Cat's in the Cradle and the Silver Spoon

Little boy blue and the man on the moon, when you comin home son, I don't know when, but we'll get together then, you know we'll have a good time then.."

Harry Chapin had his finger on something when he wrote that song. He captured the picture of time passing by and those in your life missing important moments but expecting to have those moments in the future. I'm writing remotely tonight from my Mom's office. When I'm able to come home and spend time talking with my Mom it's always good. It's an interesting relationship. We get older and our relationship has matured some but there is a bond nothing like a mother and her son. "Hi Mom!"

Tonight's blog is brought to you by the letter R. Rambling, remembrance, revolt, rebirth, rumbling, etc. All of these seem to happen at once for me. This year has brought a lot of rambling and rebirth. If I was to take the year and condense it into the major highlights it would be a pretty good reel. A little bit of rambling and rumbling through different cities around the country. A couple of rebirthing experiences with graduation, Grand Canyon Hikes. A little bit of remodeling. Hey throw in a railroad engineer for Halloween and that's a lot of R's. The most elusive and probably the most important is reflection. I've been reflecting a lot this year. Looking in the mirror and looking inward to not only shine as the best person I could be but to also represent Andre in the best way possible. It's tough facing some things you aren't proud of but admitting who you are and working towards being better is what counts.

I told those kids in London 2 years ago something I still think holds true. Look everyone in the eye and have a firm handshake, Be true to yourself, and learn how to dance. They are simple concepts but they hold true for so many reasons.

i know it's a short blog but now I have to run.

Ciao Ciao

Second Wind

As with most times you are under pressure you look in the mirror, dig deep and look for inspiration to keep you motivated. I'm in a pressure cooker right now but somehow I find a way to maintain a sense of control.

I've taken on a lot this semester. Two classes that are very time consuming, training for a triathlon and heading into busy season at work with some very tight deadlines. On top of that trying to maintain a presence in the community charitiable and socially. I'm officially busy. I would have to say this is definitely a growth period. A time to see what mustard I am made of. I've gone through periods of not being able to handle it and have come out all right. I read yesterday Nietzsche's quote what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I can see how it's true but it also makes you weary.

I'm taking a corporate social responsibility class and it's having me examine my values. What were the clear touchpoints in my life where I was faced with an ethical choice that challenged my values. One thing I learned this weekend is no matter how much time passes and the world evolves you can't escape your past. It is a part of who you are. I've made some bad value judgements. It's time to learn from them so they aren't repeated. It's also time to leave the past in it's place and make room for the future. As Ryan Bingham said in the movie Up In the Air, "What's in your backpack?"

Ciao Ciao

Par For The Course

Serenity Now! 2010 and all's well.. Well until you pick that scab off and realize that underneath there is a bleeding nearly infectious wound protected only by the scab you just peeled off. The lesson? Leave well enough alone and don't let curiosity give you gangrene.

Tonight's letter is G for giving a shit. What happens when someone you hang out with doesn't show up to a scheduled event nor return phone calls or text messages for several days? I'll tell you what! You get concerned! It's amazing the lengths you would go through to reach someone and the fear surrounding the unknown. After repeated attempts to get a hold of this person even driving by their house, you leave well enough alone cause you think they are just laying low but they then still don't answer after a couple more days then you want to break the door down and expect to see them lying in a pool of their own blood and the place ransacked. Again, fear and imagination can really play tricks on your mind. Needless to say a bunch of us gave a shit and we all can breathe a sigh of relief - but like the balloon boy's parents, he's "got some 'splainin to do."

Fear can be paralyzing. Being unsure of the next step, not wanting to make a decision for fear it could be the wrong one. Or what I've seen more of lately is not making a decision because you just don't have one in front of you. I think there are two actions that must happen to keep moving forward - trust your gut and get as much information as you can before making a move. Both may seem mutually exclusive but since we live in a dynamic world they definitely can happen at the same time. That's how I think many leaders move forward. Right foot in front of the left. Now Move.