‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future’
By Michael J. Fox
In New York, some time just before 2010, A well known Canadian – turned American named Micheal J Fox penned a short and sweet book. He finished it with these lines:
“One’s eduction is never complete. A misse dopportunity doesn’t precluse the possibility of new oppotunities, or even better ones… Be curious. Be ambitious… .Being in control of your own destiny is a myth – and wouldn’t be much fun anyway. pay attention to whats happening around you. read the book before yous ee the movie. remember, though you, alone are resonsible for your own happiness, its still okay to feel responsible for soemone else’s. Live to learn.“ And he signed it, Micheal J. Fox.
A short while later, on August 29, 2010 a very proud mother of three from Georgia, would pass along a copy of Micheal’s book to her 26 year old son – just entering medical school in the Caribbean – finally, starting his dream of studying to become a medical doctor. At the back of the book, on the opposite page that Micheal J. Fox signed off on, she wrote in neat black handwriting, ” — Thank you for being such a wonderful mentor to me. I am so proud, watching youf ollow these dreams of yours… what a journey. Congratulations and I love you! —”
A few weeks ago, as I came home after class feeling tired and worn down from all the studying, late night library time, and three tests, I popped open this little book to give it a read while laying in bed to get my mind off of pathways and genes. Maybe it was because Michael J Fox has been on my mind with all the genetic diseases we are currently studying in biochemistry and genetics, or maybe it’s because a the back of my mind, I had heard about this book and was meaning to read it – either way, somewhere there was a sign to just read his book because it was laying there on top of my dresser. I have to say, I was really glad that I spent the next 1.5 hours relaxing and reading, learning and re-justifying. So, to share a few excerpts that were really quite inspiring I’m dedicating this blog entry to Micheal’s book. Since that day a few weeks ago, I’ve been recommending this book to everyone I can, and have held Micheal’s words in my mind every day.
Lesson: Fill the Jar accordingly
“A professor stands before his class with a cardboard box. From inside he produces a large, clear, empty pickle jar, and then a series of golf ball sized rocks, which he then drop one by one into the jar until they reach the brim. ”So?” the teacher asks. “Who thinks the jar is full?” Hands shoot up and a quick scan of the room confirms unanimity – yes, it’s full. Next out of the box, a bag of sand, which the professor pours in amongst the rocks. Tiny grains cascade over, around, and in between the larger stornes, until there is no space left. ”Is it full now?” A show of hands and a chorous of voices respond, yes – it’s full!
Now the proefssor smiles, “But wait”. Both hands dissappear into the box and reemerge simultaneously, each holding a can of beer. The crack and hiss of the pop tops are drowned out by laughter in the classroom as the amber nector pours into the jar withthe rocks and sand. Once the din of the students subsides to a collective chuckle, the professor confidently declares, “Now it is full”.
“This jar represents your life” he continued, “Make sure the first ingredients are the big stuff, the rocks – your career, your family, your work, your passions. The rest is just sand, minutuae. It’s in there. It may even be important. But it is not your first priority.”
“What about the beer?” a kid in the back yells out.
“Well,” comes the answer, “After everything else, you always have room for a couple of beers with friends.”
Two Schools: Same kind of Schooling
“I’ve never let my schooling interfere with my education” – Mark Twain.
In a cheeky chapter about schooling, Dr. M J Fox opened up the chapter with his experience of receiving a Docterate of Laws from the Univeristy of British COlumbia while remembering he had dropped out of high school at the age of 14 and committed to the school of hardkocks, at the university of the Universal, where he didn’t pick his subjects, but they picked him. There was no formal marticulation, nor was there a graduation, but rest assured there were plenty of tests. Regardless, whether you stayed in school or went off to learn on your own, lessons were and are always being learnt.
With insight onto the importance of economics and simple math (something I should probally pay more attention to) and being able to file your taxes both in Canada and the United States, we learn that MJ also had harships handelling his own finances from time to time (at least until he could pay someone to do it form him).
On Geography
One of my favourite loves is geography,and I am pleased that Mr. Fox shares his father’s quote with us:
“Wherever you go, There you are.” and as MJ later tweaked, “Where you go, there it is.”
As MJ says, ‘the circumstance of both of these thoughts is that wherever you travel, you have to adapt to your new surroundings. They won’t adapt to you.’ I guess the importance here, is to make sure your journey – is always a round trip. Escape. Return. Repeat.
On gratitude and Mentors
You must always, always have gratitude and be thank ful for what you have. Fox’s Pay Attention Kid, You might Learn Something chapter, explains that with gratitude and appreciation comes more gifts (and reminds me that what you put out into the world, is what you get in return).
“In my experience, a mentor doesn’t necessarily tell you what to do, but more importantly, tells you what they did or might do, then trusts you to draw your own conclusions and act accordingly. If you succeed, they’ll take one step back, and if you screw up, they’ll take one step closer. What ever it is that they teach you… pass it on”.
What’s happening to you right now, exactly at this moment is happening to you and you alone. Own it.
Read his book – it’ll make you think twice – and if not twice at least once.
Cheers.
* * * Originally posted on March 18, 20120 * * *
16 months later, and I am officially now done the pre medicine studies program that I began. I need to take these science courses that I have never taken, I told myself. This is one step to the future, towards becoming a medical doctor. This is my goal, what I wanted, and I am signing up to do a pre medical program in the Caribbean. And let me tell you, boy oh boy! These past months have flown by incredibly – leaving nothing behind and really not waiting for anyone or anything. You had to move faster than time. Schedule. Routines. Get it done. and get it done I just did. I can’t even begin to describe the pros and cons. It’s all in a blender in my head. So, I finished my last exam (Genetics) with a 92%. At first, I didn’t know what to feel, or what to think. Was I really done? Really? But slowly it began to sink in, th
