Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus, But He's Not Who You Think. And... The Miracle Of The Grapefruit Tree.
Dear Friend,
I've got a great story for you today, but first, a quick reminder to let you know the promotional offer for my new "22 Ways To Completely Eliminate ALL Your Markeing Headaches... Right NOW!" -- http://www.kingofcopy.com/22ways -- will be over next Wednesday, the 23rd of November.
In 1897, 8-year old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the New York Sun, a popular newspaper of that time.
In fact, this is what she sent in:
Dear Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Signed Virginia O'Hanlon
Personally, I'm not really sure if there is "A" Santa Claus. Instead, I think the world is in fact, full of many MANY Santa Clauses. Some of them are down your street, and others are well-known... but I suspect most of them are going about their daily activities completely unknown.
Punching the clock... serving ice-cream... drilling into oil wells... and coming home after a long-hard day at work and kissing their spouses, and then pressing their thumb and forefinger up against their dog's forehead, just like you and me.
I also know that miracles sometimes DO happen. Most times when you're not expecting them, and sometimes, if you're lucky, when you need them most.
I've been very fortunate to be on the receiving end of a miracle or 2 in both situations, so I speak from experience here.
Let me share one with you that happened just yesterday morning.
My daily routine is pretty consistent.
I get up early -- lately at 4 a.m., but usually closer to 5 a.m.
I grab some fresh clothing off the dresser I placed there the night before... go back around the bed and kiss my wife's forehead (and my daughter's if she's strolled into our bed during the night)... and then I stroll down the hall into the kitchen and press the coffee maker, also set up the night before.
While the coffee is brewing I go to the bathroom and get showered and dressed, and once my coffee is ready, I pour myself a nice big warm cup of it and head upstairs to start writing.
I'll usually clear up some e-mails and then write for an hour-or-so.
At around 6:20, I wake my older son Nick up, in case he's overslept (which he usually doesn't) and then I come downstairs "for good" at about 6:40 to give Nick a lift to school. Sometimes if I'm downstairs earlier, we'll have breakfast together.
Yesterday, I pulled out of our driveway and waited outside for Nick to join me. As he was walking towards me, he slung his book-bag over his shoulder... jumped up into the air... smiled at me, and then snagged a nice fresh grapefruit off our tree, to snack on during lunchtime.
And that was the most recent miracle I got to experience, completely unexpected.
See, when I was Nick's age growing up in the Bronx, I'd walk down some graffiti and urine-infested stairwell to get to school. I'd also usually find cigarette butts... roaches... violence... and lots of angry people along the way.
When I was older and going to college, I'd take the subway downtown and sit next to dirty people who smelled like sweaty feet. Once I was back outside, I'd have to step over homeless people to get to my classes on time.
And I didn't have a dad who took me to school. Instead, my dad took me to the racetrack to watch him gamble his paycheck away.
He said it was his "hobby", and... maybe it was a hobby, in the same way "drinking" is a hobby for some people. I guess that all depends on what your definition of "hobby" is. I don't know -- things like this are far too complicated for me to understand.
When I moved out of my parents house, I moved into a one-bedroom apartment with my ex-wife. I used to walk my dog Fred along the streets there, but you'd have to watch out for all the used condoms lying on the ground, and those sticky mouse traps that usually had live mice still wriggling on them after people tossed them out their windows.
Those traps actually worked great though. One time I caught 14 mice in my kitchen cabinets in just 5 days! But I threw mine down the incinerator, instead of out the window.
This is kind of gross, but one time Fred actually sniffed and then swallowed one of those condoms -- luckily for him, he tossed it up a few hours later -- no telling WHERE that thing may have been.
But there again, Fred lived to be 15 and a half, so whose to say what's good for you and what's not.
Anyway, now you see the miracle my son gave me when he reached up and grabbed that grapefruit off our grapefruit tree.
And actually, if you want to know the truth, I experienced two miracles that day.
Because a half-hour after the grapefruit tree incident, my younger boy Casey called me outside to help him unhook a huge mudfish he caught while he was fishing off our dock, before he went to school.
Two in one day -- I'd say I'm a pretty lucky guy.
In my lifetime, which is simply filled with LOADS of memories -- some bad, but mostly good -- these memories of yours often set up your expectations for your future. And the 2 snapshots of the "miracles" I was handed yesterday -- one of Nick jumping up and grabbing the grapefruit, and one of Casey with that HUGE mudfish on the end of his line -- weren't pictures I'd have ever imagined on my own.
I just didn't have the tools to create things like that in my mind, at least... not yet anyway.
But one thing's for sure: now that I've seen these special photos, you'd have to pry them from my soul to get me to forget them.
If you want to know about some more miracles I've experienced, I'll be happy to share them with you at my upcoming seminar on March 9th 10th and 11th in Orlando, Florida. And if I'm running on all 8 cylinders, like I usually am, I'll do my damndest to bring about a miracle or two for you and your business.
Stay tuned, I'll be posting information about it any day now.
Now go sell something,
Craig Garber
Any comments?
Send them to me by scooting over to the contact form on my "Here's How To Contact Craig" page, and maybe I'll publish them -- I appreciate your feedback!
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