Catching Up
Book promotion, teaching and consulting, researching the good and bad of Artificial Intelligence, revisiting life for a commissioned memoir, plus the creation of a challenging, complex collection of thread-connected short stories have pulled me in all directions except this one. I apologize for the lapse in blog updates.
I no good reason yet an overflowing wheelbarrow of excuses for being remiss. Building a house and moving create complexities I had dodged for decades. Learning about rekindled interest to make a really fun London-based movie I wrote is nice. Like most of my stories, that one is a multicultural ensemble story with a happy ending. I talk to the world through what I write and that theme is how I want the world to be. I hope this film gets made, not for the money as much as seeing it entertain and cheer up so many from all walks of life.
As tends to happen when I get busy running sideways rather than anchoring down committed to a sole focus project, I have also been eyeballs deep planning the 34th annual charity weekend for the No Bats Baseball Club. This September we partner with the Savannah Bananas barnstorming baseball team to raise awareness and money for their passion charity, Bananas Foster. If heaven lends angels to earth, the matriarchs and patriarchs of foster families are surely among them. Their stories of boundless caring and kindness of these under-the-radar folks are truly remarkable.
It is tough at times to watch the bubbling confusion, impatience, and discontent of a restless world and not take sides or spout and opinion. Everyone with a keyboard has a microphone these days, which means we can join the fray or let it go. I often hear the echoing words of Bill Murray, whose life motto is “Does it really matter?” Most of the time whatever rankles, worries, or scares us does not. The soul is soothed when we refuse to let it.
As the sun begins to set on my urge to roam, I shift attention to my next two consulting projects, training trainers on how to be great (not just good) and packaging my behavioral-based intellectual property to enable the next generation to keep anchored hearts and level minds in order to flourish in business and life with things that matter.
In closing, it was fun last month to return to Jacksonville University to watch Jazanae Humphries graduate with scholastic and departmental honors. I endowed and have funded a scholarship earmarked to provide a stipend for minority female students in need. I want each recipient to focus on her studies rather than scramble around looking for task-oriented work to scrape together spend money. I named the fund in honor of my later mother, Peggy Smith Simendinger, a Philadelphia bank teller who never made it to college due to family obligations. Mom expressed many times how much she wished she had been able to go. Peg was proud that all four of her children experienced campus life and graduated from institutions of higher learning. She would have loved to meet and cheer for Jazanae, a determined woman whose focus, hard work, and passion has enabled a big future to blossom before her. I was happy for her and proud as she crossed the stage, degree in hand, knowing that she will secure others. My guess is that Jazanae Humphries will be very significant in the lives of others.
Days drag but years fly. One day you’re crossing the stage, grabbing a rolled up piece of paper symbolizing your diploma, and exiting while wondering what the heck you’ll do with your life. How will it unfold? What will you do? If you believe the fear mongering and sensationalism of diluted “news” sources, you’d never realize how wonderful life can be when you find the joy in the smallest of things. They are out there….and pardon me, but it’s time for me to get off the Internet and seek some out.
Thanks for reading. Be good to people. The nicer we are, the harder it is for the bad guys to win. Take care.