Peace of Mind Organizing

Life is what you make it

5 May 2008

On my way to a client’s house this morning, listening to NPR, I heard a story that made the hairs stand up on my neck. It was a story on Morning Edition about Larry Woodard, a Dallas, Texas, man who was falsely convicted of raping and murdering his girlfriend. He languished in prison for 27 years, all the while writing letters asserting his innocence and requesting re-investigation of the case. He refused to apologize for a crime he didn’t commit, even after being told if he did, he’d get parole.

Last week, Woodard was released from jail after DNA evidence proved he did not commit the rape. Current Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins is re-investigating many convictions, using the DNA evidence that Dallas has saved. Woodard is the 17th exoneration out of 40 re-examined cases.

Aside from the obvious travesty of justice (these stories are so heartbreaking), what gave me goosebumps was Mr. Woodard’s attitude about his situation.

No one would blame him for being angry or bitter. But he isn’t. Here’s what I heard on NPR (the text of the whole story is available here, including pdfs of his heart-rending letters from prison):

But for one innocent man, life is beginning anew after 27 years of waiting.

“Like an adventure,” Woodard says. “I mean, there’s so many different things to see, and I like people, and I like seeing different things and new things.”

Woodard doesn’t know how a cell phone works and has no inkling of Macintosh versus PC. He’s neither bitter nor angry, and he will not agree that those years in prison were for naught.

“Time is what you make of it,” he says. “You’re living no matter where you are. I think I came out pretty good. I think I won. I think I’m a winner.”

I so admire his amazing viewpoint. Our lives are our own to make what we will of them. Mr. Woodard is most definitely a winner, in that he actually was (finally) acquitted of a heinous crime.

He’s now 55 years old and his life is just beginning. With his incredible outlook on life, it certainly will only get better.

Next time I feel that something hasn’t gone my way, I’ll remember Mr. Woodard. If I can model my outlook on him, life will always be sweet.

Tagged with: attitude, balance, empowerment, motivation

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