B.O.O.K.

New Invention: B.O.O.K.

I really like this little article on books. Samy Richardson sent it to me freshman year and I still look back at it and laugh. I hope that you enjoy it too. Books are a wonderful thing and I think they will always have a place in our society.

Chase's Birthday!

Ringing in the 20th year of Chase, all of his friends at Campbell joined together to say thank you, congratulations and eat. We played songs, ate pie, drove, talked, ran, laughed, kidded and ate some more. Happy Birthday Chase, may this year be only one of the many more to come.

Centered

To be friend-centered is one thing, but I think to have friends centered around oneself is another thing entirely. In Sean Covey’s book Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens, he mentions life centers. A person can center their life around achievement, for example. Everything that person does during that day reflects back on their awards, ribbons, medals, certficates, titles, recognition and resume. That comprises their entire self and drive their life forward. That is the person’s life center. Other people might be family-centered, money-centered, school-centered or friend-centered. Whatever the case, having your life centered on things like this take the focus off of what is important. Instead of looking to something that is true, we look for our families, money, school or friends to validate us and make us feel successful. However, as my mother says, “success isn’t the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success.” What is happiness? I think happiness is staying true to principles. You can decide on the principles yourself, but I think there is a pretty universal agreement on good principles.

When we embody the principles of honesty, trust and sincerity the friends will come. When we follow the principles of humility, discipline and hard work success in school will come. When we practice the principles of kindness, patience and bravery a strong family will surround us. Money will come through thriftiness, appreciation and cleanliness. Maybe most of all, peace will come through treating others like we would like to be treated. Principle-centered living, as Covey said, is the only true center.

* This picture was made by my good friend Jonathan Huffman after he read this entry. It means a lot to me because I know how much time it takes Jonathan to make these great graphic designs, but it also means a lot to me because it shows exactly what I mean by principle-centered living. Great things happen to others and to us, ourselves, when we follow great principles. Thank you Jonathan for being a very good friend and may I say, quite a good artist as well.

Songs of Spring

I picked out some songs for this semester. They are mostly new songs I was just introduced/reintroduced to recently, but still I think they are good to represent where I am and how I feel. I’ve put a few of the lyrics together which speak to me directly (including the entire Travis Tritt song), but I would suggest listening to all of the wonderful songs. If you would like any of them, please let me know and I can send them to you.

• Back In The High Life Again by Steve Winwood
• It’s A Great Day To Be Alive by Travis Tritt
• Lie In Our Graves by The Dave Matthews Band
• Listen To The Music by The Doobie Brothers
• Long Train Running by The Doobie Brothers
• Sunday Morning by Maroon 5
• Black or White by The Michael Jackson
  

(Back In The High Life Again)
It used to seem to me
That my life ran on too fast
And I had to take it slowly
Just to make the good parts last
But when you’re born to run
It’s so hard to just slow down
So don’t be surprised to see me
Back in that bright part of town

I’ll be back in the high life again
All the doors I closed one time will open up again
I’ll be back in the high life again
All the eyes that watched me once will smile and take me in

And I’ll drink and dance with one hand free
Let the world back into me
And oh I’ll be a sight to see
Back in the high life again

(It’s A Great Day To Be Alive)
Got a three day beard I don't plan to shave
And it's a goofy thing but I just gotta say
Hey, I'm doing alright
Yeah I think I'll make me some homemade soup
Feelin' pretty good and that's the truth
It's neither drink nor drug induced
No, I'm just doin' alright

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin' when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neighborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

It's been fifteen years since I left home
Said good luck to every seed I'd sown
Give it my best and then I left it alone
Oh I hope they're doin' alright
Now I look in the mirror and what do I see?
A lone wolf there starin' back at me
Long in the tooth but harmless as can be
Lord, I guess he's doin' alright

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin' when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neighborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

Sometimes its lonely
Sometimes its only me and
The shadows that fill this room
Sometimes I'm fallin', desperately callin'
Howlin' at the moon (Ahhooo, Ahhooo)

Well I might go get me a new tatoo or
Take my old Harley for a three day cruise
Might even grow me a fu man chu

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin' when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neighborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin' when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neighborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

(Lie In Our Graves)
I can't believe that we would
Lie in our graves
Wondering if we had
Spent our living days well

I can't believe that we would
Lie in our graves
Dreaming of things that we
Might have been

Wake Up

To many of us I think the beginning of a new semester signals different things. I would wager that the older students feel less excitement and more stress than the younger students, due in large part to their more responsibilities and expectations. As we return to school there are necessities which hold onto our minds and pull on our plans. It feels like there are things we have to accomplish, clubs we have to improve, projects we have to complete, improvements we have to make and goals we have to achieve. It might not be anyone but ourselves who believe it, but just the same it feels like the weight of the world is on our backs at times. What surprises me is how real those necessities can feel, especially when I know them in my heart to only be polite suggestions. There may be things I will want to do, but it is I who should want to do them. There may be projects I will complete, clubs I want to improve, goals I want to achieve and improvements in myself I want to make but it most certainly be I who wants to decide them. If these things match with my conscience and goals, my hopes and my dreams than let it be so…but if not, why worry? It is my life to live and my chance to dream. I have an opportunity to give myself a life I will be excited to wake to and proud to look back on; I have a chance to be myself. I have a chance to live out my life, my time and my energy in a way which excites me and delights me and I have that chance every moment. I would like to take myself up on that. I would like to start a new semester just like a new day. I would like to wake up.