Gabe Kapler protest the anthem. Okay and....

Coach Kepler sitting out the anthem. Lol hey skip I get what you trying to do but it's not the same. First you using a protest that not only already been used, but was arguably the most controversial one since Jim Crow. Secondly and most importantly YOUR WHITE! This 'merica skip, and an ugly truth about this 'merica is you don't live under the same standards, laws, or even rights here that me or one of your black players do.

Do you remember the name Bruce Maxwell? Yeah probably not. Well he was the only player kneeling during 'kneeling peroid' Like him this will be talked about for a few days and no one will even acknowledge your doing it, then you'll get bored and you'll stop, just like Bruce did.

I think the most comical part of this all is you decide memorial weekend in Cincinnati to start it! CINCINNATI! I think there some irony in that decision, I'm not going to even elaborate on that, but hey good choice of the. Location to start it. 'A'
for effort, it's more action than most will take. ESPECIALLY IN CINCINNATI 

Another Mass Shooting

I think the problem with these shooting and these slaughtering of our neighbors and our kids is, we all live in this theoretical state, meaning if it don't effect me directly, we mourn for a min, just make our post, say T's and P's, share a post and move on with our lives. If somehow we lived in the state of constant relatable reality, then we are forced in a state of taking action and doing something about it. 

Why can't Robb elementary school, be C.O. Harrison where my 10 year old goes to school? Why can't the supermarket in Buffalo, be the krogers my mother and I shop at it? And like the Asian church, remember Dylan Wolf? It wasn't that long ago he walk into a church and killed multiple blacks in Bible study, also something I was raised up doing every week at first Baptist of Hazelwood, why couldn't that have happen to us?

Numbers don't lie! Statistic say it's closer to you than you know, but unfortunately humans lead there lives in a way that is not proactive, it's reactive. We react the same way to these events, at least till it happens to you.

Where's Weirdo? Calling Out To All You Interesting People

There's that saying; if your the smartest person in the room, then you need to find a new room. Well I think that go for interest too. If your the most interesting person in a room you also need to find a new room.

I love interesting people! Interesting is defined by the individual, I'm speaking most about dialog and mind set, people who thinks differently than I do. Over the last few years my journey has made me a bit of weirdo is the realm.

In my search of interesting, I have found myself connecting with people, that social doctrine would tell you is cray-cray or weirdos, but be that as it may, I've enjoyed the process of leaning into other people's weirdness. Leaning in Keep's life interesting, and most importantly it teaches you range, range in your own thoughts and the able to be ability to see things from a lot of different angles.

So I challenge you, this week. Seek out someone who seems a lil off, rather that be at work, your local hangout, your neighbors, wherever. Someone who's thinking and view point and some peaks your interest and just talk(more so listen) and ask questions. It maybe uncomfortable, but I promise you it'll be fun and you'll leave that experience had learned something 😉

What is success?

Real success. This is something that only you can define for yourself.

Maybe real success looks like owning a small business, taking a new course, learning a new skill, or living with more purpose. The point is that whatever you want to do in this life, you can do it with confidence, ease, intelligence, and success. You really can. And more than anything, your version of success doesn’t have to be perfectly planned. The rules were created to be broken. Don't be afraid to be creative, bold, and honest with yourself about what you want. Abundance is yours to claim.

A bit on TRUST.

Trust is a minefield, especially in the contest of other people. No matter how you try to tip-toe through, the chances of getting across is very slim.

In order to make survival a certainty,(and limp away only being hurt, cause you will be hurt) you don't trust that someone is going to betray you, instead you just trust that you'll be able handle it when they do, and that you'll be able to walk away!

That's a massive key to it, stop worrying about if you can trust people, maybe you CAN'T, only time will tell! That is a pointless waste of your energy and mental fortitude to worry about.

My baby brother is 30! 😳

For the sake of your card, I have to keep this short, and let me tell you, that's a challenge.

As an elder brother you are gifted the responsibility and blessing to oversee the health and well being of your younger sibling, and man do I have the best one!

Ivan it's still unreal to me that your even an adult, let along hitting 30! As unreal as it seem, God have to killed adulthood.

The Man you have become, The father you are, The brother you have always been, has been nothing short of perfect. The courage, your drive, your bravado that you lead your life with makes everyone who has the blessing to know you, very lucky. However, not as lucky as me who gets to call you my brother.

Happy birthday! I love you, thanks for being unapologetically exactly who you are, can't wait to see what the future holds for you and your family. Keep making us proud!

The Blame Game

Just observing the world in which we live in on a random day you usually don't have to look far to find someone blaming someone else for all things wrong in the world. Covid-19 it's these people fault, the spread is the fault of people not wearing mask, or the unvaccinated. Global warming it's the fault of the big industry wigs, no no it the fault of the nasty ass citizens who don't recycle plastics. Like how in the hell, lil ole me and you start or can stop global warming, it's GLOBAL for a reason. I can go on and on about the millions of offensives that we're trying to find something or someone to blame it on, but that's not why I'm with you today. 

Seeing all the blame being pointed in every which direction, I observed and tried to find the commonalities of humanity and our obsession with blaming and shaming folks. I even dug within and use my life, and relationships as a comparison to my hypothesis of WHY we must blame. 

Blame is simply the discharging of pain and discomfort. Observe someone next time you're being blamed for something. ( it WILL happen no worries) We blame when we’re uncomfortable and experience pain, when we’re vulnerable, angry, hurt, in shame, and grieving. 'What took 911 so long to get big mama to the hospital?'

There’s nothing productive about blame, and it often involves shaming someone or just being mean and cruel. 

And Cruelty is cheap, easy, and chickenshit.

Accountability though, now that takes work, 'like why is big mama over 300 pounds and not doing the preventive care of herself' (newsflash that's the American way)

Okay that was cruel and mean, dammit! I'm sorry 😔.  

Where was I? Oh yeah Accountability! Accountability and its were we humans are lacking. 

Understand however, that's it's a requirement for growth and change. You get neither one of those things point your finger to blame.