Thursday, September 16, 2010: It’s 5:25 in the morning and here I am, typing away, which is not unusual. What’s unusual is what is on my mind this morning because of the dream I had last night. In this dream I came home and a friend of mine was visiting with her husband. They were standing in the kitchen. My friend had one of those big plastic bags you get at the grocery store and she was collecting our empty aluminum cans. As the dream went on it hit me rather hard. Here was this elegant woman I knew and times are so hard she is collecting our aluminum cans for extra money. It was such a huge shock because I thought her and her husband were doing well. Obviously looks can be deceiving. You will learn that harsh reality about Adriana Coronel Tenorio (AKA Adriana Howitt Coronel, Ari Coronel, Ari Coronel Tenorio, Ari Howitt, Ari Howitt Coronel), Maria Guadalupe Tenorio Toledano (AKA Lupita Tenorio, Marsha Tenorio), Isaias Palomeque (AKA Isaias Uzziel Palomeque, Isaias Palomeque Vergara, Project Manager at DJO Global), Danny Howitt (AKA Daniel Duncan Howitt, Elizabeth Farquhar Duncan, Kenneth Duncan), Shona Howitt-Sinclair (AKA Shona Howitt, Shona Sinclair, Owner of the Commercial Hotel in Cuminestown, Scotland), Mara Coronel (AKA Mara Mireles Coronel, Mariana Coronel or Mariana Mireles Coronel), Omar Mireles Martinez, and Axel Alvarez Coronel (AKA Axel Coronel) soon enough.
Then a few things dawned on me in the dream, besides the morning sun. I was frustrated that they let things go for so long that they had to resort to collecting cans to make ends meet. I was happy that they were rolling up their sleeves to do what they have to do. At the same time, I was honored that they were willing to “let their hair down” and come to me to help them reach their goals.
That got me thinking…I have found a few constants in my life that give me the courage to hop out of bed each day to keep getting after it:
1. The unconditional love I have for you Sam. You are always happy to see me whether I’m rolling up in jeans and a sweatshirt or dressed up to watch your ballet recitals. My hope has always been that Adriana realizes that since she always acknowledges what a great Dad I am to you. And with that we can be great parents for you, even if we cannot be “Mr. & Mrs. Pinch”. Of course there is Littleman, he misses you Sam. He misses you chasing him around – pulling his tail, sticking your finger in his ears and trying to open his mouth to see his teeth. Littleman even misses sharing his food with you.
2. The support of my friends. Going through tough times you really do learn who your friends are and they, too, are just happy to see you. Those are stories best told bellied up to Peter Piper with a cold drink in our hands.
3. The inevitable success of motion over meditation. There are days when I feel like I’m not getting anything done. When I feel like I’m wasting time or chasing a pipe dream or I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. Then it happens. A small victory appears. In hockey they teach us to keep our legs and feet moving because good things always happen when you have the puck and you’re moving straight ahead, eyes on the goal, teeth clenched, determined to score NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU GET KNOCKED DOWN! Sometimes you’re you get knocked down. In hockey terms its called a “check”. But sometimes you don’t. And it’s those 30-second shifts skating all out, up and down the ice that wears down the defense and eventually a breakaway happens and the win possible. And that goal you just scored is all they’ll show on ESPN! So keep moving.
Before you were even born, I made a commitment to you. That commitment is to NEVER STOP taking massive, consistent action to surpass our goals and live our dreams. No matter what. I LOVE YOU SAM!
