Human Jungle Gym

My wife warns me not to get down on the floor.

Every time I do it leads to the same thing. Human jungle gym.

One - if not both - of the kids come running directly at me and throw themselves on top of me.

I have four pairs of pants that have holes worn in both knees from playing on the floor with them. Likely my wife will comment with the correct number of ruined pants if I'm wrong.

Lee Dungarees... Can't Bust 'Em, eh?  They clearly don't have kids.  Those pants bit the dust as quickly as any of the others

Why do I keep doing it?  Because I'm a big kid? That's part of it!

I realize there will come a day when they don't want to wrestle with their dad.  They will stop wanting to do a lot of different things with me. I'll be completely uncool. 

Until that time - or my knees go bad - I'll keep getting down onto the floor. 

Monday Morning Haiku

Monday holds promise,
A fresh start to chase your dreams.
Don't lose your focus.

So be not afraid,
Fear can rob us of our dreams,
But action kills fear.

I lost my voice once

I got laryngitis in the Summer of 1989. I had been on tour for six straight weeks and my vocal chords took a beating. I sat down next to my bassist, Tommy and I said, “Dude. I think its over”. We both wept. That’s when we wrote the power ballad, “I Can’t Believe its Over (I Wept)”.

A piece of me died that year. I got a cat to fill the void. I named him after the late drummer from my band, Billy.  Billy really was late all of the time. We almost missed a gig in Moscow once because of him.  Thankfully we made it because the people in Idaho are really nice. Did you know they had potatoes there?

58.11 There's Always Tomorrow

We all procrastinate from time to time.  Some more than others.

I am one of the "some" who does it more than others.  I trick myself into thinking that tomorrow is the day I get things together.  Tomorrow is the day I turn it all around.

Things You Might Think, but Would (PROBABLY) Never Say

We all think things that we likely would never say in person... at least I hope not.

Stop smelling my food.  You're robbing me of the taste molecules (half the taste is in the smell!).

Get off the phone and finish your... "business".  So gross.

I like talking to you. I'd like you more if you were not a foot from my face.

I really don't mind eating at McDonald's.

The Hobbit and Jesus

Copyright Newline Cinema

I am glad I got to watch the new Hobbit movie with my Father in law and brothers in law last night, as has become the tradition for each of these movies.

However, the movie itself was "ok".  The fight scenes were great, but the movie overall was dark. A lot of death and very little redemption. Many lives lost for nothing.

I realize that it's a fictional movie... someone else's take of a fictional book, rather... but it does make me think of our society.

58.10 Rear-view Mirror

Imagine you're driving and you decide it is time to switch lanes.  You look in your side mirror, beside you and then over your shoulder to see if anyone is there.  If not, you turn on your signal and check again.

Then you switch lanes.  It really is that easy.  But sometimes we over look the most important detail of all.  The following words that are printed on your car's side mirror.

"OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR".

If we misjudge how far a vehicle is from ours, we could be putting ourselves in serious danger.  We can do the very same thing my misjudging things in our own lives.

We assume we have all the time in the world, but we forget that things often are outside of our control.  We think we put off important things until later, but later comes sooner rather than... well, you get the point.

If we instead assume that tomorrow is not promised and that nothing lasts forever, our perspective starts to change.

Today is the day to START doing what you've been called to do. Once you know your dream, go for it. Start today and don't look back.