T-Minus Now

This is a post from this morning on Multiply and Yahoo 360 to test blogspot's capabilities...


There are times when I don't move as quickly as I should/could and I miss out on certain opportunities. Heck, my Salvation for instance took 56 years to happen...but, hey, it's all good now.

I re-posted one of my favorite blogs last night and after reading it again this morning and seeing two of my favorite people respond to it, I realize that with most things in life, there is always some sort of urgency attached to it. Of course, if we were left to our own devices, many things would NOT get done at all...because we have achieved a certain comfort level with our own sedentary existence. But, if we look at life for what it really is, which is a conglomeration of many people's lives intersecting through our own, then complacency is not a luxury that we have at our disposal.

To put this into further context, I taught CPR and First Aid yesterday to some foster parents and remember saying how important it is for them to adopt the attitude that their first duty is to the child. They may not feel like they may want to do the things that their foster child needs for whatever reason but they really do not have a choice. With that child, they are essentially their last line of defense. They have a duty to act and they must act when needed. Otherwise, we will have another sad statistic of another forgotten life that no one cared about.

So often, students look at a manikin and feel hesitant about doing rescue breathing under the mistaken notion that they will "catch something." Teaching CPR is usually about making them see the illogic of that as well as preparing them to do the right thing. I always tell my students at the beginning of every class that if they feel they cannot put their mouth on a foster child who may need them to do so to save their life, they are free to leave the class right now...no questions asked; no hard feelings.

So, when they stay, they are told that when an emergency strikes, it is T-Minus Now and they must be ready to do what is required.



Such of course is the requirement of living today. We all have so many people who know us and who may actually depend upon us. We don't have the luxury of sloughing someone off when we are duty bound to provide what others need. This is one of the main problems that I have with deadbeat parents who will not support their children with the basics of life. Your problem with that child's parent notwithstanding, what does that have to do with what YOUR child needs?

But, overcoming inertia can be a difficult thing sometimes. We work very hard to create an insular world where we can be free of the tugging and pulling that goes on outside of it. But, sooner or later, we must come outside; sooner or later, we must interact with someone; sooner or later, we must be functional members of our society--no matter how large or small.

The themes of yesterday's re-post were "Don't Rue The Past; Rule the Future" and "Don't Create Regret."

If you were to take those two together, there is a road map contained within to whatever definition of success you wish to apply. Whatever happened in the past should not deter you from doing what is necessary and best for your future but at the same time do the proper preparation to have a life filled with joy and purpose. Regret has no place in a well-prepared future. Leave that to the dustbin of your past and keep on stepping.



When people debate politics, I get amused because they can sit back and arrogantly assign the responsibility for their own future to a candidate running for office...as if you have nothing to do with how your life will be lived. Oh, to be sure, a president can create policy but in our system of checks and balances, there is nothing they can do without the advice and consent of OUR representatives in Congress and elsewhere. We hope that they will take us into consideration when they make their decisions so can help to shepherd us to the right destination but unless we are willing to be "led" and are willing to row the oars along the way, this raft called "all of us" ain't going anywhere!

So, we have an exceptional Sunday morning here in the capital of the "free world." It is a good day to reflect and move forward. I am off the next couple of days and plan to take my son to a beach somewhere...maybe even spend the night, just he and I. The fortunate thing is that I have earned the right and the time do so with him. He's been a great kid all summer and he has earned this as well. For "our" vacation, it is T-Minus Now...and have no regrets to carry into this day.

Do you? Is it YOUR T-Minus Now to move past them and cause the sun to rise in your life? T-Minus Now does not mean T-Minus when-I-get-around-to-it...or when someone else comes along and I can get them to do it. If you are ready to resurrect your spirit, your promise, and your dreams...here is your Round Tuit...and now, you have no excuses...and your only regret will come from having done nothing.

I'll be looking for you as I chase the sun...come on up with me...the view is simply magnificent!!

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