Of dreamers and doers

Jon Acuff once posted some of the best marital advice I've ever read: in most relationships there is a "Wow!" person and a "How?" person.

Wow is a dreamer filled with ideas to the point of overflowing. How questions the logistics of every possibly, methodically poking and proding dreams to expose weaknesses and flaws. In a successful relationship, How and Wow cooperate to bring dreams to fruition.

On most days, I am Wow. Dreams and ideas bounce around my head in abundance. Stories I'd like to write, places I want to visit, stuff I want to teach my kids, to-do lists I'll accomplish someday. Bekah is the how to my wow. She provides wisdom to my folly. She points out that which is impossible and encourages those dreams that ignite my innermost being. We're both fully aware that 0.01% of my fantastic ideas will ever see the light of day and I've come to understand what it means when she rolls her eyes in my general direction.

But our roles are not static. Sometimes, Bekah is Wow. The difference between us is that I am not her How. When she assumes the wow position, she becomes her own how person. She dreams big and seasons those visions with reason and logic. She doesn't just dream for leisure - she makes every effort to make reality dance in tandem with the possibilities she envisions.

That is her world right now. She saw something that was broken and she wants to fix it. She refuses to passively stand by and wish that things were different. She is attacking her dream and ripping it apart to piece it back together into something that is tangible and infectious.

Watching Bekah is inspiring. Other people are dreaming with her - by intentional invitation as much as a natural byproduct of associating with such a passionate dreamer. Not only do I believe that this broken thing can be fixed, I am convinced that Bekah is the person who will fix it.

She may be a dreamer, but she's also a doer. And I want to dream with her so that I can celebrate in her victories. I hope that someday you will dream with us.

Speed limits

A driving lesson from my oldest son.

Christian: Dad, the speed limit is 40 miles per hour.
Me: Yes.
Christian: Are you going 40?
Me: Nope.
Christian: How fast are you going?
Me: 44.
Christian: Whoa. You need to slow down. You're 4 over. If a cop sees you, they'll pull you over and give you a ticket. And if you can't pay the ticket, you'll go to jail. Do you have enough money to pay a ticket?
Me: Yes I do.
Christian: Oh. OK. But you should still drive slower. Because a cop will see you.


That kid is serious about the rules.

Tasty?

As I was washing the dishes this evening, I found pots in the sink filled with diluted food coloring. One was a redish pink and the other blue.

I asked Bekah, "What's with all the food coloring?"

She started a maniacal laugh that hinted at a disastrous tale that could only include my children and their relentless escapades.

"You don't even want to know." She said.

The story happened sometime this morning. Christian was the only one of the three at school; with the first couple days of spring break under way the younger two have developed a case of cabin fever. The snow falling outside did nothing to ease their restlessness. They also have food seeking tendencies.

They put their cat burglar skills to the test and set out to climb in (explorer) the pantry. Their pilfered swag included a bag of chocolate chip muffin mix and food coloring. The mix was divided between them. Food coloring was added, stirred, and consumed with a spoon.

It wasn't even batter. Just dry muffin mix. Tinted, but dry.

The siblings that read together...

Today, I am thankful

I consider myself blessed to have married an intelligent woman - a woman who is immeasurably smarter than the girl in this video. Although I haven't tested my theory, I am certain that my wife could accurately answer this man's question in 10 seconds or less.



ps, I hope watching this clip didn't lower your IQ. If it did, I apologize. Go watch some TED Talks and you'll feel better soon.



(Video found at Happy Place)

That kind of day

Have you ever had one of those days where everything transpires in a manner that is wholly opposed to the way you hope or plan. Today was one of those days for me.

It started of decent. I got up with my first alarm, got ready, and packed my lunch as usual. I filled my travel mug with coffee, but in the process spilled it - making a mess of the kitchen counter. And I managed to get out the door without waking any of the kids.

But after driving a half mile down the road, I realized that I left my work badge at home. That's the badge that gets me through my office doors at six every morning. So I turned around and went back to the house to get the badge.

Even with the brief detour, I still got to work on time. I settled in and started running my morning reports. After 15 minutes, I realized that I left my coffee in the car. Rather than let it sit there all day and go to waste, I grabbed my keys and went out to the car to get the coffee. It was still warm

I had a full day's worth of work to do so I started walking back across the parking lot. Then I realized that I left my badge sitting on my desk inside my office. The one that is needed to open the doors.

It was just that kind of day.

Ridiculous and they know it

Thank you Jimmy Fallon And Bruce Springsteen for reminding us that LMFAO's Sexy and I Know it is an absolutely ridiculous song.