Lessons from the Lift

Since “life” has started to take over, the blog has really suffered. So at the least, here’s the 2015 year in review.

2015 Goals, have they been met?

Don’t be bogged down by the I’m turning 30 blues - thankfully that was not the case!

Continue to travel and often - hopefully Scotland! - We traveled to both Scotland (all over) and to NYC

Take advantage of all the downtime possible - haha, that’s a work in progress and always will be. Although I like to think I have been better.

Enjoy the beauty of nature more often (when you work in it you become a bit jaded sometimes) - Thank you Scotland for the eye openining beauty, and time of healing

Share and spread the word about the work that Chill does in the community and help the program to become year round. - The program will be going year round, starting this year!

Try to make as much time as possible for others - Family time, Framily time, and friends have become a top priority.

Take advantage of the moments that present themselves, especially those that are hiding in plain sight - still a work in progress

Savor each sunrise and suset, even if it involves work - 100% did this year, regardless of location

Try to become more Type B, while maintaining the Type A organization - it has been improved upon

Let things go easier - still a work in progress

Be more willing to accept change - this was unfortunately a forced issued, whether I liked it or not

2015 Highlights

Had the chance to go and visit Strawberry Fields

Seeing U2 at MSG

Scotland for the 30th birthday- enough said

Continuing to have the opportunity to volunteer with Chill

Nik and I becoming engaged (poor guy...haha)

Spending time with the extended family that I don’t get to see often

Becoming an Aunt for the first time

Having the support of wonderful neighbors

Holding various successful events at Church, including trunk or treat, Freehand and Fellowship

Getting to see Eric Idle and John Cleese on stage together. 

Things I learned this year.

There are plenty of surprises in life, some which are heartbreaking and devestating

In times of darkness, there is always the light that shines

Prayer does work

Life can be cruel, and often takes the best to soon

30 is just another number, although I do feel it a little more each day...haha

It’s always nice to have friends that understand our situations

Beauty is just around the corner

Silence can speak louder than anything

Even in a world that appears to be dominated by hatred and jealousy, love always shines through

The word cancer is a tough pill to swallow, regardless the stage and context

2016 Goals

Have a great wedding, regardless of what happens on the day of the event

Complete a leg in the Baltimore Marathon relay

Take advantage of all the downtime possible

Complete my ENV SP credentialing

Continue to volunteer with Chill

Always carry a light that shines a little brighter than the darkness

Let things go easier

Most importantly, “Live Life Like Rob” - it will be hard not having him at my wedding

With such a rollercoaster of a back half of 2015, I can only hope that 2016 is much nicer. There has been plenty of questioning, but let’s be honest, nothing can be changed, and all that can be done is to accept things as they are,’

So I've been slacking on this blog lately, but in my defence, there has also been a lot of life changes, in a short amount of time. So here's how the 2014 forecast looke

2014 goals, have they been met?

2013 Goals

To buy a home/townhouse/condo - Settled in October!

Continue to travel and often - Do all the weekend trips count?

Take advantage of all the downtime possible - haha, down time...

Enjoy the beauty of nature more often (when you work in it you become a bit jaded sometimes) - still working on that

Continue to make a difference in the community

Try to make as much time as possible for others - feel pretty satisfied with that one

Take advantage of the moments that present themselves, especially those that are hiding in plain sight - revolving goal

Savor each sunrise and suset, even if it involves work - 100%

Try to become more Type B, while maintaining the Type A organization - lots of work on this one...

Let things go easier - see above

2014 Highlights

Lots of fun small weekend jaunts to different place, Philly, the Poconos, the Beach, for the summer

Snowboarding in Banff Canada!!

Volunteering with the Chill Foundation and watching that group of kids grown tremendously over a 6 week period

Having one of my blog posts on here picked up by my alumni magazine and having it featured!

Spending time with the extended family that I don’t get to see often

O;s are the AL East Champs!

MMUMC's evolution being honored with a Ravens Honor Row for their community service AND featured on WBAL

Becoming a homeowner!

Recognized as Volunteer of the Year for Chill

Things I learned this year.

You find time for the things you want to do

Volunteering still and always will give me some of the greatest feeling of satisfaction

The Holidays still remain to be the best part of each passing year

You really learn about your relationships with friends/family when big life events take place.

Your manager certainly plays a role in your happiness as an employee, and I have been blessed with quite an awesome one!

I’ve been blessed with an awesome family- well duh!

2015 Goals

Don't be bogged down by the I'm turning 30 blues

Continue to travel and often - hopefully Scotland!

Take advantage of all the downtime possible

Enjoy the beauty of nature more often (when you work in it you become a bit jaded sometimes)

Share and spread the word about the work that Chill does in the community and help the program to become year round.

Try to make as much time as possible for others

Take advantage of the moments that present themselves, especially those that are hiding in plain sight

Savor each sunrise and suset, even if it involves work

Try to become more Type B, while maintaining the Type A organization

Let things go easier

Be more willing to accept change

Well, it certainly has been an exciting few weeks in the Baltimore sports realm. There have been some major accomplishments and there were some other news worthy which overshadowed a lot of good which has also occurred. Lessons can be pulled away from both of them. 

To address the elephant in the room, the first one has to be the most talked about football incident with Ray Rice. In no way do I condone his actions. Having seen the video, and having a background in martial arts, to me that appeared to be a knock out punch. Bascially the biggest lesson that can be pulled away from that for all of you aspiring athletes, is one wrong decision can not only change your career but can change your life. The same goes for MIchael Phelps with his recent DUI arrest. Both of these situations have placed other lives in danger, whether intentional or not. There is no reason for someone not to go out and have a good time, just be aware, there are limits, and do the responsible thing. When you hit the professional level, you are under a microscope and your every move is being watched. Be sure to surround yourself with the right people, who will always bring you back into check when you start going wayward. This does not apply for only athletes, but EVERYONE! If you have the right people around you, you will minimize the damage, do well, be successful, and hopefully avoid putting others in danger. To me, this has been a huge disappointment, not only to the fans, but to the surrounding city which is already struggling with their reputation. Baltimore is known for things such as "The Wire" and were profiled recently with their heroin problem on National Geographic. The sports teams were the one thing which provided a bright spot up until the start of the football season. However, there is still one team which is prodiving one of the brightest spots on the athletic realm which hasn't been seen in almost 20 years!

The Orioles, as a whole, have exepmlified a working class mentality, what is means to grind it out, and of course, providing hope for a city which has received nothing but bad press lately. This team reminds me of the 1997 team that I grew up watching with some of my favorite players: Brady Anderson, Cal Ripken Jr., BJ Surfhoff, Chris Hoiles, just to name a few. What makes this team so special, is not only have they been flying under the rader, projected to finish last this season, they have flourished and are now up 2-0 in the ALDS series to the favorites. They have filled that sense of pride, joy, and hope for everyone that has been missing with the revelation of the Ray Rice case. I'm so excited for the kids who are able to watch this team flourish, like I had the chance. This group of guys provides a series of great role models for the young athletes, which in my opinion is lacking in the NFL arena. At least on the Orioles, you don't hear many bad things about the players. They all give back to their charity of choice, and make it well known. (ex: Adam Jones with the Boy and Girls Clubs, Nick Markakis with Casey Cares). They has provided a great opportunity to teach kids the importance of patience, perserverance, determination, and not listening to all the critics. They go about about their job, get the work done, and live in the now. Once the game is over, they don't dwell and move on to looking forward to the next game. We could all learn a few things from them about that! 

Regardless it has been an interesting year for Baltimore sports, almost Jeckyl and Hyde like. So kids, if you stumble upon this and read it, take these important lessons with you. If you have think you might be making a questionable decision, just look to Michae Phels and Ray Rice and you need to look no further. If you need a lesson in determination, look to the 2011/2012 and 2014 orioles. I can't wait to see what October holds for the Baltimore sports world.

Yeah, you hear that quite often, and it's easier to not accept the fact and try to analyze various situations to figure out why a person may have taken one step vs. another. And I'm not talking about analyzing yourself, but other people. Let's be real, we are all guilty of it. In fact, after most family's reunions I'm almost 100% positive each person gets in the car and has their own discussion of what the others are up to, whether good or bad. The real point is that even those with the greatst sums of money have their own issues, and often times bigger issues. Unforuntately, we learned that again this week after Robin Williams' surprise passing. I was floored when I heard the news.

A local DJ asked the question, why is it that we feel such sorrow for the family's involved and the individuals when we ourselves have never met them? You know what...great question!

For one, I think part of it is because it's an eye opener. If something this tragic can happen to someone of such stature, that means it could happen to us too! Now granted, this is a unique situation, however it just reiterates how dangers drug abuse, addiction, and depression can be. Plus, you have a tendency to feel empathy for those who are closest to situation. I can't even being to imagine what the family is experiencing right now, especially since I'm around his kids age, and Robin was about my parents ages.

However, I think one of the bigger reason is that, Robin Williams is someone a lot of us grew up with. I remember watching Mork and Mindy on Nick at Nite reruns and TV land. Not to mention, he played a huge role in some of the biggest movies that my generation grew up with including: Dead Poet's society (which I'm pretty sure everyone has watching in English class at some point), Good Morning Vietnam, Aladdin, Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams, Awakenings, Night at the Museum, Hook, and the list goes on and on and on. These were all big films at their time in one respect or another and Robin Williams helped to bring these characters to life, and each was portrayed with such a "real" life entitiy, that there have been many life lessons learned through his performances. Of course, we also learned many life lessons through these roles. Not only that but to hear about his involvement in charitable work with St. Jude and our troops, that it goes to show you he was the real deal. 

It's sad for an occurence like this to raise awareness on such issues as depression and addiction. In my lifetime, I would like to see this awareness become better, and prevent this from happening to other well loved individuals. Don't be afraid to talk, to reach out, something, anything. You may never know, you could be the difference maker in sending someone down a different path.

Robin Willams, you will forever be remembered as one of the greats and was another talent taken too soon. We will miss you!

"You'll have bad times, but it'll wake you up to the good stuff you weren't paying attention to." - From Goodwill Hunting

Genie, you're free...

It's something we all have to do, and I've been doing just that over the few months. Others of you are probably going, but wait, you're an adult already, what do you mean grow up? To answer that, I don't mean physcially. I mean by taking some big steps in my life and beginning to take on more responsbility. Currently, the last few weeks there has been so much going on, most good, and some not so good, that I've been feeling like I've been treading water and just managing to keep my head above water. 

A lesson that I learned from watching an ant trying to climb up a curved surface is that you can never ever ever ever give up. That you will find our way out some way. This ant was trying desparately to get out of a glass, and regardless of how little progress he was making, he continued to take a few steps up, fall off, and repeat. He eventually got out with some help. And there's the other lesson, as long as you have the right support system you too can get through anything. I do have to say, I have been quite blessed in that department over these last few months.

Growing up, there are also plenty of lessons in adversity, jealousy, etc. Although I'm not a jealous person, I have been quite jealous of my friends that have everything (or at least that's how it seems) fall into their laps. I feel like I've been one of those people who works their tail off with little reward. I'm thinking/hoping I will finally get to see that reward come to fruitation this upcoming week.It's been a pretty emotional few weeks for multiple reasons, and this week it's about to become even more so, along with an increased amount of responsibility. In some ways I don't feel like I'm ready for this step in my life, although at the same time, I know this was going to happen at some point. Guess it might as well be now. It's been tough keeping everything together, and there have been those occassional moments where everything just breaks loose.

What it boils down to is remembering the effort that ant put forward to escape. You have to keep pushing through and taking one step  at a time in order to succeed, especially when you are faced with the one step forward, two steps back situation.

This is a fanstastic new documentary mini-series that traces various influences on climate change and the lasting impacts which have been felt among the human population. So far topics that have been covered include: the palm oil trade/deforestation, El Nino/coral reefs, Drought/Forest Fires, and super storms, including the likes of Sandy. If you've watched this, you have probably noticed how eye opening the facts results are becoming. Not to mention, that there are still non-believers out there. Take this week alone. The Mid-West has been nailed by another few severe tornado outbreaks, Pensacola, Florida has had 2ft of rain in over 26 hours. and Baltimore has experienced landslides, sinkholes, and flooding. This is some of the most severe weather that I have witnessed the Mid-Atlanic experience to date, sans the derecho, Sandy, and the brutal cold this past winter.

What has been most interesting about the series is watching the different viewpoints of individuals who have been directly involved and those who are standing on the outside and looking in at climate change. It's pretty heartbreaking to hear some of these stories. From the loss of natural lands, to the loss of loved ones, nothing is safe anymore from the ever changing climate that our globe is now experiencing. On top of that, we need to brace ourselves as there is another El Nino event projected to take place. These also seem to be coming more frequently and are stronger each time around.

So how is this inspiring? Well for one, about two weeks ago, there a Republican who lost his seat in the House, I believe, because he is a staunch believer in climate change. Despite losing his seat, that has not stopped his efforts to try and educate his former consituents and others who are within the party who still don't believe. The first episode, there was a professor at Texas Tech who is an environmental evangelist, spreading the word about climate change within the churches teaching and explaining climate change that even the most staunch religious indiviudals are now beginning to realize that ultimately we are the ones to blame. It goes to show you that we are the ones who have to make the decisions, and those who are in the immediate situation are struggling in their ways to stay afloat cutting back in every aspect. The rest of us who aren't directly involved, we're still comfortable with driving everywhere and getting our tomatoes from Mexico (I'm just as guilty as everyone else).

Since watching this series and earning my Masters in Sustainability and Energy, I have been trying to make a conscious effort to shop local, shop organic, make simple cut backs to water usage, and enjoy nature more. This mini-series in itself is an inspiration to me because it pushes me to be want to continue to forge down a path where sustainability is at the forefront of my career. All of us play a role in this ongoing battle, and I've very excited that Years of Living Dangerously has the ability to reach millions of people. It's programs like this and the people involved with the fight that are an inspiration. None of which give up until everyone is conscious of what is going on and are actively doing their part to curve the impacts.

There are many different definitions of friendship, and the definition changes from person to person. What inspired me to write this today is watching two of my closest friends from college both experience life changing events. Within a 36 hour time frame, both of them gave birth to baby boys, Nolan and Beckett. It gave me reason to pause and reflect on how lucky I am to call their mothers, and our two other college roommates friends.

Every since we're little, there is emphasis on building friendships and relationships with others. They act as if they are our second family, and I consider my inner circle of friends just that. Someone that I grew up with made a good point one day when we were discussing relationships. She had mentioned that if we were to pick out our friends our inner circle wouldn't resemble what it does today, because of how different our personalities and backgrounds are, however, because all of us grew up together that somehow gets shoved aside, and into a dark corner. Then there are others that you go out and actively choose. With the fast pace of life, there are very few of what I consider to be "old friends," or those that you go through school with from start to finish, especially in my case. I thought high school was going to be the turning point of my friendships. Boy, was I wrong! As depressed as I was, little did I know what college would have in store and how lucky that I was able to meet the people that I did, particularly my 4 closes "girl" friends (nothing against you Dave and Joe!).  

The 4 of us all come from different backgrounds, and different parts of the east coast. We hail from NY, PA, NJ, and MD. And miraculously, now all live within 2 hours of each other! So, how did we all meet? 

Court and I had a freshmen bio lab together, and we actually sat at the same lab table. We never spent enough time with each other to really get to know each other those first two years. Shi, however, I pretty much knew from Day 1 at college. During orientation rolled her ankle playing our quad/dorm's favorite game, ultimate frisbee. She came in for my awesome bunny, which had healing magic powers (actually it was one of those sweet heating/cooling pads) and was the best friend of one of the guys that lived in my hall a few doors down. Needless to say, we connected, lived together, sophomore year, and the did junior and senior year. Not to mention that we also traveled the world together. Shi introduced me to Jenn our sophomore year and I believe she participated in our "Anti-Valentime's Day" party, which resulted in us watching the Notebook. To this day, I will never understand that one. During sophomore year, Shi pulled us all together for a lunch so we could sit down and talk about possibly getting an apartment together for our junior year. 

Well, it turned out that the 4 of us couldn't be a better combo. Then senior year add in Emily. Shi, the brains behind the operation deserves the credit. I am extremely fortunate for having these girls in my life. We have all gone our separate ways, and are in different phases of life. We've attended each others weddings (N/A on my side yet), celebrated engagements, been through the break ups, the family drama, the college drama, and now are celebrating a new chapter by welcoming new lives into the world. However, what makes me love this bond between us, is that regardless of where we are in life, the 5 of us are extremely supportive of each other, and always find a way back. Not to mention, that when we do get together, no one misses a beat. We only get together a few times a year, and sometimes we're able to swing individual trips now ant then, but overall, I would consider us a well connected group. In fact, while we have been waiting for these babies to arrive (with one more in May), we have been on the phone none stop texting each other updates and checking in on everyone to see how they are doing.

So you know when you fill out those ridiculous 20 question "Get to know me" questions, or even some interviews, the question arises of, "If you could have dinner with any person that has passed on, who would you choose and why?" Well, I have a long list including Abraham Lincoln, John Lennon, and Rachel Carson to name a few. Well, that list increased this past week by one person. Who is that individual? The title of it, reveals the so called mystery. A lot of you are probably rolling about your eyes about the choice. The mastermind behind all of the Muppets? Seriously? You are correct. THAT Jim Henson!

This week, I just finished Jim Henson's biography this past week. It was written very well, easy to follow, and you felt like you knew all of the players involved. Jim Henson, however, is a type of person that everyone needs to know. After reading the biography, he was fully commited with his heart to his work. If he didn't believe in it, he wouldn't do it. Not only that, but he was continuously reinventing himself and thinking in the long term, not to mention was way ahead of his time. He also raised 5 successful children. One of the most interesting things I learned in the book was that he stopped the production of the Muppets after 5 years, predicting the Muppets would run in syndication bringing in a continuous revenue source in order to continue working on other projects such as Fraggle Rock, the muppet movies, and other movies such as Labyrinth and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

He also stood by his convinctions. One of Henson's dreams was to sell the Muppets to Disney, so they breakout from the "small" business world to someone else who could help support him. In the early 90's when they attempted to seal the deal, he was adamant about not selling his Sesame Street characters, keeping them independently owned. Henson was a staunch believer in never selling any of the characters he created. When he passed on and the third attempt to seal the deal with Disney took place, his kids stepped in and also refused to turn over the Sesame Street characters, keeping them as the characters a majority of us have grown up with, or our kids.

One of the others things that I loved about Jim Henson was that he always made the best of every situation. His counterparts in the book labeled him as the eternal optimist. It was very rare that Henson would become depressed, and just give up. Instead he always found the bright side of things, and continued to laugh and make jokes all the way throughout his life, even on his deathbed. He would always find a way to make things work out in the best possible fashion. Even when his own marriage was falling apart not once did he raise his voice at his ex-wife. Instead, he placed his focus on his kids and giving them the best experiences, and focused his attention on being a father to his kids whether he was with them or not, always being accessible.

Although what hit me the most was his selflesness. Henson always went out of his way to make everyone happy. No matter if it was in his New York or England Creater shop, he was always trying to do something, whether it was taking them crew on vacation or having lavish Christmas parties. However, the most interesting aspect was something called "The List." "The List" was made during the second Disney signing attempt. It was a list of the name of people who helped Henson throughout his career, and how he was going to financially repay them for their contribution of meeting his career goals. Now mind you, this money was coming from his personal signing bonus. He was not keeping the signing bonus for himself, yet giving it away. How many people do you know would do such a thing? Apparently, when the list, which was supposed to be private was somehow released within the company, people were actually appalled at the amount of money they were to receive. Wouldn't you just be appreciative of what you have received? Especially if it was a gift?

Like everyone else, Henson had his shortfalls, although that doesn't tarnish my view of him. When you have all that good going for you, it's hard to be swayed by some of the small things. For someone so far ahead of his time, and is responsible for advancing puppetry to what it is today, and developing some of the greatest American visionaries, including Julie Taymor, Henson is one individual I would love to sit down over dinner and just talk. Another one taken before his time. Luckiiy his legacy lives on through his creations. Thank you Jim Henson, for making this world a much more enjoyable place through the years of entertainment you have provided and continue to provide.

My new goal in life is to be more like Jim Henson.

This year, I can successfully say that I am in a much better place than I have been over the last few holidays. It's been nice to actually enjoy them for change, even with how fast they are flying by! So as a reflection of the year, I'm going to take last year's goals and see how much I've accomplished. Not to mention to highlight other things which have taken place this past year and set goals for the upcoming year.

2013 goals, have they been met?

Health for my family and friends - so far so good, minus a few bumps, but nothing major

To buy a house/townhouse/condo - in progress

To finish my Master’s - wrapped this up in March

To pay off my car - paid off in the spring :)

To make a difference in the community - from what others have said, this was a yes

Welcome people with open arms - revolving goal

To travel, preferably out of the country - it might not have been out of the country, but Hawaii certainly is close enough!

To be happy and enjoy the moment  - a work in progress

To watch my “kids” grow into awesome young adults!- on going since they are in middle school

"I Want to Thrive not just survive"- a work in progress

2013 Highlights

Completing the Masters Degree...FINALLY!

Finishing my first and most likely last Tough Mudder

Hawaii - travelling all over the island of Oahu

Volunteering with the Chill Foundation and watching that group of kids grown tremendously over a 6 week period

Not to mention meeting some amazing people in the Chill Organization

Playing catch on the field at Camden Yards

Spending time with the extended family that I don't get to see often

Meeting Mr. John Clark, responsible for Clark field at my alma mater

Having a post on here and recognized by my undergrad alma mater and spreading across the country

Being a toursist in my own town, including watching the lighting of the Washington Monument, seeing the light boat parade, and the Visionary Arts museum

Exploring Chesapeake Beach, MD, and Indy

Things I learned this year.

All you have to do is step up and say hi sometimes, and you'll be amazed by the person who you are conversing with

Without fail, helping others will raise your morale no matter how down you feel, especially when it comes to working with kids

My friends have moved from the wedding stage to the baby stage now. For some reason, this bothers me WAY less than the weddings.

The Holidays still remain to be the best part of each passing year

Sometimes we need to breakdown in front of others so they can see who we really are and the struggle to become the person we are striving to be

Friendships and relationships all develop when you least expect them, as cliche as that sounds

I've been blessed with an awesome family

When you want to do something you make the time and the money

2013 Goals

To buy a home/townhouse/condo

Continue to travel and often

Take advantage of all the downtime possible

Enjoy the beauty of nature more often (when you work in it you become a bit jaded sometimes)

Continue to make a difference in the community

Try to make as much time as possible for others

Take advantage of the moments that present themselves, especially those that are hiding in plain sight

Savor each sunrise and suset, even if it involves work

Try to become more Type B, while maintaining the Type A organization

Let things go easier

With that, may 2014 be the best year to date. Best wishes for a wonderful new year!

"For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice." ~T.S. Elliot

...so you know what that means? It means it's time to cause us to forget the reason for the holiday seasons and consume our selves and our time with trying to find that perfect gift for whoever is on your shopping list. There was actually a great article posted on Huffington or a site similar to that where the author stated Thanksgiving should be changed to Thanks-getting, considering a majoirty of stores now open on Thanksgiving evening to increase the holiday shopping profits. After reading that article, it did make me think, and to be honest, I'm just as guilty as the next person trying to please everyone. However, this year taught me a BIG lesson! It taught me to appreciate relationships and people (not that I haven't before, but more so this year).The week of Thanksgiving didn't turn out how everyone had initially planned or expected, and was probably not one of the better ones in Myers history.

Thursday started out like a normal Thanksgiving Day, getting up, getting dressed, and gearing up to watch the parade. That was until about 8:30 when I received a text from someone close to me saying they would be unable to attend dinner, or at least that point they weren't sure. An hour later, I received notice that he would not be attending, as he was being admitted to the Emergency Room. Fortunately, I was at least able to attend my family's Thanksgiving, but felt guilty at the same time. After our dinner wrapped up, I headed on over to his parents house, as he was discharged at 4pm, so his parents could go over and have Thanksgiving with their family. Luckily, everyone was able to have their turkey dinner in some way, shape, or form. Most importantly, as chaotic as it was, I was also able to appreciate the time the two of us were able to spend together while his parents were out. So what if we fell asleep on the couch at 9:30pm. Even more impressive, was all the concern that was floating around both of the family's dinner tables about how he was doing. Thanksgiving is about the time you spend together as a family and time that you cherish and appreciate. Well, despite not working out as planned, that time was still cherished and reiterated that the holiday's is not about what you get for that person, but the time you spend with them.

Part 2: We were coming back home from our annual trip to Hershey Park, and POW! there goes the engine of the truck! Blown out, ka-put. Again, luckily our friends were driving behind us and were there to the resuce. They waited with us until the tow truck came to haul the truck to the shop for work on Monday. Let's just say that work, never happened. For the record, this is the second that time this group of friends have been there for us when the truck has broken down. Sitting on the side of the highway at 11:30 at night is not where anyone wants to be, I don't care who you are. Our friends were there for us, and it shows the strength of relationships that have been built over decades. There have even been e-mail chains floating back and forth between thank you's and that they were honored and called this a small repayment for what we have done for them over the years.

For the last year and a half, this challenge has been at the forefront of my calendar. And this past Sunday, the course was conqured by a group of 13 that dubbed themselves "Team Beat the Beast." For many of us, it was the first time we have ever completed a course that was this physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. It was a proud moment to cross the finish line on Sunday, almost to the point where tears would started streaming down my face. It sounds ridiculous, but it's one of those things you have to experience to fully understand. The main goal of completing this challenge was to bring some closure on things which have taken place in my past and prove a point to myself.

How did the journey start you ask? Well, for the record, I've always considered myself an athlete and competitor. A simple game of putt putt can turn into the PGA tournament when I'm involved. All athletes out there have an understanding that you are always looking for bigger and better things to improve your game, whether it's in the sport your are participating in, or in the game of life. Of course, you also understand you're going to fall flat on your face at some point and will be taken down to the lowest of lows and sometimes left in the trenches looking for a way out, until you have that one person, or many people, who reach out their hand to give you boost of confidence and reassurance you have been searching for to get out of your situation.

I've always had an outer shell that's been hard to crack, and never thought someone or something would be able to create that wound that would never heal. Well, sure enough, as life proves time and time again, I was 100% wrong. Not to far out of college, I fell hard for someone. I should have seen the writing on the wall. However, as it is with everything, you're totally blinded by what is happening right in front of you, until someone steps in and smacks you around. This guy did a total 180 from when we first started dating. By the end of it, I was emotionally worn down, bruised, battered. Essentially my spirit had shattered into thousands of pieces and couldn't be put back together. Even those closest to me, couldn't reach out and get the message across. It was a hard lesson to learn. I mean, let's be real, what kind of a person holds it against you that your time was dedicated to graduate school and furthering yourself for your career. I digress.

So after all of this, it took me about 6 months to return to a person who I used to be, and even then, it was a very long recovery process, which I'm still working on today. I don't think anyone really fully recovers when your heart has been ripped out, then run over by an 18-wheeler. Enter Tough Mudder. Since those years, I've discovered the joy of obstacle racing. People think I'm crazy for getting enjoyment out of it, however, each course poses a differente challenge whether 3 miles or 11 miles. There is an element to a physical, mental, and emotional challenge. especially when it comes to the obstacles, and essentially facing your fears at each one of these races.

About 2 years ago, I had some friends at the local gym who did their first tough mudder. I called them crazy and said I would never EVER consider completeing a tough mudder. HA! We see how that one turned out! I got talked into it last year, and of course, the day we were supposed to compete and complete the challenge it was rained out and canceled. So of course the masterminds behind this decided to run it in the fall of this year, with a team comprised of 13 individuals. So we took the winter slowly, then ramped up training during the spring/summer, and into the fall so we could be somewhat prepared. Of course, the 6 weeks leading up to if for me presented a challenge, particularly with the travel which was required. Again, I digress.

All of us packed up our gear, headed out to West Virginia  and conqured the course. Not one person was injured, and all 13 of us completed it! Yeah, some obstacles may have been skipped, but overall, it didn't take away from the experience. Not one person was left behind and everyone crossed the finish line. This is proof that a group mentality can provide the biggest push you need to get through even some of the most challenging times. How did we do it? Well, throughout the course everyone was chatting each other about different things, life, kids, what we were going to eat post race, etc. This all may sound ridiculous, but it helped to pass the time, and made the run much more tolerable. At the obstacles, when one would complete the challenge, we would all stop and wait until every single person was through, sometimes pushing them through their threshold of fear which may have held them back.

So at this point, you're probably asking well, how does this relate to your previous relationship. and the disaster that it became. What tough mudder taught me, is that I can do anything! No matter how mentally, physically, and emotionally challenging as it may be, there is always someone or something special waiting across the finish line. In this case, it was someone. What it made me realize is how far I've come in these past few years and understanding that I am in a much better place today then I ever would have been had I not experienced the depths of those trenches. I am a much more whole and complete person and tough mudder helped to create that, realizing I have a greater reason to be the best person that I can be day in and day out. Along the course, we were joking and questioning about why we put ourselves into these situations. A fellow athlete overheard the question, and said we do this because it makes us feel alive. You know what sir, I couldn't have said it better. The pain and emotion of the course reminds us that we are all still here, living, and breathing.

The course is all about the challenge, the highs, the lows, the feeling of success and pride at the finish line. Most importantly, it's about the commradarie that gets you through the course and the support of your teammates. Or in other words ONE GIANT LIFE METAPHOR. Tough Mudder, as much as I feared you and myself, you have helped me to regain the confidence that I had been lacking for years and become myself once again. And to all those crazies who talked me into this and pushed me through the course, I am extremely grateful. There is no way I could have been able to do it with out you. To those waiting at the finish line, and those who weren't but have been a huge support during this journey, I cannot thank you enough for all of your love and support. This journey has been a healing process and even though I'm only two days out from completion, I feel like a whole new person, with a new lease on life. 

Obligatory pre-race photo 

Most people don't understand the allegiance that I have to my collegiate alma mater. The best description is by director Mike Levine, who recently directed the upcoming film "1000 to 1," where he states "There is some kind of aoura or essence about the campus that draws you in." Whenever I wear a sweatshirt with the Bullets logo, it's bound to be recognized by another alum. We are a small community, but one that is extremely tight knit and proud of their school. So what do you do when you are that proud of your school and were an active member of the athletic community, you go to homecoming to catch the home game of your sport. As a former player myself, I try to catch a game at least once a year, whether on campus or off depending on whatever fits my schedule. This year, it happened to be homecoming. And for one, I'm really glad this happened to be the game I attended.

For a second year in a row, the women faced Haverford. This time, however, I came alone. When walking through, I scanned the crowd to see if I knew anyone and came up empty handed. Later I found that two of my former teammates who graduated in 2005 were also in attendence. Since I didn't recognize anyone I found an end seat towards the Haverford supporters section. There was an older gentleman sitting in front of me. I figured he was one of the players grandfathers and if not, at least somehow related to the program. Sure enough, after about 15 minutes, I recognized the individual, who turned out to be none other than John Clark. For those that don't know he was the individual who donated the money for our turf field, soccer/women's lacrosse complex. I decided to introduce myself.

Sure enough, he knew who I was and had apparently kept tabs on my career, as if that's not a huge compliment! Before the conversation got going, I profusly thanked him for his donation to provide such a wonderful facility, and that it was such an honor to be one of the firsts to leave my mark and play on the turf for the next three years (it was completed my sophomore year). As the conversation continued, he kept going on about how much joy he receives from watching the current students participating and competing in the sport they love, and at a high level. He said there is no greater feeling in the world. And right there you have it, an individual who has done quite well for himself and has the money to donate to his alma mater. Besides keeping it all for himself, what does he do? Give back to his school so others have the ability to benefit from his generosity.How could you not be inspired by this action?

More importantly, during our conversation he was busy asking me questions about what I've done since graduation and what my future plans were. Not once did he mention his career success. Instead, he continued to talk about what joy it brought to him to come back to campus every year during homecoming and watch the next generations come up and enjoy the field. That to me speaks volumes of Mr. John Clark and is one we can all take lessons from. Why waste your time or worrying, when you can go back to a place like your alma mater and sit and receive the enjoyment of a lifetime by watching the next graduating classes play. This makes me strive to want to be a better person, and at the same time makes me extremely grateful for attending a school such as Gettysburg. 

It's an intersting thing. In life, there are primarily three ways to look at things, realistically, optimistically, or pessimistically. What's even more intersting, is to see how one's perspective is influenced through their lifestyle and upbringing. Even the media has the ability to illustrate different perspectives of areas as well. Depending on where you live, this can be highly frustrating, especially when the media only focuses on the negatives when there are plenty of positives which are present in the area. This has been noticable for quite sometime, but more so within the last 2 months.

This whole perspective difference became noticable particularly, last month at an Xavier Rudd concert, but began to make itself known at a Matt Nathanson show. Baltimore does not exaclty have the best reputation with it's increasd violence in the recent months. To add to it, with the show "The Wire" having been filmed around the area and focusing on the violence and the drugs people automatically think that's an entire reflection on the city. Not to knock Matt Nathanson, but when he closed the show, he ended with the statement, "Baltimore, you're more than The Wire to me." Yes, it was funny at the time, but looking back on it, thoughts have changed after seeing Xavier. One of the first things Xavier shared with his fans while he was on stage, was how beautiful the area was with kids of all ages and races getting along, and running through the waterfountains to cool off. He just kept going on about how the cultures were coming together and enjoying a hot summer day, with kids squeals of joy. Example #1.

On some work trips, and conversations with co-workers, friends, etc., it's been interesting to hear the perspectives on how they view the city. Often it's a direct reflection on how they were raised. For example, some views of the city focus on how drug-ridden, violent, poverty stricken, and not to mention the STD rates. Yes, that is present, and gauranteed you will find it anywhere. While on the other hand, you have those who live in the city, that love the area, being able to walk to just about any sort of entertainment, and not to mention the appeal of the the beauty of the inner harbor, which provides a gorgeous view of the water and not to mention, depending on what time of the day you go, is extremely peaceful and serene. Again, this all goes back to how much time you spend in the city, the area you grow up in, and not to mention the media. Having grown up being a member of the aquarium, the science center, and the zoo, the perspective on this end is one that is positive, unlike the one one listed above. Example #2.

Another way how perspective influences an individuals opinion is the media influence. Two recent shows make a case for this. One of these shows was "Secret Millionaire" which placed the Auntie Anne's founder in one of the absolute worst parts in the city making it look undesirable to live, and a population who live in despair and don't have any hope. Meanwhile, on the flipside "Who Do You Think You Are" was filmed at Fort McHenry giving beautiful overviews of the city making is look completely desirable to live. Example #3

It's not hard to understand why Baltimore and similar cities receive such a bad reputation when you are consistently being force fed your opinions through the media, and not to mention, even in the most round-a-bout way, even the people you associate and surround yourself with can provide some sort of influnce. 

Now the question to you, how will you change your perspective? Will you only focus on the negatives, or will you forgo that and try to find the beauty in everything, including the deepest darkest times you may face? Abraham Lincoln said it best about how perspective can really influence individuals opinions and views "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thor bushes have roses." Now it's up to you to make a world of difference. If you want to world to be a more positive place, or even your local community, you need to start viewing it in a more positive light...and it starts today!

"If you look the right way, you can see the whole world is a garden." ~Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden 

In general, I'm not a huge fan of documentaries. Yeah, I'll watch a rock doc now and then but they aren't exactly the go to choices when it comes to pure entertainment. However, the recent release of The Crash Reel has changed my opinion about documentaries, mostly because I can relate to it. I also believe that it's very important for anyone who participates in any extreme sport, or for any team sport for that matter. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with the doc, it follows 2010 Olympic hopeful Kevin Pearce on his journey to Vancouver. What makes his story stand out, is that he never made it to the Olympics because of a training accident which occurred at the Park City superpipe which resulted in a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Yes, in fact, the documentary actually does show the accident on film. Having seen the exact superpipe in person, Pearce is one lucky individual.

What makes the documentary great is that it doesn't just follow Pearce's recover, but places a focus on the recover process of Kevin's family and friends as well. There were many heartfelt scenes that were captured, including one of the most heartwrenching was when Kevin announced he was ready to make a comeback to snowboarding. The emotion which was expressed in the film, especially by his brother David, was extremely raw and something in which you couldn't help but to feel the pain the family was experiencing at the time. A similar moment took place later in the doc when both Kevin and David were both confronted about accepting their disabilities.

What I found most interesting about the impact of Pearce's TBI is just how much it impacts his daily routine. Pearce has minimal short term memory, not to mention the problems with his eyesight and balance. Perhaps some of the scariest information which was relayed by the doctors, was that because of the severity of Pearce's injury, he's essentially a ticking time bomb. If he hits his head one more time, he could die from impact, that's how severe the injury. Pearce is also unable to live on his own because of his memory issues, and was something he was very open about. At the time of the doc, his roommate Hannah (I believe) would help him to sort out his medications and any other routine/menial task which he may not be able to complete.

One of my best friends is involved in these extreme sports and is highly competitive. Having watched this documentary it raises a lot of concern as a friend, as he's had numerous concussions, and this last one was particularly bad. I understand people consider these extreme sports as a way of life, however, there has to be a point where your health has to take precedence. This subject was also addressed in the doc, where Kevin's defining moment was sitting in conversation with his mom, and another freestyle snowboarder who has experienced two TBI's. When the other victim's mom, asked him to point to his elbow, he pointed to his arm, and then to his leg, showing how much of an impact TBI's have on simple functions. At that point, after having a discussion with the victim about his behavior towards his mom, Kevin walked out feeling that his calling was now to address the younger generations about the importance of brain injury prevention.

If there's one thing that I've learned in the first half of the year it's that in order to develop a friendship, all you need is one area of common ground. A childhood friend brought up a good point about two years ago. She had said that if we looked at our group of friends, what is the odd that we would be friends with them in school. The answer was a resounding unlikely result. This is not to be an offensive statement towards anyone, but we all agreed. The same thing goes for some of the friendships/relationships which I have developed over the last 6 months.

When you think about it, in order to develop a relationship, you have to have some kind of common ground. The common ground can be something as simple as your parents are friends, as it is with my core group of friends, or it can be an activity you like to do, in the case of my recent friendships, snowboarding. If you were to place all of us in a line up, I highly doubt that anyone would be likely to pick us out as friends. However, what all of us do have in common as that we all stepped up for a reason greater than ourselves, and to help the community.

More importantly, a majority of these people provide an infinite amount of inspiration.on a daily basis. For example, one of the most hardworking people I have met within the last six months, also has to be one of the most modest people, and one with the biggest hearts. For example, in order to thank him for helping to sell off 250+ tickets, I passed along our tiered reward of two club level seats. So what does this guy do, he's taking one of his best friends, who is a single dad for a night at the yard. Not only did he appreciate the offer, but he's passing on the tickets to someone else who could use the night more than him. How is that action alone, not inspiring?

Other examples, two of my friends chose career paths in which their parents may not have agreed with for the long term. However, these two have made the best of their career paths and are extremely good at what they do. The passion they have for their job and career path certainly outweighs the pay check. Again, how could that not inspire someone. It shows that passion outweighs the paycheck. Another perfect example of this is Chris Gardner who was a single Dad, raising a soon, and living on the streets. His passion was so great for the welfare of his son and his drive to become a stockbroker, even taking an unpaid internship, that he was able to beat all the odds, become successful, and inspire an infinite amount of others.

I'm sitting here in a hotel room tonight chilling out before a proposal presentation first thing in the morning. On the drive down, I had Ben Howard's "Every Kingdom" album on repeat. If you don't know who this guy is, get on it, and buy the album. His musicality is unbelivable, and his lyrics are some of the best I've heard in quite a while. (Yes, people still do listen to lyrics). 

I had the opportunity to see him open for Mumford & Sons when they did a tour de force of the east coast. There are a few songs on the album that stand out, but there has been one that I have listened to over and over, and it even gave me chills the first time I heard it. It's also been recently featured on a new To Write Love on Her Arms T-shirt, and blog.  If one song describes the emotion any teen to 20-something is experiencing, hands down it's his track titled "The Fear."

Howard takes us on a journey describing what everyone feels, lost among the masses. He describes it as a blade of grass being run over by a wheel, a grain lost in the air, a shadow over the mountain....all highly accurate descriptions. My generation is one of reliance on anit-depressants. What this is caused by, no one really knows. It could be caused by our social medial obsession, all of the violence we have experienced, etc. There are a ton of varibles which enter into this equation. Whatever may be, Ben Howard has the ability to nail it to a t, and describe the emotion of being overwhelmed and lost, confined to living in a constant sense of fear. However, towards the end of the song, he enters in this one line "I will become what I deserve."

Through the general depressing sense in the songs, this gem pops in. When he sings these lines, what exactly is Howard referring to? Well, exactly what he says. What you do today, the decisions you make, your relationships, how you handle yourself in adverse situations, all have a role in developing you into the person you become. In an essence the person that you are today, is exactly the person you have deserved to become up at this point in your life. Yes, this may sound depressing, but YOU have the power to change. Keep in mind, in life, no one deserves anything, it's all earned. Whatever you have up to this point, you have earned in some shape and form, and that goes for the person behind the achievements

You always have the ability to change, now what you do with it, that's up to you. I feel as though on a daily basis we are constantly changing and are a slightly different person than the day before. 

Within the past six to ten months, there have been a rash of incidients which have caused us to become uncomfortable in our surrounding society. We are now under the perception that we can no longer particpate in our favorite activites, including going to see that highly anticipated midnight showing of the next big release, or even run a marathon! Unfortunately, these few individuals do not define who we are as a soceity, or for that fact, us as individuals. Thinking back to all of these incidents, the stories of courage highly outweigh the outcome. People have questioned why these incidents have occurred, and for one, I remember discussing this exact topic with a professor in my undergraduate philosophy course.

Each generation has seen their fair share of issues. My generation alone has grown up with Desert Storm, the Oklahoma City Bombings, Columbine, 9/11, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, and now the Boston Marathon attack. I remember when I brought this up to my Professor in that class, he admitted he had never considered the thought of how much we have witnessed in our young generation. I think what makes things even more difficult, is the unlimited access to information from sources across the social media avenues. And this, I feel is where some of the problems lie. 

If you're constantly showing images of the aftermath, it's going to leave a lasting impact, and not always a positive one. There is so much negative out there in this world, that we don't need to encourage any more of that type of behavior. What needs to be done, is report on the positives and those who are making a difference. Think about what would have happened, had Todd Beamer not stepped up to fight those guys on Flight 93, the damage would have been way worse! Or what about all of the Marthoners that had just finished their 26.2 and ran straight towards the hospital to give blood for the victims. Of course, this goes without saying for all of the first responders who attended any of these events, who all risked their lives, and some who lost their lives to save others.

I read somewhere, that at one point there was a local news station in Canada who was given the task to only report on positive stories for the week. It turned out to be a huge success. And if I remember correctly, those who watched the broadcasts began to have a more positive outcome on life result in an improved community. Watching the news report day in and day out about all the problems becomes down right depressing. Have they ever considered this might have an impact on the surrounding community behavior? We are such an attention starved society anymore, people will go to any lengths to garner any sort of attention. This is NOT how it's done.