The Middle Matters Most - May 19 2012

You wouldn’t put two pieces of bread together to eat them, go to a football game and show up right at the end, put a movie in and forward it to the last scene, or read a book starting at the last chapter. But I do those kinds of things all the time.

It’s the middle that matters the most—and so it is with life.

It seems to me I’ve always been a forwarder, wanting to skip all those middles just to find out the end. Maybe I tried middles for a while and didn’t like the experience, so I just decided to skip it all. I love trails. Though some may laugh at what I consider to be a trial, they are real to me. But the reality is, I am surrounded by more blessings than I could ever count.

A friend told me that I always want to skip the middle and find out what the end is without the experience. I thought about that, and I guess it can be true. But who hasn’t felt that way? I’m sure I’m not the only one. So many times we don’t want to risk the middle and want to save our bruised hearts from fear of an ending we don’t want to experience. I wonder how many opportunities I have missed while I was whining like a baby because I didn’t want to experience the middle.

My mind goes so fast, and slowing down has never been an option for me—but why can’t it be?

I love the examples I have in my life. I have a circle of good girlfriends, and I love sitting with them, chatting and laughing about the mysteries of a man. I’ve always found it humorous that women are always blamed for being mysterious, dramatic, and aloof—when I think maybe men are the leaders of the pack.

Take for instance, JACK (the jealous friend - name changed for privacy) He is always so quick to point out that I am SOOOOO dramatic. Really? But Jack, what about your texts telling me to back off and threatening to start a blog to make fun of me and defend your secret love’s honor? (All the while telling me that I’m too dramatic…)

It is simply the GAME. You can play or don’t have to—but it’s a game regardless. And if you want any exciting middle, you have to play it. I shouldn’t go through life playing the game with half of my heart. Half is for wimps. The entire heart has to be checked into the game or I’m gonna get benched.

The sidelines are boring. The more you play, the higher the risk—you will get hurt. But at the end of the game, you are stronger. :)

So, I am like a leader. I will hold my girls’ hands as we run up and down the field and let some hands go as they find the one to settle the game for them. I may have to go through a million Mr. Willows to find a keeper, but I keep playing. Someday I will win the game.

You win and you lose, but even when you lose, you can still be part of the game again. You keep playing because the excitement isn’t just at the end when you win—but it’s mostly about the middle.

During the game is when the best experience happens. The game isn’t really over until we die, and even at that, I believe we just start playing a new kind of game. While I am asking a million “what if’s” I am losing my time to play the game. “Timeouts” could be stalling the inevitable—and quitting will never bring the best result.

While I am complaining, I am missing passes and chances. Guess what—I am a woman, and with that package comes emotion. But so does forgiveness, laughter, and a few of my pleasant little tricks :)

So it’s time to put up or shut up. (big eye roll here)

Sisters, he is playing the game too. So jump in, take a deep breath, and have a good time. You will never know unless you try.

And for those of you who have been playing the game and succeeded—rock on.

Thanks for the example. Enjoy the middle—because it matters most.