A Better Life

Today (August 16) marks the day three giants in their respective professions departed this life. Elvis Presley, the one who is probably celebrated most on this day, in 1977; Babe Ruth in 1948 and Bela Lugosi in 1956. All three of these men rode high in their professional life and were given all the luxuries this life could afford. Excess ruled their lives and their talent paved the way. From humble beginnings they rose above the rest. In popular music, who can top the impact Elvis had on the generations during his lifetime and since? What child hasn’t heard of Babe Ruth? What film student doesn’t know the work of Bela Lugosi. Their impact on all of our lives has been significant and will carry on for many generations beyond their seemingly short lives.

Just as a house has rooms for specific purposes, your life should have these same "rooms" for very specific purposes. Ever wonder why all houses have the same basic rooms? Our shelter reflects elements we need in each of our lives. You need a kitchen/dining room, a living room, a family room (or den as some would call it), a bedroom and a bathroom. Kitchen/Dining Room - Every house must have a place to prepare and consume nourishment, whether it be a cookie or a 6 course meal. The need for nourishment is key to survival. Without nourishment we would perish. We need regular intake of food to provide energy for the necessary and sometimes unnecessary activities in our life. Every feel sluggish? Time to visit the kitchen/dining room of our life to take in more energy. If your car runs out of fuel what happens? It stops, won't go, becomes pretty much useless. We are the same, without nourishment we stop and become all but useless. Living room - Just as we need physical nouris...

In the course of everyday life, we find ourselves surrounded by music. These songs can come from many sources. The radio, a movie, a radio commercial, a television commercial, the internet or the neighbor playing an instrument for fun perhaps even a band playing in someones garage. The music can sometimes trigger memories. Most of our firsts and lasts are defined or at least marked by music or a particular song. It could be the first day of school, a song playing on the radio. Your first kiss, the first day of your first job or just simply a day that went particularly well. The point is that a song can trigger wonderful memories or memories we would rather not remember. Memories we don’t want to recall can be painful and be associated with a song that was playing at the time such as a funeral, a particularly unpleasant event where we were a victim or just a song playing when you learned of a tragic event. The songs we select to listen to whether it be in a playlist on our iP...

This is a cautionary tale of taking steps but not following through and seeing someone else reap the benefits. So, a little history is in order. While separated from my wife on a slow boat to divorce (2 year separation) I started setting up blogs to document the lessons I was learning going through the divorce process. I bought several domain names over several months. One of those domains was to indulge my interest in herb gardening and cooking with herbs. I had even written an article about taking an interest and turning it into a website. As time went on, my writing increased and I kept thinking I was going to do something about this herb website but alas that day never came. I agreed to go to counseling which resulted in a massive loss in confidence and so all writing ceased for months. Today I was going through the domains and websites I had had and realized that one of my domains had been lost, sold and the person who bought had made the dream I had a reality. They had a...

At this time, we seem to be bombarded by stimuli from all directions. Media expanded to the internet then smartphones put his in direct connection with information all of the time. Our email is no longer, when we get home but instantaneous through out the day and night. Given this onslaught of information what are we to do with it? The majority of people are now more informed than in any age before but how has this served us. Are we a better society because of it? Have there been more advances in medicine, science and the arts because of our new found exposure to constant information? It would not seem so given the evidence that abounds. No, being connected seems to be hindering more than helping. We still do not have a cure for cancer or even the common cold but hold on steadfastly to our internet connections as if they are somehow our life line. Maybe we have become jaded and taken the fact that a newspaper isn’t so much a news source for us any more. Radio and television ...

Trees are an amazing example of growth utilizing many ingredients to produce a terrific result. You have sunshine, water, compost (decaying leaves, cut grass, etc.) and you can go from a seedling to a great big fruit producing, shade source of a tree in a few years. What does this have to do with relationships? Because relationships do not grow on their own, they have to be nurtured, fed and pruned to accomplish a great big fruit producing, shade source of a relationship than just keeps growing and growing if properly tended. This is not just about boy girl relationships but any relationship where two or more disparate entities come together to build a lasting, durable productive whole. A business relationship can be built in this way provided all parties are contributing and committed to the sustainability of this situation. It can also apply to co-workers, families and yes even relationships of the romantic variety. Just as trees must weather storms and winters, so must our re...

So this weekend was planned with some trepidation. It seemed simple enough. I was going to visit my parents at their home in my home town. I would be taking my mother grocery shopping and then I was to plow up a good bit of their yard (their house sits on about an acre of land). So no problem right? Not so much. First of all I took off work Friday so I would plenty of time to do what I needed to do and make it back home Saturday night to see my girlfriend who is amazingly understanding about me having to visit my parents. So, just to get things going I leave early on Thursday because it is always hectic getting everything around for a longer stay with my parents. Should I take just the laptop, laptop and 24" monitor or ditch the laptop and take my Mac Pro which is heavy, bulky but so much more fun than my PC laptop (Windows 7 is not my favorite by any means). So, being tired from the craziness of work and after work activities I just grabbed the laptop, some clothes, a couple of b...