Driving Lesson #1

I don't know who was scared the most, her or me.

Our oldest is 15 1/2 and starting to study for her Drivers License, so Dad (me, if you didn't guess already) had to take her out for her first Driving Lesson.
I have been hoping for and dreading this day from the day she was born.  Hoping for because it would show she is growing up and almost ready for life and its many challenges.  Dreading it because it would mean she was that much closer to growing up and no longer "Dad's little girl".

The challenge of a lifetime has reared its head.
I drive a standard and that means clutch and grinding gears.  I don't know if I was more afraid of her driving or her possibly ruining my clutch.  It started off with her grinding the gears to find reverse.  I was a bit worried at that point.  If she is grinding to find reverse would she be grinding the gears to find the other gears?

I kept it simple for both her and myself.  I had her drive a small little trek that was about 1/4 to half a mile long.  It had a few turns and two places she would have to reverse and turn around.
I was worried to say the least but proud that she was willing to attempt the challenge at hand.

She found it the most difficult to put it in reverse and turn around, which is understandable as she has never attempted anything like this before.  I found it the most difficult sitting there beside her and not saying something every two seconds and not getting frustrated at her attempts to shift gears.  Staying away from cars parked on the side of the road was another adventure.  The last thing either of us needed was for her to hit a car on the side of the road.

It was a first try behind the wheel of a car for her and she did rather well for the first time out.  She did the "grind'em and find em" only when she put the car in reverse and had no difficulty shifting to first and second gears.  The short stretch I had her on was only long enough to be in first or second gear.  Going beyond second gear will be after I have her driving that little bit with me not saying anything to her at all, then we will look at going further and shifting to third and fourth gears respectively.

Anyway, as I said, she did good for a first time.
The car is still running,
she didn't wreck,
and Dad's nerves are still intact.
So all in all it went well and there will be a Driving Lesson #2 sometime in the near future.

It is hard to believe but 15 1/2 years ago I was holding her in the crook of my arm and now I am teaching her to drive.  Where have the years gone and what challenges will we face together as I teach her to drive?

God only knows.

All I know is that she and I both survived Driving Lesson #1.

I hope you all have a good day
Danny

My Wife

I wrote this awhile back but never posted it and as of this morning things haven't changed from my writing it so I am posting it today.

My Wife woke me with a cup of coffee at 7 am this morning.  Nothing new, nothing special, just because.

One of these days I would like to beat her to the punch.  That isn't going to happen anytime soon as she has a sixth sense.  She has something like a motion detector built in.  The moment I move to sit up or get out of bed she is wide awake.
Her motion detector has an automatic timer too.  If I get out of bed between 11 pm and 3:30 am - nothing, she is still out like a light but make it 3:31 am and "BANG" eyes wide open and alert.

I used to be like that when I was in the service.
Anyway, this is about my wife not me, about her always beating me up in the mornings and what she does with her days.

She has to be either "Wonder Woman" or "Super Girl" in disguise.

I Swear! Thing about these things

1. She never worries about herself, only others
2. She has an internal motion detector
3. an internal alarm clock - she is up and running before the alarm at 4 am every day
4. She appears to have an endless supply of energy
5. Her timing is perfect, when she does something it is always at "Just the right time" exactly when it is needed.
6. without being told she knows when one of us needs something, or anything.

Those are just a few of the many reasons I look at her that way.  I have not seen a "cape" or "lasso", but does she need them?  She would probably laugh and ask "What did she need them for?"

She is everywhere at a moments notice:

with me,

the girls,

her students,

her parents (both hers and the parents of her students),

relatives, 

and

friends,

and yet, I have never heard her say "What about me?".

Now, I have heard "I need a break".  After all of what she does..... I say she has earned it a 100 times over and then some.  With all that she does she could easily go with a title such as "Super Girl" or "Wonder Woman" or any of those other comic book heroines.  

But she doesn't, She chooses Three titles more than any others:

Daughter,

Mom,

and my Wife.

All of that and I didn't even mention how she handles my being sick all the time.  

I am lucky to have someone like that in my life!

I hope you all have a good day and that your week has gone well

Danny

Something to THINK About!

Most of you that read me know that from time to time I have extra time on my hands to watch TV and Movies.

Well, watching "Legion" a couple of weeks ago and a quote was made in it I found to be a very interesting QUOTE and Question.

Personally, I am still pondering my response/answer to it.

Here is the QUOTE from "Legend" and I will share what I have come up with for myself so far, after.


"If You don't wake up tomorrow and it turns out Today is Your Last day on Earth, Would You be Proud of what You have Done in this Life?"


Hmmmmmm........
Makes you think a bit doesn't it?
I literally have been thinking about it for Weeks.
Not the Easiest of things to answer.

I have done things in my past I am DEFINITELY NOT Proud of:

1. Held a Grudge against my Parents for things they did, that they thought best at the time.  (Upon Reflection, as a Parent myself, I have to say I can understand - those choices are not EASY.)
2. As the Eldest of 3 Brothers I have allowed separation between us all.  One I know why and was not able to correct it before he passed away, but he knew I was trying to get us past it.  The other..... Well, that one I am really and truly clueless as to what happened.  I have an Idea but not even sure that is the problem.
3. I Love Pissing Off ASS Hats and making them look "Little" - basically putting them in their place, that they are NO Better than the rest of us.  (Been put there myself a few times - hard lesson to learn!
4. Proving a Professor at College Wrong in front of the entire class..... and that Cost me a 4.0 GPA  (Still feel I was right in that matter as it was Literature Interpretation and his opinion was the ONLY opinion - Interpretation is just that in my book - I can say one thing and you take it another.  Wars have been started that way!)
5. Drank like a Fish -- and could put men twice to three times my size under the table -- Quit 3 days after I got married, She was more important and I told her that -- in 15 years now I might have had a case + a 6 pack.
6. and those are just a few -- If I sat here and thought about it all night I would come up with Hundreds of things that I am NOT PROUD OF, but that would then get down to the nit picky.

Things I have Done that I am PROUD OF:

1. Married my Wife -- she is EVERYTHING to me and MORE....... (those that have read before can piece that together and WHY.)
2. My Daughters, knowing that J and I have brought them up to be BETTER than US in ALL WAYS!
3. Knowing that I have Learned from my Parents mistakes - isn't that how they are supposed to bring us up?  (NO, not all mistakes were avoided, but realizing I/We were in a similar situation and Not doing it/them the same way.  They did their job and taught me and I Learned from their experience.)
4. Stopping and helping others when they need/ed help, not because I had to but because it is/was the right thing to do.
5. Making Friends around the World and accepting the differences between themselves and myself, realizing that somewhere in there, there were similarities we could agree on and make something with it/them.
6. Teaching my Daughters to Treat All People with respect, As I Try to Treat All People with respect.  (there are times you try and try and it doesn't work, then you resort to treating them the way they treat you and others and eventually they get the idea, HOPEFULLY)
7. Having served my country not once but twice - once in the U.S. Navy on-board the USS Sierra AD-18 (during Desert Shield and Storm, two Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew), and in the U.S. Army in Bosnia.
8. Most of my writing on this Blog (call it Rose Colored Glasses on my part) is GOOD.  (Some not so Great but all writers in any format have a bad day once in awhile.... LOL)
9. and I will stop this one here as again I could go on and on.

These are Some of the responses to the QUOTE/QUESTION above.

Care to share any of yours even if it is just one or two?
and if not - At least Think about it...... Are you headed where you want to be, or....

Hope you all have a Great Day!
Danny

P.S.  If you would like to follow me on Twitter I am @DanWins2007 -- and it will also give you updates on when I post something New here on the blog as well.  Hope to see you there and/or here.

People - How do You Treat them?

Note: When I finished this I realized it came out in a form of Free Writing that landed in a place I wasn't expecting nor the direction I had Planned.



I'm going to do something....

Well, not different.... but call it a step to the side.

Provide a different but similar point of view aimed at Two People in this World - My Daughters!

You as my "Audience" get to view it, read it (them as I will be calling these my "Tid Bits for My Daughters") and comment before they will ever see them.

These will be from My perspective, the life I have lived and hope to continue to live.
Things I have seen, done, laughed at, cried at, and LIVED.

You can agree or disagree, Personally I don't care.  However, for the benefit of my Daughters, please share your Opinions Kindly, because someday They will be reading these and different opinions give them (you) multiple options on how they (you) Look at or React to circumstances.

My FIRST 

"Tid Bit for My Daughters"

Today a Movie I really like was on.  I didn't get to see it all as I wasn't paying attention.  Flipping through the channels after one show had ended I saw it was on and coming to an end.
So, of course since I really liked it, I watched the ending.

Girls (and those reading), if you ever get the chance watch a movie called "With Honors" starring Joe Pesci and Brendan Fraser (in my opinion the Best Movie either of them have been in).  It has some very Profound information in it that I feel would be a benefit for you to learn Personally.

I can not Teach you those things.
I can show you and hope you follow my example.
How YOU treat PEOPLE is How THEY SEE YOU!
Sometimes I have been Good with that and at others, well.... you have heard some colorful language over the years (mostly to Piss Poor Crappy Assed Idiot Drivers!!!!!!) and don't say you didn't see that coming.  :)

One thing I want YOU to KNOW -

People May have Authority Over you (and RESPECT that Authority - within bounds) But NO ONE, I REPEAT NO ONE is better than you.
The Reverse is also true - If You are in a Position of Authority Over OTHER PEOPLE, DO NOT Abuse that Authority!!!!!!!!!
And You are NO BETTER than another person.
Every Single Person you meet has VALUE!  
Treat them that way.

People are Different, Every Single country I have ever been too (or to, I always get those confused) the cultural differences are HUGE.  Yet when you boil it all down we all have the same basic needs and desires.  Learn from them and even though they don't know it, They are Learning from you.

We all "Rub Off" on each other!

A bad attitude around people you have never met gets you nowhere!
An Open Mind and willingness to learn from what they have to show you OPENS Wondrous DOORS of chance and Opportunity.

I have seen Castles from a view very few get too.
I have taken part in activities that opened my eyes to things I never would have even contemplated.
Acceptance to Acknowledgement,
Betting to Beaten,
climbing cliffs to Castles,
Diving to Dancing,
talking to people I never knew, realizing later were actually my friends even though it was the first time we met.
And much, much more.

Don't think that by what you are reading I got it right all of the time.
God No!
I have made some ROYAL Screw Ups over the years, some I have fixed and others seem to be my Mt. Kilimanjaro that I can never quite reach the top (that means fix).

Don't think it is all "Peaches and Cream".  It's NOT.  It takes work and effort, but that gets so much easier the more you do it.

You may be having "The WORST day of your Life" or one of the worst, but try your best not to take it out on others.
That has to be one of the HARDEST things to do.  You girls know it.  I hate to admit it but you have seen it so why hide it or deny it.  It CAN be done!  I am getting better at that everyday.
And
Even on YOUR WORST DAY -- Find ONE Person to be KIND to!


Dad/Danny