Are You a Critic or a Fan?

Reagan. 

Polarizing as a President. 

Almost more polarizing as a movie. 

The gap between the critics and the fans of the movie is significant. The coldest of wars.  

Critics critique the cinematography, the over-dramatization of the music and camera angles, Dennis Quaid's portrayal of Reagan, etc.  Fans are all about it. 

The Rotten Tomatoes critic's score is an abysmal 22%. 

Fans dig it. 4.7 out of 5 stars. 

Do you live your life as a critic or a fan? 

A critic is smart, evaluative, and technical. A fan is subjective, emotional, and appreciative. 

Neither is good or bad.  It just is. 

Some might gravitate towards the idealistic rom-com version of a fan life. Some might gravitate towards the jaded version of a critic. 

70/30 

70% fan. 30% critic.  

The right mix of left and right brain.  The perfect cocktail of idealism and realism.  Enough skepticism to keep you grounded blended with the optimism to let you fly. The perfect concoction...

...to see the bright dawn ahead. 

Green-ishlights

 “We all step in shit from time to time. We hit roadblocks, we fuck up, we get fucked, we get sick, we don’t get what we want, we cross thousands of “could have done better”s and “wish that wouldn’t have happened”s in life. Stepping in shit is inevitable, so let’s either see it as good luck or figure out how to do it less often.”

One of my favorite reads is "Greenlights" by Matthey McConaughey.  It's self-help without the BS.  Old school therapy that was shaken up in a margarita glass. A mixed elixir of Kerouac, Watts, and Chesney. 

It gave me a shot glass size of motivation to send some randomness your way.  Greenishlights if you will (because no one can match the crystal clear green-ness of McConaughey). 

What comes up, will come down.  What goes down, will come up. Ride the painted pony...

We live as the Lotus lives...we need the mud to make the flower. 

Coaching young people in sports is much bigger than what happens on the field or the court. 

You should feel pain when your favorite team loses. 

Passion and perspective are the two most important variables of life. 

Your true soulmate becomes your fantasy, your reality, and your dream. 

Keep believing. 

A well-timed/placed F-bomb is accepted. 

People are hurting.  You never know when a random act can heal. 

The older you get, the more you will prefer Gin over Vodka.  

Black coffee and neat Scotch are good for the soul. 

Take chances. 

You can never say "I love you" too many times. 

Ernest Shackleton is still the best explorer of all time. 

Don't regret your life. Live it. 

PS; I tried to find a contemplative image of myself to match McConaughey.  The best I could do was a shot of me on a run.   

Can You Handle the Truth

 

Friday, May 14th, 2010. 

My first official entry into the blog-o-sphere.  Blast off. 

It was a strange time of my life.  Searching for answers.  Looking for clarity on my path.  Frostian motivated. Which road do I take?  The one less traveled or the safe path.  I chose safely...for a while. 

273 entries later...I struggle sometimes with how far I take my scribed journey. 

So many more truths to explore. A veritable jungle where my pen acts as the machete that lets sunlight in. 

Times forgotten. Some purposefully.  Some, quite by accident.  

Some, where you feel the excitement of the roller coaster grinding up the hill, and some where you scream as the descent comes crashing down. 

Snapshots in time. Chapters of the book. 

Are we entitled to the truth?  Not sure. 

Will it do any good?  Also...not sure. 

Maybe later.  Maybe not. 

Not now though. 

Not now. 

Life in Front of a Green Screen

 

Rain. 

And lots of it. 

A Pluviophile's fantasy as of late. 

For the last month, rain has been a constant on the menu.  The daily special.  The weather du jour. 

Mind you, I really don't mind the rain.  There is nothing better than a midnight thunderstorm to dream during. 

The easiest time to be a Meteorologist.  Rain, rain, and more rain.  

And of course, Mother Nature will do what Mother Nature wants to.  There's nothing we can do to control it. 

Such is life.  The "no-control" list is long...

• What other people do. 
• How other people see you. 
• How other people treat you. 
• Whether other people like you. 
• What other people think, feel, or believe. 
• How other people internalize things you say and do. 
• What happens to other people. 
• Your thoughts and feelings. 
• The past. 
• The future.
• Aging. 
• The inevitability of getting hurt (emotionally or physically). 
• Suffering in the world. 

The more you accept and embrace what you can't control, the more control you have over your actions and responses driven by those events. By giving up control, you gain control. The paradigm of life. 

In other words, the more you learn to dance in the rain, the less wet you feel. 

No umbrellas needed. 

Red Oaks Remembered

Recently, I was introduced to the show, "Red Oaks."  A brilliant (albeit short-lived) creation set in the mid-80s following the trials and tribulations of David Meyers (Craig Roberts), a college-aged modern-day Benjamin Braddock who is trying to navigate that transitory stage of life going from kid to adult. Whether it be his dating life, career choices, or family drama, we watch David find his way (sometimes clumsily, sometimes accidentally, and sometimes expertly). 

The show hits home on so many different levels. 

    I worked at the Beloit Country Club from 1985-1987. 

    One of my best friends was Mark, the Tennis Pro.  

    My Mom and Dad were divorced and I lived primarily with my Dad. 

    We had "employee" days and parties at the Club. 

Many nights after hours were spent at the Club pool with Mark, my sister Kelly, and my girlfriend, Wendy (pictured above).  

These were Summers of fun. Summers of change.  Summers of growth.  

I look back fondly on that time.  It was the perfect place to experience the life transition we were all going through...from carefree kid to aspiring adult with the world in front of us. We were living life through a microscope as the rest of the world was telling us to look through the telescope.  

The show is labeled as a "coming of age" genre.  I've never explored that term in real life but it fits. 

Looking back, we all came of age...

...in the shadows of the manicured greens and sculpted courts. 

Epilogue; I eventually married that girlfriend and she sadly passed away at the age of 41.  My sister died at 56.  I lost track of Mark. But, I will always have those summers to remember. 

Randomness Rules

Recently, a coaching friend had a health scare.  Looks like he will pull through and heed his wake-up call.  Listen when your body tells you something and don't take it for granted. 

Finding your career after college is a fallacy.  Find a job you like and see where it takes you. 

Heartbreak sucks.  Young heartbreak sucks even more (pets make fantastic Sherpas helping to mend the break though). 

Don't let a fixer-upper be a downer. Embrace it. 

Repair and reconnect whenever you can. 

Embrace storms. Both meteorological and metaphorical. Haruki Murakami said it most eloquently and simply, "When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in." 

Great coaches reach players and other coaches alike. 

Paul Giamatti is brilliant.  One of the most underrated actors of our time. 

The simple beauty of Iceland is truly the pinnacle to strive for.

A good beard balm is a great elixir for the skin. 

PS;  The image is from the Geiri Smart Restaurant in Reykjavik. Every once in a while, you need to throw a good, old fashioned soiree. 

Beard balm and candles 

The Greatest Pain

It's a pain like no other. 

The deepest cut, the largest bruise, and the most damaging diagnosis can't match this trauma. 

It travels directly to the core of your very being. 

Seeing your child hurt is by far, the greatest pain of all. 

You go through your life as a parent doing everything in your power to protect them from this pain but you know deep down, you will inevitably fail. You try, and you try to protect them from danger, but alas, it is a futile attempt to shield them completely. The point pierces skin eventually. 

"If only..."

You mutter those infamous words of regret, thinking you could've prevented the hurt.  You swear you saw this coming and if only...if only...you would've done something differently, you could've deflected it with your shelter. 

There is no "if only." There is only "what is."  And you will eventually see your child hurt in the human world of "what is."

Provide the ethereal human Bactine of listening... hugs...and advice if you can and time will eventually heal. 

It is that pang you feel when they feel the pain. 

Be there. Really be there. It's the only antidote for them.  

And you.