Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day, everyone.

Especially to:
1. My Father- Even though I doubt he'll read this, thank you for every thing you do. Spent the whole day today with him and my family. He's been begging my mom to make him a lemon jello cake, so I decided to surprise him and make one. Glad it turned out well. I like cooking but I'm certainly no Paula Deen.

2. All other Fathers- So many kids don't have fathers. Others have fathers but they may as well say they don't because their fathers don't man up. A big thank you to all the fathers who show their sons and daughters love. The world would be a much different place without all the dad's out there--and it certainly wouldn't be a better world. So...thank you, dad's!

3. Our Heavenly Father- Hey, he's a Father too. Thank you, God. For everything you've done for me and for the unconditional love you show us all. A perfect example for all fathers and aspiring fathers! :)

Okay, this wasn't much of a blog.

Happy Fathers Day!

Sleepwalker.

Socrates taught that we shouldn't rush through our lives focusing on things that didn't really matter. He believed we sort of "sleepwalk" our way through life sometimes and we should always strive to reflect on what's really important. Instead of getting lost in an increasingly busy culture, we should stop to reflect on deeper issues like "who am I?" and "what is my purpose in life?" That our philosophical world view should always be improving our souls.

I think about that for myself. I spend a lot of time distracted in a maze of social networking, entertainment, and pop culture. I put a lot of emphasis on things that don't really matter and I won't care about in ten years. Why don't I focus more on myself? Why don't I live up to my full potential? It's a constant struggle of priorities.

So what's the point of my blog? Don't waste your life. It's too important to waste. Second of all, what do you want to be remembered by? You watched TV and spend ten hours on Facebook, like everyone else. You chased wealth, health, status....like everybody else. Or do you want to build a personal legacy? A reputation? Chase goals and dreams? Create memories, a lasting impression, devotion to others, the list goes on and on.

My mother said something one day. She said that we won't look back at the end of our lives saying "I wish I worked more" but instead we'll say, "I wish I had spent more time with my family." It's a nice thought and probably true. But do we really want to look back at the end of our lives and say, "I wish I would have watched more TV, focused more on sports, more on making more money and being well liked and well known." Or will we say, "I wish I wouldn't of let fear stop me from taking that risk, I wish I would have gotten off the couch to play with my kids more, I wish I had a career that made me happy instead of rich, I wish I had focused more on my relationships instead of shuffling through all my days without purpose."

You've probably read the book Tuesdays with Morrie, right? I watched the made-for-TV movie when I was a kid and read the book for my "Psychology of Personal Adjustment" class last semester. Sure, Morrie can be kind of cheesy and corny at times. But through all the Dr. Phil-esque quotes, you can find a few gems. One of them is, "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things."

We focus on things that don't matter--and certainly won't matter at the end of our lives. We waste our lives. And I'm not singling anyone out, we all do it to a degree. But what depresses me is thinking about how much of my life I've wasted after moving out of my parents house in my late-teens. I've wasted away the last four or five years doing things that didn't matter. Spending money, devoting time, giving energy....and for what? I have nothing to show for it.

If I died tomorrow, I would be an extremely unaccomplished person. There would be grudges I never settled, lives I didn't touch, people I mistreated, situations I avoided and dreams I never chased. One of the rewarding aspects of this past year is realizing I've had my priorities out of whack and trying my best to ponder the deep questions Socrates argues we should all ponder. 

I ponder those questions. Because I don't want to waste my life. I don't want to be half-asleep at the wheel and I don't want to sleepwalk aimlessly through my days holding onto security and certainty, while avoiding the conflict of purpose and potential. 

So, I ponder those questions. And I look to God for answers. 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Blogs suck.

Blogs suck. They really, really do. It's a bunch of people talking about their lives, while stroking their egos. I'm certainly not immune from that. I try my best to just write on topic's that interest me but sometimes I come off as arrogant, self righteous, and like a know-it-all. Half of the blogs I write are never published and some of them I've wrote, (and maybe you've read) I've later deleted because I re-read them and didn't like the tone.

Sharing opinions and views are okay. But sometimes reading blogs makes you want to punch a wall or yell in an empty field. One of the worst things I've done is read some of the religious blogs. In particular, there is one I read that drives me insane. They'll prescribe the problem they see and offer a solution. But the whole thing reeks of pride, even when talking about humility. It reeks of self righteous religiosity and arrogant holier-than-thou circle jerks. Pardon my language, perfect bloggers.

It just rubs me the wrong way reading a blog about humility and admitting fault when it's filled with "I'm great because ____" and so many "I's", your head will spin. And it's not just religious blogs. I was reading another blog about a topic that interests me. The author made every attempt to provoke readers and gain attention. Are we that self-absorbed we'll use our blogs to play "Look at me! Look at me!" with our writing?

Sometimes I read other peoples blogs and it makes me never want to blog again because I'm afraid people will see me in the same light. Sometimes I read my OWN blogs and see myself in the same light. So what's the point of this blog? I'm not sure. Frustration, pet peeves, airing my complaints with society.

Wow, my blog sucks too.

Don't be surprised if this is deleted soon....

Lessons from Hobo Cat

For anyone who doesn't read my statuses on Facebook, this my friends is hobo cat. We found her yesterday in a bush outside of my apartment complex. She's incredibly sweet and lovable, and in all seriousness, we named her Calico--not hobo cat. You may call her Cali for short if you'd like or simply hobo cat if you're into nicknames like me.

The point is Cali is sweet, lovable, sensitive in all the right ways, caring, humble, easy going, easy to get along with, and unselfish. Everything you should strive to be in a human being, she's accomplished as a cat. In other words, if an angel could be a kitty, Cali would be it. Even when she placed her claws into my couch, all I had to do was rebuke her and she listened. I wish they made more humans who listened to correction and criticism like Cali has.

My point is if this cat can get it right, why can't we?

I've spent 24 hours with this cat and I've observed unique qualities in her that I think we should all aspire to possess in our own lives.

So what can hobo cat teach us?

1. Don't sweat the small stuff- Joel gets worried easily. And I can identify with that because I used to be the same way. One of my favorite verses in Scripture is Luke 12:25, which asks the simple question: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" The simple answer is....no one. No one can add an hour to their day by worrying. And that's the point. The great irony in that verse is that worrying doesn't add anything to your life, it instead takes away from your life. It takes your time, money, energy and emotions. So stop sweating the small stuff. But don't take my word for it, ask hobo cat. She's sleeping for the 13th hour today.

2. Focus on what's important- I know it sounds cliche but it's absolutely true. The more you listen to self-help gurus, spiritual leaders and experts; they all seem to say the same thing. Don't overcomplicate your life, slim down your life by getting your priorities in order, don't take on more than you can handle, set realistic goals, live a more simple life instead of a hard one. It kind of ties in with "Don't sweat the small stuff" but basically get your priorities in order. Focus on what really matters in life. For me that's four things: Family, friends, faith and finances. I try my best to stick to that model but that doesn't mean I'm always successful. But if Cali can stick to her priorities (eating, sleeping and....pooping) than we can focus on what matters in our lives. If hobo cat can avoid trouble (like chasing birds into the street) and additional stress (you heard me, Cali....don't break anything) than so can we. Follow hobo cat's lead...focus on what's important.

3. Love wins-  What's cuter than a cuddly cat begging to be loved? Why can't we be that loving? Why can't we be so consumed with love we beg to be loved back? The great part about it is as Cali displays love towards me, the more I show love right back. Man, maybe we could rub off on people in a positive way if we were just more like my stray cat and less like the self-absorbed, materialistic people we've become. Imagine what kind of relationships we'd have in our lives if we just followed my hobo cat's lead. As Charlie Sheen would say, "WINNING!"

Those are the three lessons I've learned from hobo cat in the past 24 hours. I have to say, hobo cat is an incredible life coach. Guys like Tony Robbins and Joel Osteen could probably learn a thing or two from hobo cat. Now if you'll excuse me, hobo cat is sleeping and I don't want my loud typing to wake her. I can tell because she's curled up and her paws are twitching like she's having a dream. Maybe she's dreaming of a better world where people were kinder, gentler, focused...and with less dogs.