The only true adventure is waiting for you...

"We love because it's the only true adventure." - Nikki Giovanni

Love is the only true adventure.

Thank you Nikki Giovanni. That's a worthwhile thought this Valentine's Day season.

The roots of Valentine's Day are certainly deep in adventure. History has it that Valentine did actually exist. He was a priest during Roman times who married young couples in defiance of a ceaser. Emperor Claudius II decreed that young men could not get married so that they could concentrate on fighting instead of missing their wives back home.

Of course St. Valentine would have none of that and married them anyway in secret ceremonies.

When Valentine was discovered, he was sentenced to death. During his imprisonment, he fell in love with his jailer's daughter. On his execution date, Feb. 14, he signed his letter proclaiming his love, from her Valentine and hence, a tradition was born. That was around 270 A.D.

That's one legendary version of the holiday anyway. It's hard to figure out considering that their are least three Catholic saints with the Valentine name.

Another thought is that the Christian church co-opted a pagen Roman festival involving women's names being drawn from a lottery by eligible bacholers. The whole affair makes for some interesting reading. A pope declared Feb. 14 Valentine's Day circa 498 A.D.

As you can see, Valentine's Day has been around long before Hallmark, Hollywood and commercialization got ahold of it.

So go ahead. Express and proclaim your heart to another without fear that the entire holiday is just another made up marketing scheme on Feb. 14. It's not. People have been celebrating Valentine's Day for centuries.

Live the adventure that love has to offer.

Tell someone special you love them.

And make everyday an opportunity to be a valentine.



p.s.
you can get all the historical details of Valentine's Day here http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=882&display_order=1&mini_id=1084

Do good by being a bad penny...

one week to Christmas.


Time to be a bad penny.


Oh, you've probably heard the phrase, "he/she keeps showing up like a bad penny."


And you probably chuckle every time you hear it or say it. Here's something to consider: being a bad penny is not a bad thing.

It's not a bad thing at all.


"He keeps showing up like a bad penny," simply says "I see you. You have pricked my conscience at an unexpected time."


That is certainly true for one Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping.


He's not a reverend. And the church is not an actual church. Reverend Billy is a character in the movie What Would Jesus Buy? The movie is a documentary by producer Morgan Spurlock (of the famed Super Size Me) that urges people to stop shopping so much at Christmas.

Stop shopping at Christmas?


Some might think that message is a bit odd. But Spurlock reportedly says he wants the film to encourage people to give real gifts at Christmas.


He wants people to give more gifts like love and compassion.


That's a powerful and appropriate message around this time of year when consumerism is shifted to overdrive. Consequently, the mock evangelist keeps showing up in news clips around the world.


Here and there Rev. Billy is on television nipping at the heels of retail giants.

Here and there he is in the newspapers pricking at the conscience of shoppers.

He keeps showing up over and over...

Like a bad penny with the same message.

Shop less. Love more.


That is a gift worth hearing and seeing over and over again.

Love more.

Is it one you are ready to give?

There is one week left before Christmas.

That's plenty of time to keep showing up...

like a bad penny...

and giving the greatest gift of all.

So go ahead.

Do some good.

Start being a bad penny today.

Do you feel lucky today?

"My question is, do you feel lucky today?

Well, do you?"

Those words were taken from a famous movie. I'll give you a big thumbs up if you can remember the name of the movie and the actor who starred in it.

Chances are if you are over 35, you can probably name the movie. I guess what made me think of those words today was simply an outgrowth of the question.

Do you feel lucky today?

If you don't then you certainly should feel lucky for one good reason -- you are alive man! You have every opportunity to make today your lucky day!

Shoot for the moon! Wish on a star! Find a penny!

Whatever you have to do to feel lucky and I guess, in turn, feel happy -- then do it.

I'm not sure I get the luck thing anyway. Is it catching that call you almost missed? Or is it finding some loot? Maybe it's hitting the lottery. I guess on some level, feeling lucky is simply a way to feel grateful about some positive twist to your day.

And I'm all about the feeling grateful thing. Doing so allows me to appreciate all that I have so I can enjoy more of it. From toothpaste to tundra, we are surrounded by miracles that many of us simply take for granted. Taking things for granted means to push them from our conscience and place them somewhere in the background of our lives.

Think I'm joking? Try the toothpaste. When you go shopping for it, you pause at the section checking out the price, the flavor, the color etc... Then after the first use you just forget about it. Whatever the flavor is it becomes just part of the morning routine until you reach for it and it is empty.

Then your ticked and going 'dang, I meant to get some more toothpaste.' If you were grateful for it and acknowledge your gratefulness in some way (just noticing it in a positive fashion saying to yourself, man I'm glad I got this toothpaste), then chances are you would not forget it's running low.

It's like that with the bigger things in our lives. Wife, children, brothers, sisters, friends, and the love they represent for you can get pushed from your mind and placed in the background of our life. And at each step we mark the moment.

"I'll make that call later."

"I'll play with the kids tomorrow."

"I'll just send a belated birthday card."

"We can go out next weekend."

Sound familiar? Each excuse pushes them farther and farther into the background of our life. Each one is another missed opportunity to strengthen the love in your heart for them and the love they have for you.

But today is your lucky day. You found this post and you realize just how grateful you are for that special person (s) in your life. So you are going to log off and turn one of these phrases around to something positive.

Make the call now.

Play with the kids tonight.

Send the card and a present in time for the birthday.

Take that special person you love out this weekend. In fact tonight.

So again, my question is...

Do you feel lucky today? Well do you?

Get moving.