Fountain of Youth?

After being gone a couple of weeks, I returned home to see my wife.  Living apart has been really hard, and while I have plenty to do at my new job, it does get pretty darn lonely at night.

Upon arrival at home, I was in the kitchen in the morning, fixing myself a cup of coffee, when my wife stopped me and said, "You know, you look younger."  

Really?

She went on to explain that the last couple of months she had really become concerned about me.  I didn't look good.  My color was off.  I wasn't sleeping well.  I looked tired and I looked old.  

Not anymore.

I later went to an event at Lambeau Field that was being held by my old employer as I needed to pick up some things for my impending move, plus I'd been wanting to pick up a turkey blind.  One of the first people I bumped into was a guy that had only recently joined our company.  He walked up to me, shook my hand, and immediately said, "You look younger."

Later still, I ran into a friend, and together we took a selfie and sent if off to another friend.  That person exclaimed upon receiving the picture that I looked 10 years younger.

I'm not sure if any of this is true, and if it is if it will last, but it's nice to know that, at least to a couple of people, I look like I feel.

The Latest Weird Thing Stuck in My Head

I have a really weird memory.  Mrs. YDP constantly asks how in the world I know what I know. It is really great for trivia contests. But beyond facts and figures, other things that are stuck up there are unfortunate things like advertising jingles from the 70's, one-hit wonder songs, and intricately clear memories of just about every time in my life in which I hurt others. 

I thought I might share some of what is currently rolling around.  Growing up, I loved All Star Wrestling.  While the action was some spotty (Kenny "Sodbuster" Jay was ALWAYS going to get his ass kicked), the personalities were fantastic, as were the advertisers.

One such advertiser was Otto Blihovde.  Who is this Otto Blihovde, you might ask?   Well, let's just take a little trip to Michigan (or North or South Dakota) and find out:

Just like lutefisk, Otto is an acquired taste.  That being said, I can pretty much guarantee he sold thousands of albums advertising on wrestling in the 1970's in Minnesota.

Happy Easter

I have been reading and podcasting on a lot of apologetics lately, and it has really deepened my faith.  There is so much in secular society that tries to downplay Christianity, but when one truly looks at the facts (and make no mistake, there are plenty of facts) there is little doubt that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.

The biggest thing of all is the resurrection.  Hundreds, if not thousands, saw Jesus die with their own eyes.  Then, later, thousands more saw him resurrected.

Without the resurrection, the historical Jesus perhaps could have been a profit, magician, or some enlightened soul.  With the resurrection, He proves who He claimed to be all along, the Son of Man, the Lamb, the Alpha and the Omega, the Way and the Light.  He is our reconciliation.  He is our hope.

He is Emanuel.  He is God Among Us.  He is our salvation.

With that, I extend to you a wish for a happy Easter, in all that it means.

Hallelujah

Matthew 28

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Saturday Song Share: Peter Gabriel - Father, Son

Hat tip to my brother on this one.  I didn't even know this song existed, and I'm richer now that I know it.  

Enjoy:

The Sorrowful Mysteries - Jesus Experiences Nearly All Human Suffering?

I've been logging a lot of road hours, and when on a long trip, I'll often say a rosary.  With it being Lent, I've been focusing on the Sorrowful Mysteries.

In contemplating them on a recent ride, I was struck by how the Mysteries pretty much covered all the bases of human suffering.  Consider the following:

• The Agony in the Garden - Here Jesus is betrayed by one he loves.  Our heartbreak from those that we love is usually just that - heartbreak.  Betrayal is certainly hard, but it usually never ends up in us being killed.
• The Scourging at the Pillar - Jesus is beaten mercilessly - nearly to the point of death.  His flesh is torn and His body is battered.  The physical pain He suffered has to be more than most will ever be asked to endure, regardless of the circumstance.
• The Crowning of Thorns - It is not often that the taunts and ridicule that we endure come with thorns being thrust into our scalps.  Words can cause pain.  The crown takes things to a whole other level.
• Carrying the Cross - This one has multiple parallels.  The first is the most obvious of the cross, and what the means for all of us as we bear our crosses.  The second is the meeting of His mother, and knowing He was going to die.  Looking into Mary's eyes and seeing Her pain had to kill Jesus as much as the cross would eventually do.
• The Crucifixion - Here Jesus dies, but in a manner much slower, much more painful, and much more horrible that we'll ultimately endure.

The bottom line to all this is that Jesus knows our suffering.  Not just because He's God, but because He endured it just like we do.  As a human.  He knows what it all feels like.

Why do we have to suffer in the first place?  Kids, if I knew that, I'd sell a lot of books.  But what I do know is that, even when we're at the deepest and darkest point, we know Somebody that's shared our fate, if not had things imminently worse.

I somehow find comfort in that, and feel that maybe when some day I meet Him and tell Him of my woes, He'll look at me, nod, and tell me, "I know, my child.  I know."

New Event For American Ninja

I'm currently staying at a rental house until our place back home sells and we can buy a new place.  There are a couple of things to like about the rental.  First, it is located directly on Detroit Lake, which makes for a great location for a walk or a run.  Second, it is within walking distance of two of Detroit Lake's most famous bars.

It was one evening after spending time at one of those establishments when I returned home to the rental house.  One of the nice things about the house is that it has an automatic lock on the front door - just punch in the code, and you're in.  No need for any pesky keys.

As I arrived I opened the screen and punched in the code.  Instead of being met with the flashing green light and sound of the door opening, I was instead met with a flashing red light and a loud BEEP BEEP BEEP.  No worries, I must have fat fingered the code, so I tried again.  BEEP BEEP BEEP.

OK, this isn't that hard.  The code was impossible to forget, and it knew it was correct.  All I needed to do was go slow.  BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Oh, crap.  It's now 10PM, I have no key, and the door is locking me out.  Houston, we have a problem.

I decided to check the other doors to see if I could possibly catch a break.  Unfortunately, both the garage door and the deck door were locked.

Come on!  It can't be this hard!  Just type in the code slow!  BEEP BEEP BEEP.

OK, there's a boarder that lives downstairs in a mother-in-law apartment.  I guess I need to wake him up.  Well, the beers he enjoyed during the hockey game must have worked as he never stirred to repeated doorbell rings and pounding on his window.

Now what?  I could sleep in my car, or perhaps head to a hotel.  However, I didn't have a change of clothes, and didn't want to show up at my new job in what I wore yesterday.  That'd get folks talking...

One more try...BEEP BEEP BEEP

Maybe, just maybe, there might be a window that would open.  I went back to the deck, as I vaguely remembered thinking that the kitchen sink window was open when I noticed it doing dishes one night.  I climbed the deck, and was pleased to find that the window had no screen.  Whew - break #1.  I then leaned over the railing and tried to push the window open.  Lo and behold, break #2.

Now the bad news - the window was not over the deck.  In fact, I'd need to shimmy on a narrow and weak-looking railing and then try to fit through a very small window.  If I fell, or the railing broke, I'd likely break something, and given the Coors Light the downstairs boarder was sleeping off, I wouldn't been found until much later the next day.  

The stakes were high, but it was a risk I needed to take.  I hiked my way onto the railing, eventually got a death-grip on the kitchen faucet, and hauled my fat butt through the window.

For perspective, here's what I accomplished entering:

I put my size 11.5 shoe on the ledge for scale.  It was a very tight fit.

I now carry physical keys with me every time I go out, even though the door appears to be working just fine now.  I also will be submitting this as a new event to American Ninjas.  

Don't try this at home, kids.

5 Ways a Morning Run Will Change Your Life

It is really tough for me to work out at night, hence I log most of my road time in the early morning hours before work.

This video really spoke to me, and I wanted to share it with you all.

See you out there tomorrow morning:

I Make Them Proud?

As part of my leaving, I was in touch with my alma mater about potentially spending some of my advertising with them; likely as part of a stadium signage package.  Other priorities got in front of it, and I ran out of time to pull it all together, hence I needed to reach out to my contact there and let him know that a deal wouldn’t be in the offing prior to my leaving the company.

He handled the news really well and totally understood the circumstance.  When then talked about my new opportunity – where it was and what I’d be doing.  He was quite aware of the company as it is run by two alumni, and he had nothing but great things to say all the way around.

We finished up our conversation by him wishing me the best on the new opportunity and thanking me for considering them for the opportunity.  He then closed with, “You make us proud.”

Wow.

My whole life I’ve been very proud of my school.  Just about everything about it I admire.  More than anything else it probably molded me into the man I am today, hence I hold it in high regard.  But to hear it turned around, and to hear them say that I made them proud, well that was just wonderful to hear.

I know I was getting sales guy talk, and I shouldn’t read too much into it, still it made me feel incredibly good, especially as I step into a new direction.