DANCING WITH A CHAINSAW

I had never been a big sports fan. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that whatever real interest I had in sports came from years (and years and years..!) of playing video games. I can still remember my first racing game on the Nintendo Game Boy to this day. The year was 1991. Bill Elliott's NASCAR Fast Tracks was keeping me awake way past my bedtime. I don’t remember much about the gameplay, but what I do remember is having finally figured out what the acronym NASCAR stood for.

If you’re a NASCAR fan, and are constantly on the lookout for NASCAR Merchandise to collect, hop on by to Sports Nut Shop. I was browsing for some NASCAR Hitch Cover the first time I was there, and was completely floored by the wide range of NASCAR merchandise they carry. They’ve got NASCAR Apparel to a huge selection of NASCAR Gifts, such as lunch boxes, beanbags, keychains, and BBQ grill cover. You name it, they’ve got it.

Let’s just say you’re looking for merchandise of a specific NASCAR team. The guys over at Sports Nut Shop got that covered too. To look for Driver Name Merchandise, just select a NASCAR team from their drop down menu. The page will load with merchandise which carries the driver’s name. Like the Driver Name Gifts with the legendary Dale Earnhardt.

I filled up my wish list with a couple of NASCAR merchandise while I was there. Guess it's time to save up.

Oh, just in case you're perplexed over the title, it's taken from a quote by one of the all time greats, Cale Yarborough. Driving a NASCAR is like dancing with a chainsaw.

TAKING CHANCES, MAKING CHANCES

Safety gauge meters - “The growth of wisdom may be gauged exactly by the diminution of ill temper.”

Lecturer Charles Hobbs sometimes tells about a woman who lived in London over a century ago. She saved what little money she could working as a scullery maid and used it one evening to hear a great speaker of her day. His speech moved her deeply and she waited to visit with him afterward. "How fine it must be to have had the opportunities you have had in life," she said.

"My dear lady," he replied, "have you never received an opportunity?"

"Not me. I have never had a chance," she said. "What do you do?" the speaker asked.

She answered, "I peel onions and potatoes in my sister's boarding house."

"How long have you been doing this?" he pursued. "Fifteen miserable years!"

"And where do you sit?" he continued.

"Why, on the bottom step in the kitchen." She looked puzzled.

"And where do you put your feet?"

"On the floor," she answered, more puzzled.

"What is the floor?"

"It is glazed brick."

Then he said, "My dear lady, I will give you an assignment today. I want you to write me a letter about the brick."

Against her protests about being a poor writer, he made her promise to complete the assignment.

The next day, as she sat down to peel onions, she gazed at the brick floor. That evening she pulled one loose, took it to a brick factory and asked the owner to explain to her how bricks were made.

Still not satisfied, she went to a library and found a book on bricks. She learned that 120 different kinds of brick and tile were being produced in England at the time. She discovered how clay beds, which existed for millions of years, were formed. Her research captivated her imagination and she spent every spare moment learning more. She returned to the library night after night and this woman, who never had a chance, gradually began to climb the steps of knowledge.

After months of study, she set out to write her letter as promised. She sent a 36-page document about the brick in her kitchen and, to her surprise, she received a letter back. Enclosed was payment for her research. He had published her letter! And along with the money came a new assignment - this time he asked her to write about what she found underneath the brick.

For the first time in her life she could hardly wait to get back to the kitchen! She pulled up the brick and there was an ant. She held it in her hand and examined it.

That evening, she hurried back to the library to study ants. She learned that there were hundreds of different kinds of ants. Some were so small they could stand on the head of a pin; while others were so large one could feel the weight of them in one's hand. She started her own ant colony and examined ants underneath a lens.

Several months later she wrote her findings in a 350-page "letter." It, too, was eventually published. She soon quit her kitchen job to take up writing.

Before she died, she had traveled to the lands of her dreams and had experienced more than she ever imagined possible! This is the woman who had never had a chance.

Some people wait for opportunity to come knocking. Here is a person who sought it out, proving again that we can be more than victims of mere circumstance.

If given a chance, will you take it? If given no chance, can you make one?

From Lifesupport.

RISE ABOVE

Blue turbine casing - “If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, Rejoice, for your soul is alive.”

Former U.S. President John F. Kennedy received endless advice and criticism from the media concerning how he should run the country. Much of it he took good-naturedly. In fact, he often used a favorite story in response to the media's comments about how they thought he could do a better job.

He told about a legendary baseball player who always played flawlessly. He consistently hit when at bat and was never thrown out at first. When on base he never failed to score. As a fielder, he never dropped a ball and he threw with unerring accuracy. He ran swiftly and played gracefully.

In fact, he would have been one of the all-time greats except for one thing - no one could ever persuade him to put down his beer and hotdog and come out of the press box to play!

Most of us can empathize, for we all have people in our lives who criticize and second-guess. They are quick to point out flaws and quicker yet to offer advice.

When it comes to receiving criticism, I believe it helps to remember first that not all criticism is invalid. Wisdom listens for the kernel of truth and saves it for future growth. But when criticism seems unfair, I believe it helps to remember the hawk. When attacked by crows, it does not counterattack. Instead, the hawk soars higher and higher in ever- widening circles until the pests leave it alone.

When there is nothing to learn from criticism, can you rise above it and soar?

From Lifesupport.

EXPECT A MASTERPIECE

Calm sea waves - “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”

It was reported that one man was killed and another wounded in the Philippines when a fight broke out at a karaoke bar in Manila over the quality of the singing. The fighting evidently broke out when a group of drinkers claimed the man at the microphone was singing out of tune. Many karaoke clubs in the country have already removed Frank Sinatra's "My Way" from their playlists because of fistfights as the song was being performed. There was apparently no tolerance to let them sing it "their way."

While it's true that some people perhaps believe themselves to be talented in ways they clearly are not, that is not the case with most of us. People frequently lament that they have little or no talent; that they possess no "gifts" or unique abilities. Too many of us see ourselves as having little to contribute beyond our jobs. Too often we feel that we will make little difference in this world because we have nothing to offer.

But then there's Mary Clough. Mary has Down syndrome. She is a volunteer teacher at a school she herself attended many years ago. Mary works with 2- and 3-year-olds, some with Down syndrome and some without. Among other tasks, she helps with puzzles, reads stories and teaches the kids a variety of athletic activities. "We care about little kids here," she says. "We set examples for them."

Mary does not say that she has nothing to offer; she knows better. And I suspect she knows that it does not matter WHAT talents and abilities any of us has, but what we DO with them that counts.

John Ruskin correctly says, "When love and skill work together; expect a masterpiece. " Mary takes what skill she has, combines it with a heart full of love, and gives it away as a masterpiece. She has much to teach us about using the talent we have.

From Lifesupport.

KITCHEN ORGANIZATION

Just the other night, I was doing the dishes while telling myself that it was high time that I do something about the kitchen. With utensils strewn all over the place (and by all over the place, I mean in the cabinets under the sink, over the counter or sitting in the dish rack for as long as I can remember), it’s a real pain when you need to look for something.

You see, organization is not my forte. But I’m convinced that I can be whipped into shape with the right kitchen storage and organization helpers.

I think I would start with the pots. Word has it that Enclume pot racks are what dreams of are made of. Ok, maybe dreams of kitchen organization freaks. But the point is, they are really, really good. My mission took me to potrackixchange, where there are a whole lot of drool-worthy Enclume pot racks to, well, drool at.

Enclume potracks come in many shapes and sizes. You get to pick whether you want the pot rack to be hanging from the ceiling, or mounted on the wall. There’s also the freestanding type.

I’m really taken with this particular lighted Enclume pot rack:

It’s the perfect balance of form and functionality. Not to mention that it is a sure-fire way to blow the minds of my dinner guests.

“Dude, check out the guy’s Enclume Lighted 3’ Oval Rack”.

“Yeah, I know. Made with corrosion resistant forged steel at that!”

This is where I’d like to imagine smugly saying to the guys, “Thanks. I take pride in my kitchen organizational skills.”

I clearly have a long way to go.