Chris Minich's Blog, page 2

I Pick Myself Up and Get Back in the Race

My wife is amazing. I should always start my blog post with that sentence. She said something to me this past week that really got me thinking. I’ve had a difficult month. I guess I’m one of those people that you can read easily. I should never plays cards. I fell or let myself fall, into a bit of a depression. If you’ve ever done that yourself maybe what I’m about to type is relatable. Why does feeling bad feel – so good? I wallowed in my own misery.

My mom has used the term “poor pitiful Pearle” before. Last weekend, I could relate. I spent some time thinking about it this week and this is what I decided – it was easy. It was easy for me to sit like a lump on the couch. To mope around the house. To feel like that grey rain cloud over my head followed me everywhere I went. Sadly, to not do something I truly love, write. No, it was easy to do none of those things and just soak up the sadness. This is where my amazing wife drops a little knowledge my way. I can safely tell you now; I would be lost without her.

“Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you react to it.”Tweet

My beautiful wife said, “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you react to it.” Boom, microphone drop. I’d heard this before and she didn’t come up with the phrase but the words hit home. Sure, we all have bumps in the road, detours we weren’t expecting. Motorists that cut right in front of you and almost cause an accident. Wait that last one just happened last night. Hmm, how to react? For the motorist, I did my best at defensive driving to avoid an incident. Everyone in the car was safe and that is really the most important thing. Hand gestures, flashing of lights, zooming up close behind the person, these are all easy things to do, but this life isn’t easy. I kept my cool and continued on for a fun evening with friends.

For the week that was, I took my wife’s words to heart. I embraced my situation head on. Was it difficult? Sure, it was hard every single day of the week. What was different – my approach. I thought about how I had been moping on the couch. I knew how that felt and the outcome. Frankly, I didn’t like it. So, I tried a new path. It’s amazing how you, yourself, go through a day and the impact you have, but maybe don’t realize, on people. Your greetings, gestures, eye contact, tone of your voice. Perhaps even words you type in a blog entry. This last week, it was how I reacted. I had a good week. I felt better about my circumstance. That one phrase allowed me to look at things in a new light. I know longer felt like “gloomy Gus.” I felt more like – well me.

It’s easy to get caught up in the little things and let them consume you – trust me I know. It can eat away at you if you’re not careful and cause undue tension in your life and relationships. I know this much, life will continue to happen. I will have great days, I will have tough days but how I approach those days is up to me. The choice I make for myself, my wife, my family.

You have a choice too. Look someone in the eye on a handshake; hold an elevator door for a stranger in your building or a kiss to your wife out of the blue for no reason. Well, in my case because she’s awesome – and the most beautiful woman I will ever see. Need to go react right now – and why wouldn’t I?

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Well, I’m a Bum in the Sun and I’m Having Fun

Are you ready? Ready for the summer of Sydney? Our favorite little cockapoo has a b-day coming up which also happens to coincide with the kick-off of the summer season. Yesterday, my wife, Sydney, and I got a jumpstart on the action as we headed into Seattle to participate in the Furry 5K.

It was a beautiful day in the Jet City. I have to pause here and note that living in the Pacific Northwest is one of the prettiest places to find yourself on a Sunday morning in June, or any time of year. The combination of the blue water from Lake Washington, the vibrant green trees decorating the landscape and even a picturesque look at Mt. Rainer was the perfect backdrop of the morning’s activity.

This was our first 5K, for all of us. It was also our first time visiting Seward Park. This three hundred acre park, with accompanying trails, was an ideal location. We quickly met up with some walkers from our neighborhood and got familiar with the lay of the land. I’d equate it to a car show but for dogs. You had all makes and models – or in this case, breeds. At the end of the event the park also had booths setup for us consumers. Need some grain free pet food? How about adopting another dog for your family? However, I don’t remember seeing anything on how to keep your wheels clean. Wait, that’s the car show, my bad! Everywhere you turned was a different dog who wanted to meet and say hello to Sydney. Our little princess, who doesn’t love attention at all, (tongue firmly in cheek here) preferred to greet the parentals vs. the dogs instead. No spoilers here, Sydney was a hit. Plus, everyone wanted to be on candid camera. That’s right, the Sydster was rocking a GoPro camera via her doggy harness. …and the Oscar for best performance in a 5K goes to???

Shortly after ten that morning the walk got underway. The three miles went by fairly quick for us first timers. Although, to be fair, a certain pampered pooch decided to take a respite on multiple occasions during the walk. My wife decided to burn a few extra calories and carried Sydney for part of the walk. Sydney is a princess after all and I don’t recall her complaining one bit. After a very steep hill we all stopped for a water break. Well, all of us but Syd. The water was a little dirty for her liking. You think I’m kidding, I’m not – Princess, remember. We managed to finish somewhere in the middle of the pack. Not bad for our first try with room for improvement next year. I’m also happy to report the treads of my shoes still look very clean – if you know what I mean. You’re smart, you do.

The remainder of our day went something like this. Picture a couch. Very soft, very luxurious. Picture a cockapoo – passed out on the very couch. Picture tired, dehydrated parentals. Picture them trying to move a cockapoo to sit and rest. Yep, I moved to a chair so my two best girls could get some much needed rest. We’re not as young as we used to be but we had a great day. My final thought on the day would be this; fluids, drink plenty of fluids when you’re out and about this summer. Invest in water.

No More Pencils, No More Books

One of the coolest things about being an author is getting to meet your fans. Up until last week, I didn’t really know I had any. Yes, I have family and friends who support me and have said and written very nice words about my first children’s book, Misadventures of Princess Sydney. I am forever thankful to all of them. I’m also thankful to you, the reader of this blog, especially if you’ve found the book. What I mean about fans is my target audience – the 8-12 year olds of the world – and meeting them in person. It all started with my first ever book signing back in January of this year and a little girl named Chandra.

My new best friend, Chandra, was visiting friends that weekend and came to the signing. Being the little go getter she is, Chandra brought the book back home with her across the Snoqualmie Pass, just into Eastern Washington. She ended up bringing my book to her first and second grade class at Easton School where her teacher, Mrs. McCoy, began to read the book to her students. In April, each member of the class wrote me a letter (remember hand written letters?) and mailed them to me. In the letters, each student explained how they liked my book and asked if I would be able to come out for a visit. Well, they asked if the star of the book, Princess Sydney, could come too.

Last week my wife and I packed up the car, dogs and all, and we made the hour-long drive to the school.

This wasn’t just about meeting the dogs, it was to be a presentation about the book and how it came to be. I must say, I’m not the best at public speaking. In school, I tried to avoid it as much as I could. However, I was so inspired by the letters the students wrote, I didn’t want to let them down. With help from my amazing wife, we put together a PowerPoint deck. Upon our arrival at the school, a member of the local paper was waiting to greet us. My book manager had a great idea to try and engage the media. It worked and just before we met the students, I had my first interview as a writer. I may use the word, cool, a lot in the blog post. It was very cool.

Finally, it was time to meet the students. After a quick hello to the class and parade lap from Sydney, she was my opening act – I started the presentation. Suddenly, my nervousness was gone. Images appeared on the screen and I started talking. I went through each slide and did my best to ask the children questions along the way. I was thrilled to see all of their hands go up in the air each time I had a question for them. I wasn’t sure what to make of a grown man talking to kids about a book. I can tell you now – it was awesome! The open dialogue continued and before I knew it, forty five minutes had gone by and my time was up.

I thanked the students for letting me visit. I hope the kids had fun and maybe learned a thing or two along the way. I know I sure did. If you work really hard and set goals for yourself there’s nothing in this life that you can’t do. Take me; I was once a first and second grader just like the kids in the class I visited.

I had hopes and dreams just like they did. I worked hard, still do every single day, and found myself sharing my experiences and a book about a dog named Sydney to a new generations of kids who, many years ago, looked just like me. I’ve seen the future, I looked into their faces, and the future looks bright.

Thank you to the faculty and students of Easton School for a day that will live with me for the rest of my life – and why wouldn’t it?

Can’t Seem To Get My Mind off of You

Coming to you from thirty five thousand feet, I begin this blog from the blue skies as I whisk across this beautiful land known as the United States of America. Where am I headed? As they say on television, stay tuned for exciting scenes from my latest journey. Okay, they don’t quite say that but you get the idea.

The “month of May” is always a busy one for me and this year has been no exception. The first weekend of the month found me on my first plane ride of these thirty one days. My wife and I took a much needed vacation and traveled to the big island of Hawaii. We’ve been together before and one good thing we learned on this trip was the Nissan Altima is apparently the “hot” rental car of the moment. Everywhere we turned, literally, we saw an Altima. The two of us even zipped around the island in the sedan. I’m not sure if the state of Hawaii got a good deal on a fleet of cars or not. Perhaps the state can look into, I don’t know, Corvettes? That’s a rental car I would enjoy driving.

During our visit we had a couple of fun driving days, oh Altima. In one afternoon we went to the southernmost point of the United States, beating out the Florida Keys. While there we watched as fellow tourists jumped from a cliff into the ocean because, well why not. Well, with the exception of a guy names Justin who, despite climbing the rickety old boat launch acting as a diving platform, stood for a good ten minutes and decided not to jump.

Much to the dismay of the small crowd of people who gathered to watch, maybe next time Justin. Wow, that’s already a fun outing for one day. Not done yet as we ventured to the active volcano on the island and with our own two eyes saw lava splashing as high as thirty feet in the air. Spectacular is a good word to describe this awesome site.

During our excursion we also saw breathtaking waterfalls, botanical gardens, black sandy beaches and turtles, on the aforementioned black sandy beach.

The big island is vast and the landscape can change from a dry hot desert feel, complete with black charred hunks of lava to the prettiest green trees, colorful flowers all with a backdrop of the bluest water you may ever see.

Not all of our time was spent driving, oh Altima. We were on vacation after all. There is something to be said for just lounging by the pool enjoying and adult beverage and listening to the ocean. Okay, I had a diet Coke but I sipped Janelle’s adult beverage. Although my wife has sensitive skin when it comes to chlorine, she came with me into the pool and we swam a couple of laps. Floating in the pool was very calming and peaceful. I would even say tranquil. Yes, this is including all the families on vacation who seemed to be in the pool the same time we were. We did have some quiet time to ourselves. Part of this trip was to celebrate our sixth year as man and wife. One night we had a nice meal at sunset with the pink colored sky and Pacific Ocean as our backdrop.

It was a beautiful site. However, it just didn’t compare to the woman sitting across the table from me. To be frank, she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She lights up my world. In one of the most beautiful locations on planet earth, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I thank God every day, yes thanks God, for bringing her into my life.

Suddenly a week had gone by and it was time to fly home. Despite being in paradise both of us were ready to come back. Our hotel had a dolphin pond and this blog post would be lacking if I didn’t give the little guys a shout out. Both of us watched as trainers worked with the dolphins; performing tricks, posing for pictures with tourists who pay for a dolphin experience and listening to the wonderful sounds they make. Fun fact: did you know the dolphins make that unique noise via their blowhole? Watching this exchange made us miss our little ones back at home. After a long day of travel, we reunited with those little ones, our dogs Sydney and Buddy. What an amazing vacation and kickoff to May. But wait, there’s more.

The very next weekend I found myself up and out of the house by 5:30 in the morning – on a Saturday. Yes, I said Saturday. For me, this is a big deal. I was up and our early as I spent the next two days participating in an autocross. Unfamiliar with an autocross? Never fear, Chris is here to explain. This sport involves the use of your car where you compete against yourself, in a timed event on an open stretch of land. In this case, and old abandoned airstrip. Orange cones are placed in an obstacle course where using your car you get to legally zoom around testing your reflexes, timing, and car’s automotive ability in a coordinated effort to have fun and flex a little muscle car action.

Day one was a school where newbies, that would be me, learned some driving tips and how to handle your car in high velocity situations. Key takeaways from instructors included “be smooth,” “brake straight,” and “finish the turn.” Day two was the event itself where fellow enthusiasts came out to participate. The day saw many spinouts, burning rubber and missed cones that can cost you valuable time. Yes, I missed some cones and cost myself some time. Yes, I missed several cones and cost myself much needed time I wouldn’t get back. How much? Well, imagine driving in a straight line. You approach two orange cones, one on the left and one on the right, just wider than your car. You, as the driver, need to pass between the cones, or what is called a gate. This gate, if you miss it, costs you a whopping ten seconds off your time. Let’s just say I missed one. Let me back up; let’s just say I missed three. Did I have fun that weekend? Yes. Did I feel frustrated on that same weekend? Yes. Going fast in your car is a thrill, but there’s a lot more to it and just putting the hammer down.

This brings me back to the first line of this post. Less than a week after my autocross adventure, I’m more than halfway to my final destination of the month. What is known as the “Crossroads of America.” I’m headed to Indianapolis, Indiana to watch the ninety ninth running of the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indy 500.

It will be my fourteenth consecutive race and fifteenth overall. Indy has been special to me since I was a little kid. Keep a lookout for my next blog post which will detail this upcoming weekend. I wait all year for this month. Other than Christmas, this is my favorite time of year. Soon, thirty three cars will roar past me and a quarter of a million fans at speeds of over two hundred and twenty five miles an hour. Simply put, there is nothing quite like it. Let’s go racing!

Oh yeah, and go TK!!!

Spinning in Your Head

To finish out Children’s Book Week, I decided to read a book my mentor, the lovely and talented author extraordinaire Tess Thompson, suggested. She pointed to me to the book, The World According to Humphrey by Betty G Birney, which was published in 2005.

When Tess told me about this book, I was in the middle of writing my own children’s story and Humphrey got put on the bookshelf to be read later. Time has a way of passing very quickly and the book sat in the house for over a year.  I finally got to it in the last week. However, this sometimes happens with books. You mean to get to it and something pops up. Well, I really meant it this time and I sat down with my two dogs, Sydney and Buddy, and we dived into Humphrey’s world- hook, line, and spinning wheel.

The main character of this story if everyone’s favorite little hamster who live in room 26 of an elementary school. When the story opens Humphrey learns his favorite teacher, Ms. Mac, who cares for him and even takes him home in the evenings is leaving for the school year and he doesn’t care for the substitute – the dreaded Mrs. Brisbane. Through the course of the initial week Humphrey makes friends with the janitor who visits the room after school. People in this story love the little hamster and soon Humphrey is learning details about his new friends. In the case of the janitor, Aldo, Humphrey learns he is lonely and looking for love. Humphrey is a planner and can’t have his friends feeling blue. He works his magic, with help from an overhead projector, and Aldo soon discovers an opportunity to meet someone new. Move over millionaire matchmaker, Humphrey is coming through.

Alas, we need some drama. The weekend arrives and Humphrey is looking at the possibility of being left in the classroom all alone for two whole days. A couple of the staff come with an idea to have different students watch after Humphrey if they’d like. The principal looks after Humphrey the first weekend and soon other students of room 26 are joining in. The school year goes on and Humphrey is introduced to a new family each weekend. Along the way he helps a shy girl learn to speak up. One weekend e splits his time with two friends who are having trouble communicating and another defending himself from a dog who’s a little to curious and discovers Humphrey is a pretty good shot with a rubber-band. At one point, the furry little one finds himself unplugging a TV that ultimately helps a family reconnect.

But as the holidays approach, Humphrey finds himself at Thanksgiving weekend and all the students have plans. Reluctantly Mrs. Brisbane agrees to take Humphrey, neither of them are excited about four long days together. Both learn that it’s not always best to have preconceived notions about one another. To find out why you’ll just have to do what I did, read the book. Speaking honestly, Humphrey started off slow for me. I also read slowly so this wasn’t a good combo. But Humphrey surprised me and my two dogs. Halfway through I set the book down to finish for that particular night. My dog Sydney, sitting next to me on the couch, reached over to put her paw on my leg. “Uh um,” she said, “one more chapter.” I can’t say no to the Sydster. I’m glad I listened to her.

Hanging On By a Thread

For the first time in nearly forty years, I sat down to read a book from my childhood. In this age of instant information, downloading media on your PC, phone or tablet there’s something about holding a good old fashioned book in your hands. Turning the page to see what will happen next. Even stopping to take a break and placing that long forgotten bookmark to hold your spot. As I get older, there is also something about having a pair of reading glassed nearby. A lot has changed in forty years. What hasn’t changed is the story of a shy, nervous little pig who is desperate to make it through the winter afraid for this life and the spider who becomes his best friend.

Charlotte’s Web is a children’s book written by E. B. White in 1952. I took time on a Sunday afternoon to sit with my two dogs, Sydney and Buddy, and read this heartwarming story. Wilbur is the little pig at the center of the book. His life spared, he is tended to by a little girl named Fern and ultimately finds a home on her Uncle’s farm. Wilbur struggles to fit in with the animals he meets. Teased by the lamb, a goose who likes to talk, talk, talk, a dirty old rat and a sheep who puts quite the fear into Wilbur about what happens to pigs once fattened up on the farm. However, Wilbur discovers a grey spider who also lives in the barn and she eases his mind and they become best friends. Charlotte calms her new friend and tells him she won’t let him die and he will make it through the season. Unsure, Wilbur constantly asks what her plan is, all in good time.

One morning the farm hand enters the barn and reads the words “some pig” written in Charlotte’s web.

The family can’t believe what they’ve seen. Word spreads in the local town and visitors come to see the writing and that special little pig. Charlotte leaves additional messages about her friend Wilbur. The attention brought by this little guy spurs the family to enter into a State Fair. Charlotte travels with Wilbur but they need assistance and find it, unwillingly, in Templeton the rat. At the fair, Templeton works to find scraps of paper for Charlotte to use in her writing. Humble, the word chosen for Wilbur garners him third prize at the fair. He’s so excited and all of the attention ensures him making it through the winter and living a long life on the farm with his best friend.

All of Charlotte’s hard work for her friend takes a toll on her and she tells Wilbur she won’t be able to travel home with him. She spent her last night making a egg sac for her children, five hundred and fourteen to be exact. She entrusts Wilbur to take the unborn children back to the farm and see they make it to the spring. The shy little pig takes good care of the eggs and gets them back to the barn safely where they are all born that next year. Wilbur is saddened to see most of the little spiders leave the farm but three decide to stay with him. Wilbur names the three spiders and he looks after Charlotte’s children, grand-children and great grand-children through their lives.

Charlotte’s Web is a book that has been around now for sixty plus years. It’s a book about innocence, finding your way and friendship. It’s a book read by my mom when she was a child, by myself and in a few years my niece. A book every child should read and, like me, read again as an adult. It’s hard to find that in a book. Charlotte’s Web is one of those books.

Rise Today and Change this World

Hey parents, did you know today is the beginning of Children’s Book Week?

I bet your kids do. As an author of a children’s book of my own, Misadventures of Princess Sydney, yes shameless plug, I wanted to call attention to this special week in my blog post. To be completely fair, my wife notified me about the event. She is AWESOME and I’d be lost without her. We started to talk about the upcoming week and she asked me about my favorite children’s book from my youth. I remember reading part of Charlotte’s Web but primarily the animated TV movie from the seventies. My wife was able to rattle off several but found it odd that I didn’t have many to reference. You may need to sit for this. I have trouble with reading. I did as a child and I do to this very day.

It all starts with my eyes. I’ve worn glasses since I was four years old. Since I’m sharing, I was held back in the first grade. Yep, I had trouble in school grasping basic concepts when it came to reading and processing information. Imagine if the signal isn’t coming in clearly on your TV screen and it turns out one of the cords isn’t connect just right. In that scenario, you would adjust the cord and be able to view the details. For me, this is somewhere inside my head. It’s not that easy. It’s actually very difficult. In what people now call their tween years I learned about an eye diagnosis called Nystagmus. It’s an involuntary eye movement. The doctor explained it as a blind spot in the back of my eye. Consequently, my eyes move back and forth trying to compensate. During junior and high school it became harder and harder to keep up with my reading for class. First, it was hard to follow the words on the page. I sometimes found myself reading the same line several times to just process it. Second, I didn’t read very fast. Third, on occasion I had to get up and read excerpts to the class. I had trouble, was nervous and my fellow classmates made sure to remind me how I did. This wasn’t a good combo for processing homework either. Needless to say, I didn’t feel very good about myself. See future blog post about high school in general.

Something changed for me as a junior/senior in school. In my English class I was given an assignment on creative writing. In the past I tried to just keep up with the reading. Now I was being asked to express myself on pen and paper. For any little ones reading this, you can Google these ancient forms of communication. My teacher liked what I did and encouraged me to continue. For the first time I felt like I was excelling, in my own way, at school. Like anything you do, you need to practice. I did for that entire year and actually looked forward to class. If only I could have figured out a way to harness that creativity. However, life sometimes gets in the way and your path leads in a different direction. I wouldn’t be the man I am now typing this blog if not for that unknown path. All the ups, downs, heartache and pain led me here.

This is just a pit stop. The journey goes on and I’m thankful for each day. Along the way I met and married the woman of my dreams. She is so much more than those visions I conjured in my head. She is the love of my life. It was through her I found my way back to writing. I also want to extend a special thank you to my mentor, Tess Thompson who kick-started the creative juices that lay quiet for way to long. I’m blessed to have such beautiful ladies in my life. Now, mid-way through my forties I find myself as a published author, see paragraph one. I find myself working on my second book. Do I still have trouble reading, yes? Do I still read slowly, yes? It’s something I will work on for the rest of my life. However, it hasn’t defined me. I just take a little extra time. Sometimes I still read out loud to myself, when my wife’s not around. It’s easy to let the negativity in and feel like you can’t continue. Guess what, you can and you will.

I saw something on Facebook via my favorite IndyCar driver’s page, Tony Kanaan. It was a picture of TK working out and behind him on the wall the words read, “If it’s humanly possible…I know I can do it.”

Challenges are part of all our lives and show themselves in many forms. It’s what we do with those challenges that shape our lives. Find your path, never say never. One day you could end up a New York Times best-selling author…and why wouldn’t I.

Tea, a Drink with Jam and Bread

The lights went down and the crowd got quiet as the movie was about to begin. This past Sunday I treated my wife and our friends to an afternoon of cinematic delight. Today’s theater going experience is all about the acronyms. Don’t believe me, just watch in IMAX, image maximum, very fancy. 3D, need special glasses for that third dimension. HD, 4K where does it end? It’s nice, if only for an afternoon, to watch a movie without any gimmickry. Apparently, to do that these days you need to wind the clock back. How far? Well as the projector clicked on and the images came alive on the screen, we found ourselves in Austria in the late nineteen thirties to learn how to solve problems for the main character – Maria. What I found myself enjoying really enjoying over the next three hours was the wonderful Sound of Music.

Fifty years from the film’s original release in nineteen sixty five we were entertained by a magical voice that can only be Julie Andrews. I lost count at the octaves she could sing in. I have to take a moment and be honest. I had never seen this movie from start to finish. I remember it being on when I was a youngster and my mom signing all the words. When I got older I tried to shy away from the movie altogether. “Oh that’s just a silly musical,” I would say. I am here to tell you now, I’m an idiot – as it relates to my previous decision to wander away from this movie. The verdict is still out on idiot like tendencies in other avenues. I can comfortably say this as a mid-forties man, I really liked this movie. All of my mom’s singing must have sunk in as I knew the words myself to more than half the songs. I still find it amusing how a regular conversation can turn into a full-fledged song – complete with choreography and full orchestra – and return to the original conversation like nothing ever happened. Although, my wife has asked similar questions during various action movies about how the lead could get him or herself out of precarious situations. Simple answer, it’s just a movie.

I went into the movie thinking I would be checking Facebook halfway through or making the Les Miserables mistake by leaning over to my wife, unbeknownst to me at a crucial moment, asking “how much longer is this?” FYI, never, ever ask this – ever.  It was fun to watch Julie Andrews on screen along with identifying familiar actors like Anna Lee as Sister Margaretta that I recognized from General Hospital.

Okay, I used to watch GH. Yes, I referred to it a GH. Future blog post in the making – let’s move on. Where was I? The movie also has a young Nicholas Hammond playing Friedrich. Nicholas would go on to play Peter Parker in the seventies TV version of Spider-Man. Yes friends that is today’s fun fact.

I walked away from this film classic still singing the songs in my head. If done right, a movie can capture your imagination.  It can place you in that particular time and space and make you feel as if you’re somehow a part of that world. Fifty years later, this movie did that for me. I have a feeling that will continue for another fifty. That should bring us back to so do la fa me do re.

Wondered Whatever Became of Me

Connections, we make them every day. Maybe you’re at work and chat about your weekend with a co-worker. In that exchange you learn something new – you offer something about yourself and connect in a new way that could lead to future discussions and a better understanding of one and other. This may also lead you to a new friendship, networking opportunity or lifelong bond. For a shy guy like myself, this does not come easy as the words I write in this blog do. Sometimes that risk of saying hello is worth the reward of what lies just around the next corner.

This would be the case with my next door neighbors. My wife and I have become friends with our street mates and time to time, we go out for a meal. This past weekend we found ourselves sitting in the lobby of a new Thai restaurant. The busyness of this particular Saturday evening allotted for some time to sit waiting on our table. My neighbor and I began chatting with another patron awaiting her dinner. Quickly the three of us found some common ground in where we were originally from. The conversation continued for a few minutes and our new friend asked how we knew each other. How indeed!

I could have used a Disney small world reference this week in the blog title to convey the message in this post. I still can’t believe the story. I was born in Cincinnati, OH in a far off land known as the nineteen seventies. In our first conversations with our new neighbors, we discovered that they also lived in Cincy during the seventies. The next obvious question seemed to be, what suburb did you live in? Certain things stay with you throughout your life and without batting an eye, I relayed that my parents lived in Forest Park. Our neighbors lived in the same section of town. We would find out that not only did my family and their family live in the same city and borough but on the same exact street. My new neighbors were actually my old neighbors. I would have never had known that without starting a conversation with them. Now it looks like my wife and I may soon find ourselves on a camping trip with the neighbors. Sounds like a future blog post waiting to happen.

Who will you connect with next? Let’s make a goal for this coming week. I will do it if you do. Okay? Deal. Sometime during this week start a new conversation with a new person in your travels. It could be someone on your commute to work or the clerk at the grocery store. You could spark a new friendship, learn about a new opportunity or discover a new viewpoint. Heck, you might even meet the person of your dreams. The connections are there, waiting for each of us to start.

Oh, you already have one connection already done. You’re welcome!

And They Called it Puppy Love – Sydney

Did you know there is a National Puppy Day? I sure didn’t. Until mom gave me a big hug and made the announcement to the household this morning I was unaware.

Normally I would have been asleep during this pre-sunrise hour but dad was also up early. This was a little unsettling for a Monday morning so I kept an eye on him. I was still in snooze mode, snuggled under mom’s Seahawks blanket when word came down. I tried to extend my sleep another ten or so minutes but mom was super excited to share the news. Resting comfortably on the bed mom explained the news to dad. She did this about three times. Dad is not a fan of full length conversations prior to nine in the morning. Mom speaks in full complete sentences, paragraphs and sometimes news briefs. Dad however tends to not speak, at all. He grunts or just nods his head. I think he nods just to try and end the conversation. Mom could tell he wasn’t ready to chat yet and practically bounced out of the room – she doesn’t even drink coffee. Meanwhile, the lumbering lug was trying to find shoes for the day. He managed to dress and sat next to me on the bed to tie the shoes he selected for the day. I may have been half asleep myself but I wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity for an impromptu tummy rub. Dad noticed what I was doing and the tummy rub commenced. He so gets me.

“National Puppy Day,” he said to me. “Big day for you huh Syd? Should we have a party?” I turned my head and looked up at him. Every day is a party with me in the house.

“Do you remember being a puppy? When I met your mom you were a couple of years old and I missed those early years.” Dad then reached over to his nightstand and picked up his cellular device.

“I think I have pictures on here your mom sent to me of you as a puppy,” he said as he swiped the screen with his finger.

“Ah, here we are.” Dad turned the phone to me and showed me a picture.

I’m sorry, but how cute was I? In the first photo mom had a shot in mid yawn. I look like a small stuffed animal. I remember those days. I was very short and when mom first brought me home I was a little nervous. I don’t remember coming in the house but I do remember being in the backyard. Mom set me on the cool concrete patio.

It was summer time and my nose was taken over with the wonderful smells of flowers and fresh cut grass. The yard was fenced and mom explained that I was free to explore. I took a couple of little steps and heard the sound of passing cars on the street behind her house. At the time I didn’t know what cars were and I darted back to mom’s side. She was great and cuddled with me and explained this new car phenomenon. To set my mind at ease she proceeded to tend to the yard. She watered plants and trimmed some of the bushes. I sat in the soft cool grass and got used to being in this new playground. After a few minutes I was up and roaming along the fence line. I ventured around for a while sniffing the flowers and trying to figure out this new thing called bark. FYI, don’t eat it.

Mom went back inside for something and I stepped back to the patio away from the fence. I remember looking up at the house. It was massive. I didn’t know what I was in for but somehow in my heart I knew this was my home. That I was meant to be there. A few seconds later mom came back out with a camera and helped me to sit, still hadn’t officially learned yet. I sat completely still and she took a picture of me. That picture is the last one dad scrolled to this morning. I stared at that younger version of me for a moment.  I looked so young, a little scared. If I could have relayed a message to my younger self it would be this; you are one lucky cockapoo. This beautiful lady taking your picture is the best mom you could ask for. She will be your friend and love you unconditionally. In a few years you will meet your dad and together become a family. Yes, you will end up with a brother who, at times, will annoy you but that’s how he shows his love. Long story short little cockapoo, you hit the jackpot.

“You were so cute as a puppy,” dad said to me as he gave me a quick pet and headed toward the door of the bedroom, apparently ready to now face the day.

I’m sorry, ‘were’?