Be Happy and Live your Hobby

 

Lee Trevino, who was a fantastic professional golfer said, “Golf isn't just my business, it's my hobby.”  What a wonderful thought.  He did something he loved and was paid well to do it!

I know we can’t all be like Lee and become rich off of our hobbies, but maybe we can become happier and wealthier emotionally by partaking of them more often.  Life is not all about money, it’s about the experiences along the way!

Some people like to fish.  Fishing is a wonderful hobby for the calmness and relaxation it can bring to the Angler.  My Grandfather loved to fish, although he did not get to go as often as he liked.  He taught me the joys of watching birds fly by and the beauty of the sun rising along the creek, while his line dangled in the water.  He did not have to catch a fish to be happy.

There are those who enjoy hunting.  My friend, Cameron Kruse, loves to hunt.  He has gone deer hunting for many years and he has forgotten more about hunting than most people know.  He hunted on some land near Raccoon Road and US 60, just east of Granby, for several years and had a blast.  I always enjoyed the stories he would tell about his adventures in the woods.  He did not have to get a deer to be happy.

Running is a hobby shared by many people, including my wife.  Denita loves to run.  She runs when it’s cold and she runs when it is hot.  She has run the Old Mining Town Days 5k, several times, and she has run the Dogwood Run, in Neosho – winning the female division one year.  Running releases stress for her and she is happier after a long jaunt around town.  She does not have to win a race to be happy.

For me, I love model trains.  I have some really nice old Lionel model trains, some of which used to be my Dad’s, when he was a boy.  Unfortunately, the house I have now does not have a basement so there is nowhere to setup my trains and magical pretend town.  But, just knowing my trains are available and ready for installment when the right setting presents itself is enough to keep me dreaming of the iron horse rolling down the track.  I don’t have to have them running to be happy.

Another hobby of mine, is debating.  I love to debate issues.  I don’t really care what the issue is.  Look me up sometime – give me a topic and I will debate it with you.  I don’t even care which side of the issue you give me, I am an equal opportunity “arguer” and I will take you on.  I don’t have to argue for the side I really care about to be happy.

Lee Trevino had a great situation, he could play golf everyday and get paid, but it really did not matter to him – he was happy doing something he so genuinely loved.  We all need to have a hobby and enjoy ourselves.  We don’t have to “accomplish” anything; just the joy of knowing we are doing something we love is enough.  Be happy and live your hobby.

There is a war raging on our cops and we need your help!

In the Book of John, Chapter 15, verse 13, (from the King James Version) – it is said; “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  As a police officer, this is a verse I hold dear to my heart.

I have previously written about how important your involvement is to prevent crime and keep our community safe, but I feel things have changed.  We are now to a point of extreme urgency.  Last year, in 2010, violent deaths of police officers, from gun fire – was up nearly 20% from 2009.

Now, here we are in January 2011 and things are spiraling out of control.  Consider this information from the 24 hour period, which ended Monday January 24, 2011:

-          On Sunday, four officers were shot in a Detroit police station by a man who walked in, firing randomly. Lamar Deshea Moore was shot to death by police so his motive may never be known, but local reports say a relative was awaiting sentencing for double murder. Two of the police officers remain hospitalized.

-          Two deputies were shot outside a Walmart in Port Orchard, Washington, near Seattle, on Sunday.

-          A police officer is in a coma and in critical condition after being shot during a traffic stop early Sunday in Indianapolis.

-          In Lincoln City, Oregon, a police officer was shot Sunday night during a traffic stop. The officer is in critical condition

-          In St. Petersburg, Florida, on Monday, two City Police Officers are killed and a U.S. Marshall is wounded, after being shot by a crazed gunman hiding in the attic, of his home.

Eleven police officers were either shot and wounded or murdered in this terrible 24 hour period. 

I am well aware there are people who do not care for the police.  There are many people who get upset with an officer when they get a traffic ticket or their home gets broken into and nothing gets solved.  These are frustrating situations for the common everyday law abiding citizen.  Realize though, these same officers have no other goal than your safety and that of your family.

All police officers sacrifice many hours away from their homes, on holidays, birthdays, and anniversary’s, etc. – to keep our community safe.

To some police officers, it appears we are beginning to lose the battle with the evil element of our society and this is where you come in.  We need your help to prove these officers wrong and demonstrate support for orderly society.

We can not wage this battle alone.  We are counting on your help and even here, in the relative safety of the Missouri Ozarks and the Green Country of Eastern Oklahoma, crime is occurring.  How many of you know your neighbors well enough to know what vehicles should be coming and going from their house?  How many of you even know your neighbors names?  We need to get back to the days of knowing those who live around us and caring for them.

Look out for others and eventually others will return the favor and look out for you.  Police Officers care about the community and want a better tomorrow for each of you, but we must recruit you to help.  Take time this week to remember and pray for the officers who won’t be going home to their families and vow with me to fight for a crime free community!  “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” 

.....Dreams and Burgers - yes they are connected!!!..........

Advertisement in Neosho Daily News on January 21, 1979

I am a quotation fanatic.  For those of you who have read my columns before – this is no news to you!  The other day, I came across a great quotation from James Dean.  James was a movie actor, who is best known for his lead role in the 1955 Movie – “Rebel Without a Cause”.  He said, “Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.”

These are wonderful words.  I remember being a child and running through the fields behind my parents house, near the area of Bond Street and Neosho Boulevard.  These fields led to many dreams and childhood memories.  I played all year round in these fields, building tree houses and wooden forts in the summer and igloos in the winter.

I would lie down and watch the clouds soaring over head and dream of flying or being an astronaut.  I always wondered how great it must feel to ride a huge rocket into space or how grand it would be to leap across the moon, with no worries. 

As I played in the fields, I tried my hand at engineering.  I built a huge series of ditches, which I called rivers, and roads – complete with bridges.  These ditches seemed huge to me, at the time, but in reality probably ran seventy five to one hundred feet meandering around and crisscrossing the terrain.  I connected as many garden hoses as I could lay my hands on to run water from my house and then I would flood these rivers. 

I dreamed of being Huckleberry Finn on the great Mississippi or on a really exciting day – General Dwight D. Eisenhower leading the charge on Normandy’s Beaches!  There were hundreds of little green plastic army men, whom I would bring to life.  They stood guard over my battles and dreams. 

One day in the late nineteen seventies, my dreams started to come to life. I was playing in the field along a row of trees.  I heard the roar of a helicopter, which was most unusual for Neosho, in this time period.  At first I wondered if Patton himself was coming to commandeer my troops. 

I watched in amazement as this whirling machine thundered to rest about two hundred feet north of me – landing just off of Neosho Boulevard.  Wide eyed and inquisitive, I waved to the men on board.  The first man to exit called me over to look in the cockpit.  Rushing over I could not believe my luck!

This kind man introduced himself to me.  He said his name was Bob Jennings and he went on to say he was going to buy this field.  What, buy the field of my dreams!  No, this could not be!  But, hold on – all was not horrible – Mr. Jennings went on to say he owned the McDonald’s Restaurants, in Joplin, and he wished to bring the Golden Arches to Neosho! 

Going to McDonald’s was a treat of unexplainable proportions, when I was a young lad.  You see the only national chain to be in Neosho, at the time, was Dairy Queen.  I loved (still love) McDonald’s.  As the words, “McDonald’s is coming to Neosho” rang through my ears, a flurry of thoughts rushed through my mind.

As Mr. Jennings and I spoke he made an offer on par with my dreams of traveling to the moon or flying.  He asked if I would be interested in having the very first hamburger ever sold from the new Neosho Store.  Of course, this was an offer any other third grader in Neosho would love to have.  Accepting took no thought at all, so it was - my rivers and roads were bull dozed, but a new chapter of my life began.

I would walk through the construction site everyday – even had my own hard hat with the Golden Arches on the side.  The contractors were so kind and even bought into my excitement! 

After months of planning and hard work, the day finally came when an inquisitive young man got to live out a dream and eat a hamburger!  Not everyone’s dream, I know now, but at the time it was a big deal to me.  However, I would have missed out on it if not for playing in the field.

Kids today spend so much time on video games, computers, and the like.  They need to wake up and explore the real world.  Encourage children to do as Mr. Dean said and Dream like they will live forever.  Don’t let them miss out on their helicopter landing!

.....Dharma has made our lives whole......

Chelsah and Dharma June 2005

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”  This statement was made by Roger Caras, who prior to his death hosted the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

I came across these words a few weeks ago.  They made me think back to 1999, when I came across one of my best friends.  Her name is Dharma and she is a Boxer.  I love dogs and have had others through the course of my life, but Dharma is special for several reasons.

When Dharma came into my life, it was February and cold outside.  She had been abandoned by some cruel person, near the intersection of Landis Road and Cemetery Road, in Neosho.  Dharma was placed in the Neosho Animal Shelter, which is where we met.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, I thought she would make a great gift to my wife, Denita.  I adopted Dharma and brought her home to the joy of my kids and wife.  We all fell head over heels for her.  She has a wonderful personality and has become a solid part of our family activities.

There have been so many great times with Dharma.  When my son, Kevin, was nine or ten years old; we were at Piney Point – which is on Elk River – in Pineville.  Kevin was searching the banks of the Creek for tadpoles – he liked to catch them, lightly and I mean lightly cook them, then eat them tail and all, but I digress here as that in itself is a story for another week!

As Kevin searched the Creek, a drunken man began to approach him.  The rest of our family was several hundred yards away, but not Dharma.  You see Dharma watched over all of us like a hawk.  She is smart and can really tell good from bad.  As this inebriated fool began to raise his voice at Kevin, Dharma was off like a flash!  I saw her run and I will tell you no NASCAR vehicle could have zoomed to his side quicker!  Dharma positioned herself between the villain and Kevin and began to bark and growl, like a vicious beast!  The man sobered up in record time and altered his course, before he was attacked!

We were so proud of Dharma and her efforts to keep Kevin safe.  The following Spring, Neosho was struck by a fierce wind storm and small Tornado , on Easter morning.  Dharma was in her dog house, which was tossed several feet from its normal resting place.  Now, this is no normal dog house, Dharma deserves the best, so her house weighs several hundred pounds and has two rooms.  The winds had to be over 80 miles an hour to shift her home like they did.  Our home was slightly damaged, too. 

As we emerged from our Tornado shelter, we looked out back to find Dharma sitting in the yard staring at our house.  She was looking for us.  As we came out the back door, she glared in our direction.  She was mad.  I think she was asking herself how we could have left her to fend for herself in such a gusting wind!  We were asking ourselves this same question.  But, Dharma was fine.

Any time I drive my truck somewhere, Dharma loves to come along.  She likes to ride in the back of the truck bed and hang her head over the side.  Boxers have such big jowls and hers bang around in the wind like a huge sail on a sailboat.  You can almost see the smile on her face as she searches the horizon for a place she has never been.

Dharma is the most loyal dog I have ever had.  We can leave her off her lease and besides some neighbors she likes, she will not think of wandering from our home.  She stays right in her place – eager for us to come out by her side.  As we walk anywhere, Dharma will be right there.  She follows us and looks to play at every turn.

We love her like a part of the family.  Indeed, Dogs are mans best friend and Dharma is no exception.

Sadly though, as with all things in life, there are chapters and our experiences with Dharma are quickly drawing to a close.  She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, about three weeks ago.  Now, she can’t run and play with her best friend Annie, who lives across the street.  Annie is a mixed breed dog who has become Dharma’s best pal.  It breaks my heart to watch Annie as she runs in circles around Dharma – as if to say, “come on buddy let’s go play tag!”

We face some very tough decisions and times ahead.  We have great memories,  We have been blessed to have her in our lives.  She has taught us so much about ourselves.  So many times I have had a bad day or been bummed and I would sit down for a long discussion with Dharma.  While she has yet to speak back to me, I know she understood.  Like now, she still can’t speak, but I understand what she is trying to say.

She wants our family to know she loves us and she is thankful to us for saving her from the dog pound.  She appreciated all the treats we have fed her and she is glad to call us her family.  Maybe, I was wrong as I started this story; maybe Dharma has been our whole life.  There is no question she has made our lives whole.