I have to say, I was pretty excited about meeting another author who had experienced the success he has.  I didn’t know what to expect from the event, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it.  We shelled out $500 ($250 each) for the opportunity to meet him, take a picture, and sit on the very front row during the discussion about his book, the Kennedy assassination, and other topics.  I won’t go on much about the event…it was great as you might expect.

We also wont go into whether or not it was worth the money spent.  I think it came close, if not all the way there.

We visited the 6th Floor Museum while we were there.  What an incredible collection of storytelling from this time in our nation’s history.  It wasn’t what I expected.  I expected to see relics of Kennedy or the presidency (of which there were a few, but far fewer than I expected).  No, this museum was dedicated to telling the story of the assassination of a president.  One could stand almost in the window where the shots were fired (the actual spaces were preserved and behind glass walls, but there were other windows giving a similar perspective and it was a solemn experience to look down on the street and see how close we really were to where the motorcade passed all those years ago.

I highly recommend a visit to the 6th floor if you’re ever in Dallas and have a chance to do so.  Plan to spend a few hours to take it all in.

First of all, when I tried to move my mail app, calendar, alarm clock, and other “working” apps, it tried to label that folder “Productivity”.  I ALMOST accepted that, but then I started thinking.  Is email really a productivity tool?  I suppose it can be, but not when a person is tethered to it all day long every day.  Some people even consider email a form of instant messaging – which it is, of course, not.

So, I started thinking about what I wanted to call my folders.  How did I want to describe what was really in each one.  The picture above is what I came up with.  While I have to admit, I have read other posts about this type of thing before, I had always dismissed them as people who just didn’t appreciate the technology at their fingertips.

As my days become more and more busy, I understand more fully how something I had once insisted was necessary for doing great work isn’t really all that necessary at all for doing even good work.  I really don’t need yet another thing contributing to the business.  It can be a great tool, but if you consider that a hammer was never meant to turn a screw, maybe it’s a tool to be put back in the bag from time to time.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

…

Read the speech here.

- Lao Tzu

Absolutes are rarely true.  I’m not sure this is the “ONLY” path to serenity.  However, the sentiment ahead of this rings true to me.  I also find similar wisdom when reading certain passages in the bible like Ecclesiastes 5:10-12:

“Whoever loves money never
has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never
satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.
As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they
to the owner except
to feast his eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.”

1. No, it wasn’t MY poop.
2. No, it wasn’t on purpose.
3. I think perhaps we are to love…THAT, my friends, is the meaning of life.

Now, for the scoop on the poop…

When my beautiful first born daughter was all of a few months old, she was small enough to bathe in our kitchen sink…which was very cute and we have a lot of pictures.  It was always such an incredible experience to see her floating there, small enough to hold in the palm of my hand.  I was usually in awe when I wasn’t just having fun.

My experience with diapers wasn’t what you would call at expert level at the time.  I had changed a few, and was able to do so without incident.  This time, I would regret my decision to “try something new.”

My daughter had just finished taking care of business and it was my turn (don’t let that fool you – my wife did most of the diapers…by “turn” I mean, maybe 1 in 5 – or worse…)  Anyway, I decided that since she was such a mess, and she would have to have a bath, it would be much quicker to skip the middle part of wiping and cleaning and just skip straight to the sink.

I held my daughter up with one hand under her arms (she was very small), and with the other hand I reached for the sprayer, as she reached for something entirely less innocent with her hand.  I had already turned on the water to get it the right temperature and was just about to “hose her down” when she firmly planted her entire hand, up to her wrist, in my mouth.

I thought it was so cute until I realized there was something on her hand.

You know, when I used to hold her when we’d walk down stairs, or on slippery pavement, I would always think about how if I fell, I would cradle her at all costs…even if it mean breaking my neck…to protect her.  It was time to put this instinct to the test.

In a moment I realized exactly what was on her hand (her reaching back with the other hand to get another load was a pretty good clue).  I screamed.

To her credit, my wife ran in like she was on fire to see what was the matter.  As I passed off the child I had just saved from falling onto the tile in that moment of realization, I said something like, “Uh thukk uh haa oop in muh mouth.”

The top 5 reactions to having poop in your mouth:

1. SCREAM LIKE A GIRL FIRST, THEN SPIT A LOT AND RUN IN CIRCLES GOING “AHHHHHUUGH  AHHHHHHHUGH” AND SHUTTER THEN BURN YOUR ESOPHAGUS WITH AN ENTIRE BOTTLE OF LISTERENE.  Then, you can laugh about it later – MUCH LATER.

There are no other reactions…the title was a bait and switch.  I mean, come on…what would you do?

Ok fine…

2. Throw up (which wouldn’t actually help)
3. Chew on one of your lawn mowing shoes
4. Lick the carpet
5. French kiss the dog