Chuck’s World

Dear God,

Help me remember that the jerk who cut me off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help me to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can’t make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind me, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that I can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help me to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking my shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind me each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those that are close to us, but to all humanity.

Let me be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

Today our family had a great time supporting Brittany and her team. We saw some instances with parents of other teams bad mouthing refs and making negative comments, but nothing too bad. However we heard, while we were gone on break, that some parents in another game had to be taken away by the police because they were out of control. I don’t understand this kind of attitude in professional sports, but I sure don’t understand it in 10 - 14 year old soccer leagues. Apparently, it is a bigger problem than I imagined. Just what are people thinking?

Another thing we saw is that the tournament had to have field marshals out monitoring the crowd to make sure people weren’t drinking and partying while the kids were playing. I have never been one to judge people for drinking, but do people really think taking their children to a soccer game coincides with having a few beers?!?

I am not a perfect parent or person by any means, but I can’t imagine what the children of the above parents felt like. I sure hope it is something my kids never see out of me.

Brittany’s team played great today!

They won the first game. Unfortunately, they got beat by one point in the second game. However, they came back to win the third 2 - 0. We are awaiting word to see if this was enough to get them in the playoffs.

Go girls!

Brittany’s team won their first game though!

JOB TITLE: Parent

POSITION : Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma, Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :

Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :

None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :

None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :

Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

About five years ago, I began to feel older than my years and I found out I had a condition called Psoriatic Arthritis. Who would have ever thought that something that made me scratch my head could make me feel so bad. Hopefully, all the other things that make me scratch my head don’t have the same affect.

Needless to say, I quickly got out of the habit of following the below principles and exacerbated the problem. So, I think I am going to take a lot of what Gretchen says and add it to what I have already change in my life. It’s not easy though! I have felt tired and weary the last couple of weeks and have been really busy, so I haven’t exercised as much as I should. I don’t feel good, so I don’t exercise. However, I know if I exercise, I would feel better.

A vicious cycle it can be…

The post below is from The Happiness Project.

Six tips to prepare yourself for a vigorous, healthy old age.

“Old age ain’t no place for sissies,” H. L. Mencken proclaimed.

We all want to be energetic and pain-free for our whole lives, but just watching how older people walk down the street (or are pushed in a wheelchair) is a reminder of how differently people age.

Some people look great and move easily; other people who are about the same age are obviously frail.

One of my happiness-project resolutions is to take steps now that will lay the groundwork for my life decades from now. Studies show that even modest changes can have a dramatic effect on health and longevity.

Here are six tips I follow that will, I hope, set me up to be strong and healthy in my old age:

1. Exercise regularly. There are different theories to explain why aerobic exercise promotes brain regeneration and wards off decline, but for whatever reason, it does have that effect.

2. Yoga. Falls are a major danger to older adults, and working on flexibility and balance means that we’re less likely to fall.

3. Strength-training. We naturally lose muscle as we age, and working out with weights helps offset that process. I started working out with weights fairly recently, and I’ve been astounded by the difference it has made in my body. I thought I was one of those people who just couldn’t develop muscles; turns out I was one of those people who didn’t have a very effective exercise regimen.

4. Wear sunscreen every day. Dermatologists agree that this is the best way to ward off wrinkles. (Okay, this is about vanity, not frailty, but still important to me.)

5. Floss and go to the dentist. My father is haunted by a line from the movie “Peggy Sue Got Married,” when one character remarks that she wished she’d taken better care of her teeth. I hate to admit this, but I’ve always been pretty lax about tooth-care, beyond brushing — but I’ve reformed.

6. Act happy, be happy. Montaigne observed, “It seems to me that in old age our souls are subject to more troublesome ailments and weaknesses than in youth.” No one wants to age into a querulous, isolated person. Being happy is a safeguard against many ills. Having fun, making time for friends, and keeping up with family traditions are important steps to happiness now and forever.

I don’t need to quit smoking, take blood pressure medication, lose a bunch of weight, or keep my cholesterol down, but these are obviously important steps to take if necessary.

A key to all these steps is being able to stick to your resolutions. If keeping resolutions is a challenge, you might be interested in this post.

I’m sure there are many other things I should do…any suggestions?

A good friend of mine, Kelly Brooks, has been a great encourager for me to keep updating my blog. I get reminded, bluntly sometimes , when I haven’t written a new post. She really has inspired me to take it a step further.

Another friend, JC Howell, keeps pulling me up by my bootstraps, whenever I am showing my self doubt. He has become a great friend. He also help me setup the space for this new site.

My family has also encouraged me to continue to express my thoughts, feelings and imagination in some form. Debbie, my children, my parents and her parents have always been great sources of strength, encouragement and support. They always believe in me even when I don’t believe in myself.

So, I hereby dedicate this new look for my site to all of you.

Thanks for your encouragement, but most of all for your love and friendship!

Blessings and happiness to you all!

Chuck