The Real Lesson of St. Patrick’s Day

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St. Patrick’s Day isn’t about green beer and bars.

It’s about a man.

Saint Patrick wasn’t born in Ireland. He was kidnapped as a teenager and taken there as a slave.

While enslaved, he didn’t give up. He didn’t give in.

No—he used the time to develop spiritually. It was during this hardship that his life took a turn.

Years later he escaped.

Then something strange happened.

He went back to Ireland.

Not with an army. Not with revenge.

With a mission.

He spent the rest of his life building—faith, community, and culture.

Today many use the holiday as an excuse to wear green and get drunk.

But we look to it for a lesson:

Take hardship…and turn it into a mission.

Sonny the Alien: The Day of St. Patrick

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Sonny sat at the kitchen table, sipping his tea and reading the newspaper.

Chad walked in. Green shirt. Green hat. Green beads.

Sonny looked up. “…why are you dressed as the color of Earth vegetation?”

Chad looked down at his outfit. “It’s St. Patrick’s Day, dude.”

Sonny nodded slowly. “…and that requires you to resemble plant life?”

Chad started making coffee. “It’s tradition.”

Sonny considered this. “…what is the purpose of the tradition?”

Chad shrugged. “People wear green and go to bars to drink.”

“…why?”

Chad paused. “…honestly, I’m not totally sure.”

Sonny thought about this. “So the ritual involves dressing in a chlorophyll-like manner and becoming intoxicated.”

“Pretty much.”

Sonny nodded thoughtfully. “Did Saint Patrick do these things?”

Chad grabbed a mug from the cupboard. “I doubt it.”

Sonny put the paper down. “Then it seems the humans have misunderstood the assignment.”

Chad looked over. “I guess so. You gonna come out tonight?”

Sonny clasped his hands and put them to his mouth. “Will there be intoxicated plant-like humans?”

Chad smirked. “Oh yeah.”

Sonny looked over at Chad and nodded. “Then yes. This I must observe.”

He took out his Earth Log device and started typing.

Humans celebrate another human called Saint Patrick by wearing the color of chlorophyll and imbibing alcoholic beverages. Chad says this is normal. I must observe.

In a Hurry

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We’re always in a rush.

Hurry to work. Hurry through the workout. Hurry dinner. Hurry the kids. Hurry the code. Hurry the conversation.

But hurry leaves nothing behind.

There’s a quiet strength in patience—and a strange truth most people miss: Moving slower often gets you there faster.

Shortcuts don’t save time. They create debt.

When you rush, you make mistakes. When you make mistakes, you revisit work that should’ve been done once.

Hurry feels productive. It isn’t.

It creates a lot of wasted motion.

So the next time you feel the urge to sprint through things, don’t.

Slow your breathing. Feel the weight. Finish the rep.

Because the paradox is real:

Hurrying doesn’t make you early.

It makes you late.

Sunday Sendoff #39: Progress Usually Isn’t a Straight Line Up

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Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

We like to think of progress as a straight line.

Straight up.

Always winning. Always moving forward. Always making gains.

But that’s usually not the case.

In fact, that’s almost never the case.

There will be setbacks. There will be sidesteps. There will be detours. There will be times you need to stop.

Indeed, progress usually looks more like the drawing of a two-year-old. Lines going everywhere. Up. Down. Sideways. Loops.

And that’s fine.

As long as you have one thing:

An upward trend.

When you zoom out, the bird’s-eye view should show progress.

Small setbacks don’t matter. Lateral movements don’t matter. Detours don’t matter. Stopping briefly doesn’t matter.

As long as the trendline keeps moving upward.

Just keep going.

Builder Principle

Don’t worry about the small stuff. Just keep the trendline moving up.

Something to Ponder

Are you judging your progress too closely? Zoom out. Look at the last year. The last five years. Is the overall direction upward? If it is…you’re doing better than you think.

See You In the Arena

This week is just about over. Next week is just about here. Let’s keep building.

Brick by brick.

-Brickwall

Sonny the Alien: The Gala

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Earth Log Entry #11: A Whole Different Operating System

Sonny, Vanessa, and Chad arrived exactly ten minutes early to the Fighting for Our Youth Annual Charity Gala.

Vanessa checked in at the front table.

Within thirty seconds she had learned the volunteer’s name, complimented her earrings, and asked how long she’d been involved with the organization.

Sonny leaned toward Chad. “Is she interrogating the staff?”

Chad shrugged. “She’s being friendly.”

Vanessa waved them over. “Guys! This is Melissa!”

Melissa smiled. “Welcome, nice to meet you!”

Sonny nodded politely. “…what are your intentions with this event?”

Melissa blinked. “My intentions?”

Vanessa laughed. “Oh my goodness, Sonny.”

Then she smiled at Melissa. “Sorry, he doesn’t get out much.”

Everyone laughed.

Sonny looked at Chad. “…that was a normal question.”

They walked toward the coat check.

Vanessa immediately struck up another conversation. “Oh my gosh I love your tie.”

The coat check attendant lit up. “Oh, thank you! My girlfriend got it for me.”

Sonny whispered to Chad. “She knows his relationship status already.”

Chad chuckled. “Sonny, that’s Firecracker for you. She makes friends faster than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Sonny nodded slowly. “Smart. The coat guardian controls access to the outer garments. This is a strategic alliance.”

Chad started fixing his tie. “It’s a coat check, Sonny.”

Vanessa disappeared into the room, and within minutes she had joined a small group laughing near the bar. Then another group near the stage. Then another group near the dessert table.

Sonny watched her move effortlessly from conversation to conversation. “Chad…she is forming alliances. She may control the room by midnight.”

Chad sipped his drink. “She’s networking.”

Sonny scanned the room. “I count fourteen new friends.”

“Sounds about right.”

Vanessa waved them over again. “Guys, come meet Greg!”

Greg shook Sonny’s hand enthusiastically. “Nice to meet you!”

Sonny studied him carefully. “…what are your intentions with Vanessa?”

Greg blinked. “My intentions?”

Vanessa groaned. “He’s joking.”

Sonny turned to Chad. “I am not joking.”

Chad patted his shoulder. “You’ll get used to it.”

Across the room Vanessa was already talking to three more people.

Sonny watched her for a long moment. “Chad…how many friends does one human require?”

Chad shrugged. “Depends on the human.”

Sonny looked at the room.

Then at Vanessa.

Then back at Chad.

After a long pause he sighed. “…I miss the apartment.”

He took out his Earth Log device and began typing.

Some humans possess enormous social capacity and appear to enjoy interacting with other humans for no clear reason. Vanessa is one of these humans. I do not understand it. I must return to the quiet confines of the apartment soon.

The Ability to Politely Say No

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How much simpler—and better—would life be if you mastered the ability to politely say no?

Life will pull you in every direction if you let it. It’ll hand you other people’s priorities (and problems), disguise distractions as opportunities, and lead you off course before you realize you’ve drifted.

Saying no—politely, clearly, and firmly—is one of the most powerful skills you can develop.

Because every “yes” carries a hidden cost. Every time you say yes to something you don’t care about, you’re saying no to something you do.

When you say no, you’re not being rude. You’re being respectful—to your time, your mission, and the people who actually need your full energy.

You don’t owe the world constant access. You owe yourself focus.

So practice the polite no. It doesn’t burn bridges—it builds boundaries.

The Office

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Where do you work?

I’ve worked in a corner of the living room. A hotel desk. An RV dinette.

Now, I use the kitchen table.

None of them are an “office.”

None of that matters.

There are no perfect conditions.

You need quiet. A chair. A surface. A little light. A semblance of comfort.

That’s it.

We love to believe that a better setup will make us more productive. The right desk. The perfect chair. The dream space.

But those are accessories—not essentials.

The lack of an office isn’t what stalls progress.

The lack of mission is.

When the mission is strong, the setting fades. When the purpose is clear, the excuses get quiet.

So stop waiting for the room you don’t have yet.

Build where you are. With what you’ve got.

It’s not the office that makes you.

It’s the work.

Cost Per Use and Benefit

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Most people chase the cheapest price.

But the cheapest price rarely delivers the best value.

Value comes from cost per use and the total benefit something gives you over its lifespan.

Take gym equipment.

You buy a budget piece for $200.

You use it 150 times before it breaks and ends up on the curb.

That’s $1.33 per use—and one year of benefit.

Now take the higher-quality version.

It’s $600—triple the price—but it lasts 12 years and sees 1,800 uses.

That’s 33 cents per use and more than a decade of benefit.

So which one was the better investment?

Obviously, the one that cost more up front.

Because the goal isn’t to save money—it’s to get maximum benefit from the things you bring into your life.

That’s why quality matters. That’s why durability matters. That’s why thinking like a Builder matters.

Sure, there are exceptions.

Sometimes cheap things last forever. Sometimes expensive things don’t.

But in general?

Cost per use + total benefit = smart living.

A simple framework that pays you back for the rest of your life.