tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70442524804907124072024-03-13T06:51:38.474-05:00The Write TimeThursday's time management tips, business of writing, lessons learned from my writing, writing excerpts, and a little bit about me.Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-64930472263777355262016-09-12T15:15:00.001-05:002016-09-12T15:15:14.097-05:00It has been 10 years...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span data-offset-key="7fuvj-0-0">This is one of my favorite pictures of my son Kevin. I don’t know what the activity was but he seemed to engage with everyone around him. Comparing things, poking fun at things, or giving someone a hard time, it didn’t matter, he just had to be doing something with someone. I am so grateful he poked his head in the bedroom to tell us good-bye and that he loved us before he headed out to work that morning ten years ago. I like to remember him as someone who marched to the beat of his own drum. He was everyone’s friend. He loved people, and he connected with everyone, no matter how old or young they were. He had a way of putting you at ease. And he seemed to always be plotting something with someone. He is missed, he is loved, he left a hole in our family, but we will be together again.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1tsh9-0-0">When we first moved to Manhattan, Kansas we had to rent some places. Sunday afternoon at the dinner table Kevin would put on a magic show. He would learn a few tricks during the week, and then entertain us all with the new tricks. Disappearing utensils and coins going through the tabletop were some of the more memorable moments – especially the look of horror on Lynda’s face when her butter knife disappeared. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="flbpt-0-0">He had a ready smile, but always had some mischievous prank about to be sprung on someone. Which brings me back to this picture. It looks like the fellow Kevin is handing something to is a bit wary, don’t you think? Not sure if he should take it or not, and the look on Kevin’s face, ‘why don’t you trust me? Nothing is going to happen’… The moment was captured and it illustrates that side of Kevin so well.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8hl08-0-0">Ten years may have gone by, but your memory is still alive and well. Miss you son.</span></div>
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Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-47541955804875483962016-08-04T01:00:00.000-05:002016-08-04T01:00:23.417-05:00Fight OnOne key to success is to keep on keeping on. Once you've set your goals an your sights on where you want to go or do. Keep at it.<br />
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Rachel Platten's Fight Song might just become your own theme song.<br />
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I like it because it resonates deep inside of me.<br />
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This is my fight song,<br />
Take back my life song<br />
Prove I'm alright song<br />
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...cuz I've still got a lot of fight left in me.<br />
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Great lyrics, great song.<br />
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Listen and get your commitment to go after what you want to do.<br />
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It works for me anyway.Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-57993459412034239602016-05-11T10:52:00.002-05:002016-05-11T10:52:38.696-05:00Be Confident or Fake It Till You Make It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I ran across this comedy sketch a while back and I keep going back and watching it again. I love this. It is from Studio C and they do all sorts of short comedy spoofs on all kinds of things.<br />
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Not sure if the embedded link will work or not. So here is the link:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTezdMLJoyE" target="_blank">Who wants to be a Millionaire</a>: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTezdMLJoyE<br />
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I share this video because my favorite part is towards the end when "Regis" asks our contestant "Are you sure?"<br />
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His answer speaks volumes.<br />
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"I was, until you kept asking if I was sure, and the lights and everyone else saying other things."<br />
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Watching this we know the correct answer. We know he has the correct answer, but everyone else is so sure the incorrect answer is in fact, the answer.<br />
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It is easy for us to sit on the sidelines and say George Washington. it is so obvious. And yet he capitulates and goes with D. George Washington, against his better judgment.<br />
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There is a new reality TV show called Strong. My wife was watching it so by default I watched some of it as well. However there was something said that gave me one of those moments when I thought, "Yeah, that is right."<br />
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What I gather from what I saw of Strong is a variation of The Biggest Loser or The Biggest Loser meets Survivor. 10 contestants each have an individual trainer. The pair make a team. They have work out schedules and the trainer is just that helping them to get fit.<br />
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As one of the contestants struggled while training the trainer commented that she had the physical strength to run, or jump, or whatever she was required to do, the problem was mental. She had to develop that mental toughness to push past her preconceived limits.<br />
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That was my "ah, yes" moment.<br />
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The cliché is If you think you can, then you can. It comes back to our own confidence and mental toughness. I like to say, "Life is what happens when you make other plans."<br />
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Be confident. Believe in yourself. Life is full of set backs. There are those who say, no it can't be done. So, take what you want to do, write, athletics, business, whatever, believe in yourself. Give yourself the tools needed to do the task or complete the goal you have in mind. But go forward believing in yourself.<br />
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Have the coverage to say, "B: Theodore Roosevelt. Final Answer!"Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-65538691915606774832016-04-21T21:45:00.000-05:002016-04-21T21:45:53.714-05:00Some Nice Perspectives on LifeI opened this in an e-mail.<br />
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Spring has sprung! Flowers are blooming. Birds are singing. I thought the flowers and birds combined with a message was a nice touch for the time of year. The short thoughts are defiantly worth sharing. There are some nice perspectives.<br />
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So follow the images and understand the meaning behind each. Each could be its very own post. Humm, I may just do that...<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;">Send a link to those whom you care about. One never knows what tomorrow will bring us.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;">The nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts</span>Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-46738682843914588142016-04-21T01:00:00.000-05:002016-05-13T19:54:35.059-05:00Change is Possible<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1">I ran across this meme on Facebook a year or two ago. I saved it thinking it would make a great post. Then I went back to my grind.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">When I had left the food industry a few years ago I vowed I would not return. Yet the non-food service job I had did not have a bright future. So when another food service General Manager job opened up and they asked me to run a store for them I took it. The store swallowed me. I was back to working 12 to 16 hour days. Some days arriving home so tired I’d crawl into bed just to get up in a few hours and drag myself back to work. That is where I’ve been for the last year. At work or in bed. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">It makes it real tough to do much else. I have other priorities, but putting food on the table seems to take precedence over other things. So other things have slid, and unfortunately writing was one of those activities that seems to take a hit when things get stressful and hectic.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Yet I wanted to make a change. Thus the meme with the three C’s. I had to make a choice. I needed out of the food industry. I had the job because I needed to do something to provide for my family. That is like, number one priority, make sure my family is taken care of. Albeit the job just barely fulfilled that requirement. Not complaining, just stating where I was at. Yet I had no job satisfaction. Oh, there were moments when things were great, but for the most part I was behind and always stressed. I was not in my happy place.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">So I chose to find something different, something better. I like having my weekends free to do things with my wife and kids. I like being home in the evenings so I can attend things at the High School, or go out, or stay in. The point is I’m going out or staying in with my wife and kids. Doing things with the people who matter most. And running a restaurant does not allow that type of lifestyle. So I am fundamentally unhappy with the situation, I must make a change.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I like computers, databases, programming. I am good at the database thing and computers. So I opted to work on certifications with computer things. That was my choice.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Then the miracle happened - a job that fit what I wanted became available. Now I had to move to the second of the three C’s - Chance</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I had to take the chance. Take the job, give the two week notice and venture across the country to begin a new job and changing my life.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Because once I made the Choice to look, and take the chance on leaving the old and venturing into the new the Change happened.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This change is for the better. My stress levels are way lower than they have been in a decade. I find fulfillment in the chosen work I am now doing. I have energy to pursue other things. I have a long list of things that need my attention. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I am committed to this blog. As I evaluate time constraints and my priorities I’ll make decisions on where my focus and attention needs to be. So keep an eye out, as I do plan on blogging here once again. Hopefully I’ll have insights that others will find interesting and inspiring. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">So if you are not happy with where you are, or a project you are working on take a look at these three C’s</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Make a choice. Keep going, give up, or find/do something different</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Once the choice is make take the chance. Take the plunge - Do it</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Then the changes start to happen. If you have a good plan and are working things the right way you may find the positive changes you are seeking.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I am on a new journey now, and so far it isn’t disappointing. </span></div>
Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-17361499429559840162015-05-10T01:00:00.000-05:002015-05-10T07:47:41.496-05:00Links to the Past<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O3BIhKhd9Q0/VU7Z8TGWgwI/AAAAAAAACnM/NAEmdbM39Wc/s1600/Ruth008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O3BIhKhd9Q0/VU7Z8TGWgwI/AAAAAAAACnM/NAEmdbM39Wc/s320/Ruth008.jpg" width="129" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Grandma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I love to read. My mother taught me a love for books. She
too loved to read, and her example brought into my life the joys of reading. My
grandmother taught her daughter, my mother, to have a love for books. I spent
some time at my grandparent’s home, and my grandmother had a favorite chair,
across from my grandfather’s favorite chair. Next to her preferred seat was a
table, filled with books – mainly westerns. Yes, my grandmother loved to watch
Gunsmoke, and read Louis L’Amour westerns. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also learned that her favorite character
from those books was William Tell Sackett. (Grandma also loved to play ball,
when the family played baseball and she was up to bat, the outfielders moved further
back, she could hit far. I had a real cool grandmother.)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I worked late the other night. When I got home everyone was
in bed. I wasn’t sleepy, and I knew if I crawled into bed I’d toss and turn
until I got comfortable, but in so doing would disturb my wife’s rest. So I
opted to take some time to read. Since things have been hectic lately I haven’t
gotten involved with a novel, or a trilogy, I’ve been reading short stories. The
collected short stories of Louis L’Amour. As I was reading the next story in
the collection I realized that the character was Tell. When I finished the story,
I remembered my grandmother and her collection of L’Amour westerns. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My grandmother had written a short autobiography, about 30
pages is all. I remember she had written that one of her most favorite parts of
the day was when everyone had gone to bed and she was the only one awake in the
house. I smiled to myself as I recalled her words. I was the only one awake in
the house, and I had just finished reading a short story western about William
Tell Sackett, one of my grandmother’s favorite characters. I felt close to her
at that moment. A solitary moment late at night while my family slumbered peacefully
I understood the words my grandmother had shared, and why she liked those
silent moments of solitude in a house full of sleeping loved ones. Suddenly I
felt a kinship with her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If she hadn’t of written it down I would have missed it. She
never told me those thoughts, but she had expressed them in her short paper on
her life. It is full of tidbits and memories about her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I got to thinking about other things I have in common
with my grandmother. My own mother and one of my sons. I fit between them. True
I am her son and a father to my son, but my son and mother have something in
common: they both survived a car accident, my mother lost a leg, and my son
lost part of his foot. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Grandma had to deal with helping my mother recover from her
auto accident. My mother lost her leg at 17, a life changing event to say the
least. I grew up with that as normal. I didn’t realize that other people’s
mothers didn’t have to put their leg on in the morning as part of getting ready
for the day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So when my four-year-old son lost part of his foot, I
understood what I needed to do to help him, because I had watched and learned
from my own mother. However, that night sitting in my chair thinking about my
grandmother I discovered that we shared a similar experience. Dealing with a
child who had been critically injured in an accident and their life would be
forever changed because of it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my grandmother’s writing she also mentioned that she
missed Tommy. She lost her son when he was eight years old. He had drowned.
Growing up I was fascinated with Tommy. My aunts would tell stories about him,
and they would laugh at the happy memories. I too lost a son. He was eighteen
when he died. So when I read the words my grandmother wrote about losing her
son, and the feelings she had, and missing him, and thinking about him – I understood.
However, I didn’t lose my son until after grandma passed away. So I didn’t get
to compare notes with her. I just have her writing about her own reflections on
her own pain of losing a son.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I closed the book, thought about grandma, realized how much
we now have in common and gratefully retired to my bed feeling closer to both
my grandmother and mother.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mom taught me a lot. She shared much of what she learned
from her mother with me. I felt the kinship during those waking hours late that
night. So though both mom and grandma have passed on, I wish them both a Happy
Mother’s Day 2015. </div>
Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-36226697167497436472015-02-18T21:46:00.002-06:002015-02-18T21:46:37.509-06:00Keep on Keeping On<div>
"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you
as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you
as by the way your mind looks to what happens."</div>
<div>
-- Khalil Gibran</div>
<div>
<br clear="none" />I
agree, the quote is spot on. I had an epiphany this last week. I've
been picking up the pieces and next week I start a new job. While my
current job has been great, it is a bridge between places as the income
is not where I needed it, and the hours are not good at all (try 6 PM to
6AM four days a week).</div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div>
The new
job is simalar to a job I had a year and a half ago. In fact when I left
the industry I told my self not to ever go back. </div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div>
What is that saying? "Never say never." Yea, that is the one. I'm going back.</div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div>
But
before I decided to go back I took a long careful look at why I was so
unhappy, and why I wanted out so badly. It was a no win situation, and I
was surrounded by a whole lot of negativity. </div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div>
So
I'm looking at where I'm going, and while it isn't exactly the same
thing I was doing, it is close to it. Then I got to thinking about if I
like it, what does it matter what else is going on. It is my attitude.
I"ve also heard the saying "Attitulde determines altitude." </div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div>
On
the one hand I am really looking forward to the new opportunity. I've
years of experiance that I am bringing to the table. I plan on being
very successful with the new endevor. My epiphany was this, if I'm
happy, don't let anyone tell me I should be unhappy. Don't let anyone
rain on my parade, and don't worry what other people think. If I'm
enjoying the work, and the people, don't let anyone else pull me down.
Period.</div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div>
I used to be like that. I intend to become like that again.</div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div>
So
I'll just add "Keep on keeping on." because that is all we can do. But
do it with a smile. Find that happy place. Your own attittude will
determine a whole lot of how things will be, or your attitude determines
how things are. </div>
<div>
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div>
How do you keep your attitudes positive?</div>
Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-9094113754884529732015-01-29T01:00:00.000-06:002015-01-29T01:00:04.425-06:00Nineteen ThoughtsWell I've brushed off the cobwebs, swept the floors, dusted, and cleaned the place. I've picked up the pieces and once again I'm stumbling forward.<br />
<br />
To start the new year I share an e-mail I recieved. Nineteen motivational points that are worth pondering. And true a few things that are on the humorous side. <br />
<br />
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<br />Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-83808187834778651302015-01-27T11:29:00.002-06:002015-01-27T11:29:56.684-06:00Picking up the PiecesLast summer I went with my daughter to the Mocking Jay Part I movie. There was a line in the movie that caught my ear. "It takes ten times longer to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart."<br />
<br />
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<br />
I've thought over my last few years. In a lot of ways my own life has come unraveled. Job stress, finances, personal tragedies all rolled up to be nearly overwhelming. I started dumping things, and then more things. Soon I was just doing what I needed to do to get by.<br />
<br />
That was exactly what I needed to be doing. I am making it through my own issues. Now I am starting to get back into things I wanted to do, but were not as high a priority. It isn't always easy. I now understand more about why folks struggle. Stress is tough. Depression is tough. Dealing with things is unique to each individual dealing with it.<br />
<br />
I like the quote, if you can keep it together, keep it together. I know when I was running regularly, during a race if I slowed to a walk for just a bit, it was hard to get running again. <br />
<br />
So keeping it together is easier than starting things over. Yet in the thick of things sometimes priorities have to be set and worked on. The thing to remember is if it is worth doing, find a way to do it. Sometimes you have to stop and rest, no shame in that. Sometimes keep on keeping on is the better choice. Then that is life, choices.<br />
<br />
My life lesson is keep on keeping on if I can. It does take longer to picking up the pieces later. Stumbling forward is still going forward. Stay the course and keep moving forward. Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-66796984754931486702014-05-22T01:00:00.000-05:002014-05-22T01:00:00.946-05:00Dealing with what you are Dealt<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.</div>
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Jack London<div style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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One the family favorites to watch is The Princes Bride. There is a point where the grandfather stops reading when the grandson interrupts and tells his grandfather he read the story wrong, "Wesley didn't die!"</div>
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"I'm afraid so," Grandpa replies.</div>
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"Who gets Humperdink?"</div>
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"No one, he lives."</div>
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"That is not fair!"</div>
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"Life isn't fair."</div>
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A great interchange, and a great life lesson. Life isn't fair. No amount of whining will change that. And no matter how much regulations goverments throw at things, it will not change the simple fact that life isn't always far.</div>
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In fact there are days I have exchanges like this:</div>
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"Hey, how are you doing?" Someone will ask.</div>
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"Can't complain," I reply, then I'll sometimes add, "Wouldn't do any good if I did."</div>
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Inevitable I get this reply, "No, it wouldn't."</div>
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My wife and I have made friends with a couple that loves to get with us on a Friday or Saturday night. We play cards until 11 PM or sometimes midnight, depending on how things go. We have two rules that are strictly enforces</div>
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1. If you discard a card, you are done with your turn. Period.</div>
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2. Have fun.</div>
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There are times we are loosing, and loosing bad, but we are having so much fun with conversations, and jokes, it just doesn't matter. There are times I get dealt a hand I can do nothing with. I have to play it nonetheless. However, I may get a fantastic hand and get a great run a few deals later. That is part of the fun.</div>
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Life is a lot like the card game. There are times when everything is going your way. Life is easy then. But like the card game, there are times life deals us an ugly hand.</div>
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One of my most popular blog posts is "When your Best isn't Good Enough." I talk about leaving a job I spent years at, trying to get things better.</div>
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I couldn't control the factors that landed me in that job. I was able to find a new position and leave that company. My hand that life has dealt me since has been better.</div>
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The main thing is this: do the best with what you've got. We have to deal with what we've got. So what if life isn't fair, and we are not where we think we should be, or where we want to be. That is part of life. How we work through it is important.</div>
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Keep your head up. Things will change. They always do. Work on what you can control and work to make the changes positive. Life will throw ugly things at us, but then things tend to work out for the best in the end.</div>
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What keeps you positive and motivated?</div>
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Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-72755031346442831952014-04-10T01:00:00.000-05:002014-05-22T11:11:30.843-05:0011 Ideas to Stay Young<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><u><span style="font-size: 24pt;">Stay Young My Friend </span></u></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />We all need to read this one over and over until it becomes part of who we are.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;">;</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: green; font-size: 24pt;">HOW TO STAY YOUNG</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 18pt;"><br />1.. Try everything twice.<br />On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph:</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 18pt;">"Tried everything twice. Loved it both times!"</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 18pt;"><br />2. Keep only cheerful friends.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 18pt;">The grouches pull you down.<br />(Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;"><br />3. Keep learning:</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;">Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever...</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;">Never let the brain get idle.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;">'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: purple; font-size: 18pt;"><br />4. Enjoy the simple things.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 18pt;">5. Laugh often, long and loud.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 18pt;">Laugh until you gasp for breath.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 18pt;">And if you have a friend who makes you laugh,spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"><br />6..
The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is
with us our entire life, is ourselves. LIVE while you are alive. </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: green; font-size: 18pt;"><br />7. Surround yourself with what you love:</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: green; font-size: 18pt;">whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever..</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: green; font-size: 18pt;">Your home is your refuge.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;">8. Cherish your health:<br />If it is good, preserve it.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;">If it is unstable, improve it.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;">If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 18pt;"><br />9. Don't take guilt trips..</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 18pt;">Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county,</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 18pt;">to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"><br />10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;">I love you, my special friend!</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: teal; font-size: 18pt;"><br />11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance..</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: 18pt;"><br />And if you don't send this to at least 4 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: navy; font-size: 18pt;"><br />Remember! Lost time can never be found.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: magenta; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: magenta; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 18pt;">Wine does not make you FAT .... it makes you LEAN ....</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 13.5pt;">(against tables, chairs, floors, walls)</span></i></b></div>
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<br />Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-80610645349935896302014-03-27T11:39:00.001-05:002014-03-27T11:40:25.297-05:00Keep on Keeping OnWinter is almost behind us. It has been a long winter. This last winter also had a plus, the winter Olympic games. <br />
<br />
A new addition was introduced to the games, Slopestyle. It is an interesting sport. The one I enjoyed watching was the Mens snowboard. Basically a snowboarder jumps on ramps, or rails and then does flips off jumps all the while traveling at breakneck speeds down the mountain side.<br />
<br />
While the USA won first place, and the gold medal is the goal, I was more interested in what happened to the bronze winner from Canada, Mark McMorris. <br />
<br />
A few weeks before the winter games Mark competed in the Winter X Games in Aspen. On his third run he tripped on the rails and crashed, and fractured a rib. He still went to the winter Olympic games and competed, with a fractured rib.<br />
<br />
I was amazed as he did flips and jumps knowing how it would hurt when he landed. The fact that he won a bronze medal in the debut of his Slopestyle sport is a testament of commitment and following your dreams.<br />
<br />
I suppose the fight to go on is always in a champion. Things that go wrong are seen as setbacks, not deal breakers.<br />
<br />
I will never be a star athlete, or compete in any Olympic Games, summer or winter. I do well to run a mile right now, although I am working on my fitness, I know I'll never be an elite athlete, but I do know this - I can keep on keeping on.<br />
<br />
There are times in life where it seems like the opposition will overwhelm us. Remember this, obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes of the goal. Sometimes it will hurt to keep moving. Oftentimes things do not, or will not go the way you would like. Take a deep breath and keep plugging.<br />
<br />
You may not get the gold medal, but hey, you made it to the platform and got to see your flag. Go back and work some more. It will eventually pay off.<br />
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<br />
<table><caption>Men's Slopestyle Final Results</caption> <tbody>
<tr class="odd header">
<td class="">Place</td>
<td class="">Name</td>
<td class="">Country</td>
<td class="">Score</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td class="">1</td>
<td class="">Sage Kotsenburg</td>
<td class="">USA</td>
<td class="">93.50</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td class="">2</td>
<td class="">Staale Sandbech</td>
<td class="">Norway</td>
<td class="">91.75</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td class="">3</td>
<td class="">Mark McMorris</td>
<td class="">Canada</td>
<td class="">88.75</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-89581354688892619002014-03-24T13:32:00.005-05:002014-03-24T13:32:58.202-05:00Darke Conteur has me on Blog Tour I need to remember the old adage, "Never volunteer for anything."<br />
<br />
Yet I feel the need to help others whenever I can, and when Darke put up a note saying she needed help I said sure! <br />
<br />
Really I don't mind, I've just been swamped, as you can tell by the low number of blog posts I've put up lately... I'll fix it, but blogging is not a high priority at this juncture. <br />
<br />
So I need to answer a few simple questions:<br />
<br />
<span class="null"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">1) What am I working on? </span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="null">Finding a job first and foremost. Oh, as far as my writing goes? Well I've been working on a high fantasy story for longer than I will admit. I made the mistake of writing 400,000 words with no help, or anyone to beta read or critique. Now I'm trying to turn it into something readable.</span><br />
<span class="null"><br /></span>
<b><i><span style="color: blue;"><span class="null">2) How does my work differ
from others of its genre? </span></span></i></b><br />
<span class="null">I am working on a Fantasy Thriller. I know that is a bit different, but I love both genres. So I am crafting something that works, although a lot of my writing friends tell me I have too much detail in my story. So it is a balancing act...</span><br />
<span class="null"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><i><b><span class="null">3) Why do I write what I do?</span></b></i></span><br />
<span class="null">It is an outlet for me. I like to imagine things, and fantasy allows me to let my imagination go, but the practical side of me always brings it around to make it believable, so even fantasy has rules it needs to follow!</span><br />
<span class="null"> </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i><b><span class="null"> 4) How does my
writing process work? </span></b></i></span><br />
<span class="null">I like to write at lunch time, or I did. I'd have ideas brew and then at lunch put them on paper. I love to go on walks and as I'm out walking the ideas start to come. I can play with them in my head and then put them down once I work out the details in my mind. My favorite part is writing the first draft and letting the story flow out of my fingers through the keyboard and onto the screen/paper. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="null">I've heard it said that the first draft you write for yourself. Then get the crit partners and start making it work for everyone else. That is where I am at now, working on making the story work for everyone else. It will get there, and boy it will be great when I get it published. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="null">So thanks Darke for asking me to join your tour. Now I've got to find three other people to share this with and post some links for them for next week.</span><br />
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<span class="null"> </span>Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-11776225862014741222014-03-24T09:00:00.003-05:002014-03-24T09:00:45.904-05:00Guest Post by Andre Ford: Why I writeI've asked some of my writer friends why they write. I got a request From Andre for a post. So here is a brief bio and why Andre Writes:<br />
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<div class="post entry-content">
<div>
Name: Andre Ford</div>
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<div>
Born and raised in Southeastern United States, my interest in writing
started in High School; math class to be exact. There was a student
teacher there who noticed I wasn't paying attention and found out why.
She scolded me for writing in class and then scolded me for leaving a
cliff hanger. She encouraged me to write ... but not during class.<br /><br />
Though I've been writing stories for years, my first published work was
with a small magazine that targeted canine enthusiast. Later on I began
writing stories and featuring interviews on a website devoted to
aviation and flight simulation. At first I doubted my skills to
interview various people but then, with each successful interview, I
started to get good at them; even to a point where I launched my own
site, Lounge1506. There a number of interviews from people around the
world and many walks of life are featured. The problem is that with a
quick glance many think the site is about music, or radio, or business,
in fact it's about a variety of topics instead of just one. Lounge1506
does two things for me. It gives me a challenge to conquer and allows me
to meet people around the world and share their story. I hope people
enjoy reading or watching the content as much as I enjoy featuring it.<br />
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://lounge1506.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lounge1506</a></div>
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</div>
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<div class="post entry-content">
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;">What Motivates Me To Write and Why?</span></h2>
<br />
Failure is my motivator. Interesting isn’t it? The very thing which
causes many to stop writing is what gives me fuel. Failure mixed with
tenacity fuels my desire to prove that I can do it; that I can write.
During an interview with a DJ, he said “You’re going to make mistakes.
It’s how you recover from those mistakes that matters.” The same could
be said about failure. It’s going to happen; however, there is a lesson
to be learned. If you work hard enough, you can to attain your goal.
When I am faced with complex situations, it forces me to make needed
changes, try different things with my writing, and to look at my work
differently.<br />
<br />
For instance, I wrote a story where the main character lived in an
advanced society amid a wasteland. It was as if Star Trek met Mad Max.
That story was a complete failure due to a number of reasons, other than
the fact that is my first story. After examining the story again an
idea came to mind which was to make another story about one of the
advanced cities. This new story would take place in a fairly advanced
world with its own set of problems.<br />
<br />
In addition to a new story with a new setting, I’ve also figured out
better ways to write dynamic scenes of action. Instead of writing “John
Doe was mad and threw the device thus breaking it.” I learned to write
“John Doe’s face turned a deep crimson upon hearing the news of defeat;
he clinched his fist and his knuckles became white as paper. His
narrowed eyes focused on a data pack, no bigger than a deck of cards,
which was on the corner of his desk. All that work, and for what?
Nothing! He swiped the device and hurled it across his office; watching,
as it exploded into tiny pieces of plastic and metal.” I’m far from
perfect and still have a lot learn. <br />
<br />
In short, failure pushes me to summit the mountain of challenges the writing industry provides.<br />
</div>
</div>
<div>
Thanks Andre, and be sure to stop by <a href="http://lounge1506.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lounge 1506</a> </div>
</div>
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<br />Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-82116043247792675202014-03-18T16:26:00.000-05:002014-03-18T16:49:59.585-05:00The Wrong Funeral<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I enjoy motivational and inspiring stories. Part of time management is having drive. What motivates you? What drives you? What inspires you?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a story that inspires me. It helps to keep me going. So I hope this inspires you as it did me. This was in my e-mail's in box. Again it was the right story at the right time for me and I share it with you. I don't know who wrote it, but thank you...</span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Consumed
by my loss, I didn't notice the hardness of the pew where I sat. I was
at the funeral of my dearest friend - my mother. She finally had lost
her long battle with cancer. The hurt was so intense; I found it hard to
breathe at times. Always supportive, Mother clapped loudest at my
school plays, held a box of tissues while listening to my first
heartbreak, comforted me at my father's death, encouraged me in college,
and prayed for me my entire life. When mother's illness was diagnosed,
my sister had a new baby and my brother had recently married his
childhood sweetheart, so it fell on me, the 27-year-old middle female
child without entanglements, to take care of her. I counted it an
honor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">"What now, Lord?" I asked sitting in church. My life stretched out before me as an empty abyss.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">My
brother sat stoically with his face toward the cross while clutching
his wife's hand. My sister sat slumped against her husband's shoulder,
his arms around her as she cradled their child. All so deeply grieving,
no one noticed I sat alone. My place had been with our mother,
preparing her meals, helping her walk, taking her to the doctor, seeing
to her medication, reading the Bible together. Now she was with the
Lord. My work was finished, and I was alone. I heard a door open and
slam shut at the back of the church. Quick footsteps hurried along the
carpeted floor.<br /><br />An exasperated young man looked around briefly
and then sat next to me. He folded his hands and placed them on his
lap. His eyes were brimming with tears. He began to sniffle. "I'm
late," he explained, though no explanation was necessary. After several
eulogies, he leaned over and commented, "Why do they keep calling Mary
by the name of 'Margaret?'"<br /><br />"Because, that was her name,
Margaret. Never Mary, no one called her 'Mary,'" I whispered. I
wondered why this person couldn't have sat on the other side of the
church. He interrupted my grieving with his tears and fidgeting. Who was
this stranger anyway?<br /><br />"No, that isn't correct," he insisted, as several people glanced over at us whispering, "her name is Mary, Mary Peters." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">"That isn't who this is." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">"Isn't this the Lutheran church?"<br /><br />No, the Lutheran church is across the street." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">"Oh." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">"I believe you're at the wrong funeral, Sir." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br />The
solemnness of the occasion mixed with the realization of the man's
mistake bubbled up inside me and came out as laughter. I cupped my hands
over my face, hoping it would be interpreted as sobs. The creaking pew
gave me away. Sharp looks from other mourners only made the situation
seem more hilarious. I peeked at the bewildered, misguided man seated
beside me. He was laughing too, as he glanced around, deciding it was
too late for an uneventful exit.<br /><br />I imagined Mother laughing. At the final "Amen," we darted out a door and into the parking lot. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">"I
do believe we'll be the talk of the town," he smiled. He said his name
was Rick and since he had missed his aunt's funeral, asked me out for a
cup of coffee.<br /><br />That afternoon began a lifelong journey for me
with this man who attended the wrong funeral, but was in the right
place. A year after our meeting, we were married at a country church
where he was the assistant pastor. This time we both arrived at the same
church, right on time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br />In
my time of sorrow, God gave me laughter. In place of loneliness, God
gave me love. This past June, we celebrated our twenty-second wedding
anniversary. Whenever anyone asks us how we met, Rick tells them, "Her
mother and my Aunt Mary introduced us, and it's truly a match made in
heaven."</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Love God for all the marvelous things he has done for you, and REMEMBER, God doesn't make mistakes. He puts us where we are supposed to be.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-8870451940701529282014-03-14T18:27:00.002-05:002014-03-14T18:27:58.313-05:00Public MannersI love new gadgets. I enjoy the things technology brings. My smart phone is so cool. I can just say who I want to talk to and the phone dials the number. The tablets help keep things organized, the internet and google make researching things so easy. I even know who is calling me because of the ringtones that can be set to an individual number. <br />
<br />
So the down side of all this personalization with technology is people no longer interact well with one another. The friendly "Hello? has been replaced with a cold computer voice asking to press 1 for English. <br />
<br />
We as a society do not have a lot of face time anymore. We communicate via text messages, e-mails and "liking" things on Facebook. When I talk with people on the phone when they are done talking they just hang up without saying "goodbye". Some of the old school etiquette has just vanished. <br />
<br />
Some people have forgotten how to be polite, others have never learned, because they don't know how. Please, thank you, and you're welcome have dropped from our vocabulary. And when things go the way someone thinks it should a temper tantrum is thrown.<br />
<br />
A few months ago I was walking past a local hobby shop. A lady was standing outside the open door, her head was inside the store screaming, "It only flew three feet! I want a full refund!"<br />
<br />
Then a stream of swear words and threats and yelling and screaming. I thought, a remote controlled airplane or helicopter is dependent on the skills of the modeler. If it flew, the hobby shop doesn't need to do anything.<br />
<br />
A few days later I talked with the owner about the incident. He laughed and said, "If she had been nicer and explained what had happened I might have worked with her, but her threatening and swearing, no way was I willing to help her out."<br />
<br />
I've thought about that over the last few weeks. We've been trained to get upset with customer service. I know I've done it, I call to complain and if I'm nice, nothing happens, I end up with nothing, but if I get testy and demand to speak with the manager and remain angry, I typically get some sort of settlement that I can live with.<br />
<br />
"If she had been nicer I might have worked with her." still rings in my mind. Last month I went to return a faulty tablet I received as a Christmas gift. I took it in and got another one back in January. The clerk told me that the brand of tablet was not any good, they were all being returned. If I wanted to pay the difference I could upgrade to a better tablet. I agreed, but not having the money at the time I asked how long did I have before I couldn't return it. I was told I could bring it back within 90 days. I took my receipt and noted when the 90 days would be up and left.<br />
<br />
About 45 days into the 90 I came up with the difference to buy the better tablet. I went in with the tablet to trade it in and was told only 30 days, see it is posted. She pointed to a notice on the wall and sure enough posted right there 30 day refund policy. I explained that I was told 90 days. <br />
<br />
"Sorry sir, it is posted 30 days."<br />
<br />
Old habits started to kick in and I was getting into my angry customer mode, I want to talk with the manager, but then I thought "If she had been nicer I might have worked with her." So I reigned in the anger and asked politely, "is there anything you can do?"<br />
<br />
"No sir, policy is 30 days."<br />
<br />
"Could you call the manager please?"<br />
<br />
So she did. I explained I was told 90 days, and no they couldn't, but as we talked the manager thought of something that could work, and I was able to get the trade in, and everyone was happy, and no angry exchanges and threats. It was nice.<br />
<br />
On the whole it seems everyone is worried about me and what can I get. But when you stop and think of the others and work on a win, win, things seem to go a lot better.<br />
<br />
I've more ideas about face time and technology I'll share in future blog posts, but I just wanted to say, we need to find our Public Manners and work once again on being nicer to one another. It makes things a whole lot more pleasant. Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-12608944012059322882014-03-07T13:49:00.000-06:002014-03-07T13:51:17.741-06:00Help! I'm in the hallway<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nDhP7g8HByk/UxoicucLaxI/AAAAAAAACZQ/lFX81hqEb7U/s1600/doors_Doors_doors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nDhP7g8HByk/UxoicucLaxI/AAAAAAAACZQ/lFX81hqEb7U/s1600/doors_Doors_doors.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from:<br />
http://www.houstondoorsandwindows.com/doors_4.html</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Welcome to all the new followers. I'm glad you've decided to follow this blog. I hope to be able to share things that are of worth. I apologize I know I've been MIA for the last little while. The real world has intruded in my life once again.<br />
<br />
"When one door closes, another door opens" is where I am right now. But I'd like to do a little adjustment to that saying.<br />
<br />
When one door closes another door opens, but it is hell in the hallway. <br />
<br />
Currently I am between jobs. I know, I just got a new job. Economy and such I was laid off. So I've got some unemployment, but being unemployed is not a good thing, so I've been very focused on the job hunt right now. Thus the cobwebs on my blog.<br />
<br />
I do have a lot of ideas to share with all of you. I'll have them along shortly.<br />
<br />
This is a set back, not a disaster, and in some ways this is a blessing, because when I'm on the other side of this I should have a job I enjoy and I'll be doing things I love, and I'll be a lot happier than I have been.<br />
<br />
So good thoughts for me, or prayers, or wish me luck, what ever it is you feel most comfortable with I'll take. And in the spirit of networking I am looking for a job in industry. Project Management, scheduling, database work, general manager type positions. I've done Maintenance Control Management, Planning superintendent, Department head. So there it is, please contact me or leave a comment below and I'll see what I need to do to get in touch.<br />
<br />
Thanks for all your support, and next week I'll return with the regular blog posts once again.<br />
<br />
And if I miss, lets just say I'm on a job interview or working on getting the job so I can get out of this hallway! <br />
<br />
<br />Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-3345096210202230952014-02-10T19:42:00.000-06:002014-02-10T19:44:26.111-06:00Aaron Bradford Starr Shares Why He Writes<div>
<div style="color: #5a5a5a; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 185px;">
<div style="color: #282828; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">I've met Aaron over at <a href="http://agentqueryconnect.com/" target="_blank">AQC connect</a>. He has a lot of great insights, and has a great blog <a href="http://aaronbradfordstarr.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Imaginary Friend</a> you should check it out sometime.</span></div>
<br />
<a href="http://agentqueryconnect.com/uploads/av-63.jpg?_r=0" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Aaron Bradford Starr's Photo" border="0" class="ipsUserPhoto" src="http://agentqueryconnect.com/uploads/av-63.jpg?_r=0" id="profile_photo" /></a><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Anyway we've been talking blog swap, and so today's guest is Aaron. I had a post over on his blog last week. Aaron has published short stories, paintings, and interior art in Black Gate Magazine, black Gate Online, and the magazine Stupefying Stories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">So here is today's guest blogger:</span><br />
</div>
<div style="color: #282828; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Why I Write</span>
<br />
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
The question of
why a writer writes is much like why people do anything. But, underlying
my own urge to write is a motivation few chose for themselves: my
approaching death.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Before you get the impression that I'm sick and counting days, or healthy but morbid, let me assure you I am neither. I <i>am</i> healthy, but I count my awareness of my own time to be <i>part </i>of
that health, not a detriment. Let me explain how I came to feel as I
do, so you can better understand how this can act as a positive
motivator, and get one writing.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
When I was
around ten, it was 1981. The Cold War was going on, and getting worse.
This was also about the age when the truth about mortality truly strikes
home for many children, the thought <i>If I'm alive, one day I will die.</i> A dreadful thought, undeniable and inescapable. .</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Though many
dodge around this realization with religious beliefs, I’d never been
able to sustain these. Death awaited, somewhere in the future. Thoughts
of nuclear war loomed large, to those us us coming of age in the 1980s. <i>If I can just make it to 30,</i> I reasoned, <i>I'll feel lucky.</i> But the possibility of being snuffed out in short order was everywhere, closer even than we knew at the time.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
A lethargy came
over me. Much like clinical depression, I could not escape the thought
of oblivion, and so, one night, I sat alone, and decided to follow the
thought as far as it led, since trying to avoid it was was proving
impossible.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I would, one day, vanish.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I remember pondering, reducing what I knew to be true to ever-simpler <i>core </i>truths. In then end, I found myself looking at my own hand, thinking about it at a fundamental level.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<i>If I exist now,</i> I reasoned,<i> it was because my living stuff existed.</i> Atoms,
and chemicals. My death would cause these things to spread out once
more, and, given time, to completely be swept back up into the Earth's
own living systems. What I feared, I realized, was a phantom conception
of death. I feared continued awareness, blind and unfeeling without a
body. What I feared wasn't really death at all, but <i>eternal life</i>,
relegated to some spot underground, trapped where my body had once been
buried. But the entire chain of my reasoning had started with
chemicals, and atoms. My stuff.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Fearing eternal
continued awareness when thinking about death made no sense at all. I'd
gotten those chemicals from other formerly living things, after all. If <i>I</i> was <i>me</i>, it was because my stuff had, until recently, been some <i>other</i> living
thing. That was true, and self-evident every time I ate. This was, at
worst, my fate: to quickly rejoin the parade of life in a diffusion of
other beings.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
And this is the
thought that keeps me producing not just writing, but other creative
work. I am the swirl of chemicals that creates. I am the self-sustaining
system that thinks and imagines. If I do not create these stories, no
one else ever will. I write to leave an imprint on the universe, among
the other thinking swirls. Ripples in a pond, and destined to fade,
perhaps, but worth creating all the same.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Because the universe waited thirteen billion years for my arrival, and if <i>I</i> don't make these ripples, I'm missing a once-in-a universe chance.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
And that is a pretty good motivator. No pressure there!</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="signature" data-memberid="63">
Blog: <a href="http://aaronbradfordstarr.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Imaginary Friend</a>
</div>
Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-13443926019644731352014-01-16T20:08:00.002-06:002014-01-16T20:21:22.500-06:00Joyce Alton shares Why She WritesMy friends at <a href="http://agentqueryconnect.com/" target="_blank">Agent Query Connect </a>are doing blog hops this month. I've agreed to visit two folks, and a couple of them have some posts for us here.<br />
<br />
Today's guest is Joyce Alton, a Moderator for the Speculative Fiction Group at AQC. She hatches all sorts of fun things for the members of Speculative Fiction group. I am honored to have her visit The Write Time and share with us why she writes.<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;">Why Do You Write</span></h2>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why do you write? Two or three reasons probably pop into
your head right away. I get asked the question and I draw a blank. At first
anyway. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of the usual answers you get from others are: to get
published, to share their ideas, they love books, it fulfills a need, or they
want more of a certain kind of book. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I went to a writers’ conference as a child and the one piece
of information that has stuck with me through the years since is that there are
no new ideas. We play off each other, twist tropes, create new angles, or spoof
others’ stories. I hated this concept, by the way, and wanted to reject it.
That’s probably why I remember it so well. It’s why I try my best not to make
my stories like other ones I’ve read, seen, or heard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With thousands of other people putting down their stories
and trying to share them these days, I suppose the question of “why do you
write?” comes up a lot. To start with, I don’t believe the question should open
up competitiveness, condemning one person’s reason in order to justify someone
else’s reason.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I draw a blank because I didn’t have a reason at first. I’m
one of those annoying people who’ve been telling and writing stories since they
could first communicate. I grew up in a home where my mom wrote, I had aunts
and uncles who wrote, and great-aunts and uncles, second cousins … you get the
picture. Genetics had more to do with it than anything. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a child writer, I enjoyed making up stories and sharing
them with other people. Mom always read her stories out loud to us; so again, I
recognized that stories were meant to be shared. Other children and teachers
were the best audiences. They enjoyed what I wrote.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The downside to having literary minded relations is that you
don’t get such adoring feedback. You get challenged, stretched, and grow as a
writer. An older cousin—my best friend—also wrote and we beta read for each
other. I learned the concept of critiquing and being critiqued from her. We
even wrote a book together. I’m chagrined now to realize that she drew upon the
works of other writers for her inspiration and I naively thought she was so
original and brilliant. She was certainly more well-read than I in those
genres. Not that she plagiarized, but reading through the material now, I can
see where other authors heavily influenced what she wrote. She also had great
voice and style and she pushed me to develop a voice of my own.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was in my teens by then and I wrote stories to try to get
a flawless critique back from my cousin. As I gained other writing friends, the
same reason drove me. I wrote to please my audience and what they wanted. But
at the same time, I was starting to ask myself what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I</i> wanted to read. I read certain genres but gravitated toward
others when I sat down to write. Why was that?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my late teens to young adult years the answer to that
was: because I don’t care much for what has been written, even though I enjoy
the elements of those genres. I wanted to write what someone like me would want
to read. And I did. These were my most prolific years. And I found that I could
still please and surprise the other people who had read my work, however, I
also discovered that what I like to read and what others like to read aren’t
always going to be the same thing. I had detractors who subjectively didn’t
like my style, my scenarios, or even my characters. They were few, yet I’m
grateful to them for helping me understand this side of the nature of writing
and sharing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I left home and I didn’t write for a decade.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think I jotted down a couple of story ideas during that
time. I didn’t have a computer, I was working two jobs, going through school,
trying to be a responsible adult, and experiencing the fullest social life I’d
ever known. I didn’t read much during that time either, unless textbooks and
other nonfiction count. I was living, storing up ideas, always intending to go
back to writing, but never actually making it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn’t until that decade had passed, I had become a wife
and mother, and my life had taken another set of turns that I picked up writing
again. I’ve been going full steam since. I write now because it’s therapeutic,
it helps me escape, it helps me deal with the grimmer realities of life,
because it gives me power. It’s a thrill one moment and makes me a slave the
next. I’m always anxious to be working on my writing and I’m always
brainstorming. I have a good life balance worked out now but if anyone were to
ask me what I wanted to do for fun if I could do anything, the answer would be
writing. I love to create and explore. I love the challenge of trying to reach
an older and tougher audience. And there’s still nothing as satisfactory as
having someone read your work and then say, “Give me more!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My reasons for writing have changed through the years and I
expect they will continue to the older I get. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And as there are no wrong answers, why do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> write?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Visit Joyce Alton's blog <a href="http://yesternightsvoyage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Yesternight's Voyage</a>. She has all kinds of great advice, ideas, and general information.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thanks for hopping over to my blog, and the best of luck with all your endeavors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-89836659861194788292014-01-14T09:27:00.002-06:002014-01-14T09:27:59.005-06:00Goals<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Dr. Alan Zimmerman puts out a weekly Tuesday's Tip. I've been late posting because I've been trying to come up with setting goals in a way that makes sense. Dr. Zimmerman has a very good post on such a topic, so I defer to his wisdom.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Dr. Alan Zimmerman's Tuesday's Tip </span><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span><strong><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Albert Einstein </span></i></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">In
1994, I remember watching Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in their movie,
"Dumb and Dumber" and thinking this is really stupid. Why am I wasting
my time watching something so idiotic? Perhaps you felt the same way.
But that did not stop the movie from making lots of money, so much so
that the sequel called "Dumb and Dumber To" is coming out in late 2014. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><br /></span><img align="left" alt="https://d1yoaun8syyxxt.cloudfront.net/hu159-5dacd817-0c4a-4e3d-b338-d6afb67b8d47-v2" height="117" hspace="8" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=b2a3ab1ea4&view=att&th=14390b4753504501&attid=0.2&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1" vspace="8" width="176" /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Then
it hit me ... sometimes I'm just as dumb as the characters in that
movie. And as strange as it may seem, that's what success can do to you
-- make you so dumb that you think you can skip the fundamentals in
life or in business.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">For
example, I speak to a lot of sales audiences. And invariably there are
some people in the audience who have become so successful they think
they can skip the tough things they used to do when they first got
started ... such things as prospecting, cold calling, rapport building,
and relationship building. They think they can sit back, take it easy,
and just wait for the orders to come in. DUMB! If they take that kind
of approach, they will soon find themselves with fewer customers and
fewer sales. You've got to keep practicing the fundamentals. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">And
sometimes I've been too dumb to do that. For instance, I believe in
goal setting. And I teach it with passion because I know that the
person with goals will achieve a great deal more than the person without
goals. Indeed, the people who attend my "Journey to the Extraordinary"
are constantly telling me how my goal-setting process has changed their
lives. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Despite
all of my academic knowledge, real-life experience, and thousands of
testimonials from my "students," it's hard to believe how stupid I can
be ... once in a while. Occasionally, I've fallen into the trap of
achieving so much success that I fooled myself into thinking I could
skip the fundamentals of figuring out my goals. I just kept on working
and assuming that everything would fall into place. Well, life doesn't
work that way. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">And
I don't want you to fall into that dumb and dumber trap. So there are
two things you've got to do when it comes to goals and goal setting.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">1. Assess where you've been.</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Before
you even think about the goals you want to achieve, take a moment to
assess your life, work, relationships, goals, and achievements in the
last 12 months. Take a look at when you were on course, living the life
and doing the work you truly wanted, and when you were off course. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The following "Yes-No" questions will give you a quick answer. Take a moment to write the word "yes" or "no" by each question.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, did I experience personal renewal and revival in my life?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, did I experience as much joy, fun, and pleasure as I would like?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, was I living in a state of peace?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, did I see time as a blessing rather than a curse in my life and in my work?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, did I make enough time for rest, relaxation, prayer, and reflection?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, were the relationships with my friends as good as I would like?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, did I experience enough depth and intimacy in my closest relationships?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, did I keep my promises?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, did people find it easy to trust me?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, was I actively involved in mentoring, coaching, or helping others to grow and improve?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, was my family happy?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, was I eating and sleeping well?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, did I have a positive vision for my future?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, was I living "with" success rather than dying "to" success?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I think about 2013, did I take enough risks in pursuit of the better things in life, at home, and at work?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Obviously,
the more "yes's" you had, the better your life was. And chances are
you had some specific, meaningful, written goals that helped you achieve
your high levels of success. If you answered with too many "no's,"
chances are you weren't goal focused. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Answer
those questions, and then find a few minutes to take a deeper
assessment of where you've been. Use my colleague Joel Weldon's 7
questions. Ask yourself:</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><span>1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What was your biggest success in 2013?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><span>2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What was the best decision you made in 2013?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><span>3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What was the most important lesson you learned in 2013?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><span>4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What made you the happiest in 2013?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><span>5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Who had the greatest positive impact on you in 2013?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><span>6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What were you most grateful for in 2013?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><span>7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">If
you could re-live 2013, knowing now everything that happened, and
everything you did to make things happen the way they did, what would
you do differently? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Take an assessment of where you've been so you're ready to...</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">2. Set your goals.</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">For
years, I took a day during the last week of the year to sit down ... or
walk the beach ... and think about my goals for the upcoming year.
Once I decided on my goals, AND ... AND ... AND ... wrote them down, I
almost always achieved them. Every one of them. My financial goals,
health goals, relationship goals, business goals, educational goals, and
spiritual goals. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When
I became super successful, however, I got sloppy. I told myself that I
didn't have to go through the mundane task of assessing where I had
been in the previous year and writing down my goals for the upcoming
year. After all, I had it made! Whenever I did that, however, my
results and my achievements always took a nosedive. That's how stupid I
had become.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">But
not anymore. I know I have to write down my goals ... and so do you.
If you don't know how to do it, come to my "Journey to the
Extraordinary" program this <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_667819831" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">May 1-2, 2014</span></span>
in Dallas. But get started NOW by answering these questions. Some of
them come from my esteemed colleague Art Sobczak and some of them came
from me. Your answers will lead you towards the goals you want to set
for 2014.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What will you do to improve your physical health in 2014? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What are you going to do every day to keep your attitude at a high level? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">How much time are you going to spend each day improving your professional skills? What will you do? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">How are you going to maximize the use of your time? Where will you cut out the time-wasters in each day?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What have you been putting off that you will take care of within the next two weeks? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Who can you help to feel special every day? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What
challenge, wish or desire--that you've never attempted before--will you
finally achieve in 2014? How will you do that? Why? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">In which areas will you improve your personal, family, and spiritual life? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Where are you going to write all of this down so you can review and revise your plans regularly? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What will it LOOK like when you accomplish everything you've just been thinking about? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">How good will it FEEL? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What will it SOUND like when you achieve these things? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Which
of the energy suckers in your life (certain people, relationships,
tasks, etc.) are you willing to eliminate or resolve this year? </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What will you do to live your life "on purpose" instead of by accident?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">You
and your life and your work and your relationships are too important to
be left to chance. So don't do it. Don't become a part of the
millions who could star in the movie sequel "Dumb and Dumber To." Take
time to set your goals now.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">ACTION:</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"> <br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Take
the "yes or no" quiz listed above. What is your gut reaction to your
answers? Do you feel like celebrating or do you feel like it's time to
make a change?</span></strong><br />
<br />
<div>
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<span style="color: black;">
</span><div>
<span style="color: black;">
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Copyright © 2014 </span></span>
</div>
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<span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: black;">Zimmerman Communi-Care Network
</span><br clear="none" />
<a href="tel:800-621-7881" target="_blank" value="+18006217881">800-621-7881</a>
<br clear="none" />
Alan@DrZimmerman.com</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-24721230343837704082014-01-02T01:00:00.000-06:002014-01-02T01:00:01.321-06:00Five Lessons for the New Year<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I've seen these lessons before, but I received all five in an e-mail. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> They seem appropriate for the new year. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">During my second month of college, our professor</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Cleaning woman several times. She was tall,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"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.."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I've never forgotten that lesson.. I also learned her name was Dorothy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">One night, at </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1493914629" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">11:30 p.m.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway, trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">special note was attached.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It read:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"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.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Sincerely,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Mrs. Nat King Cole.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient..</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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..</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Some of the King's' wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts....</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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 and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">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.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Live with no regrets, Treat people the way you want to be treated, Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt, and Dance like you do when nobody's watching.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-4238216391248385772013-11-07T01:00:00.000-06:002013-11-07T05:44:09.553-06:00Interview with Jason Bergman about his new Music CD On the Horizon<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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Today’s interview is the same but different. I have interviewed a lot of writers, I have talked with editors, and lately a couple of editors who have produced some anthologies. However, I am fascinated with people
who pursue their dreams and achieve them. </div>
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Today’s guest is Jason Bergman, a trumpet professor at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Music in Hattiesburg. Later this month he is releasing his first CD, On the Horizon: New Music for
Trumpet and Piano. </div>
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I know Jason from church and I have heard him play his trumpet. He is also a member of the Mobile Symphony. An accomplished musician who has a passion for everything that he does. I was not surprised when I found out he had a CD coming out. So I asked if he would be willing to talk with me here on The Write Time. Of course he graciously agreed.</div>
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So, welcome Jason as we sit and visit with our virtual mike and wing back chairs. </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">What inspired you to do this project?</span></b></div>
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I have always wanted to record a CD. In my field, creating a recording is kin to publishing a book, publishing in a major journal, or having your artwork appear in a major gallery. This particular project came from a
desire to record new, 21st century works for trumpet and piano. Each of the composers are living and friends of mine. Four of the 6 compositions on the recording were recorded for the very first time. It’s a daunting task, but was very fulfilling and a great learning experience for me.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">What were some of the major challenges to produce this CD?</span></b></div>
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Funding is the biggest challenge. Thankfully I was able to secure funding from some grants through The University of Southern Mississippi where I work. Preparing the music to the level you need it to be for a recording that will last forever is a big challenge. The logistical, behind-the-scenes aspects of the recording process were a challenge to navigate. These include obtaining mechanical licenses to record and sell the recordings, contracts with the label, etc. Luckily we signed with MRS Music, which is a great independent label. Rob LaPorta was fantastic, patient, generous, and kind through the entire process.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Did you write any of the music for On the Horizon: New Music for Trumpet and Piano?</span></b></div>
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No. I’m not sure anyone would want to hear anything I have composed. However, Antônio Guerreiro’s Three Pieces for Trumpet and Piano were written for me, and I was part of the consortium that commissioned Erik
Morales’ new Concerto for Two Trumpets. </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">To me it is interesting that the piano and trumpet are paired up for your music, how did you come up with this combination?</span></b></div>
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Trumpet and Piano - or any instrument and piano - is a standard instrumentation for a lot of classical music. Some music is composed for a solo instrument and orchestra, for example, but many times in recital that
music is performed with a piano reduction. It’s practical, less expensive, and very portable.</div>
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I need to mention my collaborators on the recording. Ellen Elder is a colleague and friend. She is a piano faculty member at The University of Southern Mississippi where I teach. She is a fantastic artist and a valued friend. I’m so grateful she was willing to record with me on this project. We have performed dozens of times throughout the United States. </div>
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I was also fortunate to record with William Campbell on two pieces. He is my trumpet teacher from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is a world famous artist and a very valued mentor and friend. We recorded
two duets on this album. To have these recordings preserved is very important to me. It’s not every day a student is able to record or perform with their teacher. I feel blessed he was willing to participate and to help be an executive producer in the booth. He has a highly trained ear and can easily hear my mistakes and potential. This wouldn’t have been possible without his contributions as well.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Is there an underlying theme to your CD?</span></b></div>
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The music is all 21st century new music for trumpet and piano. Sometimes people are scared by a “new” music, but this music is all accessible and nice to listen to. </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">What was the process used to select the music used?</span></b></div>
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When I decided on a recording of new music for the trumpet, I began to look at what my favorite new pieces were. Each one has it’s own story, but these are all pieces that I feel in love with. While two of them were in
the process of being recorded by other artists, four of the works had yet to be. It was important to me to have some world premiere recordings on the album. I wanted to include music that is becoming a part of the
standard repertoire for the instrument. This would allow other students and professionals an opportunity to hear what the music sounds like, but also helps to make the recording relevant.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">How did you go about finding a label? </span></b></div>
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I did a lot of research and investigated what the various labels required. I spoke with many friends and colleagues who have already produced recordings. I didn’t want to release it independently because I simply don’t have that type of time to market and release it! MSR was excited about the project from the beginning. Rob LaPorta, who owns MSR, has so kind and patient in the process. His experience made the whole process easy, fluid, and successful. I’m very happy with the label and am honored to be an MSR artist.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">You are married and a father to four children, you play in the Mobile, AL symphony, a Professor of Music, and a Bishop in your church. How do you balance your time?</span></b></div>
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Very carefully. Sometimes I am more successful than other times. It takes a lot of communication with my wife. She is so supportive and honest. She helps me know when I’m in too deep, or when I can possibly give more. I
have to just do the best I can and realize I can’t do it all. Understanding the right order of priorities is important to me also. For me, my family is first. I take time every day to be sure I’m being a husband and father. In that time, I don’t answer my phone for church, I don’t do work, I try my best to keep my electronic devices (cell phone and iPad) off. That keeps me grounded. Even though I can’t do it all, I will do my best and pray others understand. </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Are there more projects in the future for the three of you? (I almost asked if there were more projects on the horizon.)</span></b></div>
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Yes. When determining the title of the project, Mr. LaPorta and I decided on “On The Horizon” because we hoped there would be more there! I am already working on plans for another project which I hope to have out in
a few years. It might not include all three of us, but I do plan to do more. Outside of recording, I do a lot of performing, teaching, and touring. </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Where can we find more information about your CD?</span></b></div>
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You can find more at my website: <a href="http://www.jasonbergman.com/" target="_blank">www.jasonbergman.com</a>, and at the MSR Classics website: <a href="http://www.msrcd.com/" target="_blank">www.msrcd.com</a></div>
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So you have a website? Yes, <a href="http://jasonbergman.com/" target="_blank">jasonbergman.com</a> is a place to find info about me, the recording, my performing
calendar, recordings of live performances, and a newer blog where I discuss various trumpet topics.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">You have a kickoff event planned, would you share that with us? </span></b><br />
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Yes, on <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1000140072" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Friday, November 15 at 7:00 PM</span></span>, we will be hosting a CD release party at The Pastry Garden at Gordon Creek (129 Walnut Drive, Hattiesburg, MS). It’s free, open to the public, and should be a lot of fun! You can find more at <a href="http://facebook.com/OnTheHorizonCD" target="_blank">Facebook.com/OnTheHorizonCD</a></div>
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Thank you so much for agreeing to the interview. Good luck with all your endeavors.</div>
Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-45520401560935394542013-10-24T01:00:00.000-05:002013-10-24T01:00:04.291-05:00Make a DifferenceMy e-mail inbox has some really neat things from time to time. Most of the really cool stuff comes from my father. He sends all sorts of things out, and as a result people send him lots of neat things. So giving has a way of receiving.<br />
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So here is a story I had in my in box. I don't know who wrote it, and my google search turned up a lot of other stories but not this one.<br />
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In a world so focused on ME, this story is a breath of fresh air. Part of being productive is taking time away from the hectic part of life. A slow down and smell the flowers. To think about others. Serve. Help.<br />
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I have several more stories I've collected over the years that have touched me in some way. Over the next few weeks I'll share them here with all of you.<br />
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Make a Difference. <br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> At
a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning
disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that
would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school
and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:<br /><br />'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.<br /><br />Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query.<br /><br />The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally
and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
treat that child.'<br /><br />Then he told the following story:<br /><br />Shay
and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing
baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that
most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a
father<i> I</i>
also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a
much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by
others in spite of his handicaps.<br /><br />I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around <b>and made a choice, </b>saying,
'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess
he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
inning..'<br /><br />Shay struggled over
to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I
watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw
my joy at my son being accepted.<br /><br />In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In
the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the
right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic
just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I
waved to him from the stands.<br /><br />In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate,
the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside
for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in
softly so Shay could at least make contact.<br /><br />The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.<br />The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.<br /><br />Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. <br /><br />Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By
the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the
ball . The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be
the hero for his team. He could have
thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood
the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high
and far over the third-baseman's head.<br /><br />Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay.' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'<br /><br />As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">'That day' , said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!</span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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I think if we can see how to help, and make things better, and have the courage to do that, our world will be a little better.Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-13760410611794836392013-10-17T01:00:00.000-05:002013-10-17T01:00:00.437-05:00Sometimes You Have To Reach Deep InsideThere are so many things to learn, and if your eyes are open, and your mind is engaged, you can find little lessons everywhere.<br />
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I have a daughter who is in her High School Marching Band. As such I go to the football games to watch the band. It is an interesting phenomena that if the Band is really great, after the half time show the stands empty because the visiting team has so many points the home team has no chance of winning. <br />
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Fortunately, the football team is also strong. So I get to enjoy a great football game and a wonderful halftime show with the band.<br />
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Let me set the stage. The High School is a 6A school. In the division the ball team competes with the school is ranked No. Two. Their arch Rivals from across town are ranked Three. Both teams are undefeated. They played a few weeks ago.<br />
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The game lived up to the hype, and it started off well. We had a great kick off return, we intercepted a touchdown pass in the end zone. It was a glorious start. But as rivalry games go, they are so emotion charged and unpredictable, we lost the game.<br />
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Last week we were at home, and the Number One Ranked team came to town to play. Having come off a loss I wondered how the team would do. The visiting team received the opening kick and ran 90 yards for the touch down. 8 seconds into the game and it is 0-7. <br />
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I won't give a total recap of the game, however we did pull ahead. In the forth quarter the visitors were putting together a drive to pull ahead and win. <br />
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To me it looked like the team relized that "hey, we can win this game, we can beat these guys!" So Number 5 Home team was digging in for a win over the Number One visitors. The team pulled together and stopped the drive, got the ball back and managed to pull of the win.<br />
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So my point is this. We have set backs from time to time. Life can get tough on us. Sales are down, relationships have problems. I can't find the time to work on my writing. My project is due, and I am no where near ready. The room I am painting just won't come together. <br />
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However, if you reach deep inside you can find what it takes to get what you are after done. Like the high school team coming off a loss to their arch rival, and then facing the number one ranked team, they found a way to upset all the predictions and stop the drive that gave them the win. <br />
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If things are not going totally the way you would like them to go, stop and take stock. The first thing that will need attention, more than likely, is your own outlook. Your own motivations. Your own desires. <br />
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Reach inside and tell yourself that you can do this. You can make the difference in the outcome. That core belief is what is needed to keep moving forward, and achieving those things you desire. <br />
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Sometimes you have to reach inside, deep inside to come up with a way to succeed. What are some of the things you do to help you?<br />
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<br />Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7044252480490712407.post-56778617716204233182013-10-10T01:00:00.000-05:002013-10-10T01:00:08.194-05:00They Don't Make them Like they Used ToA common phrase used with each generation<br />
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"They don't make them like they used to."<br />
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Think of cars. Those autos from the 1950's were huge, metal gas guzzeling cars. A different time, with gas at .05 cents a gallon, who cared if it only got 10 miles to the gallon? Beautiful works of art, fenders, tail fins, large bumpers. No seat belts, no air bags, rolling death traps.<br />
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Think of craftsmanship. Fingered drawers, crown molding around the ceilings. The meticulous attention to detail. Now we have press wood furniture you can buy in a box and put together (I was going to put in an hour, but sometimes it takes me much longer to assemble that stuff!)<br />
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Books and movies have also evolved. I was watching an old 80's movie a few weeks ago. The lines were a bit stiff, the villains smiled and rubbed their hands together when things were going their way. The music came up when the hero was struggling. Yea, it was cheezy. And yet, I kind of miss some of that stuff as well.<br />
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The books have gone to show not tell, very very well. I don't mind thinking about things when I read, but sometimes I miss the hints. The movies are well put together, fast paced, the villains are the hero in there own right. A lot of grey area, a lot to give people things to think about. The quality is very much higher than the older stuff.<br />
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And yet....<br />
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There is a lot to be said in the classic older stories. I like great music in the movies. I love the theme songs. Those are no longer in. The conflict is a bit more subtle now. <br />
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So, yea, they don't make things like they used to. In some ways things are better now than then. Yet there is still a lot of great things on those book shelves, and in the film archives. Don't sell them short because they are classics. Classics teach us a lot if we will just take the time to savor them. Dean C. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12664025221664064083noreply@blogger.com0