Friday, January 23, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
President Barack Obama
It has been a long time coming... but the day is here. Quite possibly the biggest step toward racial justice- a Black President of the United States of America. A day that many of my elders never dreamed they would see. A day where the World can smile and say, "We are heading in the right direction." YES WE CAN!
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change. We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come.
We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.
Yes we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change. We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come.
We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.
Yes we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Tunnel Vision
I was talking with my good buddy Zac online the other night. Zac, like myself, is 24 and almost 2 years removed from college. We were talking about how this time in our lives is the most ordinary it has ever been. I always imagined myself living the bachelor lifestyle fresh out of school: Single, decent job, fun nights out on the town, and plenty of women. In reality it is more like: struggling to stay afloat, boring nights, very few women, and a job I never particularly saw myself doing.
Maybe part of this lifestyle is product of my surroundings: living at home in beautiful, but small, Traverse City. Don't get me wrong, Traverse City is a great area for a high schooler, someone raising a family, and in the Summer it is a great place for anyone. However, aside from a couple of friends and my family, it is not where I want to be.
I talked before about struggling to set meaningful goals and that struggle has subsided a bit. I know I want to get into PT school but I need to pass a couple of courses and take the GRE before I can do that- which will take about another year. I feel like I am halfway through the proverbial tunnel; I can't really see the beginning of the tunnel where I approached days with little goals and a lackluster attitude and I am nowhere close enough to the end to see even a tiny ray of light. I am in the middle of this tunnel. I have chosen to attack it with a smile and a "make it happen" attitude. Rejuvenated with the start of a new year, a vision, and solid goals.
I would love to go back to college and live that lifestyle again and I would love to be living the token bachelor lifestyle, but I am not. I am where I am and I trust that things are going to work out.
Maybe part of this lifestyle is product of my surroundings: living at home in beautiful, but small, Traverse City. Don't get me wrong, Traverse City is a great area for a high schooler, someone raising a family, and in the Summer it is a great place for anyone. However, aside from a couple of friends and my family, it is not where I want to be.
I talked before about struggling to set meaningful goals and that struggle has subsided a bit. I know I want to get into PT school but I need to pass a couple of courses and take the GRE before I can do that- which will take about another year. I feel like I am halfway through the proverbial tunnel; I can't really see the beginning of the tunnel where I approached days with little goals and a lackluster attitude and I am nowhere close enough to the end to see even a tiny ray of light. I am in the middle of this tunnel. I have chosen to attack it with a smile and a "make it happen" attitude. Rejuvenated with the start of a new year, a vision, and solid goals.
I would love to go back to college and live that lifestyle again and I would love to be living the token bachelor lifestyle, but I am not. I am where I am and I trust that things are going to work out.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Christmas Break
Two weeks ago it was December and I was excited for what was hopefully going to be an exciting break... and it was! Here are some of the highlights of my break...
... I saw several movies, including Seven Pounds (don't see), Marley and Me (please see it!), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (interesting story, but creepy at the end)
I went ice skating and spent the majority of the day with an old friend...
... finished a good book!
Became overweight, haha...
... said goodbye to a brother and a sister as they left for Seattle (one on Christmas day, one on the 5th)
Celebrated several birthdays...
... drank- a little too much at times
went cross-country skiing...
... went snowshoeing
danced- a lot...
...won a hockey game
Christmas...
...Christmas Party
Played pool...
... spent New Year's in Petoskey
watched a lot of football...
... developed an abnormal sleeping pattern
blew out my right passenger tire...
... went broke buying a new tire
became addicted to Guitar Hero...
These are a few exciting events of an awesome break. I am sure there are several events I left out, but it was fun!
I went to bed last night with an extreme aversion for work. My job does not pay nearly enough and is not fulfilling. However, it is a new year and I have made a few auspicious resolutions:
1. Train and run a 15k (Probably the Cherry Fest race)
2. Make significant progress toward getting into Grad School (find several schools, take the GRE, and do well in my classes)
3. Get back into shape! (This more or less goes with goal number 1).
and currently.... find another (or new) job. Times are tough, and this one ain't paying the bills!
Those are my goals for 2009.
CHEERS.
... I saw several movies, including Seven Pounds (don't see), Marley and Me (please see it!), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (interesting story, but creepy at the end)
I went ice skating and spent the majority of the day with an old friend...
... finished a good book!
Became overweight, haha...
... said goodbye to a brother and a sister as they left for Seattle (one on Christmas day, one on the 5th)
Celebrated several birthdays...
... drank- a little too much at times
went cross-country skiing...
... went snowshoeing
danced- a lot...
...won a hockey game
Christmas...
...Christmas Party
Played pool...
... spent New Year's in Petoskey
watched a lot of football...
... developed an abnormal sleeping pattern
blew out my right passenger tire...
... went broke buying a new tire
became addicted to Guitar Hero...
These are a few exciting events of an awesome break. I am sure there are several events I left out, but it was fun!
I went to bed last night with an extreme aversion for work. My job does not pay nearly enough and is not fulfilling. However, it is a new year and I have made a few auspicious resolutions:
1. Train and run a 15k (Probably the Cherry Fest race)
2. Make significant progress toward getting into Grad School (find several schools, take the GRE, and do well in my classes)
3. Get back into shape! (This more or less goes with goal number 1).
and currently.... find another (or new) job. Times are tough, and this one ain't paying the bills!
Those are my goals for 2009.
CHEERS.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
School, Tattoo, Snow
Man, this job can get mundane. RTC has been going smoothly and I believe I've helped to put it on the right track- no more coloring, after all this isn't elementary school; students average time in RTC is decreasing (knock of wood); and I believe staff are starting to trust in me and the RTP process. That being said, with less students coming in my days are filled with silence and surfing the web. I have started to study for the GRE's a little, but with so much uncertainty as to when I will take the test it is hard to motivate myself.
I have been thinking a lot lately about getting a tattoo. I would want it to have some sort of significance, i.e. a tattoo that represents equality, or something that represents my heritage- a traditional tattoo or something. I drew a really cool fist representing power and it is coming out of an equals sign (=). The fist comes out of the top dash and out of the bottom dash is the arm turning into tree roots which represent growth. The = is not filled, and the fist is colored. It is really cool, but I feel like it would be cooler on a shirt than on my body. I have no idea where I would have it.
As far as a traditional tattoo goes, I would want a shoulder one that could wrap down to my arm or a leg tattoo that wraps around my calf. I am doing research on traditional tattoos, but I am not having much luck. Any help would be appreciated.
Unrelated to tattoos and school is the weather... we are getting hammered with snow. We have to snow blow the driveway twice a day and the banks are up past my knee! Crazy stuff. I like it, but I hope all the snow we are getting now means that Winter will be shorter. I have a feeling I am wrong on this one.
I am excited for Justin to come home, he will be here in a week.
I have been thinking a lot lately about getting a tattoo. I would want it to have some sort of significance, i.e. a tattoo that represents equality, or something that represents my heritage- a traditional tattoo or something. I drew a really cool fist representing power and it is coming out of an equals sign (=). The fist comes out of the top dash and out of the bottom dash is the arm turning into tree roots which represent growth. The = is not filled, and the fist is colored. It is really cool, but I feel like it would be cooler on a shirt than on my body. I have no idea where I would have it.
As far as a traditional tattoo goes, I would want a shoulder one that could wrap down to my arm or a leg tattoo that wraps around my calf. I am doing research on traditional tattoos, but I am not having much luck. Any help would be appreciated.
Unrelated to tattoos and school is the weather... we are getting hammered with snow. We have to snow blow the driveway twice a day and the banks are up past my knee! Crazy stuff. I like it, but I hope all the snow we are getting now means that Winter will be shorter. I have a feeling I am wrong on this one.
I am excited for Justin to come home, he will be here in a week.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Thanksgiving
What a nice break. Thanksgiving in a nutshell: ate too much food, slept too much, had a great time with friends and family! Also, we had a snowday on Monday, which extended the vacation.
Here is a brief list of things I am thankful for:
Here is a brief list of things I am thankful for:
- All of my family
- All of my friends
- Choices
- Vacations
- Beaches
- The Sun
- Education
- The outdoors
- Camping
What are you thankful for?
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Success
Last night I was thinking about what success means to me. When will I feel successful and how will that feel?
The strict dictionary definition of success is as follows:
suc⋅cess [suhk-ses]
–noun
1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.
2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
"the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors," or having a goal at some level and reaching that goal- whether it be getting a job, passing a class, or simply brushing your teeth.
"the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like," most often money and power or rank.
Often times, definition one is lost on people, with emphasis on definition two, at least in the life I've known. There is a presence of "money equals success" everywhere I look. Moreover, people do not realize how successful they really are because they do not have the money to show for it. A great example of this would be the world of education. Teachers are greatly under-appreciated and definitely under-compensated for their work. However, because a teacher may only make $35,000 a year does not make them unsuccessful- they finished school, many have Master's degrees, and thousands are shaping this nation's future. Successful in my book.
I think that it is important that we decide what success means to us, as individuals. Why? Because "favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors," builds confidence in oneself and can make for a happier life. There is very little that feels better than setting a goal and reaching it. This is where definition two comes into play- what are your goals? What is important to you? Money? Rank? Awards? Love? A strong family?
The time I have spent since graduating from college has been the most difficult time of my life. I was thrown out of a lifestyle full of goals- getting good grades, winning a conference championship, making a tackle, being a leader in the classroom, etc.. Since then, I have struggled to set meaningful goals and I had lost the confidence in myself that was once so familiar. That is not to say I have lived an unhappy or bad life- simply, I have felt lost at times.
During this time my understanding of setting goals has come full circle. Never in my life has the importance of goal setting been so clear. I am beginning to find myself again. Certainly I have changed, but change isn't bad- even if I was totally comfortable and confident in who I was. I need to be flexible and adaptable- or I will become stale and stiff. Without question, however, I must determine what is important to me and hold that true to myself.
I whole-heartily believe that anyone can live a happy life if they use can understand what is important to them and use it as a guide.
So what is important to me? Being a good son, brother, friend, and role model is number one on the list. Of particular importance to me at this time is figuring out a career path. I certainly do not want to be a focus room teacher my whole life. Also, I want to be uncompromising when it comes to my beliefs- stay true to me and what I stand for. That is what is important to me. That is who I am. That is what makes me feel successful.
The strict dictionary definition of success is as follows:
suc⋅cess [suhk-ses]
–noun
1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.
2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
"the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors," or having a goal at some level and reaching that goal- whether it be getting a job, passing a class, or simply brushing your teeth.
"the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like," most often money and power or rank.
Often times, definition one is lost on people, with emphasis on definition two, at least in the life I've known. There is a presence of "money equals success" everywhere I look. Moreover, people do not realize how successful they really are because they do not have the money to show for it. A great example of this would be the world of education. Teachers are greatly under-appreciated and definitely under-compensated for their work. However, because a teacher may only make $35,000 a year does not make them unsuccessful- they finished school, many have Master's degrees, and thousands are shaping this nation's future. Successful in my book.
I think that it is important that we decide what success means to us, as individuals. Why? Because "favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors," builds confidence in oneself and can make for a happier life. There is very little that feels better than setting a goal and reaching it. This is where definition two comes into play- what are your goals? What is important to you? Money? Rank? Awards? Love? A strong family?
The time I have spent since graduating from college has been the most difficult time of my life. I was thrown out of a lifestyle full of goals- getting good grades, winning a conference championship, making a tackle, being a leader in the classroom, etc.. Since then, I have struggled to set meaningful goals and I had lost the confidence in myself that was once so familiar. That is not to say I have lived an unhappy or bad life- simply, I have felt lost at times.
During this time my understanding of setting goals has come full circle. Never in my life has the importance of goal setting been so clear. I am beginning to find myself again. Certainly I have changed, but change isn't bad- even if I was totally comfortable and confident in who I was. I need to be flexible and adaptable- or I will become stale and stiff. Without question, however, I must determine what is important to me and hold that true to myself.
I whole-heartily believe that anyone can live a happy life if they use can understand what is important to them and use it as a guide.
So what is important to me? Being a good son, brother, friend, and role model is number one on the list. Of particular importance to me at this time is figuring out a career path. I certainly do not want to be a focus room teacher my whole life. Also, I want to be uncompromising when it comes to my beliefs- stay true to me and what I stand for. That is what is important to me. That is who I am. That is what makes me feel successful.
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