Tough Week

So far since last Friday-
One staff member lost her mom, one staff member went AWOL for 3 days due to continuing grief after losing his son last month, one staff member after being missing for three days ended up in the hospital due to multiple health issues that I can't even begin explaining, and another staff member requested time off, starting next week, to be with her daughter while she undergoes a mastectomy. In addition, a past staff member died of a heart attack just hours before his wife lost her battle with cancer.

Whew!

And counting my blessings.

Need Not Be Commanded in All Things

"Do not approach the Bison"

I read this several times during our day trip to Antelope Island. Located in the middle of the Great Salt Lake, away from the civilization of the Wasatch front, the island is teaming with wild life. You know, the animals that don't eat from a provided food dish and water bowl. Deer, antelope, rabbits, coyotes, Mountain sheep, and buffalo all roam free. Throw in a few badgers and bobcats and it's a Western Style Safari.

The massive buffalo roam free and are seen grazing in nearly every open grassland field, which is the most of the island. Some were close and some were far away. I have even been stopped by them as they crossed the road and really don't care because, well they are big and they are wild. They need us for nothing and they, well, like I said, they're big.

I have never, ever thought of petting one. It surprised me that warnings would have to be issued. I mean, really.

I figure if you get to the point in your life where you travel on your own, or even with others, and haven't figured out that life is not a petting zoo, that bad things can happen when humans leave the comforts of their houses and cars and mingle with wild animals, or that it's no one's job is to make sure you're not too stupid for yourself; maybe a good buffalo sized lesson might be in order.

Just saying.

A Deliberate Life

"No one owes you happiness."

That line hit me hard last night watching what I thought was just another fishing film at the IF4 showing last night in Orem, Utah.

You have to make your own happiness, the film went on to say. You have to want it, find it, and accept it when you have it.

You have to fight for it. You have to fight for everything anyway, why not for the things you love and want.

I might be a little guilty of waiting around, waiting for happiness to find me. I've been working on a few things, but maybe not hard enough.

The words of last night echo in my head.

Am I going to let another 20 years go by waiting and picking at it? Why not life a deliberate life of happiness?

What is my happiness? Why not go and get it? Why not be happy now? Right now?

What about you?

http://vimeo.com/53914270

Natural Order

If I do it, I'll do it.
If I don't, I don't.
Leave it to fate,
And your will, it won't.

Weekend Homework

I used to hate doing homework, back in the day, back when I had to. Especially when it invaded on my precious weekend. Not so much anymore.

I attended my first ever writers conference on Saturday. Held on a college campus, in classrooms, it felt like being in school again. I have to admit, though, I liked it.

It's funny how as an adult, learning is so much more enjoyable. We, this weekend, were all chomping at the bit to hear the next piece of wisdom that we each needed so desperately. We awed at the published authors imparting their wisdom, sharing their secrets, and we clapped at their conclusions.

If the other writers were like me, they left with copious amounts of notes, many with stars and exclamation points on things to start, improve or to forever cease and desist. New rules by which to live our writing lives. I left different, full of thoughts and ideas, and excited to get back to work. My work. My writing. My passion.

If you have a passion for something, fear not to try to learn from others more about it. It is not like the homework of old. It is worth surrendering a weekend, or a few bucks, or a little humility to admit someone knew something you did not. Add it to your arsenal of tools for better results and/or enjoyment.

Homework, even weekend homework, as an adult rocks!

Turning a Corner

“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”

~ Chief Tecumseh (Poem from the movie Act of Valor)

It's What We Expect

The NASA Mars rover Opportunity is 9 years old. It was only supposed to last 3 months.

Are we surprised? Maybe a little, but I remember when it outlasted it's expectancy years ago, I had the thought of hoping it would last forever.

9 years in comparison to 3 months= Forever.

We do this a lot.

Remember when 100,000 miles was the death mark for cars? Now, people buy cars at 200,000 hoping it's good for a few (meaning 3-5) more years. A lot of cars are doing it nowadays.

We all have hope to get more than what others expected. We have hope that, for us, the laws of the universe will be ignored. We hope that our luck is better than the average bear.

Sometimes it is. Sometimes it ain't.

I doubt JPL counted on the rover to last beyond the three months but are happy to use it beyond that time barrier.

Likewise, we should expect out of our investments, our efforts, and our endeavors only what we put into them and what logic dictates they should return. But be prepared, sometimes we get extra mileage.

Use it wisely.

Alone

A day spent alone,
Just like I wished it to be.
Where did they all go?

This Year, Not Next

I Climbed that mountain. On a whim in September, I got up early one morning and walked my big ol' butt on up to the top. It wasn't easy. It wasn't quick. But I ascended the 4,000 feet to reach the summit at 11,750 ft. I still enjoy that feat becuase on why I did it.

I told myself that I would not spend another winter looking at that mountain, telling myself that "next year" after the snow melts, I would do it.

Now when I see the snowy cliffs, I say "I did that." It feels good. And for a chronic procrastinator such as I am, that's a mountain climbed in and of itself.

Zig Ziglar

"You can have anything you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want." Or something close to that. -Zig Ziglar.

Thanks for the inspiration and the sound of reason during a time I search for some. The world was a better place with you in it and it dimmed just a bit when you left.

Enjoy your new View from the Top

These Kids These Days

My wife and I explained to the kids how in the old days, when you played a video game- like Pitfall for example- you only had so many lives. If you got lucky and additional lives were awarded to you, one could play for the 2-3 hours it would take to complete a game. Run out of lives in the process and you had to start all over again. From the very beginning. (Cue evil music.)

Games today, as we have learned through the child raising years, have checkpoints. And if you die, you just go back or "spawn" at the last check point and continue. No enduring boring level 1 for the billionth time just to die once arriving at the oddly swinging vines and missing your timing for the billionth and one time.(Cue evil music once again) This new way seems like cheating to me. To be able to just die and pick back up where you were is without consequence, without... without... Well it just doesn't seem right!

Not right, maybe cheating, but obviously better.

Blog readers, I have sinned. I have left my blogging ways and have been really, really bad about updates.

Fellow writers, I have sinned. I have like taken almost the entire summer off from writing on any kind of consistent basis and have fallen off the creative wagon.

I am sorry and I am in the process to remedy this situation.

But as I have learned from the kids these days, I don't have to start all over. I just need to "spawn" at the last check point and go at it again.

So...

Spawning.

(Cue happy music)

Today!

Irrelevant

Mountains stand alone.
Oceans stand apart.
Rivers flow continuous.
Plains stretch out endlessly.
Each is solitary but each has their relevance.
The mountains collect the snows to water the summer.
The oceans create the storms that snow on the mountains.
The mighty and not so mighty rivers flow to refill the oceans.
The plains turn melted snow to crops, returning what’s left to the river.

I stand alone.
Unused, unneeded, and unclaimed.
I am irrelevant.

Just When You think You're So Smart

Doesn't locking your keys in your car just blow?!

They're right there, hanging in the ignition. Just what? A foot away but yet a million miles. Hanging there, unaware of the dilemma unfolding on the other side of the glass.
Do you call for a lock smith? Disrupt the home morning operations so keys can be brought to you? What? What? What?!

And do you admit it? No way!

My natural reaction is to not let any passer-bys see that anything is wrong while I scroll through my mind the options available. I take sneak peeks to see if the keys are really in there. Casually I feel through each and every pocket, hoping that they are magically not where I can see them but really just in one of the many, rarely used, coat pockets. Laughing, trying to convince myself this is all so funny. I try all the handles again and again, wishing for one of them to realize they are actually unlocked. All while chuckling that stupid false laugh.

This all, of course, makes me look even more like I'm up to something and people look like they want to ask but, thank God, they don't.

So finally, I took the proactive approach and just got on the bus to deal with it later.

I'm such a dumb ass.

The Twilight Effect

If a girl takes a guy to a "girl event", the guy i s miserable.

If a guy takes a girl to a "guy event", the whole thing is ruined!

As quoted from Kirtland Jensen

Got Books?

I read an article yesterday explaining that the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or something like that, recommended that libraries and parents remove any children books dated prior to 1986. Their reasoning is that inks used prior to that date may contain lead. Most librarians and parents are responding in the same way as I first thought- Yeah Right!

The danger with lead based inks is that it has been found to contribute to irreversible learning disabilities and behavior problems.

Therefore, I must ask: what is truly the greater threat for developing learning disabilities? Lead based ink or taking books away from kids?

And as I understand it, the only way that a child can be affected by the "bad ink" is if the kid mouths the book.

And, if it takes a kid that eats books to really have a problem, wouldn't you assume that maybe the learning and behavioral problems have already set in and maybe it's best to just let alone?

Way Too True

robsmithjr.com

When is 69%, 66% wrong?

According to some polls detailed on the Glenn Beck Radio Program today:

69% of people think it is a bad idea to raise taxes during a bad economy yet 66% of these same people say that we should raise taxes on the wealthy.

Is it a bad idea or not? Are we so willing to change our stance so long as it will not negatively affect us personally? Is it good to sacrifice, so long as I do not have to sacrifice?

And what is wealthy? $1,000,000/year? $500,000/year? $250,000/year? $100,000/year? $50,000/year? $25,000/year? Most likely, most people would say that it is the bracket that is somewhere more than where they find themselves.

Maybe the answer is not in trying to find out who should pay for who, but it is deciding and doing what you personally feel is fair for you to do and then apply that evenly across the board to all.

Or as Glenn Beck concluded, as well someone a little more important said a few thousand years ago: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

But that, probably, is too simple.

Inspiration

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.- Jack London

Do it!

The best way to kill an idea is to spend too much time thinking about it.