All of these excuses are like one great grappling hook,

They’re like a sacred doctrine culled from some unholy book.

They hobble me and deafen me, they just won’t let me look,

To see the truth they’ve hidden in some distant, lonely nook.

Here’s the common thread that holds all of these excuses together: they are in and of themselves a powerful force. They bind us to inappropriate behaviour and bad choices. Like a grappling hook, they dig into us without mercy, grabbing our attention and our time. Our excuses come out of the blue at times; we utter them without thinking about what we’re saying or doing.

Over time, excuses not only become our standard fare, we also begin to think of them in terms of personal truths that might override logic and reason. I need a drink. People are dingalings. A pill can solve my problems. Slowly they become our personal mantra, the sacred doctrines culled from the unholy place of our fears, ignorance, laziness  or other reasons.

As our excuses become normalized into our way of thinking and being they trip us up or even cause us to limp through life. They are that powerful. And as we limp through life, making excuses for everything that we really should be taking responsibility for, we become blind to the truth of how we can be our own worse enemies.

Hooked by these unholy and unhealthy things we believe about ourselves, we are less than we can be. But in recognizing this reality, we are freed to open our eyes to see the truth hidden by our lies. I think I might be a braver man with the help of a little drink, but I know that it’s braver to face a situation without artificial help. I might not have any wings, but it’s still possible for me to rise up and fly beyond self-imposed limits or excuses. Excuses are a part of us; they are always there, whether we like it or not. But there’s no excuse for letting them run or ruin our lives.