Where's the bactine?

Remember when you were a kid and you skinned your knees?

You were probably going full speed at the time of the fall. And when you first fell, the sting felt like nothing you ever felt before. You felt like the pain would never go away. The tears would come uncontrollably. Your mom or dad would either come running due to the ear piercing shrieks and crying or you had to hobble and limp over to them. They would clean you up, put a band-aid on it and you would be back out playing again by the time the next hour passed.

Later when you saw your friends, grandparents or siblings, they would notice your scrape and they would ask what happened and you wore the war wound like a badge of courage. You would puff out your chest and say...yeah, it was pretty bad. But you were back out on the playground ready for more.

Recently, I ran into an old friend and she had skinned her knee and she mentioned "nice scraped knee, huh?" I laughed and thought to myself what is a better symbol of our youth than a skinned knee.

We had the carefree attitude to run with reckless abandon. And when we fell...we fell hard. It hurt. We probably vowed to ourselves never to run like that again. But we picked ourselves up (sometimes with the help of others), cleaned up the scrape and we were back at it.

As we get older, the skinned knees hurt more. The scars run deeper. But we need to pick ourselves up and do it again.

We need to remember the days of our youth. Not to live in the past but to learn to live because of the past.

Don't remember the skinned knee...remember the fun you had before the fall. And the fun you had after.

Now, wanna come out and play again?

The Three that are Me

They are unique in their own way 

Yet all the same. 

They all have done so much 

But have so much more to accomplish. 

They all open their hearts to possibilities. 

And use their heads for opportunities. 

One is the strategist 

One is the public servant 

One is the builder

They all feel the beat of the music

And colors of the art. 

They bring every minute to life 

Every day. 

They give the best hugs 

The kind that you want to last forever. 

They bring a smile 

To my face 

And to my heart everyday. 

They are amazing. 

Don't Forget your Umbrella...and some Sunscreen

Lately it has been raining almost non-stop.

And we aren't talking a few drops here and there. We are talking the kind of rain that keeps you up at night. The kind of rain that sounds like there are thousands of spikes hitting your roof. The kind of rain that brings thunder that sounds like the gods waging war on each other. The kind of lightning that lights up the sky brighter than a high school football field in any small town across the country during the fall.

Get the picture?

Well...this time last year...we were in the middle of a brutal drought. The kind of drought where you could actually see plants, trees and grass dying a slow death from lack of water. The kind of drought that sucked the life out of everything and everyone. The kind of drought that left permanent damage to the world around us.

Last year we would've begged and sold our souls to the devil for some rain. This year...we crave a hot smoldering sun.

How about 70 and sunny all of time during the day and 57 and clear all of the time during the evenings? Perfect huh?

It's the classic tale of Goldilocks and the three bears. We all want the perfect place right in the middle. But that's not real. Usually life brings us really high high's and really low low's. It's the nature of the beast. The key is to learn how to find some level of joy with the extremes. Don't shy away from them. They are there to prove we are alive. To touch the sun is amazing. To touch the ocean floor can be as well.

Learn to dance in the rain. Learn to bask in the sun.

Learn to reach for the extremes.

But bring an umbrella...and maybe some sunscreen.

The Roles we Play

When I first became a manager, I had to play the role of the good cop. The confidant. The counselor. The friend.

The situation dictated my role.

When I moved markets, I had to the play the role of the bad cop. The agent of change. The dictator. The acquaintance.

The situation dictated my role.

You see...whether it be business or personal, we all play a role. The role is defined primarily by the situation, the desired outcome with the potential benefits or risks of the situation and the interpersonal relationship you have with the others in the situation.

To be a chameleon in theater shows depth and talent.

To be a chameleon in life though usually is interpreted by others as being disingenuous or "not real."

This misconception could not be further from the truth. You can be consistent and fair while still playing different roles.

People are not black and white. Life is not scripted. It is the quintessential improv act. It is the ideal stage for all performances.

The downside of excelling in a role in theater is getting typecast for that type of role forever.

Yul Brynner will always be the King.

William Shatner will always be Kirk.

Sly Stallone will always be Rocky Balboa.

James Gandolfini will always be Tony Soprano.

The caveat in life is the same. Don't get typecast in a role you don't want. It's unsatisfying and unfulfilling.

Life is the greatest theater of all. And you have the lead role. Now is your time. Don't give the performance of your life. Give your life the performance it deserves.

Turn the Page

As you go through the mundane chore of turning your calendar page, you realize time is moving.  

You start to remember less and forget more all of the time. 

The hair gets more gray.  And you find more of it in certain areas and less in others. 

It takes longer to recover from a workout and you have to work harder to get something out of it.  

Wisdom and perspective are gained. But at what expense?  

Cynicism reigns supreme. 

Optimism takes a back seat to what same may call realism. 

Risks become more calculated.  Less risky. 

But...here is the kicker.  Here is where it gets good. 

The older you get, the less you feel like you have to spend time with the right people.  You want to spend more time with the people who just make you feel alright. 

The older you get, the greater the understanding between being alone and feeling lonely. 

The older you get, the more memories you actually have. 

Here is to making memories while being alone with the right people. 

Fine wine baby.  Fine wine.  

Cent'anni  

FYI...

Imagine yourself walking into a room full of people.

Your mind automatically makes judgments on the people you see.

Not in a bad way.

In a human way...

And as the night goes on...you engage some in dialogue and you formulate an impression of what their life may be like.

Some you think are lucky.

Some you think are unfortunate.

Some you really like.

Some you keep your distance from.

But just remember...

All of them (including you) are carrying their own cross.

Don't judge. Just accept.

We all are carrying something. And to a person...each one feels like a ton.

Just sayin'

Side note: Just to clarify...the picture or the topic does not mean I am making this a religious discussion. Just an apropos analogy. That's all.

It's Razor Thin

It's a constant balancing act.

The line is so small.

Trying to find the balance.

Strike it. Curse it. Believe it. Practice it. Break it. Do it.

It's the never ending battle between getting too close to the flame and burning your finger.

Between soaring to new heights and falling down too far.

Between touching the outer fringe of genius and getting cut from the razor sharp edge of insanity.

Between immersing yourself in the deep ocean of passion and drowning in irresponsibility.

Between drinking from the chalice of Carpe Diem and choking from short sightedness.

Between living in the moment and dying many moments too soon.

Between being there for everyone and being nowhere for yourself.

Between feeling the charge of being plugged in like an open wire and being fried by being too plugged in.

Between the medicinal effect of being child-like and the cancerous effect of being childish.

Between basking in the sea of anonymity and forgetting who you are.

Between toeing the line and crossing it.

Between taking risky chances and chancing risky choices.

It's a fine line.

Yes...yes it is.