A little bit of love...

So I'm on the way home from dropping one of my best friends off at the airport. (We've known each other since about 2nd grade and have been through some crazy stuff while growing up). Anyway, I'm on the way home listening to music and just letting my mind wander and I get to thinking about being happy and how I've changed and how my view on the world has changed since I was a bit younger. I should add that part of this thinking came froma discussion that Mike (my friend) and I had the night before about "carpe diem" and things of that nature. But I got to realizing that I've become extremely guarded lately. Not sure if any of that has to do with my fiance leaving me back in May, or if it stems from just getting older, probably a bit of both really. So I was thinking about that and how it really is just a choice that we make as to whether we're going to be happy or not. I think that over the past who knows how long I've started thinking only about myself, becoming selfish, and because of that I've lost the ability to be happy with what I have. I always seem to want something different. And half the time I don't even know what that something is that I want. Sad, I know...but I think its a common thing. And trust me that I am no preacher, but I think the biggest cure for it is love. Not love as in "I'm so in love with you", but Godly love as in the "I'll put you before me" type of love. The kind of selfless love when you look out for others more than you look out for yourself. Obviously you can't forget about yourself, but to show love and caring for others seems to make such a big change in your life. I can't think of a single time when I helped someone out and I didn't feel good about myself afterwards. Even if that person was an ass and wasn't thankful at all, I still felt good about being able to help others. I think its that type of love that is missing in this world these days, and I believe that we should all work harder to revive it. Take a few minutes out of your day, each and every day, to go out of the way to help someone else. Open a door when you don't have to, let some one into your line of traffic when you ordinarily wouldn't, volunteer some of your time at a local help organization to help make a difference for others. Anything you can do to show love to another human will not only make you feel better about yourself, but it may just change someone elses life. Yes, you may never know it, but that shouldn't matter. Obviously what you do is up to you, but for me, I know that I'm going to work a little harder to help others and to become a little bit more selfless in my everyday life.

Darn Computers....among other things

Hello again. I'm sure you all probably don't remember me since its been so long since you've heard from me. But I'm Mark, the fun-loving guy living up here in the upper Northwest of the US, trying to help others and keep myself out of trouble. But enough about me...how about we talk about my stupid computer. One of the few reasons I haven't posted anything latly. Its decided to give me a hard disk issue. So it just kinda turns itself off every now and then (usually when I'm in the middle of something important). And then of course it doesn't want to start up again. So I might be investing in a new hard drive, unless anyone out there knows what the error code "HD521-2VV" stands for. Alrighty, I know, lame excuse for not putting up a post. I guess I've also been pretty busy lately. Seems like I'm never at home. Actually, I had one of my friends ask me today how many days I've actually been in the office at work in the last six months. I think his guess was 10. So needless to say, I've been around. So lets see what I've been up to. (I had to check my last post to see where I had left off, so I'm back to typing again...not like you even know I was gone). I'm still in training at the fire department, which is going very well. I have to miss it every now and then because of work issues, but I'm still learning a lot. Not to mention I'm putting up with the wonderful people I get to work with ;-) Speaking of work, things are gonna get busier again, even when I thought they were as busy as they could be. I've been enrolled in the First Pilot Syllabus. Which means I'll be studying a lot and flying a lot, trying to upgrade from CoPilot to First Pilot. (more responsibility, and the ability to fly more flights, YIPEE!) Oh, and I'll be gone all this week in Portland participating in an exercise. (even more time I'm away from home) I think that about sums it up for the work stuff On to the personnal side of things. Where to begin? I think I've basically decided to relocate myself onto the "dating around" shelf. Which, if you know me, isn't what I'm normally like. I've always been the "find one person that you see yourself with in the future and settle down" type of guy. So the idea of dating a bunch of girls at once is relatively new to me, but I'm trying it on (even though I have no idea what I'm doing). Hopefully I don't screw things up too badly or get a bunch of girls pissed at me!! So if you have any pointers, please share :-) (or for that matter, if you are interested in going out sometime...let me know) Well, enough about that stuff. I don't think you all want to read about the soap opera that is my life. On a brighter (and more painful) note, I ran a 10K this morning! It was the Great Collumbia Crossing. A 10K that starts in Washington on the North side of the Columbia River, and then we run across the Astoria-Megler bridge (the one you see in the beginning of Goonies when chunk smashes his shake against the window) to the Oregon side. It was a lot of fun and I ran it with my friend Em and a bunch of the people I work with and their wives. So needless to say I am tired and sore. And I think on that note, I am going to head to bed. Cause I have to be up for work tomorrow and then a drive to Portland. I look forward to reading your comments and hearing about what is up with you!! Stay safe