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| fun...
Yesterday, I was in my basement with my kids and we were playing pretend. They peaked their heads through this hole in their Little Tykes slide and asked me what I wanted to order and I asked for 2 hot dogs and 7 cookies. I handed over my imaginary money and without skipping a beat my oldest(4) took the imaginary money from my finger tips and got me my order with her little sister helping.
What does this have to do with anything. Today, one of my older brother posted a blog article about pot. I'm not sure what he feels about the subject of legalizing pot and I am not assuming one way or the other. Although, the subject is out there. So what does my story have to do with pot?
I actually have been meaning to write about this for a very long time. For me it is about real life vs. the cheap life. The creative life vs. the uncreative. It isn't just about pot but about the use of alcohol and anything else that is used to alter the mind to have a good time.
Let me preface that I drink occasionally. I love a good Tom Collins(a good one is rare to find) becuase it tastes good. I will drink a beer, but in general I think it is an overrated beverage. I like a glass or 2 of good wine(again good stuff is rare). There is nothing inherintly wrong with having a drink. As for pot, I had enough uncommon sense as teenager to avoid it. I just watched everyone who did it make more dumb decisions.( Although, their was an incident with a former cub scout leader but that is face to face story.)
I think we as a human race have truly forgotten how to have fun without the "aid" of something. I have good Jesus loving friends who rarely have fun without having beer involved. Now, on the other hand I have some good Jesus loving friends that are so tightly wound up they probably do need an aid to have fun.(it's sad on both accounts).
The question for me becomes do you need an "aid"or are you creative enough on your own to figure out a good time? Be creative and if you aren't creative just start to have authentic "un-aided" times with people. Talk. The best times in my life have been when I am not trying to be funny or have fun. It just comes when I am doing life un"aided".
By the way, my daughter charged me "Twenty-nine Sixteen" for my 2 hots dogs and 7 cookies. Apparently, I gave her the incorrect amount money becuase she gave me change back.
This post is for my children. Belle and Maj, a day will come when you can choose to take cheap life or real life. I pray that you take real life and take others with you.
-Dad
P.S. I really do have the thought sometimes that I would have more fun in an hour of playing with action figures again like I did as a kid than watching most of the TV shows I watch.
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| Every one counts...
Decisions. They count. They tell who you are. Don't get me wrong everyone will make mistakes, we will sin, we all do. We hurt others. We lie. We cheat. We steal. We gossip. We hate. We judge. We want what is not ours. We think we know best. However, we also love. We encourage. We help. We care. We honor. We give. We share.
We are both at times and with God's help hopefully the latter more often. That is why decisions count. Even when no one is looking. You may never have the spotlight on you or have people look into the times where you think no one is looking. Each decision counts. They tell who you are.
"McNair's friends want the quarterback to be remembered for his generosity. He gave away turkeys and checks in Tennessee, toys in Baltimore and paid for three football camps himself this year. Cook talked to someone Saturday who saw McNair cleaning up the field after one camp at Southern Mississippi."That was Steve McNair. That's who he is. And who he was," an emotional Cook recalled." Yes, it is true. Steve McNair was this, but he was also a man, 36, who was married and father of four children first and foremost. He died this week in an apparent murder suicide with his mistress (Let's call her what she was and she was not a girlfriend). He was liar and cheat, That's who he was as well. Our decisions count. -Todd
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| 2 Funny...
I have 2 quick funny stories from 2 different kids in the last 2 days.
First, we were up at Greener's cabin and our friends daughter, Ava is down on the pontoon boat with her brother Christian. We hear Ava begin to cry out loudly. The father yells out, "Christian!" Christian in a very sincere voice shouts out, "But Dad she told me to hit her!"
Second, I just rented Punchout for the Wii. Love the game becuase it is based off of the old Nintendo game Mike Tyson Punch Out(minus the ear eating Mike Tyson). I was playing last night after the girls went to bed. As I was playing, Isabelle came down to go potty. I am not sure how long she was watching before she interuppted. When she was done she came back to say good night. She then asks a lot of questions about the game. "Daddy why are you pushing that guy on the game?" That made me laugh.
Then this morning I was telling my wife at lunch about Isabelle describing the game as Daddy pushing people. I was describing how you have to hit King Hippo in his belly and Isabelle says, "Daddy sometimes you pushed him in the eye!"
-Todd
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| Overrated...
There are times when it is clear to me that talent and/or genuis is overrated. What really matters? Take Amy Winehouse.(although I don't know her music and I am not sure I would call her talented if I heard it, but the "experts" say she is.) She is a mess. She has a history of being under the influence during shows she performs of alcohol and drugs. People pay money to see her and in return she gives a drug induced shoddy performance. In these moments, she is not talented. She is a thief.
Now, after hearing about Michael Jackson death and watching all the commentary I do believe he left a huge mark in the entertainment industry. However, for me he was a tragic figure. I was a fan of Michael growing up. I'm not sure anyone could or can dance like him. He was the King of Pop. His fingerprint has impacted music forever and I have no reservations putting him in the same conversation as Elvis and the Beatles.
But life cannot be compartmentalized. Jamie Foxx in his tribute on BET said something like, "We need to honor this black man and I don't care about what his skin color was or what his nose looked like, it was about how he sounded." That is compartmentalizing one's life. It doesn't matter what his nose looked like, but it was clear that his interactions with children, in particular boys was inappropriate.(I know nothing was proven and maybe he never did touch those with him inappropriately) However, if we take a step back he was inappropriate when he put those kids in those situations. It was his own selfishness that needed kids to sleep in his bed with him. Putting questions around what actually happened. You don't do that to children period! You have a responsibility as an adult. He was obviously mentally ill and those around him(handlers) also weren't doing a whole lot above board. When we ignore everything else and claim his greatness for his talent we lie about his life. He had a tragic life and a tragic death. There truly is very little to celebrate when we are honest about the whole situation.
So what can I take from this lesson. It is not about what my talent accomplishes in life. It is about how I loved and cared for people, period. My hope is that my life and death can be celebrated for what can never be overrated.
-Todd
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| Persona...
I heard a few stories from a person this last weekend. In a few different stories they talked about different people and their "persona's". One story stood out.
The man talked about his father. They lived in an affluent area. His father had a job at the local factory. He remembers his father waking up everyday and putting on a suit and a tie and going to work as if he owned the place. However, He got to work and put on grubby work attire and head out on to the factory floor. At the end of a long shift he would clean up and put the suit and tie back on and drive home. The storyteller ened the story by saying, "That was his persona."
It got me thinking about my own life and the image I want others to see. Is it honest or do I put on my own suit and tie and go to work, church, hang out with friends, be with my family?
When I am working at my job I work with students who everyday are putting on a tie and suit to different crowds. I challenge them everyday to be okay with just who they are...
So what is something honest I can share here and now. I sometimes spend time in social situations playing with my kids more not because I want to play with them, but I want to avoid adults droning on about meaningless small talk. (although I always enjoy playing with my kids, it is an easy excuse!)
-Todd
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