Wisdom of the big ‘Mc’

Who am I?

“Alright, alright, alright.”

And everybody said: “Matthew McConaughey!”

Matthew McConaughey. Known for “Dazed and Confused.” (“That’s what I like about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.” The origin of the “Alright” by the way.)

Known for “EdTV.” Known for “How to lose a guy in 10 days.” Known for “Failure to launch.” Known for “Dallas Buyers Club.” (And a “best actor” Oscar.)  Known for “We are Marshall,” “Sahara,” “Fool’s Gold,” “Serenity,” “Free State of Jones,” “Mud,” Et cetera, etc.

Not known for wisdom and understanding and sageness. (Well, unless you’ve read his book “Greenlights” or caught some of his recent videos on TikTok or YouTube.) 

And yet there he was on my Audible suggestions for the month: “Poems and Prayers,” which didn’t exactly advertise wisdom, but for some reason it came across to me that whoever was pushing buttons at Amazon was offering it as such. (It was among the other “wisdom” suggestions they offered.)

The synopsis when I bought the book a day later proved it as such. “I’ve always relied on logic to make sense of myself and the world. A prescriptionist at heart, I’ve always looked to reason to find the rhyme, the practical to get to the mystical, the choreography to find the dance, the proof to get to the truth, and reality to get to the dream.”

So, there I was, facing a three-hour drive to and from Manchester to deliver the folks their papers. Why not? I selected it and pushed play. (By the way, three hours is almost exactly how long it takes to listen to the whole book.)

“Forty miles south of Poteet,

looking for a lid to rest my seat

With my stomach in knots,

my prostate in a pinch,

the clock was ticking,

I was grumpy as a grinch.

With the sun now rising,

just past six a.m.

found a roadside loo,

and I went on in.

I passed the janitor

who was on his way out,

which gave me faith

and relieved my doubt.

See, I consider a porta-potty

an absolute win

long as the first butt in the mornin’s mine

on the porce-lin.”

Okay, so if you were looking for some Tibetan monk, sitting there with his legs crossed and his hands palm-up in each other, all serene and calm, or some straight-laced preacher who never cracks a smile or the pope, or any other stoic philosopher-type, etc., you won’t find him here. He is raw. Unpolished. Unapologetic. Completely, 100 percent real! That’s what I most liked about the book, and it is what gave me newfound respect and endeared me to him. (I hate fakes. Myself, when I am, included.) Crass. Serious at times. Lighthearted. Even laughable. (Which is why I would recommend the Audible version because in it he lets loose those emotions: laughs at his own words/thoughts, gets loud, etc.)

Oh, wisdom? You came for the wisdom.

“Dear God,

May what matters to me be what matters to You

May that matter determine what I do

May my struggle matter more than my strife

May death matter more than this life

May forgiveness matter more than revenge

May restraint matter more than my binge

May my wants matter as much as my needs

May my thoughts matter less than my deeds

May the truth matter more than the lies

May the hows matter as much as the whys

May the guest matter to the host

May the center matter to the coast

May the cheers matter to the toast

May the humor matter to the roast

May the living matter to the ghost

May less matter to the most

May earn matter more than deserve

May the steel matter to the nerve

May space matter to time

May the heart matter to mind

May the risk matter to the leap

May letting go matter to keep

May the spirit matter to our voice

May options matter to our choice

May what we say matter to mean

May our sight matter to what is seen

May rhythm matter to my muse

May finding matter when I lose

May should matter to must

May love matter to lust

May righteousness matter to just

May our word matter to trust

May laws matter to the offense

May borders matter to the fence

May money matter to spend

May prayer matter to the bend

May what’s broken matter to mend

May the credit matter to lend

May memory matter to libation

May fun matter on vacation

May help matter to the holler

May prudence matter to the collar

May science matter to prediction

May dreams matter to fiction

May ignorance matter to abuse

May pardon matter to the excuse

May direction matter to the pace

May debate matter to the case

May heave matter to seek

May patience matter to the meek

May our vows matter to I do

May the horizon matter to our view”

Sorry about the length, but this was maybe my favorite. The book is fun. It’s entertaining. It’s insightful. It’s enlightening. (You should read about why he gave up RomComs.) He’s irreverent about some things. God isn’t one of them, but he’s completely transparent when it comes to struggles with faith, sin, the lot. I think you get it. You should get it (or borrow it from me).

“Alright, alright, alright?”