Crisis

 

Another image danced across my mind. Or was it a memory?

A very sudden and quick sparkle was followed by the eerie sound of a muffled groan . . . A sound that could have been mistook for that of an axe against a tree stump . . . The sticky sensation of sap running over my hands . . . warm sap . . . with a deep red color . . . dripping from MY hands . . .

I looked at the agent and wondered if he could read my mind. Did my eyes reveal my confusion? My fear?

My heart rate elevated to a rapid pace. It knows I am in crisis mode.    

**blogger’s note** This is my contribution to @velvetverbosity’s 100 word challenge at http://velvetberbosity.com This weeks word is CRISIS

Here are the previous post’s for this story line:

The room was deafeningly quiet. The only sound was the constant hum that screamed at me from the light hanging above. My elbows were rested on the cold, hard steel table that was in front of me. I could not keep from wondering why they were making me sit in this room. Actually, I could not keep from wondering why in the hell they had picked me up at work in the first place.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the first words from the officer’s mouth were “Mr. Georges, we think that you stabbed and killed that poor girl”

I was shocked at the words that came out of his mouth. How could they think that I had stabbed some girl?  My mind seemed to be frozen in time until I noticed . . .

. . . the credentials hanging from his jacket pocket said C.I.A – as in Central Intelligence Agency.

Since when did the CIA start investigating stabbings of poor girls?

This had to be a dream. A joke. A prank. This had to be something other than reality.

“Mr. Georges, tell me exactly where you were last night at 7:30PM!”

Nothing was coming to mind. Why was I drawing a blank? My mind started to drift back to last night . . . nothing was coming.

I tried to think of what happened yesterday afternoon . . . nothing was coming. I could feel a cold bead of sweat starting to run down the back of my neck.

Flash

At that exact moment there must of have been a power surge or someone flicked the light switch because the light hanging above my head fluctuated. That temporary change to my environment caused a memory to surge into my head. I remember thinking that meeting my ex at the club for one drink would be harmless.

 

“Why did you do it?” That seemed to be their favorite question.

“How come you will not tell us where you where last night”?

The fog returned every time they asked this one. How come I could only remember meeting Sophia but not remember any details of our night together.

I only had a couple of drinks and I am used to drinking many more than that. We didn’t mix anything illicit into our partying last night. Maybe someone slipped me a roofie.

Does that happen to men?

After four hours of interviews it suddenly hit me! I was starved.

The hunger pains started to set in and that did not mix well with the pressure that was starting to develop inside my head. At least 6 years had passed since I had gotten a migraine but I could tell that the framework for a mighty one had already been laid.

I tried to focus on the words that were coming from the officer’s mouth but I could not decipher anything that he was saying.

Images from last night kept flooding my minds’ eye.

Sophia!

Drinks!

Strobe-lights!

Dancing!

A wig!

A girl!

Who was she?

S M A C K – “I don’t think you are listening”?

I tried as hard as I could to stay in my chair. I knew that any attempt to “release” my frustration would be met with quick and decisive action but I exploded.

I jumped from my chair and reached for the officer but they reacted more quickly than I did.

I felt a hand on the back of my neck. It was a very large and strong hand and it forced me back to my chair.

A picture was placed on the table in front of me.

“Mr. Georges, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS GIRL”

The wigged girl is a redhead!?!?

“MR. GEORGES, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS KNIFE”?

I stared at the knife in disbelief. Of course I recognize it.  I own a knife exactly like that one.

Worse yet is the fact that the tile in the back ground looks exactly like the tile in my kitchen.

This nightmare is getting more bizarre by the minute . . . check that . . . by the second.

I looked up at the officer and I know that he saw the fear and confusion in my eyes.

His cold dark eyes faded out . . .

“Mr. Georges, you do realize that we can dust the knife for prints. Don’t you”?

Another image danced across my mind. Or was it a memory?

A very sudden and quick sparkle was followed by the eerie sound of a muffled groan. A sound that could have been mistook for that of an axe against a tree stump. The sticky sensation of sap running over my hands . . . warm sap . . . with a deep red color . . . dripping from MY hands . . .

I looked at the agent and wondered if he could read my mind. Did my eyes reveal my fear? My confusion?

My heart rate elevated to a rapid pace. It knows I am in crisis mode.    

 

Lets Go On A Run –

If you have absolutely nothing better to do with your time then you are welcome to come along on the run that I had this morning.

I know that sounds a little confusing so let me explain – Today was a mile stone sort of day. I decided to baseline my weight and body fat % so that I could set some goals for getting both of these back to where I think they should be. I have spent the last 10 months allowing health issues, lifestyle issues, and many excuses to keep me from working out in all of the fashions that I am / was used to.

BTW – 164.8 at 19.4

I had already “forced” myself into a run by leaving my car on the shop over the weekend so that they could do some work – I knew that I had to run back to get it 🙂 and that I did.

I plugged in the iPod, put on my rain gear, pulled a hat down to keep the rain from hitting dead in the eyes and off I went.

As (used to be) usual I let the song deck dictate my pace:

My run started with:

Elderly Women Behind the Counter In a Small Town by Pearl Jam and for no particular reason I just let it play on.

Next up – Church Pew or Bar Stool by Jason Aldean. This was a nice little slow pace so it allowed for a little longer warm up. I just let my wonder back to the good ole days in Smyrna! Good memories.

Fix You by Coldplay appropriately came next – I spent some time thinking of and hoping for the best for that lady from several years ago!

This is what I am talking about: https://dxpepper.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/just-awesome/

Better Man was up next – It just felt like a PJ kind of day.

Something To Believe In by Poison. I watched We Were Soldiers last night and I was flooded with the emotion of what those soldiers went through – I thought of all of the Vets out there – We owe them for so much more then we can ever repay!

“Twenty-two years of mental tears
Cries a suicidal Vietnam vet
Who fought a losing war on a foreign shore
To find his country didn’t want him back

Their bullets took his best friend in Saigon
Our lawyers took his wife, his kids, no regrets
In a time I don’t remember
In a war he can’t forget

He cries “Forgive me for what I’ve done there
Cause I never meant the things I did”

And since it was raining and starting to pour down at this point – Water by Brad Paisley

All aboard! Ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaa! Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay Crazy . . . . If you need me to tell you what I thought about for this entire song then you have some “getting to know me” catching up to do.

I wish that I could get this song into this format but I just can’t seem to figure out – The lyrics are very important and moving during this season but hearing Justin Rosolino sing Come Sweet Day does so much more than just reading the lyrics. But here they are:

11 hours and 13 minutes more
‘Til emancipation’s bells will start to ring
‘Cause the law they finally passed
Hallelujah, free at last
So tomorrow makes a man from what had once been property

So come, sweet day
And free me with your ray
For you alone I’ll wait

And finally – my run ended at Honda Car Land with my theme song playing loudly in the ear buds – “I feel no shame I’m proud of where I came from
I was born and raised in the boondocks . . .”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skAOb_EUE_M

Dust

“MR. GEORGES, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS KNIFE”?

I stared at the knife in disbelief. Of course I recognize it.  I own a knife exactly like that one.

Worse yet is the fact that the tile in the back ground looks exactly like the tile in my kitchen.

This nightmare is getting more bizarre by the minute . . . check that . . . by the second.

I looked up at the officer and I know that he saw the fear and confusion in my eyes.

His cold dark eyes faded out . . .

“Mr. Georges, you do realize that we can dust the knife for prints. Don’t you”?

**blogger’s note** This is my contribution to @velvetverbosity’s 100 word challenge at http://velvetberbosity.com This weeks word is DUST

Here are the previous post’s for this story line:

The room was deafeningly quiet. The only sound was the constant hum that screamed at me from the light hanging above. My elbows were rested on the cold, hard steel table that was in front of me. I could not keep from wondering why they were making me sit in this room. Actually, I could not keep from wondering why in the hell they had picked me up at work in the first place.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the first words from the officer’s mouth were “Mr. Georges, we think that you stabbed and killed that poor girl”

I was shocked at the words that came out of his mouth. How could they think that I had stabbed some girl?  My mind seemed to be frozen in time until I noticed . . .

. . . the credentials hanging from his jacket pocket said C.I.A – as in Central Intelligence Agency.

Since when did the CIA start investigating stabbings of poor girls?

This had to be a dream. A joke. A prank. This had to be something other than reality.

“Mr. Georges, tell me exactly where you were last night at 7:30PM!”

Nothing was coming to mind. Why was I drawing a blank? My mind started to drift back to last night . . . nothing was coming.

I tried to think of what happened yesterday afternoon . . . nothing was coming. I could feel a cold bead of sweat starting to run down the back of my neck.

Flash

At that exact moment there must of have been a power surge or someone flicked the light switch because the light hanging above my head fluctuated. That temporary change to my environment caused a memory to surge into my head. I remember thinking that meeting my ex at the club for one drink would be harmless.

“Why did you do it?” That seemed to be their favorite question.

“How come you will not tell us where you where last night”?

The fog returned every time they asked this one. How come I could only remember meeting Sophia but not remember any details of our night together.

I only had a couple of drinks and I am used to drinking many more than that. We didn’t mix anything illicit into our partying last night. Maybe someone slipped me a roofie.

Does that happen to men?

After four hours of interviews it suddenly hit me! I was starved.

The hunger pains started to set in and that did not mix well with the pressure that was starting to develop inside my head. At least 6 years had passed since I had gotten a migraine but I could tell that the framework for a mighty one had already been laid.

I tried to focus on the words that were coming from the officer’s mouth but I could not decipher anything that he was saying.

Images from last night kept flooding my minds’ eye.

Sophia!

Drinks!

Strobe-lights!

Dancing!

A wig!

A girl!

Who was she?

S M A C K – “I don’t think you are listening”?

I tried as hard as I could to stay in my chair. I knew that any attempt to “release” my frustration would be met with quick and decisive action but I exploded.

I jumped from my chair and reached for the officer but they reacted more quickly than I did.

I felt a hand on the back of my neck. It was a very large and strong hand and it forced me back to my chair.

A picture was placed on the table in front of me.

“Mr. Georges, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS GIRL”

The wigged girl is a redhead!?!?

“MR. GEORGES, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS KNIFE”?

I stared at the knife in disbelief. Of course I recognize it.  I own a knife exactly like that one.

Worse yet is the fact that the tile in back ground looks exactly like the tile in my kitchen.

This nightmare is getting more bizarre by the minute . . . check that . . . by the second.

I looked up at the officer and I know that he saw the fear and confusion in my eyes.

His cold dark eyes faded out . . .

“Mr. Georges, you do realize that we can dust the knife for prints. Don’t you”?

Parenting – Love it? Hate it?

Parenting – I have this love / hate relationship thing going on with parenting. I love that I am a parent. I especially love parenting my kids – I guess I couldn’t really parent someone else’s kids now could I.

I also hate parenting my kids. Does that make me odd?

You see, I want to do the job perfectly. I probably do but . . . there are moments when it just doesn’t feel like I am and that is when the hate part of this relationship is evident.

I probably started thinking about being a parent back when I knew everything and realized that my parents were doing it all wrong. I actually remember telling my mom that I was never going to parent like her . . . come to think of it, I told her that many times 😉

As I grew up, being parent’ed by mine, I started to formulate little “parenting plans” long before I was ever thinking about being a parent. I just knew I was going to nail it someday.

In my somewhat older than being parent’ed years I still find ways and experiences to add to my parenting plans. I found little bits of wisdom in songs that were popular at the time. There are a few songs that stand out and have always gotten me to think about parenting – (pre and post parenting eras)

You probably think that I am going to reference Ugly Kid Joe’s version of Cats In The Cradle. Well, you should know that I am a little deeper than that (not that there is anything wrong with that version or that song).

The first song that really got me thinking of parenting is What a Good Boy by the Bare Naked Ladies. This song was released in 1992 and I was just a mere 21 years old but knew that there was something in this song worth applying to my future parenting style.

Here is a pretty good version if you want a little ear candy to go with my boring writing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLYxPp6O9ow

Here is the part of the song that always led / leads me to thinking about parenting –

When I was born
They looked at me and said
What a good boy
What a smart boy
What a strong boy

And when you were born
They looked at you and said
What a good girl
What a smart girl
What a pretty girl

We’ve got these chains
Hanging round our necks
People want to strangle us with them before we take our first breath

Now when it comes to parenting – those words are so damn true! We are all born with and into societal and parental expectations. There isn’t anything wrong with that unless and UNTIL those expectations contradict with the life that we choose for our self’s. And that is where being a parent becomes a challenge. The trying to develop your child into the person that you want them to be while loving them as they become the person that they want to be . . . . Remember that Love Hate Thing?

The second song is another one that is sure to thrill you. It is Perfect by (yet another Canadian artist) Alanis Morrissette.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9WIM2zZ2nI

Here is the part of the song that always led / leads me to thinking about parenting:

I’ll live through you
I’ll make you what I never was
If you’re the best, then maybe so am I
Compared to him compared to her
I’m doing this for your own damn good
You’ll make up for what I blew
What’s the problem, why are you crying

Actually – you should really listen to the whole song while reading the lyrics. This song is actually a very scary way to parent but . . .  it is a song that helped mold how I planned to parent. My first parenting plan was to make sure that my kids find NOTHING in this song that makes them think of me as dad.

I don’t think that I can count the number of times that I felt as if I just didn’t measure up. How about you? I know that my mom loved me but unfortunately parenting can lead kids to feel this way no matter what! Parenting should be about pushing your kids to do and be their very best. But remember that love hate thing?

When is it too much?

I think we have all seen “the” parent that is just a little over the top and seems to be pushing their kid a little too much. I know that I have. I actually remember it well – It was during the Iron Kids Triathlon – Yeah the KIDS triathlon. Some yahoo dad was literally yelling at his son as the kid was in transition. I mean, some brutally load yelling and was trying to make the point that the kid was going to drop about 12 seconds on his time because he was taking so long. I wanted to punch the dude for being such an ass but then it hit me . . .

. . . While Laura Kate was training for the Iron Kids someone probably thought that I was a yahoo for yelling at my daughter. I wasn’t really yelling but I know that I got real intense with her one time.

Early in the training she was a little afraid of the bike. She had not been doing lots of biking so her confidence was pretty low and she didn’t want to take this sharp curve on the bike path that we were training on. She refused to try – I refused to allow her to NOT try. I wonder if she ever thought . . . that simply wasn’t good enough . . .  to make him proud . . .

Remember that love hate thing?

(In the end she finally tried, took the curve well, and her confidence grew – On race day, when she was entering bike/run transition she yelled out to me “this is the time of my life. I want to do this again and again” . . . aghhhh, the love thing!

 

Finally I am coming to my musical conclusion. I want you to know about another song that contains words of encouragement for a parent. This song contains within one very simple message – the message that my kids, your kids, ALL kids need to hear EVERYDAY!

I BELIEVE IN YOU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Vxj1cibVg

A Tough Holiday Season with Cancer

FYI – The #50People process seems to be continuing. The continuation started just like this:

Hi, I have a quick question about your blog, would you mind emailing me when you get a chance? Thanks, Cameron

I followed up with an email that lead to a conversation about me allowing Cameron to “guest post” on my blog – (Yeah, I am big time now!)

I did take some time to let Cameron know that my blog isn’t anything that big and that the posting will probably only be seen by 4 people max but . . . you never know how it might affect those 4 people.

If you are not sure what the #50People process is you can catch up here:

https://dxpepper.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/50peope-lets-do-this/

https://dxpepper.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/look-what-50people-did/

So here it is:

A Tough Holiday Season with Cancer

When the holidays roll around, I always look forward to spending time with the people I love most, celebrating our family traditions, and giving thanks for all of our blessings. When my daughter, Lily was born in August of 2005, my wife Heather and I were already anticipating our precious little girl’s first Christmas and Thanksgiving. However, all of our exciting plans for the holidays came to a screeching halt when Heather was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma just three days before Thanksgiving.

At this point, our daughter was only three and a half months old. Heather had been experiencing fatigue and shortness of breathe for weeks, symptoms that we had at first chalked up to the stresses of early parenthood.  However, the weeks went on and the symptoms only worsened.  After several doctors visits and countless tests, the simple answers began to be checked off one by one.  We began to fear that something was seriously wrong.  Finally, the doctors determined that it was mesothelioma.  At first the diagnosis of this rare and very deadly cancer took our thoughts off of the holidays and straight towards how we were going to be fighting it. Thoughts of thanks went right out of my head and were replaced with anger at the unfairness of it all, and fear at what it could mean for my family.

Despite the devastating news, we still tried to celebrate the holidays; after all there was a very real possibility that it would be Lily’s only holiday season with her mom. Heather’s family flew in for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I dreaded the conversation that I knew we would have to have. After our holiday meal, we sat around the table to discuss our difficult situation.  On top of the obvious stresses about my wife’s health, the mesothelioma diagnosis brought with it a wealth of financial difficulty.  Heather and I had previously both worked full time, but we were now living on my income alone.  The expenses of cross-country travel and medical treatment were unexpected, to say the least, and we were ill prepared for them.  Heather parents discussed with us what we could liquidate to stay afloat during the coming months, and how much they could afford to help us pay for. For years afterward, this was a time that I could not think about without cringing.  I was mortified and embarrassed, and in that moment I truly felt that I had nothing to be thankful for that year.

Now, years later, I can look back on that day with a whole different perspective. I can see now what my pride and fear had blinded me to that Thanksgiving.  We had a family that was willing to do anything they could to help us in our time of need. They had dropped all of their other plans to come out and help us with what they had. We were so blessed to have them, and now I can see how much I did have to be thankful for that year.

It was largely due to their help that Heather and I made it through her intense treatment.  After the holidays, we traveled to Boston, where Heather underwent an invasive procedure call an extrapleural pneumonectomy.  She stayed with her parents during her recovery, while I returned home to work, in the continuing attempt to keep us above water financially. She would have to go through more rounds of treatment involving chemotherapy and radiation in the months that followed, but in the end she came out alive and well.

This year, I am making time to think about that day around our table, where so many others put their lives on hold for my family and me. I will forever be grateful to our incredibly loving and generous friends and family, who made it possible for us to make it through Heather’s mesothelioma treatment.  She has now been cancer free for over six years, and we’ve been able to celebrate seven wonderful Christmas’s and counting together with our daughter.  We hope that our story of triumph over cancer can help all those currently fighting a battle with cancer find something in their lives to be thankful for this holiday season.

You can keep up with Cameron here: http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/cameron/

Redhead

I tried as hard as I could to stay in my chair. I knew that any attempt to “release” my frustration would be met with quick and decisive action but I exploded.

I jumped from my chair and reached for the officer but they reacted more quickly than I did.

I felt a hand on the back of my neck. It was a very large and strong hand and it forced me back to my chair.

A picture was placed on the table in front of me.

“Mr. Georges, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS GIRL”

The wigged girl is a redhead!?!?

**blogger’s note** This is my contribution to @velvetverbosity’s 100 word challenge at http://velvetberbosity.com This weeks word is REDHEAD

Here are the previous post’s for this story line:

The room was deafeningly quiet. The only sound was the constant hum that screamed at me from the light hanging above. My elbows were rested on the cold, hard steel table that was in front of me. I could not keep from wondering why they were making me sit in this room. Actually, I could not keep from wondering why in the hell they had picked me up at work in the first place.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the first words from the officer’s mouth were “Mr. Georges, we think that you stabbed and killed that poor girl”

I was shocked at the words that came out of his mouth. How could they think that I had stabbed some girl?  My mind seemed to be frozen in time until I noticed . . .

. . . the credentials hanging from his jacket pocket said C.I.A – as in Central Intelligence Agency.

Since when did the CIA start investigating stabbings of poor girls?

This had to be a dream. A joke. A prank. This had to be something other than reality.

“Mr. Georges, tell me exactly where you were last night at 7:30PM!”

Nothing was coming to mind. Why was I drawing a blank? My mind started to drift back to last night . . . nothing was coming.

I tried to think of what happened yesterday afternoon . . . nothing was coming. I could feel a cold bead of sweat starting to run down the back of my neck.

Flash

At that exact moment there must of have been a power surge or someone flicked the light switch because the light hanging above my head fluctuated. That temporary change to my environment caused a memory to surge into my head. I remember thinking that meeting my ex at the club for one drink would be harmless.

“Why did you do it?” That seemed to be their favorite question.

“How come you will not tell us where you where last night”?

The fog returned every time they asked this one. How come I could only remember meeting Sophia but not remember any details of our night together.

I only had a couple of drinks and I am used to drinking many more than that. We didn’t mix anything illicit into our partying last night. Maybe someone slipped me a roofie.

Does that happen to men?

After four hours of interviews it suddenly hit me! I was starved.

The hunger pains started to set in and that did not mix well with the pressure that was starting to develop inside my head. At least 6 years had passed since I had gotten a migraine but I could tell that the framework for a mighty one had already been laid.

I tried to focus on the words that were coming from the officer’s mouth but I could not decipher anything that he was saying.

Images from last night kept flooding my minds’ eye.

Sophia!

Drinks!

Strobe-lights!

Dancing!

A wig!

A girl!

Who was she?

S M A C K – “I don’t think you are listening”?

I tried as hard as I could to stay in my chair. I knew that any attempt to “release” my frustration would be met with quick and decisive action but I exploded.

I jumped from my chair and reached for the officer but they reacted more quickly than I did.

I felt a hand on the back of my neck. It was a very large and strong hand and it forced me back to my chair.

A picture was placed on the table in front of me.

“Mr. Georges, DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS GIRL”

The wigged girl is a redhead!?!?

Listening

The hunger pains started to set in and that did not mix well with the pressure that was starting to develop inside my head. At least 6 years had passed since I had gotten a migraine but I could tell the framework for a mighty one had already been laid.

I tried to focus on the words that were coming from the officer’s mouth but I could not decipher anything that he was saying.

Images from last night kept flooding my minds’ eye.

Sophia!

Drinks!

Strobe-lights!

Dancing!

A wig!

A girl? ? ?

Who was she?

S M A C K – “I don’t think you are listening”!

 

**blogger’s note** This is my contribution to @velvetverbosity’s 100 word challenge at http://velvetberbosity.com This weeks word is LISTENING

Here are the previous post’s for this story line:

The room was deafeningly quiet. The only sound was the constant hum that screamed at me from the light hanging above. My elbows were rested on the cold, hard steel table that was in front of me. I could not keep from wondering why they were making me sit in this room. Actually, I could not keep from wondering why in the hell they had picked me up at work in the first place.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the first words from the officer’s mouth were “Mr. Georges, we think that you stabbed and killed that poor girl”

I was shocked at the words that came out of his mouth. How could they think that I had stabbed some girl?  My mind seemed to be frozen in time until I noticed . . .

. . . the credentials hanging from his jacket pocket said C.I.A – as in Central Intelligence Agency.

Since when did the CIA start investigating stabbings of poor girls?

This had to be a dream. A joke. A prank. This had to be something other than reality.

“Mr. Georges, tell me exactly where you were last night at 7:30PM!”

Nothing was coming to mind. Why was I drawing a blank? My mind started to drift back to last night . . . nothing was coming.

I tried to think of what happened yesterday afternoon . . . nothing was coming. I could feel a cold bead of sweat starting to run down the back of my neck.

Flash

At that exact moment there must of have been a power surge or someone flicked the light switch because the light hanging above my head fluctuated. That temporary change to my environment caused a memory to surge into my head. I remember thinking that meeting my ex at the club for one drink would be harmless.

 

“Why did you do it?” That seemed to be their favorite question.

“How come you will not tell us where you where last night”?

The fog returned every time they asked this one. How come I could only remember meeting Sophia but not remember any details of our night together.

I only had a couple of drinks and I am used to drinking many more than that. We didn’t mix anything illicit into our partying last night. Maybe someone slipped me a roofie.

Does that happen to men?

After four hours of interviews it suddenly hit me! I was starved.

My Bucket List –

I know that inviting people to read my Bucket List is sort of like asking friends to come over and to look at vacation slides. So, you are not invited to read my Bucket List unless you want to. But . . . you may want to read this because I hope to entertain, educate, and just encourage you. Actually, I am hoping that you might encourage and educate me.

It is important that you know that I am writing my Bucket List but would rather call it my Life To Do List. I am not old enough to be worried about not doing the things that I want to do. Well, I am soon to be a grandpa (NoPa) so maybe I am old enough. Also, I am not sick . . . but I am just a little unwell. (Anthony James was born 12/8/2011 – I just did not change the draft)

I actually started writing my Life To Do List back in my senior year of high school. The first thing that I put on my LTDL was to not just sky dive, but to “sky dive naked from an aeroplane” . . .  Motley Crue was big back then:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstart_My_Heart

skydiving naked from an aeroplane isn’t a voyeuristic fantasy or anything of that sort – I was just prompted by the song and figured that I should just do it that way. (The real truth is – I would rather do it Keanu Reeves in Point Break style)

The next item on my LTDL has been prompted by Forrest Gump and Chris McCandless. I just feel like running . . . ummmm Walking/Hitchhiking my way across the USA. I am not like Holly from Miami F … L … A … so I will not be plucking my eyebrows or shaving my legs on this trip. I just think the idea of loading up a backpack and hitting the road seems interesting. I figure if I do it McCandless style I will meet some awesome people and find myself  in some real adventures!

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” – Chris McCandless

The next 2 items on my LTDL come from some internal passion to help others. The first way that I would like to do that is in a way that is so grand that I know that I have saved someone’s life. Have you seen 7 pounds? Yeah, I would like get that call from Gift of Life saying that they found a Bone Marrow match and need mine. I am not so sure how I would react if someone needed a kidney or other organ that I can live without but I just may cross that road one day.

This next one is certainly one that can be done – logistically speaking – with lots of effort and with the help of some really good people like you. I would like to see the #50People process repeat itself in #50States. I think I will start working on my next state – Would you like to help #50People50States take off?

A couple of years back I started messing around with the idea of writing a book. I have put together a few short stories and have written a few excerpts for an internet writing page. I enjoy it. I might just keep at it one day.

And for now the last item on my LTDL. I want to complete one of those life tasks that people look at and say – WOW, how could he do that. But listen . . . those sort of tasks are relative. You see, some of my friends cannot / do not run at all so if I did a 10K road race they would say – YEAH! Others might think I need to do an Ultra Marathon before they will really say YEAH! See  . . . there is a dilemma built into this item. But – I think that I have found my next event – One that most people will say YEAH – HOW DID HE DO THAT! – I want to climb to the top of Mount Rainier.

Ok – For now that is the short and simple version of my LTDL. I will keep you posted my efforts.

Look What #50People Did –

If this is your first time to visit my blog then you may want to read my previous post before reading on. That post will explain why it is that I am now telling you what #50People were able to accomplish.

Before I go on, let me say ‘Thank You’ to everyone that commented, posted, shared the link, offered encouragement, and/or made a financial or physical contribution to the #50People effort. My words cannot say thank you enough so allow this picture to say it as well – (A picture is supposed to be worth 1000 words, right?)

(This picture is of a precious little girl who is currently on a cancer treatment plan)

Now let me tell you guys what happened from the time of my previous post until this past Friday.

Almost a minute or two after my post was published I started getting emails from folks saying that they would be part of the #50People process. The response throughout that day was very encouraging. My BLOG hit an all time visitor high that first day. The word was out, but over the next few days the response started to slow a little and there were just about 25 or so folks committed to the process.

One of the first several people to join in had this to say:

“Count me in – sounds like a great idea!  I’m a childhood cancer survivor myself – diagnosed at 16 with thyroid cancer.  I had 3 surgeries in 2 different states over 3 years.  Been cancer free since 1999 now.”

Another participant had this to say:

“I am in for the donation, as well as the time to donate for these families. My youngest was born with cancer, aggressive skin cancer and had surgery on her head to remove it, including removing a piece of the top of her skull. She is my angel. The surgery was 3 years ago, and she has been cancer free ever since. She is tested every 4 months. And so far so good.”

The weeks passed by and it seemed that we were not going to reach the goal of having #50People take part in the giving. But I was still very encouraged. Many of the 30 or so people had already sent in their individual contributions and some were $100 – I knew that we would reach the “monetary goal” but this was always about getting more people involved.

Well, despite not having the #50People lined up Kappy and I discussed a plan – This is what we hoped to do with the money. We were going to have a day of catered food brought to the cancer ward so that the kids and their parents could eat something other than hospital food. We were also going to provide some Halloween Costumes so that the kids could have some sort of All Hallows Eve fun.

Those plans were published and then it happened . . . We got an email that just blew our minds. A department head at AT&T heard about our efforts and the timing was just . . . perfect. He mentioned that his team was currently looking for a chance to serve together and he thought that the #50People plan might be of interest to them.

We started discussing ways for his team to get involved and we started to talk with the folks at the AFLAC cancer ward at CHOA. Kappy has some great contacts over there.

It turns out that our original plan was well intended but just not that good. You see, kids that are going through chemo have some major changes happening in their bodies and they do not always want to eat – and when they do, their taste buds are so out of whack that they simply cannot tolerate what might have been their favorite food before the process started. So the catered food idea wasnt that great – We scratched it.

It also turns out that the idea to bring in lots of Costumes was well intended but . . . yeah, this is a repeat. These kids start to get skin irritations and so there are certain fabrics that just would not work that well. Not to mention the potential that some of the clothing could be contaminated with even the simplest of a cold virus – not good for immunosuppressed kids.

We planned better and here is what we came up with – We would just get gift certificates to a local restaurant and to local grocery stores. This would allow the parents to coordinate with the their kids and get exactly what they wanted to eat – any day that they wanted it. When all was said and done we were able to give $800 worth of gift cards from Moe’s, Publix, and Kroger.

 Back to those good folks at AT&T – With the help of an entire department, and that department making a challenge to other departments here is what AT&T had to say:

Thank you for extending the opportunity to be a part of such a display of genuine caring for the community in which we live.

The AT&T team is definitely interested in joining forces with your team to provide “Christmas in October”  gifts and memorable moments for the children suffering with Cancer at The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Here’s what our team is prepared to do:
Create Activity Baskets – The baskets will be filled with items such as:  Coloring books and Crayons, handheld games, baseball cards, drawing materials, markers  (washable), jacks, action figures and much more.  The Activity baskets will give the children activity options while receiving medical treatment during their stay at the hospital.

Thanks again for the opportunity to Give Back!

“To whom much is given, much is required”

I just love the quote that concluded the email –

The gift cards and the baskets were delivered last Friday. Rumor has it (and I believe it knowing his heart) that Kappy was on the verge of tears as the AT&T folks were unloading the car full of gifts – (Go back to that picture above and look at their efforts.)

Here is an example of what you all were able to do:

That pretty much concludes this update – I hope provide you with some more details as time passes but just know this – #50People did some great work.

Oh yeah – Just one more thing. A little birdie told me that there is a chance AT&T would like to do this again in about 6 months – Maybe / maybe not but I know this – WE can do this again and together we can make sure that Peter Cottontail goes hoppin’ down the AFLAC trail.

Are you in? What about a department at your office?

#50People – Let’s Do This!

Before I launch into my big presentation I need to ask that each of you take the 5 minutes to read through this entire posting. I am even going to tell you up front that I will be asking that some of you depart with a few green backs and I will be asking some of you to lend a hand to make a difference for someone (or many someones) that deals with Childhood Cancer.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. If you are like me, this isn’t a topic that you really want to discuss, think about, or really consider. I mean – we are talking about children getting cancer and that just wounds the heart. I wish that we could avoid the topic but the facts would still be present. “Each year in the U.S. there are approximately 12,400 children between the ages of birth and 19 years who are diagnosed with cancer . . . “

Most of you know that I tend to be a very active person – my kids, training, the Braves, etc … … … I feel like I do my fair share of volunteer work at my kid’s school and with the PTA so it is hard for me to add anything else to my plate. But . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . Every time that Chris Kappy opens his mouth and reminds me about Childhood Cancer I just want to jump into the fight. And that is what I am doing today. And that is what I am going to ask each of you to do today!

“September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month… Please take the time to do just one thing for a child with cancer this month. Albeit a monetary donation, dropping off dinner at your local children’s hospital cancer unit, maybe buying a coloring book and puzzles for the kids, or offering a family a helping hand. I ask you, no matter your situation, take this month to do one deed for a child battling cancer. Thank you, (Kappy) AKA . . . THE Warrior Of Cancer!

If you are the type of person that needs a little more info please check out who Kappy is:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/WarriorOfCancer

http://www.warriorofcancer.com/

If you are a Braves fan you may recall that Peter Moylan gave Kappy his Pink Bat:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/braves-mvt-most-valuable-960859.html

Now – Lets get down to the nitty-gritty. I read Kappy’s quote from above and felt like I needed to get involved in some way. I considered all of the things that I could do this month that helped me to become more aware while making someone else’s life just a little brighter.

• I thought about trying to find a child suffering with cancer so that I could help make a wish of theirs come true.
• I thought about taking lunch down to the entire staff of a children’s cancer ward.
• I thought about finding the parents of a child suffering and sending them to a Spa for the day.
• I thought this . . .  I thought that . . . and

. . . Finally I decided that I would find #50People that wanted to be part of something like this. I decided that I would ask those 50 People to donate at least $10 each.  Think about it – 50 X $10 is $500. Can you imagine what can be done with at least $500?

Well, I started doing just that and I came to this conclusion: Kappy is already involved in this fight. He is a godfather to a child that has cancer. He spends at least 2 weeks a year at http://www.mycampsunshine.com/ – He knows what should be done with $500 and that is how it should be – I will help raise the money and Kappy will decided what should be done with the money.

By now you might be saying (to yourself) – “DxPepper, why don’t you write a check for $500 and leave us alone” – I thought about that. I figured I could ask She Who Must Be Obeyed to move a few things around in the budget in order to do that. But then I thought about what happens next – Well, I write a check , Kappy does some magic for someone and then . . .  nothing else.

But if #50People get involved in this process and give $500 then the potential for this magic to repeat is far greater. You see, someone is going to be touched so deeply by this that they are going to try to find #75People or maybe #100People – I knew that I would make a greater contribution by getting more people involved.

So here it is – If you would like to be 1 of #50People (or more) that gives at least $10 to a fund that is going to be used by Kappy to bring some joy into the life of a person or people who are affected by Childhood Cancer then please send me an email (creech_chris@bellsouth.net)  – You will be updated often with the plans and with what your money is being used for. You will be as involved with this process as those that are making the plans.

If you want to be involved in the final outcome but are not in a financial position to donate money please let me know – We may well be taking lunch to people or delivering toys or  . . . . who knows what and your help could be used.

If you just cant help in anyway but want to know more about Childhood Cancer: http://www.candlelighters.org/Information/AboutChildhoodCancer/ChildhoodCancerStatistics.aspx

And finally – Use the comment section to encourage others to help in anyway that they can. Share the link via Facebook or RT the link on Twitter.

Thanks