which path would you choose?

How many people (maybe you included) put themselves in situations that add zero value to your life, and can and will only bring you down?

A couple weeks ago, I had dinner with one of my closest friends, and fellow American, Jack Murphy …

Over dinner, Jack told me about a crazy story … and as Sophie says, “stuff like this only happens to Jack…”

Jack told me about an “attractive” 43 year old woman, a mother of two, recently divorced who he went to high school with 20+ years ago… and someone who Jack says he does not remember once ever speaking to while in high school…
a few years ago, this woman became friends with him on Facebook and has become one his Facebook buddies who from time to time sends him FB emails.

Jack made a point of reminding me how he did not speak to this person once in high school.

Over the past several years, this woman has emailed Jack provocative emails, bordering on “sexting” as Jack calls it.

Then he went on to tell me about one of the most absurd stories I have heard in a long time.

Just the day before my dinner with Jack, he got a message on his Facebook from this woman saying, “Jack – I did something tonight, and I think you will be mad at me.”

Jack told me that he never ever replies to this person, but without thinking he replied “what did you do?”

And the woman answered, “I slept with one of my girlfriends … and I really liked it.”  (Jack read me the texts so this is almost verbatim, however, I took out the descriptive details)

She went into graphic detail about everything that she did … and how exciting it was, and went into detail about how she and her friend wanted to meet Jack for a threesome, etc.  (ridiculously graphic)

But Jack did not entertain or show interest in this person’s stories, and didn’t reply to her messages (he showed me on his phone, so I believe him)  and ultimately after many lustful texts that went unanswered the woman stopped messaging him (Jack commented that she probably passed out because she was drunk)

Sophie interrupted Jack from reading more texts and asked him, “why is this person even on your facebook??”  Sophie had missed the first part of our discussion because she was late arriving to the restaurant – but she made a great point.

The next day, Jack and I went for a long bike ride in the desert and over that ride we discussed this woman and her sexting, and all the crazy shit that she has said to him over the past couple years ..
and Jack commented how she has added/adds zero value to his life.

Of course, I asked him — Why would you allow this person to remain in your FB friend list if she added zero value and was such a distraction? 

Absolute meaningless, dishonorable clutter in his life …

We rode for several hours and didn’t speak much, but I thought a lot about this story.

When we stopped to get water after 4 hours of riding, I brought up something I had been thinking about for most of the ride … I brought up a discussion about all the many people, like Jack who are brought down by the clutter in our lives.

Not just Facebook nobodies who add zero value, but all the meaningless crap we accept to be in our lives even though we know it doesn’t add positive value.

Let’s be honest, engaging in this type of behavior, i.e. sexting, and or doing threesomes with married women might be fun for that instant, it adds less than zero value to ones life.

As I type … I am thinking about all the people who would have jumped up and down all excited to have a “fairly attractive” 43 year old woman graphically sexting/inviting about doing a threesome…
and waste their time chasing that instant gratification, behaving in a manner that would only bring them down.

Disgraceful, superficial pleasures that lead to dishonorable behavior … bring so many great people down.

Bill Clinton and Tiger Woods come to mind … I don’t remember how good of a president Clinton was … I only remember him wagging his finger at the world saying “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” 
Tiger Woods isn’t even in the top 100 anymore.  Probably the greatest talent to ever pick up a golf club … but disgraceful behavior destroyed his marriage which obviously, played a key role in his success.

… we all know people, maybe even yourself who has strayed from the path of righteousness because of superficial distractions from all the clutter we have allowed in our lives.

Don’t allow your life to become cluttered with stuff that distracts and weighs you down on your climb.

Jack unfriended and blocked this woman from his FB, but Sophie still laughs at him, shaking her head asking … “why would someone who aspires to become exceptional allow such mediocrity to clutter his life?”

Great point.