Sometimes creative ideas flood my brain faster than I can write down or record them. Other times it’s closer to a drought, like I actually have to put ‘work’ into it…that frustrates me. Enter this great post via J. Michael Dolan
http://www.jmichaeldolan.com/comment.php?blogid=170
Once upon a time there were three turkeys, and though they knew their eventual demise, they all hoped for one thing; to bring love and cheer to others on Thanksgiving Day.
The first turkey ended up on the dinner table at the White House as the center of a prestigious Thanksgiving dinner celebration. He was a gorgeous presentation proudly served on a silver platter with all the trimmings. He thought he must be the best looking Thanksgiving Day turkey in the world. But, when the meal was served to the guests, all they talked about was politics and the economy, no love or cheer like he had hoped.
The second turkey ended up on the Thanksgiving dinner table of a rich and famous Hollywood movie star. There was a ‘who’s who’ of Hollywood peeps in attendance that day, and though he was served on an expensive designer crystal platter and prepared by a world famous celebrity chef, all the dinner guests talked about was money, cars, and plastic surgery, no love or cheer like he had hoped.
The third turkey ended up as the turkey lunch at an elementary school cafeteria. He was served cold on plastic dishes, and looked nothing like a fine Thanksgiving Day turkey, actually he was more like a step up from cheap grocery store lunch meat, and this made him sad. How could he represent the spirit of Thanksgiving and bring love and cheer to others when he didn’t look like the Thanksgiving Day turkeys in cook books and woman’s magazines?
Then all at once it started; teachers trying to keep control of their class, yelling students dressed like Indians, complaining parents trying to fit into the elementary school chairs, and then suddenly…laughter, smiles, and kids happy to be able to spend a little bit of time with their family and friends. And though he had to share a plate with instant mashed potatoes and canned gravy, the third turkey realized that he was bringing love and cheer to others on Thanksgiving Day, as he had hoped.
The End
We will give thanks this week and I can probably write for hours about what I’m thankful for, yet, it’s easy enough to say in just two words: God‘s grace.
Talk about some of my favorite things; Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Guitars In The Classroom, and one of my favorite Samick acoustic guitars all wrapped up together to help raise money for kids? It just doesn’t get any better than that!
So here’s the deal, all these cool musicians like Tom Petty, Jack Johnson and Jon Foreman of Switchfoot autographed and donated instruments to Guitars in the Classroom to raise funds for an 11-day online auction titled Peace & Love Through Music. The auction runs November 18 through the 28.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers signed a solid cedar top Samick Greg Bennett Rio Grande OM15CE guitar for GITC. As a part of the auction, Guitars in the Classroom will also offer a selection of items that include one of a kind artisan gifts, special experiences, celebrity and local music lessons, and wonderful tools for the musician, teacher, and music lover. These are just a few of the treasures that holiday shoppers and music lovers will find at the auction.
What’s all this for? good question, the online event is designed to fund free musical programs, music therapy, training and supplies and is co-sponsored by two other music non-profits, Resounding Joy and the Playing for Change Foundation, along with a charity founded to teach kids to foster peace in the world: Kids for Peace.
Supporters can access the campaign and participate in the auction by visiting www.peacelovethrumusic.com.
Peace and love through music, I just love that idea, don’t you?
Easy: complaining, blaming someone else, criticizing someone for having a different viewpoint, not trying because you’re afraid of failing, insisting you’re right when you know you’re not, starting a bad habit, putting yourself first.
Hard: Doing something about it, taking responsibility, understanding that someone else may have a totally different reality, trying and failing, admitting you’re wrong, starting a good habit, putting others first.
For the most part, we have two choices as to how we live our lives and the evidence is in the results. Are you getting the results you want?
I heard an interesting interview recently, where the question asked was “if today was the last day of your life, would you want to go out and do what you’re about to do?” How many times have you heard a similar question? You may not consider what you’re going to do today to be the thing you would want to do on the last day of your life, partially because you don’t really know when the last day of your life is, but also because maybe you don’t know what it is you would want to be doing.
My guess is you would be doing something you love, something you have always wanted to do, or very likely something you’ve always dreamed of doing…but, what if you never identified that dream? What if you had it long ago, but are now so caught up in the rat race that the dream is nothing more than a memory of something you ‘used to think about’ or ‘dream of’. Does life have to be like that?
What if you made a change today? Maybe changed just one thing that would get you closer to doing something you have only dreamed of doing? Do you want to write a book on something you’re passionate about? Sing opera? Skydive? Drive an Indy race car? Travel to Europe? Eat a New York steak in New York? So many things people want to do sound crazy, particularly to those who have never done them. So, what if it’s crazy? What’s more crazy, moving toward something you’ve always wanted to do…or living your last day wishing you would have?
Whatever it is you want to do is more than likely possible, you just have to overcome the fear of stepping off the edge, away from the status quo. Scared? Yes, you will probably fail along the way (all our heroes have), but you will never catch a dream without setting yourself into motion – and FYI, the fear doesn’t go away, it’s always there to prevent you from doing something fulfilling. Oh yes, and be ready for the people that will laugh at you and tell you that you can’t do it (more than likely close friends and family…why is that?).
And what about people whose life dream turned into a nightmare? Whose dream was smashed into a thousand pieces, or someone who gave up on a dream? Yes, that happens, and it leaves you with two options: find another dream, or live your last day wishing you had.
Life isn’t perfect, so don’t wait for the magic formula or the perfect map, it will not miraculously show up in your mail box.
I’m just a normal guy, but I’ve had dreams come true, that means anybody can do it (Full disclosure, I had God on my side, still do).
What’s your dream? Are you chasing after it? Or have you left it behind…and it keeps chasing after you? If today were the last day of your life, would you want to go out and do what you’re about to do?
