Problems and Promises - Part Two

With the year of 2022 coming to a close, a thought occurred to me. The world has changed… and it will never be the same again.

For most of my adult life I lived what you would consider a normal life. I fell in love, got married, raised children, and worked five days a week. I attended my children’s school events, took my family to church on Sundays, played on a men’s baseball team and occasionally golfed on weekends. My wife and I went to concerts with friends and had friends over to visit. And I really enjoyed going out to dinner with my wife, where we would hold hands and smile, look deep into the eyes of one another, and talk about our wild and crazy, adventure filled life, with its multitude of problems and promises.  

However, the past few years have obviously been very different, and we now have a new normal. A new normal that does not include any of those fun filled activities listed above, except for maybe the last one, that is if we can find a restaurant with an outdoor patio. We may have lost the pleasure of eating together inside a nice restaurant, but for over two years now, my wife and I have gotten to enjoy almost every single breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. That has been the bright spot in an otherwise very dark period of time.

The pandemic may have forced us to stay home, but it has also allowed us to spend more time together than ever before. I think that’s probably true for a lot of husbands and wives and families. In our case, spending so much time together has caused our love to grow deeper and stronger than I ever thought possible. The bond that we now share is a blessing beyond blessings, and it has taught me a valuable lesson that is especially poignant at Christmas time. The greatest gift ever given to mankind was when God showed us his love by sending his son to spend time with us here on earth. Which means that no matter what problems we may have - spending time with the ones we love - will help us overcome them. That’s a promise!

 “And that’s the real meaning of Christmas – Charlie Brown!”

And there were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks

by night, and lo the angel of the lord came upon them, and the glory of the 

lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid, and the angel said 

unto them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 

which shall be to all people. 

For unto you is born this day  in the city of David, a savior who is 

Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude 

of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, 

and on earth - peace, good will toward men."

Part With It Now

Christmas is coming, which means most of us are busy shopping for gifts for family and friends. It’s definitely a hectic and stressful time of year. There is so much to do on top of our regular jobs and all the other end of the year things that need to get done. Fortunately, we can use credit cards to buy whatever we need now, and worry about paying for it all later. How great is that!

Dave Ramsey, the famous financial guru, says it’s not so great. In fact, Dave says nobody should ever use a credit card… ever! We should use a debit card. His reasoning is two-fold. First, credit cards make it possible to spend money we don’t have, which is never a good thing. And second, if we use a debit card, we know the money is going to instantly disappear from our bank account, which forces us to stop and think about how much money we have in the bank, and whether or not we really want to part with it.

And that got me thinking… When I put Dave Ramsey’s philosophy together with the Christmas spirit, at first they seem at odds. I want to do something nice for my family and friends versus I shouldn’t spend money I don’t have.

But maybe they do make sense together! The most valuable things I have are the love in my heart (my internal bank account) and the time in my life (my real currency). That’s what I should give to my family and friends! And it shouldn’t be like a credit card where I pay it down the road. It should be like a debit card, where I part with it right now!

A hug is a great gift, one size fits all and it’s easy to exchange.

~ Anonymous

Sometimes

Sometimes I wake up and see the awesome beauty that God majestically creates every single day… and I am deeply humbled and eternally grateful!

It shouldn’t be sometimes.

I know the painter of rainbows,

who plies his bright trade in the skies,

With fleecy white cloudlets for brushes,

and the souls of flowers for dyes.

~ George M.P. Baird

Rise Higher

I was doing a Light Pole Inspection at a property in Irvine when I felt something strange. I had this weird feeling that somebody was watching me. I looked around at the empty parking lot and between the buildings, but didn’t see anyone. But when I looked up to check out the light fixtures on the pole, I saw him. And he was beautiful, fierce looking, and majestic!

There are a lot of Red Tail Hawks in our area, but they usually get spooked by humans. Not this guy. He stared straight down at me without flinching. So I offered up a greeting, “Good morning Hawkeye” and went about my inspection procedures at the base of the pole.

When I finished and started to leave, so did he. His long, beautiful red tail floating behind him as he soared skyward. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only bird in the sky. Immediately, a flock of crows descended on him and started attacking him. They flew straight at him, cawing loudly, and creating chaos all around his air space. Those crows made me mad because well, first off they’re ugly crows, and second, they were attacking my newfound friend!

Hawkeye took it all in stride though. He never seemed to get flustered or irritated. He simply began to fly higher, and higher, and higher until he was far beyond the reach of the crows. Red Tail Hawks and other birds of prey, like Eagles, can fly as high as 10,000 to 15,000 feet in the air. If something, or some other bird, is bothering them, they simply fly higher.

And that got me thinking… How many times in my life have I felt attacked or insulted by someone and then gotten upset and angry about it… and then regretted it later on. Anger never solves any problem and usually makes things worse. So from now on, I think I will take my cue from Hawkeye… and simply rise higher!

“Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar like eagles.”   

~ Isaiah 40:31

A Fresh Perspective on Pain

My back hurts. It hurts all the time, every single day, and it has for many years now.

Sometimes the pain isn’t so bad. On those days I’m able to do my job, which I enjoy and I’m able to play the game of golf, which I love. On other days, I can barely move at all because of the pain. And it’s my own fault. Too many years of hard work and heavy lifting, mixed in with a couple of fairly spectacular motorcycle accidents when I was younger. “Go hard and go fast” was my motto back then. My motto now is “take it easy dumbass”!

Last week I spent some time with a friend of mine who is an outstanding golfer. He’s a single digit handicapper, a former winner of his club championship, and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He graciously agreed to give me some tips on my short game and chipping, which I sorely need. I haven’t seen him in a long time because he has been undergoing chemo-therapy treatments, for the second time. His weight is down 40 pounds, and he feels sick most of the time, and yet he is willing to show up for me… to help me out. All I could think of was… I wish there was something I could do to help him out.

We talked about golf most of the time, while chipping and pitching at the practice green at Coto Golf Course. He smiled a lot and we laughed and joked at lot because hey… we’re golf bros and golf isn’t easy. But then again, neither is life sometimes.

When we finished and went back to the parking lot, I hugged him. As I drove away and headed back home, I cried. Here is a good man, a loving husband and father, and good friend to so many people, who is in real pain, life altering pain, and yet he is not afraid. But I am afraid… for him, and I can’t do a damn thing about it. So I have been praying, every day, and I give it to God.

Two important things occurred to me this morning about the time I spent with my friend. First, I never once thought about my back pain the whole time we were together. It just didn’t seem important anymore. Second, was what he said to me in the parking lot before leaving. “When you know who stands beside you on the path that you walk, fear is impossible.” 

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.

~ Genesis 28:15

 

It Can Be Trying

 As much as I try to honor God, I fail. It upsets me and makes me feel stupid, but it’s a fact.

      I think I’m strong. But the truth is I’m weak.

      I think I’m smart. But the truth is I lack wisdom despite my 67+ years.

      I think I have all the answers. But the truth is I am constantly full of questions.

Like I said, it upsets me to fail at anything, let alone the most important goal in my life. But as I laid there in bed this morning, thinking about failure, I had a bit of an epiphany. And I think the idea came from watching football Sunday afternoon. The Raiders lost badly 24-0 to the Saints, and I remember how great the Raiders were back when Al Davis was the owner. He was a polarizing figure for sure, and not very popular, but he knew how to win. His motto… “Just Win, Baby!”.

And that got me thinking…

       If I didn’t try, I wouldn’t fail, but then again I wouldn’t win either.

       So it’s the trying and the effort that creates failure?

       Yes. But if I learn from trying, then I don’t really fail!

So my epiphany…

If winning is the goal and winning is good, can any good come from failure? Yes it can… But only if we choose to “Just Win or Learn, Baby!”

The best angle from which to approach any problem is the try-angle.

~ Anonymous

The Fire in your Heart

Halloween is here and everywhere you look stores are selling costumes. It’s fun because for one day each year we get to put on a costume and be somebody or some “thing” that we are not.

It’s amazing how hiding behind a mask can sometimes help us break out of our shell. It gives us the courage to act differently than normal, perhaps with a bit more personality and flair. And although it’s fun to be different, the truth is each and every one of us is already different because each and every one of us is unique. We are not unique because we are flesh and blood with hair and hearts… animals have those features. What makes us unique is the stamp that God puts on our lives when he plants us in this world to grow. We are formed one at a time, each person a separate and very special work of art.

In fact, I believe that part of what makes us unique is that we each receive gifts when we are born. Spiritual gifts that enable us to make the world a better place. Some can sing, some can dance, some can cook. There are people with a passion for paperwork (accountants), those who make us laugh (comedians) and those who ignite our imaginations (writers). Being different makes life interesting because imagine how boring the world would be if everyone looked, acted, and thought the same.

However, sometimes it takes a while to discover our spiritual gifts. I remember when I was young I didn’t think I had a talent for anything special, so I just took the first job that came along. I was really grateful that somebody took a chance on me and after working in the business for a while, I began to dream of starting my own business someday. Forty-seven years later I still love running a business and consider it just one of the many wonderful gifts that I have received from God.

Yesterday, my two daughters (who both happen to be very unique and highly gifted) attended a Halloween Party with their husbands. The four of them dressed up as characters from the movie “Clue”, including carrying the appropriate props. They looked terrific and had a great time being in character.

And that got me thinking… A costume on the outside is fun for an evening, but figuring out who you really are on the inside and developing your own unique gifts is fun for a lifetime!

Once you find what ignites your heart, the fire in your heart will light your path.

~ Anonymous

Making Time

I have always been a Type A personality and I guess a bit of a workaholic. I admit I love setting goals, I love challenges, and I love being productive. It makes me happy to be busy, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Sometimes it can get in the way of what’s really important.

At 67, I have cut my work schedule back somewhat, but I still enjoy the work because it’s very interesting and challenging. My typical work schedule these days is to be in the field doing Light Pole Inspections three days a week. That schedule includes Saturday mornings, because on Saturdays the traffic is usually lighter and the properties I inspect are a lot less crowded. So I get more done.

However, this past Friday evening I received a text from a friend that I haven’t seen in several years. We were (and still are) very good friends having played baseball together for 15 years and golfed together dozens of times. But Covid, and the fact that he lives a long way from where I am, has made it really tough to get together.

He said he was going to be in my area Saturday morning, dropping off his wife at a church conference she needed to attend. He asked me if I wanted to golf with him and my first thought was, I can’t do it because I have to work tomorrow. I mentioned the text message to my wife, and she immediately encouraged me to consider doing it. She said, “This is a good friend you haven’t seen in forever, so you need to forget about work and make it happen.”

I decided she was right! She has always been my guiding light, so I texted back immediately that I would love to golf and would go online right away and look for a tee time. We got a 10:15am tee time at San Juan Hills Golf Course and I was really excited to see my friend and get to spend some quality time with him. And we did have a great time together. Funny thing is, the golf course wasn’t in great shape, the greens had just been punched, and one of the holes was shut down for renovation. But none of that mattered. Just being outdoors, spending time with a good friend, made it a great day!

And that got me thinking… Life is expensive, especially in Orange County, so most of us have to work really hard just to make ends meet. But it’s also easy to fool ourselves into thinking that work is all important and that can often lead to neglecting the truly important things in life, like family and friends. I know because I have made that mistake too many times, but I won’t anymore… because I realize now that nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is truly a friend!

I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, 

but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar.

~ Robert Brault

Underdog...ish

I grew up in San Diego and loved baseball, so of course my favorite team was the San Diego Padres! The Padres didn’t win very often, but they had Tony Gwynn, the hardest working man in baseball, my hero, and one of the best players of his time.

The San Diego Padres did make it to the World Series for the first time in 1984. However, they were severe underdogs, having only won 92 games, facing the Detroit Tigers who had the best record in baseball with 104 wins. They were underdogs and played like it, losing the series 4 games to 1. The only other time they made it to the World Series was 1998, but again they were the underdogs and lost to the Yankees. But there were some bright spots. Out of the 8 World Series games they played, they did win 1 game. Okay, maybe just one bright spot.

Fast forward 38 years and the Padres are playing in a Division Series this week, with a chance to go to the World Series. Unfortunately, they were the underdogs again with only 89 wins, facing the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers, with 111 wins. The Padres weren’t given much of a chance, especially since one of their best players, shortstop Fernando Tatis, was unable to play. So they were definitely the underdogs, and often referred to in the press as the “little brother” of the iconic LA Dodgers.

First question - What is an underdog? Webster defines it as, “A competitor thought to have little chance of winning” but also as, “A person who has little status in society”. That fits, the Padres were figured to be losers and not given much status in baseball circles, so they should have lost. Instead they beat the mighty Dodgers 3 games to 1 and are now headed to the National League Championship Series, one step away from the World Series. And even though I like some of the Dodgers, I think that’s really cool!

Second question - Why is it so cool when an underdog succeeds? Easy, because deep inside most of us feel like an underdog. Life is tough from the time we are born, and then it just gets tougher when we reach adulthood and face work responsibilities, family struggles, health issues, bills, taxes, etc. So when an underdog, or even someone who is a little underdog…ish succeeds, we can relate and feel like maybe it could happen to us as well.

Best question – Who is the ultimate underdog who succeeded? I can think of quite a few famous and successful people who started out with humble beginnings. Elon Musk was a lowly janitor at a lumber mill, Madonna was a minimum wage cashier at Dunkin’ Donuts, and Tom Brady started out as a construction worker. But when I really stop to ponder that question, I think the ultimate example would be a lowly carpenter, born behind a barn, who went on to save the world. When I consider that example, I feel like maybe being a little underdog…ish isn’t such a bad thing at all!

A meaningful life isn’t about being rich, famous, popular, or perfect. 

It’s about being real, being humble, being strong, and being willing 

to share ourselves in order to touch the lives of others.

~ Some Anonymous Humble Person

Picture This

I saw something yesterday that really bothered me. It was truly heartbreaking, and I knew it wasn’t my fault, and I knew I couldn’t fix it… so after a lot of thought, I decided to turn it over to someone else.

Yesterday morning my youngest son and I drove all the way out to San Jacinto to do an Ultrasonic Pole Inspection at a large retail shopping center. This particular shopping center was basically in the middle of nowhere and there were no homes nearby, but I’m sure it was important to the people in the surrounding area because by 8:00am the parking lot was already filling up.

Around 10:00am I was approaching the far north end of the complex when I spotted a body. It was a shocking sight because it looked like a person had fallen over backwards and hit their head on the concrete. He wasn’t moving at all, but there was a shopping cart nearby with some odd stuff piled in it. My son said, “Dad, that sure is a sad sight.” I agreed, knowing it could be a passed out homeless person. But I couldn’t bring myself to walk away because he looked injured. However, when I got close to him I saw his head move, so at least I could tell he was breathing. My son asked me what we should do, and I really wasn’t sure if there was anything we could do. But fortunately, as we moved on to continue our work, I noticed a firetruck on it way with its lights flashing.

The truck pulled right up next to the sidewalk where the young man was lying. The firemen got out quickly, but instead of checking out the “dead man” on the sidewalk, they hustled over to Kolsa’s Donuts instead. That bothered me a lot too! Maybe he’s just a drunk, or an addict, but whoever he is, he’s still a human being in distress. All the way home I kept picturing that poor young man lying on the hot concrete. I know it’s not my fault, and there’s probably nothing I can do to fix it. But as I turned into my driveway to walk into my nicely furnished, air-conditioned home, filled with plenty of good food, and people that love me, I gave it to God. Sometimes He is the only one who has the answer… and the other nice thing is that He always has the answers!

I still had that picture in my head when my daughter arrived at our house with her newborn baby girl. Our new granddaughter sure is super cute and smiley, but she is also a newborn with not a care in the world. Looking at her laying on her back with her hands behind her head, dreaming her baby girl dreams, somehow took away all my anxiety. I don’t know what God will do about that young man on the concrete, but I do know what He did for me. He gave me a much better picture in my head and a reminder that with every new child born, there is the promise of a better world!

Life is a flame that is always burning itself out; 

but it catches fire again every time a child is born.

~ Bernard Shaw

Gray Areas - Part Two

About a month ago, I wrote a Monday Message about finding money at an ATM machine. I knew the money belonged to a man in a gray Porsche who had tried to deposit it ahead of me, but I wasn’t able to find the guy. It was a very unique, brand new Porsche, so I have been looking for that car for weeks now.

I had decided to give up, but yesterday I spotted the Porsche! It passed by me in the parking lot of Pavilions, which is where the Chase Bank is located. I had two heavy boxes with me that I was taking to the UPS Store, but I immediately dropped those boxes on the sidewalk, and took off running after the Porsche. I probably looked like some crazy guy!

Fortunately the man in the Porsche parked pretty quickly. When I got to his window, he was still in his car looking at his phone. I knocked on the window and said something like, “Hey, I’m sorry to bother you. But if you bank over there at Chase Bank, I think I may have found some money that belongs to you.” Before I even finished talking, he was saying, “Sorry, sorry, sorry. No English.”

I realized he was Asian and didn’t speak English, so I got a little flustered. I tried several times to convey a message about finding his money, but he just kept saying, “Sorry. Sorry!”. There was a young girl in the back seat who spoke up and I think she was trying to translate for him, but he ignored her. After another minute or two, I started feeling foolish and gave up saying, “I’m sorry too, I just wanted to return some money to you.”

What I didn’t realize was that there was a man in a car next to the Porsche who was listening to the whole thing. He got out of his car as I started to walk away and said, “Hey, did I hear that right? Your trying to give that guy some money and he won’t take it? You’re a good man, you should just keep it and feel good about!  

I thought about what he said… but I didn’t feel good about it, I just felt confused. But on the way home, it occurred to me that even if it didn’t work out, at least I tried to do the right thing. You know that old saying, “It isn’t the gift, it’s the thought that counts.” Well, I’m pretty sure that covers “gray areas” as well!

Now go do the right thing!

~ Dr. Laura Schlessinger

Epilogue – After the first “Gray Areas” story came out, my friend Bill emailed me and mentioned that he banks at Chase and then asked me if I had seen the new gray Porsche he bought! I laughed at that… and today I will email him and tell him, “Good joke, but I gave the money to my church!”

A Special Act of Grace

Joy and contentment can seem so very elusive at times. Two weeks ago, there was a tragic accident in our neighborhood. His name was Bradley. He was 8 years old, and he was riding his bike to school for the very first time. His Mom was following to make sure he made it safely. He did not. This evening there will be a memorial at the Coto Sports Park to celebrate the short life of a child who was described as a sweet young boy with a kind and generous spirit. A boy who loved flowers and despite his young age, made the effort to create flower arrangements to raise money for charity.

I usually wake up joyful and happy, but sometimes events in our world make that hard to do. When tragedy strikes, I try to remember that it’s not for me to understand why bad things happen. My responsibility, as a father, grandfather, husband, and friend is to know that sometimes things are beyond my understanding, and that I need to be an example to those around me of how faith creates strength, and strength can be shared.

I read somewhere that it requires a special act of grace to accommodate ourselves to every condition of life. A special act of grace that will give us an even mindfulness through every circumstance and help us to find joy when everything around us screams sadness. I don’t know why bad things happen to good people. But I do know that joy and contentment are not found in circumstances. They are only found through faith and trust in God above. That I am sure of.

So this morning when I woke up, I prayed for the family of young Mister Bradley. That their memories would be long, and that their grief would be short. And that somehow they would eventually be able to find joy in their lives despite their terrible loss. And as I prayed, I remembered that our heavenly Father knows what it’s like to lose a son, a son who also took joy in flowers, just like Bradley.

Contentment is not found in circumstances. 

Contentment is found in a Person, the Lord Jesus.

~ From “Diamonds in the Dust” by Joni Eareckson Tada

Joy

By Donna Ashworth

Joy does not arrive with a fanfare, on a red carpet strewn with the flowers of a perfect life.

Joy sneaks in, as you pour a cup of coffee, watching the sun hit your favorite tree just right.

And you usher joy away because you are not ready for it.

Your house is not as it must be for such a distinguished guest.

But joy cares nothing for your messy home, or your bank balance, or your waistline you see.

Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life, that’s how joy works.

You cannot invite her in, you can only be ready when she appears. And hug her with meaning,

because in this very moment joy chose you. 

Gray Areas

Many Years ago, as a young man of 35, I wrote down a set of rules for myself. I decided at that time to let my faith guide me, but to also create my own personal moral code that I would strive to live by. The basic foundation of those rules could be summed up very simply as, “Always do the right thing”.

Sounds easy right? Not really. As I look back on my life, I can see that there were plenty of situations where I struggled to determine the right thing to do. Most of these troubling situations involved relationships with people because let’s face it, human beings are complicated creatures. But sometimes a question regarding right and wrong will happen when you least expect it, in a way that is unexpected!

I went to a Chase Bank a block from my house to get money from the drive through ATM machine. When I pulled in there was a fancy gray Porsche 911 in front of me. I guess the guy was having trouble because he got out of his car and started pressing buttons. He was taking a long time, so I started scrolling through my phone. Finally I looked up and he was gone, but when I reached the ATM machine, there were hundred-dollar bills going in and out in the cash input slot. The bills just kept moving back and forth, so I decided the guy in the Porsche must have been trying to make a deposit and the machine messed up. I grabbed the money, quickly made my own transaction, and then spent 20 minutes driving all over the shopping center looking for the guy in the gray Porsche.

I finally gave up and drove back to the bank. I spoke with a teller and asked her if the bank could figure out who it was that tried to make a deposit in front of me. She said that wasn’t possible, but if someone eventually a claim, they might be able to figure it out. I said, “Great! Here’s my name and number and if somebody files a claim, please give them my name so I can return the money. She said she couldn’t do that. She said I should give her the money. But when I asked her what she was going to do with the money if nobody filed a claim, she went silent. That’s when I decided to try to find the guy myself.

Two weeks have gone by now and no luck. Despite posting ads on social media and the local Coto de Caza website, and constantly driving around on the lookout for that very unique vehicle, I haven’t been able to find the guy. At this point I wonder if the guy even realizes what happened, but the question that bothers me the most is, “Did I do the right thing?” I don’t know, but what I do know is that every time I walk by and see that envelope of cash on my desk, it bugs the crap out of me because somebody lost their money. I guess if I can’t find the guy, I will either give the money to Chase Bank or to a charity.

Moral of the story. It has been said that “No good deed goes unpunished”, and I certainly believe that… because I have been miserable ever since I found that stupid money!

Whether the next generation is to be more virtuous than their predecessors I cannot say. But I am sure they will have more worldly wisdom, and enough I hope, to know that honesty is the 1^st chapter in the book of wisdom.

~ Thomas Jefferson

Be Ready For It

It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m writing this Monday Message early for a reason. I’m writing it early because my daughter is scheduled to go into the hospital on Sunday to give birth. She already has three children, two that are still young, so I offered to help her with getting those kids to and from school and their many other activities. So I will definitely be very busy this weekend and all of next week. And yet I can’t stop thinking about how my daughter is about to give birth to a precious new baby girl.

The only problem with the timing is that I’m trying to finish up a huge portfolio of pole inspections for my largest client. I still have 60 poles to inspect, but since I knew I was running out of time, I decided to go to bed early Friday night and get up way before dawn this morning to head out and try to finish those last 60 poles. I left the house at 5:30am and when I arrived at the site, the sun was just cresting the horizon. I thought to myself, well I wanted to leave early and be ready to start the job by dawn, so I definitely accomplished that goal.

After unloading my tools and equipment, I surveyed the surrounding parking lot light poles. At the same time, i just happened to glance up at a nearby building. That’s when I saw a huge sign at the top of the building, shining ever so brightly in the early morning glow of the sunrise. The sign said, “Ready at Dawn” in brightly illuminated letters and I know you’ll think I’m crazy, but my first reaction was to laugh and then I thought to myself, “Is this a sign from God?” Is He trying to tell me something?

You know what… I think it was a sign from God! Especially since I’ve been praying like crazy lately for my daughter to stay strong and her baby to be born healthy. I decided that God was answering my prayers by telling me to remember that every new day is a blessing, and that we have to be ready for it, no matter what the day brings. In this particular case, I finished the job and the very next day brought forth the blessing of a healthy new baby granddaughter by the name of “Blakely Rae”. Now I know that not every day that springs forth at dawn is going to be a happy one, but I think I get the message… whatever happens, be ready for it!  

A new baby is like the dawn of all things – wonder, 

hope, and a dream of all things possible.

~ Eda J. LeShan

Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day

I just know today is going to be a good day! Why you ask? Because yesterday I learned something important!

I wanted to go golfing but didn’t have a lot of time. By the time I parked my car, unloaded my  clubs, got a golf cart, and checked in at the pro shop, I only had about 7 minutes before my tee time. So I rushed down to the range to warm up and hit a few balls.

As I parked my golf cart I checked my watch, and I was down to only 5 minutes before my tee time. Why am I always in such a rush? As that thought crossed my mind, I realized I had left my sunscreen behind in the car and started to panic It’s already 90+ degrees at 10:00 in the morning, so I really need that sunscreen, but I desperately need to warm up before I tee off, but of course I can only play 9 holes because I have so much work to do, plus my wife needs me to stop by CVS to pick up her prescriptions, and I didn’t have time yesterday to drop off a shipment at UPS so I need to do that, and, and, and… why am I always in such a rush!!!

That’s when I looked up and saw him. He was staring at me with a quizzical look on his face and I’m pretty sure I know what he was thinking, “Why is this idiot always rushing around like a chicken with his head cut off?”

I had seen him before on the golf course, but only briefly. Mainly because he moved at such a fast smooth pace. He was a handsome guy, with long hair and big brown eyes, but he was freaking me out because he just kept staring at me. I know what he was thinking, “Dude, you need to chill!? (Was he really thinking that or was it just my own stress case paranoia overtaking me.) Eventually, he just shook his head and turned away.

And that got me thinking… If even the super speedy, always moving, rapidly running, Roadrunner can slow down once in a while to enjoy life, maybe I can too!

Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. 

Comes into us at midnight very clean. 

It’s perfect when it arrives, and it puts itself in our hands. 

It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.

~ from the headstone of John Wayne

Rhythm in Your Soul

Did you know that the human heart is a muscle? I read about it recently in a health article that said the human heart is “an organ containing a group of tissues that work together to perform a specific function, which is to pump blood throughout your body”. Well, that got me thinking about how I need to get my heart into better shape as I get older… or I might not get older!  

So I began this morning by jumping on my bike and pedaling along the sidewalks and streets of Coto de Caza where I live. The area is beautiful, but unfortunately it’s mostly hills, so it wasn’t long before my legs were hurting, and my lungs were burning. But I figured the pain in my legs and lungs would be a gain in strength for my heart. So I kept going.

At one point, I was going a little too fast down a steep section, hit a rock and almost lost control. I saved it, but my water bottle went flying. When I went to recover my water bottle, I noticed one of those wireless “ear buds” laying on the sidewalk. I remembered seeing a woman walk past me a few minutes earlier, so I pumped the pedals and climbed back up the steep hill to track her down. When I got to her, she was really nice but informed me that her “ear buds” were the old-fashioned ones with wires. At the same time, she informed that she had passed a friend of hers named “Goysha” 15 minutes earlier going the other way. She said Goysha lives a mile or two down the road in the “Greens” complex and she wars wireless ear buds.

So I thanked her, got back on my bike, and started pumping the pedals again going the other way. I made it all the way to the entrance to the “Greens”, but no sign of Goysha. I turned into the complex and hit a fork in the road. I looked both ways but didn’t see anyone, and wondered which way to go? Then I remembered what “Jack Reacher” always says in his adventure novels, “When in doubt, always turn right.” So I turned right and when I reached the top of the cul-de-sac I caught a glimpse of a lady going in her front door. I pedaled furiously and yelled out, “Hey Lady!”, just as she was closing the front door. Two seconds later she opened the door, wondering who the crazy man was yelling at her. Turns out her name was Goysha, and she had just lost a wireless ear bud, and she was very happy to see me!

As I pedaled all the way back home, I was exhausted but happy that I was able to help someone out. And that got me thinking.. Maybe there are two ways we need to exercise our hearts. One is with cardio and the other is with caring. Because it seems to me that if people have both a strong heart and a good heart, everyone will be in better shape!

Every beat of your heart can create rhythm in your soul.

~ Emily Dickinson

The Real Challenge

From a young age, I’ve always been a person who likes challenges. So I would often “challenge” myself and set lofty goals for things I wanted or things I wanted to achieve.

Unfortunately, as a young man my goals were often shallow and frivolous and to be honest, a little bit embarrassing as well. They were mostly about dating a certain girl, or buying a faster car, or keeping up with my peers, which should never be your goal at any age.

However, as I grew older my goals changed. What’s interesting is that my goals didn’t change just because I got older, they changed because I changed. For example, as I matured and started a family, my goals shifted more towards helping my wife and children and less about helping myself. And when I started my first business, my initial goal was to make the business successful. But as I started hiring employees, my goals shifted to include helping my employees achieve success as well. I discovered that it felt really good to watch one of my children win at a sporting event, or get an award at their High School. That same great feeling showed up when one of my employees earned a promotion, or when my wife and I were able to afford to give out awards and nice gifts to our employees at Christmas time.

So in my opinion, most people do change over time and so do their goals. Now that I am much older and semi-retired for example, my goals are a lot less lofty and probably back to being a bit shallow. One example, 12 years ago I took up golf and gave myself the goal of becoming a single digit handicapper and also to shoot a round in the 70’s. I admit that’s a bit frivolous, but those are two very difficult goals. At this point in time I will probably never become achieve a single digit handicap, but last Friday, after 12 years of trying, I did finally score 79 in a round of golf. It felt really good to achieve that personal goal, but it also brought back a flood of memories of other goals achieved over the years that were so much more meaningful because they involved helping others.

And that got me thinking… Having goals, and working hard to achieve those goals, is a good thing. But what’s more important is to make sure to have goals that matter, not just to ourselves, but to others. That’s the real challenge!

God gives us dreams a size too big… so that we can grow into them!

~ Anonymous 

Do Good, Get Good

You know that saying, “Karma is a bitch”? (Sorry for the bad language.) Well it’s probably true, but not always a bad thing.  Let me give you an example.

When I was a teenager, I remember going to the bank with my Dad. He was cashing a check and I was just tagging along. As we drove away, my Dad said he didn’t think the cashier gave us the right amount of money and asked me to count it. I did and he was right, there was way too much money. He immediately turned the car around, drove back, and returned the money, explaining to me that not only is it wrong to keep the money, it might also get the cashier in trouble. Just one of his many life lessons that has stuck me, especially since the very next day my Dad was given a large pay raise at his job.

Fast forward to current times and last week I had a chance to put that lesson to the test myself.  At my pole inspection company we use a ton of rust inhibitor spray, but all year long it has been harder and harder to find. After waiting weeks, I got a call from McFadden Dale Hardware that my order for 24 cans had finally come in. I drove to Santa Ana, went into the store and some guy named Anthony waited on me at the will call counter. He had trouble finding my order, but finally came up with 20 cans. He wrote up my order, I paid for it, and left the store. But when I got in my truck, I noticed he only charged me for 14 cans. The stuff is expensive, and I didn’t want the guy to get in trouble, so I returned to the store and told him he didn’t charge me enough.

Anthony became really flustered and checked the bill over and over again trying to figure out his mistake. Eventually he looked at me sheepishly and said, “Thanks for coming back, I really screwed this up”. I paid the balance and then asked Anthony to please order me 24 more cans. He said it would take a long time to get them. I nodded, “I know”, and left.

Thirty minutes later, I get an unknown caller on my cell phone. It’s Anthony, and he says, “I got you 24 more cans of rust inhibitor in will call right now. Come get them.” When I asked him how on earth he got them so fast, he simply said, “Don’t ask, just come get them.”

Karma – noun – Definition (In Buddhism) the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.

My definition of Karma –  Do Good, Get Good!

Treat people as you would like to be treated. Karma’s only a [b!#@%] if you are.

~ Anonymous