How Are You Spending Your Dash?

Take a few minutes to watch this movie. It might change the way you live your life forever:

http://www.thedashmovie.com/

A Great Loss for Journalism. A Great Loss for the American People.

Let us all pause to reflect on the loss of a great American, a fiercely honest journalist.

Tim Russert was known for his tough interviews of politicians from both sides of the aisle. He was always determined to get to the bottom of issues and tell the full story to the public.

To a young American who is concerned about the future of this country, and who was a amateaur jounalist, Tim Russert stood for something. He stood for the power of the First Amendment. He stood for Freedom of the Press.

His insight will be missed during this presidential season 2008. His white board and wipe-off marker will be missed. It seems to add a little extra sadness that he will miss the outcome of this election, something that he surely was completely enthralled with.

"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." -Thomas Jefferson

Helping the Blind

I had an amazing experience today. As I stepped off the metrorail on my way to work, a blind man with a seeing-eye dog asked the group on the platform if this current train was going to government center. Some people ignored him, others just answered with a short 'no'. He looked frustrated. I felt a tugging at my heart to help him out. It just seemed wrong to walk away. That wasn't even an option. I walked over to him and confirmed that he was on his way to government center. When he said yes, I kindly told him that he was currently standing on the southbound platform and he needed to be on the northbound platform to get to his destination. He sighed and told me that he had been standing on that southbound platform for a long time, asking many people about the train to government center. He seemed so sad that nobody had informed him that he was on the wrong platform. It choked me up. I find it extremely frustrating that people are so wrapped up in their little bubble worlds that they can't even take a moment to help a clean-cut blind man with a seeing-eye dog who was so obviously lost. Especially when the assistance he needed was simply to direct him to the next platform over. I guided this man to the elevator and we rode down together. At the ground floor, I guided him to another elevator and told him that at the top of the elevator he would be on the correct platform. He seemed genuinely touched. And this touched me unlike anything I've experienced lately. A lady who had been watching us walked up to me and asked me directions because she was a little lost. I helped her find her destination and she said "stay sweet. don't ever change." As she walked away from me she said "this is going to be a good day!". Then, as I dropped my father's day cards into the mailbox down the street, a lady approached me asking for help finding southeast 3rd avenue. I thought about it and looked at the street signs, and I had to tell this lady that I couldn't help her. I apologized and walked on.

I don't know this city very well, and I don't perfectly understand the metrorail system, but I took the time to help these people find their way. I think this situation occurs many times throughout our daily lives. We are given a task or a problem that we are not familiar with or an expert in and we get frustrated. I couldn't help all 3 people who approached me today. I helped two. It made my day and I wasn't even the one who received the help. I cannot solve all the problems that are put in front of me, but I commit to doing my best when I can and admitting I need help or don't know when I find myself in that situation. I challenge you to do the same. Today made me feel good. I agree with the lady that Today Was a Good Day.

“Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.” -Anthony Robbins

I truly believe in having fun. Don't take it all so seriously. Giggle. Laugh hard. Go play. Act like a kid. I have made a commitment to myself to follow my own advice. If I don't enjoy something, I quit doing it. I take this to the extreme sometimes. If I don't have fun doing my job, I find a new one. If I don't have fun with my current exercise regime, I create a new one. If doing laundry today doesn't sound like fun, then I will do it tomorrow. I live this to the highest level, probably to my detriment in a few cases. You might say, well life isn't always supposed to be fun. And, of course, it isn't. People will get sick. Friends and family members will die. I will have to take exams. I will have to scrub the toilet. These are facts of life. But, unhappy, unfun moments won't rule my life or take up the majority of my time.

Barrett and I have seen 3 movies in the past 3 weeks. It's been a blast. We saw Kung-Fu Panda during a matinee time on Friday. We were the only people in the theater without kids. It was so much fun. The kids talked and cried throughout the whole movie, but it was fun to just be seeing a cartoon! It was lighthearted and comedic. Then, on Saturday morning, we got up and drove to Orlando. We stayed at the Gaylord Palms (fantastically amazing!) and went to Universal Studios on Sunday. We rode all the rides and just played all day. I had such a good time!

I hope you find fun throughout your day. It is amazing how good a smile can make you feel. Even if you don't feel like you have something to smile about, just give it a try. I promise you will feel like you're having more fun if you're smiling and not frowning.