“Lucy! You got some ‘splainin’ to do!”
– Desi Arnaz, musician, actor and husband of Lucille Ball
Some lines span generations.
“We’re on a mission from God,” from The Blues Brothers, for example. “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.” “I’ll be back.” We all have a few lines from a movie, a show, a sporting event (“Do you believe in miracles? YES!”) that just sticks around.
This line from I Love Lucy is one of them.
But, you know what? We really don’t have much ‘splainin’ to do. If our intentions are good, our actions are well thought out and we just miss on execution, “I’m sorry” is all we’ve got. Especially if we’re genuinely sorry. No explanation will help, so it’s not worth it to a) expect one and b) burn all the calories it would take to construct one.
Unless we’re gonna get a full marching band tribute every time we’re right, it’s not realistic to think we have to explain ourselves every time we’re wrong. Sometimes, sure, but not every stinkin’ time. If we’re pushing the envelope and seeking to make a difference every day — that offsets some of the slip-ups.
Difference makers get over it. Difference makers move on. Forward. Difference makers don’t expect a lot of ‘splainin’ and they don’t waste a lot of time doin’ too much of it either.
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