It’s February 8, 2014 which is an important date for the
Banana Daiquiri and Life Lesson crew. This day, 30 years ago, one of our
contributors was born! So I’d like to start this blog by sending out a very
Happy Birthday message to one of our newest contributors, Mike! I hope our
readers are getting to know this very creative individual that I’m lucky enough
to call my friend through his posts. I first got to meet Mike through playing
basketball, which as it turns out is where I’ve met most of my lifelong (so
far) friends. We shared a common interest with the sport but as it turned out
we shared a lot more interests as well. After our City League basketball games
we would often sit and discuss books, music, etc. alongside the fireplace at
The Blue Moose restaurant in Grand Forks…it’s been a bro-mance for the ages
ever since!
Mike has since decided girls were more his style and got
himself married and moved out to California so that his lovely wife can start
designing the buildings that will one day define the California Landscape. I’ve
been lucky enough to get to see them both when they make a return visit our
way, though, and have had the good fortune of talking Mike into joining us at
Banana Daiquiris and Life Lessons which is kind of a Life Lesson in its own
way. Friends may go their separate ways in this life but the truly good friends
find a way to stay part of each other’s lives. Mike’s a great friend, and I
hope he celebrates his 30th birthday like he was celebrating his 21st!
Thirty is the new 21 from what I understand…or maybe it’s the new 20? Wouldn’t
it be cool if there was a “Forever 31” store? It would probably sell a lot of
khakis though…
So, Happy Birthday Mike! In honor of your birthday and three
impending births and a recent one I’d like to try my attempt at something I
think Kid President truly nailed, “A letter to a person on their first day
here.”
It’s been a busy year for my friends, with one set of them
giving birth early December (the 9th) and two more sets due within
this week (Feb. 5th – overdone, and Feb. 12th). I’ve also
recently found out that another one of my really good buddies is expecting in
August! I have some of the best friends in the world and there is no doubt that
they are going to make amazing parents because they truly are great people with
a lot of love in their hearts. They also have a great group of friends
(hopefully I’m included in this) that really care about them and want to make
sure that their kids know love from everywhere.
I started a thing on my bus (I drive school bus for those
that don’t know) this year where each day I put up a new life lesson for the
kids. They’re mostly sayings or things that have been learned by others over
their time spent on this planet, but they’ve been a real conversation starter
on my bus and they’ve allowed me to get to know the kids and stress the
importance of being kind and living your life to the fullest. The kids have
seemed to really buy into it too. We’ve now done a few “assignments” on my bus
where the kids first had to write to me about music and what they enjoyed about
it, and now they have the assignment to “create something.” I’ve really been
trying to stress that I would enjoy short stories out of them but most of the
things I ask them to do are just to have them spend some time in thought and
hopefully spend some time talking with their parents and family about what they
should do and what they are doing. I want them to know that there is more to
life than the standard curriculum that they do day in and day out at school. I
want them to do things that make them happy, and show them that when they’re
happy doing something, that they do the kind of stuff that makes others happy
too.
So far one of the families that rides my bus, three awesome
little girls, have all created me something. One short story and two pictures,
and every one of them are awesome. The short story was on bullying and standing
up for yourself, which was simply awesome. The pictures were also very creative
and showed me a glimpse as to what the kids enjoyed doing most. One was a
picture of a deer and a really cool tree (she really enjoys hunting) and the
other was a picture of the girl playing blocks with her sister. The little
girl who drew the picture of the blocks gives me all kinds of little art
projects that she does in school all the time too…she’s a little terror
sometimes, but really tough to get angry with.
The rest of my bus is working on their projects still and
I’ve given them a few weeks to get them done, mainly because two of the girls
are planning a sleep over and want to do their project together!
The kids talk to me about what they’re working on and I
really can’t wait to see what they all come up with. One of the kids told me he
was writing an Indiana Jones story and said it was already 37 pages long! He’s
a 1st grader by the way…I told him that I think he should write a
story like Indiana Jones but make himself the main character, a little bit of a
hidden life lesson for him on how he should be his own hero…
But the main point I guess I’m trying to make here is that
it seems like more and more we’re hearing how this generation isn’t as good as
the ones of the past. That these kids are lazy and we may be screwed when
they’re running the country. Well, that’s b.s. These kids are awesome,
creative, and kind hearted. They believe in themselves and given the
opportunity they will not cease to surprise you, that is if you don’t believe
in them. I personally know the good that they are capable of, I see it inside
of them and how they treat each other as well as their bus driver. They are
capable of great things, they just need to know that we all believe in them and
know that each and every one of them is awesome.
So here it is, my letter to a person on their first day:
To: I-Pod Hash Tag Simonson-Brumwell
First and foremost, I’m glad you’re here! Welcome to the world as we
know it. It can seem like a big scary place but you’ll soon find out that the
people that try to be part of your life really care about you and want to make
your life happier and as good as possible. There are a lot of lessons that
people will try to teach you along the way, most of the hard stuff you’ll have
to learn on your own though. You will make mistakes, but the important thing to
remember is to learn from them and the people who truly love you will be there
for you regardless. They will be there for you when the times get tough and you
need some direction to get you back on track.
If you need help along your journey, ask. We’re all here to make you
feel loved, even when you might think you don’t deserve it…you do. We all
believe you will do great things and will make the world a better place, but if
you don’t feel that way, just remember that you already have just by being
here. One of the most important things I can tell you is to do things.
Experience everything you can! Make your life extraordinary just by living it
to the fullest. “Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint
at it that you can!”
When you have bad days, remember that they will pass and that you
always will have us, the people who love you, to turn to and who will always be
here for you.
Life is short. It’s funny. It’s sad. It’s meant to be both. If you
don’t feel every emotion while you’re here, then you’re doing it wrong. Live
your life to the fullest, that means experience everything it has to offer.
Also, pick your friends wisely. You can’t do anything about your family, you
were born into it and like it or not…these are the people who will always be
there for you despite the mistakes you make or the hardships you may cause,
they will teach you everything you should know about forgiveness and love. Your
friends are the ones that you get to pick to spend your time with, and it’s
important that these people are the ones that go out of their way to ensure you
know that you are important. They may be your harshest critics, but if they
don’t tell you when you’re making a mistake, then they don’t really care about
you. Their criticism may be hard to take, but realize how hard it is for them
to tell you what they do, and realize that in them telling you, they are really
showing their love for you.
If you are lucky, you won’t get everything right in your time here. We
learn the most when we face the greatest obstacles and I hope you get your
opportunity to face yours. When you do, remember that you’re not alone and that
when conquering these obstacles we learn the most about ourselves.
I hope you always know how awesome you are, and that you can do
anything…so do everything.
Create for the world something beautiful, just like your parents did
when they created you.
A bit cheesy and sappy this go around but I have amazing
friends who have been there for me through good times and bad. I lost my mother
when she was only 57 to ovarian cancer and she, in life and death, made me
really appreciate the time that we’re given on this planet. I have an awesome
family that truly cares about me and friends that are so much more than just
friends, they’re family. I’ve truly been blessed in my life and have been given
the ability to pass something along, as we all have, so I do it…may my critics
be damned, but I forgive you!
I can’t remember where I read it, but there was this idea
where on our birthday’s we should give a gift to our parents for bringing us
into this world…I kind of like that. You may be the greatest gift they ever
received, but since then you’ve been a real pain in the ass…trust me. So Mike,
get your mom and dad something nice today, and the rest of you, do the same on
your birthday! Dad, expect a dog…I read somewhere that cats make terrible
gifts!
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