Turn the baby down, I can't hear the TV!

"Forget about the curveball Ricky, give him the heater."

This is one of the great lines from the movie Major League. Life can be like that sometimes. You plan, prepare, and try to anticipate the curves that will come. Then the fast, straight shot down the middle is the one that knocks you out.

Over the last few years I have grown a lot mentally and spiritually. I have always known what is important, but I now believe it, feel it, and have tried hard not to let the world convince me otherwise. To put it simply, I have joy! I still have moods, get frustrated, and loose my head at times, because I am human. 

We have been challenged over the last two months. Linds and I were blessed by the birth of Aubrey in August. Just like Riley, I could not have wished for anything better. Unfortunately, Aubrey has a lot of colic, reflux, etc. that she is having to deal with. This adds to the stress of day to day life, but as with most things, "this too shall pass". I think the most frustrating part is the "noise". Too often people make the mistake of talking rather than listening. When this happens, they either try to relate what you are going through to them, discount the situation by saying it is temporary, or the worse is playing "one up". If I knew a way to block the noise, I don't think the stress would be as high.

It is amazing how hard you have to fight sometimes to keep your joy. Whether it is a fussy baby, more bills than income, trying to stay healthy, or even when someone you count on disappoints. However no matter how stacked the deck can feel, no one can steal my joy without me giving it to them. My joy is firmly rooting in the simple things. My wonderful wife, my amazing girls, the smile on Riley's face as she rode her bike without training wheels for the first time, and the peace I feel every time I stop and listen to what God is trying to tell me.

Everything else is just noise!

Don't Blink

Don’t blink!

 

My little monkey is growing up. Riley started kindergarten this morning. She left the house with a smile that screamed of excitement. For me, it was a flood of emotions.

 I was excited and full of energy and anticipation for her. At the same time, my mind flashed back to a little 8 pound snuggler in footy PJs asleep on my chest. How did this happen? This is just one of many milestones in her life, but it is a big one for me. For almost 6 years, I have created a bubble. I am not overprotective...... However, no one will ever physically or emotionally hurt Riley if I am watching! I have been known to call down bigger kids who are not paying attention in bounce houses J Today, I had to loosen that grip and let her go. I know that she will be fine. Riley is smart, independent, sweet, and thoughtful. My eyes tear up not because I am afraid, but because I know my roll has changed. Riley has confidently taken the next step in her journey and in order to not hold her back, I need to take the next step in mine as well.


"You're beautiful baby from the outside in.
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again.
Go on, take on this whole world.
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl."
--Tim McGraw

 

 

 

Unplugged (It is all the Yeti's fault)

How long has it been since you looked at your phone? For me was about 8:00pm last night. Riley and I were laughing at pictures of a Yeti, when the Yeti got mad. He then jumped from Riley's hand and landed on the floor, cracking my iphone screen as payback for laughing at him. I have to be honest. I was upset. I was very upset. After cooling down, Linds and I sat down to watch a movie and something felt off. My hands felt strange. You see, in the evening after Riley goes to sleep, Linds is either on her phone or computer, and I am on my phone. We are talking, but in a general state of zoning. I am either playing a game, reading an article, or mindlessly checking e-mail, the weather, or scrolling through old pictures.


When did I become addicted to my phone? I got my first Cingular cell phone in 2002 just before Linds and I got married. At that time, I think we had 500 minutes shared between us, no texting, no data, no gps, apps, touch screen, or e-mail. It was a phone, plain and simple. For some reason, over time this has morphed into a devise that if we had to choose, we would rather forget our underwear than forget our phone.

A few years ago, we cut the cord with our house phone. This was a great thing as we never used it, and the only people who would call it were surveys and marketers. In doing so, we became even more reliant on our cell phones.

One reason that I have given for always having my phone is that it keeps me connected. But is that really true? When sitting and waiting, without fail, I reach for my phone. It is a security blanket. It allows me to look occupied. Wouldn't I be more connected if I looked to my left or right and engaged with the person beside me?

The second, very common reason for always having your phone is for emergencies. I think this term has gotten overused. We should really say I have my phone for convenience. There are very few things that qualify as a true emergency. Remembering to run by the grocery store, or letting someone know you are stuck in traffic are not emergencies. If I only used my phone for emergencies, I would not be able to tell you the last time it was used.

Since we do not have a house phone, I know that I cannot be without a phone indefinitely. However, I do think that a fasting period without my phone would be a great way to break the addiction.


So remember, the next time you encounter a Yeti, hold on tightly to your phone and never laugh! It can end badly if you laugh at the Yeti!

The worst 4 letter word............Busy

Are you busy? So many people today are busy. They are going from one thing to another in a constant state of motion. They are working more hours every week, sleeping less, and filing their remaining hours with sports, committees, parties, e-mail, texting, TV, the internet, etc. The list could continue forever.

At what point does being busy, transition from an opportunity for personal growth and the ability to positively impact others, to a negative impact on one's mood, level of stress, their ability to renew, and their personal relationships?

Try to sit down for 5 minutes with no distractions. Turn off your phone, the TV, the radio. Close your door and just sit. ..........................How long could you do this without looking at the clock, the pile of work that needs to be addressed, or the mental list that you started making? I am guessing you did not make it to 5 minutes. If you did, Great!!

The clutter and stuff in our lives keeps us busy. We fill our lives with possessions, e-mail, apps on our phones, TV, this meeting and that committee, and all the while dream of the moment that we have a few minutes (5 minutes) of quiet.

I would guess that if you were to ask any group of people if they would like to have 30 minutes more everyday to spend just playing with their kids or connecting with their spouse or significant other, they would all say yes. So why don't they? Say NO. Say no to your phone, to the mindless shows on TV, to the shopping trips that fill our closets with more, to the weeks packed full of nights working late, and to the time living up to other's expectations.

Take your shoes off and pick up a book, go for a walk, play a game with your kids and breath in the peace and simplicity of being.

Can you hear that song in my head?

I always have a song in my head. I am either humming it, singing it, or bobbing my head to it. Almost everyday, I walk into work singing something. I am thankful that I have a diverse taste in music, as the song is always different. This morning It was The Who. Yesterday, it was Alan Jackson. Monday, I believe it was Carrot Car (This is a Riley original). I find that on the days when I have a song in my head, my day has a rhythm. I tend to start and move through my day with a smile when I have this rhythm.

In writing this, I got to thinking. I am not a very serious person. Big surprise, right? Since you can find anything on Google, I found a 8 question quiz on “how serious are you?”. When I clicked results, here is what came back:

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♥Goof♥

You're a total goof! You laugh at everything and you make the best out of bad situations by cracking a joke. Barely anything is ever serious. And you probably don't get mad too much. You just enjoy making people laugh.

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HA! This is right on point. If you are interested, here is the link to the quiz. 

 

http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/cSvy2V/How-Serious-are-you

Now that I have come to grips with the fact that I am not serious, I will go back to singing the current song in my head. “I’m in a carrot carrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,  OH YEA!”

"Daddy, is Jublia right for me?...........But how do you know? You are not my doctor."

BIGGGGGG STRETCHHHHHHHHH......AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH It feels good to be back. I have not blogged since the last time.

Life has been good.

We have a new baby due in August, Riley starts kindergarten in July, and the weather is warming up, which means beach time is almost here. Life is full and satisfying.

It has been about 2 years since we started to live more simply. Like any change in life, it has been eye opening and sometimes challenging. When you begin the process of pairing down, there is this sense of fear and anxiety.  What if I need this in the future? What if I get rid of this and "later" really miss having it, but I can't replace it? The funny part is that none of these fears have come true. Life is happier, less stressful, and more satisfying with less stuff. We are still continuing to reduce slowly and being trying to be more intentional about what we purchase. We completed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University this spring, and are currently going through a weekly class on spiritual parenting. Both of these classes have allowed Linds and I to further strengthen our connection and communication with each other.

We have also started to make an effort to only have the TV on if there is a specific show we want to watch. If you are like us, too often the TV would be turned on for the news. But, then it would remain on through 2,3,or 4 programs that we did not care about. We would half watch while cooking, doing homework, talking, etc. Unfortunately, if we are honest, multi tasking is the art of doing multiple things in a unfocused mediocre way. We are not giving our full attention to the one thing that is really important.

Last night, the TV was on, and during a commercial Riley says, "Daddy, is Jublia right for me?" "What? No", I respond being a bit confused by the question. "But how do you know? you are not my doctor". Then I realize that a drug commercial for toenail fungus was on TV! Granted, it was hilarious, but this confirmed the decision that less TV will be a good thing!