Making Waves... and I can't go.

On my drive home from work this afternoon, I was able to sneak peaks of Lake Erie in between the million dollar lake homes, I noticed some white caps punctuating some greenish brown rollers. At the few openings in the urban enclosure surrounding the water I was able to confirm that yes indeed there were 3 footers rolling into the shore, churning up the surf and making plenty of noise. After an instant spike of adrenaline my next thought was that I have to pack up my 14.5" Perception Carolina and get out for some early fall Yak surfing. I wondered if all my gear was accessible, how cold the water was and then not caring about temperature, and how I was going to explain to my wife where I would be at for next two hours.

Then I was yanked back to reality as I remembered that Tuesday night is soccer night. Two practices, two different fields, divide up four kids between two parents and... no 3 foot rollers for me. I guess there is always next time.

One of my all time favorite distractions.

When I listen to this song, I am able to block out just about everything that is going on around me. I am able to forget the trouble of work, kids, etc.

I think that everyone should have something that proves itself as a worthy escape from the hub-bub that takes us away from our spiritual well being. Spiritual, not it the religious sense, but in the aspect of your own personal human spirit. Your will, your free-thinking mind that allows you to be "Alive". I pray that you too have dialed into your spiritual being and found the distraction that lets you just be you for a few minutes of the day. If you have not, you should spend the time to find that place.

Varying from the Routine

On Saturday and Sunday mornings I can usually be found sitting outside in front of my or my neighbor's house enjoying a couple cups of coffee. We are usually joined by several other of our adult neighbors and a half dozen plus children of varying ages running around enjoying being outside with friends. We have named our weekend morning routine "Coffee on the Stoop".

This morning at the invitation of one of the regular "Stoopers" we moved our coffee spot to the end of the beach at the end of the road. We packed up the collective 5 children that we were presently responsible for, mounted up on the bikes and pedaled the 1/4 mile to our little Lake Erie beach. Within several minutes we had the bikes stashed, the kids stripped down to bathing suits, camping chairs set up and most importantly the coffee poured. With one cup of Joe down, I joined the mini-people that were cruising around in and out of the clear waist deep water. A quick dive under the cool surface and I was revived and ready for some more of my favorite morning beverage.

I know that it is not the most idyllic beach, but this morning it was just right.

About Alive

What is Alive about? What does it mean to me?

People live too much in the past and think a lot about the What-ifs of their life. While doing so they are sometimes blinded by fear, so that the future is featureless.

Alive is a reminder, a call to arms if you will, to remember that without a little risk nothing magnificent is ever accomplished.

Making another go of it.

Well here I am again. After another long hiatus of not writing I am going to make another empty promise. Another shot at writing on a regular basis. Another stab at notoriety and attention. Whatever the promise and whatever the outcome, I am back and I am just as committed as I always have been in the past (read sarcasm). Only this time, it is part of a greater experiment. I am going to test a theory of mine about myself (I can't divulge the secret just yet, but possibly in due time).

So here is what I need. I need readers. I need comments. Even if you are going to berate and insult or just mock my attempts, I want to know that people are reading what I have written. So, why don't we all sit back see how long I last.