King for a Day

The other day while listening to the radio, a song from the Thompson Twins called ‘King for a Day’ began playing.  As I listened to the song, I began to ponder the concept as I often do. If I was asked to be king for just one day, what would I do? What if the decision I could make would have lasting effect, instead of being merely a ceremonial day? Could I make real decisions for the world?  Would it make a difference if the decisions could be managed with different timeframes?  Boy oh boy did my mind begin to wander!  What would I do?  I know I have very specific things that would be my focus. Just think, king of the world for just one day, having a time frame that could be set. With the resources of the world at my disposal, I would make some decisions for the benefit of humanity.  In the Thompson Twins song, they ‘give it all away’ to be with a girl. WOW!  That is one option however not my first choice, though I do sing along with the catchy tune. I would prefer to do something lasting like end all wars forever. The money saved could then be retasked to end world hunger. In both cases, I could end senseless death.  Next, I would retask the vast resources and bring it to bear on ending forever, all cancer and cardiovascular disease. These two diseases are responsible for the first and second most deaths worldwide at a total of 26.58 million people per year. Next, I would make medicine available to millions worldwide, to once and for all eradicate diseases that should have been gone long ago but are still killing people such as Tuberculosis, Polio, Malaria, Scarlet fever, Mumps, and Measles. Yes this would come at a cost, but small compared to the riches of the world. I would then mobilize funding for education for all, forever.  I would send funds to public schools and public universities to improve their facilities and employee pay making them iconic places to work or study.  I could probably go on and on but should stop there and move on to lesser items. Although of lesser impact worldwide, these next two are certainly for the benefit of all humanity. I would for 30 years place a salary cap on the Los Angeles Dodgers that was just below the lowest paying Major League Baseball team. Just for the fun of it, I would make the Dallas Cowboys pick last in the draft and not allow concessions sold at their stadium for 20 years. Those last two alone are enough to cause a war, so thankfully, I did away with war with my first decree. That's what happens when a San Francisco 49er and Giant fan becomes king for a day! Then, I would once and for all, excavate Oak Island to find out what is truly buried there. Lastly, I would gain access to the Presidential Book of Secrets they talked about in the movie National Treasure. If there isn’t one, then I would make one because the concept is so cool. All kidding aside, if given the chance to make those kinds of decisions, I would truly focus on trying to make our world a better place. I think that we will find that there’s more than enough riches in our world for all of us if we could just focus on the goodness of humanity. Have a wonderful weekend. Go BEARS!…RiseUP! (cue "King for a Day” — Thompson Twins).

Until next time...

Hope Remains

Have you ever lost your passion for an activity then rediscovered it? What a wonderful feeling. For me, it is my love of the outdoors and outdoor activities. With the young kids and my career, many times my desire to participate in outdoor endeavors such as skiing, cycling, or kayaking was always postponed ‘until another day’.  Soon, even my equipment became outdated or dare I say, old. Then came COVID. I was taken down by the virus and for weeks, I suffered thinking every difficult breath was my last. I pondered every detail of my life as I battled the sickness. When I knew I was turning the corner, and getting better, all I wanted to do was put COVID in the rear view mirror. When I was released from the hospital, I wanted to go on long walks with my family, but I could only muster a shuffle across the room. With every day, I worked to build back my strength yet my hope of participating in cardiovascular activities was limited.  I wanted to run, yet I could barely walk across the street without getting winded. Hope remained. Today, I still want to run, however, I have only built my cardio fitness to a point that I can vigorously walk.  The more I try to press it, the scar tissue in my lungs that was a gift of COVID gives me a vehement ‘NO’.  It doesn’t change my desire to involve myself in outdoor activities, which was a promise I made to myself in the ‘dark days’. I walk every morning and each day, jog a bit more. Hope is not my only strategy. Every weekend, I find something to do with my family that is outdoors, pending the weather, and this is the perfect time of year. As I build my cardiovascular strength, I build back the equipment that is needed to participate. I want to run, and someday I will, but until then, I will walk. With every step, COVID is under my shoe, and I am stomping on it. COVID took so much from all of us, but I will not let it take anymore from me. I am done. Have a wonderful weekend. Go BEARS!…RiseUP! (cue "Never Surrender” — Corey Hart). 

Until next time...

Lost Notes

Usually on my way to work, I dictate notes to myself and this morning was no different. The reason I dictate is that commuting is just a waste of time.  I try my best to remain productive during that time in the car. Unfortunately, this morning, my dictated notes were lost in cyberworld.  When I arrived at the office, the file was sent but never received in my email. I’m sure all of us have had a similar situation and I’m certain I will find a way to recover the information sometime in the future when I no longer need it.  The reason I bring it up is because this morning I had a few good notes that I wanted to draw upon to write this opening. You see, my mornings begin at 4:30am when I give thanks that I have been granted another day to get it right. I stumble to grab a cup of coffee then sit in a quiet room to reflect and be mindful of my day, my obligations, and my life. This morning, I reflected on my writing and how much I enjoy the practice.  I find it cathartic to write from the heart.  It is no secret that I have done a bit of writing, but that has not always been the case.  I was not the best student in my high school years and I have written about my Senior English teacher Mr. Rose. I am certain that Mr. Rose hated my arrival to his class just as much as I hate going, yet I can recall quite a bit. The class was British Literature and I would almost get hives walking into the building. I did everything but the work, and Mr. Rose knew it. He rode me everyday and grinded my gears about every little thing that I did in that class. Back then, I had a strong dislike for the man. Now, as you may know, I have a tribute to him in my office in the form of a statue of Sisyphus getting help. I think about Mr. Rose everytime I look at that sculpture and I know, he is upstairs wagging his finger at me saying, “I told you so”. He used to drive me crazy with that! I can still picture him in front of the class reading a passage from some book then closing his eyes to let the literature wash over him. In my immaturity, I could never figure it out. Now I get it.  Today, I have a love of reading and writing. I enjoy the art of words and the specific use of aphorisms and euphemism to flavor the work. Mr. Rose is getting the last laugh, and I can hear it. The very long point I am trying to make is that there are students in your classes that you are impacting. You may never know, just as Mr. Rose impacted me, but your impact is registering. Mr. Rose never gave up on me, even though I sometimes gave up on my own abilities. In spite of my horrible petulant classroom behavior, Mr. Rose persevered. As an author, I may own the title of best seller, but Mr. Rose should get the credit. All I can do is look up and apologize for my young self with a thank you in my heart. Every student should be lucky enough to have a Mr. Rose. Have a wonderful weekend. Go BEARS!…RiseUP! (cue "In My Dreams” — REO Speedwagon). 

Until next time...