Pandemic Theater, I Love Climate Change, My Decision to be Happy

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
— Abraham Lincoln

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or whenever you find this message. Friday morning, high five, you made it through another week, and you are alive and kicking! A little reminder: there is a gift and opportunity in everything that happens, so relax.

I had a good day yesterday; I worked from home until about 11:00, then headed to meet a couple of friends at a bar for lunch.  I had soup and salad and then visited our indy office.  I chatted with our staff, then headed back home.  I worked the afternoon from home and then met my friend Cat for a drink at 4:00.  My wife was not feeling great, so she stayed home, and we hunkered down last night.

I want to discuss the theater of things today.  We seem to be a society of conformity and nonsense.  Why must we take our shoes and belts off when traveling? Why can we only have eight ounces of liquid in our carry-on bags?  Why must we wear a mask when we know, according to congressional testimony, that an airplane is 99.9 % cleaner air than in an operating room?

In case you missed it:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2021/12/15/Airline-CEOs-testify-COVID-19-impact/6381639540314/

My top story this morning on my Dumb News is “Omicron outbreak upends daily life in an exhausted America.”  It’s an article written by Tyler Pager and Dan Diamond, two peddlers of misinformation. So here’s a question, why?  Is Omicron bad, or maybe is Omicron good?  Is it a much easier to handle viruses that we can endure and get antibodies?  I’m not a doctor, but I have a brain, and it does not take too much brainpower to know this is nothing more than fear porn.

In other news, “Judge throws out Purdue Pharma’s deal to shield Sacklers from Opioid Lawsuits.”  If you watched Dope Sick, you might agree this is good news, those dirty dogs upended our country and caused a lot of hardship for families; they should pay for their misdeeds.

My friend Barrett called me yesterday; he said, “just calling to say I love you.”  How many men do that?  Barrett does it, and I do it, but I wonder if you are a man; when was the last time you called another dude to say, “I love you?”  Barrett is a husband, father and is in my industry, he took my training a few years ago, and we have been friends ever since.  He just returned from a month-long tour of Europe with his family; he homeschools his kids, so he and his wife are free to roam the world.

He sent me this video, and I encourage you to watch it.  

Rorke Denver is a good man to follow, a college athlete and former seal, a good man with sound principles.  If you didn’t watch the video, he talks about mentors. How he sought out leaders to help shape his mind and habits.  I, too, sought out mentors; I still do and have now found myself a mentor to some young folks. I try and find young folks who are curious about success and how to achieve something bigger than yourself.

I’ve got my men’s group this morning.  Three hours of connections with some great minds, mentors if you will.  My mind will be fed, and then I’m teaching from my home; one of my clients from my Sherpa Brand is bringing over their team for a refresher.  I’ve got a 3:30, a 4:00, and then my client is taking my wife and me out to St. Elmos for dinner.

Tomorrow we are going to a Colt’s game to watch our Colt’s put a beat down on the Patriots.  Sunday is Christmas with my parents and kids.  Next week is filled with appointments before we celebrate the birthday of that almond-colored hippy.  

As I walked our dog the last few days, I thought about how much I appreciate and enjoy climate change.   It’s mid-December; it’s 50 plus degrees; how amazing is that? I know the kids today are terrified of climate change; for their knowledge, it used to be called global warming until the winters started getting colder; the name no longer fit the narrative; maybe it’s time to go back to the warming narrative?

I think 2022 might be my best year ever. I’ve got a few things cooking in my life’s easy bake oven. First, I’m making some personal changes that will benefit my family and me; I’ve got another book in the works and am working on two nonfiction books that I’ll wrap up in 2025.  One is about a dead pop star, another about a gay resort. Second, I will do a couple of community projects in my homes and make our world a better place.  What are you doing in 2022 to improve our world?

You have a choice to view the world as an unlimited opportunity for bounty or as a wasteland of agony and pain.  You can decide how to accept your plight, gifts, and situation.  Money is not happiness; most cultures with zero wealth are much happier than keeping up with the Thompson folk. So decide to be satisfied today and from this day forward. Look at the gifts and opportunities something bigger than yourself provides; you are alive, and your success is dependent on one thing, your positive attitude.

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
— Abraham Lincoln