The Spotlight

Last night I went on one of those midnight runs, where everything seemed to click.   To me, my spontaneous late night runs come in the form of therapy, and I really am running from my problems. Last night the stress seemed to slip off my shoulders with every beautiful step of my Nike’s, and with every stride I found new clarity in my life. With the right song, the perfect stride, and that new found clarity, I can honestly say that as I cut through the darkness it gave me the chills.  It is quite uncommon for me to feel that good on a run, and in my own little world…I felt unstoppable.

Forgive me as I day dream, but through last night’s experiences I had an epiphany:  About myself, about track, about the people in my life, but most of all…about success.

Last night I felt unstoppable, but unstoppable is truly subjective. In my own world I felt on top of my game, but in the real world I am far from unstoppable.  Trust me, I am a dreamer like none other, and I fully aspire to be a top-caliber athlete, but I am also a realist. I may never be an All-American track star, and I may never stand on the podium again, but I refuse to be defined by my lack of recognition in the spotlight.  And I hate to resort to reference the cliché quote, but isn’t life about the journey…not the destination?

What is success?  Money, cars, houses, awards, trophies? For the fortunate select few, standing on that podium is success, but being in the spotlight isn’t the sole definition of success. Many people might look at the recent years of my life as a failure, I left many great opportunities in my hometown for a very risky and uncertain future in Arizona.  I could have been an All-American at a small school, but instead I am an injury ridden walk-on at a Division 1 Track Powerhouse. But that is the superficial light you could shine on my life, I prefer to define my success in other terms.  Instead of talking about “doing”…I “did”, and I am here doing what I always dreamed of.  Although I am constantly injured, there is nowhere else I would rather be than running for Coach Quintana at Arizona State University. I have faith that by being here I will reach my full potential in every aspect of my life, whether it be a time on a track or simply defining myself. The people I have positively affected, the jobs and internships I have attained, and the countless, priceless memories I have experienced define my success…not my absence on the podium.

“The Podium” contains only a fraction of the excellence taking place in the world. Altruism, although unappreciated and often unnoticed, does exist. I did not fully appreciate my mom until I came to Arizona.  My mom, Dixie, defines altruism.  Every day she does little things to help others, without asking anything in return. She can warm your soul with her kindness or her delicious baked goods.  For such a small woman, the size of her heart is astronomical. For all that my mom does, I can almost guarantee that Martha Stewart or Oprah Winfrey won’t be stopping by with Dixie’s Mother of the Year award any time soon.

Every day, people are doing extraordinary things beyond the spotlight, completely unrecognized and unappreciated. 

For all the “little” people, who do big things, you have my respect…this post is for you.

Keep your head up like your nose is bleedin',
TJF


PS:  My video of the week, Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  I specifically bought a Ukulele for the sole purpose of learning to play this song.  I am not quite as good as the big man, but I try.

Damn my grass looks good =D

 In society, we are trained and guided by excess and multitude. Nearly every aspect of your life you have the ability to buy another when the other gets old, or get the new model just because you can.  Tiger Woods probably has a garage full of extravagant cars, a closet overflowing with clothes, and mansions in every area code, why not have a girl in every area code as well? Every piece of his life comes in abundance, but yet the most important piece in every man’s life should come individually wrapped in a white dress, hand chosen by you.

Tiger Woods has reached a level of success in golf that should be envied by any man of any craft.  Tiger didn’t reach that level of success without an intense competitive drive, unfortunately that attitude carried over into his love life.  On his journey to the top, he essentially created a monster that would later take control of other areas of his life.  His desire to be the best, and get the best, eventually led him to cheat on his wife on numerous occasions.

I grew up in a family full of love. My parents have been married for almost 30 years now, and not a day went by that I didn’t hear the “L” word growing up.  I fully believe behind every great man is a wonderful woman.  The most important lesson my dad ever taught me was never spoken, but was found in his everyday actions towards my mom.  To me, this lesson is the key ingredient in any friendship, relationship, or marriage:

Appreciation.   

To me, the word “Appreciation” seems to encompass every little detail that goes into a successful relationship.  Success, or happiness is found in appreciating the little things, everyday:  the coffee she has ready when you wake up,  the fresh pressed shirt you put on, the incredible dinner you come home to,  and the wonderful kids she helps you raise.  If you take time to Appreciate the little things, everyday, you wouldn’t even question whether the grass is greener…you would come home with a smile saying “Damn that looks good…and that’s mine” =D

The beauty behind Appreciation lies in its reciprocation.  I am willing to guarantee that if you start the cycle, if  you make a little extra effort to appreciate someone today, they will return the favor.

If there is one thing that Steve Ford taught me, it was to Appreciate the little things, every day.

Keep your head up like your nose is bleedin',

TJF

PS: With all the negative hype towards male celebrities and their family life, my video of the week is by a man who knows how to handle his fame and his family:  Will Smith - Just the two of us

SPRING BREAK 2010!

Spring Break is here, and my Facebook newsfeed is literally exploding with everyone uploading photos from their vacations.  The destinations seem repetitive: Mexico, Hawaii, Florida, and many other exotic places.  Each get-away seems to have sun, beaches, palm trees, shopping, food, and don’t forget mind-blurring amounts of alcohol.

I went to this incredible place for spring break called Tempe, Arizona.  I didn’t mess with the jacked-up airline fees, or wait in line at the airport, and I definitely didn’t drop a few hundred dollars on a hotel, I actually stayed in my own cozy bed.

 Maybe this is just me being a “the cup is half full” kind of guy, but I am happy to be in Arizona for spring break.  Let me go through the check-list for spring break get-aways:

• Warm Weather: Check.  80’s all week.
• Palm Trees: Check.
• Beaches: Okay, so we have pools…and Tempe Town Lake!?
• Consuming large amounts of alcohol with friends: Check.  Mill Ave and Scottsdale will make you forget your middle name ; )
• Beautiful Women in very little clothing: Check.  Palm Walk gives ASU students that daily =D
• Shopping: Check. Fashion Square, Tempe Marketplace, Chandler Fashion Center, Scottsdale Quarter, AZ Mills, The Biltmore, Kierland Commons, the list goes on.
• Restaurants: Check. From Oregano’s Pizza and Pizzacookies to Blanco’s Tacos, the food in the valley will make your belly happy, quote me on that.
• Nature:  Check. From the Phoenix Zoo to hiking Camelback and South Mountain, you can enjoy nature and exercise all at once.  Also, a great way to sweat off that hangover = \

Spring break is what you make it.  My spring break has entailed me sleeping in, getting a tan at track practice, enjoying some amazing restaurants with my friends, and falling asleep in my own bed while watching Man v. Food on Netflix. Heaven, right?

So to my wonderful Spring Break 2010, and the fortunate others here in the valley over break: 

Tempe, Arizona…We Salute You.

(Fashion Square Shopping Center, Tempe Town Lake, and Oregano's Pizza Bistro)

Keep your head up like your nose is bleedin,

TJF

Vision Quest: What is your legacy?

Yesterday I had one of those beautiful days.  Beautiful in that I woke up at 11:00, and spent the majority of my afternoon watching a random movie from the 80’s.  The movie, Vision Quest, was surprisingly intriguing, and incredibly inspiring.

Vision Quest is a movie about a Louden Swain, a young high school wrestler.  With his 18^th birthday he realizes that up to this point, he had no true meaning to his life.  Louden makes the drastic decision to embark on a journey that many others doubt and don’t fully understand.  Louden, in his journey to find meaning, decides to drop 2 weight classes to wrestle Schute, the most unbeatable man-beast wrestling machine from his rival high school.

This movie, and Louden’s journey, shadows that of a Native American teen embarking on a “Vision Quest.” A Vision Quest is a journey taken by Native American boys nearing puberty, in hopes to define themselves and guide their life at a crucial turning point in their transition to manhood.

I feel can truly relate to Louden, in that his dream was doubted and not fully understood by the people around him.  These doubts and these feeling of loneliness only heightened his intimate passion for the journey.  He closed himself off from the outside world in every way, and focused every grueling detail of his life towards his quest.  Louden worked his body to unthinkable levels and deprived himself of food to his begging un-nourished body. 

I will not go into detail on how his vision quest ended, or even how his match against Schute turned out, but I feel the American Novelist Don Williams says it best:

"...our lessons come from the journey, not the destination."

This movie really got me thinking about legacy.  Yesterday I received a text message from my dad saying that my dying, Alzheimer’s ridden, Grandma Joe had passed away.  He was my inspiration, my hero, and my twin from a different generation.  Your time in life is precious, and what you do with your time should truly mean something.  How will people remember you?  If you truly find meaning in your life, affect and inspire others, you and your legacy will live on. 

My lesson of the day to you: step outside your ordinary and challenge yourself.  If you are addicted to soda, take a week off.  If you are afraid of heights, hike camelback mountain. Obsessed with shopping, donate a few old items to charity.  By deliberately placing yourself in discomfort, I guarantee you will discover a new found strength in your life.

Keep your head up like your nose is bleedin’

TJF

Mario is my homeboy.

1080p? Wireless controllers? 120 gigabyte harddrive? Blu-Ray?

I will trade all that nonsense in for my Super Nintendo. Thanks.
There comes a point where commodification shatters life’s simplicities. Growing up, Mario was my homeboy. My brother and I escaped into the world of Mario, and even ended up naming our dog Princess after the lead heroine. The game was simple, you run, jump, and save the girl. Back then, there were so few games available that nearly everyone played the same games. If for some reason you had the rare privilege of introducing someone to the world of Mario or Nintendo…you could literally teach them in minutes. I remember my dad used to hop in and play with us every once in a while.

These days the game systems have changed. The technological changes seen in the video game industry over the past 10 years are down-right incredible, but some fundamental functions of these video games has been lost through this transformation.

New video games seem to be centered around extensive individual game play, where you don’t need to have real live friends by your side. The social aspect of video games has been lost. Rather than calling up a buddy down the street, kids these days are playing with strangers from across the country, often twice their age, through online play.
Even if you do call up a friend to play by your side, it usually takes nearly an hour to explain all the complicated button combinations, and that’s assuming he is interested in learning. Mario took minutes, I will go ahead and teach you again real quick: run, jump, save the girl. Got it?

I have a hard time picturing Mario rolling around in a lowrider, strapped with his glock, making blood spill and picking up prostitutes. Mario was a gentleman who saved the day. Now we have 7 year old kids aspiring to be thugs through Grand Theft Auto. Here is a glock, go get em Tiger…?


Don’t get me wrong, I fully appreciate a little Guitar Hero after a long day, and nothing brings the boys together like a good game of Madden, but I can’t help but miss the simplicity of Super Nintendo. I still love my Xbox 360, and I guarantee that someday I will buy my kids the new game system that everyone other kid on the block has. I guess the lesson of the day is to embrace change.


PS: It looks like I am not the only person getting nostalgic these day, this link should give you a good laugh.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Stadium-Events-Nes-game_W0QQitemZ110499541029

Also, beings that I created this blog to make people smile, I decided to add a music video each week.

Keep your head up like your nose is bleedin,
TJF