Stories - FD Thornton

The photo I put up is from earlier this summer of the garden we have next to our house. When thinking about what I wanted to say this week, I felt that presenting a little about our home life might bring my idea into perspective.  Much like a lot of people in this part of America we value a simpler lifestyle. But unlike some of our neighbors our simpler lifestyle doesn’t promote a closed attitude toward other’s cultures and beliefs. You see, I was taught at a young age that people have a lot more in common than they do different. And throughout my limited life experience that lesson has proved to be very true. So why do we allow ourselves to become paranoid of people and things that are different? As human beings we each crave community and fellowship, along with a sense of being part of something better than ourselves. Rather that something is religion or custom or geography, each of us are social creatures that seek purpose. Over the millennia we have seen ourselves grow f

These past few weeks have definitely given me time to reflect on things. One of the things that has come to my mind is the value of letting go. You see, I'm a bit of a control freak and I'm sure everyone in this house would agree. Being a control freak is a problem into itself, but one of the side effects it has on me is worry and anxiety. A combination that I'm sure led to my extended stay at Club Meadows Regional. ( As a side note, the money I spent their could have been used on a two-week Caribbean vacation or a new truck. Just sayin'. )   Back to letting go. As a husband, parent, project leader true leadership is leading by example. As a husband you want to be a good partner and friend. Someone who's willing to bend and compromise for the better of the relationship. As a parent it's your job to bring up your kids in a way that will show them the values you have, to hopefully prepare them for the realities of a sometimes crappy world. Finally as a projec

Sitting on the bench for the past number of weeks has opened my eyes up to a number of things. One being that no matter how focused you are, shit can come out of left field and slap you down. Also, no matter how proud you may be there will come a time when you'll need help going to the restroom, so get over yourself. Other than that, after a number of years of working, studying, and making connections to keep the business going. This being ordered to stop and take a break is killing me! But after spending a week in the PCU at the hospital and finding out the hard way what a heart attack feels like. I've wisely been doing what my doctor wants me to do, no business and no stress. The first few days of this routine aren't too bad, the room service is okay. And not having to drive, shop, or rake the yard is kinda nice too.  But no matter how lazy I may look or how much I may complain when I'm knee-deep working on a project. Usually it only takes me a day or so after I

The idea of showing compassion towards one another is not a new concept. It also isn't a dead idea, although if you listen to news/opinion broadcast from all sides of the political spectrum you'd thing it was. I wasn't brought up in a perfect home by perfect parents. But one thing I did learn watching them was you work to become a better person everyday. For my parents this came from the religious ideals they embraced and passed on to us.  The main ideals that were passed along to me was to have compassion for your fellow man, to treat others as you want to be treated, and to make a friend out of an enemy. I'm sure that most everyone reading this would agree with these ideals. Yet when looking at social media, listening to a podcast, or watching a news/opinion broadcast, everyone seems to be of the opinion that if your not with me, you're against me.  I personally find this to be a dangerous way of thinking. Now I'm the last person to jump on the soapbox a

It's been almost two weeks since I was released from the hospital. So far I've been doing as the doctor said, staying put and not straining myself. That is quiet the change from my usual routine of running around and putting out fires for other people. Another thing that has slowed to a crawl is my creativity, in other words my writing.  At first this didn't bother me too much because I had more pressing issues on my mind. But after a few weeks of staring at blank screens, you begin to wonder is the magic gone? Here is where I've resigned myself to not worrying about it. I mean enough creativity has dripped out to put down a few cute lines about my hospital adventures to satisfy me. And for now I am content at laying here and resting the ticker, as my daughter so eloquently put it, "quit trying to die."    I suppose instead of wondering and worrying about where the magic has gone. My priority now should be improvement inwardly. Which is where I picked up

This is my fourth or fifth attempt at writing a post since getting sick. It seems I can come up with a snappy title and a sentence or two and nothing else (which some may argue is all I do). Still in order to get the brain juices flowing, here's another attempt at putting down a coherent thought.  A few weeks ago I was knocked down by something that frankly hit me out of left field. While I suffer a variety of ailments like diabetes, hypertension, fatness, OCD, anxiety/depression, panic disorder, and chronic smart ass. But my heart has never let me down until three weeks ago. Good news, I'M ALIVE!, Bad news, I got a long row-to-hoe to recovery. But with that being said I want to address an interesting side effect to all this, my attitude.  I touched on the subject in a Facebook post earlier, but other than that I haven't done much creditable research in one's mindset after a heart attack. But for me personally while this crap has been going on, reaching it's p