The Misadventures of Seth Bates

I have been meaning to start blogging for quite some time. One of the things I have always enjoyed is writing and it seems like I should combine that interest with a middling ability and record my thoughts in this semi-public forum. Oddly, the title has been a hang up that has kept me from even starting to write for quite a while. It seems like you have to have one that makes sense, but I didn't want to be "that guy" and try to make the blog name more serious and self-important than it ought to be. I try not to take myself that seriously.

I also wanted to avoid writing a long list innane details from my daily life. That is boring, even if I have an awesomely exciting lifestyle, which I do not. Case in point: I am at home today because of a snow day and I am sitting on the couch writing (blogging, as it were) while my sick, pregnant wife watches the Doctors on TV and my gassy 2 year old son complains of his tummy hurt and asks if he can kick the kleenex box.

Now, I feel like I occasionally have something worthwhile to share, but I am also aware that any wisdom I happen to have gained has been gleaned through a long series of mistakes and misadventures. I am of the opinion that you learn much more from a bad experience, from the mistakes you make, than from success. Let me briefly quote James:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything"

That is obviously talking about faith, but I think it has broader implications and could just as easily describe the development of character, maturity, wisdom and a host of related qualities. I have had some really fantastic experiences in my life, but they do much more to produce memories than maturity. I could quote a lot of people and use a whole bunch of object lesson type things here, but I have a self-imposed limit on that sort of thing because it seems lazy and unoriginal.

My point is this: I have learned by being a failure how to be less of a failure... Don't simply try to forget your negative experiences. Don't agonize over them either. The idea is to evaluate what you did right and what you did wrong; to not make the same mistakes as before and to do the right things even better.

I have had my fair share of misadventures. I suppose that qualifies me.