A New Perspective

Finally watched the finale of the Biggest Loser last night (while everyone else was watching American Idol). Now we have no shows left to watch for the summer. Sad, sad day.

Do you remember the day that you first got glasses?

That's a pretty big day if you've experienced it.

It's almost as if an entirely new world is opened up to you. You see things that were hidden before. Colors that didn't exist suddenly permeate your field of vision. The world became brighter, more beautiful. You can finally see what everyone else has always been excited about, those things you've just had to imagine with your mind.

When you get a new set of glasses or contacts, it's almost like you get a new lease on life. It's as if someone has been holding a plastic bag over your eyes your entire life, and they finally remove it. It's a feeling that can't be matched.

If you haven't had the experience of getting new glasses because you've always been able to see the world clearly, count yourself blessed. There are many people who would pay a lot of money to be able to see the things that you see effortlessly. Though we don't always see it, sight is a blessing.

Take, for instance, this photo to the right. If you use a little imagination, you can see that this is a set of bright pink flowers. And sure, they could look pretty if you squinted a little, tilt your head about 62.3 degrees, and hop on one foot, but really, it's just your imagination. These flowers aren't really that pretty because, frankly, you can't see them. You're missing out on their beauty because something is hindering your sight (in this case, my malicious photo editing).

A Time For Honesty: Sharing is Caring

Yesterday we had a 90% chance of a tornado hitting here, and somehow, the weathermen still managed to be wrong. It barely sprinkled!

It's Wednesday, which doesn't mean much to me, but might mean a lot to you. It's affectionately named "Hump Day" by many, as we fight to get over the hump of another week. It's also the least phonetic of any day of the week, which just makes it ridiculous. Ultimately, though, Wednesday has very little relevance to this blog... until now.

I have written a few posts in the past where I've spent time reflecting - check them out here, here, or here. Maybe I haven't elicited as many chuckles when I do that, but it's important to me that I remain transparent for you. How can I ever expect you to believe my words and listen to me if you can't trust me? And a huge part of trust is transparency. Therefore, I want to begin a weekly series here on Life Before the Bucket called "A Time for Honesty."

You don't wanna end up like this guy.

Honesty is important when it comes to achieving your dreams and living your life to the fullest. If you're not being honest with yourself and with others, you're lying. And if you're lying, you're not achieving your dreams (unless you dream of being a con artist). Therefore, it's important to spend some time each week reflecting. It's important to spend some time each week being real with yourself.

This week's Time for Honesty is definitely inspired by this post from Single Dad Laughing. In that post (which you should definitely read), Dan talked about deciding whether you truly believe what you believe, or whether you just believe certain things because you were raised that way or because you want to fit in with a certain group of someones, whether that's family or friends. Ultimately, his point was that if you aren't willing to give up everything for what you believe in, including the your own life, then you may need to reevaluate, because you may not be holding on to your own beliefs, but the beliefs of others.

Finally Hitting the Big 3-0

Not that I'm into being critical, but the song "7x70" is probably my least favorite song of the millennium.Or maybe of all time.

 Alright, ladies and gents. This post is mostly going to be lame in nature, and rather straight to the point.

If you came here looking to be entertained, please accept my apology on behalf of the gnomes that usually work here at Life Before the Bucket to entertain you. They're on vacation and aren't coming back 'til the fat lady sings. Whatever that means.

What I'm really saying is that this might be the lamest blog post ever written. Mostly because it's all about a number.

The big three-oh. Or is it three-o?

Either way, this is all I want to talk about today. Because today, this blog turns 30! Or at least it feels like it does. Or maybe it feels like I am...

Modern Day Slavery

I did end up fishing yesterday. Caught some good ol' fashioned water, moss, and sun.

So let me go ahead and clear the air right now. This post isn't going to be about slavery in any way, shape, or form. Or about trafficking, which is definitely the modern day equivalent of slavery. Or about the NFL, since apparently, some guys think it's slavery to work for millions of dollars a year. 

Riiiight.

Really, the title was just to get you here and get you reading, and it worked, didn't it? I promise it's relevant, though, so while you're here, you might as well keep reading!

Here's what's going down: today, my wife and I, along with another girl from our school, are starting our internships (or "DFEs," if you want to get technical - see this post for more details). Today, we begin our 400 hour trek through the summer, working for free. 

I sort of feel like Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness (which is a must-see if you haven't already). Except I don't have a kid. Nor do I forget to pay my taxes. And I'm not nearly that good looking. Minor details. But I definitely have the whole "I'm working a full-time job for free" thing going for me.

Can't you see the resemblance?

I Clearly Need More Friends

I might go fishing this morning if my lungs hold up. Gotta love summer!

Alright, here's the deal. At some point over the last week, this blog received its first "award." Basically, it's just a fun award to help recognize up-and-coming bloggers. The award that I received is called "The Versatile Blogger Award." Here's the "badge" that comes with it. Please excuse my excessive use of quotation marks. I don't know why my fingers are suddenly attracted to them as I type...

A little girly for my taste, but I'll take what I can get.