Note To Future Self

mitcheiler — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 07:59:18 +0000

I remember being a kid and hearing my father say something really witty or sometimes deeply insightful, and then following his statement with a brief pause and flash of genius upon his face and saying “I ought to write that down” or ” I’d do well to remember that”. I distinctly recall thinking those were flashes of my fathers blonde moments (we all have them), but looking back I’m starting to think its more just that sometimes the advice we need in life just wouldn’t be as meaningful coming from anyone other than your former self. Let’s face it, good advice is good advice no matter who or when it comes from. And honestly, who else really knows you better than yourself?

With this flow of thinking in mind, I was having trouble sleeping tonight and was looking back through past blog posts and having varied responses. (Most of which was apparently I never valued my education in grammar and the english language enough. Im not even going to attempt to fix it at this point, but rather count it as original creativity.) The big thing I noticed though was that on the rare occasion, it seems as though i have managed to make a few decent insights now and then. Going back and reading some posts in particular, it was almost as if someone else had authored it. The mind is an incredible mystery but perhaps one the greatest mysteries I have encountered, is how it can manage to remove you from a current situation enough to construct a compelling thought or profound advice to then offer back to you, and it seem like the first you’ve ever heard of it. All this being said, note to future sleepless self… Reality check : “If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else” Galatians 6:3-4

I Am Calamity Sam

mitcheiler — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:50:06 +0000

It never seems to go the way you picture it, life that is.

You pictured the wife delivering the baby at the hospital and you with your flip camera in the corner, trying to capture the moment in between waives of faintness from what you’re witnessing. Yet in reality you didn’t make it to the hospital, and instead your on the side of the road in rural nowhere fashioning your favorite jacket into something like a catchers mitt (as if its coming out like a fastball) and no one else is there to guide you other than the local cattle who seem surprisingly shocked at your lack of preparation.

You pictured walking into that car dealer and fast talking the sales dept. into accepting your 89 Honda Accord (complete with rusted rear wheel wells) as a trade in under the Kelly blue book value for *classic car* towards the cost of your new family swagger wagon. In reality you left with a *Classic* 89 Honda Accord, new steering wheel cover and a curiously misplaced sense of pride in your bargaining skills.

Humorous or horrifying, the reality is that life when given the chance will almost always go according to the unplanned, and its not because the cosmos were misaligned. And it wasn’t because of the bad Karma from giving your fantasy football opponent the slice of pizza you sneezed on instead of doing the right thing and keeping it for yourself… Life is unpredictable because it just wouldn’t be a life worth living if it were completely foreseeable. There’s no mystery in schedules. There’s no discovery in protocol. There’s nothing to learn from the expected.

My life hasn’t exactly gone according to the way I would have wanted/expected it to, but through those experiences (good and bad), I have learned things about myself I count as invaluable and crucial to making me who I am. I discovered things that changed my perspective on life entirely, and found mysteries that will captivate my imagination forever. And in the end I’m learning that things like this make my life, my faith, and my experiences richer and more vibrant than I would have ever conceived. And I’m growing to the conclusion that I really wouldn’t want it any other way. Here’s to the detour, and all the calamity that may or may not come with it!

Unseen Hope

mitcheiler — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:55:25 +0000

There are things in life that happen that we don’t always prefer or understand. Moments that make or break us, mold and shape us into who we will one day become. They’re typically not enjoyable, or even slightly jovial. They come in a slow build like the turn of a clock, and sometimes they come like the turn of a corner. Whenever they arrive, we say we can’t do them. When we’re in them we say we cant finish them. and when we finish them we often think we could have done without them. But with such limited vision as it relates to the scope of time we only see the moment as a trial of circumstance, and never as potential for the future. Patience, perseverance, or faith individually can change circumstances only for a moment, but all three applied together can change a person forever.

You are a good person, who’s in a moment of circumstance. Maybe you can’t see through to the end yet, but there’s great potential for you on the other-side. Be patient. Persevere. Hold fast to faith. You will be better, stronger than before. Darkness breaks for the light. Hope, peace, and joy will find you.

doer’s are better than doesnt’s

mitcheiler — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:29:50 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve been on here, and its interesting to see how many people suposedly stop by everday according to wordpress’s software. Im curious to know how many of those visits are actually intentional and how many are just spam. As much as I would like to think, I have my doubts that my insights and musing thoughts are impacting people in the far reaches of Dubai, Pakistan, and a few other places I can’t spell correctly (you know who you are).

Life lately has felt similar to swimming in a training pool. Lots of effort going out to move forward, but not feeling like or looking like Im doing anything other than going against the tide. I suppose if anything that’s at least something, which Im certain is a lot more than most people are doing.

The late John Wooden (Hall of Fame Basketball coach and Human-being extrordinaire) once said “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” I know that as I have been ‘swimming’ lately I have made my own share of mistakes, which for a person with a semi-perfectionist mindset (is that possible?) is difficult. But in light of Wooden’s genius, I have to say it makes it easier to cope with, as I would always rather be known as a doer instead of a doesn’t.

So whether I am impacting people in Dubai tonight with the sage wisdom of a Hall of Fame coach from a sport that they likely know nothing about or not, I suppose it’s nice to know that I am at least making an effort! Goooood morning Dubai!