A Trip Down Memory Lane

No photo this evening ... too wiped from the last Stamp Camp following a full day at the Day Job. But something jiggled a memory at work this morning that I wanted to share.

We have the Corporate Awards thing every now and then, and one of my team-mates got himself volunteered to accept on behalf of a bunch of other people, so we went to heckle him from the back row. Actually, two of the guys were there to accept. ANYway, one of them said, looking at the other one, that every time he asked if something could be done, he just did it. He never said it could not be done, and he was grateful for the can-do attitude. blah, blah, blah

What stuck in my brain was the 'he never said it could not be done'. Flash-back to elementary school, when we were forced to memorize poems, stand in front of the class and regurgitate them. As I sat there listening to the rest of the blah, blah, blah today, I mentally recited this poem FROM MEMORY, then I looked it up when I got back to my desk, just to make sure I remembered it correctly (and I did!)

It Couldn't Be Done

by Edgar Guest

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,

But he with a chuckle replied

That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one

Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn't be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;

At least no one ever has done it";

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,

And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

There are thousands to prophesy failure;

There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,

The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start to sing as you tackle the thing

That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.

Amen. Funny what we remember, isn't it? What's even more interesting is the fact that I have used this (unknowingly) in my work-a-day life. One time I needed to work with a certain person on a project, and tons of people told me this guy was impossible, and I'd hate every minute of it. Bah, I said, BAH! I can work with anyone. So off I went to the meeting, and I came back smiling, much to the chagrin of all the nay-sayers. See? I decided to see for myself, and ignore all that negative input, and it was just fine.

I am off to bed, now. I'll finish cleaning up in the morning. Even though it is pouring rain and thunder-booming and lightening and everything now (I have a mud puddle where my front yard used to be), I think the Forester will make it up the driveway at #2's place tomorrow afternoon. I'll take some pics of some stuff so I can do photo Trip Report. I've gotta do a Trip Report.

G'night!