Author Archives: Rmillner

Life Lessons

The Repetition of a Song

Growing up, music wasn’t a part of my life. While many kids turned on the radio or played their favorite records, I only listened to KMOX on the radio in St. Louis and listened to St. Louis Cardinals baseball. That was it. I cannot remember my parents playing music in our home, and I suppose it just wasn’t a priority for them.

In high school, music began to creep into my life through exposure to live performances. In the late 1970s, rock bands were at the pinnacle of their success, and we loved going to see bands like Styx, REO Speedwagon, AC/DC, and Kansas. One of their songs would get stuck in my head, and I would play it over and over again.

In my late 30s, my wife and I got hooked on the Dave Matthews Band. Middle age was upon us, and we started asking ourselves, “What’s next?” or “Is this it?” One particular song called “Tripping Billies” touched a chord deep inside me as I was about to turn 40. It spoke about living in the moment, enjoying life with family and friends, and not sweating the little stuff. I remember hearing the chorus of that song for the first time in person, and it became my favorite part of any of his work. It went like this: “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you may die.” I listened to that song over and over again until every word was ingrained into my head. It was the repetitions in my mind that I couldn’t get enough.

The only other time a song was so memorable in my life began in a friend’s car. I have a friend in Colorado who knows more about music than anyone I have ever met. Besides being a walking encyclopedia of music, he also plays in a band. We would listen to CDs in his car on our way to go fishing. He would always play a variety of music, from the Grateful Dead to Warren Zevon. He always kind of “dumbed down” the explanations of the songs in a way that allowed me to visualize why a particular song was so special to him. About ten years ago, on the way to fishing, he slipped in a CD and asked if I had ever heard of a Neil Young album called “Neil Young Live at Massey Hall”. While he knew that I liked Neil Young, he was shocked to hear that I had never heard of it. Neil cut this album when he was 24 years old, and it is filled with pieces of some of his greatest songs played for the first time in front of a live audience. The album is a true masterpiece. I don’t think any other Neil Young album has such a wide range of raw, young, innovative music all in one place. It’s sheer genius.

One of the songs on the album was a combination of two of his greatest hits, titled “A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold Suite”. The song tells a story of a man searching for love, maybe finding it, but not knowing exactly how to give it back in return. To this day, I don’t know why I love that song so much. Maybe it’s the title? Certainly there have been times in the past that I have felt chauvinistic. I have tried to rectify that personality flaw which has been a pretty successful work in progress, especially as I have gotten older. After hearing this song for the first time I got home and immediately downloaded it on my phone. Then I would set it on repeat and play it again and again and again.

As I finish writing this post, I realize that throughout my life, certain songs have been signposts. There weren’t many, but wow, were they important. They signaled a new direction in my life, one that was uncharted territory. Who knew that listening to a song in your head repeatedly would be so powerful?

I hope this helps!

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People

Drinking From a Garden Hose

One of my favorite things about living in St. Louis is that there are four distinct seasons. There is no question though that Spring and Summer are at the top of my list. As the weather warms up and I get to sweat while working in my yard a bunch of sensory triggers are set off that remind me of my youth. They allow me to remember how much fun I had riding my bike, playing Indian ball with kids in my neighborhood, and helping my dad cut the grass. As the temperature rises so do those memories which become so vivid I can almost taste them.

The first sensory trigger that comes to mind is the smell of a freshly cut lawn. Recently cut grass has a sweet aroma that is undeniable. It will fill your nose with a fleeting scent that dissipates as it dries in the warm air.

Then there is the smell and the feeling in your bones of an upcoming rainstorm. There is such a heaviness in the air as the rain approaches from the west. You can smell the air as it is about to be washed with millions of droplets that are about to descend from the heavens. It’s such a wonderful and simple thing that some people unfortunately take for granted. The next time when it’s about to rain on a warm summer day take walk outside and smell the air. It’s so calming to the soul.

However, there is one special thing while working outside in the hot sun that is an unforgettable experience which makes me feel like a little boy again, drinking from a garden hose. Why is this so memorable you may ask? Good question. Here’s my thoughts on the matter.

The Special Qualities of Drinking Out of a Garden Hose:

That water is so darn cold!

I don’t know why it is that way but if you let the hose run for a couple of minutes before taking a drink, the water comes that comes out is so cold! It quenches your thirst like no other beverage. It’s so good!

What a unique taste!

Even though I’m so appreciative that the water is so cold it is not the reason that drinking out of a garden hose is so special to me. No, it’s the taste.

The taste of the water is unique because it is not being delivered out of a can, or a bottle, or a glass rather through a tube made of rubber. When else in your life do you drink out of a rubber tube? Never…. The taste is just different and so memorable. It just has that rubbery after taste that is impossible to describe unless you’ve experienced it yourself. I could close my eyes and take a drink from a glass filled with water taken from a hose and I’d identify it every time. I bet some of you have never taken a drink out of a hose. Wow are you missing out. Try it sometime and taste the odd but special flavor that is unmistakable.

I love having things remind me of my past. I really don’t know why that is. Maybe it’s because I have so many fond memories when I was a kid. Life was a lot simpler back then and I love to relive those moments. Drinking out of a garden hose always takes me back to those wonderful times that were so special.

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Nature

What Makes Something a Living Thing?

I decided to add a stone border around one of my flower beds in my backyard and I was enamored by the strength and structure of how the interlocking stones made such a beautiful design. As I leveled out the ground to lay each stone side by side they took on a personality of their own. Just like a human. Could they be alive in someway?

That’s a good question…..

Since I’m not smart enough to answer it myself I started researching the subject. I asked the question. Can stones have a soul?

I stumbled on an excerpt from a book written by Dr. Jeffrey J Cohen Dean of the Humanities Department at Arizona State University. He calls himself a trained medievalist working in English, Latin, and French, working in the field of environmental studies. Dr. Cohen has published numerous books on using the teachings of scholars in medieval times to help us better understand the human condition. One of the chapters happened to ask the question, “Do Stones Have Souls?” After reading his thoughts it dawned on me that he was writing about something that resonated in my life.

Over the years I’ve taken several stones from special places that our family has visited. I would then set them on my desk like a little shrine. I would only choose the ones that for some reason or another were aesthetically pleasing. Some of the stones were smooth, others had crystals, while others had a peculiar color that made them unique. There they were all sitting on my desk, all of them picked up from different places yet they all had one thing in common. They brought me back to a beach, a hike, or a fishing trip that was extraordinary in some way. Those fond memories would spring back to life when I held one in my hand. They all would kind of speak to me. How could a stone do that? Was it living in some mysterious way?

Dr. Cohen, who is obviously way smarter than me wrote a whole chapter on the subject in one of his published books. Cohen goes on to cite the writings of the medieval scholar Albertus, an Aristotle disciple. Albertus argues that even though stones can’t reproduce or digest food they do have many qualities similar to humans. He writes, “as if there were in these things something pleasing to the stones, or a soul by which they were moved.” Stones radiate a potency that derives from substantial form along with the relative order of their constituent admixtures of elements with heat. Such lithic power is marvelous, mortal, innate and mobile. Even though Albertus insists that lithic power does not constitute being, rocky force does an excellent job of imitating life, especially when stone and human form an alliance. Corallus, for example, can staunch bleeding and protect against epilepsy. To wear corallus around the neck is to be guarded from storms, lightning and hail. Powdered and dissolved into water, it will fertilize herbs and trees, “multiplying their fruits.” Corallus connects human bodies, bodily fluids, the weather, and the vegetal world. Like all the stones Albertus describes in his alphabetical lapidary, coral is not a passive material to be harnessed to specific uses. Its virtue is innate, always emanating, always seeking the connections that will allow the rock to become an agent so powerful it can rebuff tempests, so fecundating it can compel the vegetal to superabundance. Coral’s force, moreover, encompasses an entire ecology: water permeates wood and petrifies through the power of place. Other stones act with similar vigor. Chryselectrum changes its colors during the course of the day. Because it fears fire, when held in the hand it reduces fever.”

I know I kind of went off on a tangent and got all philosophical on you but I wanted to expand on my feelings that when certain stones entered my life they had a special place in my heart. Can an inert object really do that without having some qualities of a living thing as we know it? Stones and humans are made up of many of the same substances. That connection is undeniable. The stones on my desk have a special place in my life. The memories that resurface when held in my hand make me smile and recollect on the wonderful times that my family had together. None of them were picked by accident. They might not be described as living in the typical sense but in my eyes they have a power that blurs the lines between what makes something living. I guess after reading Dr. Cohen’s article that debate has been raging for centuries. Who would of known? You learn something new everyday!

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Life Lessons, People

Managing Manic Behavior

I haven’t written a post in a while because I haven’t come up with any topics to write about until now.

Do all people exhibit manic behavior? Are all people moody? I think so…..

What is manic behavior? According to the Cleveland Clinic manic behavior is defined as changes in emotional behavior that has different levels of severity. They range from mild mood swings to severe bi-polar mental illness that require medication. I’m not going to discuss the severe types of manic behavior just the ones that are less severe but are still very real.

Since I have pretty big mood swings I have learned some self help tools that have helped me from cascading down a dark hole of anxiousness. This has been a learned skill set that takes time to understand and execute. I don’t think I will ever master it completely but by just getting older and experiencing a lot of ups and downs has helped immensely get through those trying times.

The Good Times:

The best thing about having some degree of manic behavior are the euphoric moments. They can occur from time to time for various reasons. Each person has their own set of circumstances that trigger these “highs”. Mine include gardening on a beautiful spring day, standing out in a trout stream in Colorado, playing golf with my buddies, going to listen to music with my wife, to jumping on the trampoline with my granddaughter. It’s a hard feeling to describe. To me it feels like a swell of euphoria that keeps on building and building inside of me. I savior that feeling because I have learned it will soon pass. It’s the upside of having some manic traits which I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

The Darker Times:

It’s much harder to pinpoint what circumstances trigger an episode of a heightened level of anxiety. There are some common ones that affect most people including myself. They can be job related, partner related, or family related. Sometimes they just come out of the “blue” for no reason. Those are ones that are so maddening. Why do they happen? I don’t know why. It doesn’t really matter why I am that way I just knew that I needed to figure out a way to get out of that “funk” as quickly as possible because it drags down everyone and everything around me. I still don’t always practice what I preach when it comes to this area but these four tools have helped me quite a bit.

Four Tools For Feeling Better Quicker:

There is no “secret sauce “ to snapping out of a anxious chapter in one’s life. Obviously everyone is different. I still struggle with this still. I can only give you the things that at time have worked for me and I hope they are helpful for you.

1. Self awareness and Communication: This one for me has been the most beneficial. Just being aware that you are feeling anxious and either verbalizing it to yourself or to a loved one puts those feelings front and center. You can hit it “head on” rather than denying the reality of the situation. Say to yourself, “Oh here comes these bad feelings again. What can I do now to make them go away?”

2. Exercise: Working out hard has always made me feel better. It just makes me feel better about myself which puts me in a better mood.

3. Meditation: Meditation means a-lot of different things to different people but finding a quiet place to try to breathe and just be still helps me calm my mind. It helps me understand what is making me feel badly and then try to rectify the situation.

4. Change It Up: We all tend to get mired in the same daily routine. Find something to do to shake up your day. Do something that at least temporarily gets your mind off obsessing over the same thoughts that are making you anxious or depressed.

Everyone’s mental health can varies from time to time. One’s mood swings can also vary greatly depending upon internal as well as external factors. Many of those factors are out of our control. Being aware of the things that trigger anxiety internally and then doing something them quickly make those dark times vanish in a flash!

I hope this post in a small way helps you feel better about yourself. For me at times it’s still a struggle and always a work in progress. Life is so fleeting and it’s a crime to miss even one day of it because of depression or anxiety. There is so much goodness around us so try savior like it was your last!

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Life Lessons, Nature

Less is Often More

Working out in my yard is one of my biggest passions. I love doing all parts, from trimming bushes, to design, to just weeding. I just can’t get enough. One of my favorite things to do in the springtime was to go to a nursery and buy something new. It was like a drug and I would keep adding more and more stuff. It was pretty symbolic of my life in my 30s and 40s. I just couldn’t get enough of everything. I was never completely happy with the status quo.

Over the years as everything continued to grow the plants became more and more crowded. My goal was to build a zen like garden but it looked more like a mishmash of shrubbery and trees that had no flow or balance. It was just too much.

Since I never wanted to kill any of my plants I would move them from placed to place trying to come up with a sense of serenity and form. Not surprisingly, it didn’t work. Everything changed however when I began to take things away.

Most people have the same issues especially when they are trying to build their lives into something. That “something” is different for everyone yet the wanting for more and more is a pretty common trait in all of us. Especially from your late 20s through your 40s.

For most of my adult life I would be continually adding more and more things to my personal landscape like I did in my yard. I would say yes to everything. I thought the more activities that I got involved with and the more times I would go out with my friends and other couples the happier I would be. In other words, more was always better. I have written a lot about my 30s and 40s because those tend to be the most tumultuous times in many people’s lives. It certainly was for me. There is an old saying when describing someone like me at that time in my life. “That person can’t see the forest from the trees”. I have always struggled with being happy with the status quo. Luckily as I got older I realized that if I didn’t start “pruning” things out of my life it would end in ruin. I wish I could’ve done all of the personal work myself but honestly my therapist and just getting older helped a lot. It’s still a work in progress.

Ok enough about me and back to my garden. As I began to take things out of my yard and not plant so many flowers and bushes the remaining vegetation had space to breathe. I began to appreciate that if I planted less or removed certain shrubbery the yard began to be a sanctuary of calmness. The simpler the landscaping became the more mature it looked in a beautiful way. The clutter was gone. It was easy to appreciate the space between each tree or shrub. I didn’t have to always be thinking of what to add to make it better. It was just better to let it be. Less was better.

Now the yard just needs small tweaks annually to keep it in tip top shape. The years of big additions are in the past. That’s kind of what happens to most people in their 50s and beyond. It’s a time to enjoy just being in the present.

That inner peace is something that younger people can have in their lives too. They don’’t have to wait. Trust me more and more is not better. Be happy of what you have and take time to enjoy the journey because that is the best part of being alive. Less is Often More!

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Uncategorized

The Perfect Glass

Over the past several months my blogs have covered some heavy subjects so I thought it would be a good time to write about something that I use every day that is near and dear to my heart, the perfect glass. I know this subject might have never been on your mind but having experienced many different types of every day kitchen glassware it’s vital to own the right one!

I have put a lot of thought in choosing the perfect glass so you don’t have to. Here is my list of do’s and don’ts when picking out a glass.

What makes a bad glass?

There are some pretty common traits that make a glass bad so here are the pitfalls that I would guard against when purchasing a glass.

  • The glass isn’t dishwasher safe. (Who would buy a glass that you can’t put in the dishwasher?) But trust me they are out there.
  • The glass is too thin which makes it very fragile.
  • The glass is colored. They tend to fade and discolor.
  • The bottom of the glass is concave so it holds water when it is put upside down in the dishwasher.
  • It’s tool small by volume. (Who wants to keep refilling a glass if you’re thirsty?)

What makes the perfect glass?

  • It’s heavy, so you feel it in your hand when you pick it up.
  • It aesthetically nice to look at. ( It might not be the flashiest glass on the shelf but it still looks nice.)
  • The bottom is wide enough so it won’t tip easily if you mistakenly hit it.
  • The glass is thick so when it drops it might not break.
  • It’s holds enough liquid to quench your thirst the first time.
  • The top of the glass is rounded so it feels good on your lips.
  • It’s not very expensive.
The Perfect Glass

I bet after reading this you are “chomping at the bit” to go out and buy the perfect glass. You are full of expectation waiting for me to tell you where you can buy this perfect goblet. Ok, I tell you. It’s at Crate and Barrel and they are very reasonably priced. So go out and have a great day and savior your first sip out of your perfect glass!

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People

Therapy 101

Going to a therapist can be a tricky experience. There are so many variables that can make or break the relationship. Besides the obvious things like the age, or sex of the person who you are about to divulge your inner most secrets, more importantly there has to be a means to the end. In other words, what is your purpose in going to see a therapist? I believe just to go to talk to someone about your problems is kinda lame. Ask yourself before you start, how will this time talking to someone improve my life?

In 2007 I was on the top of the world. My career was flourishing. I was making more money than I ever had before and my wife and my kids were all doing great. I felt invincible.

Then beginning in 2008 things began to change in a hurry. A series of cataclysmic events in our country began a death spiral of economies around the world. My career as well as my self worth came tumbling down in a very short period of time. I remember that there were times during the day when I was not able to catch my breath. I thought maybe I was having a heart attack. I went to my doctor and after going through a series of tests he told me that my issues weren’t physical, they were mental. I was having panic attacks. He prescribed an anti-depressant called Zoloft that made me feel like a zombie so I had to find another solution. My wife found the solution with a therapist named Victor.

I had never been to a therapist before because I never thought I needed one. I always felt it showed weakness. Boy was I wrong. From 2008 to 2018 I met with Victor in his small cozy office. The lighting was always dim and I would sink into the worn big leather couch and Victor would sit in a weathered upholstered chair right in front of me. We came from completely different backgrounds but it didn’t matter. After I told him about my situation he laid out a game plan starting with meditation and then it moved on to various mental exercises that taught me be to be more present and appreciate my current situation no matter how dyer I thought it to be. His tone was sometimes authoritative but always resolute and compassionate. Almost every time we were finished I felt he gave me something to work on to improve my life. He understood the demons in my head and gave me a roadmap to find more inner peace.

Fast forward to today. It’s been 5 months since my best friend passed away and I have been struggling to get my life back on the “rails”. I knew Victor had retired but I thought it couldn’t hurt to reach out to him again and see if he would meet with me. He said, “Of course”. We talked for 90 minutes and even though we hadn’t seen each other for 5 years we just picked up from where we left off. He explained how to use my friend’s energy that I still felt as a guiding light in a positive way. He gave me a map to feel better and he explained to me why it had been so hard. We agreed to get together monthly for a while until I felt there wasn’t a need. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of talking to Victor from now on.

Wow what a long blog. I’m sorry it was so long. The reason I wrote this in the first place was not to go into so much detail about my journey but rather to help people understand how to choose a therapist. If you are talking with someone now and they aren’t giving you tangible things to make you feel better dump them. They should construct a purposeful path for you to try find inner peace. If you find that person hold on to them because they are worth their weight in gold. Thank you Victor.

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Life Lessons

The Parenting Handbook

There are so many how to handbooks that can be downloaded in a nanosecond. They range from a plethora of DIY project books to books on cooking and so on and on. I know that there have been hundreds of books written on how to parent but why can’t there be one source that everyone can just turn to that everyone can trust? Good question.

There is one right under your nose but it’s not just in one place. It’s everywhere. To me it’s like weaving a quilt, and the patches of the quilt consists of the entire community that you have been exposed to throughout your lifetime. The real key to being a successful parent is knowing how to use those experiences and decide what examples to copy with your children and just as importantly which ones to ignore.

I don’t have to look any further for an example of this than looking at my own father. My dad was an orphan so he didn’t have any role models on how to parent. He was so good at being a dad when I was a young boy. He was always involved with helping me with my homework and he was always there to volunteer with any extracurricular activity that I decided to pursue. I wanted to do the same things for my kids when they were young and I did.

Unfortunately, as I got older I began to see some traits in my father that I didn’t want to replicate. One in particular was this underlying competition between us that wasn’t a quality I understood at the time. I felt at times abandoned. It put distance between us and I really didn’t come to grips with it until I was in my fifties. When I became a parent I knew that was one quality that I wasn’t going emulate with my kids. In fact, it made me go out of my way to always praise them and always tell them how proud I was that they were my kids since my dad never really told me that until I was an adult. It’s such an easy thing to do but most parents no matter how old their kids are fail to do that enough. It can never be enough. Your kids want to feel secure that their parents will always be in their corner forever.

I observed how my peers parented as my kids grew up and like my dad I used their trials and tribulations to mold my parenting style. I was like a sponge trying to take in all the information that I gathered by watching other parents actions, good and bad. I copied the actions of the people in my life that I respected, admired, and most importantly valued their opinions on difficult subjects. I was never be afraid to ask them for help because I felt that’s what they were there for.

Unfortunately, I also observed that when parents took themselves too seriously it caused undo stress on their kids. Kids have enough things going through their minds as they grow up. They don’t need the added pressure bestowed on them to either making straight A’s or making a select sports team from their parents. Treat your kids with respect and don’t burden them with expectations that may be important to you but not to them. Let them be themselves.

Chapter 1 of My Parenting Handbook:

The first chapter in my parental handbook would only consist of one sentence. It may sound trite but here it is; Give your kids unwavering love. All they really want is to know that you will always be available for them from the day they are born until the day you die. Even though they won’t always agree on what you tell them they will know that you care and that you are present. It’s that simple. Always keep an open mind. If you do that you will be off to a great start composing the only parental handbook you’ll ever need, because the author will be you!

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Life Lessons

Friendships Revisited

Three years ago I posted a blog about friends and friendships. The gist of the post was to never take them for granted. Fast forward three years to the present and friends and friendships are on my mind again.

Why are we friends with some people and not others?  To me it’s simple but to some people it’s not that evident.  So here is my “two cents worth” on what makes a good friend.

10 Ingredients Needed to Have a Best Friend

  1. They have to be the same sex as you.
  2. They have to have the same interests as you.
  3. You have to be able to see each other in person often.
  4. Both of you are willing to put in the time to be always present in each other’s lives.
  5. They have to be able to be a good listener and be insightful on things that are going on in your life.
  6. They have to be a positive person.
  7. They do not judge you on what is going on your life presently. 
  8. They can keep a secret and thus you can can tell them anything. 
  9. They have to have pretty much the same values as yours.
  10. They make you laugh.

Now do this exercise. List all of the people in your life who you consider a friend and see how many of these “boxes you can check” for each of them. I bet the your closest friend you have checks the most or all of the boxes.

Recently, I lost my best friend who checked all of the boxes. That has put a big hole in my life. I probably will never have another friend in my life where all of the boxes are checked. I’m working on trying to elevate my existing friendships to a higher level but it’s very hard to do. You just can’t force it.

If you are lucky enough to have a friend that checks all of the boxes savior that relationship with all of your heart and soul because those relationships are few and far between in one’s life. Appreciate everyday with that friend and make sure they know how much you appreciate their place in your life.

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Life Lessons

Nostalgia

I decided with some urging from my eldest son to start writing my thoughts on my Big Daddy Blog site again.  It’s been three years since I last posted something and I’m excited to begin doing it again.  

Recently, I watched the Friends Reunion Show.  The five main characters have not been in the same room together for over 17 years.  As I watched it I began to yearn for those times again when the show was in prime time from 1994 till 2004.  Why was that?  Why as I watched the tv show there were a couple of times that I got teary eyed? Now I wasn’t an avid Friends watcher and never set my weekly schedule around watching the show.  So why did it get me so emotionally revved up? The simple answer is that it was a nostalgic time for me. 

The Oxford dictionary defines the word nostalgia like this,

Nostalgia: A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.affects people in different ways.  

Everyone thinks of nostalgic memories but some think of them more than others.  Some of us only look forward for various reasons.  The past might be too painful or maybe some only look ahead to tackle the next challenge or chapter in their lives. 

Most of us believe our past nostalgically, like it was in  “the good ole days”. As we get older we tend to believe that things were better in the past.  I hear people say things like, “things were so much simpler back then, or the world was a better place when I was younger, or even I wish the world was like it was when I was growing up.”  Every generation believes that the younger generation is at times on the wrong path. I remember my grandparents saying it, my parents saying it, and sometimes I catch myself saying it too.  

I think it’s a fool’s game believing that the past was better than the world today and also mistakenly believing that the human race’s best days are behind us.  When we look back nostalgically we forget about all of the wars, prejudice, hatred, and trauma that occurred as we grew up. Things back then were no “walk in the park”.  We are called the human race for a reason.  We are human and like any other animal we evolve most of the time in a positive way.  That is how we survive.  Life expectancy in the world has increased over the last ten years.  Medical treatment for cancer and heart disease is allowing people to live longer.  People are able to communicate with loved ones who live across the country or around the world easier and less costly than anytime ever.  The number of people who don’t have enough food to eat around the world is the lowest number ever.  

Are there many problems in the world today?  No shit there are problems, but that is nothing new.  Just in my lifetime there was the Vietnamese war, then the Cold War, multiple wars in the Middle East, Watergate,  AIDS,  and gencocide in Serbia.  I can go on and on and on.  Through all of that the human spirit pushes forward.  What is the point of only living in the past?  I would rather be dead.  Nostalgia can’t replace streaming your favorite show on your iPad or laptop with your partner on a lounge chair under the stars, or FaceTiming with a child or grandchild living halfway across the world.  You couldn’t do those things when I was a growing up.  

Appreciate all of the wonderful things the world has to give us today.  It is such a waste of time only looking in the rear view mirror when there is something good happening right in front of your eyes today.

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