Overdoing It: A Rust Belt Rant
"Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." David Letterman.
That quote's been rattling around in my head lately, like a loose bolt in an old mill. Some days, I swear I live by it. Other days, I'm just plain tired.
See, growing up in this corner of Western PA, you learn a thing or two about hard work. We're talking oil fields, steel mills, the kind of grit that gets embedded under your fingernails. My old baseball coach, a Marine vet, used to drill that into us: "If you're gonna swing, swing like you mean it." That's overdoing it, right there.
And I get it. I really do. When you're building something, be it a barn, a business, or a community, half-measures ain't gonna cut it. You gotta put in the extra hours, the extra effort, the extra swing.
But is it always worth it?
I mean, I've pushed myself. I've overdone it. I've spent countless nights hammering away at "Candy Apple Advocacy," trying to empower parents to take control of their kids' education. I've poured my heart and soul into "The Malliard Report," diving into the unknown, talking to scientists, doctors, and folks who've seen things that'd make your hair stand on end. And then there's the Meadville Paranormal Investigation Team… well, let's just say we’ve spent a lot of late nights in some very interesting places.
Sometimes, I look around and wonder, "Jim, are you overdoing it?"
See, here in the rust belt, we’ve got a unique perspective. We know what it means to rebuild, to pick ourselves up after the mills close and the jobs disappear. We know the value of community, of sticking together. And we also know that sometimes, you gotta push a little harder, go a little further, than anyone else.
That's where Letterman's quote hits home. It's not just about physical labor, though we know plenty about that. It's about passion. It’s about believing in something so much that you're willing to put in the extra.
But here's the rub: even a rusty old machine needs maintenance. You can't run it at full throttle all the time without it breaking down. And people, well, we're even more fragile.
I've learned that you gotta balance the "overdoing" with some common sense. You gotta know when to step back, take a breath, and recharge. That's why I find myself out on the golf course sometimes, trying to remember those lessons from my varsity days. Or out hiking the trails, thinking back to my Eagle Scout days.
And yes, even when I'm chasing shadows with the Meadville Paranormal Investigation Team, I try to remember to find balance. Even when dealing with the unexplained, you still have to ground yourself.
Because ultimately, what's worth doing, is worth doing right. And sometimes, doing it right means knowing when to ease up.
So, yeah, maybe I do overdo things sometimes. But I also believe that if you're gonna fight for something, be it your kids' education, your community, or even the truth about what goes bump in the night, you gotta swing like you mean it.
Just remember to take a swing at some rest too.
And maybe, just maybe, that's the real lesson here.