The Old Man BJJ Life

It's easy to help someone we like, trust or have something in common with.   However, how easy is it for us to help someone,  in which we have nothing in common.   Someone who could never pay us back or someone who you might otherwise think despicable.  Are you cable of doing that?  Can you reach down and truly display human compassion, kindness and love outside of your own sphere of influence?  Can you do it with out the covering of a non-profit, government agency or social cause?  Can you really help someone one to one? Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not against causes, agencies or non-profits.  As a matter of fact, I support some of them on a consistent basis.  However, what I am talking about is getting your hands "dirty"  where the rubber meets the road.  Truly reaching out, shaking the hands of someone needing help, without immediately reaching for the hand sanitizer.  For one brief moment in time, loving someone whose life doesn't fit neatly into ou

Parenting, there is no handbook.  Well there is.  But each person has their own spin on the how to and at the end of the day, there are no right answers. Being a father has probably been "THE" event I look forwarded to the most in life, for a plethora of reasons.  But the biggest reason I wanted to be a father, was I needed to prove to myself I could be a better father than my non existent father. My parents, who met in the Army, had been married three years prior to my arrival.  What I remember as a young child is living in a happy home.  However that was not the case.  I was unaware of the marital strife occurring between my parents.  What I was not aware of was a home filled with alcohol, domestic abuse and infidelity.  And while I was blind to most of what was going on, there was one thing I was not blind to...my inattentive father.  It's very hard for me to even call him a father as I write this.  Because he spent little time with us nor met any of our basic need