A Christmas Story...

So, my wife is buying gifts and picks up a Crayola Color Globe for someone in our family thinking it's $9.95, but upon getting home sees that she was charged $40 and decides that's too much, we're going to go return it. It was bought at Michaels in Milwaukee, but they have a store in Madison as well so we decide to go there to get our money back and do some more shopping at East Town Mall as well.

Get to East Town, crowd not nearly as bad as we expected. We have no idea where the Michaels is, figure at some point we'll just ask someone and go find it from there. As we're walking through the mall we find a display in the mall where they have a couple "giving trees" where people in need have filled out cards with requests for gifts and you can take a card, buy the gift and drop it in a box to be given to them. We wanted to get something for a kid, so we found one that wanted a Spongebob Operation game, but the toy store in the mall didn't have it. They said they had Spongebob games, just not that one. Then we found one that just said "Spongebob game". Back to the toy store. What they were calling Spongebob games weren't really games, though. Off the Gordmans! No Spongebob games. By now we've been screwing around with this for about 30 minutes.

So, we find two more kids requests for games, back to the toy store... strike three... strike FOUR... By this time we're pretty freakin frustrated and have expended a lot of time in what is looking more and more like a losing effort :(

Look at card after card after card... and I find a 10 year old kid who (as God is my witness) specifically wants a Crayola Color Globe, the exact thing we have in our car to return! Now, we were tired and frustrated and the car was nowhere near the tree and it was getting close to mall closing time... But at that point I knew what had to be done. Too much cosmic karma to be denied! Back to the car, get the gift, I hope it makes that kid's day!

Merry Christmas everyone! Spread joy and cheer throughout the world :)

Anne Frank Quote

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.

A Dog's purpose

This was posted in the Spring 2009 Watertown Humane Society newsletter, thought it was worth reposting here:

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle
them gently.

Being always grateful for each new day and for the blessing you have.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

That's what dogs teach us...

Profound short paragraph

Sent to me in an e-mail:

You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

--Adrian Rogers, 1931

Why Ted Jones Didn’t Take Edward Jones Public

Ted Jones--the son of Edward D. Jones Sr., founder of the financial-services firm that bears his name--wrote the following response when questioned why he was not interested in taking Edward Jones public and becoming a multi-millionaire.

His rationale is a symbol of the company’s culture that still exists today.

- I am the richest man in America.

- I have a wife who loves me in spite of my faults.

- I have four dogs. Two love only me. One loves everybody. One loves no one, but still is very loyal and follows me everywhere I go on the farm.

- I have a horse I love to ride around the farm, and best of all she comes to me when I call her.

- I have too much to eat and a dry place to sleep.

- I enjoy my business.

- I love my farm and my home.

- I have a few close friends, and money has never been my God.

-- Edward "Ted" Jones 1925-1990

Animal School

http://ping.fm/BAt66

From the Soul Biographies website:

‘animal school’

The animals sat in a circle. A frog and a dog. A cat and a mouse.
And assorted friends of different sizes.

The small girl spoke excitedly as her well loved collection of toys faced one another.

‘They’re at school. Night school’ she laughed.

‘They’re learning how to read & to write, and to pour tea for each other. And to grow peas. And to make useful things.

And the dog is trying to love the cat, and the mouse is trying to love the snake. Even though he hasn’t got any legs, and can be a bit grumpy in the morning.

And then they’re all going to learn how to dance and to sing. Together. And to make each other laugh, and be happy.’

And as the possibility of such a school lived in her imagination, its probability lived in the world.

Giving and receiving

The quality of life is really determined by how much we give of ourselves in service to others and in gratitude for all that we have.

As a recovering person I have often heard the term 'attitude of gratitude' and the longer I live the more I realize how important it is that gratitude becomes a way of life for me. During times of turmoil I will stop myself from letting my ego complain because things don't seem to be going my way, slow down, and ask God to show me what the lesson is to be learned here.

Adversity has been my greatest teacher. By realizing that I *KNOW* my greatest strengths have come from overcoming challenges and I shift my thoughts from "Why is this happening to me?" to an inner knowing that whatever is going on has much to teach me. Instead of worrying and creating anxiety in my life over the situation I begin to look at how overcoming obstacles has shaped my life in the past and how much abundance and love I already have.

Stuart Wilde says if you give someone a present and they don't acknowledge it you're unlikely to give them anything else. But the person who is sincerely grateful in receipt makes you want to give more. It is hard to receive without an 'attitude of gratitude'.

I say thanks to the Universe every morning and every evening for everything that I have in my life. I am truly grateful for every minute of every day:)

On being poor...

This was sent to me in an e-mail:

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the
express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:

"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

Ping.fm BLOG TEST

Hello, this is just a test of the Ping.fm BLOG system. Had this been an actual BLOG you would have been instructed to donate to the David Geschke pension fund at paypal e-mail address dave@daveonbass.com :)

Aging and Death

As I approach my 50th birthday later this year I can't help but think about my personal future and the American way of aging and dying. As many of you already know, my mom is 94 and has been in a nursing home for years. I've watched many of her fellow roommates and friends pass away during that time. I've seen hundreds of people in the three homes she's been in just living out what's left of their lives in solitude with very little contact from anyone other than the staff in most cases. Most of them need help walking if they can at all, help toileting, many need help eating... it's SO sad to look around the room and see that for seemingly MOST people this will be how we end our lives. Scares the HELL outta me, I don't see how or why anyone would want this to be the end of their lives. As I survey the nursing home mom is in I can't help but think ALL those people led vibrant lives at some point, loved, lost, worked, got married, had kids, dreams... and THIS is how it ends? Very sad. One thing I will say is the home she's in is very good. If you ever have to put a loved one in a setting like this check out several facilities and go w/the one w/the best STAFF. It's the people working there that make all the difference.

My father was very different, never went to a facility. Died of a heart attack at home at age 71. Which brings about a whole slew of other thoughts and emotions... 71? That's only 21 years away! Hell, SIXTY is only 10 years away! You wonder why people have mid life crises? All of a sudden it's easy to look back and think "what the hell did I ever do that amounted to anything"? I'm very self critical anyway, but as I age I start to realize a few things that I probably knew all along but didn't really internalize as much as I do now:

1) You become what you think about, so control your thoughts to create the life you want
2) Hold yourself to the highest standards of personal honesty and integrity
3) In decisions where it's head vs heart always follow your heart
4) Let LOVE be the controlling force in your life - find work that you love, hang out with the people you love, there isn't enough time to spend it w/people or in activities you don't like
5) Carpe diem - Seize the day - You only have this instant and now it's gone. A happy life is created by happy moments and the only moment you can control is now.

You get the idea. I'm a creature of routine and sometimes I sit back and think "is this the routine I want to be the bulk of my life? Couldn't I do better than THIS?"... I was looking through the great quotes I posted in another forum and there was dates lived after each quote like Harry Truman 1898-1972, etc... this is what got me thinking about this today...

David Geschke 1959-??

Everyone dies, most of us will have tombstones... we all have the ability to make a difference in people's lives. My resolution this year is to make better decisions to allow me to get to that end date, whenever it is... and know I led an honorable life that made a positive difference in the lives of the people I touch on a daily basis.

To a child, love is spelled T-I-M-E

In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows. Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another. Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here.

It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness.

Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown sons childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the childrens old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head.

Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten.

Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son's simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different?

Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son's journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den.

Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his sons was tattered and the name Jimmy had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use.

As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words:

Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing.

With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read:

Went fishing with my Dad. Best day of my life.

(The story you just read is the introduction for To A Child Love is Spelled T-I-M-E. It was written by Lance Wubbles, a best selling author for inspirational books.)

Know where you are going in life...

Sent to me in an e-mail:

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

'Not very long,' answered the Mexican.

'But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?' asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, 'But what do you do with the rest of your time?'

'I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life.'

The American interrupted, 'I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch.

With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.'

'And after that?' asked the Mexican.

'With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.

Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City , Los Angeles , or even New York City !

From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.'

'How long would that take?' asked the Mexican.

'Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,' replied the American.

'And after that?'

'Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting,' answered the American, laughing.

'When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!'

'Millions? Really? And after that?' asked the Mexican.

'After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.'

The Moral of this story is: .........

Know where you're going in life...you may already be there.