Single Dads

I find it funny how a rut can begin and how quickly familiarity can breed contempt.  Even a person that spends time on the ever-changing Internet (like myself) is not immune from the boredom that everyday life can bring.  So, I have found myself considering that topic, and how I might teach my daughter how to avoid the tedium the everyday world can bring.  As is not particularly unusual, I caught myself learning something new as well.

Perhaps you might have perceived that I’m quite the reader.  Exercise for the brain is really what opening up a book and reading really is.  Not to say, all books are particularly enjoyable - they aren’t.  Some are awful, at least by my estimation.

But not all are.  On occasion, a good book will remind you of something that you can use everyday; there’s a lesson there that can make you a better person, parent, and teacher.  And today, I remembered this some lines from this poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling:

“If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools”

…and so on.

There’s a lesson to be learned here, that I believe is similar to a quote that Joy Behar attributes to Rush Limbaugh in the worthwhile book Got What It Takes? Successful People Reveal How They Made It To The Topby Bill Boggs.  That is, be bold.  BE BOLD.  Mostly I can get behind that theory.  Very few people accomplish things of note without some measure of risk and hard work. 

For my daughter and myself, I will reinterpret that slightly. 

The real lesson is this: in whatever you decide to do, sure, be bold, but don’t let that be an excuse to be stupid.

Yes, I think that’s a good plan for us all.

What bold thing have you done today for your children or yourself?  Perhaps today, more than any day, is the perfect moment to try something radically different.

Today I started reading a book authored by Christopher Hitchens called God Is Not Great - How Religion Poisons Everything, and was struck by a couple of interesting facts:

1. Christopher Hitchens is a very angry person when it comes to religion, and

2. Everyone should read this book, whether they are religious or not.

I don’t know for sure, but I think that if everyone tried to be good people to themselves and to others, the world would be a much more pleasant place. So, I think that we should all reach out a helping hand to others and try harder to JUST BE HUMAN.

There’s a lesson that we should all teach our children.

This year I have read an average of a book a week - probably the happy result of both deciding to get more into reading for information and entertainment and the decision to read on my commute into downtown.

Apparently, this volume of reading activity puts me among the most voracious readers in the country.

According to an AP poll, basically no American reads any books anymore. Well, the “typical person” claimed to have read four books, with half of respondents claiming to have read fewer and half claiming to have read more.

Thank Gawker for this news; then go read the AP poll via CNN.

Since January 1, no joke, I’ve read 34 books. I’d post them all if I had an attractive web-friendly plugin that presented all of the titles in a multimedia format. If anyone happens to be aware of one of these let me know. I’m quite sure, though, that my voracious reading habits are probably part of the reason why child education drives me occasionally batty. Reading is part of what creates an educated population.

Here’s a recommendation for people out there that are parents of all stripes, single or not: read. You should never stop growing and learning, especially when you have kids, and I was fortunate to figure that out relatively early after the breakup with the ex.

With this in mind, I’ve read… a LOT. Fiction or non-fiction, mysteries, self-help, biographies, and all sorts of topics simply to keep my mind engaged. My significant other is a big help with this, and recently she picked this up for me: The Flip Side, by a guy named Flip Flippen.

This book is a self-help book that focuses on giving the reader what Mr. Flippen calls “the killer constraints” and helps you to identify which of the constraints that you possess, and then, shockingly, actually gives you information on how to battle these constraints and beat them for the benefit of you, your family, your social, and your professional life.

What an enlightening but easy read. Not long after starting this book I had discovered my own personal constraints, and motivated to begin an action plan to beat them, which was an empowering exercise.

Take a look at this book. You won’t regret it. The website is www.flipsidebook.com.

Incidentally, you might be wondering what the FIRST best motivational book is that I’ve read all year. I can hear you.

The answer?

The Last Days of Dead Celebrities by Mitchell Fink.

Figure that out.

Recently I’ve been doing a little guest posting on a website called Shakadoo.com.  What do they do?  Take a look at their first page:

Shakadoo is a site written and created for those who love their home. Whether you live in a condo or a castle, Shakadoo has a place for you.

Shakadoo has several different “shaks”: the LoanShak, WorkShak, ShakYard, Shaktronics, Shak In Style, Shakhammer and the Love Shak, Baby (love that title).  It’s an interesting community that they are trying to build there that I would recommend that you check out.

However, don’t think that my “pro” blogging job will decrease my regular blogging output.  You see, I know how to use Google.  Ah, the Internet is a wonderful place.

There are some single dads out there that I owe a post to, though.  I haven’t forgotten about you.  Expect it tomorrow.