The Moment of Truth

 We are at the gate now, the last door to our vacation.  I'm with my wife and my mom.  We are not allowed on the plane until we show a negative COVID-19 test result.  That confirmation will arrive within the next 4 hours or so.  At least, that is our hope.  The alternative is a quarantine period.  This is the moment of truth.

Although this process is tedious and time consuming, I'm thankful for this moment of truth.  It's my opportunity to be a lab rat for our three adult children who follow us in another week for the remainder of our trip.  There is a chance we may need to be deferred to a later flight.  The good news is we're close to the door.  I'm hopeful the final door will open.  Have a great day.

Hawaii Travel for the Green Mangos

 Are you thinking about a tropical vacation to Hawaii in the near future?  If you are, you may be considering how to deal with the travel restrictions due to the pandemic.  I'm crossing my fingers and saying a few prayers as I approach the 808 area code within the next 24 hours.  My hope is that tbe authorities allow me to proceed to the island of Molokai with my wife and my mom. For the first week of our vacation.  When it comes to Hawaii politics, I am what islanders call a "green mango."  

Here's what I've learned so far.  Keep in mind I'm sharing as I go as I attempt to ride the big Kahuna of government red tape.  An angel from Iowa who transplanted to San Diego agreed to help us get a test for COVID-19 at Walgreens after repeated failures to do this myself online.  This green mango had no clue a Walgreens account is necessary before setting up an appointment.  Once we overcame that obstacle, the next vital step was to get a same day appointment as we are flying to Hawaii in the morning.  This angel helping us promised she would give all three of us the drive thru test once we secured appointments even if the earliest time slot was outside our window of opportunity to get the results in time.

It's time now for us green mangos to ripen.  Our three adult children are paying careful attention to our progress as we uncover all the hidden challenges coming at us.  Stay tuned to learn more about this adventure we are on.  If all goes well, we will see our adult children in Maui for the second week of our vacation.  Aloha!  Have a great day.

Ultimate Trigger Test

 I'm writing this story the night before it posts.  There's a crying baby behind me and I'm near the back of the plane.  We're waiting to pull up to our gate.  We've been sitting for an hour due to the labor shortage.  The heat index is 106° outside.  The pilot announced he is beside himself.  

This is the last leg of my trip home and I'm keeping my cool.  So are the rest of the passengers with the exception of the 2yr old with the strong lungs. No trigger.  That's my story.  Vacation starts Thursday.  Have a great day.

Time to Say Aloha

 Aloha is the best word I know to express myself today.  Aloha (Goodbye) to my Springfield teammates.  I'm departing after lunch.  Aloha (love) to my family and friends who have been encouraging me while I'm on assignment away from home.  And finally, Aloha (hello) to my wife.  We will be reunited tonight when we begin our family vacation.  Thank you to my teammates for sticking together during this pandemic.  Until we meet again.  Aloha!  Have a great day.

Ohana

 Here's an important word to add to your vocabulary, courtesy of the Hawaiians.  The word of the day is Ohana, meaning family.  I would like to thank my new friend, Helena, for teaching me this word.  It goes well with Aloha, which means hello, goodbye, or love and fellowship.

Speaking of Ohana, I got the opportunity to spend a half day on Lake Taneycomo in Branson, Missouri with my day job friends from all over the Midwest.  Ohana is what drives our culture.  Always remember the power of Ohana and you will never be alone.  Have a great day.  Aloha!

Never Miss an Opportunity to Express Gratitude

 I sent her a Facebook friend request at 5am her time this morning.  She impacted thousands of lives during her tenure as an English teacher and coach of the girls tennis team at Sunnyslope High School.  Mrs. Nancy Porter was not my teacher or coach.  Great influencers can impact lives even when the coaching may be indirect as in my case.

Before I share my personal story, I would like to offer my condolences to Mrs. Porter for her loss of her twin sister to the pink cancer that struck both ladies.  As she did repeatedly coaching tennis and building champions, Coach Nancy tamed her cancer opponent.  Sadly, her twin was asked to exit the game of life a few years ago and meet the great umpire who determines our match schedules on earth. I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Porter.  

Tennis is and always will be an important part of my life.  It started the summer before high school.  The boys team shared court time with Mrs. Porter's girls.  Her girls were the best of the best.  Why?  I believe it comes from outstanding coaching.  I learned that Mrs. Porter got some coaching pointers from her time north of the border in Canada.  Near the conclusion of my senior year at Sunnyslope she asked me about my summer plans and offered a suggestion that changed my life.  "I can write a letter of recommendation and get you a job teaching tennis at the camp I worked at in Canada," she said.  I got in.  Yep.  Three of the best summers of my life were spent approximately 150 miles north of Toronto.  I was asked by the owner to stay for the fall season and teach at the the five star resort.  All of this because Mrs. Nancy Porter reached out to a kid who secretly needed a break in the game of life that sometimes kicks us in our butts.  I'm one of the lucky ones.  All of this because of great mentors like Mrs. Porter.  Thank you!  I hope the grammar errors are at a minimum should you find this story, Mrs. Porter.  Maybe your twin in Heaven can direct an angel or two to connect us once again.  Have a great day.  Thank you for your service.

Filling the Void with Jesus

 I believe there is a reason four men shared stories about Jesus instead of only one.  It's perspective.  If you look at the front of a house you see one thing.  The back side is another view.  Each side also offers something you don't see from the other perspective.  Study all four sides and you get a really good idea about the home.  When it comes to understanding the architecture of a supernatural home, four perspectives only scratch the surface.

I visited a church yesterday far away from my home.  Even though the pastor was talking about the same building, he offered his own unique point of view.  He blew my mind away.  His talk centered around something we humans don't usually see when we look at human buildings.  This was all about "the void."

Your body is a building.  If it behaves like mine, sometimes you sense something isn't right even though the outside looks okay.  The void is invisible.  The Gospel writers always concentrated on the void, like 5,000 men visiting Jesus and not having food except for some bread and a couple of fish.  Boom!  Jesus fills the void.  He stuns even his closest followers.  They all write about it from their own perspective.  We get a glimpse.  Perhaps we get the motivation to ask Jesus to work on our house.  Should we go really deep, we ask that the void be filled.  All I can say is this works.  Try it.  It works no matter what side of the house you are viewing.  Have a great day.

Experience is Your Best Teacher

 Nothing beats great experiences.  There are those who simply repeat their lives daily without any opportunities to learn and grow while others are feeding themselves a steady stream of experiences that propel them to new heights.

The argument against trying something new is that it can lead to trouble.  I agree.  I also believe trouble has many life lessons to offer if you're willing to take a chance.

You will never be bored should you sign up for classes taught by experience.  Some day you may be the one to teach others.  Today is a prime opportunity day to get started.  Have a great day.

Visiting a National Battlefield Today

 The first Civil War battle west of the Mississippi was fought in Springfield, Missouri.  I'm here on a day job assignment and plan to visit today to take a peek into the past at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.  Yes, you read that right.  It's Wilson showing up in my life.  My inaminate friend Wilson remains in New York City with Erin. I hope he's not in her way as she finalizes her plans for her wedding day next month.

I will share more about my visit to Wilson's Creek later.  Have a great day.

Family Time Ahead

 It's been two years since I visited the island where I asked my wife to marry me.  A week from today the journey to a dream vacation begins.  This time my mother and all three of our adult children are joining us.  This celebration of family has been on the calendar for over a year.  

There are risks involved when traveling in a pandemic.   There are also rewards.  Finding balance is my life-long pursuit.  I will do my best to live in the moment and capture new memories while visiting Hawaii.  I'm fotunate to be working alongside a native Hawaiian while on assignment to Springfield at my day job.  She is giving me some great inside tips to enhance our family vacation.  There is much work to here in Springfield before the vacation begins.  Have a great day.

True Joy is in the Journey

 The longer I live the more I realize how important the journey is.  The finish line is a celebration of the daily effort to get there.  What about all those steps between the start and finish line?  Why can't those steps be celebrated?  

I'm feeling every emotion on my journey.  I hope I never forget how it feels to be on this roller coaster.  The lessons are in the failures.  The joy is in getting back up after falling down.  Never forget those steps.  That's where your story is.  Have a great day.

Early Morning All Week

 It's an early morning at my day job today and the rest of the week.  I start working at 6am meaning I need to wake up at 4am in order to go through my routine.  I'm penning this story the night before to maximize my routine.  I will share more when the dust settles.  Life is good.  Very, very good.  Have a great day.

Do This When You Have a Full Plate

 Do you ever have days when your to list is so daunting that you can feel a bit of anxiety creeping in?  That panic you feel may be the reason some people call in sick or others simply walk away.  This is human nature.  I have an idea for you.  It works for me.  Before you begin, please let go of all those past failures and stop thinking about everything on tomorrow's to list.

Now you are ready to tackle the full plate.  Ready?  Pretend you are putting on blinders similar to what trainers use for horses.  You must become blind to everything except that one task in front of you.  No cheating.  Stay with the task until its complete.  Do this every day.  It's a winning habit.  Let me know if this helps.  Have a great day. 

Blogging on the Fly

 It's a travel day.  I'm standing at my gate in Atlanta getting ready to catch my connecting flight to Springfield for round two at my day job.  The delay on my first flight narrowed my layover time to just twenty minutes, enough time to get this story in before deadline.

Boarding is three minutes away.  It will be a while before I'm sleeping in my bed again.  I'll share more updates later.  It's time to work hard followed by some play hard time on our family vacation.  Have a great day.

Meditation Magic

 For those new to meditation, I would like to share a recent discovery.  Although I can't really explain how it works, I do know from first-hand experience that the whole process is rather magical, especially when meditation is practiced on a daily basis.  Most smart people will argue the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  What if there is a shorter distance?  Sounds improper, doesn't it?  That's where the magic comes in.  Meditation doesn't follow physical laws.  Time and space are unconstrained.  Like radio waves we cannot see, there are frequencies we tap into during meditation that seem to change the world around us as we currently see it.

What would it feel like if you could break every barrier handcuffing your current life and you could create a new world in your mind that begins to appear in your waking hours?  For me, I no longer feel negative emotions, like fear, anger, and frustration, from events that once triggered my dark side.  It's like a feeling of calm as you sink your toes into a sandy beach on a deserted island.  You don't have a single care in the world while others are freaking out because they are focused on what appears to be a shark in the water.  

I don't give all the credit to meditating.  Part of this comes from turning off the TV.  Those are frequencies I can live better without.  It's not really that there are good sides or bad sides.  Division.  Fights.  Power struggles.  There is always something to fight about for the sake of ratings.  Do I really want to spend my time watching the pundits argue why their side is right?  Hell no.  There is no division in the magical kingdom of meditation.  

Give yourself the gift of meditation magic.  My sweet spot happens to be in the first semi-waking hour of the day.  This puts me in a good mood for whatever comes my way.  Have a great day.

Abundance is in the Eye of the Beholder

 There is always abundance.  Always.  I believe this with all my heart.  When others may perceive scarcity, all they need to do is change their perceptions.  Can you measure love?  How about kindness?  These are available at all times and in all circumstances.

The easiest way to find abundance is to connect with God.  He is limitless.  That void you may be feeling inside your heart that you're trying to fill up can only be maxed out with placing God inside.  Do this and you will never again feel lack.  Abundance is in the eye of the beholder.  What do you see with your eyes? Have a great day.

32 Years

It's 32 years today.  On this midsummer day over three decades ago we said our vows.  These words are just as significant today as they were the first time we said them.  Today the storm sirens will ring once again and our day will be interrupted with news of impending tornados.  We have seen it all these last 32 years.  Wildfires.  Earthquakes.  Derechos (be thankful if you don't know what these are), droughts, floods, you name it, we've experienced it.  What remains constant is the love we have for each other.  In the roller coaster of life, she is my ride share partner until the ride comes to a conclusion.  For this I am most grateful.  My heart is full.  I feel a sense of completeness.  Happy anniversary, my love.  Have a great day.

My Writing Buddy is in the Clouds

Crazy things happen when the stars are in alignment.  In my specific situation on my ride home from my day job the other day it was the sun and the clouds which revealed something that shocked my entire family.  Look closely at the sun peering in through the clouds.  Do you see the nose sniffing through that hole in the clouds?  If you can see the nose, maybe you can also see the eyes and the face of my writing buddy that left this planet earlier this year.  She never left my side during all my writing/blogging episodes.  I shared the photo with my family and they all see a stunning image of our beloved Roxy.  Her energy is still with us.  I'm thankful I was able to capture this shot for my family.  Have a great day.

The Search is on for a Good Heart for My Childhood Buddy

My heart is filled with gratitude for all those childhood memories in Sunnyslope located in the north end of Phoenix.   The reason the neighborhood is so special is because of the families living there.  Mark Swanson is one of those childhood buddies who always challenged the rest of us to play hard from sunrise to sunset.  The fun never stopped.  The day Mark and his family moved away the rest of us felt a void.  I'm feeling that void once again upon hearing the news that Mark is in need of a new heart or he will die.

Today's story is not a request for donations.  Mark doesn't need any money.  What he needs is a donor.  That is my prayer request and I'm hoping you will join me.  I will post updates about Mark's journey on this blog.  The good news is that Mark is a man of great faith and he knows he is in God's hands.  I admire what he did with his life after moving away.  He pursued his passion and became a golf pro.  All he needs now is a mulligan for a second chance at living out his passions.  Thank you for praying for Mark and his family.  Have a great day.

Seek Peace and You Will Find It

 Wouldn't it be special if you could find peace like a heat seeking missile?  I happen to believe it's not only possible but highly probable.  I base this opinion on my own personal journey.  Peace is more of a defense shield than a missile.  What I mean by this is when you seek cover from all the negativity you can find a state of mind where nothing bothers you.  The sooner you seek peace the better off you will be.  I'm happy to report that I haven't taken any kind of pills most people take for headache relief because I no longer get headaches.  That's a perk of living in peace.  

Find you place of peace.  It may be a quiet meditation, time with nature, or spending time with friends and family.  This is really important for your sense of well being.  Have a great day.

Step 1 When You Desire to Change the World

 Most things in life that have value require a series of steps to obtain worth.  For example, if you wish to be debt free you must devise a plan to accomplish your goal.  Fortunately for my wife and me, someone else had a plan and we are now on our final step to turning the goal into a reality.

Changing the world seems impossible to the casual observer.  I really don't know how many steps it takes to get this done since I'm a novice in this particular arena.  All I'm offering today is a simple first step.  Well, maybe it's not so simple when you understand all that is involved in that first step.  I'm working on this step now and I've been at it for years.  I do believe that if I'm able to overcome all the obstacles attached to this first step that the steps beyond will be accessible.  Here goes:

Step 1 to change the world...Change yourself.

There aren't any instructions here.  You know yourself better than anyone else on the planet.  You understand your own belief system.  Deep down you may have a feeling in your gut that something needs to change if you want to make a difference in the world around you.  Give yourself all the time you need to accomplish the first step.  Have a great day.

Book Cover #2 is Underway

 J.T. Egley is at it again.  This time he's working on the cover art for "Live Long and Prosper."  Once he's finished, Elite will take over and add the graphics.  I have a feeling this cover is going to be out of this world.  The guts of the book have gone through many revisions to get to this point and I'm finally starting to feel good about this project.  I'm elated that I have my own personal space to write books.  

We are having cake today to celebrate a couple of milestones at my day job.  I'm thankful to be on a team that is committed to excellence.  Have a great day.

Danger or Opportunity?

These days it seems like it's one crisis after another.  If it's not Mother Nature heaving fireballs from within or sending tsunamis to our beaches, it's our political people fighting about who is right and who is wrong.  The pandemic we are dealing with is the icing on the cake loaded with the kind of ingredients I would rather avoid if I had a choice.  Instead I look at crisis as a two-sided coin just as the Chinese do.  Danger is on one side and opportunity on the other.  The greater the crisis, the more visible the two opposing forces reveal to the world.

One of the top leaders at my day job visited yesterday.  We had a brief chat at the end of his tour of our building.  I shared how important it is to see the opportunity in the midst of the crisis.  It was my opportunity to thank him for my job.  Amazing things happen when you focus on serving others rather than hiding from all the danger lurking in even the safest of places.  How about you?  Which side of the coin will you see the next time danger strikes?  Have a great day. 

Ideas to Help You Create a Better Version of Yourself

Ask yourself, "Am I the best possible version of my potential self?"  Please do not take this lightly.  How you answer can improve your life.  This is important because you are the only person in the world who is uniquely qualified to do what you were created to do.  Fail at this and there are no substitutes.  There will be a forever void.

I do one simple task every day to help me answer my own question about my potential.  Do this and you will eventually become the best possible version of yourself you can be.  All you have to do is look closely at your daily habits.  If they are serving you well, keep moving forward.  If they are hindering your potential, create new habits.  The question to keep asking is, "Is what I'm doing the best activity?"  Follow it up by asking, "Is this the best way to perform this activity?"  If the answer is no, find a better way.  Keep at it.  Better ways are great.  The best way is ideal.  You find the best way unless you keep checking in daily.  Have a great day.

When Fear Knocks on Your Door

 It's like a horror movie.  You hear the knock but you don't want to answer because you suspect it's something you don't want to face.  Fear is persistent.  It's going to keep knocking at all times and in all circumstances.

Our daughter called me at the beginning of the pandemic.  I could hear the fear in her voice as she explained her situation.  The people higher on the seniority list already slammed the door on fear because they were afraid what would happen.  The assignment was glaring into our daughter's soul and it scared the hell out of her.  She was afraid of the consequences of saying yes.  I was more concerned about what would happen if she said no. Fear has knocked on my door so many times that I might as well just give him a key and offer him one of my spare bedrooms.  "If you don't go to Shanghai to bring home the stranded Americans, fear will win and you might as well crawl into your bedroom and hide until the pandemic is over," I told her.  She agreed.  She found herself and her friends walking the empty streets of Shanghai while the other millions of residents took shelter in their homes.

The pandemic will go down as one of the most fearful times in modern history.  I'm still kicking myself for not doing more to help those suffering, especially those who took their own lives rather than answer the doorbell when fear stood outside.  My only reprieve is showing up at the last minute when a childhood friend summoned everyone he knew for a going away party.  He fell that day and the hospice people told him he would have to stay home and miss his own shindig.  I looked around at all the people wearing their aloha shirts and thought about my buddy.  He died a few days later.  What he left behind was a huge dose of much needed aloha for his loved ones.  Well done, Robbie.  Well done.  You face your fear like a major league closer in game 7 of the World Series and you answered the call.

Wilson has been in New York City with my friend, Erin, since the beginning of the pandemic.  My plan was to visit Erin and introduce her to Wilson in person but New York City turned into a war zone and became off limits, especially to people like Erin who are at high risk due to stage IV cancer.    Fear knocked on her door and she answered reluctantly.  Despite her attempts to fight back she is losing.  Many of her friends are missing in action because they don't know what to say or do.  How does one respond when their friend tells them, "I'm going to lose every hair on my body and next month is my wedding."?

I meditate every morning for about an hour.  The idea is to become familiar with my thoughts.  My sixty minute episode today was centered around my friend, Erin.  Like me, she writes.  She can tell you first-hand what fear is all about.  If Wilson could talk, I'm sure he could describe in great detail what it's like hanging out with someone like Erin.  Erin will have to say good-bye to Wilson some time.  So will I.  Wilson doesn't belong to me or Erin.  Wilson has an important job ahead of him.  Before I say good-bye I must do something I've been fearing.  I must write the final chapter in "The Adventures of Castaway Wilson." Fear won't really care about the story or the people he hurt along the way.  Fear will move on to another door.  I wish I could just punch him and make him go away.  It doesn't work that way.  Have a great day.

Find Alignment with Your Future Self

Today's post is a bit odd to most outside observers.  The reason why is because I'm doing my best to live in the moment, one moment at a time.  If this is so, why am I writing about "future self"?  Shouldn't this be outside the realm of things I care about at this moment?  I leave those questions for the philosophers and critical thinkers and instead do my best to answer my questions using my own limited brain.

I do care about my future self.  The more I live in the moment and make each moment count to the fullest of my ability, the more gratitude my future self will have.  The more abundance I can create now the better off my future self will be.  This is in every area of my life.  Challenging my brain now leads to a better brain in the future.  More physical activity now means better toned muscles in the future.  Letting go of grudges today means less aches and pains later.  Yes, grudges are heavy.  Carrying them around everywhere is not good for your physique.  

If today's story seems difficult to grasp, here's the best shortcut I know.  It has to do with the only one I know who operates outside of time.  Yes, Jesus operates on a level where your past, present and future self all look like one person.  Jesus knows what your future self needs.  He can give you today what will help you in the future if you ask.  Why not ask for that which will bring you into alignment with your future self?  Why not give yourself a future you can be grateful for.  Ask today.  Go to the source.  Jesus is your solution.  Have a great day.

Jesus Believes in Simplicity

 The Old Testament days were tough.  Maybe that's because those days were challenging.  Tough times require tough standards, like the 10 Commandments.  They were created to help give people a sense of direction.  Jesus came along and made the rules simple to understand.  The nitpicky ones probably argued that simple could be considered blasphemous.  In my opinion, the new ideas Jesus presented were some kind of threat and the only way around these new rules was to deny who Jesus is.  The truth is that anyone who follows Jesus and lives by his two rules will naturally obey all the commandments because they are in alignment with everything Jesus teaches.

If you want simplicity, all you need to do is follow what Jesus teaches.  It all comes down to loving God with every fiber of your being and loving others.  That's it.  Love God and love people.  There are no boundaries here.  You don't get to pick and choose who to love.  Do these two things well and you will be as close to God as you can get this side of Heaven.  Try simplicity.  Try Jesus.  Have a great day.

Celebrating Another Year Around the Sun Today

 What a journey this is.  Today is the completion of 61 jaunts around the sun.  The earth continues to rotate and revolve while dashing through the universe as my mind, body, and spirit do the same here in the Midwest.  The idea is to stay in motion.  My head spins even during times of quiet meditation.  The stories within are eager to be birthed.  The twins are restless.  I have learned over the years that everything has its time and place and attempting to control these variables only adds to the turmoil.  

I'm thankful for time with my family today.  It's a perfect day for a barbecue.  We will watch fireworks from our backyard and enjoy our time together.  May you be abundantly blessed on this 4th of July.  Have a great day.

Baba Yetu

The "Our Father" prayer was first taught to us by Jesus Christ.  It is a perfect prayer.  For me, learning to pray this prayer in other languages adds a certain flavor that resonates within my very soul.  "Baba Yetu" is an african flavor, specifically swahili, that makes my cells inside my body want to leap out and dance.  I told my wife it reminds me of visiting a church in Maui.  The Hawaiians add something special to church songs I grew up with English only.  How awesome is that Our Father can hear our every prayer in any language, even when we don't pray with words?

Enjoy the YouTube video attached to today's story.  If you need something in your life, reach out to Baba Yetu and ask for some help.  Have a great day.

Use Negative Feedback to Your Advantage

Today is a great day to learn how to use negative feedback to your advantage.  Many people overlook this because they believe negative feedback is no bueno.  I believe it's the information you need to make positive changes that will yield fantastic results.  If someone tells you they don't like something you're doing, ask why.  Get the details.  Your critics will show what is needed to be better.  Welcome the feedback.  Encourage it.  The silent critic can harm you because you have no idea what's missing in your actions.

A simple example of this is tennis.  You hit the ball and it drops into the net.  Bummer, right?  You now know that your racquet head has tilted too low.  There's your negative feedback.  Now, make the adjustment.  Give it a tilt upward before you hit the next shot.  Too long?  Great negative feedback indicating you tilted upward too much.  Adjust again.  There you go.  You're a pro based on using your own negative feedback.  Have a great day.

Wishing You a Joyful July

 My July calendar is about as crazy as it gets.  The first part of the month is dedicated to my day job in my home town followed by ten days on the road to help out in another city.  The icing on the cake is our family vacation near the end of the month.  I'm super excited.  The vacation has been in the planning stages for over a year.  It's been quite a balancing act figuring out how to fund all our activities while maintaining a budget set up to eliminate all debt including our mortgage.  All I can say is that July is about as joyful as it gets.  There won't be any kind of vacation hangover in August because we managed to prepay for all the big items on our vacation wish list.

May your July be filled with abundant joy.  Seize the day.  Seize the month.  Enjoy your family.  Make this a month you will cherish for the rest of your life.  Have a great day.