Champions

His rich, buttery voice that once brought Americans the latest happenings in Vietnam was soft, with varying gaps of time as his mind pulled just the right words off the shelf. The speed of the conversation was quite different than the ones we had during my four years of undergrad at Ball State.

"Thank you isn't even enough. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. This is better than winning an Emmy."

This man is a legend. Ted Koppel is one of his dearest friends. But to me and my (now) husband and hundreds of other amazingly-fortunate kids he was, and forever will be, Mr. Bell.

After receiving the 2017 Indiana Broadcasters Association Lifetime Achievement Award, word spread. So, a few dozen former students took to their notepads and keypads and iPads, and let this Champion know how far-reaching that achievement really went. Together, we compiled a simple book of heartfelt gratitude for a man who so generously poured in to each of our lives.

"I really don't have the words to express how important this is to me, but can I get a copy for each of my Grandkids?"

Everyone has Champions in their lives. Who are yours?

Are they older? Younger? Relatives? Co-workers? People you see daily or interacted with only once? Who are the people that placed a seed, or watered it, or pruned the vine from which you were growing? Do they know they played that part? Have you told them?

Words are so powerful. I challenge you to tell one of your Champions just how they've blessed your life. Let them know how the interaction you had with them changed the trajectory of... your family, your career, your lifetime habits. No one ever tires of hearing these things. There's nothing more powerful than to see where you've made an indent on this world. Be sure your Champions know who they are.

Not ironically, I recently found this sweet letter in our 6-year-old's backpack, addressed to the Dad who coached his fall baseball team.

"Dear Coach Clark, 
I think that you were a great baseball coach for Tomahawks baseball, and I that that you will be a great baseball coach this year.
Love, Jack Grove"

I challenge you: Tell one of your Champions what they mean to you today.

681

I haven't blogged on this page in approximately 5 years. That was 1.5 kids ago... 3 houses ago... pre 061715 ...pretty much a lifetime ago.

Crafting words together to make pretty, thought-provoking sentences, which are grammatically and factually correct, is therapeutic. I love reading a book or article or blog post that takes me some place. I'm amazed at the ways authors can weave words together to make a word picture so spot-on. 

Over the course of the last year I trained for and ran two half marathons. During those lonely treadmill training runs (ie. death) I realized how much is bottled up and jarbled up in my brain. From goals, to real estate, to parenting, to Jesus-following... there's a a variety of things going on up there. 

So, from time to time I'm going to drop a line or two on this trusty old blog, to which by some miracle I happened to recall the password. You can read the "old" stuff  down below if you'd like. It's a former me, but it's still me. I'm thankful to be refreshed of those memories from sacred days long gone. 

And now I give you, post "681".

I love a good goal, a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) goal, "Wheel of Life" goals. So, as every Type-A does in mid-December, I laid mine out... some physical, some educational, some work and family related. In total, 8 goals... 3 habitual, 5 achievable.

One of my physical goals is to (again) run 2 half marathons in one calendar year. But, to spice it up and make it a new goal, my running partner and I decided our goal is to run 13.1 miles every week in training.

Week one: Done.
651.86 to go.

But, this morning on the treadmill, something hit me (and it wasn't the duct work 4 inches from my forehead.) As I was sorting through multiple offers on a property I listed yesterday (this pertains to my number-of-homes-I'm-aiming-to-sell-this-year goal) while stuffing reheated leftovers down my throat before enjoying a movie with my people, I realized that it's really not the goals themselves that are so worth achieving.

The goal, in my mind, is not short-cutting other areas of life while going for the goals. 

If I'm eating while working on my laptop at the dinner table, and ignoring the people I share a roof with, what's the point?
If I'm too gung-ho on getting my practice minutes on the piano to help an elderly neighbor shovel the driveway, what am I striving for?
If my financial goals keep me from sharing resources with those less fortunate, why has it been entrusted to me to begin with?

So, week one of 2018 comes with a swift kick in the rear.
Don't let the SMART goals become dumb rules.