Chad Writes Stuff

If life were always easy, would there be merit?  Sure it would be nice to always have money in the bank, a sunshine personality, and no backstabbing friends, but the truth is, we were never guaranteed any of that. When something goes your way, it is enjoyable and fulfilling and gives you a sense of understanding and appreciation.  The difficult times, judge your character.  Its easy to run away from conflict, heartache and strife, but what benefit do you get? Not every situation in your life is going to "come up roses".  My own struggle with my Mom's cancer has lead me through every emotion known to mankind.  I have experienced joy, anger, sadness, despair, lonliness and depression, to name a few.  In truth, there are times I just want to run away, but in reality, I know exactly why I am where I am.  Whether its to be by moms side for a few moments and tell her I love her while she sleeps, or to hold her hand for an hour while she battles the intense pain in her mouth, it...

So I have been reading a lot about minimalism lately and it hit me like a ton of bricks, I am a minimalist.  Whether it was by choice, chance or necessity, It happened to me in 2005 and again this year.  It actually began in 2005 when I was living with my then girlfriend, now ex, in Bradenton Florida.  She moved back to California after months of not being able to find work and my money situation at the bike store where I worked, unable to keep us afloat.  I had been alone in the apartment with our 3 cats for almost 3 months and was missing being around her.  We had spent nearly 7k getting all of our stuff down to the two bedroom apartment and knew we wouldn't have enough cash to get it back to California. I am very logical when it comes to matters of this nature, and decided to discuss the merits of downsizing.  The hard part of the discussion with my ex, while on the phone, was looking around at all the things that we had.  Most of our stuf...

Love this album btw Its called, "Two Sisters" Lryics start out. "I'm in love with two sisters Only weapons can decide Whose bed I share tonight" Okay so not really. I just thought it was appropriate for this entry. I had the opportunity to meet Mischa and Leslie this weekend while auditioning for The X-Factor. It started at 6;30 in the morning on a cold Saturday in Los Angleles (If you can believe it ever gets cold here...it actually does). I was one of the last ones to get into the line for wristbands and tickets on this day. I was blessed to be next to Mischa and her sister. At first we didn't say much, but after we had been standing for a while it only made sense to begin talking to like minded crazies around us. In our group was Marvin, Gina, Deena, Mischa, her sister Leslie and me. We all somehow clicked. I can't really explain it but the energy was really good. I love it when you meet people and they aren't a drag. You act...

My Aunt Christina Shared this and I find it to be brilliantly inspiring. From Anne Thomas (I don't know her personally, this was just forwarded to me) in Sendai, Japan where she has lived for the past decade teaching English. Very moving!! Hello My Lovely Family and Friends, First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you. Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful. During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation scree...

So I drove up to my aunt and uncles house last night to visit my mom. I am trying to be a good son and visit my mom every weekend or every other weekend as she goes through one of the biggest struggles in her life. She has been living with Don and Christina, who I like to call the angels of West Hills, for almost 10 years now. When my mom was first diagnosed with cancer, it was Christina who jumped in with both feet and began to research alternate treatments. Don was always busy driving them to the hospital for tests and staying over when mom would have an overnight visit. Both of them have been a complete and utter blessing in my moms life as well as mine. Today marks a special day in both of their lives as Don just turned 75. He moved here in 1977 and has been a strong part of the community ever since. He has seen the community grow and change over the decades and has remained humble through it all. Don and Christina have been married for 19 years today also, which is a...

"Doubt startin' to creep in, everyday it's just so grey and black. Hope, I just need a ray of that 'Cause no one sees my vision When I play it for 'em, they just say it's wack. But they don't know what dope is. And I don't know if I was awake or asleep when I wrote this. All I know is you came to me when I was at my lowest. You picked me up, breathed new life in me. I owe my life to you. Before the life of me, I don't see why you don't see like I do. But it just dawned on me; you lost a son. See this light in you? It's dark. Let me turn on the lights and brighten me and enlighten you. I don't think you realize what you mean to me, not the slightest clue."     "It hurts when I see you struggle. You come to me with ideas. You say that these are pieces, so I'm puzzled. 'Cause the sh-t I hear is crazy, But you're either getting lazy, or you don't believe in you no more. Seems like your own opinions, not one you can ...

This was an interesting look at the human condition and what really drives us. Do humans always sell out to money, or do they consider the greater good? How do we determine where our life is best served, or is that decided for us? The story is that of Jacob Pederson, who manages an orphanage in India. He loves his children but the facility is in desperate need of funding. He is sought out by an investor that is apparently impressed by what he does and makes a journey to Copenhagen. Upon his arrival he is taken to a fantastically lavish hotel and then meets with Jorgen Hannson, a successful entrepreneur who wants to fund Jacobs orphanage. The two talk shop for a bit and then Jorgen says he has to go as he is prepping for his daughters wedding the following day. He invites Jacob to come. Upon arriving late to the wedding due to traffic, Jacob catches the end of the wedding. He becomes the focus of Helene Hanson, Jorgen's wife. The glances become more obvious a...

Too good not to post. Thank you Mom so much for sharing and helping me keep perspective. The Cab Ride I arrived at the address and honked the horn. after waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. 'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward th...

https://youtu.be/wRWfyA1WxbE This is a great song if you travel on the road. Thanks Margaret Been Too Long On The Road By Bread Always look so good on the outside When you get to believing it's true, Then you know that you're on your way People tug on your shirt, say you're lucky You've got everything you want, but you don't yet you dare not say Go downtown people running around They climb slowly dragging you downtown, Horns make a dent in your mind Plush rooms make a blinding your eyes to see, blinding me Light, lovely light, won't you shine in my window Love, precious love, won't you fill every room Been too long on the road Maybe cynics veins are my life blood Maybe biting the hand that I feed so I'll try Try to understand what it is that devours your freedom Makes you drop what you used to hold in your hands All the things you planned Go upstairs with a someone who says she cares Like the devil she does what comes ever i...

Love is our natural state of being. It is a vibrational frequency that you can see and feel in those around you. The expression of love can be in material things as when someone says, "I love your shoes". They are resonating with the frequency of the color or style of the shoes at their current energy level. When we step out of our mask of what we think love is, we begin to realize that we had no concept to begin with. Often times we think that love only comes in the form of placing someone in our lives as the soul benefactor of our love and that is what I feel God was trying for us NOT to do. When we learn to love everything around us, when someone sees that vibrational love, they become attracted to it and so want to share in that love and spread it with that person all over the world. Love is not like money, you are not supposed to save it, you give it away in multiples of 100. When you realize the universe (God) loves you, realize that everything is exactly as it should b...

Many of you know that I have been having a rough time for the past three (to six months depending on who you ask ) months. Life has thrown questions my way and made me question everything. It wasn't until recently that I began to realize that life is not certain, and it is not fair. We see this everyday in everything around us, someone dies unexpectedly or some executive makes off with millions of hard working peoples money. Last night I went to see Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Some think its a kids movie, but truth is the series is about believing in yourself and understanding as you move forward, your worst fears will step into your path. Its our jobs to move past those fears and step into who we are destined to become...daily. See life is a journey, not a destination. We continually grow and sometimes way beyond what we ever thought we could possible do. C.S. Lewis, in my humbled opinion, was teaching us to love ourselves and accept who we a...

There are lights in our mist. People that pay attention to you even though you don't know they are there. Friends who care about us, even when we are at our darkest points. All you have to do is reach out to them Last night I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Marshall Crawford. He has been a friend on facebook for almost a year and we have had conversations back and forth regarding life and what not. He had been reading my posts and noticed they changed from good to melancholy to downright miserable. You see this year has been the most trying year of my life, as I am sure it has been for many people. I know friends that are losing their houses and having to declare bankruptcy. There are tough times currently and still ahead, but it is our attitude that takes us away from the despair. My situation is no different. I have been working in a particular industry for many years and have loved what I have done, however, this year, the business fell out from under me. On average I a...

No doubt one of the greatest artists we will ever know. Its how I'm feeling right now... In every heart there is a room A sanctuary safe and strong To heal the wounds from lovers past Until a new one comes along I spoke to you in cautious tones You answered me with no pretense And still I feel I said too much My silence is my self defense And every time I've held a rose It seems I only felt the thorns And so it goes, and so it goes And so will you soon I suppose But if my silence made you leave Then that would be my worst mistake So I will share this room with you And you can have this heart to break And this is why my eyes are closed It's just as well for all I've seen And so it goes, and so it goes And you're the only one who knows So I would choose to be with you As if the choice were mine to make But you can make decisions too And you can have this heart to break And so it goes, and so it goes And you're the only one who knows

You can travel the world but you can't run away from the person you are in your heart you can be who you want to be make us believe in you keep all your light in the dark if your searching for truth you must look in the mirror and make sense of what you can see just be just be they say learning to love yourself is the first step that you take when you want to be real and flying on planes to exotic locations won't teach you how you really feel face up to the fact that you are who you are and nothing can change that belief just be just be cause now i know it's not so far to where i go the hardest part is inside me i need to just be i was lost and i'm still lost but i feel so much better

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you. He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.' Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tig...

I woke up this morning in a different place, a different state of mind. I walked downstairs, greeted by my three loving kitties, Pepper, Precious and Tigher and placed food in their bowls. I smiled as i finished filling their bowls because I know how happy they get for their breakfast. I may not be able to give much to the world, but for these three girls, I can provide a loving, nurturing home for them to live in. Thats something to be thankful for. I walked into the kitchen and turned on the TV and began to watch one of the big name news channel. I noticed how the news seems to be focused on the things that don't really matter (not a new revelation-just a refresher). We have enough bad news to deal with every day. It would be nice to see a different news company, that focused on the goodness and wonder that happens on a daily basis. (I have one company in mind that could do a fantastic job of it MindFox Productions , I met Dr Fox and he has a wonderful energy and could do...

His passion for music begs me to dig deeper into who he was with regard to all of his musical choices. The below mentioned piece is amazing. It was his all time favorite. I now see why, as it is talking about love and the powerful choices we make when falling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VATmgtmR5o4 From Wikipedia: Context and musical analysis In the act before this aria, Calaf has correctly answered the three riddles put to all of Princess Turandot's prospective suitors. Nonetheless, she recoils at the thought of marriage to him. Calaf offers her another chance by challenging her to guess his name by dawn. (As he kneels before her, the Nessun dorma theme makes a first appearance, to his words, "Il mio nome non sai!") If she does so, she can execute him; but if she does not, she must marry him. The cruel and emotionally cold princess then decrees that none of her subjects shall sleep that night until his name is discovered. If they fail, all will be killed. As the fi...

This was an email i got from my mom today. I can tell you that I haven't been the best son, or become the most sucessful (monetarily) in my life, but to get a letter like this from my mom tends to make the world amazing in my eyes. I am sending this to thank you for being such an amazing person and you make me so proud to have given birth to such a miracle like you. You are wonderful and helpful to friends and strangers and you are smart and wise. Have no idea where you got such an abundance from, but think that a smidgeon came from Dad's and my genes, maybe. It makes me very happy not to have to worry about you, since I worry about everything else. I love you very much. Puss och Kram Mamma

Sometimes we don't know how we are going to get there. We see all of the obstacles that keep us from whatever the goal is. We think of all that isn't, instead of all that is. We make excuses and say it isn't possible. What if you could change all that? What if you saw doorways opening, the universe aligning and possibilities expanding? What is stopping you from seeing things the latter way? Its your mind. These past few weeks have been tough for me. I have had to let go of control of many things and one of them being, that I am really not in control of anything. I am present and in the moment and try to find joy in all things that surround me. Financially, my life is a wreck. I am not sure if I will be able to scrape together funds to pay my rent, as well as car note, school loans, credit card and groceries and put gas in my tank. What I can only focus on right now. I am not sure about what or where my future will take me. I am not in control of that. I cannot t...

Noah and I were up at 4:45 sharp to get ready. We have turned into girls as we have gotten older. Seems like it takes us 45 minutes to do what we used to in 15. We seemed to get ready in a hurry. Only problem was Mr Potato. he didn't want to get up, so he slowed us down a bit. We arrived in plenty of time to clear security, get some quick food, and stop to get noah some stuff for his throat, since he was a little under the weather with it. Before we knew it we were boarding our big bird to Atlanta, a Boeing 777-400. They are amazing, and very cool on the inside. I watched a few episodes of "Hung" and some TV and then before i knew it we were in Atlanta. We landed at the international gate so we didn't even have to change terminals, It was very nice. I think our plane was slated to go to Sydney after dropping us off. We had time to kill since our flight wasn't boarding till 8pm, so we read, relaxed, listened to music and wrote in our journals. It was an ...