1982. Beta Theta Pi House at the University of Washington. My fraternity’s “Hell Week” was almost over. It sucked.

Tired and dirty, I was ready for it to the end. It wasn’t “inspiration” week. No, back then it was, well, just what it was called: hell week at the Beta House.

But on the Sunday morning after the week had ended, things were different. Perhaps because we were all still so tired, we actually sat quietly as the guest speaker, a local pastor, tried to give us some inspiration.

This pastor was sort of funny (or was I so tired I’d laugh at anything?). He told some jokes, and then started passing out tons of business cards. But these business cards just had short, inspirational sayings on them.

What sort of nut makes up this kind of business card? It struck me as just a bit odd, but then one card got me. It went through my fatigue and weariness. It woke me up, finally. The card simply said, “I’m Third” .

He explained what it meant: God first, my fellow man second, and I’m third.

I understood this. Putting God first– well that just meant focusing on doing good things with your life, and it WAS Sunday. Do good. Not be good, but really do something good.

Putting my fellow man second, well isn’t that what a fraternity is all about? Through fellowship, we can do more good in this world. That’s pretty obvious.

Finally, I’m third. Only by paying attention to my basic needs – regular exercise, a good diet, regular laughter – could I meet the challenges of life and, well, do good first and be a good friend. This is what I’ve tried to do in the 25 years since then, and continue to aspire to in my career, my family, and in my community.

Out of hell came a beautiful lesson: I’m third.

Originally posted on my Facebook account: http://bit.ly/5UMa0R

Getting old and
turning grey,
I’m going downhill, but
what the hey.

Now I need glasses
and often reply
“what did you say?”
or “one more time.”

People tell me
“It beats the alternative” or
“You’re just getting wiser.”
But I feel old and
have now got arthritis.

So it’s time to give up.
Time for the young.
They can take over,
my daughter and sons.

But I am getting wiser!
and I like this alternative.
There’s still so much to explore
and so much I can give:

1. My dog needs a walk and
2. The sink needs fixed.
3. Chores need to be done…
… and so I’ve begun.

My bag of tricks
still overflows.
My cup runneth over
as everyone knows.

The party is still going,
it’s going ’til late.
But it’s time for my nap.
So can you guys wait?

———————————-

dedicated to those turning 50 on November 24th, 2009….

———————————-

Over the past couple of weeks, it has become more and more clear that the world wide obsession with the swine flu is driven by an insane fear. Here are some common arguments, with rebuttal:

1. “But look at what happened in 1918! We’re all gonna Die ! ” – well, 2009 ain’t exactly 1918. Guess what has happened since then. #1 – we now have antibiotics. We have antivirals. We have antihistamines. We have inhalers for people with asthma and COPD. We now know much better the importance of hand washing….. and we now have wide availability of indoor plumbing ! !

The world is much different now. It’s time to stop pretending it’s 1918.

2. “But it might get worse! We’re all gonna Die ! ” – this brings to mind a great Yogi Berra’ism: “It’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” So, yes, it “might” get worse. But we know that right now people are dying everyday from the common flu, from cancer, from gunshot wounds, from suicide, from heart attacks….. and yes, from a lack of clean water and a lack of the basic necessities. We are spending now millions of dollars on something that “might” happen and ignoring what is happening.

Just last week at a cancer conference at Johns Hopkins that I was attending, it was mentioned that a patient couldn’t get a PET/CT scan, which they really needed in order to help with their cancer. They had no health insurance. About 20 physicians at Hopkins spent their time at this meeting trying to figure out how to get this patient the care they needed. The problem was solved, but why did it ever arise in the first place? Maybe because of screwed up policies and priorities by our federal government. They are spending millions on what might be, and ignoring what is. Heaven help us if we get “universal” i.e. politician run health care. It will be full of idiotic fantasies that boil down to a single thing… getting the politicians more power.

Obviously, these politicians have never volunteered in a community free health clinic, where those without insurance can get at least some access to medical care. The politicians have no idea about the preventable diseases, the unnecessary deaths, and the pain and suffering that exists, right now. The politicians are too focused on the fear of what might be.

Remember the words of FDR: “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” This fear mongering by the politicians is out of hand.

3. “The swine flu is a pandemic ! We are all gonna die !! ” – OK. This is partly right. Pandemic means a disease has spread around the globe, and isn’t just regional. It doesn’t mean that a large percentage of the population is affected. Typically, it refers to contagious diseases as opposed to chronic or genetic diseases. But we are not “all gonna die” from the swine flu. Much more likely is that you and I will die from the routine, boring, and unexciting diseases of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. These diseases don’t make global headlines, but they are millions and millions of times more important than the swine flu.

4. “That person sneezed. We’re all gonna die ! We’re all gonna die ! ” – guess what. Sneezing isn’t going away anytime soon. Start using a handkerchief or tissue. Wash your hands. And stop scaring everyone to death. Yes, we’re all gonna die, most of us in the western world at about age 75 or so. So prepare for being around for that long and start exercising, eating right, and even having a laugh or two at someone else’s expense (ha, ha).

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