deliberate mediocrity + Intentional excellence = satisfying life

Renown singer/songwriter, Van Morrison, sings this lyric,

"You got to fight every day to keep mediocrity away,

You got to fight every day to keep mediocrity away."

For numerous reasons, humans naturally drift towards mediocrity; mediocrity in our work, care of our homes, marriages, parenting, education, and just about any endeavor we pursue. The lure to be less than our best is a tempting mistress.

One of the reasons this principle is evident is that those who conquer this malady in any field of endeavor stand out like a full moon on a cloudless night. I have a few standouts in my realm.

I take several prescription medications, most of which should not be interrupted, even for a couple of days, without my doctor's approval. Since starting Medicare, I receive my prescribed drugs from a small pharmacy, one of those old-timey ones that only sell medicines.  You can't get potato chips, make-up, or toilet paper in this store. At first, I didn't know if I would like the change from patronizing the mega-pharmacies to this quaint little apothecary. Now, I really like it. George, the pharmacist, knows my name and what drugs I usually take. He's always friendly and helpful.

Last week, I needed one of my three-month prescriptions filled, but the shop only had half the supply I needed. Many places would have simply told me to return in a few days when a new shipment arrived, but not here. George knew that I should not stop taking this medicine cold-turkey, so he gave me what he had and told me exactly when to return to get the remainder of the supply. I think George cares about me! I'm impressed.

I have always patronized restaurants frequently. I started eating out routinely during high school. McDonald's built an outlet only a few blocks from my high school, and you could get a hamburger, fries, and a soda for under a buck. The walk got me off school grounds, and it was always a good break with my friends. I've been patronizing the restaurant industry and laid out a lot of dollar bills ever since.

In my "expert" opinion, a restaurant must have three quality ingredients – an attractive atmosphere, caring service, and quality food. I've been known to skimp on atmosphere, perhaps allow less than gourmet food, but if the service sucks, I'm outa there.

There is a restaurant in downtown Harrisburg that I've frequented for years. My wife and I used to eat there at least once, and usually twice a week. I like the atmosphere, the food is always quality, but it is the high level of service that makes me a return customer. Gail and I got to know the previous owner, who frequently chatted with us and often personally served us. Every few visits, during our meal, two glasses of wine would appear on our table – gratis. The old owner is now the purveyor of another new restaurant in the area. I eat there often. Fortunately, the new owner of the downtown location has kept mediocrity at bay as well. I still eat there as well.

Mediocre was first used in the 16th century in a book called, The English Secretorie.

"Mediocre, a meane betwixt high and low, vehement and slender, too much and too little as we saye. . . ." Merriam-Webster goes on to explain, "The word comes to English via Middle French from the Latin word mediocris, meaning "of medium size, moderate, middling, commonplace," and perhaps originally "halfway to the top." 

We don't generally celebrate people who have made it "betwixt high and low." Sports Center doesn't spend much time on teams that made it "halfway to the top." Right? How many "also-rans" do you remember from Presidential elections?

Jesus was very demanding of His followers. On one occasion, He instructed them to "be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Really?! When I read that demand, I think, "Look, Lord, you're going to have to cut me some slack, in fact, a lot of slack, because I can't even come close to perfect. In comparison to my Heaven Father, I'll always be mediocre at best." Perhaps that was part of Jesus' point.

Now you can look at that exhortation as self-defeating or view the high standard as motivational. Do your best and let God take care of the rest. But sometimes, it's okay to expect perfection.  

What if Jesus had cut us some slack and said, "Hey, I know people get under your skin sometimes, so I guess you can kill one or two over the course of your life." Or how about, "Marriage is pretty tough and gets stale at some point, so I'm good with three or four adulterous relationships." Would we be okay if the Lord relented and said, "Look, there is some stuff you are going to want, but you can't afford. Don't sweat it; just quietly transfer the 80-inch TV from your neighbor's wall to yours while they are on vacation. No harm, no foul!" And "When somebody ticks you off, you read them the riot act and don't worry about slander and threats. It's all part of the game."

"You know those Ten "Commandments"? They were just suggestions anyway."

I recently watched a documentary on the building of the giant Airbus aircraft.  This behemoth has over 2,000,000 parts, and every one of them must be made and installed perfectly. We would not tolerate an Airbus employee saying, "I don't feel so good today, so I'm not worried about how well these rivets are installed."

We wouldn't want our pilot to come on the intercom and say, "Hey folks, we hope you had a great flight. We will be landing shortly, and we will only be a couple of miles from the airport. We know you have a choice of airlines, and we hope you'll join us again real soon."

How about a heart surgeon who says, "Hey, we've unblocked a couple of those arteries. That's better than it was; let's close her up!"

On the other hand, with some endeavors, it is quite acceptable to be mediocre. If the bread is not perfectly toasted, the world is not going to end. If you miss a spot while cleaning the kitchen floor, meals will still be prepared. If the meal was not on the table at precisely 6:00 pm, no one is going to starve. If your child doesn't possess the latest iPhone version, they will not be scarred for life. If the laundry did not get done today, life goes on. If you play a lousy game of golf, your income will not be affected. If your team got eliminated in the first round, you would have forgotten within a couple of days.

This list could continue for pages. The fact is that there are many things in life for which mediocrity is perfectly acceptable, perhaps preferable. Why?

We cannot and don't need to do many things with brilliance. It's okay. You know the saying. "Don't sweat the small stuff." There is a mountain of minutia in our existence. If you let it rule you, you will be a disappointed person. But there are few things for which we should want to pursue excellence. We must wisely choose where mediocre is allowable and preferable versus what should cause us to seek the best.  By the best, I mean your best, not in comparison with others.

Happy is the person who figures out this formula: Deliberate Mediocrity + Intentional Excellence = Satisfying Life

There is one other very important morsel of wisdom to possess.  Even in that with which you pursue perfection, you will fail many times along the course. There are no perfect parents, husbands, wives, employers, employees, or any of the monikers by which we are labeled. You will fail, time and again. Failure does not mean you are mediocre. It means you are human.

That is why God sent Jesus. He took up the slack of our failures and continues to do so. If God is okay with your shortcomings, you can be too. We, too, must be liberal distributors of grace in the same manner that the Almighty lavishes us with love.

 Live Inspired!

Don Mark

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