If you have to eat a frog….

iStock_000004625130XSmallOkay, be forewarned! This is not for the delicate or faint of heart. Yesterday, I ran 8 miles.  That’s farther than I have ever run before. The sun was shining for the first time in over a week.  And it was warm!  A few days before I had biked 20 miles in 30 degree weather and almost froze to death.  My left ear broke off when I removed my helmet. But today temperatures were in the high fifties.  Two deer stood at no more than 10 yards and watched with big eyes and long lashes.  I could almost hear them whispering, “That guy only has one ear.”

The only drawback was my big toe. It was hurting and I knew why.  As I was putting on my running shoes I had realized I should clip my toenails. I remember thinking that the nail on my big toe could have been registered as a lethal weapon. But clipping would waste time. I’d have to find the heavy duty clippers, clear the room of innocent bystanders, pick up the lamps knocked over by flying toenails.  So I just put on my shoes and ran.  I started feeling a dull pain at mile five, but I pushed on. When I got home, I took off my sock and…….   well, I’m not going to describe it to you.  I will tell you that my granddaughters ran from the house screaming, “eeeeeeeeewww” and I haven’t seen them since. I am going to lose this toenail AND I won’t be running for awhile.

How dumb was this. When will I learn that when we ignore the little things in life, they turn into big things.  A neglected hurting toe eventually affects the entire body. It’s true of every area of our life.  Too often we neglect to take care of some little issue until it cripples us.

As Barney Fife used to say, “Nip it in the bud.”

Some one else said, “If you have to eat a frog eat it quick because the longer you wait the bigger it gets.”

As for me I had a personal pedicure. That means I clipped em myself, then I put on a pair of running shoes and went looking for my granddaughters.

Comments

  1. Your frog story reminded of when my son was quite young. Probably about 12 years old. He had caught some frogs in our pond but I refused to cook them so he did. He came downstairs to tell us us how things were going and his little sister ate them all insisting those little chicken legs were really good. He id catch more and finally got to sample some himself. Hope the toes are better now.

  2. All too familiar. I have two toes that overlap (very ugly to look at) and when I jog I always get blood if I don’t keep them clipped. However, since I have grandsons – their reaction would be “cool, Papa!” There is a saying, “The difference between good and great is attention to detail.” It applies in all ares of life – toe nails included. Thanks for the reminder, ken.

  3. Sorry about your ear. I will pray that it grows back. (I can sympathize with the riding for long distances in the cold weather.)

  4. That is gross! But ever so true!!!! As a diabetic we are always reminded to keep our feet healthy. I also remember the scene from “Forest Gump”, were the captian tells Gump and his friend to “keep their feet dry and clean”.

    We take our feet too lightly sometimes, we are accostumed to them. The take us where we need to go without thinking. Sometimes, if we have been a Christian for awhile, our faith does the same thing. Then we ignore pain (or a percieved pain as well) and the problem becomes big.

    As for you toe Ken. I hope it get’s better soon and that you find the grandkids.

  5. Frankly the most astounding line is , “I started feeling a dull pain at mile five.” Either you are in better shape than your shape appears or you were ignoring ‘sharp stabbing pains’ up until then.

    1. Author

      I am in better shape than my shape appears. I have actually lost 40 lbs and don’t have any pictures of the new shape yet.

  6. I have never heard that euphemism in my life, but wow — I guess one could say that you nailed it. what a picture. Congrats on the run and sorry about your foot.

    When we ignore the little things, they turn into big things. That is definately true in my life. Thank you for the reminder. Hope you get better soon.

  7. Hi Ken. I absolutely love your sense of humor! I usually get to listen in the mornings on the way to take my 10 yr old daughter to school and then we process what we have heard and talk about how we can apply it to our daily… sometimes I am laughing so hard that I don’t get to hear the whole piece.

    Thank you for helping us get our mornings off to a great start.

    God Bless you and your family.

    Jackie & Co.

  8. HI Ken, loved the comments. I ate frogs [ coked of course ] as a child that my brothers caught. Mother flowered them and pu them in a iron skilleet with a lid coverind the contents otherwise those frog legs would have jumed out of the skillet. Sounds gross however they were good. Maybe I’m a country hick but we were resourceful. If you walk like a duck quack like a duck. Keep quacking so we can keep laughing. love your humor.Vera

  9. Ken: Wow what a word picture! Take a lesson America, don’t ignore the small stuff. The last time that I ate a frog, it jumped out of the skillet before anyone had a chance to duck. Mom said that it was just reflexes, although I’m not quite so sure. Needless to say, after that event ,my brother ceased gigging. Thank you for helping us to stay one the top side of a dismal world. It’s comforting to know that God is in control. Blessings on your day.

  10. Myy favorite paragraph of the whole story?
    “How dumb was this. When will I learn that when we ignore the little things in life, they turn into big things. A neglected hurting toe eventually affects the entire body. It’s true of every area of our life. Too often we neglect to take care of some little issue until it cripples us.”
    Too true, Ken.
    Dare I say it?……You “nailed” it.

  11. Ken, thanks for the “colorful” (painful to you) reminder! Nothing like a word picture (or in your case a reality check) to drive a point home.
    Your toenail missile reminded me of how we teased my sister-in-law to be about how my brother had a toenail collection in his closet. She believed us for a while but having your family member disown you may not be worth it.

  12. You absolutely make my day! This morning I read your statement “The worst moment I ever had on stage was when a person in the audience threw up and it started a chain reaction…..including me.” I read that in the Gaither Homecoming magazine and I am still chuckling. I know, I know, I laugh but I have to admit that I would have been one of the gagging crowd. That was a horror I faced when I was raising children. Hope you are keeping your toenails clipped.

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