Have you ever met someone???

Have you ever met someone who in life and death has a presence in your life? It has been almost a year since I lost my friend Scuba, and there is not a day that goes by when he is not in my mind. At first I thought it was because the wound was fresh & new. Then a few months past and I thought that it was because I was in the same place professionally as he was when we all lost him. Then driving down the roads the other day an epiphany came slowly crawling out of my speakers.

I remember a while back a friend of mine was experience a very similar situation and we talked about not taking ourselves to the place that would allow us to think we could have changed things. It has been very hard for me not to blame myself, and find comfort too.

I loved Scuba in a way that I love many of you, but he very much was a mentor to me, and I loved his way of putting things to him. I know I have really needed that the last few months, and it makes me miss him so much more.

To the point, once this song played and I finished crying, I realized that I couldn't have changed anything about what happened. A-C-C-E-P-T-A-N-C-E Don't you love how it invites itself into your live when you least expect it. I would have sworn that my heart & soul couldn't handle anything else right now, and though it hurts to accept this, it has helped me find what little serenity I can in this situation.

Here is the song:

"How To Save A Life" The Fray

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same

And you'll begin to wonder why you came
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Quick Notes...

I just woke up to the most wonderful e-mail from a friend of mine. I thought I would share it with you. This is another reason why I love surrounding myself with people who share their emotions....

Just wanted to send you a quick note this morning to let you know I am thinking about you. Life is really going well right now and I am reminded of the struggles you helped me work through and I am so grateful to have experienced all of that with you. I am so grateful to have you in my life.

I sent the following note back to my friend:
You (and E) are my little blessing(s) in disguise both of you showed me that my finely tuned pre-judgments are not always right.

I too am grateful to have been a part of those moments it reminded me how far I have come, and that even though there are rough spots it is still very possible to be happy.

I really hope to see & talk to you soon.

That quick little e-mail turned my morning around. I woke up feeling stressed out and knowing I had a list of things to do today, and wondering how I was going to get it all done. Her quick thought of me has me grinning from ear to ear. This is exactly why I want everyone in my life to know how I feel about them.

Receiving that e-mail prompted me to reach out to someone else, sort of like paying it forward:

Good morning, I hope you are well just wanted to say that I miss our time together, and I am very happy that you took the time to invite a stranger into your world. I know you are not a person of many words when it comes to these things (and I am trying to be ok with that), but I hope eventually you will be this comfortable with me.

A while back I came across some simple values that I have tried to incorporate into my daily life along with my program. I posted the values here and wanted to revisit them.

I was touched by watching the TV show workout. It is a reality show & one of the guys on there passed away. I was watching the show with a friend and we were both balling. His best friend from the show said the one thing he learned from his friend's death was to let everyone know how he feels about them everyday.


Here are those principles:
Doug's Principles
Just for today do not worry!
Just for today do not anger!
Honor your parents, teachers, and elders!
Earn your living honestly!
Show gratitude to all living things!
My addition:Remember to live for today, because tomorrow may never come! (This would be my motivation for always sharing my honest feelings.)