This past Thursday night, I went on a road trip to Evansville, IN, with 3 friends to go see Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz, who was opening up for Sara Groves and Jars of Clay.
On the way there, I am flipping through Relevant Magazine and I come upon a piece introducing the reader to some of the most influential Christ Followers that are walking the planet today. As a part of the biography on each individual, there were little factoids about the person. One of the people is a pastor/speaker/author that I have known of for the past few years. He is probably #1 on my list of dynamic communicators. His factoid was that for a human being probably in his mid-30s, he has yet to have a cup of coffee.
Now, your typical American would find this unusual, if anything for the simple fact that 87% of Americans drink coffee each day for breakfast. Even for those who are not drawn to coffee, I would be willing to wager that 95% have at least tasted coffee.
But when it came to me, when I read this, I was left speechless. I still hold him as my current favorite speaker, but for the love of all that is holy, someone close to this guy needs to buy him some Peet’s!
This factoid of never having a cup of coffee led us to ask ourselves in Andy’s car that afternoon, “What can I say that I have never done and most likely never will do?”
I can’t come up with an answer for this question. I will never do many things simply because they are highly improbable, if not impossible. It is unlikely I will ever visit the North Pole or the top of
There are few things I will not do simply because I don’t want to risk not knowing what it is like. Before I get carried away with a long post, allow me to state my point here:
RISK intelligently.
Limit the list of things you say you will never do. Risk a lot; but do so intelligently. Risk a lot; but know, that more often than not, you will fail. Risk a lot, knowing that when you do succeed, though, the many failures will be well worth it in your estimation.
Internally, I used to always consider myself a dull person. This is a part of the old self that was filled with self-hatred. A part of it was a misunderstanding of humility. A few years back I was helped tremendously when humility was defined for me as not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.
For the time being though, allow me to think more about myself. My friend, Chris, recently posted “100 Things About Me” on his blog. It was awesome. I found out some cool stuff about Chris. I’m going to do something similar here. Not sure I’ll get to a 100 though. Here are a few things I have done (or life has done to me) in my quest of living life to its fullest:
1. Born as a twin by parents who both had safeguards in place in order to recreate without procreating.
2. I have 5 siblings.
3. Was stabbed in my right arm with a pair of scissors by my twin sister when we were in grade school. One of favorite scars!
4. My favorite drinks are Peet’s Major Dickason Blend, Boddingtons, and sweet tea.
5. I have been to
6. I have jumped out of a perfectly good airplane at 12,000 feet.
7. I have been scuba diving…in a swimming pool. :-)
8. I have been to 32 of our
9. I have tried escargot.
10. I have climbed at least 2 mountains…trust me, they were more like large hills.
11. I have beaten cancer by way of radiation & chemotherapy treatments. That is my other favorite scar.
12. I have driven a porche, corvette, and a lexus convertible…I’ll take the lexus.
13. I have attempted to play guitar…lasted about 6 weeks.
14. I have attempted many styles of dance…and wasn’t too successful in any of them…except the lawnmower.
15. I have never smoked a cigarette. I respectfully believe it is a form of stupidity to do so. I do, however, enjoy a good cigar or a nice pipe from time-to-time…which I confess may just be another form of stupidity.
16. I have been in love before.
17. I have broken a heart before and have had my heart broken as well.
18. I have asked a girl out on a date and have been rejected. Which, I will say, is a much braver thing to do than jumping out of an airplane. I had less anxiety skydiving than when I ask girls out.
19. I love camping but need my coffee & hot water to be a happy camper.
20. I love the water…kayaking, canoeing, tubing, etc.
21. I have used numerous firearms; but have never killed anything with them.
22. I have killed animals before with my car, though. However, it was more like suicides on their part…so the fault lies with them, not me.
23. I will soon be a owner of a small business.
24. I will soon be a owner of a small house.
25. I am a godfather.
26. I have had friends & family die.
27. I do not fear death.
28. I know how to bake…still trying to learn how to cook.
29. I have been to art museums, concerts, musicals, plays, & festivals.
30. Technically I have 4 tattoos…but to most people, they are not tattoos. Think Phoebe from Friends.
31. I love books.
32. I love history.
33. I love all forms of music…even country & rap.
34. I love silence.
35. I love great conversation.
36. I love to be alone.
37. I am attracted to all types of women; but Hispanic & Asian women hold a special place in my heart.
38. I live pretty modestly when it comes to material possessions; but I do have
a weakness for tech gadgets and do not hesitate to pay top dollar for good shoes and great coffee.
39. I have had conversations with millionaires & a billionaire.
40. I have had conversations with homeless guys, pimps, & hookers.
41. I remember when gas was 75 Cents/Gallon.
42. I love doing laundry, ironing, and mowing the lawn…they quiet my spirit.
43. I love watching sunrises & sunsets…especially in the mountains & on the coast.
44. I dislike pride-filled people.
45. I love snow skiing…tried snow boarding and couldn’t get the hang of it.
46. I love horseback riding.
47. I love spending time with teenagers & old people.
48. I have friends that I would take a bullet for.
49. I love fireplaces.
50. I love my family, even when they make me want to pull out the little hair I have left.
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