So June has been a brilliant month for me. My birthday was this month, I went to Disney World, purchased a Harry Potter wand, had butter beer for the first time at Universal (yes I'm a 32 year old kid with no shame), drove a giant van (I own a truck but never drove something that huge), attempted to (and failed) to get a store to sell physical prints of my first poetry book, identified certain aspects of my personality that I'm good with (and parts that I could do without) and visited Bimini for the first time. That is just to name a few things that I've done in June. But yesterday was another brand new experience! Kayaking for the first time! 

This may not seem all that major but its something that I've been dying to try for about six months now! I had a blast, hell I even wiped out once. lq, it was a closed top so recovery wasn't much of an option but it was shallow enough that I waked it back to shore to get the water out. Even tried to paddle board...that didn't end well at all! Point is I tried. 

So my message here is to fill your life with experiences! You will only be here as you are once so you may as well get the most out of it. Even if something scares the hell out of you (driving the van scared me!) you should give a try; hell if it scares you then you really need to give it a go.

So I began working on an idea for a thriller (yes, I do have a few things running around in this lovely mind of mine). I want to test it out here and release it weekly as I compile the book to go with it. It will have an audio component (for those of you who would rather listen than read). So lets have some creepy fun!

So yesterday was St Patrick’s Day and as far as alcohol induced conversations go the one I had wasn’t too bad. If you could have one magical object from any continuity, what would you pick?

My answer was simple, I wanted Wonder Woman’s Lasso of truth. Its indestructible and compels anyone who is bound by in to tell the truth so it was a definite want for me. It can also be taken just about anywhere since its simply rope.

But as I got to thinking there were so many other items to choose from. There is Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility or Hades Helmet of invisibility. Who wouldn’t want to be able to vanish from sight and get up to all kinds of mischief?

Then there is Mjolnir, more commonly known as Thor’s Hammer, which has tremendous destructive properties! Or immortality can be gained with the Fountain of Youth.

The ring from Lord of the rings would be tempting too….
There are numerous magical items out there and I’m curious what you would chose to have if you had to pick one. So tell me, what would you chose?

Steve was sitting at the bar drinking a warm Guinness, it was New Year's Eve of 2016, the shittiest year of his 33 years on this planet. This was the year his long term girl friend dumped him for some 22 year old nitwit. This was the year where Princess Leia died, Brexit happened, Donald Trump became president and North Korea thought launching missiles was a good idea. You would think these all don’t affect him personally but since he was a kid he always had a crush on Carrie Fisher, after seeing her in Star Wars he was hooked! This year he had ended his time working in London and still had some funds tied up in their banks…those are worth a lot less now. To try and relieve some of his financial burden he bet $3,000 that Hilary would win — he was so wrong. And when it comes to Korea, who the hell wants them shooting their loads all over the place?! . Suffice to say this has been a shit year. But the icing on the cake was how he broke his leg in a car crash on his birthday. And if you’re wondering the answer is “Yes” he was driving while drunk and speeding like an ass.
If Steve could take back that one moment he could because at least he wouldn’t have to walk with a cane and hobble in self pity. So there was nothing better for him to do than to sit in this dive bar getting plastered in order to bring in the New Year. 2017…if only he could repeat parts of 2016 and get it right this time. Getting lost in his misery he didn’t notice the blonde woman sit next to him. He looked at her and smiled drunkenly.
She looked at him, smiled while tilting her head to the side.
“You should go back and not break your led” She stated flatly.
Steve was so taken aback he sprang up straight and fell backward with his drink in hand.
***
As quickly as it had taken him to fall Steve opens his eyes only to be standing outside “Charlie’s”…but he hasn’t been her since his car crash…wait, his car was in front of him and he was holding the keys about to get back in. 

No, this can’t be real…he touched the car. It was real. And his leg was pain free! There was no cane and he had no limp! But he was drunk…really drunk. Holy hell! This is the night he broke his leg. But this is his second chance and he isn’t gonna screw things up this time. Slowly he stumbles back inside.
Slapping his hand on the bar he declares “Mike! I need a taxi or to stay here!”
A stout man with a rugged appearance responds to Steve “I was wondering how messed up you were.” Concerned filled his face as he put a hand on his drunken patron’s shoulder. “Give me your keys and I’ll put you in the room in the back. Can’t have you doing anything stupider on your birthday.”
Just as Mike started to move him toward the back room Steve felt his legs give way. He fell back with a stupid grin on his face knowing he had saved himself some future anguish. 
***
Steve opens his eyes and fells a sharp pain in his back and his leg. Dammit! Why is the leg hurting? And why was he wet? …He opened his eyes only to find he was in the same dive bar on New Years Eve. The blonde woman came into view, her hair touched his face as she tried to help him up, she was cute.
“Hey, are you okay? I didn’t think I startled you, I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed as she used some napkins to tenderly wipe his face clean.
He was drunk before but that impact with the ground has him mostly sober. “Huh?” was the only thing he could mutter.
As she finished wiping his face clean she looked at him thoughtfully and stated “Like I said, my name is Sandy. I’ve seen you around town and thought you were cute. I told myself that at the start of 2017 I’d see if you’d go out with me…”
Steve looked at Sandy dumbfounded..
“Oh god, you’re gonna say no” she panicked as she let him go and held onto the bar.
“No! I’m just shocked” Steve began to step forward but stumbled and grabbed onto the bar for support. Hiding his wincing in pain smiles at her and says “I’d love to go out with you next year!”
Sandy’s eyes light up! She reaches around him to grab his cane, placed it in one arm while offering Steve her other arm for support. “Good. Seeing that next year is in a few minutes let me take you across the street for pizza. I want the new year to meet us on our first date” she declared gingerly.
“Lead the way.”



2016 was a shit year for Steve. 
2017 is looking very promising so far…

Happy New Year!!!!!!​

— Kaze Think

So yesterday was the 10th of November 2016. It was by no means a regular day but it was definitely a rewarding day. I was able to interact with some amazing people throughout the day. Lunch was delicious and I was able to step outside of myself to enjoy the sunset (even though I was driving). Hell, I was actually dancing in my truck as I drove (which had to be a hilarious site but I didn't care)! 

Yesterday was such high energy for me and it was great! Now the day wasn't perfect and it had its hurdles but overall it was a hell of an awesome day. I wish everyone the best for the weekend.

The past few weeks have been very productive for me and I wanted to share the steps I've been utilizing to gain the most out of my week. hopefully it helps you too!
1.Make a check list for the week


Having a check list that covers your goals for the week gives you something visual that you can look at to see how you’re progressing through your workload. Try not to go overboard and put huge amount of difficult tasks for yourself, find a balance between difficult, medium and easy tasks to keep track of. For each one you check off you will feel immense satisfaction (and want to keep at it). If you don’t complete all the tasks you’ve given yourself then its okay, just refill them into the following week, or a modified version of that task. But if something stays on your list for over a month then it might just be the wrong goal for you. Take the time to evaluate it properly.


2.Designate time to relax


We all believe that working hard is the best way to be productive but thats not entirely so. In order for us to give a task our all we need to remind ourselves what we are working for (which isn’t working for the sake of working). Everyone needs time to unwind and relax — you’re down time might be a trip to another country, drinks with friends, an intriguing book or going for a walk. Whatever activity it is that you need to engage in to get rid of stress should be apart of your schedule — hell its arguable it is the most important meeting you will have for the week. If you don’t relax you might break…and if you break you sure as hell won’t be productive.


3.Get a full night sleep


You are not a machine and your brain need adequate sleep (6-9hrs) in order to process information effectively. No sleep means no work. This applies to you unless you are secretly a ninja and have learned to transcend human limits — if you are not a ninja then sleep properly!


4.Have someone hold you accountable


No, you’re not a kid and you don’t need to be reminded of every little thing on your schedule. However you are a very busy person who outlines the things they have to do but get lost in the tedious nature of every day life and some of those important things get left by the wayside without a trusted companion/coworker/friend/bum on the side of the road to remind you of those tasks. Find someone you can trust who will have no qualms about reminding you every day until you said you’ve done it or find someone who will ask you if you’ve accomplished something you’ve said you’d do.


5.Keep learning


There will always be the hard way, the easy way and the smart way. Learn the difference and go for the smart way when you can (the easy way generally is very expensive and not just in terms of cash). Keeping yourself nimble mentally is a great way to be able to adapt to whatever life throws at you and life can throw you lemons or grenades  and you want to know how to deal with either effectively! An intelligent person knows there are new ways of doing things created each day and is open to seeing how they work for them.

So Hurricane Matthew has been gone for over two weeks but even prior to it’s arrival I felt out of sorts…no, thats not right. Frankly I felt worthless. My camera didn’t seem to be in focus, I couldn’t string words into sentences and I felt tired…too tired. I found myself unable to write, to focus, to dream. We all have our low moments…and that was mine. I could prattle on how self doubt had seeped into me in the form of poor workmanship, how I struggled with the green eyed beast of envy or how people I once felt close to had drifted away. That was then and this is now. I’m not saying that how I got there isn’t important because in a way it is but I but whats more important is to keep going forward.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not over it and life isn’t perfect…its simply different. I won’t honestly look at myself in the mirror and say that I’m the same as I was 10 years ago, 10 days ago or 10 minutes from now. Change is a constant as long as we are alive, as much as things may look or seem the same they never truly are. Some of the changes in our lives might not be great but you can weep about it, embrace it or change it again. For myself I’ll be going through door number 3 until I don’t have to anymore. 
We all have our low moments but I feel it’s most important we stand up, brush off the dirt and get back to chasing (or finally catching) our dreams. Travel with peace and love.

Anyone else heard someone say (or said themselves) that a relationship they were in or friendship that just ended was a waste of their time? I know I sure as hell have and it aggravates me! Don't get me wrong, sometimes they end badly (...ALOT of times they end badly....well mine have >.< ) but before that ship gets wrecked it would be a lie to say that you didn't have ANY good moments with that person. Furthermore, there had to be a at least one lesson you took from that interaction (no, not trusting people isn't what I mean). We fail to realise that we are the sum of our interactions. 

Think about who you are right now. Would you be the same person if you never met any of your ex's (friends or lovers)? If you can say yes to that question then you're lying to yourself and I feel a bit of pity for you because you may end up repeating a few mistakes for a bit longer. Maybe I'm wrong and you're that one Super person who hasn't needed people -- but I feel if you truly look back you will realise how you've been changed by your interactions with an ex.
From my experience I've lost a few friendships and when I look back I see where I messed up (of course you can look at what they did and dwell on that but you can't change how anyone interacts with the world except yourself) -- going forward I can make sure I don't repeat the same mistakes (it isn's a perfect transition but changing is a part of growth and that is much better than the insanity of repeating the same habits and expecting a different result). The same applies for ex lovers, its so easy to say how horrible the were or how they did that one thing that irked the hell out of you...or you could recognise your own failings to see how to make better choices in the future.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you need to blame yourself since you are the sole problem, nor am I saying that the negative aspects are the only things that have made you who you are. People who are no longer in our lives have shown us how to open up to others in new ways or see the world through different eyes. Their experiences (and our experiences with them) have allowed us to learn more about who we are, likes and dislikes -- hell they've given us good memories too (memories that sting when we get angry at ourselves for allowing them in or thinking about how they left). Our past is simply a part of our story and there is no reason to be angry because there is no way for you to change whats been done. But as we go forward we have our experiences within our arsenal so we are better equipped for our future interactions. 
A relationship has never been a waste of time and it was there for you when you needed it (even if you didn’t realise it at the time). Love the memories left by those who aren’t in your life any longer and make sure you that you take the lessons they gave you persist as you move forward (as long as you need them).

I was tearing through a book this week and a portion of it stuck with me. It was basically saying that when we sympathise with someone we sit there and wallow with them -- we begin to simulate their emotional state and essentially jump in the hole that they feel stuck in. But when we empathise with some one we offer them solutions -- we become the rescuer, the person with the rope who can pull them out of the hole they are in.

Now most people prefer the sympathiser since they join them in their pity party... the person who only provides sympathy looks like an equal to the person who is suffering. They are non threatening, thus they are welcome to be in the company of the sufferer.

The empathiser seems like the busy body, the goody too shoe! They are that person who has their ish together and seems too be casting judgement (from the view of the sufferer anyway). Best results might come from a sympathetic-empathiser approach -- kinda like getting in the hole with the sufferer but setting up the rope before you go down or sitting at the edge of the hole to hear their story as well as how they feel then offering them a hand up.

So the next time someone comes to you with their pity party take a moment to ask yourself if you are offering them sympathy or empathy. Personally, I'd want to see them get out of the hole. But what do you want?