My Life as an 80's movie music montage

I am unapologetic in my love of pop culture, the cheesier the better. There are few culture touchstones of cheesy that can top the ooie-gooieness of the music montages found in the movies of the 1980's.  No matter how on the nose the song  - Walking on Sunshine from seminal underdog makes good  Michael J. Fox classic "The Secret of My Success" - to the   hauntingly silly Meet Me Halfway from the wonderfully awful arm wrestling epic starring Sly Stallone "Over the Top", these bite size chunks of gouda are, well, just too good.

During my run this morning, I had such an over whelming rush of...I don't know -  Emotions? Endorphins? Senility? Joy? Peace? Contentment? Calm? - that I felt as though I was in my own montage. 

The thoughts running thru my mind were so jumbled and euphonious (look it up!) that at times I just stopped running and began to laugh. 

All the elements in my life seem to be falling into this wonderful rhythm.  Things that in the past would cause me anxiety and panic now are just challenges to overcome. The small pleasures in life now are like the biggest present on Christmas morning.   My family brings me more joy that any man deserves.  My kids, despite my fumbling missteps as a parent, are growing into wonderful, caring, compassionate, funny, smart, beautiful humans.  My beautiful wife is my rock, loving me unconditionally in the face of my oddness.  I marvel every day that she said yes.

Cliches exist.  They are there so that the poet in all of us, when at a loss for our own words, can latch on to a saying to express the complexities of our emotions. Deal with it. 

Life is Good!

And now, for your ear worms and flashbacks for the week, enjoy a small collection of music and video cliches.

Get busy living or get busy...blogging?!?

I've been living!  The pure energy of doing what you love and having that energy spill over into all  aspects of your life is truly the best feeling in the world. 

Now I need to reign in this rediscovered energy, channel it, focus it. 

Thanks Ferris (and Morgan Freeman as Red in the Shawshank Redemption) .

Nurture the Expression

Disney is known for many things...some good, some bad.  Regardless of your own take, I saw something at the park this past weekend, and I think they really highlighted something wonderful.

We sat and watched a Jr. High string orchestra perform for about 30 minutes.  Wonderful musicians, great music, proud parents.  Just  wonderful.

What struck me as we walked away, was that there was a group of people - students, parents, educators, administrators, and others that I cannot think of, that had worked together to allow these young people to express themselves.  Yes it was music, classical music,  a form of expression that has been acceptable for many, many years,  but it got me thinking about all the other ways we express our creativity.

Disney provided a stage, but more than that, they exposed a group of people to creativity and expression.  My hope is that others saw and heard these kids today, and it got them to think about how they can help the kids in their own areas express themselves.  Music, theater, dance, fine art, sports, math, science, hell, ANYTHING...help the people you know express themselves in anyway you can.

You may not understand what they are trying to say, but it is imperative the let them say it!

Brand new App for my 'Smudges

When I started writing this blog, I told you all (all of you that are...interested?) that I may stick my foot in it on occasion, or need to be put back in line, or as my lack of postings over the past few weeks has shown, drop the ball and not write as often as I had planed.  

Well, I'm calling myself out, for the best possible of reasons.

I started a brand new job this past week.  As with every new adventure, I have been buried with the discovery of how things work, where things are, who is who, who does what, and most importantly, how can I be the best possible 'me'.

In just two short days, it has been very apparent that I have found a great new professional home. The energy, the drive and the desire of everyone that I have met and dealt with has been phenomenal.  It has been exhilarating to get back in the game (pun very intended), and I am hard pressed to remember a time in the recent past that I have been as genuinely....excited.(non family events/interactions not included)

I still will write...promise.  Or threat, depending on your point of view.