What do people thank you for?

The second day of the blogging challenge at Live Your Legend is to write about things people thank you for. During the first 30 seconds of thinking, one thing became readily apparent: Women express thanks exceedingly more than men do. Maybe there's a chance that it isn't a direct correlation. Maybe I just find myself helping more women than men. Or women may just be more polite in expressing thanks. The one exception I could think of was my Dad. My Dad thanks me for every favor or gift, either via text or phone call within a few days. Coincidentally, he has six sisters...

My Dad always thanks me for gifts I've given him over the years. He always thanks our clan when we show up for extended family parties or events. He knows how difficult those things can be at this point in our lives (although guilt is not beneath him when we're too busy). My wife always thanks me for helping out around the house and for giving her free time on the weekends now that we have a son. She always thanks me when we spend time with her family.

Although she doesn't say it, I can always tell my dog is thankful when I take her on walks, hikes, or feed her any type of food whatsoever.

Maybe an unintended effect of this was realizing just how little people say "thank you." I'm going to make a concerted effort to say "thank you" to those people who are helpful or kind more often.

What makes you angry?

I read an interesting article today on a website called "Live Your Legend." It was founded by a man named Scott Dinsmore. I originally heard about his website through a Ted Talk and found it very intriguing. The goal of the website is to encourage and provide people with the tools to live the life they want. Be with the people you want. And more importantly, do the work you that you are passionate about. One of the first tools to to finding your passion was starting a blog (convenient). Write for 10-20 minutes with the idea that putting your thoughts out there will eventually help you tap into your subconscious. Worth a try.

The first topic to cover is what makes you angry. Something that really bothers you about the world. I have plenty but here are just a few…

1. Insurance companies. To me, they are one of the most nefarious sectors of the community. I understand that there are business principles that every company must operate under. Companies must be profitable and cannot conduct themselves like a charity. The bigger any company becomes, the more these giants become removed from the customer. Insurance companies are a simple concept: you pay a premium every month for life. In return, you are covered for ANY ailment, disaster, accident, etc. No caps on payouts. Deductibles are a joke. Why should have to pay a portion of what you are owed? To deter people from submitting claims. The whole system needs an overhaul.

2. Advertising. More specifically, I cannot stand television commercials. They annoy me to a much lesser degree than insurance companies and I also can't say that I'm totally immune to them. What REALLY bothers me is the inability to Fast Forward during "On Demand" shows, which now have commercials. When a one-hour show is almost 25% commercials. When any singular commercial set lasts longer than six minutes. I think it's getting out of hand.

3. The direction of the music industry. When fourteen-year-old girls are the only ones shopping on iTunes, you end up stuck going in One Direction.

4. The hypocrisy of the government. There are so many issues that they should be worried about fixing. Without spending too much time on a soap box, I think that a major sleight of hand is happening. Fixating on illegal immigration, taxes, and other common issues distracts everyone from the underlying issues affecting this country. When was the last time anything significant was accomplished by government (good or bad)?

5. Lobbying groups

6. Mystery and secrecy surrounding GMOs.

7. Sugar, salt, trans fats, and high fructose corn syrup in everything we eat.

8. The over-inflated costs of high school and college educations.

I'm sure there are many more. But these things exist in a low, consistent din in the background of each day. Now, what are some things I could do to change them?

Changes

It's been four and a half years since my last post. So much has changed since then. My wife, Brigid, and I have been married for six and a half years. We got a yellow labrador (Guster) and she is now over four years old. Anyone who has or has had a lab knows the dichotomy of life with this canine. One minute she is greeting you at the front door, licking your face, or snuggled next to you on the couch. The next minute she's grabbed an entire chocolate cake off the countertop, deciphered child-proof locks on the garbage can, or chewed up expensive shoes. I suppose the good qualities outweigh the bad. Just barely.

I started a new job and have been there more than a few years now. I have since given up running after a snowboarding injury in ~2010 caused nagging ankle pain after every run. I had always lifted weights, without much organization or programming. About three years ago, I started lifting weights more frequently and with much more structure with my friend, Russ. I've made some great strides along the way. Interestingly, I had included some strength goals on this website and haven't viewed them in years. Surprisingly, I have accomplished all of them. What's even more surprising is looking at what my personal records were at that point. So many days we thought we weren't making progress. But like any endeavor, progress usually comes at a snail's pace.

Perhaps one of the biggest changes since my last post has been the birth of our son, Jack.

He's almost 16 months old and I can't seem to remember my life without him. We struggled to prepare ourselves for everything we would encounter these past 16 months, but nothing seems to prepare you. We read books, listen to parents and relatives offer sage advice, and discussed (sometimes argued) about how we would raise our baby. We threw out most of these learnings and just struggled to stay afloat for the first several months. Sleep became a luxury.Free time an even rarer commodity.But witnessing Jack laugh at something you did or try to repeat something you said is truly the best feeling in the world. My father used to teach us to hold our hands above our head when we were coughing to try and "open up" the airways. I never took the time to examine its validity, but I found myself subconsciously teaching Jack this trick when he would cough unexpectedly. It never even registered in my head until today when he raised his hands above his head all by himself without me asking him to. It made me reel…

Things are so much different than they were before. It was nice to have a glimpse into the past to see how far we've come. How different am I as a person? Am I better (or worse)? Either way, I think that is what I'm going to establish as this purpose of this slate:

A transcription of my attempt to become better as a human being--mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.