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Congratulations to Jessi Kisling who submitted the best true Halloween Story this year. A sincere thanks to all of you who sent submissions. We made the decision to go with cute this year, rather than dark and bloody or other-worldly….but we do appreciate every one of the entries in our Halloween contest. We’re hoping that next year, we have even more to choose from! The fact that we all laughed, immediately and simultaneously, helped us to pick the story of “The Cowboy and The Princess” to highlight this year. We did edit a couple of typos, but other than that, the story is as submitted. Thank You! Enjoy….

A True Halloween Story

-By Jessi Kisling

When I was in high school, my sister spent most of her time on the evenings and weekends watching a 3-year-old named Sydney who lived at her  grandparents house down the street from us. On Halloween night, 1995, Sydney showed up at our house dressed like a princess. Her grandmother was taking her around the immediate neighborhood to visit those of us who knew her best and who had requested visits. This, of course, was not enough for the vivacious three-year-old. She wanted to gather as much candy in her pillow case as she could possibly stand. I wasn’t much for little ones at the time but I have to admit, Sydney had a special place in my heart. After conferring with her grandmother, I assumed the responsiblity of running the little tyke around in pursuit of the ultimate Halloween payout. I quickly  donned a pair of my dad’s over-sized jeans, stuffed a pillow down into a button-up shirt for belly bulk, threw a cowboy hat on my head and a lasso over my shoulder, and drew some stubble on my chin. Voila! Instant cowboy.

Sydney and I trekked through the neighborhood for what seemed like hours.  Finally, the temperature dropped so dramatically (as it does every year) that Sydney’s coat was no longer doing its part to keep her warm. Since we had quite a walk to get back to her house, I offered to carry her. I had put on a set of long johns under my clothes, so I opened up my button-up, sandwiched her little body between myself and the pillow, closed up the shirt, and away we went. When we got back to her house I set her down and she ran ahead of me to the front door. Her grandmother was sitting at the kitchen table and had obviously been waiting anxiously for us. When I entered, I overheard her commenting to Sydney that it was really cold outside, and she had been worried about us. Sydney’s response was priceless. She said: “It’s ok grandma, I stayed warm in the cowboy’s belly!” We still laugh about it to this day.

P.S. The funny thing about the story is that Sydney’s grandmother had left prior to my getting dressed for trick-or-treating and I hadn’t made it around the corner into the kitchen yet when she was talking to Sydney so she didn’t know that I was the cowboy!  LOL!  I wonder what in the world she thought for that split second. 

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Since we invest in real estate and do construction/rehabbing/ remodeling, I like this story. I hope you do, too. Thanks to our friend Jessi for sending it to us.

 
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer/contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the contractor came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the keys to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than our best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock, we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built.

If we had realized, we would have done it so differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.”

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

How ’bout it?

Vision Runner

P.S. Be sure to leave your comments below….

Thanks again, Jessi

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What’s involved in getting ready to run 26.2 miles?

Well I guess for me, being blind, there were two primary things: commitment and a support team.

Once I decided that I was going to run a full marathon, I had to make an absolutely unwavering commitment that I was going to do what it took to train properly for it. I knew that this meant that from January till July I was going to be running, and running a lot. My daily schedule would revolve around my job and training. Other things would have to fit in or be left out. I had to be confident that I was up for that.  No matter what, once I found my training program, I would have to stick with it rain or shine, regardless of whether I was tired or just lethargic and didn’t feel like running. This was a marathon after all, and not for wimps.  

I was older and maybe a bit wiser from earlier days, when I just ran, on a whim and completely unprepared, 16 miles one day just to see if I could do it.  That was 10 years before, and age had been on my side then. I was in my 40’s now, after all, and not seeing as well either. My eye disease had progressed to the point that I wouldn’t be able to do my longer training runs by myself. The short ones around town would be fine, because I had familiar trails, controlled paths that I didn’t have to worry too much about navigation or traffic. But for anything over 12 miles, I would need to figure out a safe route and probably have to have someone with me.

I made sure this experience would be as well thought out and well executed as possible because I really wanted this to be an enjoyable journey. I understood that the process was just as critical as the final result, especially since I knew going in that this may be the only time I want to or am able to run a marathon. After serious consideration, I decided that I was willing to make the commitment to the intensive running schedule. 

But I also had to be committed to the other sacrifices it would involve, beyond just running a lot of miles every week. It meant getting up at the first hint of dawn in the summer to get my runs in before the heat of the day, and it meant crawling out of a soft, warm, cozy bed in the dead of winter to go for a run bundled up in my less fashionable winter gear, and running during transitional seasons when I couldn’t be exactly sure what the weather was going to do, or how to dress for it.

It also meant sacrifice at the table: ordering grilled chicken instead of the Bar-B-Q ribs. Paying closer attention to what might upset my digestive system, as I didn’t want to have to postpone or miss a run cause my stomach was unhappy or I wasn’t feeling well. It was a sacrifice, but it also felt good that I was on a mission, striving towards a goal.

This commitment thing so far involved sacrificing my sleep schedule, my eating routines, my fashion coordination, and…Oh yeah, my social life.  Once I really got into some serious miles, I knew it would take time away from my family and friends, and things that they might be doing that I might not get to do because it conflicted with my training schedule.

But that is where a good support team comes into play. As I mentioned previously, one of the reasons I never considered running a marathon before was I did not have a support team.  For me, that was truly the most vital and important key to train for and run a marathon.  I could run all the miles I wanted to, but I knew without the support of my family, I would not be successful in my attempt to run a full marathon. Fortunately I did have the full support of my partner, family, and friends, so it became a goal that I could focus on achieving without having to contend with doubt as to my ability to attain it. Obviously I had some logistical obstacles to contend with due to my vision issues, but my commitment was strong and my support team was in place. I didn’t know exactly what the journey would entail, but I was ready to get started . . . training for a 26.2 mile marathon run six months down the road….gotta run. 

How ‘bout it?

 Vision Runner

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