And so it is done

And just like that, a 40-year career spent primarily in publications of the daily, weekly and trade variety ended three weeks ago.

Retirement has brought a time to reflect, as well as an uptick in physical activity; daily bike rides, up to 12 miles, weight work and the treadmill for aerobic three to four times a week.

Gone are the concerns about headlines and deadlines. No more cranky readers. My time is now mine to catch up on things that have had to go neglected, and move on with other projects. 

Little by little, I'm getting over concentrating on such news as traffic accidents or new businesses. They are simply not my concern anymore.

The rest of my life is here, and the goal is to make the next 25 years even better than the last 44.

Not that the years haven't brought their unique moments. I had the unique experience of working in New York City for the better part of 13 years. Exciting? Yes. Hectic? Absolutely, but I survived the daily commute on the train. Along the way, I was blessed with the opportunities to experience a New York Yankees championship parade, in 1996, a Rockefeller Plaza tree lighting and a Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop.

My travels in that job took me to trade shows in San Diego, still my favorite, Palm Beach, Florida, Boston and Scottsdale Arizona.

Through it all, from the time I walked into the newsroom in New Jersey as an intern until the time I walked out the front door of the daily in Prescott Valley Arizona, I always tried to keep the reader first and foremost in mind; imagine sitting in your easy chair at home reading the paper, what do you want to know most? Is the paper designed attractively? Honestly? Look at it from the reader's perspective, whether it's content or the stories themselves. Is it interesting? Does it all make sense?

Fall Cleaning

 There comes a time in your life, often without warning, that there are things and people that just aren't worth your time and attention. Remember, your time is valuable, and when you are in your mid-50s, and realize that you probably have about 30 years left in this life, if you're lucky, it occurs to you that there are just too few moments left to waste on stressing out about things and people that you are just not going to change. 

Now is the time for quality moments; doing things that ignite your passion and grow your mind. Some people are just not worth your precious time anymore, even if they might have been for years. Times change, people change, and it's liberating to know you can move on and focus on what's important to you. 

Now is the time for soul searching and clearing out the clutter around you that keeps you from being the person God intended you to be. Hard as it may be sometimes, the time comes to discard what brings you angst and move forward. It's ok not to share your life with people who obviously have no interest in it. 

You are you; nobody can take that away from you. The beautiful life others miss out on will be their loss, not yours. Cherish precious moments first; sharing them is nice, but not important, and certainly not worth getting upset over when people show no interest.

Lenten thoughts

As we head into the Lenten season, I have been giving more and more thought to my faith and the direction of my faith journey. We are called to love one another as ourselves. Giving this more careful consideration gives me pause. I think we tend to forget we are children of God, and the Father calls us to have genuine love for each other. Hard as it is sometimes, that love should not be of the 'if it'll shut you up,' nature, but rather heartfelt joy toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is unfortunately the ultimate goal and not the usual reality.
   Living a committed Christian life is not about "Living with" people or 'putting up with" them. It's about praying for them and helping them along the journey. Not dismissing them or mocking them. All this is unfortunately easier said than done in this day and age, but it is something to strive for and contemplate in this Lenten season of sacrifice and focus on others.
   We need a more forgiving nature, so to be forgiven "as we forgive those who trespass against us. Guide, don't chide.
We all need to pray for the grace and strength to pray for each other and how to make all of our lives better.

Good for all of them

Grateful locals give man big thank-you for ending police chase through Syracuse Park

I love hearing about things like this. This guy unselfishly used his truck to cut off the driver in a police chase through a local park, and the local auto repair shop gave him $15,000 in repairs and upgrades. Seems like society is increasingly selfish, and it's heartwarming to know there are still people like this guy. Big kudos to the auto body repair shop too, for not only making repairs, but adding upgrades that cost more than the repairs. A thank-you like that is even more meaningful because it's not why this guy did what he did. Here's to how America should be.

Value-able tips for graduates

For some time, I've been meaning to pay it forward a little by offering recent graduates some advice as they start their careers. I mean pay it forward in the sense that I want to help them avoid some of the same mistakes I made. Not so much what I did as what I didn't do.
   I've come to learn over the years that the most important task you have when beginning your career is creating and projecting as much value to a company as you can. 
  Employers obviously want to know what you can bring to the table. This means getting as involved in college as you can. Make yourself a problem-solver and working on projecting that image to potential employers as part of your professional brand. 
   College should be as much about learning to solve problems and offer solutions as it is to getting the best grades you can. Always think in terms of your "Here's what I can offer you" answer. Developing that mindset as soon as possible will help you out immensely.
   Once you've landed the first job, don't just show up every day. Anybody can do that. Absorb as much knowledge as you can, as questions and learn how you can be part of the solution to the company's challenges. 
  I'd always thought of myself as a "What do you need?" guy. Willing to take on any task that had to be done. Even better, especially these days, are employees who learn to predict what the employer will need before he or she even knows it.
   As you learn more about the job, develop a vision of where you see things going, and collaboratively share that with co-workers and managers. Not all of your ideas may be implemented, so be flexible and don't take that personally. Learn from the answers you get. Again, it's making you more valuable as an employee.
   Don't forget to keep track of that value, as well. Your future employers are going to want to know what you ACCOMPLISHED at your previous job, not just what you DID. Develop the mindset of being able to answer the question "How is the company better because of me?" Don't fall into the trap of coming in every day, doing your assigned tasks and collecting your paycheck. Regularly evaluate what you are actually accomplishing on the job, and if that inventory is found wanting, figure out ways to improve it.

Volunteer to take the lead on a project, for example, and keep track of your contributions. You'll need that later when writing resumes and cover letters for any future employers.
Always be thinking in terms of "Someday, somebody is going to ask me what I accomplished here and how I made this a better company." You'll be glad you did when you are competing against a bunch of achievers for a position somewhere else one day. Your goal should be to be the go-to employee for the job you do. Think of your boss telling others, "There's nobody I'd rather have doing this."
 If all this is revelation to just me, that's fine, but have a read. It might be a good refresher or might spark some inspiration. Good luck!

Head Up

This blog is taking a somewhat new direction, one that is onward and upward with a particular emphasis on the positive and, as the name suggests, keeping a head up and eyes forward. These are not new ideas, but hopefully can be a reminder to focus on the good and the positive in this world, with some thoughts that have occurred to me. It's easy nowadays for despair, disappointment, envy and frustration and regret to drag a head down, but replacing those with hope, fulfillment, gratitude and focus will prop that head right and keep your eyes forward where they belong. Forward is where the opportunities are. Look back just long enough to see how something might have been done better, and apply the lessons learned to the most important path: the one in front of you. Keeping a head up and eyes forward also lets you see obstacles before you are right on top of them. Not that it's anything new, but you can't change circumstances. What you can change is your thinking, specifically your attitude about the circumstances and how you deal with them, and trying to adjust better and live smarter. The focus needs to be on opportunities, whether it's opportunities to work, make the world a better place, give joy to someone else, even if briefly, or help someone else. Always be on the lookout for needs in this world to fill. By staying focused on the positive, and by the way, keeping yourself and your skills relevant, you don't have time to be downcast, disappointed, frustrated, which leads to anger, or envious of others.

Trust God for He is with us

"If God Be For Us, Who Is Against Us?" Romans 8:31 Fear can shape our lives as much as anything. It is a fog that clouds our way, blinding us to what lies ahead. It is a shackle paralyzing us before it turns us in a direction we wish we hadn't taken. Fear gives nothing and takes everything. Its grip can seem overwhelming to bear. Fear will tighten the loose grip of caution to the point where you are stuck on the curb forever after you've looked both ways before crossing the street, as author Neale Donald Walsch would say. Caution can guide, fear will crush your dreams and leave you looking back at a life littered with "If only I hads." Trust in God. He will provide what he knows you need in his time. It is easy to get impatient with God's timing, but our human timing is nowhere close to His, and his plan for our lives is perfect. We need to trust in it, though it can be very hard. Pray each day for God's grace and protection and He will give it to you through our risen Lord Jesus Christ. He is always indeed for us.

Thoughts on The Wizard of Oz

As I was walking back to my apartment today, thinking about my step-by-step journey back to physical fitness (I won't bother with the numbers from my physical, but lets just leave it at they are not nearly where I want them to be) when I began thinking about the Wizard of Oz story. This may take more twists and turns than the Yellow Brick Road, so bear with me. We are all on a Yellow Brick Road of self-discovery in life. We all have our own needs and wants, or at least those we perceive. Along the way, we meet people with their own needs and wants, just like Dorothy met the Scarecrow, before both of them met the Tin Man before all three of THEM met the Cowardly Lion. How similar is that to life? A winding road we follow on our journey, meeting people along the way and helping them achieve their goals as they help us achieve ours, in the meantime, all of us discovering things about ourselves by helping others discover things about themselves, or helping each other realize that maybe what we wanted we had all along and didn't even know it. Look at the Emerald City and especially the All-Powerful Oz himself. The reality was that our dream destination was no more than a product of what we had heard,the wishful thinking others had passed down to them, enhanced by our own imagination. We are disappointed, as first glance, that the reality does not meet our expectations, but eventually are satisfied with what we have, because indeed we have discovered we have it...