Put the battle axe down one more time…

There are days that we wake up and just feel good. I love that total feeling of satisfaction. It is funny when you realize that it doesn't come from a particular act or outcome. It is from being at peace with yourself and right with the world. We can be satisfied on many levels, but it is rare to just be at peace with everything. There is usually some area of our life that we are "at war" with.

I work in outside sales in an industry that is hyper competitive and even at times a bit ruthless. I find that many days I am at war with myself, my manager, my reps, my competition, my clients and my prospects. At any given moment I can go from calm to battle ready. Whether fighting to resolve a customer issue or battle an internal fight protecting my turf. Over the last 5-6 years I have seen a lot of events that many times make me shake my head. I think that is where the anxiety came from. I never used to be anxious. This business has brought me to a place that really I would have rather avoided. The anxiety has shown me how frail we really are. It has also shown me how powerful our mind is. My job has made me acutely aware of how important it is to have strong emotional control.

In all of this "warring" we find ourselves in brief moments where everyone seems to put down their weapons and paused for a fleeting second. In those times when we are not wielding the battle axe we realize how precious these times are and how we would like to "stay in the moment." In Dallas it seems like the moments when the world just stops are far and few between. They are very powerful though, many times fueling us for months on end. Just like wood for a fire or gasoline to a car, they are the substance that gets us to our next destination. This contentment is spoken of in every religion and in every tongue and even spelled out in the nature clearly for everyone to witness.

Nature is the silent revealer of the truth. Just like a jury makes a declaration of guilt, nature convicts us of the truth which has been set before us. All one has to do is stop even if for a moment and really listen. Our senses reveal the truth that we already know in our hearts. It is interesting how each faith puts emphasis on being content and describes the process. What I do know is that when it happens; when the world stops even for a second you will know.

It is like the rush that an addict chases, we are all seeing satisfaction. We seek it on every level in each area of our lives. Once experienced you will never forget it; peace the solitary thought that resides with no other. When the mind is cleared of everything, when the battle axe is put down only then can you experience peace. Contentment is place that you can physically visit. Once you are there the only thought left is to stay there and the only goal becomes not drifting back. To be content is to be free of needs, wants or anxiety; contentment is the fuel for the engine of peace. Within peace we find the truths explained about the things that we experience in nature. Nature is a reflection of the creator, a mirror of his spirit and the product of his own hands. As we a molded creature of clay, formed by the work on the great potter's wheel. From dust we began and to dust we shall return.

Life moves so fast that we many times lose sight of anything important. As we get older we give up on learning, we do not impart our virtues that we believe in to others. I try to experience something new every day; feel a strong emotion every day; give of myself every day; believe something every day; use all of my senses to explain my surroundings. I hope that my battles in Dallas will eventually allow me to fall back from the front lines and become a observer of the insanity that is now our global community.

Today I will put the battle axe down just for a moment… and exhale…

Pirate Mike.

"As the sun rises from the depths of the water so to our hopes, dreams and aspirations are renewed; as the sun heads back to its watery grave so do our fears subside as we know with a new day comes new beginnings. Our failures have not chained us to our weaknesses but revealed them to ourselves so that can be overcome. Our strengths have been magnified to carry us through our failures to new heights."

Lake Idiots; just add alcohol…

When I think about the lake I think of fond memories that remind me of some of the greatest times with my friends. So what is it about the water that looks so easy to let people let go of their minds? When you drive a car you know that there are rules of the road. When you walk across the street you know to look both ways. When you enter someone else's home you know to wipe your feet. But the minute you step foot on a boat you lose your mind?

People have water dumbness. I am not blaming the alcohol either I drink plenty on the water, but my 35+ years of water memories all bring up visions of being careful, attentive, courteous, and polite. First of all I am a strong supporter of a "boating license." I myself am working on a 100 ton Master Captain's license, (of which I probably will never use commercially) so I believe in education and preparedness. I also think that law enforcement focuses on the wrong things. When you drive in a manner that could get someone hurt they have Negligent Driving, Reckless Driving, and Reckless Endangerment they have all kinds of fines to choose from to help modify stupid behavior. It seems like on the water they do not have anything to choose from but BWI (Boating While Intoxicated) or that is all they are educated on.

They do not seem to ever watch the traffic ways that are the busiest. They never just stop someone over to educate them, but just to harass them and see if they are drunk. I think that we really do ourselves a disservice by not putting the cops on the lakes in North Texas through more marine education. I have witnessed them put the people they are pulling over in danger and the boats that are anchored and the skippers that own them that are drunk in danger. The law enforcement on the water needs to be the best of the best, and need to be held to a higher standard than regular police. These officers are working with a 3 dimensional mode of transportation and you can not simply "pull over" and take everyone out of danger.

I do not see this as self evident, year after year I see the same officers doing the same things. Why is there not a better 'eye in the sky' to help them? Why do we live on the most dangerous lake in the state and with the most accidents and have the least amount of support and concern? Why does the Army Corp of Engineers not take more pride to mark the lake and keep it safe for navigation? There are little to no markings on the lake and they are done by private individuals. We need more money and better support from the Corp and from local law enforcement. They say that recreation is 3^rd or 4^th on their list. We are the ones that gave them that list 30-40 years ago. We are the ones that tell them what is important; we need to remind them that we are the reason for their existence and that our priorities on this lake have changed.

I wish that the large contingent of the population that receives enjoyment from safe and sane boating on Lake Lewisville and the many other Corp. lakes in the North Texas area would unite and let them know that we care about our families safety and make the simple changes that are needed so that everyone could enjoy the lake without worrying about becoming a fatality!

I do not know why we are 20 years behind the needs of the people but with the hundreds of thousands of people that enjoy our local lakes I think that safe recreation should be a paramount importance for local law enforcement, or they should close the lakes to everyone. There should not be a acceptable death rate on local lakes. It is not acceptable the way they are being secured, maintained and monitored. We would pay for a better recreational system and there are many ways to fund it so that we can all enjoy the lakes without fear or harassment (which is the alternative that is being employed). Make it miserable to party on the lake and you will run them off. (poor management of our resources)

I think we need to turn to better information/charts/markings and navigation buoys, better education for the lake goers and supporting cast (marina operators, law enforcement, coast guard auxiliary) and more support from the Corp on those that want to do business on or near the lake to attract the type of recreation that allows for lake goers to have a good time without sacrificing the other needs of the lake (water shed, erosion control etc)

Just thoughts from a crazy old pirate,

To Live and Love...

Life is like an ocean, it changes direction many times over its course. The ocean is a living and breathing body and the water is it's blood and the land masses it's arteries and veins. Love is like the current of the ocean it is not life but it is what pushes and drives us to get to our destination. The currents of the ocean take the water that brings life to every area of the planet. So to love brings to us all the nourishment that we need to be sustained. Without the currents the coral and reefs would die, and so the chain of life would wither with it. Without love as the driving passion of our being we too would die just as a baby without human touch.

The wind works with and sometimes against the currents to help with the spreading of the water over the planet. So to are our actions as they spread the truth of our heart to those that watch us. Our actions just like the wind sometimes go against what we profess. In the end we are known for our actions not our words, and just like the winds that cross the oceans they too are named for the direction that they go. Just as the wind stirs up the sea, so to our actions stir up the imaginings of the hearts around us. The winds do not carry the burden of responsibility on their own, nor do our actions as the responsibility lies in our hearts and minds.

The continents of the world create the road map for the oceans to follow like a mountain guide in a state park. The land masses create the environment that the water flows to and from. Just as our mind sets the stage that will allow our love to either leave or be locked up within our body and our soul. Bays, Channels and Seas all different formations of land that give each area of the world a distinct pathway for the current to push the water to each creature bringing life and life more abundantly. Just as the circumstances and events that mold our lives and give us the uniqueness of character to impact others and bring to them what they need.

Great sailing ships that brave the open oceans alone without fear, are much like the vessel of our heart that carries our love to the ends of the Earth. Just as the sailing ships can go against the wind, currents and tide, so to can our heart take us to places that we never dreamed. Even as the ships brave the weather and elements so to our hearts the fear of rejection and betrayal. Even as pirates are a feared encounter on the water so to is the event of true love feared by all those that have traveled those waters before.

For as we travel and give of ourselves, just as pirates someone we have loved has taken from us. But in the midst of the battle, swords drawn as the sound of steel pierces the distance, we must rejoice as our soul cries for freedom. Just as our heart has 2 sides that beat as one, so too is another soul that searches even as we speak. They too are a wandering spirit seeking a destiny that may not be apparent. And if ever you dare allow your ship to carry you across the currents of life, you will encounter that one that makes you whole. The one wanderer that brings nourishment to your spirit and sustenance to your soul is just around the bend.

Therefore strike out and fear not, as your heart speaks. Allow the current of your mind to take you away. Allow the body of your ship to take to the winds and allow yourself time to search far and near. Never allow the distance to bother you. Let the power of your love take you away from the tragedies that you have endured, and allow the newness of the day to take you to new places in your soul. Hide in those new places and you sail across the ocean. For one day you will come across another that completes you.

"The seas never stop, they come and go bringing to their inhabitants the substance of life, so is the tide of our life, people come and go and with them they bring the substance of life… don't ever give up on people, as you will have given up on your yourself…" – Pirate Mike (personal quote)