My Chosen Mediocrity

I remember my first bad grade. In my home, it was a major event. I coolly dropped the card next to my Mom’s purse, hoping she would just sign it off.

No such luck. She saw the C in social studies and for an hour it seemed, we talked about what “Average” meant. And there would be no average in our family. We came from a proud line of immigrants who fought and struggled to survive. The men in the family were Sailors and farmers and gas station owners. None of them were rich, but none of them were “average.” She reminded me that they worked hard and succeeded no matter what their lot in life. I yes ma’amd and no ma’amd and just prayed the speech would end.

And the next day, Mom went down to the school, without an appointment, to visit the teacher. I cringed inside. I hoped my teacher would be okay, that she wouldn’t have to sit in the corner or be the recipient of my mother’s laser eye to cut to the heart.

The truth came out that day. I had been slacking, more concerned with being a kid than being a scholar.

Photo by Claire Burge

I learned my lesson. In fact, I haven’t slacked often since, constantly chasing the prize, the desire to be top dog. I’ve sought the leadership slot in nearly every role I’ve been in. I wanted to succeed, to be the boss and to take charge. God gave those skills, but I didn’t always use them correctly. Sometimes I bullied, manipulated and talked people into my way, or it was the highway. Pride went before my fall.

The High Calling means I do all things as unto the Lord. That’s why I’m a good employee, a good neighbor, a loyal friend and family man. In some things, we need to be above average.

Then there’s the rest of life. I must admit, I am now finding a joy in selective mediocrity. For example, this blog doesn’t get the promotion it needs. There are power tricks to drawing in readers and some go from zero to 100 in no time flat. I plod along, figuring if people read any of this, then that’s fine. And I’m good with that.

At work, I don’t have to be the first or the one recognized. Let others get the glory.

And there’s a patch of grass in my lawn that’s faltering. It needs to be dug up and reseeded. Or not. I have a filing cabinet at work that has become a catch all. Now it’s stuffed to the hilt and needs a good cleaning. Later.

I don’t know if its age or focus, but I want to chase the pure and noble things with vigor. And the rest of the stuff, I’m trying to figure out what’s really important.

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My chosen mediocrity

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