3 Things That I Noticed On My Walk Home

 This will be the final blog for my Social Media Class. I want to thank you for taking the time and reading it. I hope that it was able to bring some value or humor to you. 

     Currently the eastern U.S. is getting pounded with higher than average snowstorms and could weather, while the western U.S. is experiencing warmer weather. Due to the current warm weather conditions and being blessed with sunshine and temperature in the 50s, I decided to walk home today. It was a beautiful stroll. Campus is so much better with out snow (you can tell that I am ready for summer). As I was enjoying my walk, I started out thinking about my homework and the many other responsibilities that need to be taken care of. As I continued to walk and I ran out of worries to stress about and started enjoying the warm weather. I also started thinking about all the many wonderful blessings that I have in my life. I am truly blessed. Correction, we are truly blessed. During my time on twitter for the social media class, I stumbled upon the hashtag of #firstworldprobs or #1stworldprobs. It is a hashtag used to complain about how the waiter messed up the food order or how the Wifi went out, etc. It’s truly amazing what we take for granted. Our first world problems are a dream for the many less fortunate people. How many times have we been frustrated by the Internet or our smart phones are being slow. We live in an amazing time. We are seeing technology advance faster than ever before at the same time many things are being tossed to the wayside and being taken for granted. Here are only a few of them.

Unplug

     With cellphones being bigger, faster, and stronger more and more people are unable to unplug and live in the present versus living in the virtual. As I was walking after class, I noticed the majority of students using their phones checking their text messages, email, and social media. I was surprised how well they maneuvered around with their heads down, fixed on their screens, meaning that they walk around like that often. One person was nearly hit as he wandered out in the cross walk when it was a green light.  Another commonplace where this occurs at often is at restaurants. Many couples will go to dinner but be on their phones the entire time.  Unplug and enjoy what is around you.

Verbal Conversation

     It seems like being able to carry a conversation is a dying art. Talking to someone in person or a simple phone call is being replaced with hundreds of emails or text messages. We would much rather place a barrier between us and the other person. I have even fallen to this one on occasion. I am much more inclined to send an email to a coworker or text a stranger than pick up the phone to talk. I am now making an honest effort to remedy this. You should too.

Enjoy the moment

     I thoroughly enjoyed my walk home today. In the world today, everything is moving faster and faster. We become impatient when we have to wait. We also always want the next big thing, or can’t wait when we finally graduate, or when we get that promotion, or when we have our own house, etc. My wife and I recently were talking about how we need to enjoy the present more. My wife is awesome! She said, “if we enjoy what we have now, we will look back years from now and remember how much fun we had when we had very little and not remember how busy we were or what we didn’t have.” I love my wife.

     

So, my advice to you is to unplug more often, speak up and talk to people away from texting or email, and above all enjoy the moment - after all years down the road when we are all grown up, we will look back at our college days. I hope that we can remember how much we enjoyed the moment versus how much we worried about the future.

Three Seinfeld Moments That I Had This Past Week

The 90s was a great decade. Many things happened during those 10 years, major political scandal, O.J. was bigger than the NBA finals, EBay was started, Harry Potter was first published, and most importantly I was born. Another great thing from that era was the sitcom of Seinfeld, a show about nothing. This past week I had three moments that made me feel like I was in an episode of Seinfeld.

Parking Garage

Last Friday I was in Salt Lake City. We parked in the City Creek shopping mall’s underground parking lot. It is pretty easy to park the car and go about your activities. However, as we tried to return to the car, it wasn’t so easy to find. Luckily after a few moments and with the help of the remote key we were able to find where we had parked. This event reminded me of where Jerry and his friends wonder around for hours looking for their car.

Kramer’s Car

This past weekend my wife and I had dinner with some family. As we were walking into the restaurant we noticed just parked outside the entrance was an old 1970s Chevrolet Impala just like the one Kramer drives through out Seinfeld. We chuckled with how similar it looked. The only things that were missing were the famous vanity plate and Kramer himself.

Pretzels

The final Seinfeld moment that I had this past week happened while I was at work. My manager decided to get us some snacks. Guess what he brought? Pretzels. I didn’t make the connection immediately, however, after eating a few I realized that I was in need of a drink to quench my thirst. As I was drinking a glass of water I thought to myself, “these pretzels are making me thirsty.” Seinfeld and his friends have a similar experience with pretzels.

So, there you have it. I challenge you to start looking for more Seinfeld references in your everyday life. 

Reflecting On My Childhood While Expecting a Child

            My wife and I are expecting the arrival of a baby boy in the next few months. This is our first child. This life-changing event has caused me to reflect on life. I am flooded with many contradicting emotions. Feelings of excitement, fear, joy, inadequacy, and many other emotions all seem to be playing ring-around-the-rosy inside me. While I am told that this is natural it still causes me to think.

            One thing that this wonderful bundle of joy has caused me to mull over is my own childhood. I had a great childhood. I was the third born of four children and the only boy. Yes, I was the only boy. While there are many stories to be told about playing house and bringing my GI Joes to afternoon tea with my sisters and all of their Barbie dolls, I will save those for another time.

            What I would like dive into in more depth about my childhood are my parents. They weren't perfect, but I honestly feel that my parents were perfect for me. I have learned a lot from them and have realized that a lot of who I am is thanks to their great examples and influence.

            My mother is a very talented person with a thirst for knowledge. One of her jobs was working in a library. She has a fix it attitude. To this day she always seems to ask herself, “how is that made,” or “ how did they do that?” She has helped make many repairs around the house. I remember her telling me as a child when referring to electrical or plumbing repair, “Why pay someone to do it when you can do it yourself?” She then would teach herself how to fix it. She did that with many things. That is one of the many qualities that I love about my mother, always willing to learn and take on new challenges. I feel like I have inherited a similar curiosity to learn and then do.

            My father is a wonderful man with a strong desire to help others. As a kid, I remember being my dad’s little right hand man. My dad has a gift of knowing when others are in need. Many times I would help anonymously deliver groceries or some other goodies to a struggling family in the neighborhood. During the winter it was not uncommon for him to wake me up early in the morning to go help shovel snow for the elderly neighbors. This is one of the many qualities that I love about my father, always aware of others. I feel like I have inherited a similar desire to help those around me.

            Both of my parents have helped set a wonderful example. I am the person that I am today because of them.  I hope that I too can set a positive example to my own children. I am excited and nervous for what’s to come. Hopefully, someday my son will be writing about what he learned from his parents. We will just have to wait and see. Wish me luck.

Why I Think America Needs to Be More Like Ron Swanson.

Why I think America needs more people like Ron Swanson.

     I am considered to be a millennial, or from the younger generation. For the most part my generation is known for being entitled, having a poor work ethic, and just down right selfish. We are not considered the greatest generation. We haven't done much but expect to receive more than our fair cut or at least that is what other generations are saying. This is why I believe America needs more people like Ron Swanson, a character from the TV series of Parks and Recreation.

He is a man’s man. Here are three things that we can learn from Ron Swanson. 

1. Never misses breakfast- He starts out every day with a good helping of plenty bacon and eggs. I think at times we are too busy to enjoy a good breakfast to start our day off right. We need to make time to eat more bacon and eggs. 

2. Simple- He is a man who has few simple pleasures in life: whisky, woodworking, and Steak. Life is all about the simple pleasures. Too often we can fall into "keeping up with the Jones" or trying to do too much or be too much. We need to enjoy our simple pleasures. It doesn't even have to be whisky, woodworking, or steak.

3. Solid values- Ron says, "a man is only as good as his word." We live in a time where black and white values and standards are being eroded into a thick sea of gray. Where decisions are made based on what is popular or what will have the most selfish benefits. We need to stand tall and be like Ron Swanson and not be swayed by what is popular. We may even need to grow mustaches if necessary. 

“There’s only one thing I hate more than lying, skim milk. Which is water lying about being milk.”

 -Ron Swanson

Swanson Pyramid of Greatness- What every person should live by

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Swanson Pyramid of Greatness