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Today when asked to describe me in one word Jocelyn “Jozey” Wichterman described me as passionate. While I humbly smirked when I read it, she’s right, I am passionate.

Yesterday’s tragic death of Avenged Sevenfold’s drummer The Rev [James Owen Sullivan] drives my passion into a flame.

Chains

Several years ago while having lunch with Heather Crimmins she introduced me to Avenged Sevenfold. Over the years I realized that Avenged Sevenfold’s lyrics spoke to people; they touched wounded souls:

“Tormented young with no souls, haunting me
Pain in their lives all they know is misery
Take these chains away that are holding me down” [Eternal Rest]

I love today! What we’re doing today makes today one of my favorite days of the year.

Today is our help others change the world day.

I’m writing this not to sound prideful nor to get your accolades. I’m writing because if you don’t have a day like today I think you will want one.

Today is the day when we give away the rest of our random donations money. Gratefully, though I sit home this week on an unpaid furlough, I have a job. Though my wife Amy’s part time hours got cut back, she has a job.

Please keep reading. This advice might make your life better! Seriously!

No gimmick, no scheme, no quick fix, I just found some common sense that was not common to me.

I’m not working today because I’m on a furlough. I’m not being paid to not work. The economic challenges hit TreeHouse.

At the risk of sounding like a martyr, Amy and I still struggle with the financial impact of my choice to work at TreeHouse. In 1990 during my first month at TreeHouse I made $30. As the months went by I had several paychecks of less than $200.

Barack Obama wins. Tiger Woods cheats. Tim Tebow loses.

These three men are, like us, people.  They have friends and a family. They have hopes and dreams. They win and they lose, they succeed and fail. Why do we care about them. Why do we track their lives? Why did their names appear on virtually every news portal every day this week?

Why, because they are “celebrities.”

Fame

As a society one of our biggest problems is that we create “celebrities.” Celebrities, people whose lives and accomplishments we follow. We attribute celebrity status to and esteem them because of their success in their chosen field. Athletes become icons, actors become idols, musicians become magnified.

I love snowboarding.

My favorite time to snowboard is during or just following a snowstorm. Yesterday & today the first snowstorm of the 2009-2010 winter descended upon the Twin Cities.  We have three inches of snow in the driveway with more coming.  The winds carving beautiful etches in the snow.  Drifts and drifting snow  danced through the streets and yards.

I wished that I was snowboarding.

I’ve had wonderful snowboarding buddies over the years.  Miska & I tearing it up.  My dad & I in sub-zero weather.  Wonderful memories snowboarding with Josh & Shannon: laughing, chasing, playing follow the leader, muttering, and challenging one another.