Thrown On the Scrap Heap

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Epistle Dedicatory

There is very little I can add to these eloquent words. I understand the “feverish selfish clod of ailments and grievances” part. I feel sometimes as I get older and my football injuries remind me that my body is at this point a crumbling temple, that the “feverish selfish clod” is what I have become. So, Shaw’s words hit particularly home, and I am reminded of my coach’s consistent responses to my and my teammate’s complaints fifty years ago — “Quit your bitchin’, and do something useful.”

This morning I will spend a little extra time in my meditation and prayers asking that I be used for a mighty purpose. Heck, I’ll settle for even a minor one.

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About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.