The 30th Suprise

You never know what's around the corner. Or, in my case, just through the garage door.

Taken hostage by my friends Chuck and Mike for a round of golf that never seemed to end, we arrived at home with 50+ friends and family hiding out secretly in the garage, ready and waiting to witness the complete astonishment on my face.


Nevermind the 100 pound pig roasting in the driveway, the "neighbor's" catering service vehicle, the many cars lined up and down the street, or the strange behavior exhibited by my wife for the past several weeks... I bought it, the whole story and without question.

The web of distractions, misleading emails, fake invitations and dinner plans downtown at Manny's Steakhouse vanished into thin air instantly as it was clear that the celebrating would be here at our house and that my love for fine dining continues to be exploited.

I was duped in front of all my closest friends and family. However, what may be thought of as an embarrassing moment, was far from it. I was overwhelmed with humbleness. All the people that have loved and supported me through the first 30 years of my life put their lives on hold and came to share this moment with me.

Life is all about the journey and the people we meet. Seeing everyone in my garage was amazing (and strange). And for them, it was all about the journey to the party and about my arrival. Never again did I think I would be the man of the hour or the reason to celebrate. To know that all my closest friends and family were a part of the planning, getting the house ready, finishing projects and doing spring cleaning... made me remember just what amazing friends and family that I have.

Thank you all for the many many years of love and friendship that we have shared.

Atrophy of the mind

Growing up, I always chuckled to myself listening to "older" people complain about the difficulties of dealing with life and being critical of them for their lack of ability to bring passion and energy to each day of their life. I found it criminal that these individuals would lose faith in themselves and lose the skill to harness the creative energy that they once possessed at some point in their life.

As I have grown, I often find myself falling into the very same trap and realizing "it's happening" and "this is how it feels." Those inescapable feelings that have plagued all of us at some point. Those nagging questions that creep into our consciousness...

• is this really all life has to offer....
• there has to be something more....
• i am capable of so much more...
• why hasn't anyone realized my skills and talents yet...

I believe these questions must be continually battled and challenged. As we grow, we sort of get settled in... and forget that our minds need to be exercised every day. If we settle into the belief that we don't need to challenge our brain and allow these pesky, damaging thoughts to enter our consciousness and can be overwhelmingly destructive.

I am guilty of it myself. I come home from my day of work, clean the kitchen, do the dishes, walk the dog, get dinner ready, etc. By the time I finally sit down and have time to decompress, the day is over and it all starts again.

Not anymore. The training begins today.

It's time to get going...

For years I have envisioned this blog. For years, I have been trying to figure out what my message is, trying to carve out my niche, and the topics that I should specifically focus on. Last fall when many of my core political issues rose to the surface of the national dialogue, I chose that opportunity to jump in and get things started. Since then, I have lost my message and am not sure where to go. I have come to believe that only by continuing the dialogue and continuing down the blogging path will my journey and mission take shape.

I tend to analyze decisions that I make thoroughly, and I often delude myself into thinking that I can anticipate any detail or obstacle that will be in my path. However, I must learn to be humble and acknowledge the we must adapt to things along the path that we can't anticipate. This is part of life and a skill in and of itself.

I am moving on with my posts to factpatrol.com. Some will return to the field of politics, some will focus on critical thinking, but most will probably be about the journey of developing a message... a message that can give myself inspiration and insight into my life and the lives of others. Hopefully, this message will turn into a tool that others can use as well.