A couple months ago, I got into an argument with a friend of mine about how much I care about the Red Wings success. She would say, "Why do you invest yourself in something so meaningless? These players get payed millions of dollars to play a sport while I am doing their dirty work for little money at all. I wonder what the world would be like without sports."
I turned this around to her and asked, "Well what about authors and actors and actresses? Why do they get to make millions of dollars when all their doing is creating a fictional (or non-fictional) version of what is already out there and/or might be out there?"
It's entertainment, and it's what drives society. Without movies, without sports, without books, without the crazy crap that's on the internet, these generations in society would collapse.
What's wrong with investing yourself in something that you can't control? I love knowing that whether I want the Red Wings to win or not has no impact on the outcome of the game whatsoever. We can all sit there and watch 22 players give everything they've got to the sport that they love. And guess what? When they lose, it's okay for us to be upset. We feel cheated, like there was more they could of done to give us what we wanted.
Tiger's fans have it the worst. Not only do they have to hope for good weather in order for them to even play, but they also have to sit through 162 games. That's three different seasons of the year, partially devoted to how roughly 12 players decide to play on that day. And I say the Tiger's have it worst, because it's Detroit. They'll go 13-2 in 15 games, and then turn right around and lose eight in a row. It infuriating, you just scored 14 runs last night and you didn't even get three hits tonight? But we will dedicate a gorgeous summer evening to them, paying for tickets, parking, hot dogs and beers; and while we're doing it, we will love every second of it.
We escape from the reality that is our life.
If we didn't invest ourselves in something bigger than us, then what would their be to live for? If we think we are the biggest thing that is out around, who cares what else may be there? People do this with God too. They devote their life to Him, knowing that it is all for an unknown. The difference here is that the "championship" at the end of the season for these people, is an eternity at the hand of God, not a 35 pound hunk of metal that has a hundred other peoples names on it.
We become a part of something that thousands of people are equally a part of. No one stands out (except maybe for the girls in short skirts and an Inge jersey, or the family that decorates their entire house in Lions gear), but for the most part, we are all the same, hoping for the same thing. Our rivals are the other team, and then when they leave, we rival the next team. It's healthy, and it's fun.
It somehow happens with music too. People dedicate hours and hours just listening to music and/or playing music. We spend hundreds of dollars to go see famous people making millions of dollars sing songs that we know the words to, when all we have to do is flip on the radio to hear that same song. It's phenomenal.
There is so much variety on what you can invest yourself in, but we all need to be invested in something that isn't ourselves. Escape yourself, and allow yourself to become a part of something that you can and will not be able to control. It's called living.
Take care of yourselves, and eachother.
Dub
"...I dare you to tell me to walk through fire..."
Friday, June 24, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Chapter 4 - Family
When I was little, we used to go camping all the time. We would go to a really little campground and get camp sites all next to each other (my dad has 12 siblings, so our family is quite large) so that we could always be together. We'd cook together, play games, go to the beach, etc. I remember these summers well. All the adults would be huddled around a fire drinking beer and laughing hysterically at each others stories while the kids were all running around trying to avoid being around their parents. We did this for years, and it never seemed to get old. Every summer, whether it be for Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween or just another weekend, we were all together, and there was always a campfire.
A lot of people drift away from their family over time. Kid's get too "old and cool" to want to spend time with their family when their together (I was very guilty of this when I was like, 13-15), and then regret that time when they get older. Others are too busy to spend time with their family, and only do every so often. Maybe it's just that you didn't have a very close family growing up and don't want to be around them anyway. If you are one of the lucky ones that has been blessed with a close family, don't let that time slip by.
When I think back to growing up around in the settings I have been placed in, I don't know how I ever could have felt unloved. Now that I'm getting older, I'm starting to see my cousins start their lives. I don't know whats weirder, seeing my older cousins have children, or my younger cousins starting to drive. My baby cousin Ang just recently got her drivers license and will be graduating from high school next year. What? When the hell did that happen?
Thinking about that has made me think about what people think of when they watched me grow up. One day, I saw one of my aunts and I was playing hockey down in Nashville on a 12U team and had a chip in my front tooth; the next time I saw her I had a mortgage. Another example: when I turned 21, all one of my closest cousins kept saying was "I can't believe he's old enough to drink with us now!" It's such an entertaining journey to think about if you ever have the time to sit down and do so. Think about relatives you know, and milestones in your life. Imagine their reaction, or what it would have been.
This past weekend I got to join both of my brothers, my dad and three of my uncles on a golf outing. I can't even start to put into words how much fun we had. Regardless of the beverages that were provided, the ability to spend that much time with people that are so much like you, that have watched you grow up or have grown up with you is such a joy. Last year I played in a softball tournament with probably 20 of my cousins. It was coed and it was in the city that a majority of my family lives in, so EVERYONE was there. Whether their kids were playing or they just wanted to come out and watch us have fun, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, brothers and sisters were all out there. It was a very fun weekend, and I hope that anyone that gets an opportunity to do something big yet spontaneous like that takes full advantage of it.
We've recently had a couple losses on both sides of my family. My dad lost one of his sisters, and my mom her brother (my Godfather). The gratitude that both sides of the family showed for each other will never be replaced in my mind. Sometimes it's not about if you know the person that passed or not, it's about who did, and if you love that person you will be there for them in their time of need.
I understand that some families just aren't made for getting together at Christmas or going camping every summer, but that's all I've ever known. Yes, my family has it's flaws, it's bad apples and it's problems, but we work through it as one. Through every suffering and celebration, we are all here together. I guess I'm writing this to thank everyone in my family for being a part of it, and making it so great. Love you all. :]
Take care.
-Dub
"We are faaaaamily.."
A lot of people drift away from their family over time. Kid's get too "old and cool" to want to spend time with their family when their together (I was very guilty of this when I was like, 13-15), and then regret that time when they get older. Others are too busy to spend time with their family, and only do every so often. Maybe it's just that you didn't have a very close family growing up and don't want to be around them anyway. If you are one of the lucky ones that has been blessed with a close family, don't let that time slip by.
When I think back to growing up around in the settings I have been placed in, I don't know how I ever could have felt unloved. Now that I'm getting older, I'm starting to see my cousins start their lives. I don't know whats weirder, seeing my older cousins have children, or my younger cousins starting to drive. My baby cousin Ang just recently got her drivers license and will be graduating from high school next year. What? When the hell did that happen?
Thinking about that has made me think about what people think of when they watched me grow up. One day, I saw one of my aunts and I was playing hockey down in Nashville on a 12U team and had a chip in my front tooth; the next time I saw her I had a mortgage. Another example: when I turned 21, all one of my closest cousins kept saying was "I can't believe he's old enough to drink with us now!" It's such an entertaining journey to think about if you ever have the time to sit down and do so. Think about relatives you know, and milestones in your life. Imagine their reaction, or what it would have been.
This past weekend I got to join both of my brothers, my dad and three of my uncles on a golf outing. I can't even start to put into words how much fun we had. Regardless of the beverages that were provided, the ability to spend that much time with people that are so much like you, that have watched you grow up or have grown up with you is such a joy. Last year I played in a softball tournament with probably 20 of my cousins. It was coed and it was in the city that a majority of my family lives in, so EVERYONE was there. Whether their kids were playing or they just wanted to come out and watch us have fun, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, brothers and sisters were all out there. It was a very fun weekend, and I hope that anyone that gets an opportunity to do something big yet spontaneous like that takes full advantage of it.
We've recently had a couple losses on both sides of my family. My dad lost one of his sisters, and my mom her brother (my Godfather). The gratitude that both sides of the family showed for each other will never be replaced in my mind. Sometimes it's not about if you know the person that passed or not, it's about who did, and if you love that person you will be there for them in their time of need.
I understand that some families just aren't made for getting together at Christmas or going camping every summer, but that's all I've ever known. Yes, my family has it's flaws, it's bad apples and it's problems, but we work through it as one. Through every suffering and celebration, we are all here together. I guess I'm writing this to thank everyone in my family for being a part of it, and making it so great. Love you all. :]
Take care.
-Dub
"We are faaaaamily.."
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Chapter 3 - The Edge
I recently finished the book "The Shack" by William P. Young.
Also, warning, this one will be religious ish.
I couldn't put it down. Like, literally, I spent the entire afternoon today reading it (while I had down time at work of course). The story is about a man who loses his very young daughter, and I will try not to give away too much more, but eventually the man finds God.
God is a sticky subject for me to talk about. I know he's there, and I know he created this beautiful thing we call life, and I understand that it's not his fault everyone sucks, but I still wish he would call down to us and answer our questions sometimes. I've been talking to him a lot lately. I don't talk to him about me anymore though. I talk to him about you, reader. Whether you be my family, friend or neither, I pray for you. I ask him to watch over you and ensure your happiness. I don't pray for me because I don't think I am worthy to be selfish to Him. He knows my wants, he knows my desires and he knows my pains, but they are all here or not here for a reason. I'm going through what I'm going through right now, because He says I should be.
There are some things in life people will never understand. Some call them miracles, some call them epiphanies, and others call them how the Lions lose, but no matter what you call them, I personally think that God did it just to remind you, "Hey, I'm still here. I created this all for you, so even though you don't believe it, I'm here." At the same time, people often curse God because things are going wrong in their life. We are all guilty of this for various reasons. Sometimes, what's going wrong though isn't His fault. I would like to introduce you to something I can't quite explain. I don't know how this woman is related to God or what she is called in the Bible, but her name is Karma. You do something good, assume something bad will come your way. Vise versa. I have bad news for you though, the punishment or the reward are often very far from whatever it is you do. If you rob a bank or kill a man, maybe the Karma that comes your way will be you spill your coffee in your lap the next day. If the good thing you do is hold the door open for a man who doesn't have enough hands to do so, maybe the Karma that comes your way is you get the girl of your dreams. I don't know.
Karma is a tricky thing though. It can often take years to come back at you, and sneak up on you from hidden angles. For instance, say you make mistakes when you are in high school. These mistakes may not get "repaid" until you are thirty, and yeah, these mistakes may cost you something you truly care for. I truly, with all my heart, hope Karma doesn't cost us what is in God's plan for us, but how do we really know what God's plan is? Maybe what we feel today, what we want our future to be, God looks down at us and says.. "Man, you are waaaaaay wrong."
------
I started reading this book Sunday, and every time I went to put it down I felt like I was neglecting God. I would say to myself, "Well shit, God is a character in this book, and I'm not reading through it. What kind of son am I to Him?". If any of you read this book, don't feel that way. God has a bazillion other things that are more important than our fears to be worrying about, so I'm going to go ahead and assume if we put a book down that he is in to go about our daily lives, he won't be bothered too much. Now, I did say though that I was unable to put it down as I got about halfway through the book. So be forewarned.
While your reading the book, I want you to think of what you ask of Him. When I read it, all I could think about was how selfish I was being to Him in my every day life. I've gotten better, much better since I lost my godfather last August, but I still feel like I am wasting God's ear sometimes. That Karma girl I mentioned earlier, she's the one I should be more upset with. But guess what? Karma is everything that YOU'VE done. So now whose to blame?
I hope you all enjoy the book. I was kind of hoping it would like, "bring me into the hands of the lord" or something, but what it did for me was good. It opened my eyes just a little bit more to the notion that we still control our lives. God, Jesus, Karma, the Holy Spirit.. It's all there, but we are still in control.
My advice to you, and I encourage you strongly to take it, is to remove things from your life that make YOU unhappy, regardless of what the cost might be. This is YOUR life, reader, and God will be there with you every step of the way. If you are wrong, trust in him that it will be corrected. If you are not FULLY happy, find a way to be.
Take care of yourself, and eachother; Cheers.
-Dub
"..."
Also, warning, this one will be religious ish.
I couldn't put it down. Like, literally, I spent the entire afternoon today reading it (while I had down time at work of course). The story is about a man who loses his very young daughter, and I will try not to give away too much more, but eventually the man finds God.
God is a sticky subject for me to talk about. I know he's there, and I know he created this beautiful thing we call life, and I understand that it's not his fault everyone sucks, but I still wish he would call down to us and answer our questions sometimes. I've been talking to him a lot lately. I don't talk to him about me anymore though. I talk to him about you, reader. Whether you be my family, friend or neither, I pray for you. I ask him to watch over you and ensure your happiness. I don't pray for me because I don't think I am worthy to be selfish to Him. He knows my wants, he knows my desires and he knows my pains, but they are all here or not here for a reason. I'm going through what I'm going through right now, because He says I should be.
There are some things in life people will never understand. Some call them miracles, some call them epiphanies, and others call them how the Lions lose, but no matter what you call them, I personally think that God did it just to remind you, "Hey, I'm still here. I created this all for you, so even though you don't believe it, I'm here." At the same time, people often curse God because things are going wrong in their life. We are all guilty of this for various reasons. Sometimes, what's going wrong though isn't His fault. I would like to introduce you to something I can't quite explain. I don't know how this woman is related to God or what she is called in the Bible, but her name is Karma. You do something good, assume something bad will come your way. Vise versa. I have bad news for you though, the punishment or the reward are often very far from whatever it is you do. If you rob a bank or kill a man, maybe the Karma that comes your way will be you spill your coffee in your lap the next day. If the good thing you do is hold the door open for a man who doesn't have enough hands to do so, maybe the Karma that comes your way is you get the girl of your dreams. I don't know.
Karma is a tricky thing though. It can often take years to come back at you, and sneak up on you from hidden angles. For instance, say you make mistakes when you are in high school. These mistakes may not get "repaid" until you are thirty, and yeah, these mistakes may cost you something you truly care for. I truly, with all my heart, hope Karma doesn't cost us what is in God's plan for us, but how do we really know what God's plan is? Maybe what we feel today, what we want our future to be, God looks down at us and says.. "Man, you are waaaaaay wrong."
------
I started reading this book Sunday, and every time I went to put it down I felt like I was neglecting God. I would say to myself, "Well shit, God is a character in this book, and I'm not reading through it. What kind of son am I to Him?". If any of you read this book, don't feel that way. God has a bazillion other things that are more important than our fears to be worrying about, so I'm going to go ahead and assume if we put a book down that he is in to go about our daily lives, he won't be bothered too much. Now, I did say though that I was unable to put it down as I got about halfway through the book. So be forewarned.
While your reading the book, I want you to think of what you ask of Him. When I read it, all I could think about was how selfish I was being to Him in my every day life. I've gotten better, much better since I lost my godfather last August, but I still feel like I am wasting God's ear sometimes. That Karma girl I mentioned earlier, she's the one I should be more upset with. But guess what? Karma is everything that YOU'VE done. So now whose to blame?
I hope you all enjoy the book. I was kind of hoping it would like, "bring me into the hands of the lord" or something, but what it did for me was good. It opened my eyes just a little bit more to the notion that we still control our lives. God, Jesus, Karma, the Holy Spirit.. It's all there, but we are still in control.
My advice to you, and I encourage you strongly to take it, is to remove things from your life that make YOU unhappy, regardless of what the cost might be. This is YOUR life, reader, and God will be there with you every step of the way. If you are wrong, trust in him that it will be corrected. If you are not FULLY happy, find a way to be.
Take care of yourself, and eachother; Cheers.
-Dub
"..."
Monday, June 6, 2011
Chapter 2 - Comin' In Hot
Alright, listen.
Hardcore softball dude that has a bandanna on, black sleeveless shirt, tattoos all the way up your arm and running your mouth the whole game, calm down.
As some of you may know, I am a very competitive person. Whatever I set my mind too, I usually put a lot of passion into. But if your winning by 12 runs in a rec league softball game, why do you need to slide through second base and break up a double play? You caused injury to my second basemen, but congrats, you broke up the double play (that he wasn't even going to throw it to first for).
This preface happened Friday night at our softball game. It is a beautiful night out, everyone is out drinking and having a good time, and this tool does this. Really? Whats the point? A. You have the game won, and 2. Who cares that much anyway?
Anyway, to my point. Why we do take things so seriously? Someday's, I'll be cruising in my car, listening to "Bright Spring Morning" by the Suburban Legends with all the windows down, and just see Mr. Grumpy pounding on his steering wheel. I'm guilty of this too, we all are. But I feel that we all need to start fighting our negative emotions sometimes.
I tried this today. I had a very typical day at work, if anything it was pretty good. Either way, I ended up in a downer mood on the way home. Instead of playing what I usually do in that mood, I cranked up some Zac Brown Band and heavier Shinedown. When I pulled into my driveway, I felt so much better than I did when I left the fraternity house.
What I'm trying to start to understand and also share with you, is that the sun is always shining somewhere. I'm in a very deep pit right now, there a lot of stuff going wrong, but guess what? The sun is out there somewhere. And some days, you have to bring it to yourself. So cheer up, buttercup. The world is still revolving.
Take care of yourself, and eachother; Cheers.
-Dub
"I've created the sound of madness..."
Hardcore softball dude that has a bandanna on, black sleeveless shirt, tattoos all the way up your arm and running your mouth the whole game, calm down.
As some of you may know, I am a very competitive person. Whatever I set my mind too, I usually put a lot of passion into. But if your winning by 12 runs in a rec league softball game, why do you need to slide through second base and break up a double play? You caused injury to my second basemen, but congrats, you broke up the double play (that he wasn't even going to throw it to first for).
This preface happened Friday night at our softball game. It is a beautiful night out, everyone is out drinking and having a good time, and this tool does this. Really? Whats the point? A. You have the game won, and 2. Who cares that much anyway?
Anyway, to my point. Why we do take things so seriously? Someday's, I'll be cruising in my car, listening to "Bright Spring Morning" by the Suburban Legends with all the windows down, and just see Mr. Grumpy pounding on his steering wheel. I'm guilty of this too, we all are. But I feel that we all need to start fighting our negative emotions sometimes.
I tried this today. I had a very typical day at work, if anything it was pretty good. Either way, I ended up in a downer mood on the way home. Instead of playing what I usually do in that mood, I cranked up some Zac Brown Band and heavier Shinedown. When I pulled into my driveway, I felt so much better than I did when I left the fraternity house.
What I'm trying to start to understand and also share with you, is that the sun is always shining somewhere. I'm in a very deep pit right now, there a lot of stuff going wrong, but guess what? The sun is out there somewhere. And some days, you have to bring it to yourself. So cheer up, buttercup. The world is still revolving.
Take care of yourself, and eachother; Cheers.
-Dub
"I've created the sound of madness..."
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Chapter 1 - Breathless
I was on the water today, floating around looking at the world for what it truly is. I haven' done this in a while; a hidden agenda always seemed to coincide with what was really out there. It does for everyone it seems. Cars go by, people complain about traffic and the weather. It's too cold in the winter and too warm in the summer. Why can't we ever make up our minds?
What really 'grinds my gears', is money. Why do I always have to worry about whether I'm going to make rent this month or if I can afford to buy food this week? I work my ass off, and avoid spending money where it isn't feasible, yet I always end up in the hole at some point. All I want to do, is travel, and buy nice things for the people that deserve it. I would like nothing more then to buy my parents a lawn mower for their new house (or their new house for them, considering how much they've done for me) light blue heart necklace that will always match your eyes, any toy car my beautiful nephew could ever want, or pretty much anything my brother could ever want.
What else really 'grinds my gears', is why do we worry so much about money? I don't need people to buy me things. My buddy Anthony always tells me he'll pay for stuff for me if I can't really afford to go out or to play softball or something. Granted, I like it, it's very nice to come into some money sometimes when your short, but I feel like money is the root of most of the problems. I can't stand it when professional athletes refuse to take under a certain amount of money. Thats why I like Detroit teams. No one is going to go out of their way to come to Detroit. It's not a travel destination, it's cold half the year, and lets face it, Detroit is shady. But players like Draper, Inge, Lindstrom and Yzerman came here and played their careers (Draper and Inge a little too long, sorry mom) So when a guy will go out of his way and take less money to play with a team he wants to play with a team they have some sort of connection with (they grew up there, love the organization etc.) it is to be respected. When Hossa took less money and came here trying to win a championship, I respected it. Then he left and went to Chicago for more money than any hockey player should ever make.
And this whole Ohio State thing? Seriously? You're getting free housing, free schooling, free perks, free facilities.. all to do the thing you love most. So why the hell do you need to sell all of this monumental stuff and drive around 40 thousand dollar cars? Really? You're not happy just playing you're favorite sport every day for a major university, winning titles and becoming prepared for the next level? Glad you throw your lives away being selfish while we all try to create something somewhere near that.
I'll try to be less all over the place with my blogs here. I want to start writing again, and if you want me to chat about anything in particular, just give me a topic. I enjoy writing, and really want to stay consistent with it this time.
Take care of eachother; Cheers.
-Dub
"Cause you and your pretty eyes.."
What really 'grinds my gears', is money. Why do I always have to worry about whether I'm going to make rent this month or if I can afford to buy food this week? I work my ass off, and avoid spending money where it isn't feasible, yet I always end up in the hole at some point. All I want to do, is travel, and buy nice things for the people that deserve it. I would like nothing more then to buy my parents a lawn mower for their new house (or their new house for them, considering how much they've done for me) light blue heart necklace that will always match your eyes, any toy car my beautiful nephew could ever want, or pretty much anything my brother could ever want.
What else really 'grinds my gears', is why do we worry so much about money? I don't need people to buy me things. My buddy Anthony always tells me he'll pay for stuff for me if I can't really afford to go out or to play softball or something. Granted, I like it, it's very nice to come into some money sometimes when your short, but I feel like money is the root of most of the problems. I can't stand it when professional athletes refuse to take under a certain amount of money. Thats why I like Detroit teams. No one is going to go out of their way to come to Detroit. It's not a travel destination, it's cold half the year, and lets face it, Detroit is shady. But players like Draper, Inge, Lindstrom and Yzerman came here and played their careers (Draper and Inge a little too long, sorry mom) So when a guy will go out of his way and take less money to play with a team he wants to play with a team they have some sort of connection with (they grew up there, love the organization etc.) it is to be respected. When Hossa took less money and came here trying to win a championship, I respected it. Then he left and went to Chicago for more money than any hockey player should ever make.
And this whole Ohio State thing? Seriously? You're getting free housing, free schooling, free perks, free facilities.. all to do the thing you love most. So why the hell do you need to sell all of this monumental stuff and drive around 40 thousand dollar cars? Really? You're not happy just playing you're favorite sport every day for a major university, winning titles and becoming prepared for the next level? Glad you throw your lives away being selfish while we all try to create something somewhere near that.
I'll try to be less all over the place with my blogs here. I want to start writing again, and if you want me to chat about anything in particular, just give me a topic. I enjoy writing, and really want to stay consistent with it this time.
Take care of eachother; Cheers.
-Dub
"Cause you and your pretty eyes.."
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