Keep Some Sunshine on Your Face
A few nights back I was kicked back watching television when I stumbled across a documentary on HBO about the late comedian Richard Pryor. I have always enjoyed stand-up comedy and Richard Pryor is high up on my list of favorite comedians. The documentary wound through Pryor’s at-times troubled life. Throughout the show there were short clips from many of Pryor’s various stand-up specials. I was drifting in and out of watching (maybe even dozing a bit) when the clip came on where Pryor was doing his infamous character Mudbone. And this particular clip ended with Mudbone’s simple analogy for living a happy life and keeping positive – “Keep some sunshine on your face”.
That struck
me, I’m not really sure why but at the time it just did. I got up and went to
my computer. I had seen the routine before and even remembered the line. But I
knew that I had heard or read something similar before. Then I found this…"Keep
your face always towards sunshine and shadows will fall behind you". It
was from Walt Whitman. I knew I had read it before. I also interpret Whitman’s
quote to mean - if you stay positive, all of the negative in life can’t and
won’t affect you because you simply don’t focus on it. Being the social media
nerd that I have become, I posted both quotes on my Facebook page and showered
both Whitman and Mudbone with my approval. Little did I know that a few days
later, I would be thinking about these same quotes yet again as I encountered 2
great applications of those thoughts in my own life.
As I pulled
up the hill at Toccoa Speedway I was optimistic for a good night at the oldest
running dirt oval in Georgia. Toccoa is rustic and a little rough around the
edges but it is brimming with history and atmosphere. Those folks that fill
those grandstands really love their racing and they have shown it every time I
have ever been there. I was a little frustrated that our car count was lower
than I had expected but still not terribly much so because what we did have is
about all you need for Toccoa’s little 5/16ths of a mile bullring,
so no big deal. After the race, which coincidentally was pretty exciting,
someone posted a negative comment on our page that somewhat miffed me. The
comment wasn’t about me or my series but more about the track. I got a little upset
and began to type a terse response. As I was typing someone liked a previous
status on Facebook which popped up a notification on the screen. I quickly
looked at the notification and low and behold it was the status mentioned
above. I went right back and deleted what I had just typed without ever posting
it. No need to answer a negative with a negative. Just keep some sunshine on
your face I thought to myself.
As I sat
today looking at the world as told by social media (which is usually more
entertaining that TV news but is rarely as accurate) I came across a status by
my friend Chris Nunn where he wondered if he was in the right business because
of such internet bashing of tracks and drivers. As I read Chris’ thoughts I
thought to myself about how much better our sport would be if everyone chose to
keep some sunshine on their faces. Now I know that sometimes things need to be
brought to the light and questioned. But if we could all just find a way to do
it that was more about helping and less about hurting, wouldn’t that make our
sport a better?
I learned a
similar lesson last year when I met Blake Grinstead at Dublin 441 Speedway in
South Georgia. I wrote about that experience too. I am thankful that I keep
getting handed these life lessons and I am even more thankful that I am
learning them while doing what I love to do. I’m glad that God has given me
these opportunities and I am thrilled to have a place to be able to share them.
My Daddy always said to make sure to leave it better than you find it. So
here’s my advice for the month. The next time you are thinking about putting
someone on blast for something they have said (or typed) or done to you, just
stop for a moment. Take a deep breath and make sure to keep a little sunshine
on your face.
