Are you human?

What is a human being? What does it mean to be "human?" We are not animals. We are not air or water, dirt or sand. We are not trees blowing gently in the wind or rough ocean waves tossing when a mighty storm comes along. We are not small flowers dotting a roadside on a spring afternoon. We are not Eagles soaring the heights of the Cascade Mountains on a lovely summer day. Rather, we are upright, breathing, thinking, emotional beings, trudging the sands of time under a blazing hot sun in summer and drifts of snow during the wintertime. Vacillating and ever calculating, both standing up and sitting down, we are real. We are alive. We have deep feelings. We are sometimes nonsensical, and often amusing and charming. We can be unreasonable, and we can also be rational. We are often very serious when we're forced to make a deliberate decision that could affect an outcome determining life or death. At the same time, we can be humorous and often downright silly. Some of us humans are talented enough to crack jokes that rip people's sides apart from laughing. Tears stream down their faces during a comedy hour, while at the same time a genius student somewhere in the same city feels defeated from failing a college course. We are diversified and complicated while we are also capable of being simple and free on a whim. With all the actions in life we endure as human beings, and the distance we run to win the race, I must say, we are just,

SIMPLY AMAZING!

Aren't we? Yes, we are! And today, I amazed myself. Yep--I jumped a hurdle of life, just like I did in fifth grade. You may remember the post, "Jumping the Hurdles of Life." Well, I had to remind myself that I wrote it by going up on the internet and reading it for myself. At that moment I realized I was "chickening out" on a life decision, and I was robbing myself of the joy of jumping another hurdle. So guess what? I stood back, got my gusto on, and I ran as hard as I could to jump over it. I admit it took me a few days to decide if I wanted to attempt it, but after reading my own post, I finally decided to give it my best shot. And do you know what happened? I made it! I jumped the hurdle! I suspected I could if I listened to my own words. I don't want to be a hypocrite and tell someone else to believe in themselves when I hold self-doubt in my own heart. We've all been there before. That little voice saying, "didn't you say that?" Well, yes I did. So, I had to kick myself in the pants and tell myself to "get going"; stop the horseplay, and jump that hurdle right now!

And I'm So Glad I did!

I had to make one of those life's decisions determining which way I should go. I stood at the crossroads, making sure not to look up at the rearview mirror. It worked. I decided to "forward march" no matter what it takes, I am not giving up! So, don't you give up either when a nagging thought or irritation of some kind decides to pick at you like a gnat. Just get out the fly swatter and tell it to BEAT IT! Tell it to get the heck out of here! I am too busy living my life for you to come along and get in my way! So there! I made the decision that was tearing at me like the Coppertone dog (you know the one in the commercial) and it ran away. Now I feel better, and I thought I'd share it with you today.

So next time you're on the beach and you see that little dog, tell him you know all about me. He'll remember me, I'm sure! And if a gnat tries to buzz the ice cream cone you're licking while you're walking in the hot sand in the surf, tell it to "buzz off" and get its own cone!! You're going to ENJOY YOUR CONE AND YOUR DAY!

Enjoy your day WA associates!! I know I will! That darn gnat is gone!