The Simple Act of Giving

The day was February 24th, 2009. That's right, just a couple days ago. I had just gotten home from a very busy day at work and was going through the normal routine of heating up the oven to throw some bachelor food in to appease my growling stomach. Then I heard my cell phone ding reminding me I had a message. This Tuesday evening was about to become very memorable and would undoubtedly change the way I reflected on many special moments in life.

The voicemail was from Betty, a staff member of Hands On Tampa Bay (HOT). She asked me to call her back at the office or if it was after 4:30pm then call her at home. I'm thinking to myself that this must be important. I never get people who I barely know asking me to call them at home after business hours. And so I called and Betty so eagerly shared these words with me "I want to inform you that you've been selected as Volunteer of the Year for 2008 for Hands On Tampa Bay!" I was in complete and utter disbelief! I mean what had I done that was so deserving of this magnitude of achievement? There are currently 1,903 active volunteers who have participated in at least 1 project in the past year and they chose me!?

The first words out of my mouth were - "Is this a joke?" She confirmed that it was definitely not a joke and that I had made a very positive impression on the award committee who had chosen me for such a distinct honor. At this point my throat swelled up and tears started rolling down my cheeks. My simple everyday efforts over the past several months had made a difference and this was God's way of telling me to keep doing what I was doing because it was touching lives beyond my own. In fact, HOT has touched many lives and Betty told me that with everyone's help they managed to give back a little over 15,000 volunteer hours in 2007 to the local community because of individuals like myself.

I'm sharing this because my hope is that it inspires you to give back to your community. Your fellow brothers and sisters have needs and struggles that only seem to accomplish pulling all the hope and optimism out of them. You may not see it because you might be too busy dealing with your own struggles in life. But 3 hours on a Saturday at a homeless shelter or 90 minutes on a Wednesday evening at a domestic abuse shelter can be a powerful thing for both sides of the generosity that's taking place. For it is within these moments that previously untold stories of hardships and the return to the splendor that life has to offer are communicated. And it is in these words and these smiles that life becomes sweet again and our precious gift of existence is reinforced.

Nobody is going to remember the nice house you live in, the fancy car you drive, or the things you do to entertain yourself. But I guarantee you that the single, homeless mother will remember the meal you fed her and her children when they were hungry. The child with downs syndrome will remember how you boosted their self esteem as you accompanied them on a horseback ride. And don't think that the 93 year old veteran who is full of pride but can't physically walk down the hall anymore without somebody at his side doesn't appreciate your guidance and gentle support. These are the exact reasons why it's so important to give back to this world. We are a species of incredible goodness and devotion. All we have to do is find a way to let it out.

God bless you and may you feel the jubilation that I've been so lucky to experience this past year. It is priceless and very consuming.

Virtual Truth

What exactly is so great about the biggest craze of the last few years of social networking? Am I just not down with what's cool? I mean I'm not really that old at 31 or at least I don't like to think so but Friendster, Myspace, Facebook... what happened to Earth World?

So I have to admit I was probably one of the first one of my friends and family on Friendster when it first came out years and years ago - like almost back in the 20th century. I found it pretty useless other than the blogging feature. Over the last few years I kept getting all my real friends giving me a hard time for not having a Myspace and then for not having a Facebook. I resisted for a long time but finally gave into both. But I still remain clueless as to what's so extraordinary about it? I mean really... I find myself and I'm sure you do too just staring at an internet page of status updates, moods, and walls of stuff that is somehow suppose to make me feel like I'm spending quality time with my "peeps".

I miss spending actual time with my flesh and blood friends. You remember that thing you do when you call up your homies to go check out a baseball game to enhance your bromance. Or maybe that late night run to Steak and Shake you do with your girls to stuff a bunch of needless milkshake lard into your thighs while laughing hysterically at nothing at all. Now that's what stays with you when you're old and crippled sitting on the front porch in the retirement years.

I guess there is one good thing about having my virtual friends who are really the same as my actual friends.... I get to see updated pictures all the time. But that's about all I can think of that's hip with all the FaceMySpaceBook orgies going on.

As my mocking blog post comes to an end all I have to say is this... I want my friends and family in the real world to - Inform me. Challenge me. Inspire me. And I will become the best man I can be in real life. But you're probably better able to accomplish this by face to face or ear to ear time on the phone with your very real friend Dustin :)

God bless and may your day be full of optimism and hope. I miss you all.

Four Hours, Some Cleaning Supplies, And Many Happy Recipients

I wasn't to thrilled when my alarm went off at 6:15 am this Saturday morning. I wanted nothing more than to sleep in but my commitment to making a difference got me moving contrary to my body telling me "No". Today I was headed to a new volunteer project at a place called Pet Pal Rescue (www.petpalrescue.com). It's a no kill shelter that houses mostly dogs and cats but also other small animals.

We started the day helping the regular staff there do what they do everyday which is clean the kennels for all the puppies. Each pup has an inside kennel with a doggy door leading to an outside kennel. And once a day they are lucky enough to get let out into the play area outside of their kennel. It wasn't easy work. Every inch of their small concrete living quarter had to be scrubbed down. Half way through disinfecting the rows of kennels with my hands feeling somewhat raw from all the bleach and cleaner used in the bucket I asked myself why I had willingly signed up for this job. But that thought only lasted a split second as I thought about how much of a need there was to make these precious little dogs life that much better. They deserved a clean and healthy environment to call home just like you and I have when we walk through our front door.

The payoff was at the end though when all the hard work was finished. With so many dogs and cats needing a home I wanted to load them all up in the car and take them home. Of course that can't happen but I was able to spend another hour or so with them to make their day. After playing with the cats I chose to visit the dogs on the "sick" side and take them out one on one in the play area. The sick side is completely separate from the "healthy" side and is obviously where the puppies who have a medical problem stay until they are better. These dogs don't get any attention from potential adoptees due to their condition so I felt the need to try and make their day a little better.

I spent about 15 minutes each with 3 different dogs. Two of the pups that I took out were full of energy and so happy to have someone to run around with. And they all shared one thing in common and that was a hunger for love and affection. The first pup I took out would make anybody melt. He ran out all excited to the play area and went straight for my lap when I sat down. He curled up in a ball and wanted nothing more than to just be held and loved. And so there we sat for the full 15 minutes and all we did was comfort each other. And it's in a moment like this where silence is golden. I didn't know his story and he didn't know mine but what I did know is that this little guy was in total heaven for a small portion of his day. And I'm sure that times like this are few and far between for him in his life. And to be able to do something that has this kind of an impact on another living being is truly a blessing.

And that my fellow human beings is how important it is to take a small amount of time out of your day to make the world around you a better place. A little bit can go a long way. We are all born with the innate desire to love others and experience happiness by doing so. Sometimes we get a little and give a lot and are disappointed. But sometimes we give a little and get back more than we can ever ask for in life. Please do something positive after reading this. You and somebody else will be happier for it :)

The 2009 Challenge for You and Me

Once again I'd love to share a great idea of mine with all of you out there. I hope you're not rolling your eyes already wondering what I've come up with this time :) I'd also actually love to get some feedback and involvement from all two and a half humans that read my blog. Alright straight to the point...

I'm challenging you to join me in setting 3 goals that you want to accomplish in 2009. They can be whatever you want with only one condition that has to apply to each goal. Each goal's intended purpose needs to have an end result that positively impacts either yourself or somebody else or both. Your goals can be whatever you want them to be. They may be big or small. They may also be pertaining to your personal or professional life or they may pertain to yourself, your family, your friends, or any combination of the three. As long as the intended outcome is a positive impact on you or somebody else that is all that is required.

Here's my three goals for the year 2009:

1) Volunteer at least 100 hours in my local community
2) Get involved in a small group or class at my church
3) Take an active role in providing solutions to challenges that my national government faces by submitting at least one idea (entry) a month to my new president, Barack Obama, through his website - www.change.gov

There you have it. Now it's your turn to think of what you want to accomplish for next year. Feel free to share your goals by making a comment on this article or if you don't feel comfortable doing that then I'll let you off the hook this one time :) Just make sure you're working towards something positive next year and hopefully it'll make you and those around you better off.

And remember one thing - APATHY is your own worst ENEMY when it comes to making a difference.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish all of my readers out there a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday with your family and friends. And just a shout out to all of my family and friends to let you know how much I appreciate your generosity and support you've given me throughout the years. You are the best!

Now... time for football!! And good food!!

I Wanna Grow Up To Be A T-Shirt Thinker Upper

A Great & Historic Era Begins!

Yes We Did

&

Yes We Will...

continue to make our country and our world a better place as our new President Barack Obama encourages us to make a greater impact on everyone in the human race by seeking out our own individual opportunities to make a positive difference in those around us.  It's up to YOU.  It's up to ME.  It's up to ALL of us to get involved or stay involved in this greater movement to improve our own future and our own destiny.  I'm proud to have taken my own opportunities to volunteer in my community and will continue to do so and I hope that you all will do the same or continue to do so if you are currently involved in making a difference.  America needs you and you're determination.

Pumpkaween Time!

Thought you all would like to see some pumpkins that a friend and I painted for Halloween. The pictures aren't the best since they're from my cell phone but enjoy anyways :-)

Bend Over And No... K-Y Won't Be Provided!

I love freedom of speech. I hate insurance companies. And that led to a lovely combination when I wrote my check out for my annual condo insurance policy about two minutes ago. You see my policy went up nearly 14% from last year. Why is that you ask? I'm wondering the same thing.

All I've done is give these scum bags my money for the last 3 years to cover the inside contents (drywall and everything within my condo) in case of a catastrophic loss. All I've received for the last 3 years in return is absolutely nothing! Except for an increase in what I owe them for the services that they never provide. And I'm sure if they had to provide their services they'd raise holy hell not to provide them siting some ridiculous reason like because the GDP of Russia has increased in the last year due to increase in petro dollars that they can no longer cover my losses as listed in our agreed upon contract.

So instead of listing just the policy number of my "insurance" policy in the memo line of the check I just wrote I took the liberty of adding "INSURANCE SCAM CHARGE" in front of it. Now I know that that will make no difference in my renewal fee but at least it relieves some pent up anger for the largest scam artist industry in the entire world - insurance companies.

I think I'll go watch Sportscenter and be happy now :)

Running a Productive Democracy

It's not hard folks. I don't know if I'll ever live to see the day that a democratic process is run correctly. All you have to do is look at the big picture and follow the money. That's what it comes down to. Who's really in charge and who pays the bills. That should be the citizens but unfortunately it isn't. Here's the very simple steps for success in a democratic process:

1) Ban all forms of lobbying and special interest groups. Make them illegal. If any politician of any kind (federal, state, or local) is found to collect even 1 penny from them then their career in politics is immediately over. No second chances!

2) Make it MANDATORY for all governments (federal, state, and local) to balance their budget on a yearly basis and abide by this in the strictest of form. The state and local governments are already responsible for doing this. Time for the feds to buck up. Government should not be allowed to run on a Chinese credit card. If you can't fund a program you can't have the program!

3) Get rid of political parties. No Democrats or Republicans or Green Party or Reform Party. The only choice that is given to anyone when registering is to be an independent and to put forth your stance on each issue as you believe is correct. Your constituents will decide from there if they want you to represent them.

4) Get rid of the electoral college. Every single vote should count. Reform the voting process into a run off format. Instead of picking one candidate that you like you rank them - for example from 1 to 5 or whatever the case may be.

5) Politicians get paid based on their productivity and performance. By this I mean if you show up to work and vote on all bills then you get paid in full. If you go the extra effort and develop legislation that passes into law you get a reward "bonus" for that effort. We also need to base all elected public official's salary based on performance. We could use a variety of tools to gage their pay including the economic success of their nation/state/locality along with approval ratings from the citizens. The better the results in these categories the better their pay is. If the normal citizen doesn't show up to their job or if they produce poor performance results then that often leads to no bonuses or little to no raise or even worse termination. The same thing should go for our elected public officials.

6) A bill consists of one issue and one issue only. No pork barrel add ons. And every bill is made 100% transparent to the media and the citizens in a timely fashion (at least 2 weeks) before the floor vote is conducted. This gives all of us an opportunity if we so choose to speak up when we either like or don't like what we see and flood our representative's office with calls with that feedback.

You see it's not hard. With these simple yet strict rules a democratic government can flourish and be extremely beneficial to the citizens that it serves. My name is Dustin and I approve this message ;-)