Two words to eliminate from our vocabulary?


A few years ago, in the parking lot of Costco's (which, by the way, has almost become the town center due to its "bargain" prices - much to the detriment of our locally-owned business enterprises) I met an older woman who was struggling with loading her purchases into her pick-up truck. We helped her a little and so struck up a conversation. I forget her name but I recall something of our conversation. She told us how she used to dance with Fred Astaire and that now she is awaiting her hip replacement surgeries. And how she decided at once, upon visiting the Big Island with her husband, that it would be their home. She is now widowed and owns and operates a small botanical garden and cafe', which sadly are falling into disrepair as her physical limitations increase.

When speaking of her philosophy of life, she had the following to say. Every night, before going to sleep, she reviews the day and considers her MOTIVES....not whether her actions and deeds were right or in line with her priorities, but what her MOTIVATIONS for those deeds might be.....

and.... she said that she has eliminated two key words from her vocablury:
"WHY" and "TRY"

She says that she no longer asks "why?" as it is a useless and endless question - things simply are the way they are.

And she doesn't use the word "try" any longer, either. She will do or not do - trying implies that she has a ready-made excuse if she should fail, or make a partially-committed intention, which is no commitment at all.

She didn't tell us how she came to this philosophy, whether she learned it from a book, from a teacher or religion, or from her own personal experience; but I suspect that her evening reflections and her earnest intentions have given her strength and courage in meeting the challenges of her life.