Enjoy the Ride

No matter what your age is...no matter what your stage is...

Life is a roller coaster.

There are times when you are riding high...heading to the top baby. And then in a split second...you are heading down so fast that you don't even have time to scream.

Faster and faster you plummet towards the earth but just before you hit the bottom...you are propelled back upwards.

When you are feeling on top of the world...something usually happens to bring you down a bit. I think it is God's way of keeping balance and keeping us humble. Conversely...when you are down and out...there is no where to go but up.

It's actually harder to stay up than it is to dig yourself out.

It's scary and it's daunting...but at the end you always say...let's do it again because it is exhilarating and it makes you feel alive by attacking every fiber of your being and tantalizing every one of your sensory touchpoints.

It's cliche' but true...it's not the end of the ride...it's the ride itself that keeps you going. Do yourself a favor...enjoy it while you can.

Keeping it Real

What are "real" people?

Real people are people who are in your life that offer true unconditional friendship and/or love.

There are no hidden agendas.

There is very little drama.

They genuinely care.

They have a sense of the greater good.

They have a sense of humor...especially about themselves.

You enjoy hanging out with them.

They are very smart but you wouldn't know it because they don't brandish it like a sharp sword.

They are successful.

They are comfortable in their own skin.

You can always rely on them.

They keep you grounded.

They have big hearts and engaging minds.

They are all about substance and depth.

Know people like that? If so, hold these people close to you. Don't ever take them for granted. They are there to help you become a better person.

I am blessed to know a lot of real people. As a matter of fact, two of the most important people in my life are two of the best examples I can find. If you know Lynn or knew Cos, you would know what I mean.

This ain't no reality show...this is a show of reality!

The Fall just got Better

It's official.

Nebraska is now in the Big Ten and I am loving it.

First of all, I think Nebraska is a great choice for the conference. They bring tradition, passion and a commitment that is exemplified throughout the conference already.

I would put the Big Ten against any other conference in the country now.

The Big Ten is a traditionalist's dream conference. Can you image what Lombardi would say with some of the spread offenses in the Big 12 or the SEC? "What the hell is going on over here?"

It's not three yards and a cloud of dust...it's three yards and the road to glory in the Big Ten.

I think the best way to separate the 12 teams would be East/West divisions.

The current split conference rivalries will remain intact and Nebraska/Iowa (geography) games or Nebraska/Wisconsin (will the real Big Red please stand) games could be epic battles for the ages.

There might be more expansion coming down the line which I would not have a problem with but for now...who needs them(yeah, that includes you Notre Dame)?

The Autumn colors just got a little more red and my Saturdays in the Fall just got a lot better.

You don't Have it so Bad

You really don't.

No matter what situation, predicament, ordeal or problem you are in or encountering...
there are people who are going through worse.

We are in the process of trying to sell a house in Michigan and figure out what we are going to do back here in Wisconsin. We can't buy a house here until we sell there and we don't know where we are going to live in a couple of months. That being said...

It could be worse.

I have several friends that are going through hardship right now that I would consider a heavier burden than mine.

Each and every one of us has a cross to bear. Your cross may be paralyzing for you but someone else may perceive it as you don't have it so bad. At least not as bad as they have it...

When you are in the eye of the storm, it is hard to focus on what I call "energizing inventory." Energizing inventory are the things in your lives that are catalysts for positive movement and achievement. They are the things that drive us.

We tend to forget them during times of distress.

My "energizing inventory?" I think it is pretty good.

A wonderful family. Good health. Great friends. A promising career.

Others would be envious.

The next time your cross weighs heavy...first look in and appreciate your "energizing inventory" and then look around...things could be worse. A lot worse.

My life...it doesn't suck...that is for sure.

It wasn't Marconi's doing

Ok...confession time.

The real reason I got into radio?

Don't get me wrong. I always enjoyed it when I was a kid. I used to sit in my bedroom and pretend I was the DJ on my hometown radio station (WGEZ AM1490). I used to turn up the radio during the music and then turn it down during the talking parts so I could record my own stuff. Classic radio geek kind of story.

But the real reason came to me when I was 14. I saw this picture of a DJ who was on WGEZ. Her on-air name was Cindy Leighton (have no idea what her real name was) and she was...to put it in one word...hot.

She was looking for a teenager to do a show with her. It was going to be a show about...teens (appropriately named Teens N' Talk). I interviewed for the job and got it. In addition to the hour show every week, she let me come into the studio while she was working and learn more about radio. Of course at the time, I wasn't necessarily thinking about radio..I was thinking about something a little different. More along the lines of a Benjamin Braddock/Mrs. Robinson thing or a Hermie/Dorothy kind of thing (Summer of '42...great flick..I highly recommend). You know...the type of thing that leads to the younger inexperienced guy getting the hot older woman.

Yeah...needless to say, that didn't happen.

So next time you are listening to the radio and you hear a woman by the name of Cindy Leighton, let me know. I do owe her a thank you. This radio thing...it's been pretty good to me. No complaints.

PS; She was only 6 years older than me at the time...but it felt like a lifetime.

Quicksand or a Hamster Wheel?

Don't know why I was thinking about this today but I started wondering (while running) if I would rather be stuck in quicksand or stuck on a hamster wheel.

I surprised even myself with my answer.

I would much rather do the quicksand thing.

Indulge me on this one...

With quicksand you have movement and progress. It's reverse progress but at least you are going somewhere. With the hamster wheel, you never go anywhere. I would rather be going somewhere than running in place.

Quicksand has a point to it. It's about survival. You can see hope all around you. There is no hope to the hamster wheel.

Quicksand has a beginning and end...there is closure (may not be an ideal end to the situation but...).

The view changes when stuck in quicksand...the view on the hamster wheel...not so much.

I guess this is why I prefer to run outdoors rather than on a treadmill. No matter what a bitch the hill is...at least I am getting somewhere.

Random thoughts on a Sunday morning...

There are lots of axioms and sayings out there...most are irrelevant or too cool for the room.

I have found two that I feel carry the most truth.

"The grass is greener"

"One in the hand is worth more than two in the bush."

We all tend to focus on what we don't have or could have rather than what we do have. I remember one night when I was single after my first marriage ended. I was sitting around a bar with several of my married buddies and they all talked how envious they were of me and I asked them a question...

"Who are you going home to tonight?"

They of course all answered their respective wives...I then told them who I was going home to...no one. It was all about the perspective.

Take my advice...your own grass is plenty green.

You know mechanical pencils are an oxymoron? The term mechanical inherently implies formulaic, procedural, routine, exact...in some cases perfect. A pencil though almost invites mistakes because you can erase and start over.

I once told a friend of mine who felt he "had settled" in his life to stop looking at it as "settling" and start looking at it as "adapting." I think it helped.

What is better? A sunrise or sunset. Depends on the day for me.

I think religion is not the path to heaven. Spirituality is. A lot of people confuse the two.

I promised earlier to talk about the word "catharsis." I always looked at it as a feeling of cleansing or healing. I actually looked it up once for Webster's take on it (not the character Emmanuel Lewis played) and according to them, one of the definitions is "evacuating the bowels" and a synonym for catharsis is "laxative." I laughed because then catharsis took on a much more relevant meaning to me...

Bottom line: IT GET'S RID OF THE BULLSHIT.

To conclude...get rid of your own bullshit and dump it on your yard. Therefore, your grass will be greener.

Until next time...

No Arcs or Circumferences...just Birth and Death

This past week, I had the opportunity to celebrate birth and mourn death.

It made me realize how true and real the circle of life is.

Both are forever connected...forever intertwined.

When someone dies, we remember their past.

When someone is born, we dream about their future.

Both birth and death share innocence. Both share peace. Both share tears.

The circle connects us...in birth and in death. We realize the beauty of the trip in both.

One a sunrise...one a sunset. Both glorious in their own way.

Both ends and new beginnings...doors closing and doors opening.

Live in peace...rest in peace.

The circle is complete.