March 19, 2026

After The Story | Episode 14

After the Story - Choices Like Rivers Episode 14

This podcast discusses each chapter of Choices Like Rivers and each episode is posted directly after the book episode. This corresponds to Chapter 6 Section 1.

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We see here that Will has explained why he is living in the large mansion. Yes, his family has money, but his very responsible parents were wise and disciplined and raised Will to value work. They never spoiled him with all the things that money could buy so that he would learn to spend money wisely. They were good loving parents.

The situation that found him living with his uncle was one of convenience while he attended college. He was also required, by his parents, to work for his uncle while he went to school.

Working for his uncle allowed him flexible hours so that he could attend class as needed. His uncle was also Lenny’s boss and that is how they met.

This scene shows playful love between the couple. Will is carefree and obviously in love with Sharon. However, Sharon is guarded. She is still allowing her poor self esteem to try and hold back on falling to deeply in love with Will.

He surprised her not with lavish things, but with a fun trip. Stopping at the ramshackle old BBQ stand had shocked Sharon, but Will was in heaven. Fancy trappings did not move Will, but great food and good people like Earl did.

Here it becomes clear that Will has high character and knows how to treat others with kindness and respect. We saw this at the BBQ stand, but also at the bed and breakfast where there was a lavish meal laid out before them.

Sharon wanted to decline for personal reasons not taking into account the time and effort, and the feelings of the couple who had worked so hard on the meal just for them.

But one glance in Will’s directions showed that he was having none of it and that they would eat out of respect and gratitude for what the couple had done for them.

One thing that saddens me is that I have seen such a decline in common decency towards others and respect to them.

Many parents are no longer teaching their children that it is necessary to treat all people with kindness and respect. Today they have to run our gauntlet of attributes, do they fit in the mold of what we deem is acceptable to respect.

If their views don’t match up exactly as ours do, we choose not to respect them. If they don’t match up to what we decide is socially acceptable then we feel we don’t have to offer them respect.

We hold the act of treating someone with respect as hostage in order to manipulate them into behaving worthy of what we deem acceptable.

It is almost as dangling a shiny bauble before them and saying, ‘act the way I want you to act and you will get my respect’.

But that isn’t the type of respect that truly honors someone, but only a fake front that on the surface appears as respect.

If it can that easily be given, then it can that easily be taken away.

By offering others respect as fellow human beings we are giving them an A on the first day of class. Let’s start with that and go from there.

Giving respect, showing respect does more for the person giving it than it does for the recipient. When we genuinely operate as a person who automatically respects others then we feel respected in return.

We become more grounded, loving, and stable. Not everyone will prove worthy of that respect, but we still do it because we are a person of honor.

Their disrespect may wound us, but being of strong character, we can move past it much easier while they will never be able to.

I don’t know when I realized how important it was to see, really see those around me. But once I did, I take my time to treat everyone I come in contact with respectfully. I do it on purpose, for them, but also for me.

Let me challenge you today to respect, to love others on purpose. Be kind especially when you don’t have to. Your mood will elevate and your heart will lighten. I guarantee you!