Our place in this world

Smartphones are an amazing tool.  Never have we had so much information about anything and anyone in the palm of our hand as we do now.  They truly are amazing.  However I, like many others, have found that I rely on my iPhone 24x7.  It's my phone, my text, my social media, my camera, my alarm clock, my workout reminder, my workout tracker, my internet, my Bible, my picture album, my music, my email, my shopping, my everything.  I'm on it all of the time and while I don't have "feelings" for my phone, I carry it everywhere...I am literally never without it and am lost if I don't have it on me at all times.  So maybe I do "love" my iPhone?  Weird. I've noticed for some time now that my wife also loves her iPhone.  I find that we often will sit together and look at our phones, in silence.  This is madness; so we have agreed to go on a phone fast beginning October 1 for 30 days.  We will limit our phone usage to three, 30-minute intervals...

It's Thursday and I just got back from lunch with a former colleague.  This colleague asked me to go to lunch to ask my advice but I came away feeling like I was the one that benefited.  This got me to thinking about other people in my life that have influenced me over the years.  Many of these people influenced me through their examples of how they lived their lives and conducted themselves. My Father - he was always working, providing for our family.  He made time to help others in need.  And he never quit anything he started his whole life. My Mother - she was always kind, always smiling, always singing in the car and always encouraging me and building me up.  She used to say "you can be anything you want to be if you just set your mind to it". My Wife - for the past 30 years she has been my rock, my encourager, she gives me advice, and picks me up when I need it most.  She makes me better than I am and loves me more than I deserve. My Broth...

I've been running again since April of this year, 185 miles year to date. All in an effort to lose weight and be healthier.  That's not a lot of miles for an avid runner, but it is a lot for me since I was doing nothing prior to starting up again.  I'm happy to say I feel better than I have in a long time and I'm down 25 pounds. :) In addition to my running, for the month of September, I am doing a challenge with several other friends.  Every day we do some form of push-ups, squats, lunges, planks or crunches.  Thirteen days in and I can feel my body changing, for the better, and I can also feel the fatigue setting in.  But I am persevering with their encouragement. This morning after my run, I was completely soaked with sweat, partly due to the effort and partly due to the 99% humidity.  But it was a glorious, sunny morning with blue skies and the water on the lake where I run was as smooth as glass.  After the run, I was exhausted, empty of thoug...

As I continue on my journey to determine what it is I'm supposed to do after I leave my current employer, I have been applying for jobs. Most of my applications are in recruiting as that is where my depth of experience is, but I've also been applying to travel jobs.  I've applied to jobs all around the world and most recently had a company in Dubai want to interview me but I declined.  Looking back, I'm not sure why I declined so quickly as I should have at least listened, Dubai might be nice for a time??? Anyway, as I said, I've been applying to jobs, a few local but many international.  I'm actually disappointed in my profession in providing such a poor candidate experience.  Far and wide I am unimpressed but the career sites, the applications and especially the response or lack thereof.  We, recruiters and talent acquisition pros, need to step up our game big time. I've also been applying to travel jobs.  The most recent job requires a 60 second or s...

I worked in our yard over the weekend for several hours on both Saturday and Sunday.  Our yard has never looked better than it does this year going into Autumn.  However, after my workout yesterday morning my back started aching...actually hurting.  I got adjusted yesterday afternoon by my chiropractor, iced my back last night, but today it still hurts to stand up straight.  Ah, the joys of getting older.

Jim West, Emmy nominated host of Destination Craft with Jim West, is leading a group on an African Safari to Kenya in January 2020.  We've gotten to know Jim a bit through a mutual friend and decided that for Stacey's, and my, 50th birthdays that we would take this tour with him.  You can check it out here  http://www.craftours.com/trips/?page=africa_crafts_0120 .  To say that we are excited about our first safari is not a strong enough expression. 😍

Autumn...the days between late September through late November is my favorite time of year in the mid-west U.S.  I love how the trees change color from shades of green to all manner of yellow, orange, red, and brown before losing their leaves for winter.  I love the rustling sound the leaves make, the chill in the air, the frost in the morning, fires, jackets, the harvesting of crops, and of course pumpkins.  I also love time-honored family traditions, and for me, the tradition that speaks the loudest is upland bird hunting. My father has been taking my brother and me bobwhite quail hunting since we were very small.  I can still remember being so little that I wasn't strong enough to carry a shotgun but I would still walk along with him.  My first memories of seeing quail were north of our farm in a thicket.  The dogs pointed and my dad told me to get in there and flush them out.  I crawled on my hands and knees under the thicket and shouted that I c...

This past weekend I walked my oldest daughter down the aisle and gave her away to the love of her life.  The rehearsal, the ceremony, the reception, the weather, the family and friends that attended, it all was as it should have been...perfect. As I look back on my life, on my 30 years with Stacey, on my career, on my daughters, I can't help but ask "Why"?  Why have I been so blessed?  Why me?  There are so many needy people, deserving people, people with real needs but yet I have been blessed.  I recognize and appreciate that I have been blessed with parents that love me and are still with us, with family, with a wife that is an amazing rock, with daughters that are good hearted women, with health, with an income to provide for it all, with happiness, with friends, with great coworkers, with the ability to sit and type this.  The list is long and I could go on, and on, and on.  I see and hear of people that are hurting, that have real needs, that ar...

Back to the January adventure search...Chile, Peru, and Bolivia all look amazing, but Chile being the furthest south would offer an opportunity to see the Patagonian region of South America while still enjoying several beaches.  Airfare to each will be more than I was hoping but it's a once in a lifetime trip, so I'm willing to bite the bullet. The Andes mountain range, the Pacific beaches, the Chilean people, all seem amazing.  Have you ever been to Chile?  If so, any thoughts? The research continues...

During our research to find a country to visit during the month of January, we have turned our attention to South America, specifically to Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile.  All three are rated by the U.S. State Department as being very safe, as safe in fact as the U.S., Ireland, and Australia.  Additionally, all three countries speak Spanish, a requirement from Stacey as she also speaks Spanish.  All have a diverse topography like North America with beautiful beaches, mountains, and plains.  All have a rich culture to explore and learn about.  And all seem exciting as we've never visited South America. After doing some research, however, I'm beginning to lean towards Argentina.  I've learned that Argentina is home to some great beef, and great wine - two of my favorites.  Also, Stacey and I like to dance and the tango is supposed to be popular there.  And did I mention that they have great wing shooting in Argentina?  Yes, that may be swaying...