Sunday, June 17, 2012

That Monday Morning in February

Greetings People,

I remember this day with two different types of emotions. One is with a heavy heart and the other is with gratitude.

While some people are celebrating and remembering their fathers on this day, I am getting through this day in a very different fashion. So far, so good.

To understand this story, let's go back to Monday morning, February 27, 2012.

As I was getting ready for my day at work, I got a phone call from my mother. She wanted me to come to the house as soon as possible. At first I was reluctant, but decided to head over there. On my way to the Oakley home, I get another phone call. It was from my little sister Crystal. As I answered the phone, I noticed she was crying. It was at that moment I said, "Oh shit. This is not good at all."

When I got to the house, the ambulance had just left the house. I asked my mother what was going on. She said that she found my dad unconscious in the bathroom. She was talking to him as he was getting ready for his dialysis appointment. The last word he told her was "okay." Then she noticed a long period of silence......" When she walked into the bathroom, she saw him on the bathroom floor. She screamed so loud that it alerted my sisters, nieces, and nephews. My older sister Rita tried to perform CPR on him, it did not work. Rita dialed 9-1-1 and the paramedics soon arrived.

As we left the Oakley home, we went to nearby Summerlin hospital in Las Vegas. We walked into the emergency room and the paramedics tried to get all of us into the consolation room. It was then, that we knew.

30 years with diabetes.

15 years of surgeries and hospital stays.

5 years of dialysis.

All of this culminated to that Monday morning in February.

He suffered a heart attack with some fluid in his lungs. He went real quick. No goodbyes. No farewells. No words to let us know.

It was the similar way that my grandfather left. When he left in that fashion back in 1979, my dad was 36. When my dad left, I was 36.

The last conversation I remember having with him was picking him up from his last dialysis appointment the Friday before. We talked about car care and wondered when his mother was going to get their car services. I also remember getting his favorite meal from Burger King - a Whopper value meal. I would never thought that those would be my last moments with him.

As I type this message to you now, I can say that I had a great dad. The times, the talks, the wisdom, the memories, I would not trade them with anyone. If it had not been for him, I would not become the man I am today.

If you have a dad, please spend some time with him. Let him know that you love him. If you lost a dad, think of the good memories you have of him. Let him know that he is remembered.

As for me, time may go on. Days may pass by. But I will never forget the time I have with the Ol' Man.

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I








Wednesday, June 13, 2012

It Ain't the End of the World

Greetings Happy People,

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of doing a radio interview with friend and fellow Toastmaster Mike Keeler.

He has a radio show called "You and Your Money" and he would talk about different financial related items.

On this special episode, we talked about Toastmasters.

Before the radio show, I felt a little nervous. I did not know why because I have done many radio interviews before. Heck, I met my soon to be bride on a radio show. For me to feel a little nervous about this is a little unusual.

As I went into the interview everything started off a little nervous. Then, it happened.

As I was talking about examples on how Toastmasters can help different people, I stumbled on a certain word. Luckily, no "pharmaceutical schools" were damaged in this verbal foul up.

It would have been very easy to let this goof up bring the whole radio interview down, but it went in the completely opposite direction. After my mistake, I was able to laugh it off and become better at this interview.

For the rest of that hour, I was having more fun with the questions, the interview, and using that word of the day "pharmaceutical." At the end, I felt a lot better than I did before I went in.

In life, we have times where we are unsure about how things will go. Sometimes we let fear get the best of us. But once that foul up happens, you have a choice in how to handle it. Luckily, my choice was to laugh it off and just have fun with. Fortunately, it paid off for me.

Imagine if I were to take the other direction. Chances are it would have been excruciating to the ears for many people that listened to that radio show.

You have a choice in what you can do after a mistake. Are you going to let it beat you down or are you going to laugh it off and have the best fun you can with it? If you choose the latter, you will be better off. You will learn. You will grow. You will have fun.

If I can laugh off a mistake and learn from it, so can you!! It ain't the end of the world!! It can only be the beginning!!

That is all I have for now, take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

Monday, June 4, 2012

Cultural Wasteland

Greetings Happy People,

As I flipped through the channels, I see plenty of television shows I used to watch as a kid. Many of them had  entertaining situations, challenging scenarios, and a valued message to leave behind at the end. These shows from the 70's, 80's, and early 90's were outstanding.

After watching these shows, I ask myself this following question.......

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH TODAY'S TV PROGRAMMING??!!!"

Today, we have shows that either miss the point, poison our minds with useless dribble, or just don't care anymore. If television is a reflection of today's society, we are not only heading towards a cultural wasteland, but UNDER it. It is at the point where the only channel I care to watch is ESPN. It is a complete and downright shame.

Twenty five years ago, we had shows like Family Ties, The Cosby Show, and 227. Now we have Survivor, Jersey Shore, and Basketball Wives. What happened? Have these Hollywood executives lowered the standards to the point where they can put ANYTHING on television for a price? This makes me want to shake my head in disappointment.

Thankfully, I have other options than to watch today's mindless dribble some people call entertainment. I can enjoy my favorite hobbies. I can step outside and enjoy any beautiful scenery that is out there. I can even spend quality time with friends and family.Many of these things are more captivating that what can be seen on television. Unlike the pseudo-reality mess that is being shown on a daily basis, I choose to do other worthwhile things.

It frightens me how minds are eaten away by this garbage. If television is like this right now, I dread to imagine what it will be like in the year 2027.

Are you sick and tired of what is being seen on today's television? If you are, remember that you do not have to put up with it. You have many choices in what you can do with your life. After all, it is better than having your mind erode away with unnecessary drama. Remember, you have the ability to turn off the pseudo-reality shows and turn on the reality of something better.

That is all I have for now. Take care and thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Jesse I-I-I

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