A few years ago I was on a plane and I happened to be sitting next to a gentleman who told me that he worked for ESPN2.  At the time, he was on his way to work a college football game in one of the major conferences.  He wasn't on air personality - he was one of the technicians that worked behind the scenes making sure that the broadcast was delivered properly to viewers around the world.  When he spoke, I noticed that his voice lacked enthusiasm, and quite frankly I had assumed since he had such a plum job he would be bubbling with excitement.  He told me that it wasn't the job it was the assignment. He loved his work, he just didn't look forward to working major college football games because he felt that the sport had traded it's simplicity and beauty for money and prestige.  So I asked him, out of all the sports and venues in which he had worked, what was his favorite.  He wasted no time telling me the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.  

When I was very young, I was terrified of large bodies of water including swimming pools.  Part of my fear came from the fact that my mother was scared of water and always preached to me how I could easily drown if I wasn't careful around water.  She was so terrified of water that even standing on a beach, far away from the shore, was extremely difficult for her.  So, she passed that fear on to me at a very early age.  It is very difficult to fear water if you want to be active and involved in organizations.  For instance, I joined the boy scouts and when we went to summer camp, I would stand on the pool deck and simply watch as the other scouts had fun splashing about in the pool.  For a ten year old it is a difficult thing not to be able to join in on the fun.  But my fear of water kept me firmly planted safely away from the water.   I was told at the end of the camp, that if I did not learn how to swim that future summer camp participation would be difficult and in fact, I would never be able to successfully progress as a scout because swimming was required.  And so when I left summer camp that year, I thought I might never return.  But then fate intervened.

The noted  psychiatrist,  Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, once wrote, "The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." I ran across this quote a few days ago when I was having a conversation with a close friend.  And as I thought about the quote I realized that the "beautiful people" Dr. Ross referred to are rare.

I get the opportunity to travel a lot.  I spend more than my fair share of nights in hotel rooms. I've grown accustomed to staying at the major hotels' "budget brands".  While there are a few that I avoid like the plague, some are actually pretty nice. But with any hotel, no matter how nice it can be, they all have their annoyances.  And when you stay in them for more that the standard "vacation duration" (more than 7 days!), those irritants begin to compound.  So, here is a list of those things that irritate me about hotel rooms.  You probably have some of your own.  These are mine.

I haven't written much for awhile.  I just didn't feel it.  So, since May, I have had a severe case of writer's block.  Now, that's just an excuse, I know.  There is nothing that we can't fight through.  But for some reason, over the past few months, every time I sat down to write, I just couldn't seem to come up with the words.  It just wasn't flowing for me.  But yesterday, that all changed when I met Barbara and Leon on my Southwest flight.  And I have to tell you, they are  a special couple. 

1976 was a year of change - both good and bad.  The Steelers beat Dallas in the Superbowl - I lost money on that game.  The Naval Academy accepted its first female class - somewhat appropriate that it happened in 1976, but still way too late.  And Babara Jordan, yes, Barbara Jordan, gave a historic speech when delivering the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, becoming the first African American to deliver a keynote address for either party.