Farewell, Funny Man (Tribute to Robin Williams)

Like many, I could not believe the news yesterday when I heard that Robin Williams had been found dead from an apparent suicide.

 

I began to think back to when I first saw him on the television show, "Happy Days" as Mork, the alien, which then turned out to be a show of it's own, "Mork and Mindy". One of the things I loved about that show was the fact that, before it finished it's run on the air, they brought on the late, Jonathan Winters, to be on the show as well. He, like Robin, was one of the funniest people I had ever seen on television and I ALWAYS laughed at his antics.

 

Another memory I have of Robin Williams is an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson". When Robin was introduced he didn't sit down for, probably close to five minutes. Why? Because he was running all over the place...up in the audience, grabbing people up and doing something silly with them and then down to the main floor and grabbing a camera while he was in front of it and doing silly stuff the whole time. My wife and were laughing so hard we were literally crying. Johnny Carson had a stunned look on his face but, at the same time, was laughing as well.

 

HOW DOES SUCH A FUNNY PERSON BECOME DEPRESSED AND LONELY TO THE POINT OF SUICIDE?

 

Answer: It happens more than we know.

 

From what I understand, fame is not all that it's cracked up to be. Many wish for fame and then wish they didn't have it once it arrives. Many wish for privacy once fame arrives and, because they ARE famous, privacy is something hard to come by.

 

Are your friends really friends? Are they there because they like YOU or YOUR MONEY and YOUR FAME? If you lost it all, would they still be around? Sadly, many a famous person has found themselves alone once the fame was gone.

 

Hey, comedians are SUPPOSED to be funny, right? And, they're supposed to be funny ALL OF THE TIME! It's expected!

 

How hard that must be.

 

Friend, don't assume anything about anyone at any time.

 

Don't assume that someone "CAN'T" have problems because "of who they are". EVERYONE has struggles and feelings - regardless of their "position" in life. We all do. We all hurt. We all cry. We all seek "connection", love and acceptance.

 

And friend, if YOU are one that finds themselves on the side of being lonely - even when surrounded by people - please talk to someone! Find someone that will listen, even if it's calling a national hotline. You are valuable! You are important! And, friend, YOU ARE NEEDED IN THIS WORLD!

 

"As long as there is breath, there is hope!"

 

I posted a picture featuring this hotline number on the FYU page on Facebook (link found below), but I wanted to post the number here as well for those that may need it.

 (EVERYONE, share this information TODAY! You NEVER know who may see this that NEEDS to see this very thing!!!)

 

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE:

1-800-273-8255

Your call is free and confidential, and will be answered by a trained counselor

at a local crisis center.

 



I want to close with the following words from a song by "Smokey Robinson and the Miracles" that was released in the United States on September 24, 1970. The song: "Tears of a Clown"

Now there's some sad things known to man
But ain't too much sadder than the tears of a clown
When there's no one around

Thanks for taking the time to read and to share. I invite you to also be sure to listen to, and share, the podcast via the link(s) below.

Until next time, friend, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   "Like" FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

  *MJ Spillman Travel on Facebook*    *TRAVEL FOR LESS and ENJOY LIFE MORE!*

"RELATIONSHIPS: Friends"

RELATIONSHIPS: Friends

Now it's time to take a step closer in our "relationship circle" as we begin to talk about our friends.

Even though we have taken a step in closer in this "relationship circle" we are still not talking about those friends that are closest to us. This "level" of friends are those that we spend some time and hang out with but, again, aren't the ones we'd tell our deepest secrets to.

ALL relationships can be difficult and those with our friends are no exception. Again, because our friendships are made up of people we deal with disappointments and frustrations. Sometimes this is due to what others have done and, sometimes, it is due to what WE have done in this relationship.

If you've never done this, I would ask that you draw a series of circles with the center being in the shape of a heart. (This is kind of like a bulls eye but, again, with your heart at the middle).

Now, after drawing the heart in the center, draw your first ring out from there a little bit and then, draw another ring beyond that one and so on until you have about five rings. This will help you in what we are discussing in this series.

In the area between the heart and the first ring write the names of those in your family that you are the closest to whether it be your spouse or some other family member. I understand that there may be some friends that are even closer to you than your spouse but, for this purpose, I'd like you to put your spouse there if you have one and, if not, the family member that you are closet to.

Now, in the space between that ring and the next one, write down the names of your CLOSET friend or friends. These need to be those (or, it may be only one) that, again, you would share your deepest and darkest secrets with KNOWING that they would protect that and keep it safe. These are the people that know you better than you know yourself at times.

In the space between that ring and the next one write down the names of that group of friends that you like to spend time with and hang out at the movies, ballgames, etc. True, your closest friends may be a part of this group as well but these are the people that you enjoy hanging around but you may NOT necessarily share your inner thoughts with. Write down as many as you want here - it is totally up to you.

If you want to go ahead and take this out further based on our earlier discussions and, in the next area between rings you can either write down some names OR just write the word, "coworkers". And, then, past that you can write down words such as, "waiter/waitress", "parking attendant", etc. BONUS POINTS for yourself IF you can put some names to these relationships!

This simply gives you a visual of what I have been discussing during this series and will also help you to clarify who in your life fits in these categories.

Now, for today's purposes, look at the names that you wrote down in that category of "friends" that you enjoy hanging around. Who are they? What are their names?

Do they help you with your positive mindset OR do they tend to be on the negative side? Are they a help or a hindrance in this area?

Are they people that you can trust and are they people that honor your relationship ALL of our relationships are important. ALL of our relationships not only bear OUR "relational fingerprints" but they also have an impact upon OUR lives.

Sometimes it is necessary to make changes in this area of friends IF we find that they are not helpful in keeping our minds focused on improving our lives.

Friend, it is totally up to you. No one can answer those questions about this particular area of friends for you.

Give it some thought and be the BEST that you can be in each area of these relationships!

Until next time...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

www.MichaelSpillman.com

Leaving Your Positive Footprint

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
Some move our souls to dance.
They awaken us to new understanding
with the passing whisper of their wisdom.
Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon.
They stay in our lives for awhile,
leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never, ever the same.”
-Anonymous

In today's podcast - let me first of all clarify something - I DO realize that the correct term is "carbon footprint" and not "carbon imprint" (and yes, I'm grinning as I type this!). I realized that I had made the mistake when I listened to my recording to make sure things fit together as planned BUT I wasn't going to try to correct that. I still think you got the point in the podcast (even though you may have had a laugh!) and, I prefer for my podcast to have as much of a "live" feel as possible even though they are recorded.

O.k now - on to the topic at hand! Number one premise for us to set down for the day is this:

You DO leave an IMPACT each and every day!

(And this is regardless of HOW you approach your day - positive OR negative!)

So, once again, we come back to the point of "choice" - it's YOUR CHOICE as far as the type of impact you wish to leave on the world around you. Yup, it's all still up to you!

IMPACT YOUR WORLD! This can be a daunting task to consider, right? But, notice closely that I did not say, "Impact THE world" but "YOUR world" instead. There is a big difference!

For one, it IS a daunting task for any of us to consider making an impact on the whole world - there are very few people in history that have lived in such a way as to have such a huge impact!

However, when we break this down to OUR world it becomes more manageable. So, it is important for us to "define" what, exactly, encompasses "OUR WORLD".

Here's a short list to consider - make it personal and add to it so that you can get very specific in your approach:

1. Your children, your spouse - YOUR FAMILY

2. Your neighbors (whether in an apartment building or a neighborhood)

3. Your co-workers

4. Your circle of friends

5. Those you have contact with on a daily basis (your child's teacher(s), school bus driver, etc., the parking attendant, store clerk, waiter/waitress, YOUR bus driver, paper delivery person - on and on we could go here -- YOU add to the list from YOUR life)

6. Those at your church or social group

Even though this list can grow quickly, it is still a much more manageable size group than considering the whole world.

BUT HERE IS THE KICKER!

Your impact spreads far beyond those on your list! Think about that and consider how your actions impact the lives of those around you which, in turn, very likely will influence their impact on those that THEY contact on a daily basis.

Just like the ripples on a pond from a rock tossed into the water, so is your impact and influence on those around you. It doesn't stop with the initial "splash" that is made - it goes out further and further beyond the point of contact.

WOW! Pretty amazing to think about, isn't it?

Here's a challenge for today (and then tomorrow and the day after that and then the day after that and then....well, you get the point, right?) -- see how many people you can help smile today.

Whether that is a child or an elderly person (and all points in between) - think about the impact you can have just by sharing yourself with others and bringing a smile to the face of others.

And then watch the ripple effect take off - beyond your knowledge and beyond your initial contact.

Each and every day we leave an imprint or a footprint -- why not do all that you can to leave your POSITIVE footprint on the world - YOUR world -- along the way?

And...here's a twist from today's podcast -

"Make someone else's day awesome? That is something you may can do for them!"

(And yours will be awesome in return - guaranteed!)

Mike

Time With a Friend - (continued)

Ahhhh...I had a good lunch and now I'm ready to continue on with the details of our trip. Oh, the picture above? That's our bikes on top of PetitJean Mountain (our first stop) and I just thought it was a really cool looking picture - wouldn't you agree? And, oh, I'll talk more about this toward the end - but mine is the pretty blue one on the left!

O.k....back to the story as we begin to ascend Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas. Let me interrupt here just for a moment to explain something that comes into play in this story - I AM DEATHLY AFRAID OF SNAKES!!! I forgot to mention that, on our way up to Rich Mountain on Thursday, there was a big black snake sunning in the opposite lane - and he took up the whole lane! I'm just glad I wasn't coming back down at that particular moment in time - I think my bike may have been without a rider! Why do I bring that up? On the way up to Magazine Mountain we passed by a HUGE rattle snake that had been hit by a car - thankfully in the other lane. I'm not sure how long he would be stretched out, but he was as big around as my forearm - and I have a pretty good-sized forearm! Again, I'm not sure what I would have done if we had been coming down at that time - but it would not have been fun or pretty!

May I take a moment and make a public safety announcement? Thank you. Please, when you are driving, pay attention to signs such as STOP signs. And when you see one - STOP! As we neared the top of this mountain and came to one intersection I slowed down to read the directional signs to make sure we were headed toward the lodge. It was a good thing I did as a car driven by a young girl (teenager) blew right through the sign - she didn't even slow down and I don't think she even saw the sign. Honestly, if I had not slowed down to read the signs, I might not be here typing this right now. So, people, when you drive - PAY ATTENTION!!
Thank you. I feel better now. ;)

As we neared the top where the lodge was located we found a spot with an incredible view and pulled over to take a look and take some more pictures. When we first got to that point there was no one there but us and I was disappointed that we may not be able to get anyone to take our picture together, but, while we were there a family of four pulled up and agreed to take our picture. While doing so the mother asked, "Hey, who's is the pretty blue bike?" You see, this is a running joke with Fred and me. His bike is a Harley - and you know how "Harley people" are about their bikes, right? It's like they think there is not any other kind of bike in the whole wide world and they do seem to price them like they believe they are the only bikes available in the whole wide world! ;) Anyway, my bike always gets compliments on it's paint job and I always am sure to "rub it in" to Fred when that happens. As a matter of fact, on Thursday as we were getting back on our bikes after lunch at Petit Jean a family was getting out of their vehicle and preparing to go on a hike. As I was getting on my bike the mom said to her daughter - "Now we know who belongs to that pretty blue bike!" I looked at Fred and winked as the little girl said, "I took a picture of it!" So, you see...I had a lot of chances to rub this in to my ol' pal, Fred!

Anyway, after taking this families picture and talking to them (yes, talking about that big rattle snake in the road) I offered to take their picture for them as well - which they appreciated. Again, it's always fun to meet and have a talk with people from different places - what a joy! As Fred and I were preparing to get back on our motorcycles this family who had already gotten in their vehicle and began to drive away stopped and the dad asked, "Can we get a picture of you guys for our camera?" Of course we agreed and I just thought how cool it was that these people wanted to include us in their "book of memories" from this trip.

Fred and I enjoyed a nice lunch in the restaurant of the lodge at the top of Mount Magazine but were a little disappointed that the atmosphere was not one that really was conducive to us "cutting up" as we usually do with the waiters and waitresses while we enjoy our meal. Oh, we were nice and friendly - but it was just different. Remember me telling you that Fred and I both like to drink a lot of liquid while we eat? This was really evident at the end of our meal. I looked over at the table next to us where 4 ladies had been sitting and enjoying lunch and noticed that there was only 1 glass on the table for each of them. You see, the waitress would just leave your glass on the table and bring another one full of your beverage when you needed more. So, it was obvious that each of these ladies had only one glass of tea, cola, etc. and some of them weren't even empty. Then I looked at our table at the end of our meal. There were 6 glasses in front of me and 6 glasses in front of Fred. Oops! (Diet Cola and Lemonade by the way - JUST IN CASE you are getting wrong thoughts!)

We loaded up and headed out with our next stop being Rogers, Arkansas. Again, not taking the main roads (such as I-40) but enjoying the back roads - like the Pig Trail Scenic Byway. I had never ridden this before and, though I had heard of it, didn't realize that this was part of the route I had mapped out. We accessed this beautiful highway by heading north on Hwy. 23 from Ozark - where most people would get on I-40. I cannot describe to you how beautiful this drive was...and how CROOKED this road was! In Arkansas you will see a lot of signs that read, "Crooked and Steep next ____ miles". When you see this sign for this road - they mean it! Some of the turns in the curves were literally like doing a u-turn in the middle of a highway, but it was absolutely worth it. I told Fred that I thought this was some of the most beautiful stretch of highway that I had ever traveled. Parts of this highway were completely engulfed in trees giving it a "tunnel" effect. Of course, the shade felt WONDERFUL on a very warm day - but the beauty was beyond description. I was looking for somewhere to pull over so I could get a picture, but was unable to do so. If you get the chance to drive this route (and aren't afraid of major "10 miles per hour" curves) do so - you'll be glad you did. I really think I may want to drive this one again in the fall when the leaves are changing.

Long story longer...we arrived in Rogers around 5-5:30 p.m. and were beat from the heat of the day. We found a very reasonably priced hotel (made sure they had a pool), checked in and parked the bikes. We were a little uneasy when 4 doors opened and looked our bikes over when we pulled up to park. Bad part was, our room was on the 2nd floor - too far away from our bikes for our own taste.

Now, again, Fred and I have a great time giving each other a hard time and I do so every chance I get. He was asking the clerk at the hotel for a good place to eat (How do you answer that? Doesn't that depend on what you want to eat, Fred??) when I physically took his body, turned him toward the door and pointed to a sign in the parking lot next door - "Braums" and I said, "Fred, we're eating there - right next door!" He agreed as neither of us wanted to get back on the bikes anymore for the day. We also noticed that gas across the street was priced at $2.11 - the cheapest we had seen yet - but were too tired to even go across the street on the bikes and decided to wait until the next morning. We did. And it had gone up to $2.21 overnight. Oh well!
As we walked into Braums Fred said, "Wow! They have regular food here?!" (Braums is known a lot for it's ice cream and Fred thought that was all they served). I said, "Fred, did you really think I was going to make a whole meal on ice cream?"

The servers were too busy to really have the chance to enjoy our humor - but there was an older man standing to the side waiting for his food that got quite a chuckle when Fred ordered a shake and the young lady behind the counter asked, "Sir, would that be a medium shake?" To which Fred replied, "Ha! M'am...do I LOOK like a medium shake???? Make it a large!"

Without going into every detail on the rest of the trip (there are a few things I really want to be sure I cover) I just have to mention the pool at the hotel which we headed for after supper. It had been hot that day. We were road weary. All I wanted to do was jump in that pool - and I did exactly that. Let me ask you a question - have you ever seen the movie "Vacation" (the first one) with Chevy Chase? Do you remember the scene when he jumps in the pool with Christy Brinkley? Well, that was pretty much me. I jumped in and got out very quickly as I discovered this water was C-O-L-D!!!!! As we were talking to the hotel clerk a few minutes later when he came out for a smoke I said something about it and told him that I was surprised he didn't hear me when I came up out of the water. With a grin on his face he said, "Oh, I heard you - and enjoyed every minute of it!" Yeah, yeah, yeah.

As we retired to our room a little later I kept worrying about our bikes and would go out on our balcony and look down to make sure they were not being bothered. The room right below us had some guys from part of some sort of work crew that were living it up for the night and were likely drunk by 8 p.m. Oh boy. We both finally gave up on checking again and again and turned in for the night only to be awoken at 4:30 a.m. by a knock on the door by two policemen. Well, one was a woman - which I'll get to in a moment. Fred answered the door (after looking through the curtain to see who it was) and, since they were police immediately said, "Are our bikes alright???" Now Fred wears gym shorts to bed and I was just in my boxer briefs as I stumbled to the door, past Fred onto the balcony to check on the bikes. Uh.....female...policewoman. Oops!
Anyway, apparently they were checking different rooms looking for someone besides us and we were able to go back to bed.

This next part is, without a doubt the HIGHLIGHT of the entire trip. Well, just the fact that we had breakfast at a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop was pretty cool - but it wasn't THE highlight. Fred wasn't able to finish the doughnuts he had ordered and took the remaining 4 or 5 over to a young family with 4 year old triplet boys to see if they would like to have them. They graciously accepted as one of the boys immediately grabbed one and shoved it into his mouth before mom and dad could answer! As Fred and I were preparing to hop on the bikes to head to the knife show, the family came out to see our bikes and Fred very kindly took each boy and sat them on his bike and allowed them to crank the throttle so they could hear it roar. This was priceless and a memory I will never forget. Of course they wanted to know first who owned the pretty blue one! (Yeah, Fred - that would be me.)

After this wonderful memory we located the knife show and spent about 1.5 hours there. Now, I like knives but Fred literally slobbers and drools over them so I allowed him the pleasure while I found a chair to sit in and relax. You see, within about 20 minutes I had seen all I needed to see, but not Fred! He was like a kid in a candy store - and I loved watching him interact with the vendors while there.

We then started the last leg of our journey back to my house under cloudy skies - which was nice in comparison to the glaring sun we dealt with the day before. We drove through very light rain most of the journey and stopped in Harrison, AR. for lunch and enjoyed another wonderful young lady that served us (yes, again, young enough to be our daughter) as we laughed and teased with her and we were all smiling as we spent our time there.

After getting into a little harder rain only about 15 miles from home we finally arrived back at my house at around 5:00 p.m. and after have covered right at 650 miles in the beautiful state that I call home. What a great time with a great friend!

One last note about the journey - Sunday afternoon after we all attended worship, my wife and I escorted Fred back up to Thayer, MO. to send him on the rest of his way and for us to head back. However, along the way we stopped in a little town called Salem for a short stretch only to have the 2 guys behind the counter ask, "Wow! Who's bike is that blue one? It's awesome!" (That's right Fred, I had to mention this one last comment before I finish!).

Hey, I have pictures posted of this whole trip on my Facebook page if you'd like to see them. You can request me to add you as a friend - but if you would, put a note with it letting me know you are doing so through the blog or Future You University. Thanks!

I hope you enjoyed reading all of this - I know it was a lot, but there was so much that we enjoyed on these wonderful 3 days toward the end of July in the year 2009.

Hey, as always, "Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Taking Time With a Friend

No, I have not abandoned my blog! ;)

I spent last Thursday - Saturday with my good friend, Fred (hey, ain't we handsome in that picture up there?) on our motorcycles as we hit some of the "high points" in Arkansas. I want to encourage each of you to try to find time to just "get away" - even if it's just for a few hours.

We began by leaving around 9 a.m. on Thursday and riding our bikes down to Petit Jean Mountain (near Morrilton, AR.). This is where the picture above was taken. As you can see, there were very beautiful views all around and we enjoyed taking in the views as well as having lunch at the Mathers Lodge restaurant. We really enjoyed laughing and teasing with the young lady (and I do mean young - these kids in the restaurants were usually young enough to be our own kids!) who took us to our seat as well as our waitress. Her name was Hope! (How appropriate since I always try to include my quote, "As long as there is breath, there is hope!" in my podcast each day. Hey, isn't it fun to bring a smile and a laugh to people? Try it - you'll like it!

We had lunch around noon and didn't leave until around 2 p.m. and then headed further south toward Mena, AR. Just outside of Mena is the second highest point in Arkansas - Rich Mountain - home of Queen Wilhelmina State Park. We enjoyed taking in the beautiful views once again, talking to other people that were doing the same and sharing this experience with each other.

By the time this was done, it was around 5 p.m. and we were tired and ready to find a hotel, a restaurant with a good steak and then a nice, relaxing pool! And, hey, we accomplished all three! Again, we had such a great time laughing with people that we met along the way. We had to make a stop at the Wal-Mart store in Mena and enjoyed laughing and joking with some of the clerks while there. (Interestingly, it just seemed people were drawn to us during this trip. I DO believe that when you set out with a positive mindset that people WILL be drawn to you!).

One of the clerks suggested a steak house in town and Fred and I were pleased to see that the parking lot was full - hopefully a sign of a good restaurant! Immediately we "hit it off" with the young lady (again, young enough to be our daughter - so we were "harmless" old dudes) that took us to our seats and enjoyed laughing with her as she sat us down and visited with us briefly. The young man (Michael - what a great name!) that was our waiter came to our table and, in a very monotone voice, greeted us. Of course Fred and I greeted him very enthusiastically and asked him how he was doing. I don't remember his exact answer, but it was something along the lines of, "It's been an absolutely great day." But, his voice didn't indicate so. I asked him, "Are you sure? Do you mean that or are you just saying that as a "canned greeting" that you give to everyone?" He looked at me with a grin on his face and said something like, "Well, with you guys, it's really a great day now!"

We found out from the hostess that he went back to her and thanked her for giving him "two awesome dudes" at his table. Again, it is such fun to interact with people and bring a smile to their face - and it brought a smile to ours as well!

Now, Fred and I are a lot alike in many ways. One of which is that we drink a lot of liquid when we eat which means that the waiter or waitress can spend a lot of time just refilling our glasses. While the waiter was refilling our glasses for the 2nd time in about 6 or 7 minutes Fred asked him if there was anyway that he could bring us a pitcher if it would not get him in trouble. The young man smiled and said he would check as he took our glasses from the table. In a few moments he returned but he didn't bring any glasses. Instead, he had a pitcher of drink for each of us with a straw in each pitcher! This was one of the funniest things I have ever seen and he had a huge grin on his face as he brought it to us. Of course, all others around us were noticing this and getting quite a kick out of it as well!

Well, long story short - the interaction with the crew was wonderful and the steak was as well. What a great time we had at The Chopping Block in Mena, Arkansas.

Once we finished supper, it was back to the hotel and time to hit the pool. Ahhhhhhhhhhh...how relaxing after a long day on the bikes and time to just kick back, relax and visit. One thing I really like about Fred is that I can truly be "myself" when I'm around him. I don't have to "pretend" or wonder about what I can or cannot say - I can simply be "me". We sat in the pool and talked for about 2 hours about all kinds of things. It was a very good experience for the both of us as we added even more value to the friendship that we shared.

Wow, all of that just in day 1!

Day 2 (Friday) started out again with us leaving Mena, AR. at around 9 a.m. Right away we could tell that the temperature was a bit warmer than the day before and we began to feel the sun right away. Our plans for this leg of the journey was to travel to Mount Magazine - the highest point in Arkansas - and then on up to Rogers, Arkansas for a knife show that was taking place there.

Now, anyone that likes to ride motorcycles knows that most of us like to take the back roads and stay off of the four-lane/interstate types of roads. You see a lot of beautiful scenery and get to travel thorough some neat little towns as well. The downside of that is the fact that you also travel with a lot less accessibility to things such as gas stations. No, I didn't run out of gas - but I still, to this day, don't know how I didn't! I do remember driving past one station and thinking, "I wonder if I should stop for gas?" However, I knew there were several more towns within the range of my gas gauge and moved on ahead. We passed through two little towns with no gas stations and I was beginning to sweat as we approached the third. About 7 miles out from this third town my gas gauge begin to "blink" at me which meant that I had less than a gallon of gas in the tank. As we neared the next little town I was sure hoping - and yeah, even praying - that there was a gas station located there. As we rounded the curve that would take us through the main part of town my heart sank as I saw that the town consisted of about 3 buildings - none of which offered gasoline. Uh-oh!

Fred had no idea of my situation so I pulled over and told him I was in serious trouble as far as gas. There was a young lady (she looked to be around 12) sitting on a porch of a house within speaking distance of us and we asked her how far it was to the next gas station. My heart sank as she replied, "Oh, about 30 minutes." I looked at Fred and said, "There is no way in the world I'm squeezing 30 more minutes out of this tank!" Although she didn't laugh out loud, the young girl did have a big grin on her face as she watched us try to figure out what we were going to do. So, we did the only thing we could do - we got on our bikes and rode.

Within about 2 miles of leaving this last little town was a sign that told us that we still had 17 miles to go before we reached the gas station. Again, my heart sank as I thought, "There is no way I'll make it." You know, when your mind is already expecting something negative to happen then you begin to think it IS happening. Several times I thought, "Yeah, I feel the engine starting to sputter - this is it!" only to realize it was my imagination and I was able to continue on a few more miles. About 6 miles out (which was closer than I thought I'd get) we came upon some road work taking place that required us to stop due to the work. This was NOT what I needed at this time! We were the only 2 vehicles on our side and we pulled right up to the flagger and I said, "Oh man, this ain't good! I'm riding on fumes!" He smiled and said, "Well, if it were up to me, I'd let you on through, but you have to wait for the 'pilot car' to take you through." He then got on his radio and asked them to hurry up because we were about out of gas.

Alas we made it past the construction and continued on to the little town of Parks, AR. Sweating it out mile after mile wondering which one would be my last before I had to pull over somewhere. Unbelievably, I DID make it to the little town of Parks and nearly collapsed as I pulled into the little country store lot with two tanks out front. Whew! After filling my tank I discovered that I had 1/10 of a gallon left - I wasn't going much further! Thank you , Lord!

We traveled on until we begin to ascend Mount Magazine. This is around Paris, AR (yes, Paris - we also passed through a little community called "Egypt" and also noticed that "London" was not too far away! Wow, we traveled further than I thought! ;p ) in case you ever have the chance to visit this beautiful area. I realize that I am getting long-winded in this story - but there was so much to share.

So, here's what I will do - I need to stop for my lunch break and then I will continue on with the story in a second part when I return.

Hey, until that time - if you've read all of this - ENJOY TODAY! Laugh and share your laughter with others - what a great way to spend time with other people.

And, until I get back - "Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Monday's Podcast: "Special Message- Do it Anyway!"

In today's podcast I spend a few moments just talking about those special relationships that we have in our lives and how important it is to cherish each of them every day. The picture above is of my special group of friends that I graduated with back in 1978 - this is the 3rd time that we have gotten together for lunch to laugh and enjoy each other's company.

All of them - except me - live within a 10 mile radius of each other and see each other fairly often. However, for me, for the most part, until we started getting together for these special times together, I had seen them two times in the past 30 years. Wow.

Thank goodness one of them - Tammy - contacted me via Facebook and then the "domino effect" kicked in and I ended up being back in contact with each of them in this group. And now? Well, like I said, the picture above is from our 3rd monthly luncheon together and we all seem to cherish these special times together.

You know, if Tammy hadn't taken the time to reach out and "find me" I likely would still be missing out on these special moments with these friends. Actually, I know that would be true. So, here's the point of all of this and the focus of today's podcast...

Don't be afraid to open up and reach out to those people in your life. Have you been hurt? If you have ever opened your heart to anyone for any reason - the answer is likely "yes". But you know what - open up anyway. Be real, be open, be a friend. Laugh. Love. Live.

Do it anyway!

"Wonderful Wednesday" - "Reconnecting"

This is a group photo of the friends I discuss in today's podcast on "Reconnecting" - a few of those that I graduated with in 1978.

One thing I point out in the podcast is the fact that I did not call this "Reliving". Why? Well, for one - I don't WANT to relive those days when I was a teenager! Were they bad? No. Were they horrible. Absolutely not! BUT, I don't want to go back and "live again" those days. I've moved on! I enjoy my life and have enjoyed every "stage" that I have been through in my life.

However, I CAN - and do want to - "remember", or "bring to memory again" those people, places and events that brought joy to my life. And, that being true, I also want to "connect once again" to these special people.

Obviously, I don't want to reconnect with people that brought nothing but discontent and negativity into my life. Nope. Not going to happen. But that's the wonderful thing about memories - WE CAN CHOOSE! Isn't that great?

Oh, I know that there are times we will run into such people - it's unavoidable - BUT if you have your mind set on the positive things and you KNOW that it's YOUR choice and you REFUSE to allow someone else to have any control over your thoughts and feelings - then it will be alright!

What about you? Are there people with which you've lost contact? Are there people with which you need to reconnect? Why not try to find them. Or, if you know where they are - why not contact them and say "hello"?

If they brought joy and value into your life - why not take advantage of the time you have TODAY to add that joy and value to your day - TODAY?

I think you'll be glad you did.

Oh, and, by the way....THANKS, Greg (and his wife Wanda), Fonda, "Cricket" and Tammy!

"Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike Spillman

It's "FACE TIME" on "Fun Friday"!!

O.k....here it is, "Fun Friday" once again! And on today's podcast I try to share some things that will not only encourage you to laugh and smile WHILE listening to the podcast or even just today - BUT to take these things I share (especially today) and use them to share the smiles and the laughter as often as possible.

I'm not going to go into great detail on this post as to WHAT I share on the podcast (I want you to listen to it, y'know?) but I will tell you that this is something you can do by yourself, with one other person, with your family, your kids, or any group at just about any time.

And I can promise you that you and everyone else will be laughing HARD before this is all over.

Have you laughed today? Have you smiled today? Have you shared that laugh and smile with anyone?

You know, laughing and smiling by yourself is GREAT! It's a great way to start your morning off and it helps get you in the right frame of mind as you head out for your day.
HOWEVER, I do believe that beyond that - they are meant to be shared and shared often.

You've experienced it, haven't you? Perhaps you are in a grumpy mood and someone comes along that helps lift your spirits and helps bring a smile to your face? (Oh, I know, sometimes it's the wrong person and the wrong time and you just want to slap them, right? - yes, it's o.k. to laugh at that feeling too!)

Now, take that as a challenge - realize that YOU have the power to brighten someone else's day. Not in a "fake" way. Be real. Smile a "real" smile brought on by the joy that you have inside. Share a kind word, an encouraging word. And see what happens.

My wife is a "pro" at this. She has demonstrated this to me for years. Like everyone else, she has worked with some pretty "crabby" people from time to time. But she will determine that SHE will be the one to help change that by smiling, being kind and considerate and not allowing THEM to bring HER down. Instead, she is determined to bring THEM up! And, you know what? it works!

I have seen this happen with her time and time again. And, even when she just goes down to the grocery store she does this with those that come into contact with her up and down the aisles. She tells me how amazing it is and how many people seem to be "drawn" to her, just because of this attitude. (Hey, if you haven't done so, go back and read and listen to Wednesday's post and podcast on "Seek and Ye Shall Find").

So, SHARE YOUR JOY and HAPPINESS today!

Take the things I share with you in today's podcast and use them to spread the laughter! What a great thing to do!

And...as always....

"Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"


Mike

FUN FRIDAY (Boredom Busters)

I'm actually typing this in and posting a little early since we are leaving for Dallas for the Success Symposium. I had planned to just wait and do this before we left, but I don't want to take the chance of having to rush to get it done. So......here we are.

One thing I'd like to ask first... I mention in the podcast that you can now actually access this blog by going to the main page: http://www.futureyouuniversity.com/ in two ways. One, when you sign up for the FREE REPORT you will automatically be taken to this page. Two, if you look in the upper right hand corner (or in the right column) you will see a link that reads, "Mike's Blog". This main site will continue to evolve and will be the MAIN site with information on my upcoming seminars, my audio stories for children with a positive message, my upcoming book and many more things. Anyway, you can still access this site (obviously) by going to the address that brings you directly here. Here's all I ask....if you do want to access the site via the FYU page, please do so via the link (unless you want the free report). Thanks!

Now back to today's podcast. I mention a website that I went to that had the items on it that I shared in the podcast. In case you would like to go check it out yourself, it is: http://www.discoverfun.com/

Main thing is this - HAVE FUN and SHARE THE FUN!
SMILE and SHARE YOUR SMILE!
LAUGH and SHARE YOUR LAUGH!

Hey, you go to work and sneeze and spread your germs all over the office, so why not "spread" the "virus" of happiness and joy?

One thing I also mentioned is that I will be getting a chance to meet and interview Angie Strader of http://www.theworldneedsmorehappy.com/
Go check out her page and become a part of her movement to share and spread more happiness!

Whatever it is....DO IT!

You'll be glad you did. (And so will others)
[disclaimer: Some poopy-heads won't enjoy it no matter what you do!]

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike Spillman