Viewing the World Via Your Heart, Impacting your Community with Love, Passion, and a Joy for Other Humans Being

"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Well hello world, how did you sleep, I must say I’ve been getting some of the best sleep I’ve gotten for some time. We’re hitting the bed early, getting eight-plus hours, maybe we are getting older, but 8 hours is now our jam every night. Sleep is important, but now we have 16 hours to accomplish many things.

In the next sixteen hours, I will meet with strangers, friends, and my team. I’ll travel 1187 miles from one home to another and continue working our plan for 2020. I’m making small changes to improve my life, my outlook, and my chances for success; I trust you are doing the same.

I had lunch with my daughter yesterday; she’s an amazing individual. She’s beautiful, smart, kind, loving, a very special kid indeed. She’s getting married in August, a lot of time is going into the planning, I look forward to walking her down the aisle, her finance’ is a special man as well, these kids will change the world.

I got a call from a friend yesterday; he had a referral.  We chatted for a few moments; he thanked me for my transparency and vulnerability; I know of no other way to be. I think my openness stems from a time when I was hiding things, there was a time in my life when a portion of my life could not be shared, it was devasting. If you are doing something you cannot tell others about, chances are you are doing something wrong.

Today I’m an open book; if you choose to sip my daily word soup, you are just as informed about me as, well, me. I hide nothing choosing to share my life, warts and all with the world hoping that one day someone might take an interest in my cooking, maybe get inspired from the few home runs I’ve hit over the years, when I die, I’ll have some pretty good soup, the collective is going to be my legacy.

My Queen is still asleep, we have our routine, I get up to make coffee, she stays in bed many times checking her social media or the news, but soon she will get up, grab a cup of Joe and sit down next to me as I write. She’s my inspiration, my muse, the love of my life. I can’t imagine doing life without her, she is my fuel and she is my reward.

I want to share a quick story; I have a friend that is climbing his second mountain. He is an old hockey coach; he had retired to spend more time with his Queen and last year, he happened upon a game of disabled hockey players in Ohio. He was inspired and so he brought the idea to Indianapolis, where he formed our first-ever sled hockey team.

They just competed in their first match; there are three disabled hockey clubs in Indiana, a couple in most other states. These are people that can’t stand, they have one or more disabilities, but they can get into a sled and play. He formed a nonprofit; he is recruiting players if you have an interest check out his organization here: https://indysledhockey.org/about/ 

Duane and his wife now lead this organization and have added purpose to folks that may have lost a little purpose with their loss of movement. He shared a story about a young man that lost some limbs in an accident as a child. As an adult he would be angered because he can’t do the things he did as a kid, but now, with this group, he can have flashes of his youth. This young man has struggled with depression for years, but now, according to his wife, this team, has given him a new purpose. Duane has changed the lives, improved the lives of other humans. I don’t know of a more noble thing to do with one’s life.

I’m not sure what connects me with these amazing world changers, but I’ve been blessed to meet and be friends with people that are impacting the world in small but amazing ways. I’ve got a friend that had an idea a few years ago to help families in need at Christmas time; he started a nonprofit and this past Christmas with the help of about 250 volunteers provide Christmas, tree, presents, and a Bible to about 500 families in East Central Indiana. Al Holden is a saint; you can learn about him and his wife Chris’s work here: https://www.secretfamilies.org/

When you think you are tired, thinking that you don’t have enough time to get your work or life done, think of Duane and Al, these two men had made radical impacts on their communities, taking an idea to fruition, giving hope when hope was hidden in a closet, in a box, under some shoes, and covered in a blanket.  Both men sought and succeeded in uncovering that hope; they dug through the closet and removed the hope and shined a brilliant bright light giving others what they needed.

Who can you help, what is in your wheelhouse to attack and change? Every community has issues, what is your communities’ issue and how can you be a spark that starts a fire of change? I’ve given you two examples of mortal men that had an idea and now have radically changed the lives of others. This year, this decade, make it your mission to impact your community positively, I know you are busy, but so were Duane and Al and they both found a way to change the lives of those around them radically. 

This year, this decade, make it a time that you focus not on yourself but others. Make this the year that you turn your lens on others and try and help those less fortunate than yourself.  Some problems have no solution and that is where you come in, look at an issue, a problem and use your unique skill set to offer a solution, massage the idea until others grab on and get busy changing the lives of those around you. I have faith that this message will resonate, I trust you to do what you can do to make our world a better place, the world needs you right here, right now.

"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry