Second test

Will this image show up?

Here is an interesting thought. I am left handed and it amazes me the number of things I do with my right hand.

If I enter text on a mobile device 9 times out of 10 I will use my right hand even though I am faster with my left hand and more accurate. It's just weird.

It may be because I am right hand dominant but left eye dominant and the left hand gets in the way visually?

These are the type things I think about in the middle of the night.

Mic check

 In an attempt to be more productive I have set up mobile blogging. I should
 be able to enter my thoughts from the road and email them directly to my
 blog.

 This post is to test out that feature.

 I love swype but really am thinking about getting a bluetooth keyboard. I
 think it would be easier to use, but I really don't want to carry another
 device.

 I did see a cool bluetooth solution but it ships from Hong Kong and I have
 reservations about sending them credit card information.

 Anyway, this is s test to see if this will really work.

It's 2:22 AM...

It's 2am. Most people are dreaming, and I'm up thinking of the future.

I'm not up because I'm worried about the future. I'm up because I naturally get about 5 hours of sleep and I managed to fall asleep at 9:15pm and this is the natural resource.

So... what's on my mind? A few things...

First, Lisa.

I tend to be a visionary that runs a mile a minute. The problem with most of the people that I've dated in the past was that they couldn't really keep up at the pace that I ran. Lisa does... and she takes things further... and she holds me accountable.

We were talking last night and I noticed that she was on the phone because I wanted to talk, she was kind of out of it. I let her go. She sent me a text that said she was sorry because she was tired. I told her it was cool... she said thanks for not being talkative. I told her it was okay. She's entitled to be tired... lol.

I'm thinking about selling the house... getting a job in a new city.

Cleaning the house...

Reading...

And... starting THE plan Monday.

2011 is going to be a bumper year!

Everything changes...

It's pretty amazing. When you meet the right person, everything snaps into sharp focus.

I remember writing about how I didn't quite fit in, and social anxiety, general unease in my own skin...

Then, you meet one person, and BANG... it all clicks into place.

I love this woman. We fit like 2 peas in a pod.

Christmas...

Christmas comes but once a year... thank goodness!

There are a lot of things that I really hate about this time of year... like the commercialization, the greed, the over indulgence. It really takes something that should be a beautiful time to think about others and turns it so... inward.

I was talking with this one person that bought over 250 presents for his grandchild.

That's not even practical!

Anyway, Christmas time has been hard for me over the past few years. It's been 5 years since we filed for divorce and 3 years of singleness. I've opted to spend almost every Christmas alone with the exception of the time when I was "dating" and the person that I was with didn't want to spend time with their family.

My choice to spend time away from my family is my choice. It's my time to center and figure out what adjustments need to be done in the new year. It's a completely different thing when you just don't think your family understands you... my family would really rather have me there.

Anyway...

This was a good Christmas.

Lisa was in NC and I was in Alabama... My sons came over for a while, and we had great fellowship together. Lisa and I had the chance to talk via skype, telephone, text... she said the sweetest thing...

"This is the last holiday I want to spend away from you... it felt like a part of me was missing..."

This is interesting.

I know... in the past I've talked a lot about running from women that weren't "complete" that needed me to "complete" them.

This is different. Lisa is a whole person. I am a whole person now due to all of the struggles that you can read about in my blog. We augment each other.

It's nice to not have to carry a relationship. It's good that there is balance.

Although we were miles apart, knowing that she was there made this one of my favorite Christmases ever.

Final 2011 Action Plan

For me, the object to creating a successful new years action plan is to make sure that you don't have too many, that they are all kind of related and that they all speak to a theme.

The final item that is on my list is to step out on faith and increase my giving to my local church this year.

It looks like my theme for this year is to increase my self discipline. Being more deliberate about the way I live my life....

This should be a GOOD year!

Third 2011 Action Plan

I have noticed in 2010 that when I actually take the time to plan out what I eat and shop at the beginning of the week my diet is cleaner and healthier.

When I don't plan, I end up trying to make decisions when I'm hungry and all I really want at that time is to satisfy my hunger. I usually eat more than I intended and less healthier as well.

I have got to do better in 2011 and build a better habit.

Second 2011 Action Plan

Time management... that's the second item that I have to gain control over in the new year...

In the post divorce world, I have allowed my time to become fluid. Since I didn't have to worry about getting the kids up for school, cooking dinner, being at activities for the boys and making sure that they were in bed on time I had a TON of free time on my hand.

I can't say that I used the free time very well.

I need to start scheduling my day... not in an overly rigid way.

To me, this ties in with self discipline...

I'm not sure how I'm going to manage this yet... but I have the next few weeks to work on it!

First 2011 resolut... I mean action plan...

I don't really make new years resolutions... I make actionable plans that I have really been good at following up on through the year.

2011 is no different.

So, my first 2011 action plan is to increase my self discipline.

I cut myself way too many breaks. I take things to near completion... I have lost this spirit of excellence that I once had.

I... have got to change that...

I have got to get back to the point where I once again strive and struggle to be the best... at the top... and not content to be at the upper middle of the pack.

So... my first goal... that I start on today... is... increase my self discipline.

This is different...

When I started this blog 5 years ago my world was in upheaval. I was working my way through the divorce... once that was done, gaining an understanding of what it meant to be single.

I struggled over relationships that I was in and decisions that I was trying to make... honestly, it gave me a lot of things to write about!

Now? Life is good. I've met this woman that I love, work is going well, my life is... settled.

It's a different feeling.

It's not an uneasy feeling, nor is there this feeling of complacency. I don't think I've earned the right to sit down on my laurels. It's just... peaceful.

I wrote a while ago about my desires for the new year... how I want to continue to grow.

Growth doesn't always have to be painful... so I'm anxious to see what I come up with...!

The re-cap

This weekend was really great. After 21 days of not seeing each other, it was really great to have Lisa in my arms again.

The weekend was good.

I can remember times where I was dating people and it was all about the make out sessions, there really wasn't any substance outside of the physical connection.

It wasn't so.

We slow danced, I gave her a mini concert, we hung out with friends of mine, we worshiped together, we had dinner with my pastor...

and we kissed... mmmmmmm.

Anyway, Lisa sat down with my pastor and me. Sometimes that can be intimidating. She handled it well.

I love this woman.

D-Day

It's been 21 days since I last saw Lisa. As I stated before, she felt led to go on a fast to make sure that we were on the right path. As I said before, I totally respect her for that.

Well... I see her today.

I see LISA today!!!

It's going to be so awesome to be able to hold her in my arms, kiss her lips...

It's going to be an fun.

I've invited friends over for a game night... so that should be fun! She'll have the opportunity to meet people that are in my world... that should be cool.

Tomorrow she's going to dinner with me and she's going to have dinner with my Pastor and his wife.

I love this woman... can't wait for the time when we will not just have day or weekend visits...

If you believe in God and pray... pray that I find a job in Atlanta - so we can be together soon. Thanks!

21 Days...

Almost 21 days ago I got a phone call from Lisa. She said she felt the need to go on a 21 day fast in order to spend some time praying about our relationship and seeking the face of God.

I was supportive. I think it's wrong for one person to stand in the face of another person, especially when it comes to matters of faith. I've broken up with people for the same reason.

It's been a good 21 days. We've talked on the phone, covered some really deep issues and interestingly enough have grown even closer.

This weekend I get to see her again! She's coming to visit... I'm way too excited about this!

I've planned some cool events so she can meet some friends of mine, so it's going to be good... very, very good...

WOO HOO!

who do you want to be?

Deep down inside, everyone has a vision of who they want to be.

I think it's time for me to spend some time thinking about who I want to be...

This is too easy...

Lisa and I send affirmations to each other. It keeps us on the same page. It sets a vision. It inspires.

This affirmation was shared today:

We have a consistent saying... "you make it easy."

It makes me smile when those words are uttered. It's an awesome thing to be in a relationship that is like-minded. But then... my mind drifted to our conversation last night when we were talking about X and her beau. You made the statement that "he may have gotten complacent with their current situation..."

Complacency can be a killer in a relationship. It's that point where self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies takes place. It's that point where people begin to take things for granted and as a result, treat things carelessly or casually.

My mind drifted to

Matthew 11:29-30 (New Living Translation)
29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and
gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke
is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

The yoke, is an instrument of burden. I actually looked this word up and found something interesting. A yoke is placed on TWO animals joining them together when they work together. (I think a lot of times when we read this, we think that it's solely our responsibility, but from the beginning - even before the indwelling of the Holy Spirit God helped us understand the partnership that he has with man to help us achieve what he has in store for us.)

In this process of yoking, he says... let me teach you. He's there to help us with the heavy lifting and doesn't try to move us too fast or on a terrain that we're not able to handle. Even though he is able to do it, his humbleness and gentleness abound. Our burden is light because of his heavy lifting.

I think what we have is easy not because we make it easy ourselves, but because each of us has determined that we aren't going to yoke together to try and make things work, but because we have yoked up with Jesus and we're both working n the same field... towards a common plan.

It's my sincere prayer that we continue to learn from God, keep humility and gentleness at the center of what we have, and not get complacent. The fact that we're yoked with Christ doesn't mean that we
don't do any work... it just means that it's appropriate work for where we are.

I love you because you're willing to chase God before chasing me!

I'm an addict...

I admit it... I love sugar.

If I'm going to binge eat, it's not going to be on anything other than SUGAR. Pound cake, candy bars, confection made from compressed sugar... the sweeter, the better.

When I eat sweets, it's not just one, it's a bag. It's not just one type... it's at least 3 different types in a single setting. 3,000 calories... and more grams of sugar than I'm willing to actually put down on paper out of sheer embarrassment.

So... now that I'm getting older and fat tends to settle around my mid section with so much ease these days, I've decided that I need to come off the sugar... cold turkey.

I really haven't had that bad of a physical withdrawal... yet. I am suffering from a headache tho.

The only other thing to note is that I'm thinking slightly more clearly.

Just 2 more days and then my 3 day detox from sugar will be complete!

Wish me luck.

A glimpse into my life...

I send daily affirmations to Lisa. I just wanted to share what it's like to be on the same page as someone that you truly care about. I am not trying to brag or say that I'm super-spiritual... I make mistakes on a regular basis... believe me.

----- (Edited from the original thought 000

But... in truth, I think everyone exists on 2 different levels, sometimes more.

In one part, there's the person that you are.

Another part is the you that you want to be.

It's the same way with Lisa. She's on a path of continuing improvement as well.

Part of the reason why we do the affirmation and talk about what we want and where we're going is all a part of "vision casting."

Vision casting is the process of talking about the future. What could be. How you want to shape it. It makes sure that people are who you want to be.

I do it all the time in my own life. It's nice to have someone that's willing to run the race with me.

Balance

Anyone that has followed my blog for a while knows that I'm a fan of this little thing called... balance. I have done at least 20 posts regarding my quest for a balanced life.

The truth is... balance is really easy to achieve when it's just you. But what happens when you really introduce someone else into your life?

Well, if they are not your equal, if you think you have to bring them up to your "level" or if you don't think you are on the same plane as them... there's unbalance.

I know that it sucks to be alone... but it also sucks to be heart broken.

I truly know that it's hard... but I encourage all of you who are reading my blog that are single to hold out until you find balance in your relationships!

Managing long distance relationships...

So... I'm in a long distance relationship with Lisa. This basically means that we see each other 1 or maybe 2 days a week a couple times a month.

The object is to not talk too much or too little, use technology for that visual element (skype), emails... it all has to be deliberate.

It's going well so far...

It's finally happened...

I admit it... I am the man that has always said that relationships were too serious to be glib or casual. I've always talked about my track shoes... you know, those things that I put on my feet to propel me to safety in the event that someone gets too close.

Things are going well with Lisa. I have decided to join the host of people that have gone before me and hang up my track shoes.

We have achieved... balance. We view our faith, family, relationships and problem resolution the same way... good communication skills and chemistry... it's darn near perfect. Why on earth would I mess this up looking for something better?

She allows me to transparently be me quirks and all... I offer her the same, and we actually have put it to the test.

It feels good to have found that place that makes me feel comfortable and like I'm at home...