A Shameful Confession

Often i wonder what is wrong with me.  The Apostle Paul said something to the tune of, "I want to do right, but I go ahead and do wrong any way".  Well, dang it, I messed up today.  It all started at Dave And Busters a couple of years ago.  I will take you there now....

Audrey and Cash are enjoying "Daddy Daughter Audrey Day" and have decided to give Dave and Busters a whirl.  When you play games there, you win tickets, lots of tickets.  We began to collect these tickets and collect them in large quantities.  I was totally focused on winning tickets!!!  You've never seen good humor until you've seen a 48 year old man dive onto a single lost ticket on the floor of Dave and Busters.  Those 8 year olds don't stand a chance against me!!!!  I am king of the tickets.  Well, other than those chineese finger torture things, there isn't much good at D&B to cash those tickets in on. So we let them accumulate. 

48,000 Tickets later, we were ready to buy something. Never mind we have most likely spent a thousand or so bucks to get these tickets, we won them and winning something is much sweeter than earning something.  So, finally, two weeks ago, I use our tickets to buy an I Phone/Ipod Doc and two remote control boats.

The boats are the problem.  I played with them in the gorgeous pond/water feature right outside my new office.  I played with them like a child.  I love playing with remote control boats.  So, to me, this makes me sort of cool.  Older guy still in touch with his childhood values...while playing with the boats i would sing, "my baloney has a first name.....:"....see, i was being a child!

So the super cool people in the new office in the next building over (same water feature visible from their office) decide they want to play boats also.  Lots of boats.  They in fact brought out four big boats today and were making a tremendous racket.  Well, not really, but they didn't invite me to play so phoooooey to them those fatty fatty fat heads!

As i watched from my dimly lit office with the shades just barely open enough to see, I couldn't take it any more.  I ran out to my boat storage cabinent, grabbed one of the remotes and turned it on.  I run back to my office without these new boating enthusiasts able to see me because i had to know if MY control might control THEIR new shiny boats.  Yep it does.  It controls the yellow one. Another 49 mHz boat!!!  Horray for me, fighter of evil!

So they start racing their boats, and about every 10 feet, the yellow one just immediately goes in reverse and starts making violent circles, but just for a moment.  Then I cease my torture and it moves forward, but for only another 10 or so feet when it begins to go backwards and in violent circles.  Once again letting off, it starts to catch up to the other boats, and what do ya know????? It lurches backwards at the worst possible moment and goes into violent circles. They finally pulled it out of the water and began to work on it.  I was laughing to loud and too hard to stay and watch.

Mission accomplished, and I do blame myself.  I hope they come back tomorrow.  I love remote control boats, even when the boat I am controlling isn't mine!

Deep Well of Knowledge

Every post should start with a ridiculously cute baby picture. So here is mine. Sarah loves to be pulled around in her big sister's school backpack. When you hear her crying, it is usually because she is trying to fit inside and go for a ride. Ahhhh, the simple pleasures of life!

So it seems I post about once a year now, but I am using my brain what seems to be at least once every six months so I feel strongly that it is time to start writing again. Back in 2008 I sort of ran for president, I proclaimed that John McCain was a patsy and didn't really want to win, and that we needed to band together as conservative, proactive, Christian, patriotic folks. Notice I did not say Republicans.

Ok then, fast forward nearly two years and see where we are. The word "ugg" in my life is a simple expression I use to describe a situation that I find distasteful or a moment where I just don't want to take time to formulate a well thought out response. So, politically, UGG. Here is a quick update since the election back in 2008. I've had a couple of tepid posts since then, but really have been in the "ugg" mode.

September 9,2008: Sarah Grace Matthews is born. I am a daddy again at the age of 47. She is 1.6 years old now and I am 48 and a half. God has such a wonderful sense of humor. I love it when people walk up and ask to hold my granddaughter. I punched an old lady at Cracker Barrell last week. Well, not really, but I think I could have bested her in a punching and running contest. Me? A Grandfather? Not just yet. I am still learning how to be a daddy. God sure knows what he is doing! Which is exactly why he never gave me that flamethrower I wanted as a kid.

November 5, 2008: I decided to take our business, The Solomon Group, on a national basis. This isn't an advertisement for me or my biz, but I want to take action. Take action. That will be the remainder of my first post back from the darkside.

August 17, 2009: I opened our new National Education Center for The Solomon Group. It is a 6,000 square feet masterpiece of luck and perspiration. From this launching pad we intend to help affect change in a positive way.

The view from my office!

September 9, 2009. Sarah turned 1. I was a week away from 48. Wild. Assuming that most people start their success journey by age 18, I have had 30 good years at being an adult and I am taking stock of what has happened during those times.

So, where from here? Not sure. Tomorow our politicians will be forcing the vote on healthcare. Somehow they have taken the position that goods and services have become rights, and I disagree with that. But that is for another time, there isn't much we can do right now.

Frequently I get emails from friends who have gotten so amped up that they just have to send all of their friends their thoughts in the form of an email which clearly states their position, usually on a political subject. I mean, I get between 3 and 10 emails a day from good friends whom I respect and love and am thankful for. However, most of these emails is a bunch of phooey because they are not backe up by actions. It is time for America to take action. Sending emails to people who already believe like you do is NOT taking action. Sorry, but it isn't. We need to take action on every level and eliminate our areas of weakness. Here are some things I am asking myself, you, and the rest of the country to work on. I am not a great leader, and I don't know if anyone would ever believe the way I believe, but I am taking action. We have put it all on the line so that we can make a change. Which side of the line are you on? There is no middle ground in a war.

The Things We Should Work On:

1. Healthcare: It is a good and service, not a right. You want the government to help you? Do YOU help you? Do you take care of yourself? I am guilty of not doing this but it isn't the govs job to jump in and save me from myself. Heal thyself!

2. Social Security. What a ripoff, but it is mandatory so deal with it. Do you take care of your own savings and retirement? Is it a priority? Here is a simple test: Add up how much you spend on internet, cell phone, cable tv, and eating out. Now, add those numbers up. Okay, do you save at least that much into a savings account some where? So, those other things are your priority, not retirement.

3. Debt. We gripe about the government being in debt. Are you out of debt? At least out of "bad debt"? Lets get with it America. Proverbs says "The borrower is a SLAVE to the lender" (the Bible didn't capitalize slave, that was me). Are you a slave to a bad financial situation? Let's fix it. The governement is NOT going to help you, I am quite sure. Let's all get to a point where money is not the biggest object on our plates each day.

4. Charity/Public Giving/Welfare: Let's do this through the church. Lets get serious about sharing with our fellow man, but lets do it through an established framework where we don't feel guilty about every panhandler we pass buy. Let's create some little instruction sheets to put in their hats about where they can access our charitable funds.

5. Life/Well Being/ Happiness: Ha! You thought I was going to share the secret of happiness? I can tell you that the people I know who live commited lives of excellence seem to be the happiest. Be excellent, be awesome, be a student of the game. When I meet new employees of The Solomon Group I like to ask them what books they are currently reading. I like to ask them what educational courses they are taking either on their own or through the church. This really rattles people! Behind every door is not necessarily another open door. It is time to wake up America!

We have the greatest country on the planet, but we are in disrepair. It isn't the governements job to fix it, it is your job, my job, our job. We are "the people" mentioned in those early historical documents that posed the questions regarding our freedoms.

May God bless your every step, my you find peace and confidence in knowing that God loved YOU so much that he gave his only begotten Son that He should die for our transgressions. That is an excellent reason to feel special, to feel loved, and to feel like you are part of something really big. And in America, we the people must wake up, right now. We have been given much, and from each of us, much is expected.

I am awake.

Sarah's footprints on my hands, September 9, 2008. A very good day.