Marshall Ramsey

I guess it is appropriate yesterday was Epiphany.

The weight of the world was stepping on my throat so I decided I’d go out for a run to self-medicate. For the first two miles, I thought about all my problems. My mind was troubled as entered the woods where I love to run. The trees cast dark shadows and I felt a chill. Gravel crunched under my feet as I headed over a small bridge at the entrance. Then I saw it. The sun burned through the gloom and lit a small sliver of my path. And I felt a truth wash over me (it could have been sweat, but I am pretty sure it was truth).

It’s time to change my story.

We’re directors of our lives but sometimes we allow others to write our screenplay. That’s why we see the world like we do. If someone “screws us over,” we tend to filter the world that way. If we get hit over the head, we don’t trust people (and for good reason). If you get in a bad wreck, you fear driving. If you buy a white Honda Accord, suddenly everyone drives white Honda Accords. If people you respect tell you things, you see the word in that manner. Like the saying goes, if all you have is a hammer, the world becomes nothing but nails.

Stories are how we filter the vast amount of stimuli that attacks our five senses. We also use them to protect our fragile egos. We create ways to see the world to make sense of life. Or we allow them to be created for us.

As I was running, I decided it’s time to write my own screenplay.

It’s easy to focus on the negative. And there’s plenty of it out there to focus on. I’m not saying to be a pollyanna and ignore it. But instead of allowing it to dictate your life, take it on head on. Deal with it and get moving forward. Look at life’s challenges not as defeat but for opportunity to grow.

Decide what you want your life to be. What do you stand for? Is it for the good? Are you willing to help others? To hone your gifts and skills to their finest? We only get one shot at this (unless you believe in reincarnation — and if you do, we should step up and get it right this life, not the next).

My story has a lot of flaws in it. Flaws that were created a long time ago by well-meaning but misguided people. That has tainted how I see my life and the people in it. It kept me from writing for years. It kept me afraid to take risks. I believed that failure equalled me not being a good person. That’s wrong. Failure is how you learn. Failure is a gift if lessons are taken from it.

I come from two people that gave me many gifts. But probably the best gift was their perseverance. They’re at the end of their lives now (and that has been very painful for my family). But I realize that toughness is my story.

The sun almost blinded me as I headed out of the woods. My legs were tired but my heart strong I had the idea in my head for a new story.

Now to get busy producing it. I want to hand that story off to my children’s memories.

P.S. The photo is the moment I saw the sun on my run.

No one can accuse George Lucas of not making the most of what he had. Well, until Disney bought his company. They have taken his franchise — the one that reinvented the movie business and merchandising industry — and mined it for even more gold. They’ve more than made back 25% of their investment on one movie. One. That’s not including all the tie-ins and toys. And books and other licensed products. The Force is strong with their creative and marketing teams.

Star Wars went from being huge to huger.

I walked in this morning and saw E&P magazine (a news trade magazine) on my office floor. The headline screamed “The Rising Popularity of Podcast: How audio is transforming storytelling and revenue for publishers” (Radio figured it out years ago). It’s just another example of how the industry I grew up in is trying to change. Newspapers are in a era of reinvention. Frankly, we all are (ask the manager of the local Blockbuster store). I held the magazine in my hand and started thinking, “We’re all a bit like George Lucas’ Star Wars. We have created a great story and are telling it daily (our jobs, our family). But you wonder. Could someone else tell the story better? How can we? Could there be more? What’s holding me back from doing it? How could I be like Disney and use my gold mine of talents in other and better ways?

I’ve driven all over Mississippi the past couple of months. We are a land of great potential. We have rich soil and talented people. But then I read articles about ‘brain drain,’ and it makes me worry about our future. But what’s holding us back? I cover the news. I have a few ideas about what our problems are. And how do we solve them? I know that it all starts with the person in the mirror. It’s easy to point our fingers and blame other for our problems. Instead, we have to look at lives hard and say, “Am I using all my talents?” “What can I do to make this a better place to live? ”

I’m doing that right now. I’m at a personal crossroads. The biggest struggle I have is workflow and of course, making it pay off. I’m a very creative person who is trying to mine that creativity in ways that will feed my family. I’m sure you’ve had similar moments in your life.

All I know is that I need to reflect, set goals and work my ass off to make those goals reality. I will vow to use my talents to uplift other people.

I guess you could say the Force has awakened. 2016 will be a year of innovation and change.

May the creative Force be with you.

I popped out of the woods and was greeted by an old friend. I hadn’t seen my favorite oak tree since a series of storms blew through last week. My feet quietly padded along the Natchez Trace as I passed it. It had lost leaves since the last time I had been by (my runs have been shorter lately). Then I noticed a pretty good-sized limb on the ground.

The storms had damaged the oak. But it still stood.

It’s strong with deep roots and a solid core to weather what life throws at it. And it’s limbs normally are flexible enough to sway during the storm.

But one limb didn’t make it.

Yet the oak still stood.

How many of us are facing storms in our lives? How many of us are dinged and damaged? I ran with a friend who told me of her struggles in life. You could hear the pain in her voice. But she doesn’t let it slow her down. She was finishing up a 20-mile run. She’s tough.

Like the oak, she still stands.

I passed back by the oak on the way home. I smiled, saluted and yelled “Happy New Year!”

It didn’t answer back.

It just stood.

If you live in central Mississippi, you might know about Yazoo Clay. What’s Yazoo Clay? If the Devil became clay, it’s the one he’d choose. It expands when wet. It contracts when dry. It’s like trying to build roads and buildings on chicken crap. No, chicken crap would be better. You haven’t lived until you’ve paid some guy named Bubba to dig a hole in your back yard so you can pour your savings into it. It’s what causes the streets to break apart and tear up your car.

Yahoo Clay sucks.

But it provides a good metaphor for those of us putting together our 2016 Resolutions. If you build your house on a bad foundation, it doesn’t matter how pretty it is: It will eventually fall apart.

So as I wrap up 2015, I’m going to work on my foundation. I’m going to clean out my closets, drawers and garage. I’m going to organize my business affairs. I’m going to work on my closest relationships and strengthen my faith. I’m going to fix the things people can’t see. That way I can build on them for next year.

2016 will start with a solid foundation. And will be stronger and better than ever.

A challenge is like a fork in the road. You can stand up to it or you can let it defeat you. Quitting is the easy route. But that’s not a life well-lived. It’s better to be a warrior and face the hardship. Take it on by developing new skills. Look at the person or situation and decide what exactly it is about them (or it) that you don’t like. And then vow to be totally different.

It’s not easy.

Because change is hard. But so’s the discomfort and pain brought on by the challenge. You have to make that choice: Which one will I endure? Choose the path for growth.

Usually if it is a person who is tormenting you (and sometimes it can be someone who you love), it is because of their own personal flaws and weaknesses. Sometimes bad people are put into your path to make you develop strength and wisdom. And once you do, the pain they try to inflict melts like ice on a hot summer day.

Become a warrior. Develop yourself mentally, spiritually and physically.

That newfound strength will shield you against fear, hatred, greed and bitterness. Insults will bounce off you. Hatred melts with your smile. You walk away from the encounter stronger and more determined.

Live a purposeful life. Learn to love discipline. Train until it hurts. Use your talents to help others. And when you do face darkness, be the light that exposes it for what it is.

The world needs more of that in 2016.

Bookstores who are selling Chainsaws & Casserole:

1. Lemuria Books, Jackson
2. Barnes & Noble, Ridgeland
3. Square Books, Oxford
4. Reed’s Gum Tree Bookstore, Tupelo
5. Turnrow Books, Greenwood
6. Lorelei Books, Vicksburg
7. Main Street Books, Hattiesburg
8. Cotton Row Books, Cleveland
9. Book Mart & Cafe, Starkville

Stores:1. Kademi, Philadelphia
2. Briar Patch, Carthage
3. Southern Heritage Air Foundation Gift Shop, Vicksburg

I may have forgotten someone, but that’s a good start. Lemuriabooks.com is a good place to order a signed (and personalized book) if you wish.

OK.. I’m at the part where Scrooge peers into the grave, has the epiphany and goes and buys the big honking goose. Christmas bells ring, everyone lives happily every after. Merry Christmas to us all, Mr. Scrooge!

I wish life was that simple sometimes. But it’s not.

We don’t get Christmas ghosts. But we do get really bad, nasty events in our lives. And I can tell you, it can give Jacob Marley and his pals a run for their money in the wake-up call department.

(Most days I’d prefer Bob Marley.)

Tough times challenge you. They can break you. You feel like your spirit is like a crumbling seawall,getting hit by wave after wave. Who you are is never challenged during the good times. It’s when the crap comes raining down is when our character is revealed.

Getting beat over the head by life is as close to a Christmas ghost as we’ll get. The trick is, will we change when we face our challenge? Change is hard.Most people would flip the third ghost off and get pushed into the grave. Scrooge’s transformation is rare to say the least.

A very wise friend of mine is going through tough times. I got a bit of advice today from her that put everything in perspective: You have to change. As hard as it is, you have to make the effort to change the future by not repeating the past.

No, we don’t get three ghosts. But we get challenges ad good people who help us see our mistakes and provide ways to solve them.

That’s a Christmas miracle in its own right. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!