Live Long and Prosper

His 83 year mission on earth has ended.  Our beloved Spock has moved on to the final frontier.  Before he departed, he left one last poem that summarizes a long and prosperous life.  Good-bye, Leonard Nimoy.  Thank you for all your amazing contributions.  There may be a void in the galaxy today but your message of love lives on in our hearts forever.  RIP.

Finish Line Ahead

The finish line is now 18 days away.  My final approach is simple... look straight ahead, stay hydrated, remember to eat at regular intervals, rest before I get tired, and stay focused on the finish line.  I found my writing rhythm.   What helps is thinking about the relationship between writing and running. There's the starting line, the middle and the finish line.  Before the gun goes off, there are training exercises to prepare yourself.  My training started when I wrote over 2,500 love letters to my wife.  Then I started this blog.  Daily blogging is like running up and down stairs.  It helps get you in shape for bigger projects.  The next step for me was to write a memoir.  I joined a writers critique group and got some formal training to help me through the process.  It was similar to a 10k race.  I really enjoyed the experience but I also felt something inside me nudging me to pen a novel.  There were so many times during this marathon experience that I wondered if I would ever cross the finish line.  Something happens at about mile 20.  Fatigue sets in.  Muscles cramp.  You question why you are out on the track.

I know why I'm here.  I was born to do this.  When I feel like giving up I think of Jesus dragging that Cross to Golgotha.  He did that for you and me.  He stumbled.  He fell.  He needed help.  He finished the race.  And when he came back from the dead, he told his followers, "now it's your turn."

I'll share a little secret with you about the finish line.  I found help by turning to the Bible for inspiration.  The greatest Marathoner of all times left behind all sorts of clues to help us find our finish line.  I may be writing fiction but if you read between the lines you will find the source of my inspiration.  You will find my Mentor.  Don't forget to come back on March 17 for the rest of the story.  Have a great day.

Stop Playing the Blame Game

Pointing fingers is a distraction.  It's designed to divert attention from the person responsible.  You know who it is, right?  The one who's pointing the finger.  I'm doing my best to stop playing the blame game.  It helps to look in the mirror and own up.

I'm planning to do less finger pointing and more of these:

• "I was wrong."
• "I dropped the ball."
• "I'm responsible for this."
• "I'm sorry."
• "My ego got in the way."
• "Please forgive me."

Have a great day.

How I Improved My Sense of Taste, Touch, Smell, Sight and Hearing

Fine wine improves with age.  I believe that's also the secret for sharpening your five senses.  All you need is time and a common sense approach.  Pardon the pun.  Let's see if these pointers pass the smell test:

1.  Taste.  This is an easy one.  I found everything tastes better when you are in good company.  Seek out friends to share your meals with.  Commit to regular date nights with your loved one.  Every time you take a bite, think about how hard the chef worked to prepare your meal or about the food server who is taking such great care of you.  Skip dessert and use it to be more generous with your tip.  Yes, generosity and appreciation make everything you eat taste better.
2. Touch.  This is an important one.  This is my love language.  Cuddle often.  Hold hands.  Smooch.  Don't worry what others think about your public displays of affection.  Simply savor how good it feels to be in close proximity to the one you love.
3. Smell.  This is heightened when your eyes are closed.  Try it.  Close your eyes and think about one of your favorite memories.  Who were you with?  What were you doing?  I have a memory from over forty years ago of a down-hill race I was running on Mulligan mountain in Prescott, Arizona.  The faster runner who shall remain anonymous kicked dust in my face as he out-paced me on the steep decline.  I can still smell the antiseptic he used to clean up my wound after I lunged unsuccessfully to pass him at the finish line and stumbled.  The same is true when I close my eyes and think about my high school days.  Mom always had a crock pot filled with pinto beans in the kitchen.  The aroma of pinto beans reminds me how hard my mother worked to keep six kids fed.  For me, that fragrance is like a fine perfume.
4. Sight.  I'm cheating on this one.  I got my eyes checked at the end of the year and discovered I need to wear glasses full-time.  Thanks to Dr. Amber Aria, I can see much better now.  It's a good idea to get your eyes examined annually. 
5. Hearing.  I'm not talking about the ear drums.  I'm referring to the part of your brain that many people turn off so they don't actively listen.  Listening is a skill you can improve upon over time.  The best way to do this is to care about the person who is speaking.  They have something important to share with you.  Don't tune them out.  Avoid selective hearing.  Pay attention.

Today's post is dedicated to all the food servers in the world who work so hard to take care of their guests, especially Molly, who helped me on my lunch break yesterday.  She shared photos of her young daughter and seven-year-old son, a republican.  "He spends a lot of time with his grandmother," she chagrined.  All I can say about my meal is that I experienced it with all five senses.  Thank you for sharing.  Have a great day. 

7 Questions to Help You Identify Your Passion

This is a test.  There are seven questions.  Use your answers to determine if you found your passion:

1. Does time ever stop when you're working on a task?
2. What activities make your heart skip a beat?
3. If you were given twenty-fours to do whatever you wanted to do, what would you do?
4. What is your greatest fear?
5. How would your life be if you eliminated that fear in question #4?
6. Who are your top three people who inspire you?
7. What can you do right now to get in touch with at least one person you listed in your answer to question #6?

Keep your answers for thirty days.  Look at them every morning when you wake up.  Have a great day.

Do You Suffer From Atelophobia?

I never heard of atelophobia until this morning when I searched "fear of not being good enough."  It comes from the Greek word, atelés which means "imperfect" or "incomplete" and phobós which means "fear."

I have one thing to say about this if you feel this describes you.  Shame on the people around you from your past (or your present) who criticized you so much or who constantly humiliated you every time you goofed.  These are the same people who are so full of their own hangups that they use you to cover up their own shortfalls.  If you buy their criticisms, you are forgetting who you really are – a child of God.  You cannot be separated by his love for you.  Here you go:

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord ~ Romans 8:31-39

Here's something else to consider about being imperfect or incomplete.  You're right.  You're not perfect and you are incomplete.  That's the joy of being human.  It's nothing to be afraid of.  You are the sum of all your experiences.  A baby doesn't give up learning to walk because he or she has a fall.  No.  Falling is part of the process.  Giving up isn't human.  Getting up is.  Experiencing butterflies in your stomach before a major event is normal.  Teaching those butterflies to fly in formation so that you can be your best and achieve your goals is healthy and it works.

Have a great day.  Enjoy your mistakes.  Take as many mulligans as you need to help you be your best.

3 Reasons Why You Should See McFarland, USA

Last night was date night with the Mrs.  I didn't expect to relive childhood memories when we saw McFarland, USA during opening weekend.  This movie got to my heart.  I don't want to give anything away here in case you might decide to check it out.  Here are three reasons why you should see McFarland, USA:

1. You will feel good.  There's a reason why we connect with the underdogs, like our beloved heroes from the 1980 miracle on ice team.  We feel their pain.  We know what is feels like to come up short.  Then it happens.  A coach or a mentor comes in and gives us hope.  This movie is about hope.  It's based on a real life story.  You will leave the movie theater feeling uplifted.
2. You will appreciate the hills in your life.  After you see this movie, you will have a better understanding of why you need mountains in your life.  Mountains are opportunities disguised as adversity.  This movie will inspire you to climb your mountains.
3. You will change.  This is what happens when your heart is moved.  This movie will inspire you to say to yourself, "one person can make a difference.  Why not me?  Yes, me.  I can make a difference.  I want to make a difference.  I'm going to change the world, no matter what I've done wrong in the past, no matter what my circumstances are, and no matter where I live.  I'm going to make a difference."

Go see the movie.  Have a great day.