General Excerpt

(Are you from Jackson or Monroe Co? Or have you crossed paths with Sarah? You might enjoy the other locally-specific excerpts here.)

Given my apparently slow learning curve, I was not willing to wait another twenty-nine to find out what I should work on changing. I figured I’d better step up the pace a bit.

So I decided to take a poll. About myself.

My survey participants would be whichever family and friends
could be pressured into participating.

I started with my two brothers, David and John. My younger
brothers, who I count among the greatest gifts of my life, came with
fully functioning “honesty chips” preinstalled. They can be counted
on to point out exactly what I should work on changing — pointing
out, for example, when I have committed a tragic offense such as applying too much blush or wearing a stupid hat. (For the record, any
hat that is not a baseball hat is considered a stupid hat.)

I decided to poll my brothers about my weaknesses when they
were playing a game of Madden Football on the Xbox 360. While
this might be considered bad timing by some, I calculated this to be my best shot. After all, they’re guaranteed not to move until the
fourth quarter ends.

…“Okay, okay, how about you, David?”

David … lived with us part of the time he was in college and
we, being much closer in age, spent a good chunk of childhood together as well. I estimate that after observing me for twenty-seven
years, David should be able to come up with at least two f laws.

“What’s my greatest flaw?” I ask again.

David responds, rather surprisingly, that nothing really jumps out
at him.

I’m flattered. David can barely even imagine me having a flaw.

But then he adds, “I mean, it’s not like I sit around thinking about
all my sister’s flaws.”

I immediately make a mental note to refer back to his use of the
word “all” when deciding how much money to spend on him at
Christmas.

“I mean if I had to choose one,” David says, as if trying to sort
through the apparent millions of flaws that instantly flood his mind, “I would
choose that you always think you’re right.”

And then David adds fairly, as middle children must always be
fair, that he hesitates to mention this since everyone in our family
always thinks they are right.

I nod, perfectly able to accept this. After all, thinking you are
right is only a flaw if you aren’t right.

…To read the rest of Sarah’s reflections on life in Summerfield, order the book here.

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