Mirrors

The last 4 years have been pretty tough to deal with for me physically. I have gained about 30 pounds over those years and I have found myself going from someone who was in reasonably good shape to someone who is not in good shape whatsoever. The byproduct of that is a new hatred for mirrors. Why, you may ask? Because they remind me what I perceive to be my own failure. Everytime I look in the mirror I am reminded of what the days when I was thinner and felt better about it. But the mirror is really my friend, because it keeps me grounded in reality. It makes me see things as they are and not as I want them to be. That is so necessary in each of our lives, that our perception is founded on reality not that we bend our reality to fit our perception. So, I begrudgingly say thanks to the mirror for helping me become who I want to be.

Being the Best

So, like many other people I suppose, I spent the last two weeks watching the Olympics and as always it made me think about a wide variety of things. One, the irony of Chinese government documents being used to confirm that Chinese gymnasts were the correct age to compete. Hello. the Chinese government is the perpetrator of the misinformation, why would you use them to validate their own lie? Two, if you are a taekwondo official and you upset a competitor, you might want to watch out for a kick to the face. Three, US basketball is back where it belongs, on top. With that in mind I started to think about the pressure on those NBA players to win the gold medal. They were the best in the world talent wise, but they didn't have the gold handed to them just because they were the most talented. They took their talent and coupled it with determination and hard work to reach their full potential. That is the perfect storm for success: ability, determination, and hard work. So many people live somewhat successfully on one or two of those attributes, but it is a rare thing when all three are actually brought to bare at the same time. My desire in life is to be able to do that not only for my self but to help as many possible as possible do it for themselves as well. Remember, success in life isn't just happenstance, it is awarded to those who prepare for it. Live every day as a gift because that is what it is.

Friends are Friends Forever

Okay, let me start out by saying I was never a big fan of Michael W. Smith but I remember his song enough that it is now the title of this posting. It's very easy sometimes to take for granted how blessed I am to have some really great relationships existant in my life. I am reminded of that today because a friend cared enough to invite me to dinner and then ask about an area of my life that has been a real struggle lately. Not to condemn me or try to tell me how to live mind you, but because he was genuinely interested in my good enough to not turn a blind eye to the situation but instead to ask questions that I am sure were a little uncomfortable for him to ask. That might seem small, but I think it is increasingly rare that people are able to step outside themselves long enough to even notice when others are in need of a hand or maybe just a shoulder. The funny thing is that by taking a chance and asking those questions he allowed me not only to be real with him but with myself in a way that I had not been in regards to this situation. My friend reminded me tonight that real, healthy relationships don't avoid problems but tackle them together and overcome them through multiplied strength and endurance. So, what kind of friend have you been and what kind do you surround yourself with? We all have times where we need to be asked tough questions and then supported through the resolution. We also need to be the one who is able to step outside ourself and help others through their times of struggle. With all of that in mind, guard and value your genuine friendships because they are of the highest price and understand that friends are friends forever only when they put in the effort because they see it as worth it.