With a wave and a smile…

The sun sets on another day…

It was a spectacular day as we played and played some more. Every moment an adventure, every hour a chance to learn. Children are great and maybe a little more. As the sky lit with orange and reds I smiled and enjoyed the western lightshow, and welcomed the cool embrace of the evening.

We were at the park today, and as we played on serious slides and stunning swings other people came in and out of the area. A family with a border collie arrived and the kids began playing soccer in a well groomed soccer field while the mother and puppy played near us in the playground area.

Being over the top about dogs in general, I started a conversation and, after asking for permission, I played with the puppy for a few. The dog was super and we were soon enjoying a fun game of fetch.

I watched the family play and looked over at my grandson and the fun he was having in the sand and slides and thought about all the time that had passed since my kids were that age. My mind drifter to all the things they learned, all the interaction, all the fantastic adventures we had taken, and they journey they now were taking.

The young woman and I talked and I asked what she did, and with a wave of her hand towards her children and a smile, she said “nothing”, and explained she was working on a new career. I smiled and watched her children play and listened and laughed. We talked about her husbands work, and the dog, the kids, and she kept a watchful eye always on the three player soccer game going on a few steps away.

I thought about what she said, but I disagreed. As we decided to go get ice cream I watched a a mom looking over her children and it was more than nothing, it was everything. Whether mother or father staying at home, guiding children is a magnificent job, and often more challenging than working many jobs. This young woman was raising children that played with each other, enjoyed the time, played fair, and listened. What was “nothing” to her should be everything to us all. I was impressed and as we drove away I hoped I did as good, then looked at my daughter and knew I had.

So as the sun sets on another day, being a parent is a fantastic adventure. Never doubt the commitment and hard work it takes to raise just one child. If you are a parent, believe in yourself and the hard work you put in daily. Just remember, being a parent is more than nothing, it is everything. Keep believing in yourself daily, no mater what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and super job…

The right path

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was a fiery mess with the colors of forever painting the sky with spectacular lightshows. Just wow.

This morning I was at a local farmers market followed by a fun open house. While there, I stopped to talk for just a moment and in the process a young woman walked up to the line I was in. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have noticed, but this young woman was beyond polite. She was also respectful to everyone there.

As I stood patiently waiting, a man next to me made a statement about how she was raised right. I thought about that statement as I walked away and realized that it was only partially true. Many people are raised right and don’t act correctly in public or treat others with the patient respect as I had just witnessed. Instead I believe this young woman was not only given positive guidance but somewhere inside she realized what the right path was and took that path wholeheartedly. It wasn’t someone else, but instead her that was special and fantastic. I went back and gave her a card simply because I appreciate that this young person had the courage to choose an amazing path. She is truly a model for many.

So as the sun sets on another day , you make choices every day. I make choices everyday. Everyone makes choices every day but it is only those with courage that take the right path. Often this is a harder path. Many people fall off this path. Be someone who takes the path and makes it their own and along the way find the courage to be nice to others and to yourself, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and thanks for being you…

Spinning wheels…

The sun sets on another day…

I laughed as I saw a sunset fall across the western sky. The colors were amazing and the moments were special. I enjoyed it.

I was taking some time with my grandson and enjoying his new bumper car. It’s hilarious to see a child get so lost in the moment that they obviously lose track of everything. As he learned how to maneuver the car and enjoyed driving around the room I giggled and laughed while he got better and better. It’s that childlike innocence that suddenly makes everything awesome.

When was the last time you thought of everything like a child? Why aren’t you enjoying everything you do just like a child does, with wonderful innocence and a zest to learn and be more?

So as the sun sets on another day, let’s make our days more fantastic by learning and loving and making our world a constant series of amazing moments. We can adapt and see things as a child does and in the process make our world a better place, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and keep being awesome…

Passions…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was another seriously wonderful expression of light. The show was beautiful, and the moments seemed to last forever. I enjoyed every single second.

Two things are happening soon.

First – The Cover Reveal for “A Slice of Passion”, the re-release of my first book will be coming soon.

Second – The planning for the release of something new, something a little different.

Until then:

A Slice
A little passion called to me and made my day complete
The time passed by and I know, I want the moment to complete
A passion is a depth of more I cannot say it clear
A passion can be much much more than just a love or fear

I find myself inside a trance and keep on pushing through
I see each person I have known and how my feelings grew
For each time I can find my way I know it is in fashion
The my whole life is just a slice, a giant slice of passion

So as the sun sets on another day, keep being you. Keep living life, and make your passion so great that nothing can stop it, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love with near reckless abandon, and feel the depth of you…

A big heart…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was, well, it was beautiful, but my mind wandered a little as I though about a friend.

A few years ago I was in charge of a large project that covered a really large scope. I needed good people and found a few that were focused and could make things work. AS I did I found Mark. Mark was a network engineer with a lot of skills in a great many areas. His advantage was that he did not limit himself, and was constantly pushing for more. Over time a few of us developer a close rapport, then a good friendship.

Mark was one of the easiest going people I knew. As an ex marine some expected different, but Mark was patient and kind always, and worked hard to help people see a positive way through most. He was a good husband and father, he was just a person who made the world a better place just by being there, and we had some great fun together.

This week Mark passed away at 63. His legacy will remain and so will my good memories of our time together. I am sorry I was not there, but glad he was in my life.

So as the sun sets on another day, find people who make your day better. Make the world better as you can. Thanks for being a friend Mark.

Sleep sweet, love life, and farewell my friend…

Linear chaos…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was another cloudless fiery fling into the twilight as the sky lit with orange, then slid from view. I sat in awe, then ran the puppy to get a puppy sundae.

I was planting the garden today with perfect precision. Making sure each tomato plat was in line with the last, and each cucumber was ready to rock and roll. Then I laughed. For all the planning I do each year, as soon as the plants take off, they are everywhere. It becomes pure chaos no matter how well I plan, no matter how much I do to curtail the spread of everything.

It is amazing to me how so many people try to plan everything. No matter how hard you try, there are so many things that can slide to the side it sometimes just wavers and falls. Ooops. I am not saying that not having a plan is a good thing, you just have to remember that plans have to be flexible enough to adapt, and in the process we have to truly understand that everything is fluid, and there are very few absolutes.

What do you think? Do you plan your moments to the T and find them lining up to exactly what you want? Do you let the cards fall where they may, and realize that everything may or may not line up, but you will get through it, or is there another choice?

No matter how you approach it, find success, and just remember, sometimes what you think of as linear can turn to chaos in this thing called life, and as it does, it can be pretty funny.

So as the sun sets on another day, fail to plan can be a plan to fail, but a plan without end cannot adapt to the rigors of life. Find a way to enjoy your life with and without planning, and as you do, I hope you find spectacular wonders each day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and be super…

Tasks and toils…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset had a beauty all its own as another misty day passed by. As the sun fell in the western sky the light slowly faced until it was no more. The quiet air echod with the waves, then night was upon us.

Today I have been in the middle of lots of fun tasks. I have been doing just about everything from planting in the garden, to cleaning up the grill getting ready for this weekend. It has been interesting, and though it may be a toil in some ways, there is a certain satisfaction to it all.

Sometimes we just need to accomplish something to open ourselves up to accomplish more. It may be strange to some, but if we break things down into smaller wins, the bigger win just seems easier and happens easier as well. I have found this to be often consistent, and it has helped me approach daunting tasks more effectively over the years.

How?

Easy, walking across a room is really a big task, but if you break it down into moves and steps, it becomes easy. Don’t focus on the biggest task until it is all that is left, and then it will be as easy as pie.

In the end, do what works, but I suggest making life a series of small wins that become amazing.

So as the sun sets on another day, I feel pretty good! Another item checked off, and the world is a better place because of it. At least my world. I hope you find the same every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and check it off…

Misty…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was like a lightbulb slowly burning out on the horizon. The mist in the west slowly ate away the light until only a halo remained. It was actually pretty awesome!

There are times in life where we really are not sure of the theory of everything. This means sometimes the path is not clear. I had a short discussion about that this weekend and I agreed with some thoughts, and did not with others. In “The Road Less Traveled” it was implied that the difference was higher because a person chose a way less worn. Something that could be an adventure. It was suggested to me that the poem really meant that it did not matter which and that the poem was not about the choosing of a path. In the end, I reviewed and agreed with the stance, but as with most poetry it can be taken a variety of ways.

With that try this:

Misty

A Misty day lie before, without a path to take
I fought my desire for more sleep and to try to stay awake
The path before is nevermore, and I may never know
Who came before and went again, as traveled to and fro

I saw not far and knew not where each path took a turn
but I had to go and find my way and find what I could learn
I took no path and walked my way, now and through the day
and when at last the mist was gone I knew I’d found my way

There was no fear, nor long regret, in what I did that time
I walked a path that no one took and called it only mine
as others think they missed a path, I know it’s always true
The path best taken is your path and not what others knew

Now before the path is dark, and I don’t know my way
behind me paths are dozens long, and memories here to stay
Again I walk with hastened fire, and make the path so fine
No matter good, nor bad that comes the outcome will be mine

So as the sun sets on another day, I hope you find your way with no regrets, and enjoy every moment as your own. After all, this life is yours and no one can make it any better than you. Make your best life, and find your way, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and keep living…

Just a chair…

The sun sets on another day..

I watched sunset slowly fall through the trees until I lost it behind a particularly thick bed of pines. I smiled at the moment and enjoyed the colors of the sky.

What you see before you is a chair. I am sure someday someone will see this as just another place to sit, but it has history and perhaps a little more. The chair that you see came from my grandmother. Its origins are unclear to me as I didn’t talk about it very much when I could barely walk. Instead, I remember sitting in this chair when my father and mother were still together. I have fallen asleep in this chair hundreds of times with my head on one side, and my feet curled up in the center. I can remember the fabric against my legs clearly, but it is hard for me to imagine being that small, even though I know I was.

This chair has moved through dozens of houses. Where so many people think about home as a place where they grew up, I went from many to many more. One of the few consistent things in my life is in this picture. As we moved from place to place, this chair moved with us. When we were at a new house, I often sat in this chair trying to decide how to approach wherever I was this time.

The chair’s fabric changed several times, but it was still mine. Of course, I couldn’t call it mine when I was younger, but I knew it was the consistent thing in my life. Not family or friends nor anything else that I could hold on to. This was my consistency.

I bought my first house almost immediately out of high school. I needed a place that I could call my own. I had this idea that somehow I could create a home that I honestly never had. The closest thing I had to at home was my grandmother’s house, and as I considered everything I had gone through, there was a need for stability inside of me. There was my chair. Through thick and thin and a little more, we were together.

What is my point? To everyone in the room, it is just a chair. It is a legacy that means a lot and represents even more. When you look out at the world, sometimes it is just a chair, a house, or a pebble, but sometimes, well, sometimes, it is the key to a world.

So as the sun sets on another day, I hope you have fun tonight and enjoy all the moments. After all, the world is an amazing place, and I hope you find your place to sit. Keep being you and making super memories, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and enjoy it all…

Storm side…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset? Well, it was almost perfect for a moment. As I drove and they turned in tonight the skies darkened and became angry at the world.

I had some time to think tonight during a storm and thought about how devastating a few minutes can sometimes be. As I drove, pepper and I became the target of a hefty thunderstorm front. In front of us, cars began to drive with their flashers on at 25 miles an hour or less, and the sheets of rain looked like blankets slamming down upon us all. It was actually pretty cool.

I knew where I was, and a few moments later, a rest area was in view, and I pulled over and parked. The truck shook with the vigorous wind and rumbled as thunderclap after thunderclap smashed against all who were in the area. Outside my window in the darkness, it was a strobe light from a psychotic disco, and I laughed at all of the intensity around me.

Pepper slept through it.

I’m sure dozens of people were freaked out by the intense storm and many said so when the rain slowed and I got out to use the restroom. People were talking and they pulled over to be safe. I pulled over to avoid the people trying to be safe. Kind of a different line of thought I suppose.

At the end of the day, I was thinking about how you could either run, fight an unfightable foe, enjoy it, or just sleep through it. Although I had good laughs I think Pepper had the right idea and when the rain was slow enough we took a walk then got back on the road.

So as the sun sets on another day, When you face your storms, maybe it’s best just to take a breath and giggle and laugh or make a good decision. Ultimately, it’s all up to you, and I hope you make the best decision possible. As for me, it was a lot of fun, and 45 minutes later, the road was dry and the middle of the night quiet. I will face the storm as it needs to be met every time, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and keep living…