The Lack of Reachin’ Back

You can’t keep knockin’ my noggin against a brick wall, expectin’ the wall to up and apologize for your actions. That’s about as useful as tryin’ to teach a mule algebra.

Those bricks ain’t changin’ their ways, no matter how much you plead or pout. Bricks are stubborn things, and, truth be told, most folks ain’t much different.

Now, you can’t go treatin’ people like the scrapings off your boots, especially when they’re out here tryin’ to lend you a hand. Even if they’re bumble-footed and bunglin’ about like a hobby bull in a china shop, they’re still people—flawed and fantastic.

And don’t let their momentary clumsiness fool you; even the most down-on-their-luck soul is bound to catch their own worth one day. They’ll stand tall, dust themselves off, and say, “I reckon I’m more than just mortar for your wall.”

But here’s where the trouble starts. Lines get drawn, friendships crumble, and kin’s cast aside like last week’s sermon notes. It’s in our nature, see.

Humans are about as predictable as Nevada weather—bright and warm one minute, with a storm’s fury the next. And when the wind shifts, you’d best be ready because there ain’t no holdin’ it back.

And here’s a final thought: no man or woman stays the same. We’re like tadpoles turnin’ into frogs, leapin’ away from the ponds we once called home.

So if you keep treatin’ folks like they’re part of some construction project, don’t be surprised when they hop away–a-leavin’ you with nothin’ but a pile of bricks, a good, hard lesson about stubbornness and being unfriended–which remains done.