Giving it a chance

Years ago, my high-school english teacher had us read Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens.

I wouldn't read it.

Even at 16, I thought it was pretentious to have us read what I thought was new-age hoopla by some crank positive thinker.

And so it wasn't until my twenties that I gave the adult-version a try. (It was better than I thought.)

And, again, while in college, another professor in another class recommended we read What Color is Your Parachute (just before graduation), and you can imagine what I thought of that. Hocus pocus and pixie dust.

It wasn't until just yesterday, now that I'm well behind the time of my life when it would have been (really) useful, I decided to pick it up and read two chapters.

I wish I'd read it sooner.

It's a curious irony that many of the things we most need to learn, hear, or experience we tend to avoid. Not because we're against learning per se, but because we're so intractable in our own way of thinking--about what's worth our attention and what isn't--that we often won't give it a chance.

Alas. Relentlessly 'giving it a chance' might be the best shot we have at self-redemption.