SHOULD I PUT THIS ON MY BUCKET LIST ?

    I was talking to a friend last week, and the topic of legalizing Marijuana came up. He was strongly against it. To be honest, I have always thought, 'so what, legalize it then tax the hell out of it' like we do with cigarettes and alcohol.

    Then I realized that I was somewhat of a hypocrite. How can someone make that determination when they have never tried it?

    So I got to thinking, "Should I put this on my bucket list?"

    A bit of background. Being in the broadcasting business, illegal drugs were always available. I just never chose to partake in that sort of activity. Not that I am some sort of prude, I just never had the urge.

    So I mentioned to my wife that maybe I should have that experience. I gave up smoking some 20 years ago, and was firm in stating that I would NEVER smoke it.
       
    "Well, there are other ways," she said with a smile. What is she, some sort of expert?

    A few days later, one of her friends brought over a pound cake. It was "special" she said.
   
    So, we both sat down at the kitchen table and ate two pieces each, then I waited for the results.

    It was an OK 'buzz' and stayed with me a long time. I get the same feeling if I have a few to many beers.

    It did not make we want to do anything stronger. It did not ruin my life. All in all it was the same as alcohol.

    So now, at the ripe old age of sixty-two, I can say (like everyone else on the planet) I have tried pot.

    As I sat at the kitchen table I realized something.
       
    My expectations were too high. Other than a slight 'buzz' it had no other effects on me.

    So here is your assignment for this week. Have some pound cake !!!
   
    Have to run now. I am really hungry............

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE ART OF LISTENING ?

    Being in sales, I deal with all types of people. Broadcasting in itself is very ego driven. From Disc Jockeys to Programmers, to owners and Engineers. Most of them have a slightly elevated opinion of them selves.

    I was on the phone with a station owner the other day and was trying to give him some advice based upon my forty four years in the industry. At every turn he interrupted. It did not take Captain Obvious long to realize that this person was not at all interested in what I had to say. It was impossible to get my point across so I gave up.  AND he started the conversation with "What do you think I should do............? If you don't want my advice, then don't ask for it!!
   
    I realized that we are all the same. We would rather talk then listen. We all love to hear the sound of our own voices.

    I got to thinking. 'What ever happened to the art of listening'?
   
    The  other day I was listening as two women spoke to each other. Almost every sentence was 'cut off' by the other one starting to talk. How can you listen when you are talking? How do you keep track of the content of  the conversation??  Woman claim they can do both. For some reason, I can not. Sometimes they were both talking at the same time.

    I find myself doing the same thing, as do all the people around me. It's hard to complete a sentence when you are constantly 'interrupted'. Does the other person feel that what they have to say is more important than what I am saying?

    Are we all that self absorbed that we don't really care what the other person is
saying?   

    Successful listening takes work. There are many resources on the web to help you accomplish better listening. Let your favorite search engine be your guide.

    The simplest solution I found is "Listen more than you talk." Simply put, "SHUT UP."

    Perhaps if you are listening, you can pay more attention to what the other person is saying. What a great concept this is.   

    Here is your assignment for the week. 'Shut the hell up.' That's it. Simple.

    You might surprise yourself. You may learn more, and have better conversations.

IS IT ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE ?

    I spent the long Labor Day weekend working in the yard. Florida is always HOT in September, and the weekend was no exception. The list of "Honey Do's" had gotten VERY long and it was time for me to start catching up.

    After a full days work I was extremely hot and tired and every muscle I had ached.

    My back hurt, my legs hurt, and my  shoulder felt like it had a dagger in it.

    I got to thinking. 'Is it all downhill from here?'   

    I realized that at 62, I can not work like I did when I was 32.  Or even 42.
   
    As we get older, we have to start slowing down. Instead of working all day on a Saturday, I should have worked half a day on Saturday and a half a day on Sunday. I would have gotten the same amount  of work done and my body would have been much happier. I made a mental note to myself. 'Don't overdo, you are not Superman'.

    I also realized how bad it would have been for me, had I NOT been going to the gym every morning for the past  six months. Those fifty pounds I have shed also helped.

    There should be no reason for me not to be able to do these chores around the house. I vowed to continue my exercise and diet routine and NOT fall apart by the time I am 65.
   
    So your assignment for the week is 'Get off the damn sofa !!!'

    Instead of watching four football games this weekend. PICK ONE and enjoy it.

    WALK somewhere. Get some exercise. Push yourself away from the dinner table and skip desert.
   
    JOIN a gym.

    "Is it all down hill from here?"  It doesn't have to be.  I won't allow it.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO LIVE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT LABELS ?

     I have an organizational problem. I have to be organized. It drives me crazy to have to search for items I know I have, but can not seem to locate. I have been that way my entire life.

    I was in the workshop last weekend sorting hardware. You know; nails, screws, nuts, bolts, and washers. I put them in piles according to size and type, then deposited them in their own individual glass jars. I then got out
my trusty label maker and proceeded to label each and every container.

    I thought back to the old days when the only way to make labels was using the old DYMO Label maker. Remember those things? It looked like a gun and you rotated a wheel to the letter you wanted, then you pushed the trigger. It would impress the letter on a little strip of plastic. Then you moved on to the next letter, and the next.

    Nowadays you have many options to make labels. You can use a computer or you can hand write onto a tiny peel off label. I even have a little tiny label maker that looks like a small keyboard. It works very well. But I digress.

    I realized that we label everything from hardware in the workshop to people on the street.

    I got to thinking, 'Is it possible to live your life WITHOUT labels.'

    We label and organize everyone into a compartment. Republicans, Democrats, Liberals, Conservatives, Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Christians, Jews, and Muslims. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. We label music. Country, Rock, Christian, Soul (oops, I am showing my age) Rap, Jazz, and so on and so forth. We are no longer Americans. We are Italian Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, German Americans.

    News flash. I am not any of those. I am an American. Period. The fact that my mother's family came from Germany and my father's came from England has nothing to do with me. I came from Indiana. Does that make me a 'Hoosier American'?

    We label people even before we know them. As a society we pass judgement long before we even speak to someone. We see them on the street and immediately judge them. I do it too. I hate tattoo's and I judge everyone who has one. We call people fat, ugly, too short, too tall, too religious, not religious, on and on and on we go. Dr. Martin Luther King said it best fifty years ago, when he spoke at the Lincoln Memorial "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character” I guess Dr. King didn't like labels either.

    I am sorry to say that regardless of the progress of the last fifty years, we are not there yet.
       

    Here is your assignment for the week. Think before you speak. Try not to put any Kind of label on the people around you. It will be harder than you realize. Do this for one day, just 24 little hours. You might surprise yourself.
    And if you get through one day, try it for another day.

BEGINNINGS

                NO I DID NOT SAY THAT. Just kidding, I probably did. I have this habit of shooting my mouth off before putting my brain in gear. So I thought I would share with the world.
                Now that my long career in Broadcasting is winding down, I have finally made time for one of my earlier interests. That is writing.
                With a degree in Telecommunications and Journalism from Ball State University (1975) I have decided to put my Journalistic talent (if I have any) to use.
                 First by writing a book, then a blog.
                 Well, the book is going well and is about three quarters of the way complete. But I find I have other ideas rolling around in my little pea brain that I must put to paper. (or the internet)
                 That is why I am here. I hope I don't offend anyone. If I do, get over it.