An Honor, Some Humor

I was recently contacted by Grand Master Ernest Dukes of the Black Warrior Martial Arts organization, who invited me to his Hall of Honors banquet to recognize me with a Silver Pioneer award for 25 years in the martial arts. I was surprised, honored, and flattered — after all, I kind of feel like I'm just getting started in the martial arts — but a quick look at the calendar verified the claim. I really have been at this a long time. I was unable to travel to North Carolina to receive the award in person, but I spoke with Master Dukes on the phone, and he graciously offered to send the award to me. Sheepishly, I looked forward to placing a plaque on the wall of the office of my new dojo.

The award arrived this week, and upon opening the package, I immediately discovered the following:

• Someone else's name was on the award
• The award was for a different achievement
• The award was broken

Clearly, this was a simple shipping error, but I immediately found the entire episode hilarious. I laughed out loud. And I suppose that's a good thing. For some reason, it reminded me of a story I once heard that during ancient times, when a conquering general returned to adoring and cheering crowds in Rome, a slave was assigned to continually whisper in his ear, "Remember, you're just a mortal. You're no better than anyone else."

I'm sure I can resolve this issue with a simple phone call... And, perhaps, some duct tape.