"Come to the dark side, we have cookies."

I saw this on the t-shirt in Myrtle Beach, SC a few years ago. What does it mean? Well, for some it is taken at face value. It means the rewards come to those who take the low road. However, this could be simply a matter of perspective. Over the last 24 hours, I have learned that the same view can look different when seen from a different set of eyes. What some view as lost, others see as opportunity. What some view as poor, others view as potential.

I am sitting in the dessert in 80 deg. temps in February. Life is not always poolside service, but life is also not always down and out. We have to learn to take the downturns with stride and know that with focus and hard work there will always be time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

In the words of Zig Ziglar: I am doing better than good!

Don't look down in the locker room shower

This is one of those life lessons that it is always good to follow. As we move through life, there are many of these guidelines that help us to avoid awkward situations. So the question is; are you the cool one or the one who creates awkward situations because you do follow man law? Let's find out.

1. There are 5 urinals in the public bathroom. There is one guy at the far left, which one do you use?

2. You are at a social with people and you are unsure of their ideals. What topics of conversation do you avoid?

3. You are in Lowe's home improvement. Do the associates ask if you need help based on your facial expressions/blank stare?

4. What can you cook on a grill?

5. Gas or charcoal?

Now, if you have to ask if you answered correctly, you are a bit of a tool and need to brush up on the basics.

White rappers are not the only ones that go Yo Yo

How many of you have set out on a weight loss plan or exercise plan? Now how many of you have started full speed ahead, then lost your motivation? Or better yet, dropped down to your goal weight, only to gain it back?

There is a good reason that the exercise and weight loss industry is a billion dollar business. Most people cannot commit to a long term lifestyle commitment. They would rather hit their goal as fast as possible, enjoy it for a few weeks, then watch it go away. For this reason, the same people try every new program that comes out.

So , what should you do? Simple. Find an activity that you enjoy and do it. Exercise should not feel like going to work. It should be a way to decompress. I have hit the gym off and on for years, without a real reason. This is a recipe for failure.

I signed up for my first triathlon in March. This will be a sprint distance to get my feet wet, but I am already planning my next race. As a kid, I loved riding my bike. I thought nothing of riding all day during the summer with friends. When I sat on a bike for the first time in November since college, I felt a big smile come on my face. This was not going to be exercise. This was going to fun!

Since I started training for this triathlon, I have found a purpose for exercise. Every day, I wake up looking forward to my workout. So, whether you like tennis, hockey, cycling, breakdancing, or pickle ball, get out and do it. You will enjoy it and find that the results don't vanish once you eat a slice of bread.

Jimmy crack corn, and I don't care. But I smell an intervention

There are countless children's songs that are catchy tunes. However have you listened to the words of these songs? Let's take one as an example. "Jimmy Crack Corn". This is on one of Riley's Disney CDs.

This song dates back to the1840's. It is believed to be a song from the prospective of a slave who's owner has died, potentially from the slave's intentional negligence. So this does not sound too bad so far. After all, I am sure the slave owner had it coming. The name of the song however still raises questions. One explanation is that this "Gimcrack corn" was cheap corn whiskey. So basically, our kids are singing about a slave who neglects his job, kills his master, and then celebrates with a jar of cheap corn whiskey. Moving on.

The next song that came to mind was "Pop Goes the Weasel". No, I am not talking about the early 90's rap group 3rd Bass. This is an English song that dates back to pre-1825. One of the early verses goes:

" Up and down the City Road
In and out the Eagle
That's the way the money goes
Pop! goes the weasel."

The Eagle was a pub north of London. Pop, was a term that referred to pawning. Weasel, was a slang term that referred to a coat or suit.
So the thought is that this song talks about pawning your coat so that you would have enough money to go to the pub.

What I find strange is that the politicly correct groups that "protect our kids", like the geniuses that altered the words of classic Mark Twain novels recently, are not removing all of these songs and rhymes from kids vocabularies. After all, what is the difference between these lyrics and Snoop Dogg sipping on gin and juice?

Baby boom or bust

I was dropping the car off at the shop to have new tires installed. I had Riley with me as Mitsy had a doctor's appointment. As I walked out the door, one of the other clients looks at me and says; "that is what is wrong with people your age. You don't know your roles.".

I did not respond as I should have, but it made me think. The baby boom generation was the sequel to the "greatest generation". The greatest generation were kids of the depression. They were engrained with the ideals of hard work, saving money, and the honor system. What did the boomers give us? Global warming, leveraged investments, increased oil dependency, and suing companies for spilling coffee on themselves.

Now, there are things that the boomers did get right. Me, for example. I am a dad who is comfortable with all of the responsibilities of parenthood. I have and continue to change diapers, dance to silly songs on Disney, go to the park to slide and swing, show how to splash in the bath, and discipline. I am comfortable doing these with or without Mitsy. The sad part is that many boomer men do not understand what it takes to be not just a father but a dad. They saw their fathers as the family provider, that worked all day and came home to a wife that had dinner made, the kids ready for bed, and life was very black and white. This worked. However, for boomers this did not. Families became two income households and the household and kid duties needed to be shared.

I think that it comes down to fathers wanting to be involved. There is nothing better than sharing time with "Monkey". I feel sorry for those men that can't see that this is a privledge not a burden.

Hello, my name is Mitsy, and I am addicted to yard sales.

There are things in life that we do because we have to. Then, there are those things that we secretly love, even if we act like they are a nuisance. About every 6 months, my wife decides she will have a yard sale. When this topic comes up, I flashback to "yard sale people" in your driveway one hour before you are going to start. They hover like vultures to get the first picks. Then they haggle with you over a .50 Christmas ornament.

I remember growing up each Christmas, as a family, we would go select a real tree. Once we got it home, my dad and I would put the tree in the stand and get it level. At this point, my dad would ask my mom to be the judge on which direction the tree needed to be adjusted. For a average size tree this might be an easy process. However, most years we went for a "Griswold" size Christmas Tree. Like clockwork, 15 minutes into the leveling process, Dad would start to get frustrated as the tree was still not set. Mom would respond by saying; "that's it! Next year we are just getting an artificial tree.". To this day, my parents are still buying real Christmas trees.

The point of this is, even the things that we enjoy will test our patience and sanity from time to time. We need to learn to embrace the stress as part of the process.

So as a final tip, Christmas tree will never be level. They are grown on the side of mountains. After a few glasses of egg nog, no one will notice anyway!

Underwear is not the only thing that should be supportive

There is not one time that someone interviewed after a victory does not thank all of those that supported them in their pursuit. No great achievement can be done without support. Those that support us give us the confidence to push beyond where we thought we go.

Mitsy is training for a half marathon. I am extremely proud of her taking on this goal. I plan on being there for support as she is training as well as being there cheering her on at the finish line.

Motivation starts the ball rolling, determination keeping it rolling, but support helps to prevent the ball from rolling back on top of us.