Planting seeds

It's interesting time as we move from spring to summer and all of the seasons.
I'm thinking of growth and the garden that your parent planted for all of our development. It's interesting to correlate all of the processes that go into growing something from a seed. Yes they now make it easier as you have more fully developed plants to work with to ensure that they bear a product in the end.

All of our parents and friends planted seeds in our development. Which is extremely important as we look back and see we are what was planted. We came with weeds we came with imperfections and like the weather we challenged the growth and ideas and plans that others had for us.

I wish I could remember all of the diaper stages and when we went from the diaper to the pull-up, oh I'm sorry that didn't exist during my time and I'm not sure the disposable diaper did either.

Our parents had a hope for us to have a better life then they did. They worked hard, they sacrificed and made every committment to attend our events no matter how trivial they may have thought they were. They planted the seed for our success. They enabled us when we needed them to. They played hardball when they needed to as well.
During our growing up days we may not remember that but as we get older and we reflect we can get a clear understanding of what they were trying to accomplish. They wanted us to walk on our own, be responsible for what we did or will do. They also new that anything we did would be a reflection on them.
Just like weeds in a garden or a low output they new that it was important that they guided us from an early age to make the correct decisions and be respectful of them.

Now I know many people can say they did every thing correct. Others may say I tried and I was not perfect but in the end I got it correct.

But see living in a small town everyone knew everthing that you were doing good or bad. Some people will say in today's world that is a bad thing mind your own business. But when you really think about it was a good thing because they really meaning everyone wanted good things for you. Everyone in a small town was on the watch for you and when you went astray they wouldn't penalize you but instead they would try to point you in the right direction.

They didn't care if you hit a home run they cared that you tried. Your friends and were happy you tried. I don't think that they cared if you were the last one to say your first word in your age group.

Wouldn't it be nice to be that seed again. Knowing what you know now. Eating that first solid food, going to the bathroom on your own. No longer feeling it was just comfortable to go in your diaper. They made use experience the world and they made us in the small town experience each other.
They meaning the parents made sure you grew with the carrots, beets, onions, potatoes and even the weeds. We should be grateful and I'm sure we are for everything they have done over time, especially as Mothers day has passed and we are approaching fathers day.

Did Hallmark create these days or did we all to honor those that have planted and nurtured the garden that we are all so lucky to live in.

As always I welcome your thoughts and look forward to your comments on your small town upbringing

School is out, is it time to lock them out

Alright now someone may be thinking well what are you saying the kids are finally out of school and now you want to lock them out of the house.

Well it's not just during the summer months that they may need a gentle push or reminder that their is a great outdoors that is filled with sun, air, grass, birds, bugs, and dirt and guess what people and possible physical and mental activity.

It's time to open up the garage or wherever you store everything, pull the bikes out the scooters, the balls, bats and gloves, frisbees, soccer nets you name it set-up your outdoor gym now. If you have a pool open it up and be prepared to push them out the door.

Put the signed up that say no cell phones, no nintendos, ipods, laptops, or whatever the the techonlogy tool is.  It's time to be outside and enjoy what the world have given us.

So kick them out for a while and do with them what you used to do on your own. How about a little kick ball, wiffle ball, you seldom see that going on anywhere. Some flag or touch football. You don't have to be a great athlete for any of things. How about a tennis racket, a good basketball that they can just dribble around the driveway. Some of used to dribble on rocks or on the sidewalks until we go to the community courts where you could try to get involved in a pick-up game or that everyone knew to go to without a text to play.

What a novel idea. Let's think of all of the games, dodge ball, well that probably would be considered to brutal in today world. Tether ball now how often do you seen any of those around. The old merry go round, or some good old foot races just for the fun of it.

They could even go outside and look at their card collections of whatever is they do. Or guess what go outside and read. But please turn the power off in the house to the wii or whatever you have.

They can also help in the yard. Now wouldn't that be nice a little extra help while your outside. I think we all should consider going outside taking the keys with you and locking the doors for two hours at least and let them experience what is to create some fun with just a ball or a device that requires physical activity.

How about even at night when everyone used to play the game starlight or whatever it was called or out playing that game until they could no longer see the ball, wouldn't that be great. Heck set a table outside for dinner and eat outside or bring them their food, but put them outside it's good for them

Also guess what it may force them to play with somenone else and socialize with others which cannot hurt their social skills.

I'm not sure where and when it began for all of us when we became the the lockedin adults and children or family.

If anyone can look that up on wikipedia let me know and see when it all began. When the fad of being outside went away.

Or did those great city, local, state or federal politicians but something on the books that forbids communication and social activities in an outdoor enviroment. Maybe someone can tweet that out there and get the information for me which would be fantastic.

Also I know about the ozone layer or you at least hear about it and depending on who you believe is that the reason we cannot go outside because of the gamma rays.

I cannot find my old science books to see what the status of this, if anyone has the answers please let me know. Also all of these fitness books and diet books, or whatever has anyone created one that just focuses in on daily activities outside. If not maybe that is a money maker.

Let's get a our calorie watchers out there and begin to break down the movements outside and see how this can all benefit our health. Heck let's get with the Federal Chairman for outdoor activities and see what their plans are. The outdoor Czar.

Now I know none of this exists or not to my knowledge and I don't think it's part of the new national health care plan that we focus on outdoor activities but maybe we need to get a movement going on there. Maybe Peta will remember the other living species on earth or it will become part of a new green movement or outdoor first.

Maybe that is the 2012 election campaign theme living on the outside.

Let's get outside and enjoy, let's get outside and enjoy the conversation, the air, the sun, even the rain. Do people still go outside and play in the rain. I'm guessing not because of what maybe acid rain.

I don't know and I don't remember but I don't believe acid rain or anything else every caused me damage from just being outside.

Plus guess what those shoes are meant to have some dirt on them once in a while and a good grass stain test the technology of these new laundry machines.  Let's give technology an outdoor test.

How many people do you know can ever pitch a ten in their front or backyard? Well you cannot do that anymore because society has become unsafe, predators are everywhere. It's sad to know the things that we all have given up.

Someone need to check on on kool-aid sales and see if they still exist.
How is the stock doing and sales and how does it compare in relation to todays population. Now I digressed but do you remember when you poured kool aid into the ice trays with toothpicks to get a nice refreshing thing to enjoy after being outdoors.

Just something to think about.

Before communication changed

Forms of communication, ways to socialize and reach out to old friends and possibly new friends. This is the way it's done now. Life has taken the form of screens, apps, and visual shapes. Iphone, droid, ipad,ipod.

The way we move around on this place we call earth has dramatically changed many for the good I'm sure.

Apple loves for you to use the ipod and it's a great way to strore all of your music. Yes you can listen via your home stereo system or in the car. Yet so many of us, just plug them in our ears and go about our business tuning out the outside world, while were going for a walk. Working out at the gym or even working on your computer at the office and you also see people with them in their ears while they are driving.

Now don't get me wrong it's a great technology. But back in the day you or your parents would go for a walk and many still do, but they would walk so they could hear what was going on in the outside world.

As you are walking you see someone on the porch (well that is when people still sat on the front porch and it wasn't just a visual. Also that is when people didn't just go park in the garage and enter in the house they actually would go thru the front door. Well your walking down the street in your neighborhood or subdivision, or guess outside your comfort zone walking in other neigborhoods. Well in the small town you could cover the northside, southside and east and west within a good hours walk if you had your ipod working plugged in your ears and just walked and listened to music.

Now back in the day you would come across so many conversations as you passed people who were working in their yard. Playing outside with their kids or outside on the porch reading a book, or just watching the world come to them. They would see you and you would see them and conversation would come up. Politics, religion, family conversations, humor, the future and the past could come up on that walk of 2 miles. Now the average person that likes to go for a stroll probably walks over a mile.

Now think about all of those conversations. Hey how are you did you see what the president said on the news or did you see the what the neighborhood boy or girl did in the sporting event. How about the lemonade stand, on water street did you get a glass for 5 cents it was pretty good.

What did you think of the sermon at church or did you see the recent episode of ? I was laughing so hard or so moved.  Or is it just idle conversation, where there is give and take about maybe something that may not come across as much value to someone listening but moved you personally in someway to create an emotional connection that nirvana, keith urban, dixie chicks, fleetwood mac, johnny cash, tom petty whoever didn't generate while you were plugged in cutting off society on that walk.

The human connection of a dialogue face to face really can never be replaced as you cannot see the dimples in the laughter or hear the sound of laughter nor the tone or expression of sadness and the visual of hand movement and facial expressions during the conversation.

The conversation that leads to many more, during the interaction with a friend maybe or someone that you have never met. For those of you that take an elevator at the job, go to lunch, ride the train or bus to get around, once in a while wouldn't it be nice to have a conversation with another human being to extend your reach socially. You don't even have to know their name they could be the elevator jean guy or the skirt and alot of make-up woman. It doesn't matter but you took the time to engage and not just have that uncomfortable moment that you avoided because you had your ipod in your ears, or you were guilty of looking at your phone for emails, or texts.

Guess what when your friend sends you a text or an email they cannot see you laughing or how that conversation played out visually with the person you are communicating with nor can they see you as well. This creates a disconnect, I know your communicating but you missed out on the total engagment.

To me this is something to think about I know we have all become so busy in our minds that many of us forgot what is was to just drop by or just pass by someone and engage them in a conversation. Have a coffee at the old cafe, or grab a coke at the old filling station. Many people wouldn't even know what I mean by the old filling station.

Even the soda machine could lead to conversations. The information gathered during these times could give you a good pulse of what many other people are thinking. The conversation could also give you an emotional lift after a bad day or make you realize life isn't so bad when you hear the stories of others who are facing obstacles in their lives.

Those of us that remember when also need to remember how to communicate and those of us that have children should remind our children of the other ways to communicate. Also I used to like to hear the sound of music that others played in their cars in fact for many of us we tried to get the big speakers so everyone would be forced to listen. Also seeing the kids play outside or the teenagers engaging in a basketball game listening to music or just the pure sound of interaction is always a joy.

I'm not telling you to throw away any of that new technology, just consider the value of an actual conversation using old and proven communication methods

Fashion of our lives

Now all of this depends on where we are in our respective age brackets. But next you are saying why is a guy talking about fashion. What the heck can he know about fashion. Put on some pants, socks and a shirt and get on with the day.

You don't need to worry about the billfold matching the purse. Your not concerned really if the belt matches the shoes. Heck you may not even be concerned if the socks are cohesive to to the pants.

Now I admit that is the case and if I find a good tie next to a good shirt I will more than likely buy the two together and less likely to make a change in the future. Now some people like constant change and like to move in a forward direction as the fashion industry changes.

New nail polish, new style of a purse, dress, shoes, 3 inch heels are now 4 inch the flip flop is now gone.
Who knows it all changes and we change with the course of the fashion. The watch has to match the ring, the belt, the shoes and everything else. We need to move towards a realm of fashion dominance. Heck the jeans need to go with this or that.

Some people even go as far as making sure the ensemble underneath that seldom people see also matches. Now let's face a fact any I may be wrong but does anywhere really care if my boxers match my watch? I doubt but one never knows.

70's, 80's, 90's, 2000 plus most of it has changed and much of it has returned over the years and been re-branded and re-distributed under a different label.

Well here is the fact. Fashion is an underlying current in our life. Fashion is work, Fashion is friendship, Fashion is your present, past, future and your community.

Well what the heck has he lost his mind? What does fashion have to do with any of the above.

Here's the deal Fashion can and is part of our lives. We can choose friends, make decisions, move up the ladder in our jobs, personal life and community based on a percieved notion of fashion. Fashion is a perception but not a reality. Now I'm not telling you that your personality cannot become part of you based upon Fashion. However what I'm telling you is none of this makes the real you. None of this makes your community and friendship more valuable.

We are who we are because of what is inside of us. We will grow and flourish because of what our dna is. We will succeed because of real non fashion based connections we make with our network which will allow us to grow.

We can look great, we can feel great and we should. But you know what sometimes, somewhere someone is going to see us without the fashion and you know what it shouldn't matter if we have bed head, or flip flops, hat, unmanucured nails. We should know that were all good because of who we are inside and the impact in our friendships and personal life with our community of friends has made an impact that is not judged by a bad appearance or a bad day.

Life is imperfect, friendships are as well but you know what, I will take a good friend over a good watch anyday.

Thanks for reading and look forward to hearing your thoughts and replies.

The wind of change

I have just been looking outside the window today and I see all of the trees and bushes making constant movements based upon the wind.

Now if you have ever studied Greek Mythology, American Indian, or Hindusim you may come to some thoughts and ideas in reference to how our planet effects our lives.  The reason I mention the wind of change as life changes and evolves as we do as well personally and professionally.  Believe it or not this happens at our tender single digit years as well.  We move from pre-k to kindergarten, and up the ladder of educational progression. But what alot of people fail to omit from the educational system is our social progression.

Now so much of that has changed from the 70's to the 2000 plus. The world has evolved as the winds have changed.  Now does climate and the gods of the world play a part in our life I will leave that up to everyone else to debate. The reality it we in my mind are affected by the seasons and the climate. As I continue to watch everything shift via the wind I cannot not think that our lives have been evolved by the environment that we live in.


A good winter day forces us to take action in different ways. I remember playing football with pads and helmets in the snow with my friends during a cold blusterous winter day. We tackled, we got dirty and most importantly we had fun. The other side of climatic change of cold or rain is that we gather inside and spend time with our family in an enviroment that forces us to interact which means that it seams as the weather is grounding us in principal to know and respect what we have and enjoy everything that is within our reach without distractions.

Technology evolution has made an impact on our everyday lives as well. Thank goodness when we were young there was no mms, sms, facebook, linkedin, flicker, twitter etc. or 200 plus cable channels along with the internet because it forced to communicate outside with our friends and inside with our family.

The wind of change has occured and I'm not suggesting we ignore the changes but I am suggesting that we embrace the social connections of the past while we also enbrace the technological impact that we have now on our social communication.

The reality is the weather will sometimes force us to communicate with friends and family in a different level than we might embrace in other time. I don't live in a small town now so I'm not sure if kids go out and play until the sun comes down in the summer or that they have a free reign to see their friends. My reality suggests that they do not. Computers allow them to communicate but does that allow them to deeply engage their friends and have the social f2f impact that they all should have.

The world has changed and with that we have as well. Our parents lived in a different world and my guess is that most of them are not sure they welcome the winds of change. My mention of religion above was merely to point out that forever people have mentioned the earth as a compass for life.

Spring is the planting time, fall is the harvest, winter allows for the resupply and killing of all that is bad. Summer is the vibrant and testing time of our lives as we need all of the essentials of social, food, life to survive as we await the bounty of the fall which can be destroyed by summer.

In our lives we have cycles as well and we need to be aware of the change and the impact.

What we do during these cycles will definitetly affect our standard of living.

Thanks for reading and I always look forward to your thoughts.

May Day baskets

Happy May day to everyone. It's interesting as I'm not sure this tradition it honored anymore. We have a hallmark card for everything but I'm not sure anyone does the May day basket anymore. My memory is old and I am not aware of the history behind the May day basket other than my belief that it is the beginning of spring for many of us that have dealt with the winters of the midwest.

I remember receiving and delivering the baskets to friends and it was a very joyous time. I'm not sure what happened to this ritual and if anyone knows I would welcome your comments.

May day is a celebration and warmth of feeling and seeing the sun hit the sky, the flowers blooming and the activity of spring in the neighborhoods. It is the begining of new energy in the climate as everyone begins to get spring fever and enjoy the outdoors with their friends.  It's also a time of sharing with your friends your renewed outlook and energy as you head towards the summer months.

Daylight savings time has kicked in you have extra time play outside and enjoy all of the elements that the world has given us to enjoy.  The beginning of bbq season and the end of roast and casseroles, the movement towards everything fresh and cool to eat. May day inspires a new time of activity for your mental and physical state as you look back at the hardship of winter. It also is a great time of fresh air and a relief for anyone that endures the gas bills of winter and look forward to the break as we transition from winter to summer and the new round of a..c bills.

For sports enthusiasts it's a transition of all sorts from all worlds of sports are converging on the spring with activitiy.

Now spring also bring upon us the social life or prom. Now that I'm sure brings back many positive and I'm sure some negative memories for all of us, however most definitely a place in our heart for that period of time.  Going from pants, shirts, shoes etc. to flip flops, t-shirts and shorts is also a good feeling as well as moving from pale skinned to a nice new glow of slightly altered color depending on your pigmentation.

Spring is a good time as it's a fertile beggining. Seeds are planted and the harvest of the of our existence is dependent on the seasons we all live in.

Spring generates a new round of social invigoration as we get more time to spend with our friends. Smiles are broader, we know the school year is coming to an end which allows for more time to spend with friends and family. Sunlight in reality alleviates depression and some how restores our faith  and future outlook on the world.

The May day basket is a symbol of the that renewed committment to everything positive and social as we give a gift to our friends and look forward to seeing them in so many more positive energetic ways.

I prefer the May day basket to giving a gift on a social network or in some other form. So on this May day and for those of us that may read this post May day think of doing this. You obviously cannot give a May day basket to everyone you know however if you can in this viral world reach out to your network of friends and family. Try to remember to do this. Tell them happy May day or Happy Spring time and let them know you hope the best for them and that you are thankful that they have been such a big part of your life.

Happy May day

In the bubble

We all have grown up and are moving on in our lives and I know I need to get back to the upbringing and the life we had. However sometimes you need to look forward and also deal with the present.

The present is the challenges of balancing work life with your family and social life. Well life has changed for all of us, we have grown up and we now deal with what our parents did for 20 plus years.

I keep thinking is there a difference in their dealing with life versus ours. I think yes, I believe times have changed. I remember when I live in Minneapolis and going to the Como park Zoo.

There were alot of company parties always going on at the park. Families of workers were in strong attendance. I'm not sure who paid for the events but the fact that it brought unity was a good thing. It also brought family into the work environment on some scale which I believe at the time was a good thing.

Now don't get me wrong work is not necessarily family. However they do seem to coincide at certain levels.
Now move ahead about 20 years and you know what alot of these get togethers no longer exist. I don't even believe it's financial as the company does not need to pick-up the tab for grilling out at a park.  It's to bad as we all should be inclined to become friends at work as well as with our neighbors. There is a connection that we need to embrace.

The problem with the work environment now is it's fairly cutthroad in many ways and people are very cautious as they value their jobs and want to keep them from being taken away. The other situation is people today thru communication devices and job cutbacks which put more responsibility on others have taken them away from their core responsibility of their family.

We are nothing without our family. We cannot live in a bubble of work or life competition we need to remember how important family is to our foundation and our futuren.

So are we living in a bubble? I would say many of us are and I would be glad to be wrong but we are dealing with the cards that we have been dealt. Sometime all of that germ jell that we all rub on rubs off in the wrong way as we become a immune sterile enviroment. Well that is another blog for another day.

Just don't get trapped in your bubble reach out where you can. I know you need to be cautious in your actions and measured in how you deal with things personally and professionally.

Just remember you may have friends at work, that you can embrace and others that you cannot. Also always remember your network of true friends as they will keep you guided and are a great resource for affirmation that you are moving in the right direction.

Again thanks for reading and I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.

What is under the rock?

We have all been around the block. We have lived in different communities, cities or subdivisions and worked with a variety of co-workers.

Basically what I'm saying is we have all dealt with a variety of people in our lives for the good and the bad. They have tolerated us and we have tolerated them. Now the question is what did we uncover when we moved the rock?

Well that varies depending on the discussion and the relationship. Now I know I am moving around in a variety of ways in this discussion of the small town. The reality is it's not all just about the small town yet it could be about your internal or external manageable relationships.

The question always comes down to how are we living our lives in our micro sector. Well you say what the hell is that. Well you know what we live in a vaccum of groups, how often do we reach out of the group? We do so when a new member comes into the group.

Remember your true friends you need to able to trust without a doubt. This will not happen overnight. You need to work at it. You need to feel them out and they need to do so as well.

Now as we evolve into the workforce and move around the globe we will have new encounters and new groups to engage.

We have our true friends, but now as we have evolved we have added new dimessions to our friendship circle. That is why I say look unde the rock.

It's not as simple as saying I work with them or they live in the same subdivision and we are friends.

Digg a little or actually put some time into and you might find out you have a good friend just a few feet away from you. Some of you may say what is the big deal I make friends at work or in life all of the time..

The reality is can you share your passion, your vision, your life pro and con with them and confide in them     while expecting them to honr the systems?

The reality is we have friends, some respect us as a promotional piece and others as a very priuvate matter.

Again my point of under the rock is to pinpoint the fact that we all have a common goal and we should work towards the success of it.

Realizing what you have

I know this is a jump ahead in the program and discussion. But I was lucky recently where I got to see my fellow classmate for the weekend. Although I may have only seen them for 4 hours total I can tell you it was some of the best time I have had. It continues to amaze me how we can reconnect in a f2f place and feel like nothing has ever changed. Now I know we have aged and our lives have changes but our friendship has not at any level. To me that is impressive. We are still willing to do anything we can for each other. Yes we keep in touch throughout the year and we share our upswings and downswings together.

The beauty of it all is yes we have evolved but the friendship remains intact at all levels. It's not all positive as we argue and disagree on a level that may not have been in our minds 20 plus years ago. But the fact the remains is we in the end know that our friendship is the key to our happiness. You know what that is cool.

I'm very happy to know that my friends that are also my family in my opinion are always there. Let's not forget where we came from or the foundation of our existence which is family and friends. It's vital that we have this foundation as we continue to grown in our lives. I'm fortunate and I hope you all are as well.

The other cool thing about this weekend was that we couldn't see them but we as a group reconnected with 4 other classmates who had made a decision to hook-up as well in another state. What is great about that is they reached out to us via email and telephone and we all reconnected.  Now that is awesome as they are all great people and we miss them all.

But the most awesome part of it is they not only called my friend but they called me and emailed me as well. What does that mean they took the effort to connect and re-ignite a storied friendships. I applaud them for doing so and I hope you all will consider doing so as well.

Do not cut off your friends!!!! Engage them and you know if it
s been a while don't be in fear of getting together online or offline. I know I have been very happy to do so online and also it's great to hear a familiar voice on the phone.

Keep connected with the present, past and the future it will make your life grand

Did the well go empty

Let me start off indicating I have no direct plan for the direction of this blog. I'm thinking however that we have moved into such a hybrid world of online and offline communication. Again I am not trying to address patterns or changes in society for example. However if you look at the number of people that are online socially it's crazy big. Now why are we online. Surely we can pick and choose who we want to communicate with offline via the telephone,  in person or even email. You can IM them, text them there is a unlimited venue to reach out to the people you choose to reach. Now Facebook and other social networking sites have given us the freedom to reach out others.

The reality is like your everyday life offline and now online you can pick and choose. You may choose not to communicate with certain people and you have that choice just like in everyday life.  The difference is you don't have to be as polite you don't accept their friend invitation, you don't have to respond to anything. Now don't get me wrong you don't have to accept any of that in the real world either. However it's alot easier to say no online.
Also you have every right to do so. I don't know if that is a good choice or a bad one. Only you know that answer.

I can tell you from my own experience is that I have decided to not block out anyone. I will give them the respect they deserve as long as they do the same to me as well. Why do you ask would I friend people that were not my friends 10 years ago or more. You know what we have all evolved and I hope and pray that they think I have evolved as well.  Think about it, if they are willing to reach out why should you not be willing to accept. And you know what you should reach out as well. Nobody is perfect and we have all made mistakes and evolved in this new world.

I can go down this avenue for ever. The fact is I was an ass to many people, and I'm not asking for forgiveness or special treatment. I'm not even asking they accept my apology. I'm only asking that they consider it.
Now the reality is that we can only manage so much communication. We  have to work it out online and again offline.

The did it go empty comment titles falls into many things. My point is you had 100 classmates in h.s. or junior high or elementary. No the class wasn't that big but your reach was.  Were all of them to become friends that would be great and fantastic but we all know that didn't happpen.

The sad part of this is, many of those people just wanted to accepted and treated as friends. Again I have said I'm guilty of being such a person. I'm older now and I know that I made mistakes.

The other interesting part is the number of h.s. friends that stopped communicating. So again i say did the well go dry. Let's ask ourselves how often do we see them or how often do we reach out to them. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rules but think about it. If you have 20 names to reach out to via email, phone etc. please do so. I think you will be glad you did.

Again this blog is freeflow and I'm just winging it. The fact is we may only be as good as our last friend. Also for another blog let's talk friendship and what that really means to become a life partner in friendship.

Drink some water the well as is not empty but please think about how to keep it full

What was in the water?

I always try to think what brought everyone together. Was there something in the water that brought us all together? I'm not sure or was it community that we all strived for in some form whether we want to or not.

The reality is whether we congregated together from diapers onto the athletic field no one knows for sure or from that great well water. Does it really matter I don't think so. We all grew up in very good families with a a very workmanlike attitude towards life. You get what your work for and you roll with it when the knock of life give you some bumps on the road.

I don't know how many people grew up and said I will be a Dr. or Teacher or a Coach. Instead I think we grew up  with the desire to be friends and be very active in the community with our friends. Sure that sounds Doris Day or Leave it to Beaver but the fact is I believe we all grew up in an environment where we were very social and active. Now again this varies to where you grew up and I don't to just isolate one place. But I believe the fact remains we wanted to get out and play, compete and be very social. Now that is not today's world but you know what we are playing in todays world of blogs, social media, facebook, myspace, youtube etc..So we are part of this generation which is cool and enlightening. However let's keep it in check and  balance it from where we came from. Do you remember picking up the phone and calling your friends? I don't really I just went over and said let's go or they just knew where to meet. There was the f2f communication and discussions which were great.

I only remember the telephone being used when you didn't have the guts to make a personal contact with a girl you wanted to date. Plus come on how many times would you need to practice to make that call. Enough digression on the dating game for everyone as I'm sure that is worth  many pages of discussions.

In my case the volga river was the water. It was dark and cloudy on a good day, but my friendships were as clear as the sea around the coral reefs.

I used water, maybe a bad example but you know what we all drank the same kool-aid and believed in the same life of friendship. We knew the future would work out. We were not concerned about it. Maybe someone would be a Dr., Lawyer, Factory worker, Farmer, or business owner. We didn't know and we didn't care because we cared about the person.  The chemicals of the human body are x amount of water. We require water to survive, yet we all think the water supply will never end. Oh sure were all getting more green and ecofriendly. But you really think about it how much of the life supply chain if filtered thru water.

I'm not asking you to conserve water, I'm only indicating the value of water to our well being. I'm also trying to in a weak attempt to make people understand we are comprised of many of t he same properties of water.
We should not forget that and we should remember that all of lives interactions from life to death  involve water.
How does this relate to our friends and our growing up? We were all drinking the same water? Do you understand? We have been doing it since birth. You may think you have changed during this time but the water that we all drank did not.

We are friends and we share commonalities  because we  shared the water of our lives. Now have we changed yes, and do we need to move forward yes again. But you know what wouldn't it be nice to have a glass of water with some old friends?

Think about it

Friendship

Again with the friendship and why do we or should we pursue that avenue? Here is why if you remember from you biology courses or science courses hopefully you remember the study of trees. When you look at the study of trees you the see age and history of life in there circles of history. I know I may not be explaining that correctly but the fact is there is history in the life of the tree and the life of your friends that cannot nor should it be debated over your lifetime. Now we all know we didn't go to school with 300 plus people in our class. We also know what whether we liked everybody or  not we still new everybody in a small town enivorment.

Now yes this can be broken down to big schools as welll as you get micro with your relationships. Now getting back to the history. Think about when you did x or y with this person and it nothing but fun. Also think about it when it wasn't so fun. Weigh it out and see why did it end. Did it end because you got busy? Or they got busy or things just changed? I think all of the above is lazy and I think if I give you a call and you don't return it after 10 plus years of knowing each other that is said. I should take call from anyone I have known for that many years let alone a friend and let alone they called me. I should be asking myself why do I not want to talk to t hem.. You don't have to there is no requirement to do so.

It just makes you look bad to not do so and you know you may have missed an opportunity to re-engage with your network of friends. I think that is a mistake but look at the facts and we all know them how many people really engage with their past peers. They think they have moved on found new friends, built new lives and that is all good but did you really need to ditch the past for the future?

You think about it and you decide, either answer will be correct in your lifestyle I' m sure.

Do you think if there   was more contact you might have bigger reunions? Nice correleations.  Also remember one contact is still good, but don't cut if off entirely. I know everyone is always debating things, be patient.
I just jumped into a weird font and will need to bail as I cannot correct it for tonight.

Let's keep the dialouge going and if there are only 5 followers, I wonder why there are not 100 plus as we all lived in a small town or a small faction of society.  Reach out and let's let it grown

Family and Friends

Where friends become family


As I always try to say this is a very free form platform for people to read and express their opinions.

I have known many of my friends for over 40 years and I'm sure you have known many for a long time as well. We met as infants and moved on to todderville and continued to grow together.



During these times all of our lives have evolved in some form, kids, work, family, religion, politics, you name it we may not be the same people we were at 15-18. The reality is we all shared some incredible experiences together during this time frame. We may not all be as close over the years of devlopment as we would like but we are still friends at many levels.



I always think or what is the definition of friendship? My reply to anyone is that my friends will know the best and the worst of me and still accept me and still want the friendship. Now I don't know that this theory works for everyone, I only know it is something that I believe.



I should be able to know and share with all of my friends and accept that this is a reality and by sharing we all heal, and bond and improve our lives.



My close friends are my family I see them as brothers and sisters, as though we are all of the same blood stream. Now is that reality no. But the fact is I will need to be able to share everything with them and I hope they do as well with me.

None of us are perfect and we may have lost some of that small town friendship feel. I have and I'm sure you have over the years met many people that you will call as your friends. The question is will they be there no matter what? I don't know maybe they will. But the sad part is we all should be able to call on our friendships in good times and in bad as friendship and family make the foundation of our lives.



I'm proud of the fact and also disapointed that I don't have all of the friendship circle from my high school, military and college life. I have some that are very strong and others that are weak. What I need to do to improve on that is up to me and those that I want to communicate with.



Our roots are our foundation and we should never forget that. Now I know we have evolved and some of those friendships you may say I don't need them. I now have moved on to the wine and cheese person vs. the beer and chip person. I don't know I'm just putting this out there for your thoughts.



If you teach, work in factory, marketing, coach, lawyer,. medicine it doesn't matter we should still find a way to stay connected. Facebook and other platforms offer this. At the same time what is wrong with picking up the phone and calling a long lost friend? or keeping connected by phone with a friend?

Neither is wrong and I hope you embrace the new technology but do not forget the current formats on how we can reach out to each other.



Family and Friendships, we tend to share more with our friends. We tend to to embrace them in a more forward way. Don't minimize that opportunity whether it is online for f2f to connect with your friends or on the telephone. They know you and understand you and I think will help give you good guidance, and balance for your life. Keep in mind they love you and respect you. They also willl be there for you.

If you have not done so reach out now to all of your friends and keep that bridge of friendship alive

Posted by Jim W at 8:51 PM

Capture the moments

Here is where technology has come a long way to make it all easier to embrace the ways we can capture the small town and everything that makes it so perfect in either video or in picture. Now is any of this really any better than the old slide show or the old one-step picture. Maybe only because it is viral.
I don't know if that is a great thing and I'm not sure I want to totally embrace it. In fact I'm very glad that the video camera and picture phone didn't exist everywhere. At the same we sure lost a lot of memories isn't that what people will tell you?

How about the memory of the story teller, does he or she need a picture for a video, does that image need adobe photoshop or need to be loaded on the Iphone for all of the world to see? Maybe maybe not, but you know what we still need the storyteller who gives us the run-down of what transpired that to me is worth a million plus images and videos.

My point here is the need for  communication between all aspects of life. Video and pictures cannot capture the reality of the event or the story. Yes they will give your toddlers and family a viable footprint to follow but I will miss many pieces of the puzzles and provide a seemless disconnect that you may not be able to recover without the storyteller.

Plus unless your are true hollywood, please don't tell me you can get everything and all of the emotions and communications of the toddler and his friends on video.  It's a good documentation, but don't rely on it make sure you know the story and make sure you can write it down or relay the story to all of those involved.

Some of the best things in life have been told thru a story and don't forget it. Also remeber in small towns or small circles that stories is remembered and the foot print and viral effect of that story is huge on the memory base of all those that want to continue the story of the journey of the baby that became a toddler who became an adult in a small town where everyone knows not the book, nor the video, but the complete story.

Just some more food for thought on this fine easter.

Toddlerville and more

You know toddlerville is some very cool and interesting times for all that get to be part of it. Now think back you didn't have a car seat, multi-functional care pack and "add" challenged or enforced toys. Think about it wherever you go video, games, etc. At a game, in the park in the van, heck I've seen it at church. Now who is the enabler to this, ok let's say TV and all of the marketing agencies and the new way of thought process. Let's justify and say this will give them all a leg up in the technological advancement sector.

Don't worry about social skills, you don't need them, just engage thru technology. Alot of us have embraced the new technology. Heck let's put a gps on the diaper or the toddlers pants.  How about a video cam to on their lapels. You think I'm joking were heading there. Technology will not be denied. Parents that grow up in this advancement will pick and choose and will also embrace the items they feel that are appropiate and as prices go down will embrace more. How about the toddler app or the baby app come on if it's not there already it's just a matter of time.

Now I'm sure there are many of us that embrace the techonlogy and others that say no way and some that are indifferent who succumb in some for to both model of either denial or embracement. I'm not sure that either is wrong nor will I say you need to do either of the programs.
You need to look at it all and see what works for you and don't look out the window to what others are doing nor listen to what they say about what they think is the greatness of what they are embracing as a family.

It will all work it's way out one way or another and things will work out positively for your toddlers.  The fact is they are loose and they are having a good time and they just want to go with the flow when it is fun time and are like a sponge when it's time to learn.

You know the baseball now has the speed on the ball, and next thing you know there will a be a laser from glove to glove to make sure the catch happens or from ball to bat.  The problem with all of this I believe is the analysis. The triage, the diagnostics, the mental preparation, the negotiations skills, the understanding of innate reasoning.

The technology can cloud all of these things. Please don't have a toddler text? You say never, but I say it's a matter of time. Before you know it the toddlers have there own facebook. Scary yes, is it a possibility doubtful but for the toddlers that move up the ladder i'ts already a foregone conclusion on how they communicate.

I'm sure they're are some very interesting stasts on development of our children. Let's keep an open mind, but also a open conversation going on with them. They want that and need it and we as adults need to embrace what got us to where we are today and find a way to properly embrace technology into the needs of the young children.

We will do that and we will make many great and bad decisions on both ends of the spectrum. However remember the most important thing we can do for anyone is keep the human element essential to all of our everday lifes. If we do this our toddlers will grow to the next step. We will grow and become encouraged byt the progress and results of our efforts.

So hang in there, I'm just saying have a healthy mix and balance of tecnology and human involement. Remember they are sponges and we meaning all of those involved in their development process are the key ingredients to their succcess.

Again I hop you keep reading their no defined plan for this blog other than to keep it interesting and hopefully encourage you to enage your ideas.

The toddler comes to life

Alright now were talking, you got your wheels moving foward and there seems to be no limitation to where you can go. You got the gps of the house, the yard but you have not quite figured out what happens if you leave either of those domains.

You know how to work within the sibling requirements and you know your pecking order with them. Now mom and dad have you under constant surveilance you think and they think. The reality is in small town 1960 + they are comfortable with you being outside and enjoying the air.  They are not worried about the fact there are no speed bumps nor do they feel like they need to be outside watching your every move or have in you in a chained fence area like you have for the pets.

Hopefully the diaper is gone and you have some good movement. You got the neighbors out there, the fellow toddlers all looking at each other saying "Ok we're out now let's get the party started. The question is who is going to be the one that steps out of their turf to go into someone else's. It's not like it's a crime but it's about approval from the parents. Do the parents not know you just want to get out there and network with your buddies talk about how you are having to eat carrots, peas, apples and see what they have to go through on their end?

Well it's not that simple, the neighbors all know one another and the community all know each others kids. They may prefer their kids play with others vs. the one the toddler is seeking out but either way they will accept and move foward.

Think about it toddlers on the loose. Could we or would we deal with that now? In all actuality we would love to, we want to feel comfortable enough in our environment to let are kids hang out.

During this time the most that could happen is maybe a scratch or something that leads to a bandage. The parents are cool with that, they got a break and the kids got some freedom. Wow freedom the time to take advantage of their ability to engage their friends.  They still got the chubby legs and arms a little bit but they are on the loose. Do we care in 1960 plus? I say no, let them explore and be aware and know that you have a community of others that are doing the same thing. They are watching and paying attention but they are giving them the freedom to explore.  This builds confidence amongst your toddler generation. It also secure the trust of your friends as you all know were in this together thru band aid and tears.

The toddler sees his buddy outside and of course he wants to do a meet n greet. Kind of like the Dads doing the lawn mowers or the moms with the clothes lines. It's all cool and everything is fine.

Now toddlers get into things and when they join together they sometimes get into things that are bigger than their abilities to handle.  Don't worry about it they will learn when you or the other parents step in.

The other thing that is great about this is they are having fun and they are making friends and achieving discovery levels that are incredible with their pals.

At this age they are not competing for a house, a job, a lifestyle the just want to laugh, get a little dirty playing and have a good time.

The other good thing is when the playing is done and they get hungry they wil say see you tomorrow to their friends and come home. No worries because everyone is involved. They may go to the Smiths' for water, the Jones for a snack and dinner at the Robinsons with their parents.

But most importantly they are un-jaded by life and everything to them is like a scoop of ice cream. Taste good and feels good.

Let's all look back at toddler life if we can for us and compare it to now. The other thing about toddlerville at that time you were probably not worried about uniforms, dates, times, competition, winning etc.

The game has changed and maybe the toddler has as well. But wouldn't it be great to just let the toddler in your area get together without the planned activities and restriction and a complete cooperative trust in the neighborhood. Things we have taken for granted. They are free now, they got their sea legs so to speak and they are ready to get after it.  Their curiosity is uncharted their mind is exploding with things they want to do. Let's look back and think of how we can bring this all together and take advantage and encourage this developmental process in our toddlers.

Now your saying well that doesn't tell me the story of my or your's toddlerhood. Don't worry we can get their for any of that want to expand their memories, I would welcome it.

It's great time to be a kid as you still are very untainted about life and we need to find a way to give our kids this feeling.

Enough for tonight I hope you read, share and comment

First Step

First step is huge, first anything is huge as we progress through life. But as baby about to move to toddler land , what a cool thing to be able to from crawling to walking. There is nothing better than seeing someone take that race to the first step and take off when they complete it all in sequence. You will not see a broader smile from the child or those that are witnessing this incredible event.

First step, first words. Think now all of that could be recorded with a iphone and blasted to the world thru facebook, twitter, linkedin, xing, plaxo, ning, youtube, myspace, millions could have your first step and words online. Well let's not get to dramatic not everyone will get that million impression on fb. Nor would you necessarily want to.

Now the first step is the beginning of your freedom and independence. It's also the next step in keeping up with your family. Now why do we do it? Heck wouldn't you rather be carried around for another year? You do it because you can and the desire to succeed or move on.

Now the playground and the method and social interaction has changed which is great. Now you can chase down your parents, hook-up with your friends. It's all good. You have made a decision to advance yourself inot the next stage of  life.

Now come on the first step, are we overworking it for some good PR value. No I am now in play. I can play with the bigs meaning the older kids. I can get to things I never did before.  Nothing wrong with advancement. Plus once in a while I can turn it loose  and really get out there and discover new things.

Now I'm thinking hey I'm walking what can I do on my own next? Alot of things but you know when you really think about it. The first step is also your movement to the social world. Before you were insulated to your family, now you have broadened your horizons and kicking it up with the neighbor kids.
Also now you've become a measuring stick for development with other kids of similar ages that have not chose to walk yet. Are you the first to the moon? No but you might think you have done it.

See this is how we begin the development of our life's one step at a time. It's great because as our mind and body develop we as a human creature want to explore and discover new ways.

So the first step is huge. It's also even better when all of your little buddies do the same and you begin your social friend supply chain.

Oh, how does that fit into the small town. You know what in a small town they see you go from a crawl to a walk and they help to pick you up and encourage you to keep at it and provide the foundations that will allow you to step thru life.

Again this is new I hope you keep reading

The beginning

Everyone has so many different memories of the beginning of life. It's funny sometimes to hear what people remember. Heck when you listen some people you would swear that they remember their first day of life.
Now there are others that the memory only kicks in at a certain point and age or is limited to what they determine are fond times or tragic times. Hopefully everyone has more fond memories than tragic ones.

We also all have heard the strories from our parents age, and I'm trying to avoid locking anyone in any specfic age brackett. Where they start off with things were different, times have changed, and I remember when.

Well as we all get a little older we have some similar stories and they may have some similarities and commonnalities.  You know when you get time sometime look thru your old pictures and see you as a baby, a toddler, a young child, teenager, pre-adult and real adult. I bet as you are going thru the process many memories will become re-engaged from within your brain.

All of our memories are there, we just don't necessarily know how to access them from time to time, or we choose not to.

The beginning why this title. You know what I'm doing this without a orchestrated plan and the reality is it all begins somewhere.  Look at the world of 2010 and compare that to the 60's, 50's or 40's. Huge difference.
Now they say history always repeats itself. Well I will say not in all cases.  Fashion may recycle and that is probably a good thing as there are some pretty cool stuff from our younger years. Also the quality was pretty good and some would say, the best part it was made in America.

Now this blog I hope is not to become any politcal discussion and I don't have enough time to debate world politics in a global scale that could be diversified on many levels.

Well you know what, the beginning always began with a baby in need of attention. A family in need of support from friends and the need of the baby for food , fun and development. The development of of the human psyche is interesting if you have taken and heard the views of scholars on social pysch, elementary psych, clinical, and developmental.  Throw in some religious classes, logic and philsophy, economics, history, sociology, and you have a tangled web on how life is supposed to be.

There is a book from Malcom Gladwell "What the Dog Saw" in the book it discusses a group of Italians if my memory is correct from a certain place in Italy that I think maybe settled in NY or Ohio. They ate chees, drank, and smoked and worked in factories and lived a longer life that people who were more healthy in their habits.  I'm not saying that doing the above will make you more sustainable. What they the researchers concluded is that they believed they lived longer because they had a very strong social community and a group of friends.

My point is the community is huge to our existence and well being. Ok now I will not be able to make this blog tweny pages so I need to get back to the beginning within reason.

When you are a newborn in a smalltown the whole town is going to be there with you. They are going to be there when you take that first solid food, when you take the first step and when you in my age bracket move from cloth diapers to the real thing. People that you will know for the next 30 years of your life will remember when your were a baby. They will even remember what you looked like. Also they will be able to tell you stories that you have no idea, nor memory of. They will also more than likely know the story of when and how you were delivered and at what time.

That is amazing to have that history of your life be in the minds of so many others brain databases. Because you know what your are not alone as they remember many others as well if not the whole birth year from everyone in a certain year. Our parents understood what it was to need the support of others and to be there when their friends needed them as well.

You know there was a reason in the 70's and 80's so many family shows had high ratings. Times were different and the social was offline and not online. Don't get me wrong online has found a way for old friends to get back together and reconnect.

I look forward to anyone that can relate and remeber their diaper days. I only know what I looked like. Know that wore diapers and I'm sure I filled them many times. I'm sure I exhausted my parents and fellow family members. Also I hope I caused a few smiles for family and friends as I did something they viewed as entertaining.

I hope the beginning was great for most of us and I view it as a great time. No bills, no worries about food, no worries about going to the bathroom you just did it and accepted it.

Thanks for reading, I'm just doing this on the fly and let's see where it goes.

What would you like on this blog

I would like to know what people feel about the small town feeling. If there is nothing that is fine, I will keep bloggin and try to find a way to involve you in the process.

Friend and your name

I touched on your name but I drifted off into other areas as well. The fact is we have our name and sometimes that comes with good and bad reputation.

I went to school with no more than 100 people in high school and I can only tell you they all have a very positive name and even better outlook on life. The reality is for the most part we all have seemed to do well.

Friendship is key. I can only tell you that friendship verifies you and give you legitmacy in the world . However most importantly it keeps you grounded and gives you the foundation and strength to succeed.

Hang in there as we try to develop this blog. I look forward to hearing from my friends.

When everyone knows your name

What does it mean to know everyone knows your name? Well it means you have friend and you have allies and yes you may have enemies. The reality is it's important for social engagement for you to know all of the people in your life. Now I have to admit I don't know everyone personally in my 45 home sub-division. Now again notate the word sub-division. The division is taking place within your community. That is not a good thing. What happened to the kids having a free for all playing in the neighborhood. Maybe it still exists and I'm just unaware.

Now I'm starting off this blog with some very real life experiences that we may all deal with in today's world. The reality is it's hitting many of us in major ways.

I think it's important for safety and a social atmosphere for everyone to know each other but however many people just want to lock themselves in their home and could care less about others. I don't have an exact answer on how to overcome the latch-key parents you just need to try to keep working on it.

The facts are this people need to be social, now what is that social forum for the small community. Or how do you make the small community more small and vertical. We all may not have an answer. We also may choose to be like our parents in some ways and say well we cannot worry about what Jone's are doing we need to worry about our family. There is a lot of truth in both areas that need to be explored. However ti's really important as we move foward to understand what we all expected from the small town experience and why to this day we look back at that time with a feeling of happiness or sadness.

The part of this blog is what I'm debating is how real we can all be with each other. It could be very interesting in this was a very open platform but people would need to be willing to share in that enviroment.

Again I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.

Thoughts of others

This blog is started to generate thoughts of others and we look forward to your comments and suggestion.
We believe over time this may become something special.  I don't want to limit it to special small town however I would like to give the people in Iowa a special place in this blog as smalltown resonates throughout Iowa.

Small Town USA

What happened to the small town. Does it still exist today the way we all remember it? Not necessarily many things have changed I' m sure.

We all grew up in a place many of us may view this as a small town environment and other of us may say heck I lived in big metropolis but I very much had a small town experience.
Now where did all of this begin what it during the little house on prairie stage? Well there is no correct answer to how we feel about our immediate environment.

The question is did it feel small to you? Also what does small mean to you? I will dwell a little bit on what that means to me.

I know when I hopped on the bike after lunch I didn't worry about returning until dinner time and my parents did not as well. I also know they didn't worry about cars driving by and being out in the yard to make sure I was still ok.
Now has the world changed it appears it has. The new parents of the 2000 decade never let their kids out of their site, they are sometimes referred to as the helecoptors moms and dads for the hovering.

The question is when did this happen? I don't know, I'm not sure when we lost faith in our community and the lack of trust.

I don't what happened to the times when I went to the neighbor and asked for a stick of butter,  a cup of sugar, or a cup of flour to make something for the household.
What happened to the days when I went to schools with my friend from pre-k until graduation?
You know what why does this still not exist? Is it economics? I'm sure it is in some form. We need  to work on that program because we need to create smalltown environments in everything we do. We need to have trust in our neighbors and our friends to look after each other. We need to choose not to be competitive in the subdivision but supportive. Also who came up with the sub-division word it's not a unified word and it doesn't correlate to community

Our parents all of which we know had different principals. They believed in community and social interaction. They may have not agreed with everyone but they knew they were in a small town and it was important to embrace everyones views.

Now what is the point of this blog? Well you know what it's the discussion of the way it was and what it should be in the future for our families. I want everyone to understand what it take to build long-term relationships from people.

A friend is someone you can share all of your secrets with and feel proud that they will be with you during the good times and bad.

This blog is going to explore what is the foundation of this country and I believe it to be the smalltowns and it's sad that many times they are ignored as they are the the backbone of the USA.

This is the first blog of many more to come as we enlighten the world on why the small approach is the foundation of this country and world.

Look forward to your thoughts