Swimmers, Strummers, and Other Things That Blow my Mind

I'm...kind of a big deal.

OK, that wasn't exactly what I meant. What I was trying to say is, I know some people who are absolutely a big deal.

Maybe that doesn't sound much better. Eh...my blog, my ego. It's a package deal.

I thought that since last week was about trying not to waste any talent that I may have, I'd look around and see what my friends are doing with theirs. Holy cow, was I amazed. A quick glimpse at face book showed me that while MY life might be heavy on ordinary right now, my friends sure aren't.

For example:

1)My best friend from high school is SWIMMING from Catalina Island to Long Beach this weekend.

Not a typo. I will pause and let that sink (***not an appropriate word choice***) in for a moment.

SWIMMING FROM CATALINA TO LONG BEACH!!!!

Do you realize that my wife and I paid good money last May to take a freaking cruise ship from Long Beach to Catalina Island??!! A FREAKING CRUISE SHIP!!!

My buddy Chad said, "What the hell. I'll just swim it."

And in case any of you have doubts as to how realistic this is, keep in mind that Chad swims Bear Lake as a warm up. The long way. Last fall he became the 2nd or 3rd Utahn EVER to swim the English Bleeping Channel. No dry suit, no scuba gear; not even one of those little plastic donuts full of air. Just Chad, 30 miles of open sea, a nasty school of jellyfish and one of the most insane tests of physical endurance this side of Everest.

Am I impressed? Uh...yeah. So Saturday night about midnight, think about Chad, ask Poseidon to keep the sharks from getting eaten if they get in his way, and be amazed at one insanely gifted guy. You can keep track of his progress here:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0MYsGXvq0km2aFPgbqkdO4hQ3CnOLsYxg


(I think. I forgot how to add links and stuff to my blog. Gimme a break, I just figured out opposable thumbs)


2)My friends Brian, Dave, and their band just played another awesome show on Monday night here in Salt Lake. They are pretty amazing. None of that coverband, knock-off garage crap for these guys. All original music, All the time, and it does not suck. They aren't on the radio yet, but they ought to be. They are called "Go Suburban" and they are great. You can even let your mom listen. There's no swearing; even though I tell Brian all the time that swearing shows you know MORE words than other people and they demonstrate loquaciousness. But even without swearing, you should give them a try. Look them up on youtube, or follow the link below.

Again, am I impressed? Damn right I am.


https://youtu.be/x8Ye9NScl2g


And while those are the two biggies that stand out, there are more.

My cousin took photos for my sister's wedding and did an amazing job. She managed to make my brother-in-law presentable and that is something Mandy has been trying to do for nearly a decade. And while we are on the subject of the wedding, there were the flowers my Aunt did (she could give Dionysus a run for his flower-growing money), The cake my sister decorated, and a thousand little touches by many friends and family that made it an amazing evening.

I have another cousin and her husband who are foster parents. As I saw her posting on Facebook regarding her 3 millionth or so foster child, I was suddenly amazed and awestruck at their capacity to love on sight and without condition. If that isn't talent, I don't know what is.

I have friends who are working in law enforcement. They go out every day and face down evil that I don't want to think about. And thanks to them, I usually don't have to. Probably feels like a fairly thankless job these days, but I get it. And don't bother asking how working law enforcement is a talent. If you have the stomach to see what those guys see, face what they face, and still come home every night and not despise the universe for the evil they find in it; then you have talent, my friend. And my respect.

Anyway. The point of this post isn't to brag on how fortunate these great people are to be my friends (Did I mention my talent is braggadocio?). It's not even to stir up some very minor publicity for people who deserve much, much more than I can give them. It is about the fact that even though it often seems the world is going to hell in a Fed Ex envelope, there is plenty of good and plenty of amazing going on all around you. Just look for it.

Look up.

Look for the person nearest you RIGHT THIS SECOND and I bet you can think of something amazing about them. When it comes to you what the amazing talent they have is, tell them about it. It will make both of your days and make the world a little brighter place.

So, Go Chad. Swim like you stole something.

Go Suburban. You guys Rock!

And Go all the Rest of you. Go figure out why your friends are amazing; it's worth it.