Stories - FD Thornton

I wonder how many hours I have spent on hold with a business or government agency over my lifetime? I wonder if that time could add up to days or even weeks? Have any of you ever wondered about that?  My reason for bringing this very unpopular subject isn't to just vent about the hours wasted that could be used to do something else. It's to first wonder why someone hasn't come up with a better way of doing customer service. Then it's to wonder how many times in our own lives we have paused without a reason for doing so.  Sometimes the decisions and course corrections we have to make are simple too much. So instead of "biting the bullet" and doing it, we stay content with doing things the way we have been, even though it's bad for us and our careers. I can't tell you of all the times I have done this just because it made me uncomfortable or it was hard to do so. It's in these times I have to remind myself that when I do make course corrections...

As any have figured out, I'm not much of a writer. But every so often, when the mood strikes me, I come up with a line or two. Well lately it's been one of those weeks, when the mood hasn't hit me. So day after day, I end up staring at a blank screen with nothing to say. I figured I'd write about that simply because, in the fog of motivational writing you gotta have an off day. For me at times it's ok to not be inspired to simply have a day where you just go through the motions.  Now that isn't to say I didn't get anything done. In fact, today was one of my more productive days this week. It's just that I shut a lot of brain function down and went on autopilot, doing the routine. Like I said, that's ok. So if you're one of the few that chew on the tidbits of motivation I put out, remember this. It's alright not to be inspired everyday. Sometimes it's a good thing not to think and take life as it comes. Who knows, maybe you can find ...

I've been taking the last few days to reflect on a few things. Mainly refocusing myself and looking at the goals I have set. You know, every so often you have to do that, you have to reset the switches that focus your passions. Several years ago I became laser fixed on a goal, and now that that goal has been met, it's time to reset that laser sight.  The problem I am having is, I was so fixed on that first goal, I'm now having trouble resetting and refocusing on a new target. Maybe this is what happens to an athlete who is so fixed on one goal, that once the goal is reached they feel kinda lost. Now I'm not sure that really happens, but I would how it did to me.  I guess you're thinking, why is it so difficult to reset your sights? I my answer would be, putting out so much time, effort, and energy to one goal really drained my focus. It may not sound like much of an excuse, but when you're a late bloomer at reaching goals, that's just how I've felt l...

I was sitting on my pouch  a little while ago, taken a break from sitting for too long at my desk. My back is better, but I still get sore and stiff if I sit-up too long. So I went outside for a change of pace to walk around a bit and relax in my rocker. ( I now understand why President Kennedy kept one in the Oval Office.)  While sitting there I asked myself why I was seemingly punishing myself continuing to do this course work. I mean, I finished a lifelong goal of earning my bachelor's degree last year. After all the blood, sweat, and tears I went through for that, why the hell am I in graduate school?  As I rocked a few minutes feeling the warm breeze, listening to a bird's call, and hearing the distant sound of a lawn mower, a quiet voice said, " because you're greedy ". For a moment that took me aback, then I remembered that famous movie line, " greed is good ". But I for the purpose of what  I'm saying here, it has nothing to do with mo...

I'm Southern born and raised, I don't run from that mostly because it's true. I grew up in the Savannah Georgia area, about 12 miles outside the city. While many in Savannah may consider that town now, back in the sixties and seventies, we were barely suburbia. More like country suburbia with few paved streets, two gas stations, and a post office.  So you can say my upbring was a cross between Mayberry and Port City Chic ( I'll let you figure that one out ). Meaning while younger we could ride the roads on our bikes for hours without our parents worrying. And at the same time, being a stones throw away from a major Southern port city and the manufacturing jobs it produced. On my street, we were nearly all Union Camp babies, with our Dad's working shift work at the largest paper mill in the world.  That was my worldview living the middle class suburban dream with a country twist. But as many my age remember, a lot of that dream faded way before this last rece...

When running a race or playing a game, it's easy to measure success, mainly because you either won or not. I life however, things aren't so black and white. At any given time you can read or watch a story about the latest successful star heading to rehab due to whatever problems in their life. While you may have a friend or family member who doesn't have two pennies to rub together and they're as content as they can be.  So how should we measure our success? And, just because we don't measure up to others standards, does that make us failures?  These are questions that weigh on me from time to time. And, each time I think I have the answer, the line blur and I end up asking the same questions again. Today is no different, I find myself asking questions about my successes. Have I done enough? Can I do more? What do I need to do to complete this goal? I suspect everyone reading this has done this from time to time. Which gets me to thinking, is that a wise thing t...

I try and see things as half full most of the time. But I wonder if that mindset is so against my hardwiring that it causes conflicts within myself. Without exposing too much of my personal laundry, when you're exposed to a lot of negative energy in our life. You tend to believe what you've been exposed to. So while I have great deal of victories over that negative energy I was exposed to. The cancer of that exposure is very much present within me. I guess the greater question is, what do I do about it? Do I continue as if it isn't here? Or do I accept the fact this is within me and it needs to be fought? Most of us have a battle or conflict raging within us. It can be an addiction or a fear or another condition that's beyond our control. It may have nothing to do with the quality of our lives or careers. But then again, it may have everything to do with them. Either way, how satisfied can you be unless the issue is addressed? While you may have a positive...