The Truth!

Here is the deal....

i have made a commitment to write at least once a week and just try to stir up conversation about the stuff of life! And with a fair amount of consistency i have remained faithful to that commitment.

But this week i am getting ready to head out of town... and quite frankly the day that i usually write my blog will come and go while i am on vacation... twice! (Nice huh?!?)

So guess what?

This week and next week, feel free to take a look at my previous blogs and whatever else might be of interest to you on my blog... because i'm on vacation!

i'll fill you in when i return..... until then have a great week!

Life is short... get a WHAT?!?

Can you make out the Chicago billboard to the left?

Yeah, i've edited it because it needed to be edited!

Both shots are midrift pictures, the one to the far left was a picture of a scantily clad woman from her neck down. The picture to the far right was a guy whose pectoral area was in top form.

If you can't make out the words on the ad, you just need to know it was placed by by a legal firm and encourages people to remember... "Life is short. Get a divorce."

i guess what i don't get is how in the world, in good conscience, anyone could put a billboard up like that anywhere in the world!?!

One of the people responsible for placing the billboard commented by stating that the billboard promotes "happiness and personal integrity". Well, it promotes something alright but i'm not convinced it is either one of those two things!

Is the answer to a short life, divorce? Some might say "Oh Rob, you're just over-reacting... the thing was put up all in fun...." Yeah maybe but as far as i know, almost everyone that has experienced divorce from the husband or wife, to the children, to the in-laws, to other friends and relatives would overwhelmingly agree that "happiness" was not necessarily what they got out of that ordeal.

So somebody tell me, is this normal? Do most married people walk around thinking that their personal integrity will be kicked up a notch when they get that divorce?

If so, we (as a nation) are even more screwy than i thought....

PS. i should add one note.... the parking garage owners on whose building this was placed ended up taking the billboard down once the word got out about how insane this advertisement seemed to be.

High School Days... best days of Your Life?

Question: did you enjoy your high school experience?

i did.

That said, i don't think i would do again... it was sort of a once in a lifetime experience.

This week, my wife through casual conversation with someone she works with realized that this same person had attended the same High school she did and graduated one year after her. This caused my wife to begin looking through her old yearbooks and reflecting back on what for many of us is a critical time in our lives. She remembers High school being "okay" for the most part. She also recognizes that had she remained in the town that she went to high school in her life would have more than likely have been very different and probably not for the better.

i think for me as i think back, i made the most of the experience. NO, i was not one of those guys who partied and/or behaved poorly but if there were activities to be part of, athletics to excel in, i would do it! There were the typically type of things that most guys in high school worry about, girls, looks, popularity... did i mention girls? However, in the midst of my high school experience the thing that made a real difference for me, something that helped me keep it all in perspective was my involvement with my church youth group.

It's really weird and sort of hard to explain but being part of a youth group and knowing that kids from my youth group were around me at school during the day was a significant deal. i knew people were watching out for me and they were also keeping me accountable. If i acted like a jerk on the football team or on the track team or in the high school choir, they wouldn't let me get away with it. That was in many ways what kept me in line. It is also what helped me enjoy the experience of High school but also keep it all in proper perspective.

Don't misunderstand as i look back there more than few times when others properly identified me as smart mouthed jerk, in spite of my youth group connections. But all in all, my high school days were truly enjoyable. There was also a part of me that realized that it was a special time and i needed to enjoy it but there would be many more very special days to come... even when my days in high school came to an end.

What about you.......