The Pessimist, the Optimist and the Half Empty Glass

Raoul’s Two Cents: June 6, 2025

The Underdog

Big brother Thomas and little brother Charlie are a year apart. Thomas is gifted with natural intellectual and physical abilities. He could pick up concepts easily and is naturally coordinated. He is over-confident at times and for good reason — it’s easy for him. On the other hand, Charlie is not as agile and it takes longer for him to figure things out. But what he lacks in physique and talent, he makes up with determination.

Throughout the school year, Charlie would open his notebook whenever he’d have some free time to study. He would stay up late to finish his homework. And he’s always the first one up to rouse everybody for the morning rush. While his older brother experienced growth spurts and reached the stratosphere, Charlie remained earth bound. In short, for every finger, big brother would lift, little Charlie would require two. Poor Charlie.

A few months ago, a mischievous classmate played a painful practical joke on young Charlie. Charlie leaped up in pain and embarrassed himself in front of the whole class. For days he was despondent as he nursed his wound. He imagined the entire school laughing at his mishap. He wanted to die. I had to comfort him with stories of my own struggles when the world crashed down on me. “Sometimes we magnify our problems beyond proportion … sometimes we get stuck not knowing the rest of the world had already moved on.” I think my story hit home. The next few days his energy was back to normal.

Last week, I attended the boys’ school Award Ceremony. For each grade level (as was customary) awards were given to the straight A students and the athletes … there was even an award for the ESL (English as a Second Language) students (I kid you not! — there really was such an award … after all this IS Hispanic California). There were literally hundreds of recipients for the different awards (yeah, getting a medal kinda loses its luster when everyone else is special). But there was one award that only 2 people (a boy and a girl) would receive: the coveted Student of the Year Award — given to the 2 students who achieved excellence in all subjects and whom the teachers considered to be their ideal student. The first name was for the girl student. We waited for the 2nd student.

I sat behind young Charlie as the drum rolled and then (Surprise! Surprise!) — his name was called! This little guy with all the spunk made it to the top of the heap! His smile drowned the rest of his face. He couldn’t believe it. All that work, all those sleepless nights … what an affirmation!

Charlie wasn’t the little guy anymore. He was the BIG guy … at least for that day. God is good. True story.

TGIF people!

p.s.
Congratulations to all you graduates! I hope you make the most of your vacation free time. Rest your minds and be ready for the new season of life.

“I never dreamt of success. I worked for it.” — Estee Lauder

“You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you’ve climbed a mountain.” — Tom Hiddleston

“Then she called out, ‘Samson, the Philistines are here!’ When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.” — Judges 16:20

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3: 5-6