US Olympic Gymnasts

     Congrats to Simone Biles and Aly Raisman great Olympian champions. You have every right to be proud and silly with joy. I apologize for the reporter calling your interview with Bob Costas awkward or embarrassing.

     What this reporter doesn't understand is you're young girls pumped up with enthusiasm and excitement because you won Olympic medals and this spilled over to the interview. That's Ok. You have the right to be silly, actually everyone does. What's wrong with being excited to meet Zack Efron? Absolutely nothing. Getting giddy over having pizza and a burger doesn't surprise me either. You probably haven't had those in months. I still get excited when I think about a juicy bacon cheeseburger. I think your excitement over these common things just makes you more endearing and special. It shows even though you are Olympians you still like the same things as other young girls.

     Bob Costas is 64 years old age and a well renowned sportscaster who doesn't need to prove himself every time he does an interview. Maybe, it didn't go like he expected but he smiled throughout. What's wrong with that? Every interview doesn't need to be serious.

     Simone and Aly, I hope you always keep some silliness in your life. To the reporter who wrote the article I say. What were you doing when you were nineteen? “Just Saying…”

     

You see what you believe

     We are all influenced by our beliefs. It's almost impossible not to be but is it possible to be blinded by your beliefs. I firmly believe it is. In our day-to-day life our brains see things as we except them to be. We ignore or overlook things that do not fit into our belief system. Different people will interpret a specific action in totally different ways, which is proven by listening to eyewitness reports from people watching the same event.

     Some people see kindness, tragedy, prejudice or compassion because they look for things that support their beliefs. If all you see is the negative, may be life experiences have sculpted your beliefs in a way that limits your expectations.

     Wouldn’t it be better to approach each day expecting it to be an education in life. It won't all be good or all bad but either way it will contain a valuable lesson. You can learn from the good and the bad. Knowing that beliefs can be changed, expanded or discarded will allow you to have better control of your future.

     Beliefs give you a picture of your expectations. If you don't like the expectations you see, change the picture to change the expectations. If you expect to be treated unfairly, you will likely act in a way that gets you that result.

     There is no magic pill that will put your life on the rode to success. It takes work. It’s not easy but by expecting and believing good things will happen, you become hypersensitive to noticing the good things. What's wrong with that? It’s not an answer to all your problems but if it gives your day a positive boost, isn’t it worth a try?

     Oh, don't worry about becoming naive to the negative things in the world, the 24 hours news reports will take care of that. "Just Saying...."

What would you do if you couldn't fail?

     I saw that question on a womens shirt and it made me think. Why is failure a bad thing? I think there's a greater good in failure than bad. If you never fail how would you recognize success. With each failure you eliminate one option keeping you from success. So each failure brings you one step closer to success.

     There are many successful people that have been a failure most of their life, we just don't here about it because success overshadows failure. The difference in a successful person and a failure is effort. That's it. The successful person knows what it is to fail, they've been there and they will likely be there again but they won't let failure destroy them.

     I believe failure is only bad when it keeps you from trying. If the thought of failure discourages you from trying you will never be successful. Embrace failure by learning from it. What are you waiting for? Success may only be a failure away. "Just Saying...." 

Parrot Beak

   Do you have any physical imperfections? I know I do and I'm sure you do as well. I'm not talking about my physical stature being almost five foot five, my loss of hair or the wrinkles I've noticed. Some are signs of aging, others are physical characteristics I've lived with and have grown to like.

     The one imperfection I have that is gross even to me is my toenail shaped like a parrot beak. It's not that I spend a lot of time dwelling on it, only when it needs trimming. A wire cutter is the only tool that works on this stout parrot beak nail. Not many people need tools from Home Depot to trim their toenails but I do for this one lone nail. Alas! I know my dreams of being a foot model are dashed because of this beak nail.

     I'm sure there are others that have body parts that do not conform to the norm. It's also likely that many people have toenails they are not interested in displaying in public. Pedicures are popular with many women and some men these days, thankfully this does not interest me. I'm sure I would be shunned, turned away by the nail salon or charged an additional fee to paint this talon like growth.

     To be perfectly honest, hand modeling is out as well since I’ve recently developed this arthritic protrusion on my wrist. It looks like an extra digit is pushing through the skin much like how I imagine a new island is born.

     The thought occurred to me the other day that I should paint a parrot beak nail on my wrist bump. That would make it more of a conversation piece but my wife said that was a bad idea. I must agree with her but couldn’t I at least give it a name?

The Dark Side of Life

     The dark side is hard to avoid since it's all we hear on the news. Looking at the dark side of life is depressing even when you aren't directly affected. We can't ignore it but do we need to submerge ourselves in it? No, enough is enough. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, wars even crooked politicians add darkness to our lives. Our control of the dark side is limited but one thing we can do turn away from the darkness.

     Bad news draws us in like iron to a magnet. We have to experience problems so we know how to deal with them. At the same time if all we know are problems, it's hard to muster up hope for the future. My experiences tell me that my brain suffers when it's overloaded with bad news even when the tragic news is far away. On the other hand good news has an equally positive effect almost like my brain is smiling.

     This is my simplistic view of how I think the dark side of life and the bright side of life affects my attitude. To be an informed person I can't ignore the dark side of life but I refuse to live there. If you're looking for me I will be living my life on the bright side of life. "Just Saying...."

Observations from an Outsider

     I have the distinct pleasure of being an observer of life. This is something I've always done but without the freedom or flexibility I now have as a retired senior. The title says these observations are from an outsider and as a senior I sometimes feel like an outsider. This outsider title is not thrust upon me but merely a fact of life.

     The world is run by the younger generation, which is the way it should be but sometimes I am ashamed for the state of the world we seniors have left to our children. World leaders possess a talent only for power and self-promotion. Values like honesty, trustworthiness, honor and respect seem forgotten, but I'm hopeful they are not lost.

     The term civil service was coined years ago to describe a person giving their time to serve the public. This is an honorable gesture but I believe the definition is no longer accurate. We need drastic changes in this country and throughout the world. People are unhappy with their governments and the future.

     These are turbulent times but violence just fuels the downward spiral of the world. I believe there is more good than evil. However, the evil forces seem to have an attraction to people weaken by despair or those seeking to become infamous.

     As an outside observer I won't be running for office but I will support candidates that possess the values our nation needs. I'm not foolish enough to think this post will change anything about the world but I do hope this message can inspire someone.

      Maybe each of us individually can't change the world but together we have a chance. Let’s start by living everyday a little bit better than the day before. "Just Saying......"

The Future State of the World

     It's apparent to me that the world has changed in a way that paints a bleak future. Our job as adults should be to make the world a better place for our children. We are failing miserably. Sure, technologically we are far better off than in years past, but we have lost ground in almost every other aspect of life.

     We worship status, value only money and monetary success. We are ultra-sensitive and unwilling to forgive. Attack on another person’s character has replaced forgiveness. We all make mistakes but in today's society you will not be forgiven but virally crucified on the Internet.

     There are honorable people; I see them everyday but they are rarely recognized for their actions because only the notorious receive notoriety. The news media keeps us well informed of the world tragedies, which they have always done but it's different than when I grew up because of the 24-hour news we have today.

     Religious values are forgotten or twisted to support a personal agenda. I'm not speaking about attending church services; I'm referring to how you treat others. You can be a vigilant church goer but if you disrespect others throughout the week, you are merely getting your ticket punched for attending church. This does not make you a better person. Your brand of religion is irrelevant. What's important is how you treat others throughout your life.

     There are too many examples of people disrespecting others. Just look at politics and the current US presidential race. The "all about me" attitude that exists today is a bad sign of the future. Lets do our best to reverse this trend and start treating others with respect. "Just Saying...."