Evacuation to fun!

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To say it has been a strange day is probably putting it mildly. Despite being Thursday in Music City USA. Despite being unseasonally warm in Nashville, TN. Despite a dense morning fog on the commute into town; the day seemed to be oddly normal. Obviously, I was going to be late, so I opted to be comfortable too. I stopped at Hardees and got my two favorite sandwiches for the slow ride into to town I saw over the horizon.

Three hours into work, something was wrong. The next thing I knew we were being told to evacuate the building! There was some sort of gas leak that smelled pretty serious. I grabbed a bottled water from my desk and headed downstairs to the exit. The smell was really strong downstairs! Deciding that this could take a while, I immediately proceeded to my vehicle parked across the street. I asked a coworker if he minded passing a little football. Of course he said of course not. Among other things, I typically pack a nerf football for just such a moment. Within minutes, we were joined by at least four other coworkers. Despite the warm temperature and odd circumstance, the football took center stage. We are fortunate to all like each other and our coworkers. The football allowed us to laugh together as we coordinated who to pass to next. We shared our strengths and weakness concerning this funny-shaped projectile being tossed from one to the other. It was very relaxing. We learned things about each other as we played. Even those watching us had fun taking note of our connected discourse. We had a blast without there actually being a blast. Almost thirty-five minutes later, our situation had been downgraded and we were free to reenter the building.

We didn't know why we hadn't done this sort of thing sooner; but we agreed not only to the fun of the moment, but also the relief it provided mentally and emotionally. One of us was closing on a house, another working two jobs, one rebuilding from a tornado and others who just needed a rescue from the mundane. Folks under estimate the need to blow off a little steam. For creatives, its essential to have some outlet to life's snares and bogs. We were certainly much happier after tossing the ole football around. I don't know if it was so manly or just the exercise together or the outbursts of laughter; but the evacuation was a success in more ways than one. It would serve others well to get out of the office on occassion and do something completely unrelated together.

failure REQUIRED!

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It seems funny that the longer we live, the worse we might feel before its over. It is certain that there will be something that doesnt turn out like we planned or something that we didnt handle well or even worse, we have been mishandled by someone else. Lets face it; nobody's perfect. We tend to judge everyone else on what they said but ourselves on what we intended. Hmmm...what if Ted Bundy only meant to knockout a few people....but thats not what he did, was it...I see you understand. Even knowing that fact about ourselves; we still despise anyone who crosses us. We hate to see ourselves in a bad light. We hate to fail or at least for ANYONE ELSE to see us fall short. Imagine being an olympian dropping a stick in a relay.... Someone once said "A lesson earned is a lesson learned." Thats a powerful statement and earned aint necessarily pleasant. In fact, typically it isnt! Failure is required for our improvement. Through failure we discover so much more about ourselves and the people we have casually surrounded ourselves.

That may sound bleak; but I assure you it isnt. Think of the seed that dies only to give birth to a beautiful flower. Think about how many failures occurred before Bell or Tesler were successful with the telephone or the light bulb.... Its ok if you fail; make sure you take the lesson you earned and keep moving. Mud only hardens with time; locking the print in time and the mind in prison. Its much easier to get out of the mud while its wet.


Momma said dont touch the stove a thousand times; but I only had to burn my hand once!

The Five Important Lessons

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....but of course, I am a dog person....

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I got this email and it was too good to keep to myself; so I am sharing it with you along with Karl's Blog a great daily read.

Today's Random Act of Kindness is simple!

Read through the five important lessons below, sent to me by Chris Seaton. Appreciate the lessons within. Then forward it to your friends.
Remember to visit http://www.karlblog.com for more inspiration!

Happy Humpday Wednesday!

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Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student
and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the
cleaning woman several times. She was tall,
dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if
the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
'Absolutely,' said the professor. 'In your careers,
you will meet many people. All are significant. They
deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say 'hello.'
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.

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2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an elderly African-American
woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway
trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had
broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her, generally
unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s.. The man
took her to safety, helped her get assistance and
put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his
address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a
knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a
giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached...

It read:
'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway
the other night. The rain drenched not only my
clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
husband's bedside just before he passed away... God
bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving
others.'

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

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3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.
'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it.
'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the
waitress was growing impatient.
'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress
came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
were two nickels and five pennies..
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had
to have enough left to leave her a tip.

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4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did
anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. After the
peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the
person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

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5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed the antibodies needed to combat the
illness. The doctor explained the situation to her
little brother, and asked the little boy if he would
be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will
save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in
bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,
seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his
face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'.
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
sister all of his blood in order to save her.

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Now you have 2 choices.
1. Delete this email, or
2. Forward it to people you care about including me.

I hope that you will choose No. 2

'Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching.'

Meanwhile you may also enjoy this:

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Positive Matters...Negative Positives

Last night I finally got to watch "The Pursuit of Happyness." I had heard so many positive things about it and seen the interview with the person it was based on. It really gives one pause to examine what and when they want what they want and what might be necessary to obtain it. Dreams and sacrifice go hand in hand with pain and pleasure. The change of direction requires a harsh and constant friction to break the gravitational pull of the however tortured normal. It's even harder if you are constantly slapped in the face by reality and/or others' perceptions of your limits. This powerful story begins with people thrown in the thick of life. They have very little money and the wife is working several jobs while the father is a commission only salesman of a product very few people want. In addition, they have a young son who needs and wants all the things a normal kid of 8 would. Needlesstosay, the only person they don't owe is the Lord, and He's waiting for thanks. Ultimately, the wife checks out due to the lack of money and understanding the husband is contributing to the relationship and household. [Herein lies the pivotal point; I suspect had she NOT left, Christopher would not have become the success story he is.] It is at this point that he maintains control of his son and realizes that he only has himself. Not to mention, now he and his son are counting on him. There are some gut-wrenching realities that anyone should at least realize are possible. "Anyone" can be homeless fairly quickly. I won't ruin the movie in the event you haven't made up your mind to see it yet; DO. I would have to say that even days after seeing it; it is still in my thoughts — not only for the power to accomplish; but the power to fail. While it is true that we learn from our failures; I think it safe to say that at some point, we are resolve with the quantity of knowledge we have and will survive without "needing" to aquire any more. But even more riveting of the movie, is the study of the "human animal, the planet of the apes." What can keep us from what we want? What are we willing to do when we are desparate? How do we react when our young are at stake? Do our rules only apply when they are convienent? ...and then I am haunted by my father's words, "boy, I've done a lot of things I said I would never do to provide for my family..."

We Were All Grasshoppers Once

The flame of the candle burns as the passion in a man's soul, melting away the days of his life.

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I was talking with my friend Bendy yesterday. I told her how proud I was of her for trying something completely new and going for it. She is taking masseuse classes to become a massage therapist. I even remarked that I should go beyond just considering the idea myself. She said just do it. I replied "but I am but a grasshopper." Her response generated this blog. She responded in her furocious blondeness, "Honey, we all began as grasshoppers! Shut up and get to it!"

How often, as adults, do we NOT do something because we are not ALREADY good at it? How often do we ignore our potiential for not wanting to LOOK bad or stupid while we are learning something new? Didn't Einstein begin as a grasshopper? Was Plato not first a student? Has there ever been a teacher that wasn't first a student? I think not. Even Jesus did the will of His Father; who are we to fear or regret the learning process? A willing student is a sponge hungry to be filled. That's how I want to always stay; constantly learning, willing to invest in learning, teaching others to learn by being a lifelong student. Well said, Bendy. Thanks for the reminder. This ones for you. Being a grasshoppa' is easier knowing you're going to be KungFu.

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