Author: Kevscott1

I was walking out of my office today to get to my car and go to another school for a meeting when I saw an 18 wheeler blocking my parked car. My parking spot is located right across from Central Receiving. Trucks stop by all the time to drop off deliveries for our school district. Because of an ongoing construction project, there is a dumpster located right next to Central Receiving, making it more difficult for trucks to park when making deliveries. In this instance, there was no way for me to get around the vehicle. I knew that was going to be late if I did not find the truck driver and get him to move his truck soon. He was not in his vehicle, and no one was in Central Receiving. I was starting to get frustrated. 

A few seconds later, I saw the truck driver was walking towards me. Right behind him was a forklift moving towards the truck. Both the driver and the forklift operator waved to me. The driver said hello and apologized for blocking me in. I started to realize that my issue was not his fault, but I was not out of the woods yet. The forklift operator asked if I could give him a minute as he had to unload one pallet from the 18-wheeler, and then they would be out of the way. The politeness of both the driver and the forklift operator changed my mood. I was no longer angry. I called my secretary so she could inform my meeting participants that I would be a few minutes late and I waited for the workers to do their jobs.

They were a great example of how to act, mainly when circumstances cause one to impose upon others. Apologize, take responsibility, and make sure that the person who feels put out realizes that it was not personal (or out of laziness, or out of disregard for ohters, etc.)

The truck driver pulled out, and I was finally able to get on my way. As we were leaving the parking lot, he pulled over and waved me on. This guy was on a roll with his acts of kindness. I was lucky that day to be surrounded by people whom I have never met before, and raised me to a higher level.

Every day is an Interview.

January 11.

Last night, we sat down to watch John Wick on TV. We had wanted to see it in the movie theatre, but our schedules got in the way. As we were getting settled, I asked my youngest son if we had any popcorn. I cannot believe that I fell back into my old habits so quickly. I had pretty much eaten clean for the whole year (11 days). What happened next was an awful example of poor discipline. I ate half the bag of microwave popcorn, had a serving of mixed nuts, ate a serving of chips, had a cookie, and 2 Rocher candies. The worst part was that I was not even hungry.  I truly ignored my goals as I fell into an old habit

Discipline is the only way to reach my goals. I gained a lot of weight in the last 6 weeks of 2019. By cleaning up my diet, I lost a few pounds in a short time. If I want to get to my goal weight, I have to be more disciplined in my decision making. 

This morning, I woke up dwelling on my mistake. This did not help me focus on the goals that I want to achieve today. I need to let this mistake go and move forward. I am not a perfect person and I just need to move forward. I need to focus on making the best decision and move forward.

Move forward, just move forward.

Every day is an Interview.

I am lucky enough to live in a town that has an excellent volunteer fire department. I highly value their work and commitment. My family pays taxes for good schools, a strong police department, and other benefits. I always thought that these benefits should include a well-equipped volunteer fire department.

Growing up, my neighbors were volunteer firemen. My brother was a volunteer fireman. I saw them give up sleep, recreation, dates, etc. to protect those that they served. They trained multiple times a week and they were always ready to protect others. I once saw my brother on the roof of a house cutting a venting hole while the house was on fire so his team could save the structure. I heard stories of these volunteers going into burning buildings to save others. They are all brave men and women.

Once a month, the volunteer firemen in my town can be found at the major traffic lights collecting money. WTF. Why do they need money? They are not collecting a salary. When I asked, they stated that they were fundraising for new equipment. I was shocked. Why do they need to buy equipment? Based on our tax levy, there is no way that they should need or want for anything. Yet, they are not getting the support from the town council and the mayor that they need. Instead of whining, these brave men and women are standing at traffic lights at busy intersections collecting money to voluntarily serve us better. 

I am disappointed in our leaders. How could they allow our volunteer fire department to be in such sad shape that its (volunteer) members have to give up more of their time to raise money to protect our township? 

The mayor gets paid. He is the ultimate leader. He decides how the tax levy is spent.  Why doesn’t join our brave volunteers each month? Our town needs firefighting supplies. He should lead from the front. So should the town council members.  We should never live in a place where those that volunteer to protect us have to give up more of their time so that they are properly equipped to safely protect us. The town and its leaders have failed the interview. The courageous and generous volunteer firemen and women have passed. 

Every day is an Interview

It is that time again. That time when everyone waxes poetic about their New Year’s Resolutions. The same resolutions that they are going to forget about in a few days or weeks. Each year, instead of growing, people make the same mistakes over and over again. They make a resolution that will start on January 1, usually after a night of poor sleep. Each time, they have great intentions. Each time, they fail miserably. Year after year, they do the same thing, thus limiting their growth and limiting their potential.

My resolutions for January 1 included the following;

• Eat well
• Drink 100 oz water
• No Booze (I do not drink alcohol in January)
• Do the year in pushups (This year, I have completed 1323 of 2020 at 10:04 am)

These are not new resolutions. Each day, my resolution is to eat well and to drink 100 oz of water. Sometimes I fail, but I do not quit… ever!!! Each day, my resolution is to workout. Each January, my resolution is to not drink in January.

A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something (Google Docs Dictionary). Every day, you need to make a firm decision to do or not do something. The “resolutions” that people make for the New Year are not the same resolutions that you need to make on a daily basis.

Once you realize that a change needs to be made, research the change, then resolve to make it. Do not wait for the New Year. Use the New Year to celebrate those resolutions that you have made numerous times during the past year, and that you are still committed to making as you grow on a daily basis.

Every day is an Interview.

Happy New Year.

Last night, I watched the ball drop on television with my two sons. My wife was asleep, at least until the neighbor’s fireworks at midnight woke her up. My oldest son said Happy New Year and Happy New Decade. Before I could return the sentiment, he also said, at this time last decade, I was in kindergarten. I was stunned. I could not believe how much time, growth, laughs, and tears have passed us by. It was like watching the last 10 years flash in my memory. My wife and I watched our two wonderful sons grow up into wonderful young adults. 

We have all grown into someone different from the person we saw 10 years ago as well as one year ago. Don’t stop growing. Don’t stop getting better.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Decade!

Every Day is an Interview

I cannot stand telemarketers. At some point, I need/want them to realize that I am not going to buy anything from them. In my 31 years of being an adult and having a phone, I have never purchased a single item from a telemarketer. I do not plan to ever purchase anything from a telemarketer with whatever remaining years I have left. 

Despite my wishes, they still call and disrupt my family and our time. No matter how many “Do Not Call” lists I sign up for and numbers I block, they always find a way to call us, get our names wrong, and take away some of my time that I will never get back. 

If I do not recognize the number on my caller ID, I do not pick up the phone. If you call and do not leave a message, your number is automatically blocked. If you were not a telemarketer, why would you call me and not leave a message? What was so “unimportant” that you had to call me anyway?

I am more likely to purchase something from an email telemarketer. If I get an email and see something that I like, need, and want, I am prone to purchasing it… of course, only if it fits the budget. Why, because emails do not disrupt my day. Since they have a title line, I know who they are from before I read them. They do not pressure me into making a decision before I hang up and allow me to do the research that I want to do before making a purchase.

Email marketing does not talk back when I say not interested. These emails do not disrupt my day, interrupt our dinners, or make us pause the movie as we wait to see if the person leaves a message. I can delete them at my leisure. So stop wasting my time and send me an email instead, that way I can delete you later.

One of the first things that firemen learn about fires is that it takes three things to start a fire.  First, you need a fuel source – something like wood or paper that is capable of burning. Second, there has to be an ignition source – the spark that sets the fire off.  Finally, there needs to be an oxidizing agent – the most common is oxygen – which keeps the fire going. Together, these three things make up the fire triangle. Remove any one of them and the fire can’t sustain itself and will go out.  

The other day, my wife and younger son had to wait for an hour in the doctor’s waiting room.  While my wife tried to keep our son entertained, she couldn’t help overhearing another mom’s conversation with one of the other people in the waiting room.  This mom was a whiner! She barely drew breath as she complained about the weather, property taxes, how long she’d been sitting in the waiting room, how lousy the teachers in her son’s school were, etc. The man who was listening just nodded along, initially.  But gradually, he started to join in more and more emphatically. Yeah!  Come to think of it, taxes are too damn high!  The well was poisoned and the poison started to spread.

And it struck my wife that whining is a lot like fire.  It has its own whiner’s triangle. Like fire, it also needs a fuel source – except, in this case, it’s the topic that inspires the complaining.

It needs an ignition source – some bad mood that sets off the complaining. Happy people don’t spend hours complaining.  Generally, complaints happen when people are too tired, frustrated or angry to focus on solutions. Finally, it needs oxygen to keep going.  Few people complain to an empty room. Other people’s attention and agreement (sometimes even disagreement) is the oxygen that fuels the whiner’s triangle. 

There’s something undeniably cathartic about complaining to another person and having them validate us.  We’re right!  About everything!  Politicians are liars and cheats!  The roads are riddled with potholes.  Why schedule appointments if people are still going to be sitting around waiting for an hour?!  

We’re all human, we all have bad days and we all fall into the trap of whining at one point or another.  But it’s a trap that we have to guard against. Have you ever walked into a break room at work when a crowd of people was standing around, complaining?  When it carries on for too long, it becomes toxic. It spreads to other people until it infects almost the entire organization.  

We begin to see our entire world through a dark, menacing lens.  Everyone we meet is a potential enemy. Every circumstance in our life is unfair.  Gradually, the poison spreads and the result is dissatisfaction with everything.  

Fight the good fight. Don’t whine. Don’t poison the well

Every day is an interview.

Even Motley Crue cannot keep their word.

OK, this should not come as a big surprise, but I actually thought they were done. Four years ago, we were told that Motley Crue had played their last show. They even signed a “binding’ contract. Many fans flocked to see the shows and paid extra money for perks because this was the end. 

Wrong. They are back, and on a tour with two other bands from the past. Somebody in the band needed to get paid again. Clearly, Motley Crue has a price that is worth more than their word, and the binding contract they made with their fans.

I never saw the band live. However, if someone paid to see them play their last tour four years ago, do they have a legal right to get some of their money back? i.e. I paid for the last tour, and it was not the last tour, therefore it was false advertising. If the music industry cannot clean this up, maybe the courts can. What about KISS, who is on their final tour number ??? What about the other bands that are claiming that their tour is the last one? Do they owe something to the fans that made sacrifices of their time and their finances to see them one last time? Bands are always talking about the integrity of their music. Shouldn’t we expect them to act as such?

Every day is an interview.

The other day, my sister’s children were in the league championship swim meet. The league was composed of a few local public swim clubs. Her children are very good swimmers and have very good results. At the end of the meet, my sister noticed that the best swimmer from one of the other teams was in four events when the rule states that each swimmer could only be in three events. Because of this, my sister’s children’s team won by two points. Good for her and good for the team.

But what about the bad side? What about the coach who did this? Was it a mistake or was it done on purpose? Regardless, his actions demonstrate terrible leadership.

Lost in who won or who lost is the message that they sent to the swimmer who sat on the bench and should have swum while the best swimmer swam? In the recounting of the story, no one mentioned this young child. No one knew what he felt or how he handled the situation. If that was my child, I would want to know why the coaches did not tell him directly that he wasn’t good enough to swim in the final event and that they were going to have someone else swim in his place. It might sound harsh, but if you cannot be honest with my children, then you do not get to interact with them.

Growing up, I was usually one of the last people picked for teams. In retrospect, it was fair as I was not a very good athlete. To be fair, I never dedicated myself to getting better. I loved playing sports, but it was for social interactions and not the competitive nature of sports. When I was not picked last, I felt pretty good about myself.

When I was younger, probably around 11 or 12, I went to a local summer camp. From what I remember, it was a lot of fun. One afternoon, we were playing stickball. It was coming down to our last out, we had runners on the bases and we were down a run. The camper who was picked last was next to bat. One of the older kids tried to bat out of order. He was caught, and by rule, he was out for batting out of order. The other team celebrated and we were dejected. None more dejected than the camper who was picked last. Looking at his face, it was evident that he was devastated and embarrassed. I can still see his face today.

I do not know what happened to that young man. I hope that he turned out well. I apologize for my role that day. Not because I tried to cheat at his expense, at the cost of his dignity, but because I did nothing to stand up and stop it.