What a Night!

I had the chance to attend the annual Hall of Fame ceremonies at the high school where I taught and coached for thirty three years last night.  It was the first time I have been back since I retired three and a half years ago. 

It was a terrific night!  All four of the inductees were people that I had coached, taught, or worked with.  I was so honored to have had the chance to have an impact upon the lives of these folks and was so very proud that they were inducted into this noteworthy group.  Their faces will be forever honored on the Wall of Fame and this is great for them and their families.  It also will serve as a beacon for those who aspire to sometime be inducted themselves.

What became very clear to me on the drive home and while I was on the treadmill at the gym this morning, is that we have a zillion opportunities during the course of our lifetimes to positively impact others.  We can share what we have learned with them, encourage them, give them constructive criticism, laugh with them when things are funny and do what we can to help them when things do not go as planned.  I can honestly say that I have tried to be a positive role model and impact people in a positive way throughout my life.

Coaching and teaching at the high school level provided me with lots of chances to do all of these things. 

As they each got up to receive their awards and give a speech I was flushed with fond memories of times spent with them.  The memories were crystal clear and my heart beat a bit faster as these memories flashed through my memory bank. As I sat in the gym and then walked down the hallway to the library for the reception I smiled. 

My life has intersected with many and when they mentioned my name as they shared their thanks for winning these awards I was very proud.  Proud that I was able in one small way or another to have helped these people reach their mountaintop.  Proud that they felt strongly enough about my impact to mention me at all.

What a night!

Boss-Fest

I just got back from a weekend of bachelor party frivolity for son number 2.  It was a weekend of casino life, some Division I basketball, bar time, culminating with some more casino time.  The details are unimportant and if you have even been to an event such as this I am reasonably sure that you have at least some small window into what these kind of events entail.  It is not about the details of what happened, for me at least, it was more about WHO was there.

I have always believed that you can tell a great deal about a person by observing the people that are the “friends.”  In the 50 plus hours that I spent with this group of people I can honestly say that I am very proud of son #2.  He has managed to accumulate some very high quality friends from many different sections of his life thus far.  I am so very happy that he has been able to make friends so easily, and even more importantly, maintain and nurture them after these many years.  It was very clear to me that they love and accept him for who and what he is!  He not only has managed to plant a beautiful garden, but he has obviously nurtured his garden of friends for years. 

High school friends, summer camp friends and colleagues, college buddies, work colleagues, and people who have crossed his path for one reason or another were all present this weekend.  I would estimate that at least half of the group were people that I had never met or even laid eyes upon.  The other half I know very well and have a long history with.  They all had stories of the Boss that made us laugh, and they all served as a reminder of the growth pattern of his life and the role of good friends all along the way.    

My feeling is that Adam has the kind of personality that seems to attract caring, friendly, fun, and life long friends.  In my time this weekend I had the chance to chat with many of them and to my satisfaction each and every one of them meets and exceed my expectations for what I would call “quality people.”  They speak kindly of my son, of each other, and having had the chance to sit back and watch them all interact gave me a great sense of satisfaction and a re-affirmation of just how important good, and long-lasting friendships are in the whole scheme of things.   

Education is important.

Money is a necessary commodity.

Success is valued by all.

Quality friendships are the foundation for the kind of life we all should aspire to.

One Small Step

I thought I had seen and heard it all.  After all I am just a few months shy of 60 years old and you would think that after all this time there would be nothing new under the sun. 

Today I was amazed to see a video that shows a mall employee walking and texting in the mall where she works.  Now this is not unusual at all.  Texting and walking  is just about as normal as normal can be in this day and age.  What makes this woman unique is that while she is doing her texting she literally falls into the fountain in her mall because she was not paying attention to where she was walking.   

Being that we are a culture that likes to see others hurt, we all laugh.  I have to admit I chuckled a bit myself.  She jumped out of the water as quickly as she fell in and went on her way.  It all seemed to happen so fast that the only people who saw this happen were the people in the mall security office.  She was upset that no one came to her aid but I am not sure there would have even enough time.  Being that they thought this was quite unique, within minutes it was up on the internet for all to see.

The woman was embarrassed and upset that no one came to her assistance.  Now she does what many Americans feel that they need to do when they do not want to take responsibility for their own actions…..she is suing the mall.

Our courts are overwhelmed with frivolous lawsuits and there are at least a few members of the legal profession for whom these kind of lawsuits generate a very good living.  It seems that many corporations and large organizations would rather pay than fight.  The so called victim gets some $, the lawyers get $ and the corporations avoid bad publicity.  I am sure that courts and legal folks have much better things to do with their time.  

I am sorry that the woman fell into the fountain, but give me a break.  She was not pushed, she did not trip over anything, and the mall had absolutely nothing to do with her clumsy, bad, experience. 


Maybe the people who put it on the internet should be punished, maybe not.  I am not sure what punishment, if any, fits this crime.   

It is my hope that this woman has learned a valuable lesson……at the very least look up every three steps if you are going to text while you are walking.  One small step for man, or woman……..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWtDpGM36J8

Shoveling Stinks!

I live in western NY.

This means that you have to be able to cope with and maybe even appreciate these ridiculous days when it snows like crazy in the winter.

That being said I have had a few things stuck in my craw all day.

I HATE to shovel snow!  I mean I really hate it!  I hate it even more than raking leaves, which is second on my list of things that I really do not like to do.  I always seems to get my day off to a bad start.  Shoveling in the dark is never fun and when the snow plow comes by and dumps a ton of snow in the driveway where I already shoveled it just makes me crazy.  Thank God for summer!!!

I have couple of pet peeves too.  What is it with people who do not feel the need to brush the snow off their cars before their drive to work?  They peer through a tiny hole while snow blows off their car onto the rest of us.  I even saw one person today talking on their cell phone as they navigated through their windshield porthole.  Maybe this says something about the work ethic of at least some Americans!   

What is it with the big snow plows who drive like a bat out of hell on the main roads that are covered with snow and don’t put down their blades?  If there are not going to put down the blade and push some snow maybe they should go back to the barn and just hang out until the weather gets warmer and they can takes the blades off the truck.  A single truck can make a nice path and it is not necessary for three trucks in tandem to do the plowing. 

Enough said! 

At least for now!

Oh yeah…..I feel for those people in the South who are struggling with winter weather that they hardly ever see and are even less prepared to deal with.  I hope their weather gets better soon so they can get back to normal life.

Agree To Disagree

I do not understand some people.

I have no appreciation for actions that have no viable explanation. 

I am convinced that there are some people out there whose brains seem to operate on a totally different wavelength. 

I believe that evil is present in our world and we need to be as watchful as we can be to its presence in our lives. 

In spite of my confidence in people in general there seems to be a core of people who are willing to commit heinous acts with no concern whatsoever for the impact of their actions on innocent people.

Words have always been the greatest cause of conflict and yet we have never seen it necessary to control not only what we say but how we say it.  Sticks and stones are not nearly as powerful as the power of the word and the pen.  Bruises heal while the inner psyche can be sensitive for an eternity after harsh words.

Words have consequences…..always have and always will. 

Political motivation……unhinged…….Columbine…….Virginia Tech……..what is next in this long line of events that have left communities shattered and people searching for some kind of an explanation for WHY?

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted either directly or indirectly by this latest act of crazy behavior and ask God to give us all strength to speak our views in a respectful and humane manner. 

We are all in this together and differences of point of view need not be designed to hurt, maim, or embarrass another whose only crime is having a different point of view.

Sometimes agreeing to disagree is the most humane way to live our lives.

Come On People!!!!!

First of all I am very much aware of the fact that politics can ruffle people’s feathers faster than just about anything else.  Second, I am also familiar with the concept that political parties do not work together……there is too much on the line for them when it comes to re-election, so God forbid they work together on anything.  Lastly, I am positive that when the nation that elects these political types we expect them to set aside their political differences, at least once in a while, and do what is necessary and to do what is best for the people.

My own political leanings are not what this about at all.   The point is to not criticize one side or the other, or be critical of one side while glorifying the other. There is enough room to be critical of all sides I think.  I know that my own political point of view is what it is, but in all reality this in no way is going to serve that nation or its people.  Each politician has a larger constituency than those who elected them.  The whole village, town, county, state, and nation are depending on them to do what needs to be done.  Your constituency is not just one political party or the other, it is all the people who live in the region that elected you to office.

I read today that the members of the H of R spent the opening day reading word for word from the Constitution.  This was members of both parties mind you.  The last I looked there are a lot more pressing issues that they could be spending their time on other than practicing their reading skills. 

Come on people!  We are a nation of educated people and the last I looked a huge percentage of our people can read and write with the best of them.  The Constitution is ready and available for a good reading in a zillion places and the good citizens of this nation can read it at their leisure.  We do not need our legislators wasting valuable time reading it to us……what are we, primary school kids at a reading circle!!! What a colossal waste of taxpayer time and money.

Come on people!  2011 is here.  The deficit is growing at an alarming rate!  Jobs are needed more now than even during the worst days of the Great Depression!  Soldiers are dying each day fighting in conflicts that many Americans question! Our educational system is in need of a great deal of help to prepare the next generation of politicians.   Need I say more?

Come on people!  Regardless of our party affiliations we need to get busy and emphasize to our legislative and political arm that the nations needs them to DO THE WORK necessary to get this great nation of  ours back on track.  Go to work every single day and ask a very simple question:  What can I do to make our nation better, stronger, more economically stable?  If you cannot answer this question at the end of your work day maybe you spent your time on the wrong stuff.

This is all I ask.

Happy New Year to all!

P.S. I was going to read you the Night Before Christmas, but we all have more important things that need to get done today!

Spin To Win!

The new year has arrived and is moving along at warp speed…….but what else is new?  Time usually gets away from us with our busy lives and all and before we know it we will be facing another Black Friday and finding the fastest way possible to meet the holiday gift needs of all our family and friends.  It is time to take a minute and smell a sweat sock or two.

I have decided to start my new blog and the new year off with some kind words for those people out there who are on a quest to get healthy. 

Eating is certainly one part of the formula, but I want to focus for a minute on the exercise part of the plan.  I do not presume to be an expert on this component, but I am a watcher of people and the gym that I go to provides me with lots of opportunities to watch others doing what I am doing……trying to get healthy.  Eating will be a subject post for a later date.

I want to give a very positive shout out to each and every person who I see every morning as they walk on the treadmill, take a spin on the elliptical or recumbent bikes, or move from weight machine to weight machine.  There are a wide variety of exercise philosophies in my gym and I do not profess to really understanding why they do what they do.  I am inclined instead to say to each of them…….keep doing what you are doing and I hope that each of you reaches your exercise and better health goals.  It is amazing to me that there are so many different exercise strategies but I love it!  The fact that they are IN THE GYM at all says a lot and I have every hope that I will still be seeing my new exercise buddies in the summer of the year.

Congratulations on your plan to get healthy and you can be sure that this guy is all about supporting any person who is willing to do what it takes to get healthy.  It is not about the size you are or the strength that you have in early January……it is instead about how you feel and look as the summer sun creeps onto the horizon.  I will be in the gym with you for sure and you can count on me to support you any way I can.

I love that you are with me every morning as I watch re-runs of Frazier as I walk and spin my way to what I hope is better health.  Keep up the good work and I will see you in July.  Maybe we can have a fireworks show outside the gym in the parking lot on the 4^th!