Thunderstorms

"We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Early one morning, I was awaken by the crashing boom of thunder. It was the type of thunder that rattles the very walls of the house. There was very little lightening to warn you of the coming thunder. At first is was odd not to see the lightening followed by the thunderous sound.

Quickly though it lulled me back to sleep. That in itself would amaze many of my siblings. I am unsure how it developed, but I had a deathly fear of storms when growing up. And since I grew up on the plains of Nebraska, large thunderstorms were common.

The mere thought of a raging storm filled with lightening and thunder raised fears of great proportion in me. There were times in which I felt so afraid and would cower in a basement corner. The fear holding a tight grip on me in a way I couldn't explain.

Fear can have a debilitating effect on you in ways that can crush your ability to do anything at all. It stifles and takes hold of your entire life. Fear basically keeps you from moving on with your life.

Take the news stories of the telecommunications giant AT&T agreeing to purchase T-Mobile for $39 billion dollars. A staggering sum of money, but with many individual people affected. I know many of those people that work in many various positions. They range from sales associates, to managers and even regional directors. Each of these people will be affected; both in good and bad ways.

One of these folks is a store manager and recently admitted that she at first could have gone to fear with the news. She could have thought the worst; allowing doom and gloom to cover her life. But she resolved to trust first in her faith and secondly in her ability to push through whatever happens.

You may think that is a naive way of thinking. But it is always easier to go to the negative. It always takes more effort to remain positive. Success and achievement take effort.

When the storms come crashing through your window, will you allow fear to rule? Or will you face the fear with resolve to overcome it?

I can tell you that my fear of thunderstorms caused me sleepless nights. Storms ruled the day until I realized that it wasn't the storms; it was the fear that I was allowing to rule my life.

The first crack of thunder still wakes me at night, but it also lulls me back to a gentle sleep. Fear remains outside to fend for itself, far from the life you are building.

Walk the Distance

"Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time." -Steven Wright

Recently I had a Twitter exchange with @LaughNYC. Originally he had tweeted, "I've got a frog in my mouth and it's making me horse <----lots of animals going on in there." And being the wise guy that I can sometimes be retweeted it with the comment, "Galloping frogs legs Batman!"

Humor, dry at times or outright guffaws, has a place in our life. It is a way to ease the tension and a way to simply make you feel good. Humor can make a point about life in a light hearted way. Or it can be very piercing and spirited in the punch line.

Either way, humor has its place in our life. As noted by the comedian Steven Wright, the road we are on is long, but only if we have enough time to walk its length. His dry wit has always amused me but his point is well taken. You can get to any place that you want by walking; that is if you have enough time.

Achieving our dreams or goals are just as achievable. You simply need to have enough time and persistance to get to them. But it means getting up now and moving towards it. That along with time and a little humor will get you most anywhere you want.

Blade of Grass

“You could cover the whole earth with asphalt, but sooner or later green grass would break through.” -Ilya Ehrenburg

It seems at times that we are surrounded by thick walls. Walls that have no clear way of getting through. They are too high and too strong. No windows, no doors and no way to get to the other side. So we quit trying. We sit on our hands and lament the impossible.

Yet even a single blade of grass never quits trying. It keeps working at the covering above it. A weak spot here, a crack over there; searching for a way to break through.

You are that blade of grass. You keep trying, you keep searching, you find a way through. Eventually it happens. Like that blade of grass covered by ashpalt, you break through the wall. You find a way to get past what confines you. You experience the sunshine, you experience greatness.

Just Start

Whatever you want in life, start today.
Not tomorrow - today.
Let it be a small beginning - a tiny beginning.
Your happiness depends on starting today - every day.
-Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Along with all that life is throwing at us, kids in school, a busy work schedule and a spouse's surgery; we decided to remodel a good share of the house. All at the same time and all culminating in our time being filled to the brink.

I would not say it is overwhelming for all of us (me, you and everyone else) as each of us has the capacity to do more then we give ourselves credit for. I would say that we took this on because waiting just wasn't in the cards. We were ready to move on all of it even if we didn't think we were completely ready.

What I mean by that is all of us have something we want or want to do in life. But inevitably we procrastinate or reason that the timing isn't perfect. Yet now is the perfect time. Now is when you should be starting to get on with your life.

For us, an opened wall between our dining room and living room will create a grand space for family and friends. Fresh paint on the walls will brighten rooms in which we gather. The new carpets will comfort our feet as we dance away the days. Yes, getting on with life in spite of all that happens is a good thing.

Take a moment to breath a short sigh and then get on with it. Start moving forward with your life. Start the makeover, start the new class, start with starting as opposed to waiting. Your life will be so much grander for having done so.