The Start of a New Adventure

When I was a kid we learned about some places in Geography class that I thought I would never get to see. One of the was China. It was a sort of norm to reference China in our everyday lives, we pretended to dig to china knowing it was on the other side of the world, and pictured people hanging to the earth upside down, just like in the cartoons. I remember my mother saying "not for all the tea in China" on many occasions. Dad would talk about "a slow boat from China" whenever something didn't happen quick enough for him, and on the nights when he was late getting home, at times he would comment that he had been "Shanghaied".

Well, I did make it to China a couple of years ago for a quick two week trip sponsored by Disney to perform a Show Quality Review with our partners in Hong Kong. What a city, it is tucked between the South China Sea, and jungle covered mountains so it is quite compact and very vibrant. Being an English colony for years it was easy to navigate around and see what the city had to offer as most places catered to English speaking patrons. Betty and I took a few extra days and explored the islands and hiked along a ridge of mountains looking out to the vast open ocean called the Dragon's Back. We climbed the stairs to the top of the Big Booda and took a small skiff out to see pink dolphins in the harbor outside of Shek O, a small fishing village.

That was our first experience of China, then more recently I was "Shanghaied" and selected to be the Director of QA/QC for the Construction of Shanghai Disney. Currently I am doing business trips until we can fully relocated and become part of the community. So with Betty back in Florida and me doing double hours of work, I decided to start blogging again to provide an outlet and a diversion.

So my first thought is wondering how many of you have woken up one day and wondered how you got to where you are. Not so much physically, although in the first week or so of jet lag, I have had those moments. What I mean is how did my life experience end up where it is? I have been doing that every morning for the last month or so. I have no idea how this happened, I certainly didn't map my career to head toward this. Sure I have always loved travel and let my leaders know I was willing to take on any assignment they wanted. I did the assignment in Paris for six months, which by the way was a completely different experience in the work and the life style aspects of which I will do more contrasting and comparing between the two in future posts I am sure, but never thought I would have such a monumental role in such a huge project.

So now all I have to do is figure out how to do it!

I know I am not the only one that has woken up in this situation. I clearly remember one of my Community College instructors using this as one of his class lessons. He had his class meet him at his office for one session. Clearly an attempt to impress us. He sat on the edge of his desk, that took up most of the space of his office, and showed us how to preview his mail, and lectured us for an hour while we all stood in the cramped space about how he had gotten to where he was now by telling his boss' that he could do jobs he had no idea how to do. At the time I thought "what a looser".

On the Bright Side

Well there was a lesson I took away from that class, and that was to never mislead any of my boss' about what I knew how to do and what I thought I could do with a little guidance, but it also made it so I didn't fear a new job. Seeing him so confident made it possible for me to first realize, if he could do it, anyone can. I still firmly believe that we can do anything we put our minds to and fully believe we can do. This quote reminds me that life is a series of "yes I can" moments followed by a lot of work.

"Yes is how you get your first job, and your next job, and your spouse, and even your kids. Even if it's a bit edgy, a bit out of your comfort zone, saying yes means that you will do something new, meet someone new and make a difference."

Eric Schmidt

So I say yes to this, the start of my next adventure with some trepidation, some excitement and a lot of determination to make a difference. I hope that the next time you have the opportunity to say yes that you don't hesitated, and embrace the new adventure that awaits, and you remeber to......always look on the Bright Side!

Christmas Traditions

It is the first Christmas in several years that our two boys, Betty and I are all together. I believe we all had very high expectations. Our dreams of the perfect family reunion and special traditions of Christmas' past, quickly dissolved as we discovered we all had different desires.

Chris has been in Arizona for the last 3 years and is preparing to leave the service and he desired to sleep as much as possible. Other than eating out and seeing a movie, he hibernated up to and including Christmas Day.

Nick, who works evenings, and is mostly a shadow that comes and goes as quickly and quietly as a cat, continued his stealthy pursuit in the days leading up to Christmas. Up early (for him) at about 1Pm, he was seen restlessly pacing the house, waiting for something to happen as the day passed by.

Betty and I played a rousing game of checkers then made a couple of apple pies on Christmas eve. A pie for us and one to drop off at work for the team. We were up early Christmas morning, and we drove into work to drop the apple pie. Then Betty went off to the Dog Park with her new best friend "Inu", a recently adopted Shiba Inu. Now she bounces to the music from the stereo as she tidies up and gets ready to start dinner.

Me? I resolved even before Chris arrived for his visit, to simply go with the flow and fill my time with whatever caught my attention. I took an extra day off to make myself available, just in case they all decided to be catalysted into a family activity. None materialized, but I was content to know they were all under the same roof.

The only real traditions we observed this year were, making fried dough Christmas morning, and watching Christmas Vacation. We decorated the outside of the house as usual, and after a struggle to keep the tree vertical, Betty got it decorated in all it's splendor.

It is now Christmas afternoon. The presents still wait, untouched under the tree. Although the stockings are stuffed to the point that they have to sit on the hearth, instead of hanging by the mantle hooks, they too, sit untouched. The Turkey waits patiently in the fridge for us to get motivated. It has no real choice.

On the Bright Side

There are so many things to be thankful for, not the least is, that we are all together, healthy and for the most part, very happy in our own ways. We have all grown over the last few years, and although we have all changed, we are all still a family.

I stumbled upon a quote recently that helped me realize that change is inevitable and it is best to look at it in a positive light, even when it means cherished traditions may evolve. Traditions, I mean true traditions, will survive.


"Change does not change tradition. It strengthens it. Change is a challenge and an opportunity, not a threat."
Prince Philip of England

So trim the tree, cook your families favorite meals or treats, sing along to your favorite song, take a walk together, or see a good movie together. Whatever your tradition, cherish it, hold on to it for all of the great memories it will provide for the future. Yet, remember to allow it to move through the inevitable changes that everything must go through. Set your expectations high enough to be a dream, and your attitude to accept reality.

The most important thing is to be available when situations present themselves. You never know when a new tradition will begin, or a time honored tradition will re-invent itself. As you turn life's corners, remember it is best to.....always look on the bright side of life.

Merry Christmas 2010

On the Bright Side

Good Day Everyone,

I stared to write a long discord on the troubles of the past that have turned most people away from giving to the needy. The grumbles of New Orleans, the greed of Wall Street, the failing economic system that has so many people with less than they had a year or so ago. I don't want those things to take center stage, that happens more than necessary already. What I want you to get out of this post is a simple single message.

Recently the people of Haiti suffered a terrible tragedy when an earthquake turned their country into shambles. The world began reacting, sending help, and supplies as quickly as possible. At our place of business we have a large number of Haitians, so our company, like so many others, began doing whatever they could. We set up computers and removed firewalls so anyone who wanted could go on Face Book, or Twitter and try connecting with friends and families. We set up phone banks to allow them to call anyone they wanted for free. We set up a large TV so they could watch for any news updates.

We knew that in the early stages most phone lines wouldn't be working, and that the infrastructure for Internet activity would not be available into Haiti, but we hoped that through the social networks available today, that some word would trickle out. What we offered wasn't much, but it was heartfelt, and full of hope and promise.

I only spent a few minutes in the communication center, and it was heart wrenching to see the worry on faces and hear the fear in their voices. Each time someone would dial the phone and hear the all too familiar busy signal, their hopes and spirit were tested. You could see them physically shrink in their seat, and then slowly steel themselves back to hold onto what little hope there was that everyone was safe.

On the Bright Side

Less than a week after the disaster, most of our friends had heard from someone and at least they knew better what was going on in their home country and with their friends and family. The disaster was wide spread. One news person reported that every family had cried in Haiti.

I returned to my office one afternoon and found a card laying on my desk. As I opened it and read it, I sank into my chair. I read it several times in preparation of sharing it with my team. The card was a simple one, pure white with a delicate watery world background, a single word at the top of the card read "Thanks", and the inscription inside read "In this busy world, where there never seem to be enough hours in the day...you always find the time to share yourself with others." Very touching, but what hit me was the handwritten note on the back of the front cover of the card. Here is how it reads.

Dear Mr. Robert
Thank you for being a voice on behalf of the Haitian people, in this chaotic time of great challenges. I strongly believe that the lord has inspired you to take lead and encourage others to join the cause. May God greatly open the windows of heaven and pour out his blessing upon you and the people of the U.S.A. that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Prov. 28:27 "He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack"....
Jean P. Rheau

Now how is that for a Bright Side? I have to tell you there was not a dry eye in the house when I read this to our team. After receiving the card, we have doubled our efforts to help, and keep finding new ways to being the voice of those who are challenged.

Please remember there are a lot of people who need our help. There are voices whom we can not hear, unless we choose to listen. Please open your ears and your heart to hear their stories, and help even if it is in a little way. When the world is in the worst of times, always..........look on the bright side of life.

On the Bright Side

I can always tell when something is bothering me, I wake up at 3 AM and toss and turn with some nagging thought on my mind. After a time, I give up trying to sleep and either lay there thinking about whatever it is that my mind is fixated on, or like this morning, I get up and get my thoughts organized by writing them down.

This morning I was fixated on the little bell that the Salvation Army uses to pesuade people to donate money to their organization. I was somehow upset that this year the bell shrank. It didn't register when I saw my first Salvation Army kettle this year outside our Publix, no it had to wait until 3 AM. The bell this year didn't have the heavy resounding song I remembered. The song of "come and share your joy with those less fortunate". It was rather tiny, and had a sound that reminds me of a rich persons service bell. You know the little annoying tinkle that says, "come service me, I am more important than you". That was the thought that woke me.



So here I am sitting in the den trying to figure out why exactly I can't get into Christmas this year. Usually the day after Thanksgiving is my launching day, the day Christmas comes out of the attic and spills out onto our lawn, and into our house. There is a lot of work to this. Each year we try to add a touch here or there while maintaining the traditional touches that help us share the joy of the season. Because it is a lot of work, starting promptly the day after Thanksgiving helps me justify the amount of effort it takes. You see, I also feel that Christmas should be over right after the New Year's celebration is over, so the sooner I put it up, the more time my efforts will be spread accross. It's a simple mathimatical justification of the time spent installing, divided into the number of days it will be up, yeilding an effort per day quota.


Then there is the Holiday Open House that Betty and I host every year. Getting the house in as show ready state as we can muster in the couple of days just prior to the event. Planning the menu, the last minute decorating touches, worrying about the weather, what music to play, and all the other things we fret over leading up to the time the first guest arrives. And don't forget the clean up.

I have been thinking it would be nice to take a vacation from Christmas for a year, but at the same time I worry that I have so few traditions that if I skip Christmas one year that it won't ever get started again. If I can justify not doing it one year, why not every year?



On the Bright Side


As I wrote this, I listened to Christmas music, and somewhere between the music and my writing I have reconsiled my delema of why I wasn't able to get into the spirit this year. As it turns out, I, like the Salvation Army bell, was singing the wrong song. This year the holidays became about me. About how much work I had to do. Writing this I realized the holidays are not about me, they are about others. They are about sharing your joy in the season with others. The ones you love, the ones you care about, and the ones less fortunate.

Give Kids the World uses this quote to remind people the importance of giving to those less fortunate.

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

When I scratched my way out of bed this morning, I was sure that I would end up writing that the holidays were about hope, and how each year the season gives everyone enough hope to go another year, until another holiday season's gravitational pull sling shots us through the next year of work and worries. I still think that is the case, that the holidays give us hope that life will turn out the way we would like it to be. However, I think it is more than that. Here is an opportunity to share joy with others. That is, to really open your heart and home to others. To sing the song that our heart writes. The one that says "come and share the joy". To show others, and remind ourselves of our true nature. To help others less fortunate, and to always.......look on the bright side of life.

On the Bright Side

Hi Everyone,

I like being able to help others. It is the one thing that makes me feel I have a purpose in my life. The older I get, the more that this is important to me. I have always tried to push myself, and if I had a motto it would be, never stop learning. I pride myself in being a life long student, and I feel at times that it is how I gain my energy. Like some alien being who survives solely on increasing knowledge. Don't get me wrong, I don't view myself as being smart, only inquisitive.



Recently I was told that I use logic too much, and I spent days thinking about that statement. I think, I understand what the person was trying to tell me. I took it as a message to help me improve, but I sure did struggle with why it wasn't a good thing to be too logical.



Mr. Spock, I am not. I carry too much baggage to be emotionally detached to that point. I do try and take everything in and internalize it to try and understand what is being said and how to use the knowledge to improve how other see me, my reactions, and my perception of myself. At times, while I am absorbing information, I may appear to be disconnected. In reality I am analyzing what is being said and processing the information. Some times to make an immediate response, and at other times, I may be struggling to understand what is being said, as it may directly conflict with the beliefs I have.



But this wasn't what the message was, now that I have had time to take it in. I believe that the message was about being so quick at a logical response, that other feel that I didn't take time to understand the emotional side of their issue.



On the Bright Side



The message, as I understand it now, is about realizing that people communicate through emotions. Their passions need to be expressed. If they feel that the passion isn't being understood, and logic and reason is used to put the fire of their passion out, then I miss a great opportunity to fill a need for them as an individual.



I know being logical is a basic part of who I am. It comes from how I was taught in school, and through life lessons. I learned that good sound logic was how you got your point across, and how you convinced others to see things your way. Logic was how my brain was mapped.



Logic is fine in it's place, but what I lost sight of was, that humans are sensitive beings. This Dale Carnegie's quote will serve as a reminder for me, from here on out.



"When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bustling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity."
Dale Carnegie


I realize, that all of my lasting relationships are based on an emotional connection, not on a logical sequence of action, and reactions. It is listening intently, even when I don't have a logical response that others care about, and that a lot of times, others don't want me to solve their problems, but just listen, and care about them.

This is so basic, and yet so easy to overlook, that I know I will at times forget, and revert to a quick logical response. I will need to leverage my logic to remind me to connect emotionally to others by being an individual that listens, cares, and who tries to.........always look on the bright side of life.

On the Bright Side

Good Afternoon,

It was a peaceful day, that is after the 170 gallon hot water tank that ruptured was temporarily replaced with one loaned from a sister property. It was also Valentines Day, although my wife, Betty, informs me that now it is known as "Friendship Day" because as she so patiently explains, not everyone is Catholic. Well, I thought, I am not Catholic, but I am still going to call it Valentines day. Pretty soon we will have to find a new way of opening any correspondence, because it may not be afternoon everywhere, or someone might not like the word good, because it may imply that with it's absence, then it would be Bad, also meaning evil. At any rate, I got off my subject before I even got on it this time.

We were driving back to the house to enjoy a lazy afternoon before going to a neighbors and having dinner, champagne, and chocolates to celebrate whatever you call it. We were cruising along at a nice clip, when I noticed that other cars were passing me up in a steady stream. At first I began wondering why they were in so much of a hurry. I was going the speed limit after all, and that should be fast enough for them, it was Saturday afternoon, they shouldn't be hurrying anywhere.

My next thought was that I was probably irritating them, I could almost hear them cursing me as they had to maneuver around me to get to where they were going. I pictured them complaining to their passengers, and imagined them shaking their fist in irritation and anger. How dare I get in their way!

Wait a minute. I am the old guy I used to complain about when I was in a hurry. Old fart, nothing better to do than to go out on the roads and meander casually while I had things to do, places to be, people to meet.

I recalled how I used to refer to them. Blue Hairs, old fogies, and sometimes in my irritation, worse. I have become one with them.

On the bright side

I now understand that life is short, and that the best way to get the most out of it is to slow down and enjoy the ride, not to speed up to squeeze time together so you get to do more. That usually only leads to stress anyhow. The older I get the more I realize that the rat race is great for rats, but not so great for man.

There are notes pinned up in cynical office workers cubes all over the world that state "The Hurrier I go, the Behinder I get". That is just one of the many clues to the hidden wisdom of taking it a bit slower. Sometimes, we getso busy making progress we forget what we were building, or even why we wanted to build it in the first place.

I found this quote by Eddie Cantor that helps me tell the story of the hair and tortoise in a new way. Even back then, Aesop knew and tried to teach people with his moral of the story being "Slow and Steady wins the race"

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
Eddie Cantor (1892 - 1964)

I finally realize that the race that Aesop was speaking about wasn't a race at all, it was life. It might have been best if the fables moral was "A life worth living, is worth living well", but that is another story for another time. Until I get around and figure out whether my life was worth living, and if I am living it well, I hope that you all slow down just a bit.

Don't worry about irritating the other drivers of life. If they wanted to be ahead of you that bad, they should have gotten up earlier and been on the road sooner. Take it easy, and take it in along the way, and remember to.......Always look on the bright side of life.

On the Bright Side

Good Day Everyone,

Instant replay has now infiltrated our lives to a point where we feel we can’t do without it. Time and time again, I have seen a family out enjoying a day of activities and video taping the activities. It amazes me how many fathers see their world through a lens, and not through their own eyes. By recording events, we are supposedly preserving them for the future, and that is true, however there are obstacles to the value of posterity.

Betty, the boys and I once took a trip out west to see the wonders of our country and we were able to borrow a then, state of the art Video Cassette Recorder to capture the trip. The “Cam-Corder” we borrowed must have weighed 8 pounds including the battery, this doesn’t sound like a lot until you start carrying it around for a few hours.

We took the trip in 1993 and have yet to watch even one of those tapes. Now the VCR tape format is going the way of the 8-track tape and soon we won’t have the ability to view it, and will have to have it converted to be able to pass it on to the newer technology of DVD. Maybe then we will watch it.

On the Brighter Side


It is true that the peripheral is eliminated through the camera lens and the ability to laser in on the details and dissect each movement, comments and gestures over and over again allows us to live the moment like never before. But it is also important to every so often, put down the camera and join in the moment and let your own memories be played in your minds eye whenever you wish.

This quote reminds me that it is memories job to preserve certain aspects of our lives and it was designed to be the perfect medium for the content as we need to see it.

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.
~From the television show The Wonder Years

Of course I am certain that when I finally get around to converting the tapes to DVD and settle in to watch the images of our family, that the weight of that old Cam-Corder will not even be remembered (unless I was caught grumbling in the background). The pleasure of seeing the way we were will be more than rewarding, it will be delightful. I am sure we will make even more memories as we gather to watch those years gone by. So get the popcorn and let your memories roll, and remember to…..always look on the bright side of life.

Robert