As the clock of all seasons has struck the winter hour, it's time once again to pen my annual holiday greeting. Another calendar torn asunder by the hands of time! A few more lines on the face and a few more problems to bear; it can only get better from here.
Happy holidays from the safest place on Earth: prison. Here you don't have to worry about the bank foreclosing on your home or that same bank going under and taking your life's savings with it. Here in prison your nest egg never quite loses its value: a stamp, once you purchase it, still carries a letter across the country. So, unlike my unfortunate friends on Main street, whose holiday celebration may be a bit less elaborate out there, ours will echo with sameness in here...as those who expect nothing are never disappointed.
I've thought long and hard about the topic of this year's missive. This type of writing always presents problems of redundancy--especially considering that this letter marks the thirteenth edition! I usually juggle ideas around in my head before I begin the writing process; I find that exercise and a healthy dose of caffeine always opens up additional pathways for neurons. After many days of mind acrobatics and mental juggling, a topic emerged...fitting after so many holiday letters in a row I came up with "persistence."
In the course of putting my fragmented thoughts into an ordered, cogent pattern, something remarkable occurred. On a recent day, as I took a water break during my workout, I glanced up from the bubbler and there it was--as if the framed print that adorned the otherwise bare gym wall hung there solely for me. Looking at the picturesque, yet dangerous scene, I shook my head in disbelief; certainly a rare collision with divine intervention. In front of me stood a framed representation of a megalith that partially obscured a setting, crimson-red sun. The sun's reflection off the body of water below made it look as if flaming tongues were licking at the base of the gigantic rock. Just below the apex a climber precariously clings to a jutting ledge with a death-grip...one foot kicks at air in what appears to be an attempt to get equal footing. Beneath this still-frame of nature's majesty and Human Will appeared an unknown author's words--words that corresponded perfectly with this letter's already decided-upon topic:
"Persistence: nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;
nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded
genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Persistence teaches the valuable lesson of never quitting--surrender is a conscious decision. Persistence promises that if you stay in the race, you just might find a way to win...or a way to win may even find you! But quit and the possibility evaporates. Persistence has a philosophy and psychology all its own, it can be paraphrased as such: "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."
As I write these words on the heels of my 40th birthday, I'm growing tired of hearing the doomsday scenarios from those who have reached this mark before me: those who have grown old and tired, those who encourage their peers to slow down and relax. At the very core of persistence is driving harder when everyone else slows down. Persistence fuels the healthy spirit; it's the catalyst for youngsters of all ages.
As it dawns upon the holiday season, it's the time of families coming together. The ones we love have a special way of reigniting our spirit--a way of showing us why persistence must be at the very heart of our daily lives. Some see the fruits of persistence in a child's smile. For others it's the reassuring wink from a mother or father that brings with it the hope of brighter days to come. For me, it's the promise I see in my wife's eyes: the promise of a better tomorrow, the promise of realizing our dream of being together--in love--forever. A daily dose of persistence brings us one day closer to that rainbow we envision.
Quitting is not an option...it's the antithesis of persistence. The amazing power of persistence can be seen in the stream of water that, in time, wears through any rock that gets in its way! As with me happening upon the clincher for this holiday letter, life has a way of rewarding us for moving forward toward our goals and refusing to quit. It has often been said that the reward comes not so much from reaching the peak, but in every step of the climb. That said, we must keep climbing stubbornly and resolutely...as nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Happy holidays and all the best of luck to you and yours in 2009.
December, 2008
HAPPY HOLIDAYS,
NATALIE BART
WITH LOVE AND RESPECT,
JOHNNY BART
HELLS ANGELS MOTORCYCLE CLUB,
B O S T O N
J. Bartolomeo, 21270-038, P.O.Box 420, Fairton, NJ 08320
www.johnnybart81.com
As the clock of all seasons has struck the winter hour, it's time once again to pen my annual holiday greeting. Another calendar torn asunder by the hands of time! A few more lines on the face and a few more problems to bear; it can only get better from here.
Happy holidays from the safest place on Earth: prison. Here you don't have to worry about the bank foreclosing on your home or that same bank going under and taking your life's savings with it. Here in prison your nest egg never quite loses its value: a stamp, once you purchase it, still carries a letter across the country. So, unlike my unfortunate friends on Main street, whose holiday celebration may be a bit less elaborate out there, ours will echo with sameness in here...as those who expect nothing are never disappointed.
I've thought long and hard about the topic of this year's missive. This type of writing always presents problems of redundancy--especially considering that this letter marks the thirteenth edition! I usually juggle ideas around in my head before I begin the writing process; I find that exercise and a healthy dose of caffeine always opens up additional pathways for neurons. After many days of mind acrobatics and mental juggling, a topic emerged...fitting after so many holiday letters in a row I came up with "persistence."
In the course of putting my fragmented thoughts into an ordered, cogent pattern, something remarkable occurred. On a recent day, as I took a water break during my workout, I glanced up from the bubbler and there it was--as if the framed print that adorned the otherwise bare gym wall hung there solely for me. Looking at the picturesque, yet dangerous scene, I shook my head in disbelief; certainly a rare collision with divine intervention. In front of me stood a framed representation of a megalith that partially obscured a setting, crimson-red sun. The sun's reflection off the body of water below made it look as if flaming tongues were licking at the base of the gigantic rock. Just below the apex a climber precariously clings to a jutting ledge with a death-grip...one foot kicks at air in what appears to be an attempt to get equal footing. Beneath this still-frame of nature's majesty and Human Will appeared an unknown author's words--words that corresponded perfectly with this letter's already decided-upon topic:
"Persistence: nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;
nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded
genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Persistence teaches the valuable lesson of never quitting--surrender is a conscious decision. Persistence promises that if you stay in the race, you just might find a way to win...or a way to win may even find you! But quit and the possibility evaporates. Persistence has a philosophy and psychology all its own, it can be paraphrased as such: "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."
As I write these words on the heels of my 40th birthday, I'm growing tired of hearing the doomsday scenarios from those who have reached this mark before me: those who have grown old and tired, those who encourage their peers to slow down and relax. At the very core of persistence is driving harder when everyone else slows down. Persistence fuels the healthy spirit; it's the catalyst for youngsters of all ages.
As it dawns upon the holiday season, it's the time of families coming together. The ones we love have a special way of reigniting our spirit--a way of showing us why persistence must be at the very heart of our daily lives. Some see the fruits of persistence in a child's smile. For others it's the reassuring wink from a mother or father that brings with it the hope of brighter days to come. For me, it's the promise I see in my wife's eyes: the promise of a better tomorrow, the promise of realizing our dream of being together--in love--forever. A daily dose of persistence brings us one day closer to that rainbow we envision.
Quitting is not an option...it's the antithesis of persistence. The amazing power of persistence can be seen in the stream of water that, in time, wears through any rock that gets in its way! As with me happening upon the clincher for this holiday letter, life has a way of rewarding us for moving forward toward our goals and refusing to quit. It has often been said that the reward comes not so much from reaching the peak, but in every step of the climb. That said, we must keep climbing stubbornly and resolutely...as nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Happy holidays and all the best of luck to you and yours in 2009.
December, 2008
HAPPY HOLIDAYS,
NATALIE BART
WITH LOVE AND RESPECT,
JOHNNY BART
HELLS ANGELS MOTORCYCLE CLUB,
B O S T O N
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