The P ublisher Po stulates
People with egos such as mine tend
to believe they are invincible and
can do whatever needs to be done
on their own without the help of
others. We are not very good team players
because we want to do it all ourselves, our
way. We are arrogant, but we think that
is all right, since we effectively delude
ourselves into believing we are doing it
all ourselves, no matter how many people
we depend on to accomplish our goals. We
give little credit to others and reserve praise
for ourselves. That is, until finally one day,
we realize that we have been depending on
others for so much that if left to ourselves,
we would be overwhelmed by what task
to do first. It is quite an epiphany when we
realize that our successes are the result of
the support and guidance we have received
from others, while we stood up to accept
the accolades. What a jolt it is to suddenly
understand how much we need others.
For most of us, this eventual lightning
flash is the result of some singular event,
while for others, it is learned in a gradual
manner. I am somewhere between the
two, but clearly I became aware of this
fact because of my wife Margaret. Yes, the
rest of you saw this coming, but it took me
years to see what was obvious. Sometimes,
even when you are looking at something,
you don’t necessarily see it. It is a type of
blindness.
Once I fully discovered that my partner
Margaret, my family, and those I work with
are the ones who are really responsible
for the good fortune and success I have, I
had some difficulty accepting it as a fact. I
really do need other people, and I cannot
do anything alone. What a difficult thing
to accept, no matter how true it is. Writing
this reminds me that it is acceptable to be
dependent upon others, and that we need
others in order to thrive.
34 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
I think about how easy it is to break a
thin branch, but now when several thin
branches are bound together, it becomes
almost impossible to even bend them. With
this in mind, I encourage you to give aid
and assistance to those around you, but
even more so to accept aid and assistance
from those close to you and to become
thankful that you do not have to go it alone.
You will be better off if you can learn to
accept help from those around you and
return the favor in kind. The more you
give, the more you get, and the more you
get, the more you will have to give. 9
Publisher / Editor
YOU CANNOT
DO LIFE ALONE
By Aaron R. Fodiman
I often wonder what Margaret really means when she says, “Yes, dear.”
CHRISTOPHER STILL