Clear vision, shaky lens
For better or worse, I am 'generation rent.' Since college, I have lived in, excuse me rented, nine different apartments and I recently signed a lease for another one. I could have purchased a home and made better use of the money but I did not. I, like others in my generation, have made a... Continue Reading →
“One person's craziness is another person's reality.” Tim Burton
Everyone has their own perspective when it comes to nearly everything. Putting yourself in position to truly see a situation through the eyes of others is typically pretty unimaginable. How can anyone who isn't you truly understand your perspective since shaped by your experiences, who you've met, what you've done, what you believe and who you are overall.
It is absolutely possible to gain perspective through new experiences and interactions. The best thing anyone can do is to be open and attentive in the situations you encounter. Yesterday, did my best to be open while driving a massive Penske moving truck, easily the largest vehicle I've ever driven, on a highway for 4 hours. It was quite the revelation. For the first time, I felt connected to Semi trucks, I rocked the slow lane and I was the immovable object that I would typically zip around.
For me, the Penske truck driving example is what I call a "small potatoes" example but it opened my eyes and I could feel it changing my perspective. I challenge anyone who reads this to make yourself open to finding ways to expand or manipulate or simply gain perspective as you live your life. I certainly didn't anticipate what I would gain in the Penske situation but I'm happy for it and I can't wait for more opportunities!
I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I occasionally prefer Magic Hat. On the flip side (pun intended), I always prefer their bottle caps and the subsequent wisdom each often provides. These fortune cookiesque caps are typically, as described by the Twitter handle @MagicHatCaps, "insightful, witty, humorous undersides of each Magic Hat bottle... Continue Reading →
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrnq4SZ0luc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
"Hey check out this ah-mahzing video! No seriously, it is the best/funniest/cutest/coolest thing you will EVER see!" Um, yeah right.... Everyone has that friend that e-mails, facebooks, tweets, blogs or physically grabs you to forcibly watch a new internet clip or video. The actual act of viewing this clip is usually okay but the story never ends there. Your reaction to this shared clip, whether in person or not, has to be one of sheer elation and wonder regarding how great the video is but also how great the friend is both for finding and sharing it with you. Giving a 'meh' reaction is considered rude so you are often left pretending to be in awe. Good luck with that... So why do we share clips? We don't usually make them ourselves so it isn't our own awesomeness but that of someone else that you stumbled across. We share these clips with friends because, like with posting on social media, it feels good to feel connected by the reactions and comments of others. It can be depressing when you are left hanging, whether you are the sharer or the person shared with, so be cautious. In that vain, watch or don't watch this clip and respond or don't respond with your thoughts. I liked the song itself, felt the video was cheesy goodness and I found it via @AlisonBrie. Enjoy it (or don't)! Exercise log: 7am - 5 mile run with the Rutts (hills)
"All fantasy should have a solid base in reality." Max Beerbohm
Where is your favorite personal fantasy destination? Is it a vacation of the mind that explores the depths of your thoughts and desires or is it an actual place located in the physical world? The opportunities are literally endless since fantasy is not limited to the capabilities of your imagination but also the imaginations of J.R.R. Tolkien, of Daniel Okrent, of Quentin Tarantino, of Stephen Hawking, of your mother or ANYONE!
Fantasy is defined as "the faculty or activity of imagining impossible or improbable things" but it encapsulates much more. Is it impossible and improbable to take a weekend vacation or to actually get your dream job after college or meet the girl of your dreams? Not all these things are necessarily likely but they are by no means simply fantasy. Real life CAN and does have elements of fantasy that leaves people asking themselves if something is really happening, if that they must be dreaming or proclaiming that something is too good to be true. Sometimes it actually IS happening, they AREN'T dreaming and it IS true.
Unfortunately, truly fantastical moments can be few and far between which serves to make them that much sweeter when they occur. There is no need to lower expectations for what is deemed worthy of being called fantasy. You will certainly recognize it when you see it so keep your eyes open and allow yourself to be ready for those fleeting moments.
There is an every day sort of fantasy that allows you to be transported temporarily out of the doldrums of daily life (literature, movies, tv shows fantasy sports, music etc.) but it isn't the same. Unlike what Max Beerbohm says, fantasy should not be rooted in reality. True fantasy should be so out of this world that it questions whether it is even real? Freddy Mercury and company certainly knew this to be true...
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see...
Exercise log:
3 mile run
The Dark Knight Rises is fast-becoming quite the controversial film. Critics, fanboys, and casual fans alike seem to have VERY strong, crazed impassioned opinions when it comes to the finale of director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Films today, especially the sequels and trilogies etc, have the increased ability to create 'superfans' that will staunchly defend... Continue Reading →
So many questions, so many possibilities, so so so many what ifs... What if Hillary, not Obama, had become president? What if Mitt Romney becomes president? What if Petyon Manning hadn't gotten injured? What if David Tyree dropped that pass? What if the South had prevailed? Oh man... What if George Costanza hadn't been bald?... Continue Reading →
Summertime, like childhood, is ever-fleeting. It is here one minute and gone the next. Summer brings with it the promise of sun to be soaked in, adventures to be had and memories to be created. As novelist Charles Bowden wrote, "summertime is always the best of what might be." Bowden's words resonate powerfully in the... Continue Reading →
"If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance." George Bernard Shaw
When you the hear the word 'family,' what is the first word that comes to your mind? Do you think sweet, happy thoughts that are caught up in a whirlwind of love, compassion, giving, trust, connection and general warmth OR, sadly, do you instantly cringe and spiral downward in a sea of regret, sadness, shame, loss, and the like...?
Having a family, especially one that loves and cares for you, is one of the biggest blessings anyone could ever AND you can get it by virtue of being born. Sure you can create your own family, physically, or you can create family atmospheres through friends, facebook, co-workers, church members etc. but you never choose your parents, siblings, cousins....unless you count marrying into a great family but that is cheating. To have a good family is to be lucky, plain and simple.
And yet, as Spiderman knows, "with great family, comes great responsibility." As with any type of love, how much you receive is how much you should return. Parents raise and care for you while family members check in on you, send birthday cards, help you get jobs....but do you return the favor? Will you build an attachment on your house and care for your parents? Will you use vacation days on reunions, weddings, funerals? Not always......
....which leads us to the regret and shame, the hiding from requests and questions, the "I'm too busy right now." For better or worse, family is a part of you and, of equal importance, you are part of family til death do you part. If you are lucky enough to be part good family, I implore you to fully participate and truly enjoy the blessing you have because you, and and anyone like you, don't know how fortunate you are 🙂
Exercise log:
7am - 5.1 mile run with the Rutts
Yesterday - SAVSL soccer game (lost 3-1, semis)
Mikethatmiller 