Selected Life Lesson
Never take anything for granted.
-Lynne L’s life lesson from St. Louis, Mo.

Richard’s Thoughts…
I recently returned to the tennis court. For many people, not big news … but for me, a guy who was told by a doctor nearly three years ago that I shouldn’t play much anymore, this is a big accomplishment. Shortly after playing a tournament in August 2006, my best summer as a tennis player, my back was a nightmare. I could hardly walk at times. I saw numerous doctors until I final received the dreaded diagnosis in the spring of 2007. No more tennis. I could play, but not at the level I was accustomed.

I hung it up. I was done. Since that diagnosis, I have picked up a racquet maybe a dozen times. For a guy who had played a lot since the age of 12, not playing tore me apart. I find it slightly ironic that my best friend also had an injury and had to quit playing at the same time. Until this “retirement,” I had taken playing tennis for granted. It was just something I was always going to do.

Well, a few weeks ago, I started in on one of my goals for the year, to play in four tennis tournaments. Without question my body is going to be sore. I am going to go through a lot of ice. But it is going to be worth it. I love the game and if this is my last season and if my last match is right around the corner, I am going to savor every moment. I will never take it for granted again. What should you focus a bit more positive energy into this week? There is no time like the present.

Category: Focus Your Life, Life | No Comments »
Tags: anything is possible, attitude, Sports, tennis

*Beginning in 2010, I started writing a bi-weekly column, “From Richard’s Oft Cluttered Desk” which appears every other Wednesday.

This is the fifth column I’ve penned officially for this blog. Each time I’ve sat down to write I’ve been concerned about the outcome. Heck, half the time I have not had an idea what I would actually write about. It is still scary. And as I thought about what I wanted to write about this time, I have been pulled in many directions.

I could write about the amazing weekend I had at the end of February. Everything has been a dream come true and some has just been really nice.

I could write about the painting I recently finished. I tried a new technique and I’m very pleased how it turned out.

I could write about Joe Mauer and baseball. I could write about my UNI Panther basketball team. I could write about politics or the pulled chicken I’m trying to make as I write this. The options are endless – and welcome to the world of the mind of a writer.

With the completion of my book, Anything is Possible, I’m awaiting my next project. I have a few ideas of what I’d like to write next, but I’m not sure where I will go. I would like to give fiction a go, but I’m debating whether I should do short stories for awhile first. I have a book that I try to use to keep the creative juices flowing, but I find I do one activity and then don’t touch it again for a month. That doesn’t really help keep the creative juices flowing. They just flow freely for five minutes and then dry up.

I have hopes that writing this column will get my mind off the non-fiction writing that I’ve spent the last 16 months perfecting and get me to write more freely. I’m not sure if it is happening. Of course, five columns in, I wasn’t expecting to be amazing. Just something. I wanted to feel like my writing and my passion was getting closer. Instead, I’m just writing about writing. I’m writing about the struggle I’m having within myself to find that one creative spark. I’ll be in the shower and just thinking about a story I’d like to tell, but then it goes away. I’ll be on the treadmill, sweating out the stress of the day and I”ll get a brilliant idea that would be certain to win me an Oscar, but then I still have two miles to run and by the end, the idea is gone.

Creativity is like that – fleeting – always waiting. I hope it jumps out at me soon. Come, I am waiting.

Category: Books, Column, Love, Personal Development | No Comments »
Tags: attitude, creativity, inspiration, writing

Over the last year as I’ve been writing and working on this book, I’ve had countless people say that either they or someone they know has always wanted to write a book. I admire that because I was once one of those people. Of course, if you know me, I still want to tackle the fiction genre at some point as well. There are a lot of steps that a writer must take in the creation of a new work.

First, an idea must be born. Then the idea must be fleshed out and sometimes flushed down the toilet. At no time is it easy. Then the idea must be turned into a lot of words… and I mean a lot! Then those words are deleted to the ever growing heap pile of passive verbs and then sentences, paragraphs and sometimes entire pages are re-written.

I had to re-write a whole chapter of Anything is Possible! In fact that’s what this photo is of. The night of editing Chapter 8, I worked until the early morning hours and tried to hand write some thoughts at the end of the night, only to not be able to read them the next morning.

I haven’t even touched on the publishing process which is many many posts worth of information. I’ll just say I learned a lot, got rejected and still found a way to finish this project in a way I am proud of.

After all this work and all the time and energy, the blood, sweat and tears (okay, maybe not blood), the book needed a cover. Nathanael worked for hours trying to find the right cover for me. But as the writer, the artist, I knew what I wanted and we couldn’t find it. Then came the turtle. Within a day of seeing it I knew it was perfect.

I will say this, the stress was absolutely worth it. It was worth it because it was the fulfillment of a dream. And I believe any dream you have and keep dreaming is a dream worth chasing.

Category: Books, Life, Personal Development | No Comments »
Tags: anything is possible, Books, dreams, passion, stress, writing

Nathanael’s wonderfully cute and sweet Pug, Portia.

(Each Friday, I will post a recent photo.)

Category: Photos | No Comments »
Tags: animals, dogs, Love