Kayaking and Me

A few weeks ago my roommate bought a kayak. He's been taking it to a whitewater clinic on campus and he convinced me to go last week. It was a blast! The guys who taught the class were so nice and helpful, and they loved kayaking. It was really contagious. So yesterday a few of us went to the Cartecay river in Ellijay, GA. We rode the shuttle up to the top of the river and began our journey. I wasn't used to how a kayak handles and the most annoying part was that I felt like my boat just wanted to turn around the entire time. It was a ton of work just to keep it going straight.

There were about 5 big rapids we saw yesterday. A couple of them were quite challenging and really got my heart pumping. Those 5 rapids made the trip exciting... but what we didn't realize until later was how far we had to go in order to get back to our car. It was the LONGEST river EVER it seemed!!! Not to mention the water level was low, so my boat got stuck on every stinkin rock in the entire thing. When we finally saw that unloading ramp I was so relieved! Next time I go kayaking I will definitely make sure I plan a shorter route.

My Brother's New Deal

My brother recently decided he wasn't happy with his weight, so he made up a diet plan and committed to it. Now, about eight weeks later, he's happy to report he's lost 25 pounds. His diet plan is simple and will work for anyone. I would like to share it so maybe you can find some encouragement. 

"It's really easy. just stop eating everything you like.

I got off caffeine completely. As in, never even a little bit. Nothing to drink but water. EVER. And lot's of it.

No more fast food, except a bit of grilled chicken once or twice a week. 6" Subway sandwiches are your friend, but no cheese, mayo, and only lean meat and wheat bread. 

No more fried food.

On the rare occasion I have dessert, I eat Healthy Choice sundaes. They're actually pretty good.

Stop snacking. If you're hungry between meals, have a handful of grapes. I always keep fresh fruit in the house.

Leftovers are your friend. Just because the waiter brought you a plate of food, that doesn't mean you have to eat it all. Remember when Mom used to tell you to clean your plate? Forget that! Stop eating when you aren't hungry anymore.

I've lost 25 pounds just by doing these things. That's without any strenuous exercise!"

I will say that in addition to what he said, I'd throw in at least 30 minutes of cardio three times a week. I personally can't live without it and it helps me feel a lot better about myself. But that's it in a nutshell!

My New Hobby

When I find a new hobby, I tend to latch on pretty hard. Last week I adopted a hobby that will probably benefit me and has proven to be extremely addicting: car maintenance and modification. I'm not talking about Fast and Furious stuff (those cars seem so tacky to me now). I've had the same 4Runner for over six years now and up until very recently I haven't taken care of it in any way, shape, or form. I never checked or changed my oil when it was needed, I didn't know where vital components were, and I let annoying problems persist until I literally couldn't stand it anymore. I even went from February '09 to March '10 without A/C or heat.

In mid April I made a promise to myself. Since my car is the most valuable possession I own I really needed to start taking better care of it. It has 183k miles and has had a good share of problems since I got it, no thanks to me. I started by purchasing a Haynes repair manual so I could learn where certain things are and how to perform simple maintenance tasks. I think in just a short time it has already paid for itself. Next, I joined a 4Runner forum and read about others who had already solved the same problems I was having. Also as a result of being a member of that site I've become addicted to modifying my car so that it's more unique. Right now as I type this I'm finishing the 3rd coat of black paint on all my plastic badges from the back of the car.

Working on my car has been so much more fun than I expected it to be. It makes me happy that I'm saving money, getting my hands dirty, and learning a craft that I'll be able to keep for all my life.

A Tribute to Mom

Today is Mother's Day and I am going to be totally unoriginal. I'm going to take a few minutes and talk about how awesome my mom is. First of all, not many people I know would have the fortitude to raise four boys. As far as kids go, we were all really well behaved but let's be honest- boys are difficult to raise, especially since there are four of us and we all egg each other on and cause all sorts of messes. Throughout all those years, however, she's always let us know how special we all are to her. Three years ago she and Dad moved over to Central Texas and she's been a trooper through it all. I can tell it has been hard on her being so far away from her two oldest boys (she at least gets to enjoy my two younger brothers' company) and she always sends her love in all the ways she knows how. My mom is awesome. That's all I have to say about that.

The one strike principle

This post is a sort of continuation of the post earlier this week, but some things I've thought about for a while now have recently come up in conversations and scenarios.

I have a saying that seems to prove itself all the time: you can work all your life to be a the best person you could possibly try to be, but all it takes for everything to come crashing down violently is one single mistake. The best examples seem to come from Hollywood and the sports world, but you can looks at countless families in your neighborhood and see this principle in action. A husband can be faithful for 25 years, but the second he makes a move towards that cute secretary he loses all credibility.

It does not just apply to home life. It applies to work as well. For example, a few days ago a stock broker for Proctor & Gamble pushed a single button that lost him his job. Granted, the mistake almost caused a record crash in the stock market, but still.

Now that you are aware of the "one strike principle," use it when considering everyday decisions. Remember that all it takes is one mistake, so make every choice count!

Same Story, Different Day

It really bums me out to see athletes in the state they're in these days. It seems like every time I turn on ESPN there's another athlete who has either raped a girl, done drugs, or possessed an illegal weapon. For a while, football and basketball players seemed to make up the majority of these stories, but the Tiger Woods scandal last Thanksgiving proved that anyone in the spotlight is vulnerable.

I definitely think that being a professional athlete skews one's sense of reality. I don't know many people who would argue with that. For example, most pro athletes were discovered at a young age and in order to cultivate that talent, most of them had to give up almost everything else and focus on their sport. That in itself can be a good thing, but it becomes a problem when others pamper the athlete beyond belief. I've spent a season working for a Division I college football team and I was shocked to find out how much work we had to do just so the players didn't have to do anything extra. Everyone needs to be accountable for themselves.

I hesitate to use the term "role model" when describing athletes and I think that excuse is way past cliche. The truth is athletes are public figures, not role models. Just because a person has a particular skill does not mean children should idolize them. Some pro athletes have made it a goal to take part in philanthropy and those are the ones that deserve extra attention, not just the ones that score the most touchdowns or home runs.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's frustrating, but given the ingredients that go into many pro athletes, I'm not surprised that they mess up. I just wish we could hear more headlines about the good things our favorites ball players do as well.

Update: Yesterday Lawrence Taylor was arrested for allegedly raping a 16 year old prostitute. I don't know all the facts, but there was obviously some peculiar activity going whenever these events occurred. I hope to God this story was fabricated. Only time will tell.

Bieber Fever

I first heard about Justin Bieber when iTunes offered his "One Time" video for free. I downloaded it and about ten seconds in I way saying to myself "this has got to be a joke, this kid is trying waaaay too hard." but as the weeks went on, I found out he was here to stay and I am still blown away at the level of fame he has achieved at such a young age. Being a 23 year old guy, I was a huge detractor and thought girls were crazy for liking him so much. There was a rumor circulating a little while ago that his mom was trampled by a hoarde of ravenous female fans. I think that's the point when things are just a little bit out of hand, but that's just my opinion.

My opinion about free music has always been very simple: if someone offers, I'll take it. At the very least I can rip it into iTunes, check it out, and either keep it or delete it depending on how it is. When a friend told me she had My World 2.0 I did just that. Upon first listen I immediate liked a handful of tracks and after a full run-through of the CD I realized how similar his story was to the story of one of pop music's biggest innovators: Michael Jackson.

MJ become the lead singer of The Jackson 5 when he was ten or eleven years old. He was a HUGE success, yet if you think about it it's kind of strange to hear an 11 year old sing about girls. Justin Bieber is doing the same thing, but I was judging him a lot for all the same reasons why I love early Michael Jackson stuff.

I won't say I'm Justin's biggest fan or anything, and you sure as heck won't catch me at a his concert, but the kid has some talent, and whoever is writing his music (I seriously doubt he writes his own) knows exactly what young Americans want to hear.

I heard Justin Timberlake tried hard to sign him to his own label and I would have really enjoyed hearing what kind of music JT would have produced for us to hear. Oh well.

Everyone has an Adventure

Earlier this afternoon I took an opportunity to listen to an amazing story. My friend was raised in India and has a traditional Hindu family. I wouldn't do his testimony any justice retelling it, so I'd just like to share the aspects that I think were the most applicable to my own life.

Having been raised in a Christian home all my life and being taught the basics of Christianity since I can remember, I often think of my own personal testimony as "boring" and somewhat run-of-the-mill. Although that's obviously far from the truth because as a youth minister once told me, "every testimony is an awesome story of how God saved a life." My friend has one of the most inspiring stories I've heard in a while.

His story starts with a small group of people who really went out of their way to show him God's love. This is often the part of evangelism that gets lost on a lot of Christians, especially street preachers. They forget that in order to effectively show the true gospel, you must first show Christ's love, especially when sharing with those who have come from other cultures. He put it this way, "The message of the gospel is so radical because when you tell a person who believes in anything else that 'no one comes to the Father except through me' you're pretty much telling them that everything they have believed all their life is wrong." That is a huge bomb to drop and should not be taken lightly. If you tell someone who is not quite ready to hear that, your opportunities to speak again might be harmed in the future.

The other compelling aspect of his story was how understanding and loving his parents have been through the whole process. As I said earlier, his parents are Hindu, but have not discouraged him from reading and learning about Christianity. They have, however, informed him that if he came home and told them he had become a Christian it would be a bad situation. Despite this, he knows his parents were fantastic models as a child. No matter what happens or what he decides he will always be welcome in his own home.

As I said earlier, I could never do justice to the great story he shared with me and a handful of others, but it inspired me to take pride in my own personal redemption story and to love others a lot more than I do.

Graduation Anxiety (not mine)

     In about another week I'll have a group of friends who will be graduating from college. I graduated exactly one year ago and watching them as graduation day creeps closer puts me in an awesome place where I can offer some advice that stem from my own experiences.

     Last year I graduated with a Bachelor's in Exercise and Sports Science. At the time I had some HUGE unanswered questions on my plate. I had successfully finished my curriculum in Athletic Training but had yet to take the national board exam, which I had scheduled in June. To say I was nervous about it would be an enormous understatement. I also had been rejected from all the physical therapy schools that I had applied to the previous Fall. At the time I believed that it would be difficult to watch as most of my friends left Athens and went about their jobs, grad schools, etc but the honest truth is that this past year has been a perfect time to reflect, relax, and enjoy the little things in life.

     My concerns from last May have almost all been solved; I passed my board exam the first time, I got a job that I really enjoy, took a summer chemistry class to bump my GPA up, and eventually was accepted into PT school. So my message to all my friends who are currently looking at the next few weeks/months/years and have no idea what to make of it, I want to encourage you to take a step back and just be glad for the circumstances and experiences you have been given and know that good things come to those who are patient and diligent.

Starting with the Man in the Mirror

I'm reading the book Blue Like Jazz and the author writes about the selfish nature of all mankind. He really does have a point when he talks about almost every action being self-centered. He shared a poem by C.S. Lewis that got me thinking-


All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.
I never had a selfless thought since I was born.
I am a mercenary and self-seeking through and through;
I want you, God, all friends, merely to serve my turn.

Peace, reassurance, pleasure, are the goals I seek,
I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin;
I talk of love- a scholar's parrot may talk Greek-
But, self-imprisoned, always, end where I begin.


Sometimes I feel like I know all the right things to say and do, but there's not much passion behing any of it. Ever since I read Wild at Heart a few years back, I have done my best to live according to a Latin phrase "Esse Quam Videri" which means "to be, and not to seem." That to me is true character and faultless integrity. A man who is the same no matter who is watching him- that's a man after Gods heart.

A Contest of Olympic Proportions

 

    This past Sunday, we said goodbye to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. It was a sad moment for me because over the last two weeks I have come to realize just how proud I am to be American. 

    Going into the games, America had its fair share of hyped athletes: Lindsey Vonn, Apolo Ohno, Bodie Miller, and Shaun White. While some of them were more successful than others, I felt a ridiculous sense of national pride when I watched each of them. I'm not sure why I get so pumped up when watching sports; maybe it's the awe factor of watching something I could never do or maybe it's a kind of vicarious way to experience an adrenaline rush, but I can tell you that when I watched Shaun White land his 1260 Double McTwist, I jumped out of my seat and felt a sense of patriotism that was only matched when I watched the USA Men's Hockey team beat Canada early in the tournament (I was devastated when we lost to them in the gold medal round). 

    I think the Olympics is one of the best ideas taht anyone has come up with in the last century or so. Think about it- there aren't many other opportunities for countries to get together in a peaceful manner and just compete. The only other competition of this nature is the World Cup, and let me just tell you now- I can't wait til June! I'm also counting the days until the 2012 games in London and I'll be cheering for the USA!

The Joys and Heartaches of Being an "Early Adopter"

According to the Diffusion of Innovations principle, the rate at which a new idea is accepted among a society falls within a specific Bell curve-like graph. They are (in order of acceptance):

-Innovators
-Early Adopters
-Early Majority
-Late Majority
-Laggards

Ever since I can remember, I have been an early adopter of anything electronic. I'd probably be able to put myself in the 'innovator" category if my socioeconomic status allowed it. The point is, I love  having the newest toy that makes people stop and ask me "What the heck is that?" It's a powerful feeling, really. I've noticed this pattern I have is even more acute when it comes to internet technology.

For instance, I am now a member of Facebook, Twitter, and Google Buzz. Of course I don't need all three of them, and Buzz hasn't really proven how it can be useful yet (it's only been out a week). But regardless of all the time I waste on those three websites, I felt the urge to be a part of the Buzz action. It's that way with almost everything Google releases. I take part in almost every service Google now offers its members, even the ones I will never need!

Unfortunately, there is a major downside to buying items that are brand new. I can speak better than anyone about the risks involved with being an early adopter. Many products nowadays get rushed to the market without a full set of test runs and the early buyers are faced with problems like overheating (xbox 360), lack of features, lack of support (Nexus One), huge price drops right after you buy it (original iPhone), and bugs galore (Windows Vista).

All that aside, I still want to be the first one on the block with the newest and fanciest tech!

Stepping Out

Late in the summer of 2009, a friend of mine shared with me a CD of a little known Canadian musician named Valerie Poxleitner, a.k.a. "Lights".  I knew from the first track that I would enjoy the CD, but one line in particular caught my attention and has become my mantra for the last few months. It's from her song "Lions!"

"You don't have to feel safe to feel unafraid"

To me, it means so much. Typically when I make an important life decision, I analyze every aspect and I've even been known to make pros vs. cons lists. It's a safe way to go through life, but that's just it, safe isn't necessarily the best way to live. Think about anyone who has ever done something great with their career. Without some element of risk, I'm pretty sure nothing exciting will happen to me. But it's easier said than done. Stepping out in faith has never been my cup of tea. Not even close. But every time I hear that song, I am reminded that even when the next step is unclear, there's no reason to doubt. It's already taken care of.