Stories - FD Thornton

Around 2007 I had put together a plan, a plan for changing my career path and hopefully improving my families situation. Well from 40,000 feet it may look as if the situation hasn't changed much. If anything it could appear to have gotten worst.  But from a lower altitude changes and improvements can be seen. These changes some small, some major, have impacted the way we live, think, and feel about everything.    When you're involved in a complicated project, like the one I just described. It's easy to get lost in the details and paint shortcomings with a broad brush. But in a long term project, which impacts you personally; sometimes the best way to measure success is with a more detailed observance of the facts.  In my situation the broad stroke would show monetarily situations haven't changed too much. Considering the time, money, and commitment put in to the project so far. But at a closer exam, the courage and skills gained have greatly added ...

As an editorial note, I'm writing this from my sickbed. So if it doesn't flow as smoothly as it should, sorry, I was probably sneezing my brains out at the time. FDT No matter how long you've been around or how much experience you've had at somethings. Sometimes you just have to go back to the beginning to gain perspective. Recently, an old problem has reared it's ugly head into my world again. And no matter how many times I have changed tactics and battle this thing, sometimes you have to go back to the beginning to gain a new perspective on fighting it again.  I mean over the years new tactics have come along but sometimes pulling out that first playbook is your best plan for defeating an old foe. In everyone's work-a-day world, this can be a best plan for resolving issues. Once a week I get an newsletter from a company that gives me the chance to read or hear the latest books on various business tactics and trends. Now every so often a dia...

I don't think you need me to tell you the holidays are upon us. Especially since most stores have had their decorations up and Holiday music playing since Halloween. If you haven't figured it out yet I'm a pretty cynical person when it comes to holidays and other such things. I don't mean to be, it's just part of my generation (too young to be Boomers and too old to be Gen X). In other words we watched our older family members either fight in or against the Vietnam War. Then as it went away turn mostly into individuals lost or abandoning their youthful beliefs. Which in a way helped develop this cynical outlook we "late bloomers" carry today. I don't mean to go off on a tangent there, but it just crossed my mind.  Anyway, my cynicism about holidays didn't come about until much later in my life after my wife and I started a family. At that point, the holidays became more about them (kids) than me. You may wonder how that created ...

I am sitting here in front of my computer screen trying to decide rather I have something profound to say or if I just want to hear myself talk. Do you ever get that way? Just open your mouth and let very unimportant words fly out? I sure as hell know I do.  Just yesterday I was speaking to a friend and about five minutes into the conversation, I realized I was the only one talking. While I did stop for a moment and let him get a word in. It wasn't until this morning that I realised sometimes we just talk just to hear ourselves.  But is that a bad thing? I mean do our words need to be budgeted or something? My father and his mother (my grandmother) may have spoken up to the value of saving words. Either where what you would call great conversationalist. Not that they didn't speak, it's just that if words were money, they saved well. As anyone of the three people that follow this blog know, I spread words at an endless pace. Not concerned that at some point I may ...

I usually don't write a whole lot about politics or moral issues, I find them to be very polarizing. Even to the point that, when someone has a valid remark to make, on either side of the political fence, it's usually drowned out by opposing political allegiances.  As far as moral issues go, I was brought up to believe that smoking, drinking, and other vices were a sin to be purged in order to get closer to God. While at the same time I've met great religious thinkers that did some of those very things? So you can see in public I keep my views on things "close to the vest".  My main reason for doing so isn't so much to avoid arguments (sometimes), as much as it's not the most important thing in connecting with other people. Last time I checked, we all live on a planet that's getting smaller every minute. Breakthroughs in communications and mass travel have made connecting to others across the world easier and easier. It has...

Recently I was reading a post on a blog site written by someone whose words of wisdom I'm starting to admire. I decided to explore their work a bit deeper, what I discovered was that they had written a series of books and even had self help courses put together, for a price. Now don't get me wrong, if these courses can help someone, great. It's just that when I see a price tag on showing me personal fulfillment it gives me pause. Maybe I'm just being hypocritical or just an ass, but I simply feel when I see individuals or businesses promoting these kinds of things. All the smiles and good packaging you put out there are not going to whitewash the fact you're selling "snake oil" to cure all my ills.  I'm sorry if that's not the intent, but in my experience snake oil, is snake oil, even when you put a pretty bow on it.  Each of us has to find our own path in life. And usually deep inside ourselves there's a voice that tells what's right...

Of late I've been a bit reflective about where things are heading in my life. While a part of me believes that the skies the limit to my potential. At the same time I look into the mirror each morning and feel the clock ticking. While all this rattles around in my mind, I remind myself that in reality time is just a set of numbers. That yes age is a thing, but that true reality is now, not yesterday or tomorrow, but right now.  So as I have struggled with my perceived realities, the fact remains the next day is wide open to whatever I make it. Maybe that is the thing to remind ourselves of, that as we work to concentrate on the moment, tomorrows an open book. Still one of the things I struggle with in living the moment is, what about charting or planning for the future?  In my limited studies of this and from beliefs ingrained in me from childhood. Planning for tomorrow is fine, just don't let the plans for tomorrow override your moment. By focusin...

I haven't long finished breakfast and going through my emails for the morning. This morning is pretty open, I don't have any appointments till 2:30. So here I sit pounding on the keys looking for a spark of inspiration to pass on.  One thing that crossed my mind was that lately I've been going through this kinda housecleaning within my mind. You know, it's not really different than what you do to your house when it get's too cluttered. You clean out the clutter, or at least hide it on the garage. That's more or less what I'm doing, moving out the junk.  A few weeks ago that's were a bit cluttered. There were personnel and outside issues pressing on the limited capacity I now have for pressure. So I'm refocusing myself and looking to re-prioritize what's most important to what's less important. Which by the way,  is one of the reasons I write this blog, to give me perspective.  At the moment, I don't wish to pound int...

I usually write my post when a feel a hint of inspiration or when an interesting thought crosses my mind. But then again sometimes I post for no real reason at all. In other words I start the process with no agenda and however it ends up, it ends up. From comments I get, these usually end up being the ones favored by my "fans". ( An extremely small, but loyal group of three .) This post is no different, I started out with the title that you see and a finger itching to type. So what is my opinion or thought on " do you really need a reason "? I guess it can point to a number of different moments in your life. Anything from choosing the shirt you'll wear for the day, to picking what project you'll hit first on my job. Sometimes there is no selective rhythm or reason, you just jump on it. If I had to make a point about my look at reason, I guess it would be that by making a move to begin with is never a bad thing. What I'm saying is sometimes we can get...

As some of you may know, I live and work in a pretty small community in South Central Georgia. While I wasn't born here, my kids grew up here so we definitely have roots in this rural community. With that said, over the last twenty years we have lived in the area, I seen a lot of economic boom and bust. When we first moved here in the early 1990's, there were small factory jobs in nearly every community. But as the years passed, those jobs left the area one by one for the "greener pastures" of unregulated overseas locations.  So over the last twenty years I've seen a fairly happy group of folks turn into a group that basically distrust anyone and everything. The reason I bring this up is, while I myself look to find "silver linings" in most situations. Many, many individuals both urban and rural feel they have been delivered a bad hand. And as time marches, the crowd grows as once individuals and families that were once doing okay now find themselves d...

Twice this week I gotten up to a feeling of dread for what the day held for me. And, while I do my best to breathe through my days, sometimes it just isn't enough. At times I feel like a plane that's circling to land, I'm so close to my destination, yet all I can do is look out the window and wait.  None of us are immune to dread especially when we know it's coming. All we can do are one of two things, we can face it and work through or avoid it and relieve the pressure. But I must tell you from experience that, relief may can with a price. Like I said, I've had two days like this this week. The first I uncomfortably plowed through and second comes later today. So at the moment I'm doing my best to not let it take over my day. Too many times we (I) let the dread of something that is coming ruin what could be a productive day. Sometimes that it can be a big thing, but a lot of times it actually isn't, we just make it that way. So what can we (I) do to rel...