Monday, January 29, 2018
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Time
More and more I've realized how important of a thing "time" is. It's the most important thing that we have, and the most important thing that we can give. Time is one of the most important things that you can give to someone. Just taking the time to ask someone how their day is going can brighten up their day.
A few years ago I was going through some very difficult times. Mentally I was a mess, and life was just feeling very hopeless. One of the things that got me through this period was the time my family and friends gave to me.
I remember going to Jiu Jitsu class... making myself go to class, and not really wanting to be there... not really wanting to be anywhere in general. I remember walking by my good friend and instructor Steve, and he asked me, "How's it going?" I did the normal reply, "it's going good" and continued to walk by Steve. I walked about 3 feet and then felt someones hand on my shoulder... I turned around and it was Steve. He told me, "Don't give me that shit!! How are you doing, I want to know." I remember looking at him and saying, "I'm a fucking wreck right now... but I'm here."
After a very hard Jiu Jitsu practice Steve took me out to dinner and we talked a lot. We talked about the ups and downs of life, what was bugging me, how to deal with difficult times, and how we need to appreciate the good times while we are in them...
Steve has always been one of my best friends. We have a very long history together. He's one of those people that wants a straight honest answer. When he asks you "how are you doing" he wants to actually know what's going on in your life. The time and friendship he has given me is more valuable than any material thing I can ever receive.
A few weeks ago I posted a blog about a homeless person that I encountered and gave a gift card to so that he can get something to eat. I wish more than anything that I wasn't in such a hurry that day so that I could have sat down and talked to him for a little bit. As easy as it was for my to give him some money, I wish I could have given him some of my time.
I use to spend so much time "chasing money" and thinking it would make me happy. I was spending all my time working, and not enough time with my kids. I felt like the material things I was able to buy for my kids would make them happy and that being away from them because I was working was a balanced trade-off. I remember one year asking my son what he wanted for his birthday. He looked at me and ask, "Can you take the day off from work and come to my birthday party?"
I felt like the worst parent ever. Here I thought I was making him happy by making enough money to buy him toys and most of the stuff that he wanted... but all he really wanted was for me to spend more time with him. It's not like I was an absent parent, but because I was working so much I was usually tired, a little cranky, and sometimes short tempered. I realized that I needed to make a change, and that my kids didn't care about the stuff I bought them as much as they really just wanted me to spend more quality time with them.
I'm trying to give more and more of my time to people. One thing that I really love about the relationship that I have with Alisha is the fact that we have made it a habit to make sure that we give each other our time. No matter how busy our day has been, at the end of the day we always talk on the phone for about 30 mins (usually longer) and talk about how our day went.
We have a very limited amount of time here on this earth, and it's important that we use that limited time to try to help as many people as we can, and touch as many lives as we can.
That's all I got for today. I promise that the next blog will be about running. I still need to write about the San Joaquin River 100k (did that one back in November) and the Rodeo Beach 50k (did that one back in December).
Until next time...
KEEP RUNNING!!!!
A few years ago I was going through some very difficult times. Mentally I was a mess, and life was just feeling very hopeless. One of the things that got me through this period was the time my family and friends gave to me.
I remember going to Jiu Jitsu class... making myself go to class, and not really wanting to be there... not really wanting to be anywhere in general. I remember walking by my good friend and instructor Steve, and he asked me, "How's it going?" I did the normal reply, "it's going good" and continued to walk by Steve. I walked about 3 feet and then felt someones hand on my shoulder... I turned around and it was Steve. He told me, "Don't give me that shit!! How are you doing, I want to know." I remember looking at him and saying, "I'm a fucking wreck right now... but I'm here."
After a very hard Jiu Jitsu practice Steve took me out to dinner and we talked a lot. We talked about the ups and downs of life, what was bugging me, how to deal with difficult times, and how we need to appreciate the good times while we are in them...
Steve has always been one of my best friends. We have a very long history together. He's one of those people that wants a straight honest answer. When he asks you "how are you doing" he wants to actually know what's going on in your life. The time and friendship he has given me is more valuable than any material thing I can ever receive.
A few weeks ago I posted a blog about a homeless person that I encountered and gave a gift card to so that he can get something to eat. I wish more than anything that I wasn't in such a hurry that day so that I could have sat down and talked to him for a little bit. As easy as it was for my to give him some money, I wish I could have given him some of my time.
I use to spend so much time "chasing money" and thinking it would make me happy. I was spending all my time working, and not enough time with my kids. I felt like the material things I was able to buy for my kids would make them happy and that being away from them because I was working was a balanced trade-off. I remember one year asking my son what he wanted for his birthday. He looked at me and ask, "Can you take the day off from work and come to my birthday party?"
I felt like the worst parent ever. Here I thought I was making him happy by making enough money to buy him toys and most of the stuff that he wanted... but all he really wanted was for me to spend more time with him. It's not like I was an absent parent, but because I was working so much I was usually tired, a little cranky, and sometimes short tempered. I realized that I needed to make a change, and that my kids didn't care about the stuff I bought them as much as they really just wanted me to spend more quality time with them.
I'm trying to give more and more of my time to people. One thing that I really love about the relationship that I have with Alisha is the fact that we have made it a habit to make sure that we give each other our time. No matter how busy our day has been, at the end of the day we always talk on the phone for about 30 mins (usually longer) and talk about how our day went.
We have a very limited amount of time here on this earth, and it's important that we use that limited time to try to help as many people as we can, and touch as many lives as we can.
That's all I got for today. I promise that the next blog will be about running. I still need to write about the San Joaquin River 100k (did that one back in November) and the Rodeo Beach 50k (did that one back in December).
Until next time...
KEEP RUNNING!!!!
Monday, January 22, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Kindness
I've always felt that you should give without telling, and be kind without expecting anything in return. I am reluctant to even write this entry because I don't want this to seem like I'm stroking my ego, or giving myself a pat on the back. But... I have decided to write this down in hope to inspire someone out there, whoever it is that actually reads the random thoughts I write, to go out and do what they feel is important in their heart. We live in a time where we are all so connected, yet disconnected at the same time. I hope that somewhere in my story I will remind you to do something that you feel is right.
Wednesday started off like a normal day. I took the kids to school, went to workout at Fit 36, then headed off the get some Jiu Jitsu practice with Randy. I then got cleaned up and headed to work.
I was running a little late and decided to just grab a pizza at Little Caesars Pizza on the way to work. The pizza is only 5 dollars, so it's something I grab when I'm in a hurry and running late. As I walked up to Little Caesars I noticed a man sitting off by himself. He was a homeless man, and he was just sitting there with his belongings and eating a pizza. I saw a few people walk by him, and they were avoiding eye contact with the man. He didn't bother any of them, didn't ask for money, and he didn't ask for help. He just sat there, eating his pizza and minding his own business.
The location I was at is a nicer side of town. An area where you don't see homeless people. While I was getting my pizza, something told me that I needed to do something for this guy. I asked the lady working behind the counter at Little Caesars if they sold gift cards. She said that they did, so I told her that I would like a $30.00 gift card.
I got my pizza, and my gift card , and walked out of Little Caesars. I saw the homeless man still sitting there, and I walked over to him. He noticed me walking up to him and I said "Hello, I have something for you. I see you like pizza, so I figured that you could put this to good use." He saw that it was a gift card and I told him it had $30.00 on it and I wanted him to have it.
What he said to me left me heartbroken. He told me, "$30.00... that's too much."
This was not the response I was expecting to hear. I looked at him and said, "No it's not... it should be more." Then I walked over to my car, got in, and drove to work. The whole time I was driving I kept thinking how I wish that I had the time to sit down and talk to this guy. I felt like I should have asked him if he needed anything. I wished that I wasn't in a rush.
I got to work and went about my normal day. Today I was working with Andrea. We haven't hung out in a long time, and I always like working with Andrea. She's one of those people that I can joke around with, and have very meaningful conversations with as well.
As we were ending our shift and were closing up the store I shared my story about the guy I had my encounter with earlier to Andrea. I told her how heavy it was to hear him say that I gave him too much.
Andrea then said something that blew me away. She told me, "It was probably hard for that guy to take it from you because he wasn't asking for anything. You felt like he needed help and you did something about it. You knew that he needed help from the way he looked and the position he was in. If anyone saw you walking down the road they wouldn't think anything of it, but if they see this man they can automatically tell that he needs help. The guy you helped probably realized that you could tell that he needed help just by looking at him. That's gotta be a pretty heavy emotional thing to deal with." This was a point of view that I never thought of.
A lot of time we see people in distress and we walk right by, look the other way, hope that someone else will step in, or just ignore them.
Sometimes when we see a homeless person we automatically have an idea in our head about what their story might be. We have no clue as to what got them to this point in their life. Our luck can change at the drop of a hat. We never imagine that the person we walk by could be us... but maybe we should. I know that it is personally hard for me to swallow my pride and ask for help, and if it wasn't for my parents I don't know where I would be in my life when things were going bad. I could have at one point of my life been that guy that needed help sitting there...
until next time...
BE KIND TO EACH OTHER!!!!
Wednesday started off like a normal day. I took the kids to school, went to workout at Fit 36, then headed off the get some Jiu Jitsu practice with Randy. I then got cleaned up and headed to work.
I was running a little late and decided to just grab a pizza at Little Caesars Pizza on the way to work. The pizza is only 5 dollars, so it's something I grab when I'm in a hurry and running late. As I walked up to Little Caesars I noticed a man sitting off by himself. He was a homeless man, and he was just sitting there with his belongings and eating a pizza. I saw a few people walk by him, and they were avoiding eye contact with the man. He didn't bother any of them, didn't ask for money, and he didn't ask for help. He just sat there, eating his pizza and minding his own business.
The location I was at is a nicer side of town. An area where you don't see homeless people. While I was getting my pizza, something told me that I needed to do something for this guy. I asked the lady working behind the counter at Little Caesars if they sold gift cards. She said that they did, so I told her that I would like a $30.00 gift card.
I got my pizza, and my gift card , and walked out of Little Caesars. I saw the homeless man still sitting there, and I walked over to him. He noticed me walking up to him and I said "Hello, I have something for you. I see you like pizza, so I figured that you could put this to good use." He saw that it was a gift card and I told him it had $30.00 on it and I wanted him to have it.
What he said to me left me heartbroken. He told me, "$30.00... that's too much."
This was not the response I was expecting to hear. I looked at him and said, "No it's not... it should be more." Then I walked over to my car, got in, and drove to work. The whole time I was driving I kept thinking how I wish that I had the time to sit down and talk to this guy. I felt like I should have asked him if he needed anything. I wished that I wasn't in a rush.
I got to work and went about my normal day. Today I was working with Andrea. We haven't hung out in a long time, and I always like working with Andrea. She's one of those people that I can joke around with, and have very meaningful conversations with as well.
As we were ending our shift and were closing up the store I shared my story about the guy I had my encounter with earlier to Andrea. I told her how heavy it was to hear him say that I gave him too much.
Andrea then said something that blew me away. She told me, "It was probably hard for that guy to take it from you because he wasn't asking for anything. You felt like he needed help and you did something about it. You knew that he needed help from the way he looked and the position he was in. If anyone saw you walking down the road they wouldn't think anything of it, but if they see this man they can automatically tell that he needs help. The guy you helped probably realized that you could tell that he needed help just by looking at him. That's gotta be a pretty heavy emotional thing to deal with." This was a point of view that I never thought of.
A lot of time we see people in distress and we walk right by, look the other way, hope that someone else will step in, or just ignore them.
Sometimes when we see a homeless person we automatically have an idea in our head about what their story might be. We have no clue as to what got them to this point in their life. Our luck can change at the drop of a hat. We never imagine that the person we walk by could be us... but maybe we should. I know that it is personally hard for me to swallow my pride and ask for help, and if it wasn't for my parents I don't know where I would be in my life when things were going bad. I could have at one point of my life been that guy that needed help sitting there...
until next time...
BE KIND TO EACH OTHER!!!!
Saturday, January 13, 2018
01-13-18
It would have been easier
To be carried by you,
During those difficult moments
That I have been through,
The easier road
Is the one I've never taken,
It left me feeling broken
And feeling forsaken,
But making it through it all
Made me so grateful,
And in the end
So much more humble,
I need you behind me giving me a push
I need you I front of me giving me a pull,
There were times in my life
That I was so doubtfull,
Sometimes this world
Seems so dark and full of shit,
It would be easier to stop
Turn around and quit,
But that's not the way
I was designed and built,
I would prefer to push forward
And embrace all of the hurt,
At the end of the dark tunnel
There's a lamp that shines so bright,
And if I keep moving forward
And if I continue to fight...
I'll be so thankful
That I made it out alive.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
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