Way to go Joe!

I came across an article about this guy a couple of weeks ago, but somehow I didn’t get around to blogging about it. His name is Joe Rollino and I have a bit to say about him.

I’m not sure exactly why I have such a fascination regarding exercise and old people, but I do. I guess it has to do with the fact that exercise is something you can never give up on. Well, there are a lot of benefits to never giving up on it. Doesn’t mean we need to go to the gym every day…but we do have to be fairly consistent to enjoy the benefits.

Anyways, when I first heard news blurbs of how this guy died I thought, “what irony!” 104 years old…and hit by a minivan. Well, I found an even more informative article here, and I think it makes the story all that much more interesting. So here are some of the facts:

• This guy was very famous for his strength (in his day) but was only 5’5” and about 150 pounds.
• He was a vegetarian.
• He swam every day for 8 years straight.
• He could bend quarters with his fingers even in his old age (apparently he could do dimes when he was younger-thinner, but smaller makes it tougher).
• He was about 2 months shy of his 105th birthday.
• When he got struck by the mini-van, he was on his daily 5-mile walk.

So I guess he did slow down a bit as the years went by (not quite doing his polar bear swims in the atlantic every day at 104), but a 5-mile walk for a centenarian is pretty darn good. I consider my grandpa to get around pretty well for his age (90, going on 91), but frankly, there aren’t enough hours in the day for my grandpa to be able to walk 5 miles.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more and more indifferent to how long I live (within reason). 70, 80, 90, it would all be good—provided I have a good quality of life. I think it would be pretty awesome to be able to walk 5 miles a day until the day I die. And if I get killed while trying to get some honest exercise…so be it. Dying while still living is the best way to go.

Oh, and fortunately, he was reported to have lost consciousness immediately upon getting struck. The story is not without sadness…but kind of cool at the same time.

I love this movie! aka-getting there

I decided one of the things I wanted for my birthday was to take my parents to go see Avatar in 3D. As I’ve gotten older, getting “stuff” just doesn’t hit the spot like it used to. Well, thanks mom for making me that cool Beatles blanket, and thanks again for the angel food cake. Anyway, taking the parents to see a cool movie was up my alley. Fortunately, Randy, Jared and Liz came along too (Jenna took baby Caleb for his first trip shopping with the ladies).

After having seen 3 rather disappointing sequels (okay, prequels) to Star Wars I didn’t expect to be blown over by technology. But, the special effects in this movie are damn near SEEMLESS, and the plot is really cool too. That, and I absolutely LOVE the color blue:)

Something interesting happened in the theater that lined up pretty well with some recent thoughts. I’ve been reflecting quite a bit lately regarding where I’m at with my “fear issues,” and the truth is, I’m not all that happy with where things are at, or at least where they’ve been at. Really frustrating too, because for much of my adult life I’ve put a lot of effort into fighting fear. Granted, it is easy for anxiety to generalize, and watching a close loved one self-destruct, and then, whether intentional or not, ultimately succeed in that destruction is a bit much for anyone to handle. But, I also realize that my fears have brought me a lot of unnecessary stress, and well…pain. Sometimes fear can work to one’s advantage (e.g. totally kicking ass on my CIH exam) but usually that’s not the case. Usually we end up worrying about things for which worrying provides us no advantage, and we unnecessarily endure a very large amount of discomfort.

So what happened in the theater? Well, on my way back from using the restroom, as I was meandering past several enraptured theater-goers, I tripped. Not just a little trip, but one of those almost do a face plant types of trips. In catching myself (fortunately I did), I kind of pulled this girl’s hair, and then pulled back this other person’s seat about half-way down, and I may have even kicked somebody. Of course, I apologized profusely, but the main reason I’m sharing this story is because of what happened afterward. If something like that had happened when I was younger (actually, maybe even up until just a few years ago) I would have been MORTIFIED. Instead, I went back to my seat and enjoyed the rest of the show, with a big smile on my face. Now it is true that if I had needed to use the restroom again I would have gone the OTHER direction, but I think what happened says a lot about how far I’ve come with this fear thing. I even had a good laugh telling the story to my family as we left the theater, and of course they all laughed too.

So, am I where I’d like to be with my fear issues? No, not quite yet. But, even if I still struggle (quite a bit) in some areas, the fact is I have come a long way. And…I think I’ve found some good resources to help me become the FEARMASTER it is my dream to become. On my birthday, I told my family that one thing was for certain. The next thirty “something” years of my life are going to be a lot more relaxed than the first.

Reflections on the book of wisdom...

So this weekend I finished reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Well, technically I read Los 7 hábitos de la gente altamente efectiva, with the English version as an occasional (okay, pretty much at least one word or phrase every page) reference.

It was the second “big book” I’d read all the way through in Spanish, and I must say, it does feel like quite an accomplishment. I wish it hadn’t taken me an entire year to complete, but that’s mostly because there were more than a few distractions along the way.

I had read the book before (in English) about 12 years ago, but this time it meant so much more. Well, I feel like (at least recently) I’ve been able to see the ideas in a less perfectionistic light, and they seem to be a lot more user friendly that way. Now, rather than “rules to be obeyed” I see them more as observations and tools that present opportunities for a happier life.

A caution I have regarding the seven habits (mostly for myself but also for others) is to remember that we are not gods and we never will be. There can only be one all powerful being…and that being is NOT me. We are capable of many great things, but achievement is only a small part of living…acceptance of our very human limitations…and allowing ourselves to take the time to relax and enjoy life…is just as important.

Okay, I’ll get off my soap box and say a bit about the habits. I sincerely do believe they are incredibly profound ideas, and yeah, I want to share them:

1) Be Proactive-Sea proactivo. This habit is about accepting responsibility for our own lives and recognizing that whatever happens in life, an element of choice ALWAYS remains. A huge responsibility, to think that whether or not I’m happy or sad is under no one's control but my own…but also an incredible opportunity and reason to hope.
2) Begin with the End in Mind-Empiece con un fin en mente. If we don’t know where we want to go, the odds of getting there are pretty slim. This one also has a lot to do with values, and answering the question for ourselves…who do I really want to be?...and what would I really like to do with the time I have for living?
3) Put First Things First-Ponerlo primero primero. This habit is about organizing our lives so that we are living according to our values. Doing the things we need to do to not only get by, but also to make our dreams a reality.
4) Think Win/Win-Piense en ganar/ganar. Too often in life we go for win/lose, or lose/win. Selfishness vs. self-sacrifice. We all have needs, as Covey states, the needs to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy. In pursing fulfillment of those needs, it is very worthwhile to strive to meet the needs of others along the way. If win/win is not an option, “no deal” is often better than lose/win…and rarely means lose/lose.
5) Seek first to understand, then to be understood-Procure primero comprender-y depsués ser comprendido. In the epilogue to recent editions of the book, Stephen admits that this is the most difficult habit for him to live. It is perhaps the most difficult habit for me to live too. How many times in life have I said to myself “wow, I really misunderstood?” How much confusion and stress could be avoided if we took the time to truly listen to one another. We can be fast with things…but with people…we must be slow.
6) Sinergy. Sinérgia. I struggle with this one a bit too. I remember 12 years ago reading this section, and perhaps mostly because I was so incredibly shy thinking “fat chance.” The idea here is that working together, by appreciating and valuing each others differences, we can accomplish not only more…but much more.
7) Sharpen the Saw. Afile la sierra. This habit is about continually maintaining (and inevitably growing) ourselves. Getting regular exercise and eating appropriately to have a healthy body…which in turn contributes to a healthy mind. Reading regularly to benefit from the ideas of others. Building relationships by continually making deposits into each others emotional bank accounts. Gaining a broad perspective on life…and figuring out what it is one should truly value.

Okay, I spent a bit longer on this project than I anticipated. Have a fairly busy day ahead of me at work and should probably head to bed. Great ideas…that in the proper context…can bring about great things…and make life just that much better.

Me gusta mucho...

So this afternoon I’ve been studying about what is called Human Performance Improvement, or a philosophy that attempts to understand all safety incidents in the context of the culture that created the problem (rather than blame the individual). In the section on communication, they ask what these headlines REALLY mean to say. I like numbers 3 and 8. Sorry, no spanish translations available.

1) Delinquent Teen gets Nine Months in Violin Case
2) Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
3) Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
4) New Vaccine May Contain Rabies
5) New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
6) Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
7) Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge
8) Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half

Adventures in the Great White North

So I spent New Year’s weekend in Idaho Falls at my little bro’s place. It was a fun trip. With all the “end of year push” stuff going on at work this past week, it was a good break too. Wish I could say I was coming back to a more relaxing week at work but now we have the “beginning of the year push” stuff to deal with which usually ends up being even more demanding of me. Ah well.

Let’s see, highlights from the trip. New Year’s Eve was fun. Nick took me to a party at the Shiloh Inn where we met up with Megan. Couldn’t really hear anything anybody said over the music, so since I didn’t know anybody, just mostly sat around drinking beer (I only drank one) and smiling at the drunk people. I did have an interesting experience with my baby sister. Megan was pretty well wasted when I got there, and after telling me how much she loved me (about a million times) decided she wanted to teach me to dance. Well, after we started dancing I realized she had “dirty dancing” in mind. I was game for a bit, but eventually it did get just “way too weird” and with a bright red face and a grin from ear to ear I told Megan that was probably enough. Nick had a good time watching us and laughing. I mostly just recognized that one beer was nowhere near drunk enough…

The following morning, after meeting up with Megan for breakfast at Smitty's, we picked up Talon and hung out at Terri’s house for a while. Talon is definitely getting bigger and talks really well now. Didn’t give him any shoulder rides or anything though cause he’s pretty much exclusively a grandma’s boy.

Nick, Megan and I saw two movies at Edward’s Theatre. Nick had wanted to see Sherlock Holmes, but since I’d seen it the week before we decided on Avatar instead. Well, since the earlier showing of Avatar was sold out, we saw Invictus while waiting for Avatar. Both movies were great. The special effects on Avatar were pretty mind-blowing. I was a bit disappointed we opted against the 3D version (Nick was worried he’d get a headache), so I think I’ll have to see Avatar again.

On Saturday, went to the local gym (cost me 10 bucks, but I’m still sore in my chest and shoulders) and then did some studying about developing safety goals (for work) while Nick played video games with his roommate. Later that night Terri treated us to dinner at this great Italian restaurant. Sad to say, but first time I’d ever had gorgonzola sauce. Definitely a fan!

Later that evening Nick, his roommate and I all sat in Nick’s bed (he doesn’t yet own a couch) and drank beer while watching the blu-ray version of the latest Star Trek movie on John’s plasma TV. John (who spent the holiday in Vegas) was kind enough to lend Nick the TV while he has been stuck at home recuperating from the surgery.

I had some problems with my cooling system on the Durango on the trip, but Nick was more than helpful with that, and I’m very glad I brought it. They had like 8 inches of snow! I discovered that in Idaho Falls they don’t mess around with snow plows too much either. They pull out the heavy duty construction equipment (graders, front-end loaders, this machine that picks up snow from the middle of the road and deposits it in one of several lined up dump trucks, etc.).

Nick is doing pretty well, though he still has quite a bit of back pain. The area that bothered him before the surgery no longer hurts at all, but now he has new pain that’s even worse in his lower back. He pretty much limps wherever he goes, but he seems pretty optimistic things will get better soon. He also seems to be getting by okay financially too. I was a little worried since he just bought his house last August and what not. It will likely turn out as a really nice place, though I can understand why he’s been so busy doing repairs. As far as covering the bills, he’s got really great insurance (provided he doesn’t start smoking again). Before this surgery, I had no idea nicotine was so damaging to bone growth. Nick and I had some really good talks about the situation with Dad and the estate and what not as well, and I did get the impression those were talks Nick and I needed to have, but definitely a lot more relaxed Idaho visit than those earlier this year. I know they say that when people grow together they grow together, but kind of glad there wasn’t a whole lot of growing to be done this time around. We mostly just had a good time chilling.

Oh, of course, as on the way up, I stopped at Mom and John’s on the way home for free dinner. Randy and Jenna were there for the free meal too.

Definitely a people filled weekend, and definitely a very good change of pace.

Hopefully that about covers it. Apryl, do you have any remaining questions?

:)