El is finally recovering from what ended up being a week-long illness. She started smiling and laughing again Friday night. She's pretty much back to normal now, though the sleep schedule is still a problem.

Olympics are over. I managed to not watch a single second. It wasn't a goal or anything, it just reflects my level of interest.

Don Knotts died. Mayberry died long ago. It's a shame.

I'm tired - hopefully sleep schedule will stabilize again in the next week!

We had to take El to the emergency room last night. Nothing life threatening, but she was becoming dehydrated due to her inability to keep anything down. The thing that struck me the most is the thought that I can't imagine trying to give an IV to a baby. Many thanks to the guy who did.

Things I want to teach El about relationships:

They're important. It took me a long time to value relationships because a childhood of constantly moving from place to place really built up my independent streak. I spent most of life looking at relationships as means to accomplish something because there was never a sense of permanence. Never did I attach any spiritual significance to any acquaintance. This is all slowly changing. I hope El gets there faster than I am.

Love is not a feeling. I don't mean love is more than a feeling, I mean love is NOT a feeling. Love is action. Love is action that takes place regardless of (and often despite) feeling. Lust, infatuation, happiness, warmth, connectedness - those can all be feelings. The love action is easier when certain feelings are also present, but if it dies without feeling, it ain't love. You don't love someone because they make you smile or you find them attractive. You love someone when they make you cry and you forgive. You love someone when they need and you provide. Please please please remember this when a boy says he loves you. Most of them have no idea what that means. One will.

A friendship that can survive honesty is worth huge amounts of sacrifice. You will have many friendships that have boundaries you can't cross without losing the friend. You will have a few that can handle and provide true honesty. These are the friends that will help you grow, will be there when you're in need, and will mean something when things crumble around you. If you can't think of someone that fits this description, pursue it.

Don't burn bridges. Life is too short and the world is too small to end a relationship on a sour note. This is especially true of business relationships. When things do end badly, don't be too quick to blame the other person. Always be brave enough to look in the mirror first.

Sorry, I missed the memo. Somebody please enlighten me. Why is it that I'm supposed to be concerned about muslim protestors destroying and burning and shooting things IN THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS? I mean, really, if they're worked up enough over a cartoon to destroy the local McDonalds, it may be a little sad (or funny), but it's certainly not going to keep me up at night. If I went out and smashed my own car with a sledgehammer in retaliation for their disrespecting Ronald McD, would the media give me serious attention. OK, maybe they would show me being carted away in a straight jacket, but that's not the type of coverage I'm talking about.

Things I want to teach El about money:

It's a tool. There are a lot of people who do really good/smart things with money and there are plenty who do bad/stupid things with money. Neither of these is a result of the quantity or quality of the money.

Education is a tool. The accepted norm of education lasting well into the 20's and 30's is crap. A smart person isn't one with lots of acronyms behind their name. A smart person is one who can apply knowledge to life in such a way so their lives and the lives of others are improved. Colleges are turning out some really stupid, yet highly educated, individuals.

Don't go get a job. Hone your skills. Make yourself valuable. Market yourself effectively. Jobs, if you need one, will be plentiful. Even better, create a job. Go and do something the market needs done. Most of all, keep your eternal perspective. Creativity and investing in the lives of people both have eternal echoes. Be an entrepreneur.

People who fail can tell you how something should not be done. Find those who succeeded to learn how things should be done. People who are less able or less successful are often much quicker to give advice. Misery loves company. Find someone who is entirely too busy to spend time teaching you and get them to teach you. Don't listen to naysayers. Most of them will later be employees or customers of yours.

Learn present value and future value calculations. Learn why cash flow is king. Learn why a personal residence is not an asset (neither is a car). Most people never learn these things. Don't be like most people.

Wealth is not to be hoarded. All of the above advice makes it sound like you should build your life based on piles and piles of cash. That's crap. Wealth is a tool to accomplish your eternal purpose. Give it all away. Teach others what you know. Live below your means.

Long week ahead for Chitchat
Better to know now
At least I can plan for it

Wow, over a year between posts. I'm kinda surprised this thing didn't get deleted.

El is a year old now. The fact that she made it to this milestone means I didn't screw up THAT bad. I have been thinking about things. Admittedly, there a touch of morbidity that makes me want to write down all of the wisdom that I've garnered during my life thus far (in case I'm not around when she's old enough to hear it). Things like:

Give. Give it all. Give time. Give money. Give sincere attention. Give talents. Give space. Give til it hurts. Everything that matters has already been given and secured for you, so nothing you give on this earth will really cost you anything. Not only that, but something within us is stirred during the act of giving. I don't mean that "feeling good about yourself" sensation. I mean something deeper. Eternity echoes when we give.

People are important simply because they're people. Learn to deal with everyone in a way that acknowledges their spiritual image. Many will live in denial of that image, but it's there nonetheless.

Listen more than you talk. This is the whole "two ears, one mouth" ratio that people talk about. The wisdom in this is beautiful because not only will it keep you from listening too little, it will keep you from saying too much. Very important in many contexts.

Take risks! Don't be foolish, but don't hang onto life so tightly that you never live. Take relational risks. Open up enough to be hurt because only then will you ever really be loved. Take financial risks. Put money in places where it has the opportunity to disappear because those are the places where it can grow. The purpose of life, contrary to what culture says, isn't simply to extend it as long as possible. It's much bigger and much more beautiful than that.

More to come. Probably before next February.