Not sure why, but I never thought I would make it this far.  I mean, fifty years.  Doesn’t make sense to be quite honest.  I look in the mirror and what I see doesn’t match the way I feel.  I can say however, the last few years of my forties were some of the best years of my life.  Right now, as the country seems to be falling apart before our very eyes, I truly could not be happier.  I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty about that either.  I am getting in better shape, eating right, exercising, have only had a few drinks in the last year, all with one goal in mind.  I want the next fifty to be even better than the first.  I am living proof that life is indeed good.

You already know this through the magic of advertising.  Phones, coffee makers, cars, watches, televisions, and dare I say it, books.  Everything seems to now come with “Smart” on the box or in the description.  All this technology, or smartness seems to be coming at a cost however.  People stare into their phone for hours on end but have trouble naming the capital of the state in which they live.  Instead of understanding the toil a craftsmen goes through to create something, it is easier to just U-Tube or P-trest the outcome.  Sometimes the satisfaction in completing or accomplishing something is tied directly to the difficulty and pain it took to get there.  Attention spans and patience in people are slipping away as each generation is born.  Are our tools becoming smarter than we are?  Are we relying on our tools to the tipping point of actually using less of our brains and bodies than we already were to begin with?  Look around and take detailed notice of what is happening to society.  A smart car does nothing to help the driver drive better, that only comes with practice and paying attention.  A smart phone makes a call no different than a pay phone, but when was the last time you saw one of those?  Am I bitter?  Far from it.  I think all this development and technology is nothing short of amazing, but I personally feel it is time we all start being a little more responsible with it.  It really doesn’t matter what the capital of the state you live in is, outside of a geography exam.  That is, until someone asks you at a party while surrounded by friends.  Can you see the looks and muffled laughter?  Work to become a smart human that relies a little less on the tools.  #WednesdayWisdom #Thoughts #CYOWB #Trivia

I don’t care if you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent voter like me.  I have been asked by some this very question while others have said to me they don’t vote because they don’t know how.  Before the blood pressure rises, read on.  I’m by no means advocating any party or ballot initiative.  First of all, as an Army veteran, I believe the right way to vote if you qualify and are properly registered, is to cast a ballot in every election you can.  Not everyone in the world has that right and many are still fighting for the right to vote as we speak.  Women have only had the right to vote in the United States since 1920 if you can believe that.  So that is why I say, if you can, then do.

The right way to vote takes some time.  It  is a big responsibility that should be taken seriously.   Carve out a little time before election day to educate yourself on the candidates and their views, goals, promises and history.  Decide ahead of time if you are one that votes straight down your party line or vote for those that line up with your beliefs and compass.  Call up a group of friends to meet up and have a discussion about the propositions being put forth in your district and state.  Read the fine print at the end of those television commercials to see who’s paying for them.  Google those names and see what they are about and if they are in line with your views than vote accordingly.  Go to the polling place near you and get in line.  Get your ballot, enter the booth and follow the directions.  The actual process is quite easy.  Be ready for a lot of people to be hanging around the polling place trying to sway you to vote the way they want you to.  Vote for this guy or that lady and vote yes on Prop whatever because those choices benefit me.  Every ad I see that is attacking a candidate or proposition makes me ask myself “I wonder what is in it for them”?  When I was a kid we had a mock-election in school, teaching us how to vote.  Not just the physical act of voting, but all that should lead up to it.  Now that is some education we need more of.

I have heard so many people say “This election is the most important one we have ever faced”.  I’m not sure what makes this one any more important than previous or future elections being that they are all important.  In my past I have gone into the booth feeling angry and have voted for anyone that was not currently holding office. I have thought for years that there needs to be term limits in the Congress and Senate and although some of my friends disagree with some of my views, we know that it is okay to disagree about some things and still be friends.  I find it funny when you find yourself in a political conversation with someone only to find out they didn’t even vote.  If you have an opinion, which most Americans do, then exercise your right’s and vote.  JO.

#Vote #GetOutAndVote #YourVoteCounts #TermLimits #MyAumakua #NoVoteNoComplaints #Sufferage #1920

Over the last few months I have been at a loss for words.  I am not sure what to call it, or if I need to call it anything.  A writer might call it “writers block”.  Well, with all the follow-up questions and the details needed when one states they are a “writer” I’ll pass on calling my case “writers block”.  I do have a self-published book, “My Aumakua” as well as a self-published pamphlet “Can’t Sell, Can Sell” both available on Amazon (Never miss an opportunity to plug).  I am also working on a second novel titled “Scraping Bottom” and a few movie screenplays, as well as this blog.  I still don’t feel I qualify as a writer as it is not my profession.  I don’t answer “surfer” when someone asks “So, what do you do”?  I can’t put a name on my difficulty in coming up with new words partly because I feel like my wheels are all pulling in different directions.  Has something like this ever happened to you?

I have a lot of things I want to get done and I have realized that the problem I may be having is that I am not making the time to check them off the list.  It’s not a matter of not having the time, but making the time.  My good friend is on a journey within himself right now and he has ignited a few fires in me through his seemingly  inexhaustible energy to get focused and true my aim.  (Check out his website here: http://www.built4surf.com )  The equation I gave him in one of our discussions about the time I have in a day is this: (Family)+(Income)+(Personal Goals)=33+33+33=99.99% of the day. Like everyone who read that, including myself, I know that it’s not that simple.  Those three variables are ever changing and being adjusted, ebbing and flowing, if you will.

So where does that leave me?  Well, I’ve written this which I can tell you was about as hard as getting off the couch after work, putting my running shoes on and going for a run.  Not very easy, but actually, not that hard.  I guess sometimes you just have to get off your ass and lace those things up, whatever they may be.

There has been a lot of talk recently about the large amount of single use plastic that is ending up in landfills and worse, in the ocean.  They say the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” (terrible name) is now the size of France, yes, the country of France.  Cities, counties, states, provinces, and even some countries are starting to pass laws banning things like plastic grocery bags, drinking straws, and many other single use items.  If you have been just slightly connected over the last few years, all of that is not breaking news to you.  My take on this plastic and garbage problem is possibly a little different.  I feel like we are blaming the bag when we should be blaming the carrier of the bag.  We humans created the bag.  We created the technology to mass produce the bag, the straw, the toothpaste cap, the water bottle, but failed to think long term.  We have also trained our future generations to think of these items as “throw away” trash.  All I have to do is throw it “away” and it is now out of sight and out of mind.  Where exactly is ‘away”?  Do you know?  Seems to me, “away” is the middle of the ocean.

Driving in to work this morning I found myself behind a guy who’s definition of “away” seems to be “out the car window”.  A steady stream of trash was being tossed out his window as I followed.  It looked like the plastic wrappers that help preserve doughnuts or bear claws, possibly some other form of junk food.  I guess he didn’t want the wrappers in his car once he finished and instead of taking the items to a trash receptacle it was just as easy to just throw it out the window, throw it away.  Are we now that lazy that we don’t think about the long term?  Do we not care what our neighborhood looks like?  Do we not care about our neighbors that will eventually have to pick that trash up for you?  Has society learned to be so wasteful and lazy that we no longer hold each other accountable for things like this?  Look, some of these items have been developed so we can enjoy food and drink items keeping them from spoiling.  Straws keep lipstick and cold sores off the edge of cups and glasses.  Pick up the bear claw, change your mind, put it back, no harm done.  It seems to be the follow through some of us are missing.  Now we (humans) are all running around trying to figure out how to clean up the mess we created over the last 50 years.  I still haven’t heard of any real solutions for the single use plastics still being consumed on a daily basis.  All it takes is the sight of one homeless guy taking a shower in the public water fountain and I am at 7-11 buying a plastic bottle of water.  So, here we are, problem identified, solution is what?

Coincidentally, this guy threw the trash out of his car while sitting at a stoplight where the Los Angeles County Landfill sits across the street.  As “advanced” as our society supposedly is, you would think things like this would not be a problem.  In the 70’s there was a television commercial of a Native American man looking over a landscape with trash all over it, he turned to the camera with a tear sliding down his face.  That commercial is 40 years old.  Lazy or careless?  You decide.

#suituptocleanup #5minbeachcleanup #StopSucking #ReduceResuseRecycle

I don’t get a lot of free time during weekdays when my brain is most active.  Like most, I have to use my brain at work all day leaving little room for anything “creative”.  Don’t get me wrong, I have to be very creative while working to handle certain situations or issues to keep the business running smooth and the people as happy as I can.  The creativity I am speaking of is the side of my brain that has a dream, a goal or three, and the planning involved to make them happen.  Most people who know me, know that I like to write.  Writing takes time and a lot of creativity.  It seems I am most creative when I am in the shower, driving in traffic, during my workout, and any other time where stopping to jot down some notes is extremely difficult.  I have thought about using a recorder but haven’t pulled the trigger on that yet.  When I get home from work each day, it seems my brain goes into “quiet mode” for a little while.  What am I going to do?

This post is more a case of me venting rather than looking for answers.  I think I know what the answers are and that I need to make them happen if I am going to make my goals and dreams a reality.  I guess I just need to hear it from myself in my own voice.  I need to work smarter AND harder if these things I want to happen are going to happen.  The above makes sense, but it is also an excuse, and I really don’t like excuses.  I’m just making sure something might happen.

Some time ago I was in a place in my life where a television was more than a luxury.  So, I had to cut the cord and stop watching.  This decision was made mainly because I was in the Army, as well as working a part time job so all my money went to food, rent and beer (not necessarily in that order) while stationed in Hawaii.  Cable television was not in the budget.  A side effect of this was that I quickly noticed my demeanor and overall attitude began to change… for the better.  I was still able to get news and current events on my computer so I was not completely disconnected.  I could pick and choose what was relevant to me, or just skip much of it all together and do something else.  Can you do this on your television, sure you can, but I find, in my opinion, that most people are creatures of habit and tend to turn on the same type of programming on a daily basis.  I also found that I was no longer wasting large blocks of time, sitting on my butt in front of the TV.  I was forced, in a sense, to get out of the house and do something.  More often than not however, I found I would pick up a book and read which lead to me being a little more rested and a little more sharp in wit.  On the rare day off I almost always woke up with a plan to go someplace and spend the day.  When a close friend of mine found out I had done this, he bought me a sticker, which is still on an indestructible suitcase I have, which reads “Kill Your TV”.  He also gave me another sticker which is on the same suitcase that reads “Save The World, win valuable prizes” which highlighted his awesome sense of humor.  I look at that period of time in my life as one where I grew quite a bit in mind and soul.

What is my point you may be wondering? I think we advanced and modern people,  are spending way too much time looking at screens, and not enough time walking around, looking around, reading, writing.  I think we are missing a lot of wonderful things, including interacting positively with one another.  We worry so much about getting the video, that we miss making the memory, or worse, helping someone in need.  It has been called progress but it sure feels like retrogression.

These thoughts are mine and influenced by no one.

I see more moments in time and media where I think to myself (and now you) “What were you thinking”!  It amazes me, quite often, what politicians, sports figures, celebrities, and those on news shows (I can’t find my way to say “Journalist” anymore) are willing to say to the public, or in this day, the world.  The first amendment gives us, in the United States, the right to free speech.  The first amendment however does not absolve you of the consequences of your words.  My point is this; What happened to “If you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say it at all'”?  When did everyone get so ugly to one another?  So many hide behind the monitor and their keyboard and say so many nasty things to people they will never know.   Someone in New Jersey can insult someone in Barcelona, whom they never met, with nothing more than a keystroke. When the CB radio craze was going on in the 70’s and 80’s the FCC was all about people being respectful over the radio waves.  Well, they all found a way to circumnavigate the rules and laws and make the CB (Citizens Band) not only obsolete, but obscene.  Today, someone in Europe can say whatever they want to say about someone in India, instantly.  A student can say something about another student at their same school and it hurts locally, and global, in an instant, worldwide, “viral” WORLDWIDE.

I am not saying there should be some sort of regulation on speech.  Free speech, and press, is the backbone of a truly free society, those that agree with the message and those that do not have an equal share. Teach everyone tolerance and acceptance, then  have a debate.   Teach how to understand someone’s alternative position.   So someone disagrees with you, well, give it a think before bashing.  I think the regulation, if any, might need to be at home.  It is not okay to “bash” or “hate” on others over “social media” (In quotes because social media is anything but social)  just because you can hide behind the wall, that is your screen.  I guess my thought is this, if you can’t or won’t say it directly to someone’s face, then don’t say it.  You can also do what I do, give it a few minutes, hours or days and then decide if it is worth putting out onto the world wide web, permanently. You can also choose to be a good person.  Choose to help, or lend a hand.  Choose to be positive and not negative.   Choose to be good.

How is something so important thought about so little?  When you say the word bridge what usually comes to mind is some grand structure like the Golden Gate Bridge or The Brooklyn Bridge, right?  You hardly notice all the much smaller bridges you cross over on a daily basis that allow you to glide over some small stream or even over other roads.  How many bridges do you cross on a daily basis that make life so much quicker, easier and more comfortable?

There are other types of bridges we build and cross over in life, not just the ones on our commute throughout our countries infrastructure.  The many relationship bridges are just as important as the ones we drive or walk over.  Some are big and grand and others small but just as important.  You know, the kind of bridge others will advise you to not burn down or close off.  We are fortunate today that we have so many different ways to keep our personal and professional bridges open and fire free.  Keeping in contact with an old sales representative or maybe an Army buddy with a simple email or message on social media helps.  Seeing that you will be at the same trade show at the same time as an old boss or mentor and getting together for a cold one helps.  Have a few bridges you burnt by accident?  Someone else or some misunderstood situation light the match?  It’s never too late to begin the process of rebuilding.  Be ready though, bridge building can take quite a long time.  In fact, sometimes you start building a bridge from both sides of the gap and something goes wrong and you wind up not meeting in the middle like you planned.  That’s life.  Bridges are not permanent however.  They have to be cared for and maintained.  It takes one full year to paint the Golden Gate Bridge.  Then they go to the other side and start all over again.  Bridges with colleagues and friends have to be maintained as well.  Like the car you drive the effort and expense in maintenance pays off in the long run.

Think about all the bridges that enhance your life in some way.  If you think your commute is long now, just imagine if you had to go around all those obstacles instead of gliding over them.

To get from San Francisco to Sausalito takes about 15 minutes without traffic.  No Golden Gate Bridge and you are looking at 3 hours or more.

UPDATE:

This past weekend, a weekend Fernando had off from his racing duties for Formula One, he decided to go and race in France at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Fernando’s team won the overall race.  This is one more jewel in the triple crown of Auto Racing.  All he has left to do is win the Indianapolis 500 and he will have done what only three other drivers in history have been able to do.  See what I mean?

 

One of my favorite sports to watch is Formula One auto racing.  I can’t do it, but I sure enjoy watching the different teams travel all over the world to race in the fastest, most agile, and technologically advanced machines ever made.  The logistics alone to get all of the assets required at every race must be enormously complicated, not to mention, expensive.  The drivers, especially the ones who have won the world title, are paid quite handsomely for putting their live’s on the line twice a month for 8 months of the year.  Most of the drivers seem to reside in Monte Carlo.

One of my favorite drivers is a man named Fernando Alonso who hails from Spain.  Fernando has won two Formula 1 world championships.  He has also raced in the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 hours of Daytona, and numerous other races and styles of racing.  Fernando said once that he feels like he is the luckiest man alive because he loves what he does, is challenged everyday and makes a good living doing it.  His passion is so far above the money, I believe he would be racing for half the pay.  The guy truly loves racing which is why he can be seen racing different types of cars that all require different types of fitness and disciplines all year long, even when Formula 1 is off for their break.  He is one of, if not the most passionate racing drivers I have ever witnessed.  This is what we all strive for, is it not?  To have that level of passion with whatever it is we are doing to make our living.

Do you have that level of passion?  If someone asked you the question “If you could do anything, your dream job or career, anything, what would you be doing”?

How would you answer?

#BeLikeFernandoAlonso #RealizeYourDream #Passion #MakeYourDreamComeTrue #MakeMyBookAMovie #MyAumakua #Read #Write