What’s the best online course you’ve ever taken?
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No exorbitant loans needed for tuition.
Classes available at all hours of the day, from virtually any location.
A world wide pool of the most astute and wise professors ever assembled.
Instantaneous assessments.
A fully independent and self-developed curriculum.
Lasting and honest connection to classmates.
And, an open ended course load.
Graduation day?
Totally up to me.
Which celebrity would you love to meet, and what would you talk about?
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Far be it from me to travel via the mole hill.
Making mountains is what I do, and with your permission, I will commence construction of today’s stack of profusion. Don’t you just love the immediate access one has to synonyms and Latin derivatves? It just makes finding the complexity in things that much simpler.
And you will be happy to know that “digress” is being retired for a verb with much more clarity in terms of my compulsive meander. I apologize for my divagation. Maybe next time I will share its roots. My apologies, divagated once again….
At first glance, for some reason, Jimmy Stewart came to mind.
In my estimation, George Bailey was essentially and purely Mr. Stewart in all respects.
Nothing fictional about his persona at the Bailey Building and Loan or throughout his life in Bedford Falls. Though his brother was the pilot in the movie, Jimmy was in reality during WWII, with a deep seated faith born of his father and an unending devotion to his real life Mary Bailey for forty plus years. I will never ever tire of watching their story unfold and the impression they made on all those families they touched. And me.
He was the richest man in town.
But then, thinking of Jimmy made me think of other “celebrities”. At that point, I warmed up my bulldozer, so that I could commence making the mountain out of this assignment. Or, what some may perceive as shoveling a certain bovine by product.
Apparently, the word celebrity first entered English from Latin in the 14th century to mean solemn rite, ceremony, or religious observance. Then around 1600, it took a one-eighty and was used to describe the abstract “condition or state of being famous” Coincidence that “abstract” was employed to preface the condition or state of being famous? Explains alot about it in our times.
A deeper dive opened the you know what and took me to the word “luminary”.
Derived from the Latin word, lumen, or light. It went on to depict a celestial body that gives off light. Then, further to include an influential, famous person who inspires or achieves greatness in a particular field.
Like Mr. Stewart and his genuinely warm, human glow.
That being said, I am now reaching roughly 10,000′ and climbing.
I then thought of others that have inspired and touched the world around them in simple, genuine, yet profoundly powerful ways. Becoming a light within profound, earth shattering darkness and extending themselves beyond capacity to touch those around them. No matter the cost.
Making the world better in the process.
True luminaries.
Not just in Bedford Falls.
Everywhere.
Like Maximilian Kolbe.
The “great souled” Mohandas Ghandi.
Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu.
Lepa Radic’.
Welles Crowther
Martin Luther King
Jesus.
What would it be like to meet and talk to them?
Would be life at its peak.
In a light all its own.
What does it mean to be a good person?
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A compelling spiritual axiom discussed of late, references a truly important fact of life:
“…every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us”.
That tells me that there are no exceptions. No matter how unreasonable others may seem, I am responsible for not reacting negatively. Regardless of what is happening around me I will always have the prerogative, and the responsibility, of choosing what happens within me.
I AM the creator of my own reality.”
I had to bring that last sentence down and do some capitalization by itself because it needs to stand alone.
I am trying to get a better handle on my typical emotional response to all of the things that go on around me. For much of my life, I have chosen to react negatively. Pride can be a fragile entity. And feeling dismissed by others on all fronts fosters all sorts of reactions from anger, to hurt, to self loathing and loneliness.
For decades, I chosen to take it and allow those external forces to command what goes on within me. Then, my modus operandi became isolation, hiding from that hurt and attempting to calm it in unhealthy ways. I can tell you flat out, speaking from experience, that does not work.
But as the creator of my own new and better reality, I have come to learn some great things. Like walking away from those sources of judgement. Recognizing that bullies can only affirm themselves by bringing others down lower than themselves. And recognizing that there are many, many things I cannot do anything about.
For those, I have found God’s help.
I have no control over anyone else’s choices and behavior. I will do my best and let their chips fall. They can then clean their things up.
I cannot change anybody but myself. And to get angry and upset only makes things worse.
Lashing out about my lack of perogative and iresponsibility over choosing what happens within me, is not the way to be a good person.
It is frankly the opposite.
So I am sorry.
To be my best, I need to make better choices about what happens within.
Ultimately, I am responsible for creating my reality.
To not do so, then I cannot become a good person.
For anyone.
Myself included.
What’s a country that’s at the top of your bucket list?
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With your permission, I would ask that I be allowed to alter the wording of the above from “country” to “place”.
If that works for you, I can get after it and get ready to coach for the day.
I spent a great deal of time traveling through out my career. That being said, I created this comfortable routine to make air travel as simple as possible. Out of character, I know. You know me. Just wing it.
I found that entering through “arrivals” was far quicker than “departures.” Perhaps in my mind, I had arrived when I was ready to go. And in the context of today’s assignment, that makes this stoic smile in and out.
Once my friends or loved ones dropped me off, and I said my “good-byes”, I could just shuffle off to the gate. Shuffle because shoes were left untied and belt was in the briefcase. Toiletries were bagged, and similar non-business essentials found their home in the carry-on. Computer and phone in briefcase for easy retrieval and repacking. All situated to be plopped on the conveyor for perusal. Shoes too.
But this time, for this one flight, I would mark each for travel to a different destination. The carry-on, for St. Vincent De Paul or Goodwill. The briefcase, to some electronics recycler. Shoes? Turn them into a rubber playground mat.
Once I was scanned, they all went their way.
I made my way towards mine.
In my no-show Puma sockies and sagging, beltless jeans, I arrived at the gate.
Finally.
A flight to a place I always dreamt of visiting.
The top of the bucket list. Though I cannot explain why heaven would be associated with a bucket. But you know me. I can have one last digress before departure, right?
Perhaps I could find a cozy little bed and breakfast. Right in the center of town. I could check with Expediastes to see if I can make it a permanent stop.
Then I can be with all my friends and family again.
And with Him and His too.
In my no-show Puma sockies.
And saggy, beltless Levis.
Couldn’t pass that one up. Just because I am there doesn’t mean I am going on sabbatical. Sorry, its Two-fer-Tuesday!
Wonder if I can borrow one of His belts for some girding.
Wait, I am way huskier than He.
Maybe suspenders.
What are your strategies for SEO?
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I essentially fretted over this one since yesterday, since I like to sneak a peak at the assignment coming up. Totally out of character.
Those abbreviations make me think about KPI’s and that brings hives. Add to that the dadisms that start to swirl around. OMG. But then something dawned on me today.
Hey, it’s gonna be AR.
Life is too full these days to worry about engines and traffic when I am not driving all over creation. As you can see, I am up early to optimize the ones that are left. And as far as user experience is concerned, IMHO, I just want to become more open and honest with all of you so we can be connected in some fashion. BTW, that means I will need to read as much as I write.
True we are from all over. But we are right next to each now.
So back to my SEO quandary, OK?
Once I read this “gem” of a post over again and hit “publish”, my strategy will become apparent.
Just Send Everyone One-more.
Wait.
That would make it JSEO.
So close, yet so far.
SMH.
