I will never fully understand it in this life.
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Write a eulogy resume, not a career resume. Investing in others is one of our most important legacies. Grace has brought me this far. It will bring me home. I’m probably worse of a person than people think I am!