I have reunited with some of my past and have been reminded of some of my own “crossroads” and how the decisions may have changed where I am today. 

For instance, I stole a pack of gum when I was five years old. Or, at least tried to steal it. I got caught by my mother. Interestingly, stealing gum is very common…. (read here: We’ve all stolen gum). I took the path of least resistance and slipped a pack of gum in my pocket rather than asking my Mom to buy me a pack. When she caught me, she could have shrugged, disciplined me and left since she only found out about the gum after we left the store. Instead, she did the “hard thing” and dragged me in to apologize to the store manager. I wonder what would have happened she too, decided to take the easy route.

Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking.  There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.  ~J.C. Watts

Then comes a big decision in High School. It wasn’t “Should I do drugs, drink or have sex?” I was very square and a pretty straight-laced student. I was quiet, obedient, and a little wacky. The big decision was “Should I NOT try out for my dream of being a Drum Major for our band?”I know…..lame, geeky, bizarre.

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing.” George Bernard Shaw

I wanted to not try and just have the outcome be what I feared it would be if I tried for it. My sister Lynn, normally very quiet - yelled at me and told me that I would regret NOT trying more than I would regret trying and failing. My friends were all supportive as well, but the unusual behavior from my sister made me listen more. I remember realizing that she made a sacrifice and did not let me “go gentle into that goodnight”.

 I made Drum Major and so did my best friend Kathey. Had I not tried, I would have never tried for anything worth trying for in my life. I know this because I still remember the courage and humiliation that day with sweat running off my fingers and doubt running through my mind.   That same queasy feeling occurs in my adult life when I want something badly enough…and I push that envelope to avoid regret.

Had I not tried then, I would have never have been brave enough to be a Voice-Over Artist.

One year later, I suffered a major blow to my ego and failed. My freshman year in college I tried out for band, and was rejected. Yep….rejected. No problem. No therapy needed!

Now that I’m older, the crossroads are much more complicated and not always met with 100% successful outcomes. There is sacrifice, disappointment and heartache.

Do I have regret? That’s a tough question.

I promise myself to always try my best to follow the truth in my heart avoid the path of least resistance as it normally leads to an outcome that is regrettable and mediocre…at best.

Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Anyway, I found this video and also found the artist…..(Comedian, Musician and Voice) Kip Addotta. Very Cool Vlogger. At the bottom of this post, I included one of his “Coffee with Kip” episodes.

I used to listen to a cassette tape over and over and over again on vacation in the Virgin Islands. We stayed at a house with a name. Notre Ciel This was back when vacation was an annual event with the parents…rather than a wistful memory. I have visited the house and the islands in my adult life a couple of times, but my “Wet Dreams” were in the days of my youth. I know I have pictures but will pretend I couldn’t find them so you never see me with braces.

It was April the forty-first
Being a quadruple leap year
I was driving in downtown Atlantis
My barracuda was in the shop
So I was in a rented stingray
And it was overheating

So I pulled into a Shell Station
They said I’d blown a seal
I said, “Fix the damn thing
And leave my private life out of it
Okay pal?”

While they were doing that
I walked over to a place called the Oyster Bar, a real dive
But I knew the owner
He used to play for the Dolphins
I said “Hi Gil”
You have to yell, he’s hard of herring

Think I had a wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh
Wet dream

Gil was also down on his luck
Fact is he was barely keeping his head below water
I bellied up to the sandbar
He poured me the usual

Rusty snail, hold the grunion
Shaken not stirred
With a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich on the side
Heavy on the mako

I slipped him a fin
On porpoise
I was feeling good
I even dropped a sand dollar in the box for Jerry’s squids
For the halibut

Well the place was crowded
We were packed in like sardines They were all there to listen to the big band sounds of Tommy Dorsal
What sole

Tommy was rockin’ the place with a very popular tuna
Salmon Chanted Evening
And the stage was surrounded by screaming groupers
Probably there to see the bass player

One of them was this cute little yellowtail
And she’s giving me the eye
So I figured this is my chance for a little fun
You know, piece of Pisces

But she said things I just couldn’t fathom
She was too deep, seemed to be under a lot of pressure
Boy, could she drink
She drank like a . . .
She drank a lot

I said “What’s your sign”
She said “Aquarium”
I said “Great, let’s get tanked”

Think I had a wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh
Wet dream

I invited her to my place for a midnight bait
I said “Come on baby, it’ll only take a few minnows”
She threw me that same old line
“Not tonight, I gotta haddock”

And she wasn’t kidding either
Cause in came the biggest, meanest looking haddock
I’d ever seen come down the pike
He was covered with mussels

He came over to me and said
“Listen, shrimp, don’t you come trollin’ around here”
What a crab
This guy was steamed
I could see the anchor in his eyes

I turned to him, I said
“A-balone, you’re just being shellfish”
Well, I knew it was going to be trouble and so did Gil
‘Cause he was already on the phone to the cods

The haddock hits me with a sucker punch
I catch him with a left hook
He eels over
It was a fluke but there he was
Lying on the deck, flat as a mackerel
Kelpless

I said “Forget the cods Gil
This guy’s gonna need a sturgeon”
Well, the yellowtail was impressed with the way I landed her boyfriend
She came over to me, she said
“Hey, big boy, you’re really a game fish
What’s your name”
I said “Marlin”

Think I had a wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh
Wet dream

Well, from then on we had a whale of a time
I took her to dinner, I took her to dance
I bought her a bouquet of flounders
And then I went home with her
And what did I get for my trouble
A case of the clams

Think I had a wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh

Wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh

Wet dream
Cruisin’ thru the Gulf Stream
Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh

Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. (courtesy of quoteland.com
-Frederick Buechner

No…..I’m not broke, or not any more broke than everyone trying to raise children, work, and balancing life issues… I forgot my cards and ID at home in Mancos (27 miles away). No biggy….

But, this particular day had been stressful…yes-I had some drama. When I left home to pick up my children, my mind was engaged in the day…the month…. I wasn’t suffering, just deep in thought and somewhat anxiously melancholy (if that’s possible).

I decide to drive into town before picking up my daughter from pre-school since it was a long trip and it’s safer to keep her there…Especially in the fall where the top of the hour is Deer o’clock and the bottom, Elk Thirty. I looked at the clock and thought “okay, four o’clock. That gives me enough time to go and come back…no problem.” Then I get in my car, press the range button to determine how many miles I can go before I run out of gas…figuring I want to get it in Durango because it’s cheaper there than Mancos…. I had 50 miles based on my average fuel economy. Good to go! I had my coffee, my phone and ….obviously left my head up my arse again

I get to the Park where my youngest son was and saw nobody….just the lonely field with leaves blowing and …..nothing.

I thought to myself ………………………………….”Oh No!”

I had been following the news of the 6 year old boy abducted from Nevada and  knew that normally the child never gets home….and thought it was happening. My oldest son and I walked around the park, looked everywhere. Went through the nearby school and didn’t know where he would be. Wondering, where would he have gone? How long was he alone? When did his friends leave? Did I just miss the abduction?

“Stealthy Lizard” sitting in a life sized Jeep at his Dad’s work last month.

Suddenly, I see him sitting on a park bench with his friends getting ready for cake still celebrating the birthday party. Nonchalantly saying “Hi mom.” when I came to him.  Apparently the boys were shooting rockets and landed one on the roof of the adjacent school. The Mom and boys tried to find a way to retrieve it through the school…and we just missed the pack of kids…over and over and over again.

Now…it’s 5:17 and pre-school closes at 5:30. I’m out of gas and 30 miles away. So….pre-school got the “gonna be late” call and I drive get gas……and no money.

So, My oldest and I dug for “silver change” and came up with a $5.00 and voila…..we had enough $ to get home. Not as needy as we looked. Especially since Mom had to turn the car around because she drove up on the wrong side of the pump…..AGAIN!

But this couple….kind hearted and generous….unpretentious and warm…gave me the gas left prepaid that they said “wouldn’t fit” in their tank. The gentleman said, “We all have been there”. And I was stunned, dumfounded, only vaguely hearing myself saying “Thank you so much….” and wanting to start crying. It wasn’t the money I needed-it was the kindness. It made me feel like everything was going to be all right….and that life is just a series of very special moments.

They didn’t know that. They may have just thought that I looked haggared and tired and …stressed and needed the money, maybe? Since I am normally “together” and appear “competent”, I am not a recipient of charity-so I don’t know what they saw. But it felt good to receive the kindness and concern of another person. It taught me something….it meant something…

Maybe that couple will run across this post and contact me so I can pay them back and thank them properly.

Joe Nichols - If Nobody Believed In You

Maybe you know this, maybe you don’t… (If you do-it’s time for a hobby!):)

Each year, I celebrate October 10th as my Official “Happy Day”. This started in my college days, my Sophomore year to be exact. I lived at an address “1010 Philadelphia Street”, and enjoyed a beautiful fall day sitting on my window sill in the Round Room of “The Castle” (nickname of the aprtment) enjoying the beautiful air of Fall. Good things happened that Fall. Some bad, but inside my soul-good things happened. I learned that “I am” meant exactly that. Sometimes I don’t always exactly know who that is, but know my dreams are alive and unique and….mine.

So…on this October 10th, I find myself very introspective and “at peace”. I hope you are enjoying the same. I’ve been taking some pics.The mountain view is today from my deck, and the river is from a walk I took a few days ago in Durango - on the hike bike patch.I absolutely love the fall!

I read an interesting and telling post today from one of the forums I monitor. It was very telling of the differences in perceptions about our industry.It made me wonder how many people withhold helping thinking that helping another talent will reduce the success of their own freelance business?

Here is an excerpt of the post:

“It’s a tough market to break into, and I find that most of the other voice talents out there aren’t quick to give advice to new comers like you and me.  Some do and others will just ignore you.  I suppose that’s about par for the course for any professional endeavor though.

I’ve been monitoring this site for a while now and have picked up some pretty good stuff, but like I said, only a few will actually sit down and answer your questions.”

Ironically, one of my favorite blogs to follow had a related topic up for discussion today:

Success Isn’t a Competition: Boosting Others Helps You in the Long Run

Excerpt from the post “By freeing yourself from the bounds of competition, you free yourself to help others, even if they might be competitors. And in doing so, you gain relationships, and those can be amazingly valuable — in terms of having great friends, and maybe gaining something in the long run. Friends, of course, are much, much more than what they might give you (and you shouldn’t make friends because they might give you something), but you can see the point: it certainly doesn’t hurt you to help others. ” (read entire post here)

I would love to hear from you if you need help, or if you have a comment or opinion on the subject.

Here is my somewhat related video. Well, the title is related, but the rest is just plain old cute!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

(The information posted below has not been confirmed, fact checked, or politically “Correctified” )

I’m against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

So divide 200 million adults 18+  into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college – it’ll be there
Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car – create jobs
Invest in the market – capital drives growth
Pay for your parent’s medical insurance – health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+  including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it….instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 (’vote buy’ ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG – liquidate it.
Sell off its parts.
Let American General go back to being American General.
Sell off the real estate.
Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t.

Sure it’s a crazy idea that can ‘never work.’

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC

And remember, this plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

PS:  Feel free to pass this along to your pals as its either good for a laugh or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

Let’s hear from Uncle Jay on the current Economy.

In the meantime, I thought the scenery should change with a new reader feed for your reading pleasure. I found a new Gig Feed. It’s not as robust as my personal feed, but it may help those who need it!

(#59592) | HTML | Generated on 09/24/2008 -->

Get this widget!

A virtual Easter egg is an intentional hidden message or feature in an object such as a movie, book, CD, DVD, computer program, or video game. The term draws a parallel with the custom of the Easter egg hunt observed in many western nations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_(virtual)

Google Tricks, Hacks and Easter Eggs….hmmm?

Easter, also known as Pascha, is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. This year the Equinox fell on March 20th.

This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people
used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

If Easter seems to be a little early this year, it’s because it is only the second earliest date it can be based on the Hebrew dating. This year marks the earliest we’ve seen Easter celebrated in 95 years.

This YouTube is a serious depiction of Good Friday.

I’m writing today about something most of us have done done, usually both in life and in our careers. There is a reason for the timing of my writing since we are coming to a Holiday weekend. A time where we juggle more and an opportunity for either work or personal promises are forgotten or dropped.

Perhaps when you have “dropped the ball” you felt a little something like the guy above….becoming someone else or a shell of someone else when attempting to recover the “drop”.

You may be tempted to devise some little lie….. or even a large fabrication to pass the blame on to someone else or some situation that deemed you blameless. This turns your human error into an intentional act of deceit and usually doesn’t sit well with either you or the person who suffered your fumble.If they believe you, you achieve only that lie. If they don’t believe you, you lose trust forever. In either situation, you learn nothing.

Good?Evil?

OR

There is a vast difference between feeling like a failure, and actually being one.
-Brian G. Jett

If you want to do the right thing it’s best to be honest.

Believe it or not, there is a wrong way to do the right thing. There is an etiquette to follow.

Neglecting to apologize….(Or, neglecting to apologize properly)-Admitting you were to blame for an error is a great thing, but if you neglect to apologize for it you may send the message that you don’t care about the damage it caused. “I’m Sorry” or “I Apologize” say to a person that you did not intend to cause any negative consequence.

It is very important that you are sincere with your apologies. Saying,

“Hey, Sorry I missed the deadline. I’ll git ya caught up right now!”,

is NOT an apology.

It says,

“I don’t care that you were inconvenienced”

“I don’t need your forgiveness”.

It also implies that it can and probably will happen again.

I found a terrific site on the “Art of Apology”. Perfect Apology

This site goes into detail on the best way to apologize.

It is a great asset to those that don’t have naturally warm sensibilities or who have anxieties over saying “the right thing”.

Also check out Life Learning Today on How to Recover from a Fumble at Work.

In business, the inability to recover from errors could mean a loss of accounts and financial suffering.

In our personal lives it means being misunderstood and the suffering of loneliness.

Or, Madonna’s thoughts on saying sorry….

Technorati Tags: Apologies, Etiquette, Apologize, Business, KatsVoice, Sorry