Highest and Best Use of Time

Yesterday was my one year anniversary of my 'new job', which of course after a year isn't so new anymore!

Though, like a birthday, or year-end celebration, it's an important marker of time.

I had dinner last night with a close friend in town from San Francisco and we were discussing life changes in the past 2-3 times we've seen each other, which have been many!

It's at the milestones we tend to think about the quickening of time, and the things we've done, or want to do, and reflect on the broad changes from a sequence of days.

After I got home, I received a very out of the blue text from another friend in California who reminded me of something my friend Dave used to say (and I think still continues to say to me):  "Make the highest and best use of your time."  

While I am not sure this was a coincidence, it's likely Dave's way of reminding me/all of us that when you look at a sequence of days, you have to first reanimate yourself around who and what you are spending your time on.

World Ocean Day

Tomorrow, June 8th, is World Ocean Day.  As someone who works in marketing, I'm aware there are many 'days' to celebrate (the goofiest one I ever heard of was 'Sandwich Day' which I believe Baggies helped to launch a few years ago).


World Ocean Day is another matter though.  Whether you are coastal or inland, whether the ocean represents food, income, playground or purely inspiration and wonder, the fact is we're all connected in one big eco-system.  Treasuring and protecting our oceans directly impacts us (and hundreds of thousands of species).

Happy World Ocean Day everyone.  And thank you to surf icon Kelly Slater for your support too!

Life Isn't Fair, but It's Still Good

I reread an essay earlier this week by Regina Brett, a journalist with the Cleveland Plain Dealer who wrote a column that her editor didn't like and almost didn't run, but ended up circulating the world many times over and eventually turned into a book.  She wrote a column about life lesson's, with the perspective that came after she successfully fought breast cancer.

A close friend was diagnosed with breast cancer this week, and as I was processing the news, needed a reminder that life is good even if it isn't fair sometimes.

As sometimes life is also sharply ironic, this morning I was talking with someone about a mutual person we know who isn't very happy.  Now, on the outside, if this person isn't happy, I'm not sure who is as he's someone who seems to 'have it all', the American dream turbo charged.  As we talked I couldn't help but think a bit angrily What else does he want?  What would do it?  He's not going to be dealing with breast cancer.  Though of course it's not more houses, more trips, more success,  I think the trick has to do with quality of heart.

Oprah Winfrey (do all roads lead to Oprah...?) once said that the single most important thing that changed her life was gratitude.   Perhaps it's the appreciation of the present moment that creates the shift, that focuses us on what we have, and not thinking about the past and the future, which come to us with no guarantees.

My friend's heart has always been in the right place so while she's going to be facing some health challenges, she has the right spirit and strength, and I know she deeply believes that life is good.  She'll be okay.  It's the other guy who I feel sorry for....