Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Oniony

One of these days I'll add some audio (and maybe video!) to my written word. For now I'll share a some audio humor from a site I had forgotten about. Click on TheOnion.com or the title of this post to listen to a brief satire. I'm betting you'll replace that puzzled or curious look with a smile.

I am chuckling. You can chuckle. Please...

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FreeRice.com

You know what to do, Mr. Phelps, er, Hunt.

Three Miles Before Sunrise

This morning I woke up a little early and decided to talk a walk and wake up, so I got the dog and off we went. I expected to walk at least a mile, yet I found what I have found many times before: more energy as we went on our way. Lost in thought about a story I'm thinking of writing, I had gone a mile almost before I knew it. I simply turned and went the other way. You see, it's just not that hard once you start doing it. Longer distances start to seem more "normal" and doable. Even walking before most of the neighborhood is awake is a tenable situation.

There are a lot of lights in our suburbia, especially within our development. With Mellow as my companion, this is a pretty comfortable way to wake up. Visible crime is rare here. It's been six or seven years since two teenagers mugged one of the neighbor kids and that was seen as an aberration by everyone in the neighborhood, except maybe the victim. So I felt good about this walk. You've got to decide whether your neighborhood is safe in the early morning darkness. Or maybe you're fortunate enough to live somewhere that that doesn't even cross your mind. For those of you who think it's just fine, consider getting up earlier than normal to get your walking started.

Gene Griessman, a professional speaker who also does a great Abraham Lincoln, includes that advice in 99 Ways To Get More Out Of Everyday. That is, get up an hour earlier to accomplish more or to get that "extra" thing done. It seems simple enough, but I know lots of people who might say, "Ooh, I could never get up that early." Well, you CAN if you stop telling yourself that you can't. When I first stepped my toe in the water of walking last summer, I even got up about four one morning to take a walk. You can if you allow yourself to think differently. I originally found Gene Griessman on Zune where I downloaded all of his stuff for free once I paid the monthly fee and I've also seen him on ITunes and MP3.com. His ideas can save you a lot of time and help you get more done. Will I walk this early tomorrow. Maybe. Maybe not. But I did today.