Day Three Hundred Sixty Five...

Well, what about that? It is the last day of this decade, the last day of 2009. It seems like it was only yesterday that we were all wondering if our computers were all going to crash and if the electric grid was going to fail with the move from 1999 to 2000. Well, we all know the answers now, and life goes on.

One year ago today, I began this blog, and it is phenomenal (to me anyway) that I have completed a post, every single day since then. It really proves that time does really fly by when you are having a good time. A whole new year of posts will begin tomorrow, so stay tuned. I do enjoy posting here, and I really think it is just like 'Seinfeld', kind of a blog about nothing!

So, for the end of the year, I just wanted to share some things with you that I have discovered this year, some things that I have realized this year, and some accomplishments I made that I am really proud of. Here goes...

Just because you have been friends with someone forever, it does not mean you have to be friends with them forever. And, even if you have only been friends with someone for a short period of time (relatively speaking), it is sometimes better to just admit defeat and go on with your life. Friendships that do not work over the long-haul are really dis-heartening, and causes some sadness, but I think it is better to just face-the-fact, and realize that, with all the extra time you have (from not working so hard on that friendship) you can make two or three new friends that are not nearly as high maintenance. So far, it is all working out okay for me.

Familiarity Breeds Contempt or Keep Your Cards Close to Your Vest! I have discovered that there is no real need to let everyone know what your are thinking every minute. It really does no good to share all your visions with friends or colleagues. It is like the old adage, 'you have to leave them wanting more'. I am not advocating that you keep secrets from your significant others, but I think you do have to draw the line. I used to tell people that, 'if I tell you everything I know, you will know everything I know'. Somewhere along the line, I quite practicing that, so I need to get back into that habit.

Other people driving down I-35 while texting and checking their e-mails are a hazard. But I am not. Okay, whatever, I will try to curtail that activity. The City of Austin is trying to legislate our behavior in that area, but I do not think that will be successful at all. What we really need is a good 'Big Brother is Watching' kind of thing, where we can all rat out each other. That will really work. Plus, I love ratting people out anonymously. What could be better than that?

In 2009 I discovered Social Networking. BUT, it is SOCIAL networking people, not another way of pitching your product all the time. I KNOW WHAT you do for a living, and I am not offended by the occasional commercial, BUT PLEASE, GET A GRIP! I want to keep up with what is going on in your life and where you live, while not actually having to speak with you in person. Is that wrong? If I wanted to purchase your product, I would do that on-line (where I still would not need to speak with you if I don't want to! On the social networking site, all I want from you is to see the pictures of your Christmas tree, your new car, your new puppy, and your new baby. That is SOCIAL.

Speaking of puppies, NEVER PASS UP AN OPPORTUNITY TO PET A DOG! As you may know, Jody and I adopted a wonderful dog over a year ago from the Williamson County Shelter, and he is absolutely about the best boy dog there ever was. I wish he could talk to me, because I know he has had an interesting life...a life full of ups-and-downs, just like all of ours. He is the sweetest dog, well behaved, timid and sometimes not so much, but a great dog. AND, he is about the biggest 'roll-over' dog you could ever find. He will lay or sit patiently while you shower him with attention, and he will give you 45 minutes to quit that. Petting a dog will get rid of any kind of unhappiness you might be experiencing at the moment. I highly recommend it!

More about puppies...It is my true belief that our dog (the Bear Dog, affectionately referred to by me as BoBo) loves me unconditionally. He is always happy to see me, no matter what I have done, or what other dogs I may have been with throughout the day. In fact, he really seems to have a grand appreciation of an occasional 'strange dog' smell on me. Really, not a jealous bone in his body. One of the reasons I consider myself to be such a lucky man is, and I profess my luck many, many times throughout the year, is that I am the recipient of unconditional love by at least a couple people in the world, and I think that is probably one or two more than the majority of people in the world. I have the unconditional love of other human beings, and they let me know that they love me unconditionally. In return, I too love them unconditionally, with all the warts and whiskers that they may have. I just don't care. There is nothing they could do that would alter my love and caring for them. PERIOD!

We are surrounded by Terror! Terror manifests itself in many different ways (one example is three paragraphs up). Our world is never going to be the same as it was before 9/11. We can only go on about our lives as best we can, and try not to let the bad guys know we fear them. We are fearful of so many things in our lives; fear of flying, fear of dentists, fear of small places, fear of failure, fear, feAR, FEAR! We fear things. I fear not being successful, among a variety of other things. I fear waking up in the middle of the night, worrying about things that might be. And, just maybe, the fear of waking up is what wakes me up. It is a vicious cycle. But, one thing is for sure, I fear...

Fewer Neighbors make Better Neighbors! I have found that to be true over the last 14 months or so, ever since Jody and I made the big move to the country. In the past (almost) 18 years, we have lived in four different places, and I think we are happier here, together, than we have been before. Each of the first three homes were surrounded with other homes and neighbors, some more dense than the others. Now, out in the country, we really only have three sets of close neighbors, and we see those neighbors more regularly, and are more likely to ask one of them for a favor than we would ever have been inclined to do before. Admittedly, we have lived in some stuffy neighborhoods, and we are not particularly that stuffy (we don't think we are, anyway), and there is NOTHING stuffy about life in the country. WE LOVE IT, and I don't think either of us are in any kind of hurry to make any changes with the life we live right now. And, we have our neighbors to thank for a good deal of those opinions.

Books on CD are a good thing. Since I have discovered them, I have probably listened to (read?) a dozen or more interesting books, everything from Fiction Best Seller's to Motivation to Self-Improvement and Leadership titles. Since my daily commute is (generally) a minimum of two hours, I can usually go through a good book in about a week. Sometimes longer, sometimes less, but always worthwhile. I am finally getting around to 'reading' some of the titles I have been given as gifts in the past, and looking forward to more in the future.

Talk Radio IS BAD! Believe me! Several months ago, I had to go cold-turkey from talk radio. I was totally a 'talk-radio' junkie, and the fact that I was in the car so much just contributed to my addiction. The 'hosts' of the various shows would occasionally make me so angry, that I could actually sense myself becoming a much more aggressive driver. I was actually making myself crazy, and I was sure to be diagnosed with Impulsive Explosive Disorder (IED), which is a new psychological disorder, also known as road rage. So, I think my boycott of many of the Austin and national favorites (you know who they are) has been a wonderful thing for me. AND, my blood pressure has certainly been reduced after making the switch!

Change is a good thing, mostly! 2009 has been a year of change for me, and most of it has been changes for the good. Thanks for noticing! I wonder what changes I will undergo in the New Year?

I am proud of many accomplishments I have made in 2009. Some involve cattle, some involve self-realization, some involve charitable endeavors, some involve my personal relationships with family and friends. The one I will 'toot' my own horn about here, is having been nominated as a Director for the Austin Board of REALTORS. I will continue to volunteer my time and energies for various committees and organizations, but this nomination by my peers is one of which I am really proud. Thanks to all of you that have had a hand in my development over the years. I amaze myself all the time about how I feel like I have changed over the past couple years. Thanks for all your help.

Another accomplishment I am proud of is my participation (and completion/graduation of) the Texas REALTORS Leadership Program. It was a long and involved process, and I learned a lot from the process. Many of the participants (there were 21 of us) were friends of mine when the process started, many I had a passing acquaintance with, and a few I knew not at all. BUT, by the time the classes were completed, and we were actual Graduates, I knew them all very well, and would trust them with any thing. I hope they are all aware that they can call upon me for any thing they might need as well. A terrific program, and something that I would not hesitate to promote.

So, that is about it for this year. This is the last post of the year. I am sure I am leaving out lots of important things that I have learned, accepted or figured out, but there is always tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that! I wonder what tomorrow will bring? Stay tuned! BUT, I cannot end this post any differently that I have tried to end all the previous ones.

I would really like to play a part in positive change in our world. Can we all just try to be a little bit nicer to each other? Can we all just try to make our world a better place to be in some small way? Can we all just try to say 'please' and 'thank you' for the nice things other people do for us? Can we all just 'pay it forward'? Can we all just try to smile and laugh and HAVE FUN every day? Can we all just...