After I wrote about the value of association I realized that I needed to follow up on searching for someone that I had been thinking about for some time. I worked for a really great person back in the late 70's and the last time I talked to him was when Fawn was about 2 years old. His name was Mike Bresnan. My father introduced me to him when Mike owned a gas station across the street from the Ballard Locks and the Lockspot Tavern. The space has since been occupied by a Taco Time. Mike then took over ownership of an Arco station in the Shoreline neighborhood of Seattle. He called it Mike's North City Arco. It was on 175th and 15th NE. Long about 1975/76 I lived about 3 blocks from his station and eventually went to work for him. Yes, I was a pump jockey. I also learned how to work on cars, process credit card receipts, do the banking, and close the books each day. I was only 16 years old when I went to work for him but I learned alot in the 2 years that I worked for him. He was a great person and very caring human being. He and his wife Sally were involved with the Lake City Vigilantes for alot of years which is a Seafair staple. They volunteered much of their time to the community and charitable organizations. At any rate, I had not spoken to him or seen him since 1983. While I had thought about him from time to time over the years, I did not make the effort to find him. I emailed the secretary of the Vigilantes on the night of the Seafair parade because seeing them again made me think of Mike. She emailed back to me that Mike had passed away in 1991 from cancer. I could just kick myself for all the times that I could have picked up a phone and said hello but I won't. See note below. I know that if he had not somehow affected my life, I would not now be thinking about him some 30 years later.
*Sidenote: Regrets are those things that you did do (and should not have done) or should have done (that you did not do) that you simply have not made peace with. You cannot change the past but you can control how you approach the future. Make peace with your regrets and you will eventually learn that they are a part of what makes you the person you are today, for better or worse.
So, you all have people that you know that from time to time you say "I should call them", or "I should stop by and see them". The opportunity to do that will not come by and hit you over the head to tell you it's time. Don't wait, pick up the phone and say "hey". Email them, drop by and see them. If these people are important to you, make it a point to tell them what you think of them and what they have meant to you. Ask yourself if these are people that you would truly miss if you found out, after the fact, that they were gone.
No, you are not too busy. No, you do not have too many things going on and there's just not enough hours in the day. No, you will not "get around to it". As a wise Jedi Master once said, "Do or do not, there is no try". He also said "Always in motion is the future".
Monday, August 3, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The value of association
I have been officially working (W2/Paycheck) since 1974 with a couple of breaks along the way, to have my children as well as a couple other reasons, and have met and known hundreds of people. Some just came in and out of my life and others were people that I grew close to whether for a short time or a life time. I do have a couple of friends that I have known since I started in electronics over 30 years ago but most of the people that I'm close to now are ones that I have known for 15 years or less. It is difficult at times to stay friends with people that you meet at work once you leave for another company because it soon becomes "out of sight, out of mind". You each have your jobs, your daily lives and your interaction is minimized to the point where it sort of fades away. What I have found as I have gotten older is that the friendships that I have cultivated over the last 10-15 years have meant more to me and have been deeper and more lasting than the ones I had when I was younger. (again with the exception of those that I have known for 30 years)
I put more value on my associations with people now that I am older because of the rewards from knowing them. We all tend to gravitate to people that are friendly to us or have common interests or simply because we sit next to them all day. But of those people, how many do you tend to pursue a more lasting friendship with? It is those that you find a true connection with. Something that goes deeper than just the person that you see from 8-5. There are people at my "previous" job that I found that connection with. These are people that have had an impact on my life. In other words, sappy as it may sound, I am a better person for having known you. You affected my life in some way that was profound and meaningful. So, I thank you all for that. And I say this now because you all have to be told if you don't already know that I am TERRIBLE about keeping in touch with people. I will do better and as I said, now that I am older it has more meaning and significance for me so staying in touch is important. It just is easier said than done.
I get emails from people all the time about friends, sisters, special people, and they all say that it needs to be forwarded to 9 people or 15 people and while I don't mind getting those I very rarely do anything with them. I know who my friends are. Some agree with me politically, some are on the same plane spiritually, some share my sense of humor, some are on the same philosophical level, and some are just at that "aquaintence" level where it could grow into a long term friendship or stay right there and never go further than talking about the weather. And that's ok too.
One of my goals has been to live my life in such a way as to have a positive influence on the people I meet. And while I don't wear my Christian beliefs on my sleeve for all to see and hear, I do try to show people that my happy outlook, contentment, and serenity all come from within and are directly tied to my relationship with God. I also try to show that life is just too short to waste valuable energy on the negative stuff. It's just not worth it. Here are some thoughts to ponder; laughter burns more calories than anger does, it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, and crows feet are not a sign of age, it is a sign of a person who has smiled alot in their life and has the lines to prove it. I'm proud of mine!
Anyhow, after visiting my former place of employment today and having an interesting and enlightening conversation with a couple of young ladies, I realized two things. That I probably DON'T want to go back to work there if an opportunity arose, and that the people (at that place) that are important to me will remain that way long after today.
My late night philosophical rantings are now complete, for today.
I put more value on my associations with people now that I am older because of the rewards from knowing them. We all tend to gravitate to people that are friendly to us or have common interests or simply because we sit next to them all day. But of those people, how many do you tend to pursue a more lasting friendship with? It is those that you find a true connection with. Something that goes deeper than just the person that you see from 8-5. There are people at my "previous" job that I found that connection with. These are people that have had an impact on my life. In other words, sappy as it may sound, I am a better person for having known you. You affected my life in some way that was profound and meaningful. So, I thank you all for that. And I say this now because you all have to be told if you don't already know that I am TERRIBLE about keeping in touch with people. I will do better and as I said, now that I am older it has more meaning and significance for me so staying in touch is important. It just is easier said than done.
I get emails from people all the time about friends, sisters, special people, and they all say that it needs to be forwarded to 9 people or 15 people and while I don't mind getting those I very rarely do anything with them. I know who my friends are. Some agree with me politically, some are on the same plane spiritually, some share my sense of humor, some are on the same philosophical level, and some are just at that "aquaintence" level where it could grow into a long term friendship or stay right there and never go further than talking about the weather. And that's ok too.
One of my goals has been to live my life in such a way as to have a positive influence on the people I meet. And while I don't wear my Christian beliefs on my sleeve for all to see and hear, I do try to show people that my happy outlook, contentment, and serenity all come from within and are directly tied to my relationship with God. I also try to show that life is just too short to waste valuable energy on the negative stuff. It's just not worth it. Here are some thoughts to ponder; laughter burns more calories than anger does, it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, and crows feet are not a sign of age, it is a sign of a person who has smiled alot in their life and has the lines to prove it. I'm proud of mine!
Anyhow, after visiting my former place of employment today and having an interesting and enlightening conversation with a couple of young ladies, I realized two things. That I probably DON'T want to go back to work there if an opportunity arose, and that the people (at that place) that are important to me will remain that way long after today.
My late night philosophical rantings are now complete, for today.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Aloha!
Well, Oahu was a blast! We had alot of fun, sun, food, and adventure.
We arrived on Saturday the 4th and had the pleasure of watching an amazing fireworks display that night. But our first treat was lunch at Sam Choy's restaurant on the way to our hotel. I had the best plate lunch with the very best Mahi Mahi. There was rice and spam and beef and chicken but the fish was moist and flavorful. I think it's my new favorite. We spent an entire day at Pearl Harbor which was both humbling and awe inspiring. The Arizona memorial really rips at your heart and the USS Missouri is a reminder of what our resolve as a country accomplished in the end. This was the ship that the Japanese signed the terms of surrendor on.
We hiked to the top of Diamond Head which has a breathtaking view from the top. The guys went parasailing and had quite a scare. A big windy sqaull came in just as their shute was at the top of the line and it was so strong that it ripped a hole in the sail and took the guys on the boat along time to get my guys back down to safety. It was not a pleasant experience for either of them. However, our snorkel trips, swimming and just walking on the beach proved to be just right. We also went on a boat trip to swim with dolphins, which is where Sean got sunburned. It was awesome. While they were snorkeling with the dolphins, I was taking photos of everything. It was amazing. Sean ended up spending the last day there with his arms covered in bandages due to his bubbling burns. Ouch!
The pictures above were all taken at our hotel. It was a gorgeous place to stay.
The pictures above are from the sites at Pearl Harbor. It was the Arizona, the USS Missouri, and the USS Bowfin sub.
The picture above was from when we went to snorkel with the spinner dolphins. I'm glad I stayed on the boat and took pictures.
The last one is a shot of Diamond Head from the beach at our hotel.
Happy viewing!
We arrived on Saturday the 4th and had the pleasure of watching an amazing fireworks display that night. But our first treat was lunch at Sam Choy's restaurant on the way to our hotel. I had the best plate lunch with the very best Mahi Mahi. There was rice and spam and beef and chicken but the fish was moist and flavorful. I think it's my new favorite. We spent an entire day at Pearl Harbor which was both humbling and awe inspiring. The Arizona memorial really rips at your heart and the USS Missouri is a reminder of what our resolve as a country accomplished in the end. This was the ship that the Japanese signed the terms of surrendor on.
We hiked to the top of Diamond Head which has a breathtaking view from the top. The guys went parasailing and had quite a scare. A big windy sqaull came in just as their shute was at the top of the line and it was so strong that it ripped a hole in the sail and took the guys on the boat along time to get my guys back down to safety. It was not a pleasant experience for either of them. However, our snorkel trips, swimming and just walking on the beach proved to be just right. We also went on a boat trip to swim with dolphins, which is where Sean got sunburned. It was awesome. While they were snorkeling with the dolphins, I was taking photos of everything. It was amazing. Sean ended up spending the last day there with his arms covered in bandages due to his bubbling burns. Ouch!
The pictures above were all taken at our hotel. It was a gorgeous place to stay.
The pictures above are from the sites at Pearl Harbor. It was the Arizona, the USS Missouri, and the USS Bowfin sub.
The picture above was from when we went to snorkel with the spinner dolphins. I'm glad I stayed on the boat and took pictures.
The last one is a shot of Diamond Head from the beach at our hotel.
Happy viewing!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Aloha on my mind
Well, we're only 4 days away from 85 degrees, sandy beaches, snorkeling, and some much needed and deserved R & R. I have been out of work now for 4 weeks and have worked my arse off nearly the entire time on landscape projects outside and organizing projects in. It's time for a break.
I went to the Worksource office today for a mandatory orientation session on how to fill out the forms, how to use the worksource resources, how to look for a job, etc. I would say it was somewhat helpful but I already knew most of what was discussed. Unlike back in the day when I was on unemployment, about 18 years ago, you now have to keep a log of every job you apply for and you have to apply for a minimum of 3 per week. The worksource website has a ton of search options and links so I will be able to utilize those resources. That means I will have to go on line while I'm in Waikiki. The hotel has a business center with free internet so it should be no biggie.
When I get back from Hawaii, I will need to get back to networking and looking a bit harder for a job. I'm really hoping to be back to work by the end of August but with the current unemployment environment, it could be alot longer than I want. We shall see what happens.
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