Chris Rathje's Blog

Play YOUR Song!

2009-06-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

A post discussing a brain popping about frequency. Thanks to Country Duo Joey + Rory. Check out J+R's song Play The Song

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=212

Check Out Fearless is Flawed and Perfection, Joy and Truth

2009-06-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=210

Here is the link for PJT. I forgot to post the link for 5th, but I will do that a later date.

God Bless

Chris

From The Gut on The 4th of June!

2009-06-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=205

Hope you enjoy.

Thank You!
Chris

June 3rd Brain Fragments

2009-06-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoy the things flying out of my head today!

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=199

Thank You!
Chris

Brain Poppings on June Day 2

2009-06-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Check out what popped out of my head!
Peace and love
Chris

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=195

2009-06-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=191

I reposted an amazing article my dad sent me. I wanted as many people to see it as possible.
Thanks!

Late May Thoughts

2009-05-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=188

I hope you enjoy my idea World Lovination, my thoughts on new show Mental and a look at going to my own beat.

Thanks everybody
Chris

Rock Out No Matter What!

2009-05-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=186

Please rock out no matter what! Have a blessed day and enjoy!

The Beautiful Broken Mirror

2009-05-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=185

Please follow the link above for my most recent piece.

Savor The Page

2009-05-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Please use the link to go to chrisrathje.com Thanks very much and Happy Mothers Day!

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=183

Early May Thoughts

2009-05-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

Please use the link to visit chrisrathje.com. Thanks!

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=182

A Book of Love

2009-05-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

Please use the link to visit chrisrathje.com. Thanks!

http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=179

Get Tall

2009-05-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Get Tall

Yesterday I heard the song If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback for the first time.

This beautiful song talks about so many things that I find important

Love and Acceptance
Appreciation
Never Giving Up on Dreams
Doing What You Want with Life

After hearing it I emailed and called some friends I had not heard from in a while. I was so excited about this song I wanted to write about it as soon as I possibly could, however I could not come up with the right words instantly.

I realized this was connected to another topic I wanted to write about, but had not been able to fully articulate yet.

I am an underdog. There are hundreds of millions of underdogs in the US alone and billions around the world, but all we ever hear about is top dogs.

That is messed up to me! Why do we care about A-Rod or a slew of Hollywood celebrities so much? The single mom who has two jobs is my hero!

Please, please, do not buy into the BS of what we “should” think is important. Tune into your own life and your own dreams. Anything is possible, but we must focus on what is important to us and give gratitude every step along the way.

Some people are born into a top dog status, but others have had to go along a long path to reach their ultimate goals. I fully believe I am on my journey to all my dreams, but it has not been easy. There have been some major detours that I haven’t known how to deal with, but that is all part of growth.

I think anyone can become a top dog if they:

Follow Their Dreams
Give Maximum Effort
Uplift Others
Give Thanks

When you start out as an underdog you learn to get tough quickly. Resiliency is one of the most important characteristics to success. With resiliency and the habits of success I beg you to GET TALL! Stand tall or sit tall and look anyone you meet in the eyes.

If some cocky person gives you crap; please continue to be tall. Try to bring them up to your level, but if they refuse, just ignore them.

Life is too valuable! Use each day as the treasure it is! Refuse to tune into the frequencies that do not serve you. You are a wonderful child of God! You have earned love and grace. Go get your dreams with real confidence and real swagger!

We have all scrapped and survived, but I have had enough of that! IT’S PROSPERING TIME!

Everyone please get tall and stay tall.

Thanks for reading
Chris
chris.rathje@gmail.com

Give Thanks!

2009-05-01T02:33:00.000-07:00

I have been through some challenging times lately, but in the grand scheme of things, it is no big deal. Challenges make you better and allow you to grow if you face them with gratitude. I haven’t done a very good job of that lately. I’ve tried hard, but ultimately, failed.

I think it can be really hard to give thanks if you wrap yourself up in one goal and it doesn’t happen. Please learn from my mistake. Realize anything is possible, but in God’s time, not our own. Some people are blessed with clear paths, but most of us have twisty roads to success.

Life isn’t always fair, but life is always beautiful, if we look hard enough.

There is a major concert going on this weekend in Birmingham and I can’t help, but think of two of my favorite musical artists who will be in town, Jason Mraz and Katy Perry. Recently I have been able to follow them on Twitter. Twitter has shown me what positive people they are 140 characters at a time.

I am so thankful for their music and the impact it has had on my life.

Waiting for My Rocket to Come by Jason Mraz and Room for Squares by John Mayer are my favorite albums of my college years. They opened up my mind to a different way of thinking. Mr. Mraz’s lyrics are genius. They are filled with wisdom and have helped me through some difficult times. My favorite lyric at the moment is:

“It takes a hole to make a mountain.” -Jason Mraz, Life is Wonderful

I have really held on to that line in recent weeks and I hope other people can find value in its beautiful message as we are all facing uncertain times.

I have just discovered Ms. Perry’s music in recent months and it is such a breath of fresh air to me. Beyond her lively music Katy’s story gives me so much hope. It doesn’t matter how many failures you encounter, keep striving for success. Katy really reminds of the little engine that could. Her story helps me to keep chugging along even if the track seems covered in barriers.

I admire Jason and Katy’s demeanors. They are both having a blast with life and give thanks often. They are rocking out on their paths and appreciate the beauty in everyone.

I am so thankful for my ability to write and ability to receive inspiration from such wonderful artists. Please give thanks. It makes life better.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Rule The Universe!

2009-04-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

The old saying goes, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It is so true. However sometimes life gives you way more then a bitter fruit.

Sometimes life gives absolute garbage and sometimes you don’t deserve it. It happens to everybody. The people who truly figure out how to make crapade are the people who rule the universe!

Learn to be a master of crapade and you will be successful in whatever you do. Man, I have taken some hard hits to the gut lately and I am becoming a master brewer of crapade.

That is why I will win today and everyday. I am a victor, not a victim.

If you can imagine it; you can make it happen! I know I have created much of my own problem. I didn’t always show it, but deep down I have always believed in myself. I know I can make anything happen, but for the vast majority of my life I thought I had to struggle to win. I thought taking people’s crap was good. It’s not!
Take care of yourself! Love yourself! It is important to make crapade, but don’t make so much you can barely breathe. Love yourself by sticking up for yourself! You deserve everything you want and by the grace of God you will get it!

Decide today to rule the universe! Yes Sir!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Conan & WALL-E Partying in My Head

2009-04-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Waking up this morning two images were dominant in my head.

First the final slide in my presentation at Northwestern University

“You will see no one has any idea what they are doing. You can allow this to scare you or liberate you.” – Conan O’Brien

Choose Liberation!

Second I realized that life really is like the movie Wall-E. Often times we have to sift through the garbage to find the beautiful green plant of hope.

Once you open your mind up to it you will realize that life is limitless. Free will really exists! However as you go through the journey to fully grasp the concept, the landscape can be quite frightening. With limitless options, am I making the right choice?

Please don’t be afraid to make a choice. You are free! Even if you make a “wrong” choice, you can always go back and fix things. Life is not supposed to be perfect!

Life is written in pen, but everybody’s outline has lines all over it, crossing things out and making revisions :)

Life does not always happen in the lines! Sometimes the world’s greatest discoveries were written in the margins as an after thought. Strive confidently in your journey and don’t be afraid to write in the margins. We are all liberated by the grace of God and the limitless options of the universe!

While admiring all the beauty of the universe you realize that life is not always filled with smiley faces and unicorns. Sometimes life throws you pile after pile of garbage like in the movie Wall-E. If you pay attention and listen hard you will always find the green plant.

This is especially true when dealing with other people that you really care about. It can be very painful if people do not share your vision for your life. Be like Wall-E and enjoy the heck out of Hello Dolly anyways!

Even if people criticize you and hurt your feelings they usually have some point of goodness that you can use to your benefit. Please focus on the green plant to make your journey more beautiful and clear the garbage away from your path for a better tomorrow.

Please focus on how liberating it is to find the beauty in everything!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Coming Attractions

2009-04-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was very blessed to talk to a group of undergrads in an Integrated Marketing Communications class at Northwestern University. The favorite question I received after my presentation was “What movies are you looking forward to?”

At the time my answer was Sunshine Cleaning. I wrote the corresponding piece after I saw the movie the next day. http://www.chrisrathje.com/?p=155

Here is my current list of movies I am really looking forward to.

Away We Go (Limited Release starting in early June)

I feel such a strong connection to this movie I have easily watched the trailer over 100 times. I could easily call this movie Garden State 2 or Elizabethtown 2 because of the strong connection I feel and they are all stories based in unexpected travel and self discovery.

The story is about a couple who is expecting their first child and they ask themselves are they screwups? They realize they must move and change their lives, but they are terrified about the future. They know they love each other and that is what keeps them going.

(500) Days of Summer July 17th

To me this is a story of twenty something angst. Two people do not expect to find love, but they do. For some reason they seem to fight against it. Not sure why from the trailer. Do they really subscribe to different frequencies or are they just afraid? It looks like the story is told in a very interesting manner that reminds me of Definitely Maybe.

Three lines from the trailer that really stick out to me are:
1. This is not a love story.
2. What always happens? Life. (Life gets in the way.)
3. I don’t want to be over her, I want to get her back.

My responses are:
1. No one defines a love story. Any story can be a love story depending on your perspective. Don’t let others define your rules.
2. That is a true statement in today’s society, but why? We control our lives. If you truly love somebody or something go after it!
3. I love this statement because it is said with such conviction! Whether it is the right or wrong choice, he is making a stand and defining his own life!

Funny People July 31st

Wow! This looks like such a great movie! Judd Apatow, Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen teaming up a laugh fest is sure to ensue. Right? Not exactly.

This looks like a beautiful story of self exploration and the definition of happiness all based around a near death experience. I can relate, you appreciate your life so much more after you realize you almost lost it.

Carpe Diem and enjoy the movies!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Stoic is Not The Answer

2009-04-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

I am probably the angriest I have ever been. It is because I have had to deal with everything in my life up to this point.

People staring at me in malls, kids making fun of me from when I was five years old and that was the easy part!

Taking ten years to learn to drive and dealing with low self esteem was the hard part. I can tell from pictures of when I was six years old I was a quad and doctors couldn’t figure it until I was 17?

And I’m the idioit here? I sat and took so much in my life. That is my bad.

PLEASE LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE!

Face your problems head on and don’t let other people give you crap. We are all equals we are all God’s children.

Don’t let ANYBODY tell you how to live your life or what you “should” do. No one walks your path except you!

Tell the world how you want to live your life! I have no idea where my path is headed. I feel lost, but I also know I’m going to take so much better care of myself.

Smug a-holes have been pushing me around my whole life and I realize I don’t have to sit there and take it anymore. I am a good, tough person and if someone wants to get fresh with me I’m not going to take it anymore.

I am not a smart man, I am not paticullarly gifted in any one area, but I am tough and I love everybody. That counts for something. I am a good person and deserve to be treated well.

We are all God’s children! Please love yourself. Treat yourself better by letting others know they are wrong about you.

You can be calm and cool when you do it, but you don’t have to just sit there and take it. I hurt myself by taking too much crap.

Please learn from my mistake. You are good and deserve to be treated well.

EVERYBODY DOES! Talk up today so you aren’t filled with rage tommorrow.

We are all flawed, but we are all equal.

Love everybody including yourself.

ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU CONTROL EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE!

On the road to a better life.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Ownership Isn't Always Happiness

2009-04-23T17:09:00.001-07:00

I’m just sitting here in my apartment and man do I feel like an idiot.

I have a ticket to a party that I spent a pretty penny on and I’m not going. I’m so filled with anger I don’t want my toxic feelings to affect others.

Most days I am so f-ing lonely and today I have a chance to change that and I am so filled with rage I can’t be around other people.

The reason I am so angry is because I am just realizing karma does not work how I thought it did.

I really have no idea how karma works anymore. I try to be the happiest, nicest person I can when inside I am sad and tired and running on absolute fumes.

I got nothing people. Make sure to take care of yourself because people can really mistreat you.

God is wonderful, but some of his children need to learn some lessons.

I take complete ownership of my life, but I refuse to be treated like crap anymore. I am going to win people and I’m not going to be a door mat anymore. It is no longer acceptable to verbally abuse me.

I have a very quick tounge I just usually keep it to myself.

I work my ass off and I am going to get mine. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but BS ain’t gonna cut it anymore.
Own your life people and strive for happiness. Don’t pigeon hole yourself. First and foremost I’m an athlete and a communicator. They are both very broad terms because no sport wants to fully accept me.

I’m a freaky CP who some think I am lying about my function. This is another gut shot because if nothing else, I am honest.

We all create our lives and I am learning that we must be very specific with our thoughts.

Don’t be naive like me, expect the best, but prepare for the worst. I assumed others had my back and I was wrong.

Take complete control of your life and be happy.

The world is filled with beautiful things. We must be open to many options and not rely on others or outside forces to satisfy our happiness.

I have learned a lot, but I haven’t gotten what I’ve earned. That isn’t acceptable anymore and I need to go back to the drawing board.

A new life starts NOW!

Chris the door mat is over! I’m gonna win people. I’m gonna win!

Thanks for reading
Chris

YOU OWN YOUR LIFE!

2009-04-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to John C. Mayer of Bridgeport, CT.

He has inspired so much over the last eight years and has written at least half of the soundtrack to my twenties.

I am so honored to be able to follow him on Twitter. John is witty and wise. I could easily write a book on how much he has inspired me and I will someday.

There is nothing in paticular that led me to write this piece it just came to me after reading many different things he wrote on Twitter. John Mayer is so right on the money about so many different things.

Want to change, start today!

Want to eat standing up? Who’s stopping you!

You’re scared to do something that you know is good for you? Take the risk! Do It!

No one is stopping you from doing anything in your life! The economy doesn’t stop you and somebody telling me my hands work better then they do DOES NOT control how I react one iota.

You have to be tough and strong, but YOU CAN DO IT TODAY!

The past is over; don’t like something, CHANGE IT TODAY!

I OWN MY LIFE! WHO’S WITH ME?

Thanks for reading
Chris

Being Uncool, Can Be The Coolest

2009-04-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

I am just testing out a theory in this piece and am open to input from the outside world to test my hypothesis.

I heard somewhere in the last seven to ten days that trying too hard to be smart can be stupid. I definitely agree with that statement. In my younger days I was insecure and would occasionally use words I didn’t fully understand.

I am still a very flawed man, but I know every word that I use in my writing. There is nothing wrong with using simple straightforward language and occasionally using a more advanced word for emphasis or to capture a complex situation.

I strive to find the good in everybody, but I struggle to recognize the good in people who act like they are so much better then the vast majority of humanity. I humbly ask if someone constantly acts like they are better then everyone else; aren’t they actually showing that they are worse?

We are all in this together and we are all God’s children. I have found that when someone is trying too hard to be this or that they are actually being the opposite.

I know people mock my enthusiasm, but I can’t hide the joy I get from my life. For many years I hid who I really was because I was afraid of the criticism. People openly would compliment me for holding back my cheering or “playing it cool”.

I know I am a big fat dork and sometimes I act like a four year old on Christmas morning, but that is who I really am! I know I am uncool and for the first time in my life I’m not ashamed to say it. Uncool is the coolest version of me that I can be.

Please don’t be afraid to be who you really are or who you want to be!

Anything is possible!

Thanks for reading
Chris
chris.rathje@gmail.com

Listen to Your Body :)

2009-04-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

I had plans to write two pieces tonight, but it’s just not going to happen.

I’m tired. In years past I would have pushed through, but my body is telling me to chill out.
I must say in the last few weeks I am taking better care of myself and it feels great. Its really pretty simple, but I’ve never done it before to this extent.

1. When I’m tired, I go to sleep.
2. When I’m hungry, I eat.
3. When I have to go to the bathroom, I drop what I am doing and go to the bathroom.

There is nothing wrong with being human. Please learn from all my years of mistakes. Be good to yourself. I’m trying to be better to myself.

Thanks for reading
Chris
chris.rathje@gmail.com

I Am Free!

2009-04-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Writing the last piece was EXTREMELY liberating for me, I have worked hard, played by the rules and I still haven’t gotten a sniff of what I’ve desired.

I’m okay with that because I work in God’s time not my own. I am flawed and I don’t understand why I have to struggle so much when all I do is work my tail off and help others, but that is not for me to decide. I just have to continue to do my best.

I’m a mess up and a screw up, but I’ve yet to meet someone with a bigger heart then me. I REALLY go after what I want with no excuses and no apologies. Many people have said I am so lucky to be at Lakeshore, which I am, but I made my luck. I took less money and had the courage to move down here not really knowing anyone expect Kevin. It doesn’t take talent to be down here, all it takes is determination.

I have had many people back home and other places tell me it takes real guts to move like I did, but I honestly don’t see it. I hated my life before, why shouldn’t I change it?

I am going on fumes right now, but I have a responsibility to myself and my dreams to keep going. I told one of my best friends yesterday I still plan on going to London and I could tell from his voice inflexion he didn’t believe me. I am SICK and TIRED of people discounting me. I promise you Big Boy we will be in the opening ceremonies together.

I have no idea how this is going to happen, but it will. I want it more then anyone else on the planet. I know how hard people work to make it happen and I work harder then most. Just in case anyone doubts my claims my door is always open in Bama. I promise you will be a better, tougher athlete after one week with me.

Part of me feels lost because I can’t make any traction, but I am also soaring like an eagle. What do I have to lose? Nothing!

I know I am the real deal and for the first time in my life I have the courage to say it. I have tried REALLY hard to please people, but have gotten nowhere. Believe whatever you want to believe. It is your right as a human being. I KNOW where I’m going!

I say it loud and proud everyone will know me before the London opening ceremonies and my dreams will come true in about 3.5 years. I will be a Paralympian representing the red white and blue!

The law of attraction is very real and I will get exactly what I want out of life. I am hungry, I am good and I will win!

No matter what your dream is there is only one opinion that matters. YOURS!

Keep working until you win. I WILL WIN SOON!
Thank You!
Chris
chris.rathje@gmail.com

Please Pass The Tube

2009-04-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

I’ve got some recent criticism for not being as happy as I usually am, but I’ve also gotten some praise for being honest. So I am going to continue to speak my truth.

Back in 2001 I was having a philosophical conversation with my friends Grant and Stouty. Grant (T12) and Stouty (T6-T7) happen to have spinal cord injuries. They were both envious of the fact that I didn’t have to catheterize in order to go to the bathroom.

I told them I would gladly catheterize if it meant I could have full use of my hands. I would like to amend that comment nearly eight years later. I would catheterize with pleasure everyday for the rest of my life if people really understood what my hands were and were not capable of.

I am tired of everyone thinking I am just some stupid CP. Every time I mess up it’s because I’m stupid, every time I do something good it is because I have so much function.

Back in early 2008 I had the rugby game of my life to that point. I scored the game tying goal with 3 seconds left to send it into overtime and scored the game winning goal in overtime. Afterwards one of the refs came up to me and said “Man you have a lot of function for a CP.” Is it possible that I’m just a good player? No.

I swear on my life I have below average function for someone with CP. I have worked my butt off since I was nine years old to get every ounce out of my body and I am extremely tired of being punished for it.

Every classification system I can think of is based on the medical world and this is where the problem lies. The medical world has been making terrible assumptions for a long time and it has to stop.

When I was four years old I went to therapy four times a week. At some point I remember just collapsing. I was so tired and so sore I couldn’t stop crying. In my four year old head I was lazy and stupid because I had to go down to therapy twice a week and I still couldn’t walk.

Then when I was seven we did 17 reconstructive surgeries in a very short period of time. During the rehab a substitute therapist pushed me way too hard. It hurt so badly and she wouldn’t let me sit down. I literally punched her in the head four or five times until she would let me sit down. If that wasn’t hard enough my leg reconstruction was cutting edge at the time, so I was the topic at some lecture. Dr. James Fisk actually had the audacity to say I would never live on my own, drive a car or walk. Two of three isn’t bad :) Remember I was SEVEN and sitting right there in the front row. That is emotional child abuse.

I have no idea if that is still happening today, but from talking to many other people with cerebral palsy over the last few weeks I have concluded that it happened for many more years after my formative years.

You can’t miraculously make cerebral palsy go away. I worked and worked and worked and my legs didn’t work and my hands didn’t work. The medical community stripped away my self esteem one session at a time. You don’t grow out of an injury no matter what the origin.

It is a wrong premise that has to stop today. A very experienced rugby player told me if you play like a certain class after three years of hard work you are that class. Same thing is true with therapy, if a kid can’t do something after five years, adapt, don’t just keep pushing. Therapists tried to get me to walk up until I was 16. My four year old self was a genius for just stopping and crying. In twelve plus years it never got any less painful.

No matter what you are going through long sustained pain is a sign to change or reevaluate. Pain is bad.

I know I don’t have medical credentials, but I have lived my life and that should count for a lot. The sad thing is, as I talk to more people with cerebral palsy I realize my story is way more common then I wish it was.

This goes for anyone. The time to change things is now. I refuse to live in a world anymore where it is okay to call me a spazz. I will live in a world where people stop making archaic assumptions and start really seeing what I am capable of. I am a proud quad and what I have accomplished on and off the court is due to my hard work, not because I am some freak who has all these countless advantages.

This is way bigger then sports, this is about life.

I am so hurt because I deal with all the crap from the able bodied world that every disabled person deals with, but I also deal with this constant misunderstanding of who I am from the disabled world too. It is a sad truth that I relish the able bodied world’s prejudices in comparison to what I get from my disabled brothers and sisters.

Please never call me a spazz again and think twice before you make an assumption. I have bladder spasms just like everybody else.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Blazing a Trail in a Rugby Chair

2009-04-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

This past week has been very challenging for me. Not getting a tryout for the Developmental National Team was so gut wrenching it is beyond words. The reason it is so difficult for me is because I KNOW I would be an extremely valuable member of the team.

Unfortunately wheelchair rugby uses a system to classify hands that does not capture the true level of my impairment. All my muscles are still alive, but they don’t work the way they should. They are slow and clunky and get worse with physical exercise. There is nothing I can do to change this at the moment. It just stinks that I have to wait another two years of my physical prime to see some justice. I remind myself everyday to be thankful for God’s time and to not worry about my own.

In a weird way it has been a blessing in disguise. I have had so many people give me their support over the last week it has been incredible! The system is still very flawed, but the love I feel from the rugby world has never been greater.

One of my greatest supporters was Tom Vesco of Vesco Metal Craft. Tom sent me a great message of support and it was very touching to me. After playing one season of rugby in 2004-2005 I realized a used chair that didn’t fit was not going to cut it.

I called around to the different wheelchair companies and finally decided to get a Vesco. I was very nervous about getting a rugby chair because no one had ever built a chair for a cerebral palsy ball handler before in the United States. I was worried chair manufacturers wouldn’t realize I could feel my legs and they wouldn’t realize my legs are constantly jumping up and down out of my control.

Tom and Neil are very solutions oriented people. They suggested I just come out to the shop in San Diego and they would measure me for the chair themselves. My parents gave me my Christmas present three months early that year; I got a plane ticket from Chicago to San Diego.

Tom, Neil and I become a team in how to make me the best rugby chair. We made some assumptions, some were right, some were wrong, but that is what happens when you are trailblazers. Perfection was never the goal, positive growth was. We assumed I would be able to do things with my hands and trunk that I never was able to, but how were we supposed to know this at the time?

I promise making mistakes is one thousand times better then never trying. I look at my 26 inch wheels and wish I had the quick starting of 25 inch wheels. Because of my function loss in my hands I want to move to 25 inch tires, but that doesn’t make my 26 inch tires bad.

I’m proud of my 26 inch wheels because it is a symbol of my innovation and willingness to keep trying things despite barriers.

I was used to 26 inch tires from basketball. When I played college wheelchair basketball I had the worst hands in the league. If anyone touched the ball while I was holding it I was going to turn it over. The one thing I had going for me was my height.

I have long arms and could even block some high function players thanks to my wingspan. I was ALWAYS guarded by shorter players. So I learned to put the ball above my head with two arms that way no one could steal the ball from me. With 26 inch tires I was one inch taller. The way my basketball logic worked back then was all based on stable height. So many people were faster then me, I just didn’t want to cause turnovers the few times I got to touch the ball.

Pushing with 26 inch tires creates interesting advantages and disadvantages. It just seemed like the right thing for me to do to keep doing what I was doing while playing basketball.

I love rugby with all my heart, but it has not been easy. It has been and continues to be a roller coaster. It is nice to have someone to have my back through the twist and turns like the Vescos. I am venturing a guess that no one in rugby has as messed up feet as me that they CAN FULLY FEEL. This creates some interesting challenges and we are still figuring things out. I am currently on my third foot plate and the Vescos have never charged me an extra dime.

People, who know me, know that I am wired differently. I don’t see companies as companies, they are people. Red from Eagle is an excellent man and his son Tate is one of my favorite people in rugby, but I can only have one chair. I’ll keep blazing my trail in the chair with the yellow wheels.

Thanks for reading! Anything is possible!
Chris

Fight Sin & Win! (An Easter Message)

2009-04-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

This piece is dedicated to Pastor Marty of Peace Lutheran Church in Lombard, Illinois.

I have disliked church most of my life because of the crowds of people and loud music is just a lot for my damaged central nervous system to take in, but I’ve always had faith.

I was telling my parents just this morning I wish I could hear Pastor Marty’s sermons without having to deal with everything else.

I was on edge through the music while everyone stood up and people surrounded me, but it was worth it because I got to listen to Pastor Marty’s sermon.

Pastor Marty eloquently discussed different kinds of sin. There is sin you accept and there is sin you fight. He encouraged us all to fight more sin then we ever have before. He told us that if we choose to fight more sin then ever before the hardest year of our lives lay ahead.

I KNOW he is right because this past year I have fought harder against sin then ever before.

When I talk about sin for this piece I would like to use the original meaning without religious connotation so people of all faiths can be united in this journey.

Sin in its original form literally translates to miss the mark.

I missed the mark when I was younger because I hated myself and was so sad. I missed the mark as a young adult because I accepted the sub standard roads of what I “should” do.

I do what I want to do now by the grace of God and the joy that the universe plants in my heart. I love everybody and everything because that is what God wants. I sin everyday because of fear and other emotions, but I own it and bring it out in the light. I still have fear I just refuse to hide it anymore.

I am a sinner and a screwup, but God still looks out for me! I promise you no matter what, he is looking out for you today and everyday.

The sin of yesterday does not matter. God will release you from past mistakes today or any day when you accept the love of the universe.

I have a lot of faith today and know it is here to stay. Anyone can say they have faith in good times, but it takes conviction to have faith in lesser times.

I am blessed because all of my necessities are taken care of, but find myself bare because the desire cupboard is so empty .

I have less money then ever, the loneliness of my heart continues to build everyday and my sports career stays stagnant due to many factors, which I have little control over, but I still KNOW I am BLESSED!

I know God and I have the same destination in mind because he is the one who wrote the directions in my heart. I don’t understand his unseen barriers and detours or his timing.

That is not my concern! God will take care of me today and everyday. The only thing I focus on is giving my best everyday. I promise that all God wants is for us to give our best and try to raise the bar a little higher each day!

Happy Easter Everyone! God Bless and as always thanks for reading!

Chris

Restless Rathje, Endless Energy and Faith

2009-04-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

As the title indicates I am very tired. There has been times in my life I have been sadder, there has been times I have been WAY more depressed, but I can’t remember a time I was more tired.

I’m not a victim and I don’t let negative energy take over my soul. I keep doing what I feel is right and everyday my hole keeps getting deeper. I’m okay with that because with every piece of dirt being removed my mountain keeps getting higher.

All I have ever REALLY wanted to do in my life is play sports. Sure I listen to music, and watch certain TV shows and movies, but that’s really just recharging my brain with ideas for writing.

I have this connection with certain movies. I think it is God’s way of communicating with me in certain junctures in my life. On Thursday I discovered a trailer for a movie called Away We Go. It spoke to me so loudly I have probably watched the clip over sixty times already.

The first sound in the trailer is the question ”Are we screw-ups?”

I can relate with this so well the only fitting word to describe the situation is scary.

I have ignored lucrative work opportunities, not drank a drop of alcohol in over two years and I can’t remember what month it was when another human being entered my apartment for a social visit, all in name of my dreams that keep putting up barrier after barrier after barrier. I keep helping person after person all in the name of karma and I can’t get one break when it comes to the only thing I REALLY want.

I have been blessed to be around hundreds of Paralympians over the last nine years. Some get how blessed they are and others take their blessings so for granted it makes me want to puke and cry at the same time. I would give every luxury I have for a real level playing field in one sport.

It looks like I am not going to get a break in the short run and I am as far from okay as I can be, but I’m staying put. I have no idea how I can possibly make it through another year of this, but I know I will. I am one tough nut, but the reason I am going to prosper is not I. It is the grace of God. I have been running on fumes since February and every single thing that kept me going is gone and did not happen.

999 out of 1000 people would leave and never look back.. I am the one who is staying. I am a screw up, I am sloppy and I am sad, but my faith cannot be matched.

I have already put in so much, why quit now? THE ODDS DON’T APPLY TO ME! I don’t look in the natural world. I look in the supernatural world of my minds eye. My dreams are coming and you can book it!

No matter what you are facing God provides in the long run. Don’t get too overwhelmed by the false constraint that the human mind creates. Time is an illusion.

I know it sounds weird and confusing, but joy is causing this. I just don’t want anything else a tenth as bad as this. I know I am one of the “freaks” of the sport I get that, but why I am always on the outside?

The only way I can rationalize it is to show how bad I really want it. I an a screw up who keeps squeak, squeak, squeaking. I’m lucky because I have everything I need, but what happens when you get nothing you want and the desire doesn’t go away or change.

I really don’t know. I’ve taken a departure, but that’s how shattered I feel.

Just in this moment I remember I determine my life. I’m gonna keep smiling even though I don’t know why.

God gave me a call from my buddy Robb and some stupid lowbrow television laughs that was enough to make it through the night and tomorrow, God will give me enough to make it through the day.

I sit here and wonder do people really understand how consistently I have wanted this or do they think its melodrama? Do people really realize how systematically I have been excluded or do they think I am a whiner?

I know I am telling the truth so He will be okay with me.

This Energizer Bunny is running out of juice and the 3 D world has nowhere to recharge that I can see. Somehow, someway I am going to make it up the mountain and anyone else can too!

I feel like I reached a new level of clueless screw-up, but I still have faith I am going to make it to the top.

Thanks for reading

Chris

The Mountain Just Got A Little Higher

2009-04-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

I would like to apologize if the post offended anyone yesterday, but I do not regret anything and I take nothing back. I am a very positive person, but the operative word is person. I’M A HUMAN BEING! Just like everybody else I’m flawed. I’m not made of candy and unicorns, I am a human being made of bone and blood.

The reason I wrote I am a horrible whiny jerk is because that is how I felt. I got devastating news yesterday, but that did not control my reaction. I got red in the face with anger and cried and the fact that I had such a negative reaction bothered me to the core. I did not like my reaction, but I’m not afraid of it. Bring things out into the light and see what happens. Embrace how you feel and move onward and upward.

One of my favorite lyrics of all time is by Jason Mraz.

It takes a hole to build a mountain.

The hole just reached its deepest levels ever not because of yesterday, but because of everything that happened before it in addition to yesterday.

I am no victim, I sign up for these ground rules that treat me unfairly year after year after year because my heart just won’t shut up. Sports in a vacuum give me so much joy. I am just incredibly tired of playing under a different set of rules because I have a different origin of my disability.

This has to stop and I will be the leader in the cause. Kids with cerebral palsy need to know they are just different, not worse and sports classification plays a huge role in this. I have had low self esteem most of my life. Every kid with a disability gets a large dose of self-hatred from the able bodied community, but when you have CP you get a double dose within the disabled community. We are not spazzs, we are not jokes and we are not failures because are bodies work differently.

My vision doesn’t change I am still going to London and Chicago as an athlete. The path takes a detour, but it does not change. I got places to go and I am still headed to my final destination.

The skies are very hazy, but that’s okay because my mountain is higher then ever.

I Love Everyone! Thank You!

Chris

I Am A Horrible Whiny Jerk

2009-04-10T00:10:00.000-07:00

I feel like a horrible person today. I feel like a shell of myself and I hate it.

My heart is broken. A member of the opposite sex did not cause this break to occur, a sport did! All I have ever wanted to do since 3rd grade is play sports and I have been systematically excluded from success.

It’s all because when I was a baby I didn’t have enough sense to break my neck. Silly me, got oxygen deprivation and hurt my central nervous system instead. I should have known better, but they just don’t teach you these things when you are a minute old.

You know how miserable my childhood was because I could never figure out how to get my hands to work like the therapists said they should.

Do you know how wonderful it feels to be introduced to a community of people who struggle just like you do? And how gut wrenching it is when your new brothers mock you because you can crawl or go down a ramp a little easier.

People seem to forget how hard it is for me to drive and people have no idea what is like to use only one eye at a time or what a startle reflex is really like? A startle reflex is a lie that CP constantly sends to your brain. It tells you to stop every time you do something right. Take a push STOP! Pass the ball STOP! Catch the ball STOP! You try too hard to fight it and some sloppy things are going to happen.

Please ask the Lakeshore staff how many countless hours I have tried to retrain my startle reflex and the ridiculous amount of hours I spend in the weight room and fieldhouse trying to live up to a 3.0 standard I now realize I can not.

The league has no problem taking my 10-20 hours a week of volunteer work, but God forbid I want a fair classification so I have the same opportunities as everybody else. I have big dreams and it is hard to see court time on any team if you are 1.0 higher then you should be. I have gone to ridiculous lengths to get court time on other teams and no body seems to notice.

I am mean, I am horrible and I am not myself because I so distraught. All these negative words describe me because of my mind set, but I refuse to accept that the pats on the heads and the shrugs of the shoulders are going to cut it anymore.

What is the point of a classification system? We would not have a sport if Duncan Campbell and his teammates sat back and did nothing like I and the rest of my CP and polio siblings are being asked to do. Lets try some new things; we just want a fair shot. When people tell me one more year, my response is I have already waited 18.

Basketball punched me in the mouth so I put my hope in track. I was fast among my CP peers after many years of hard work just in time for the IPC to eliminate my Paralympic dreams. For Beijing they kept CP field so I picked it up. In less then a year I broke the US record in four events, but was nowhere near the world record. I knew I wasn’t going to make Beijing last summer by the time May rolled around, but I thought since I had four US Records I would at least go to my own nationals in Arizona. Nope, it was considered an international meet using international standards. I was not allowed to compete in my own nationals after earning four national records.

CPs are systematically kept from success and I am the squeaky wheel that is not going to quiet down until there is change. The next time someone tells me to be patient take a moment to think what I have already endured.

Like I said I am a whiny horrible jerk. I am very very tired and I just want a level playing field so I can close my eyes and see one or two dreams come to pass.

I still love everybody, the status quo of the system just breaks my heart.

Thanks for reading
Chris

The Sun Shines on Everyone!

2009-04-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

This is connected to my last post. In the closing minutes of my speech yesterday, some of the students asked me questions. They were all great and I appreciate every single one, but the one that stuck out to me the most was if there were any current movies that spoke to me.

I explained to them how my mind was not set to movies like it had been in the past, but Sunshine Cleaning had stuck out to me and I hoped to see it while I was up in Chicago. I saw it today and I was encouraged by what I saw.

I apologize in advance; this is not going to be the most organized, well thought out piece I’ve ever written. My mind is not in that place right now and so my work cannot be either.

I did not have my usual laser focus while watching this movie, my mind wandered, but it was still wonderful. The characters in Sunshine Cleaning were far from perfect, but they were all beautiful in their own way.

The color scheme of the entire movie set a subtle surreal tone for the entire journey and it just helped drive home the point that what most people see as ugly or disgusting has its own beauty.

Be Different! Have the courage to be the kid who licks the wall, recognize the kindness of the one armed man and recognize the service you are providing by cleaning up gruesome areas.

Sunshine Cleaning had so many beautiful themes that were similar to its distant cousin movie Little Miss Sunshine, but it stood alone as well. Sunshine Cleaning seemed more raw to me; it seemed a little dirtier.

It reminds me of so many people who are a little rough around the edges. I encourage anyone who knows someone that fits this description to give them a chance. You never know what they had to go through to make those edges rough.

People assume my life is so hard because I use a wheelchair. To be blunt the wheelchair and the physical challenges that go along with it are the easy part. People who have horrible attitudes and project their weakness on me are the cripples, not me. I’m tough, I’m robust and I will prosper in the New Mexico desert of Sunshine Cleaning.

I know I am ugly and scary to so many just like the one armed man, but I try extremely hard to love everybody. Little kids love talking to me and that’s enough of a reassurance I am doing something right. They haven’t been told to dislike this person or that person yet. They still listen to their hearts and love everybody.

I got a little rougher and a little rawer today as my patience continues to wane on a topic that is closest to my heart, but I’m okay with that if it means I can go to a world where I fit in better with the boy who licks walls, the one armed man and the crime scene cleaners.

Sunshine is an equal opportunity element. Always keep joy in your heart, give your best and uplift others! It doesn’t matter where you come from, it matters where you are going : )

This one is again dedicated to my undergrad IMC buddies, barriers are going to come, people are going to piss on your head and tell you it’s raining, but be strong!

Declare I got places to go and nothing is going to stop me! The odds of failure are only for those weak chumps who buy into what they “should” do and what they “should” expect!

The greatness train is coming and it’s got a squeaky wheel so everybody can hear it coming. Squeak! Squeak!

Thanks for reading

Chris

Expanding The Zone

2009-04-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

I would like to apologize for the long time between posts. The end of the rugby season and a new project that wrapped up yesterday took up vast amounts of my time.

My new project that wrapped up yesterday excites me because it is a new forum for me to share my ideas. Yesterday I had the privilege to speak to an undergrad class at the Integrated Marketing Communications program at the Medill School, Northwestern University.

I had the great privilege to earn my masters degree from the same program in 2005.

In my talk I obviously spoke quite a bit about marketing, but I tried to also talk about life.

Here were the ground rules for our conversation:

1. Have some fun

2. At some point I am going to mess up (and contrary to popular belief that’s okay)

3. Life is not about perfection; life is about growth

4. Take away what you want and dispose of the rest

These points are chrisrathje.com regulars and I don’t think I need to expound on them in this post, but I am proud of these points and I hope the students learned something yesterday because I really enjoyed working with them and they allowed me to realize something.

A large part of my conversation was a part called the Evanston Lessons. Evanston is a city directly north of Chicago where a large part of the Northwestern campus is located.

On one slide I talked about my four favorite movies during the 15 months I lived in Evanston. I enjoy movies so much and for some reason these four just spoke to me.

At some point either on chrisrathje.com or Soup Fork: The Book, I will share exactly what I shared with the class, however for now I would like to focus on how I felt.

I was happy, excited and flat out pumped about my conversation with the students, but by the time I was discussing Elizabethtown, my favorite movie and the impact it had on my life I was in the zone. A force much greater then myself had taken over and the address of my mind was the zone in all directions.

It is the exact same feeling I have when I have not realized four hours have gone by sitting in front of my desktop.

Thank you Wildcats for helping me to expand my zone, please remember there is nothing special about me whatsoever. I just follow the joy that is planted in my heart. Following my joy has allowed me to expand my zone and following your joy can help anyone discover his or her zone or expand it.

All students of life please remember to love your life and your path. Barriers are sure to come, but no matter what hardship might come follow the joy. Don’t worry about the big world. Just worry about your zone, raise it to new heights and expand it when the time is right.

Life is far from perfect, but it is beautiful! :) I know I am sloppy sometimes and I know I am stupid sometimes, but I’m going to keep eating life’s soup one forkful at a time!

God bless everyone, thanks for reading

Chris

Live from Louisville

2009-04-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone

I’m sorry I have been MIA for the last few days. I have been very busy getting ready and participating in rugby nationals.

I am so blessed to be around such an amazing rugby family. There are nothing but wins in my heart because of all the wonderful people and experiences I get to be surrounded by.

As athlete of the year Nick Springer says “We are all in this together!”

All the players are SO SO thankful for the contributions that the volunteers give so selflessly to our sport.

We Love Rugby!

THANK YOU!
Chris

My Apology to the Utrecht Scorpions

2009-03-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

I had to do something yesterday that I never like to do. I went back on my word.

The thing I love to do more then anything in the world is play wheelchair rugby.

I love to do it so much I will go anywhere on the globe to play it. After being a guest player for South Florida, Manitoba and Midwest Rebels I realize the power of playing rugby anywhere I can.

After the December 2008 tryouts for Team USA 2009, I was under the impression that there would be no Team USQRA for 2009. So I started searching for off-season playing opportunities on the Internet. I found out about the tournament in Amsterdam and was soon shooting many e-mails back and forth between Europe and Alabama.

The Utrecht Scorpions graciously offered for me to play with them in Amsterdam in mid-June. I was very excited about the prospect and had full intentions of going up until a couple of days ago.

Team USQRA has yet to be selected, but if I am blessed enough to be selected I will be in Brazil at the same time that Amsterdam tournament is going on. My biggest dream in life is to put on the red, white and blue. I must set my mind for it and have no barriers in the way. I'm guaranteed nothing and open to whatever the universe has to offer.

I am writing this to send the deepest apology I know how to the Scorpions. I also want them to know that I will do whatever I can to help them out. If there is any experienced 2.0-3.0 that would like to go to Amsterdam in mid-June please contact me at chris.rathje@gmail.com and I will relay information.

Scorpions, thank you for your generosity I will do whatever I can to help you.

I hope you realize my heart was pure, but circumstances just didn't work out.

I wish you nothing but the best and hope we can work together some other time.

Thanks for your time
Chris

The Michigan Lessons

2009-03-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

This one is dedicated to my coach Kevin, my teammate Bryan, and my buddy Matt from TNT.

On last Thursday I headed to Michigan with the attitude “Let's go have one of the best weekends of our lives boys!” Even I didn't realize how accurate I was.

The first lesson of the weekend came while Lakeshore and TNT were waiting for our flight to Michigan in O'Hare. Both teams were sitting there waiting for our flight and I was sitting right next to Matt.

He had a hard spasm and the bag he was carrying in his lap fell to the ground. I knew the situation very well. Whether it's the contents of my wallet spilling all over the grocery store floor, the mail spilling all over the place or knocking the ball out of my own lap, I have felt ashamed of my spasms thousands of times in my life.

This is why Matt gave me such a valuable lesson. When I picked up Matt's bag from the ground he just smiled and said “Thanks!” No shame or embarrassment. Matt knows who he is and knows a little spasm doesn't define him.

I am a very stubborn person when it comes to certain things. I wouldn't be a fraction of how successful I am without that stubbornness, but I also know it leads to flaws. I'm always hungry to prove I can do things myself even when if I just asked for help it would make my life easier.

I'm not a bad person because I can't pick up coins from the ground quickly and I'm not a weak person for accepting help. God gives us talents and flaws for a reason. We must rely on one another to get the most out of life.

I try extremely hard to practice this in my life. I hope my love and support for my teammates shines through. I hope I am productive voice from the bench and court.

It warmed my heart to see us play so well against Ohio to start the weekend off right and I was really excited to get out there and play myself. I was frantic trying to force my body to do things it didn't want to do, but then Kevin told me one of the wisest things I've ever heard. “Only focus on things you can control. Right now you can’t control your body.”

I just naturally assume I can control my body, but Kevin is right on the money. My hands and torso do not appreciate how hard I have pushed them since 2000, they are rebelling and telling me I need to get smarter.

Something I realized over the last several months is to bring your fear out into the light. That way the fear cannot get you later on. I openly admitted to my team how scared I really was about what my body was doing. I even shed a few tears and Bryan picked me right up

He said it was time for “No Fear.” And he was right!

Over the course of the weekend Bryan and other vets showed me how to conserve energy and become a smarter player. Talking calmly and confidently really does work better and saves a lot of energy. There are still times I talk too much, but I now know why and will discuss further in a later post.

I'm really blessed to be part of such an amazing team and I'm really proud of the entire heartland sectional. I think all eight teams that were there our on their way up. No team there was perfect, but we are all improving from where we began. After all life isn't about perfection, life is about growth. The heartland is growing and I proud to be involved in that growth.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for selecting me to get the sportsmanship award. I would have been extremely embarrassed if I received an award like that in the past. I would have thought that getting singled out like that was somehow wrong because of my low self-esteem, but I now realize its okay to be me.

I mess up all the time, but I still try to let the light that shines in my heart become visible to everyone else. Everyone else makes it so easy. I get to be a member of a special team, who gets the privilege to play a special sport.

Less than 1% of the population understands what it is like to be us. We might wear different colored jerseys during the game, but I've yet to meet an opponent. We are all family!

Thanks for reading
Chris

100 Passes

2009-03-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

I did a light pushing and ball handling workout in the Lakeshore Fieldhouse last night.

One of the main weaknesses of my game is passing. Getting my arms and hands to do what they need to do when I want them to do it. So before I left for the night I decided to get a hundred clean passes and catches off the wall.

I was quite tired and sore from a weekend of rugby with my hands and abs yelling at me like never before, but that is just temporary. Being a champion in everything you do lasts forever.

My first attempt at a hundred ended at 10. My second attempt ended at 18. My third attempt ended at 37. My fourth attempt I got in a really nice flow and made it all the way to 61 before my mind slipped on a catch.

I got so angry at myself I couldn’t think straight and I could only muster four on the fifth attempt. I had a flash of a self doubting mental thought, “just give up it doesn’t matter!”

We all control our own lives and for many I’m sure it doesn’t matter, but nothing matters more to me. I have places to go in my life and I need to become a better player to make that happen.

I regrouped mentally before my right hand slipped on number 26 of the sixth attempt. I started damming my own arms for not doing what I wanted them to do, but that was a horrible attitude. My mind always controls my arms if I have a firm enough mindset.

On the seventh attempt I finally hit 100 and I was in such a good flow I hit 200 without a flub of any kind. 200 is my new standard and by sometime soon a thousand will be. Set your mind for what you really want and go get it!

I am far from perfect I really wanted to quit after attempt four and attempt six, but my mind knows what is coming and would not let me stop. KNOWING where you are going before it even seems rational is how people make things happen.

At 22 I doubted my dreams as a nine-year-old because I couldn’t push with a ball in my lap. At 27 I now realize my nine year old self was brilliant because it had the guts to say someday Chicago is going to host the Paralympics and I’m going to win a gold medal.

I constantly say life is not about perfection, it’s about growth. I fell 6 times and wouldn’t let myself quit. On the seventh attempt I got twice of what I wanted.

Have the guts to say what you really want and go get it. This is not an easy process, but it is a simple one. Expect more from yourself then you ever thought possible. If you follow your dreams, put forth maximum effort and uplift others. Anything is possible!

I challenge you to love something in your life you never loved before. Man I loved when my arms didn’t work the way I wanted them to because it showed how strong my mind really is.

Love your life and bless the world!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Sondtrack For My Mind!

2009-03-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

I just finished putting together the perfect soundtrack for how I want to set my mind for this weekend.

1. Break Away by Kelly Clarkson
I don’t like how I have been treated most of my life by most people. I choose to declare that I no longer subject myself to that anymore. I break away from those feelings today and everyday here forward.

2. Bigger Then My Body by John Mayer
We are always more then our limitations. I have been weak in the past. Time for a change. At some point this weekend I am going to throw a bad pass or miss a ball. One play never defines me. WE ARE WAY TO BIG TO LET ONE PLAY GET US DOWN!

3. The Remedy (I Won’t Worry!) Jason Mraz

Have Fun! There is nothing that is going to happen to us that we can’t handle. It has been said, many times before I think way too much. Time to let the brain be quiet and just love everybody and everything.

“You Can Turn Off The Sun and We Are Still Going To Shine!”

I don’t know why God gives me such good music to play in my head. I know the universe knows how thankful I am and how I am constantly striving to improve myself and empower others. I fail so often and am humbled, but I set my mind for what I really want and try ” to shine some light on my friends!”

More on this topic to come in the future, but I realized something today sitting in O’Hare Airport. The ordinary requires extraordinary effort for me. I don’t know anyone else who took a decade to learn how to drive. Now that the extraordinary has become ordinary for me I can tune into the exact life I want. God has planted huge dreams in my heart!

I am not appreciating the light that has been given to me unless I push the envelope in a way that pleases the universe.

I am confident for the first time in my life. I’m going to make things happen!

Thank you everyone! Life is a team sport and you are my legendary team! May we all grow and be blessed.

Thanks for reading!
Chris

St. Patty’s Blessings Brought to You by Brenda and Renee

2009-03-17T13:24:00.001-07:00

God works in mysterious ways. This piece is exhibit #1. I received and replied to emails from two wonderful people today.

My fantastic cousin Brenda and my equally amazing friend Renee, everyone knows about my beloved Brenda from yesterday, but here is a little about Renee.

First of all Renee is not a person, she is a petit blonde force of nature. The word can’t is not in her vocabulary.

The strongest memory I have of Renee is when we were both refused interviews by the same Fortune 500 Company in our final term at Northwestern. I do not like to drink, but the song Alcohol by Brad Paisley rocked out for a reason from my dorm room on that night. As I wandered to different apartments and pubs that night many people were around, but only Renee understood why I wasn’t my normal chipper self.

I was deeply wounded by the rejection. From our best statistical analysis from Nevin’s Pub we determined we were the only two students who applied that did not get interviews.

Really? We were the bottom of the barrel?

Nope! Not even close! Someone made assumptions about us that were false based off a piece of paper.

Lesson 1: Always give somebody the benefit of the doubt. Diamonds in the rough are real and your patience will be rewarded.

Brenda the next lesson I was trying to write last night and couldn’t think of the right words.

Lesson 2: Other people’s rush judgments are your blessings, have the courage to see it in the moment.

Even back in Evanston in October 2005 I dreamed of Lakeshore, but didn’t have the courage to just say it. God sent me clues like the Alabama quarter I received at the Century Theater when I uncharacteristically didn’t have exact change.

I know Renee loves Michigan because of Shawn and the hairless wonder dog Ziggy. I am pushing towards the only things I have ever wanted since 3rd grade in Alabama. None of this would be possible if we were given the chances we had earned. Everything happens for a reason, it sometimes takes a while for the story to unfold.

Lesson 3: Find a way to have fun even if it seems silly! If it makes you happy, do it! Clap your hands, make a noise or dance an Irish jig!

Lesson 4: I am far from perfect, but I’m still having a blast. Face what worries you in the light and it can’t get you in the shadows!

Lesson 5: Sometimes the steps are painful and tedious along the way. The days that hurt or are confusing I need to pray harder and believe in my dreams even more!

Lesson 6: This is not a birth right. It can be taken away at any moment if I stop following my dreams, stop giving maximum effort and stop being good to others.
Lesson 7: Next time you see somebody in need; help them even if you don’t think you have the time. God will make up the time and then some!

This final one is dedicated to my baby cuz, soon to be college graduate, but it can be applied to anyone of any age!

MAKE THESE THE BEST WEEKS OF YOUR LIFE! Laugh Harder! Smile More!
Nothing ever ends unless you want it to. Time is a limitation of a human mind. College is not a time; college is a feeling!

I honestly feel like I have the courage to be three ages all at once and none of these are my age according to the calendar.

I am four because I am so happy about everything! I remember not being able to lift my arms at all and then all the sudden I saw the reflection in the mirror at therapy. First the right, then the left, it was really ME LIFTING MY ARMS!

I am twenty because all I really care about is the sport that drives me. I’m at the end of my sophomore year of college. I know the sport now, but I need to keep pushing more. I know the sacrifices that need to be made, but I must stay disciplined and focused. It is up to me where I end up.

I am ageless because God takes the little amount of talent I have earned and magnifies it to help others through his words.
Life is an ever evolving document. Things will change someday. I will meet people that will continue to change my life. I will have more responsibilities, but I will also have more resources! My inner ages will have to adjust, but joy will always drive me.
Yeah Buddy! Think Green! Be Happy!

Brenda & Renee are very special people that God wants me to help. God has also taught me when he gives me a gift, share it with it as many people as I can.

I hope you enjoyed my blessings!

Thanks for reading
Chris

The Brenda Lessons

2009-03-16T20:05:00.001-07:00

I am an only child. The closest I come to blood siblings is my first cousins. I am the oldest cousin on the Rathje side and youngest cousin on the Nagel side by a considerable margin. The second youngest cousin on the Nagel side, Kim was already driving by the time I was born. I love my Nagel cousins, but I did not grow up with them.

My cousin Andy was born four days shy of my third birthday. I have so many amazing memories with Andy from his fascination with vacuum cleaners and airplanes when we were little to us getting amazing seats at Wrigley Field together as adults, but I do not remember the day he was born.

However by the time Brenda came around over two years later, I was about to go into kindergarten. I will always remember June 9, 1987. I remember being fascinated by the concept of Brenda.

I thought to myself “Look, there’s a brand-new baby and I’m related to it!” It was an absolutely incredible experience.

Growing up as a kid I was the weak one in the family because I lacked so much physical ability. I wanted to help out my younger cousins, but didn’t know how.

Now that we are all young adults I realize that physical strength is still important, but not as important as mental and emotional strength. I would like to empower all recent college graduates and soon-to-be college graduates. This one is for Andy and Brenda.

I originally saw this as several pieces. It started several weeks ago via a Facebook conversation with my grad school friend Casey. It grew two weeks ago when talking to Brenda and was finished in my mind this afternoon after writing another Facebook message to Brenda. Thank you for inspiring me to write this Brenda. Here are five lessons I would like to share.

1. Eliminate fear, love everything in your life. So far in my studies of life I found that every emotion really boils down to love and fear.

Sometimes fear is real, but most of the time it’s not. If you are scared about something go out and do something about it or just have faith pull you through.

Right now my biggest fear is driving. I wish I could rely on my body more as far as spasticity, coordination and reaction time. I know when the time is right, I will be blessed with the right driving teacher and I will eliminate that fear. For now life goes on well up and down Highway 31 as I launch my writing career from my apartment. I pray every time I get into the car. This love and fear concept took me a long time to understand. Spend some time thinking about it and what is right for you will come to pass.

2. Decide the odds don’t apply to you!

I flat out love Grey’s Anatomy. I could care less what the current drama is between McDreamy and McSteamy, however it is an extremely well-written show and there is always two or three wise nuggets of life in every episode. This week’s episode toward the very end had a conversation between Little Gray and Izzy. Izzy has her 5% to deal with and Little Grey’s Mom somehow died with a 0% chance of that happening.

Somewhere along the line of applying to Northwestern I was told they were going to take five students straight out of undergrad. To get one of five spots seemed daunting at the time. They ended up taking 7 of us. Statistics can change! Nothing is certain. If thoughts of the economy freak you out. Do what I’ve done. Shut off the news. I do not control the economy. Try to take care of what you can control and know you can do whatever you want.

3. Follow your heart and make sure your brain is listening. Joy is like a compass and your brain is like a GPS system.

It will take you exactly where you want to go, but you have to give it the right address. If you don’t like where you end up enter a new address, but don’t stay there. Most great journeys only reveal themselves one step at a time. Learn to be okay with this.

4. Treat everyone well and take extra care of the ones that love you.

A couple months ago I was looking for an answer to a question for several months. Out of the blue a person who has treated me like a pile of garbage for several years now just e-mails me the answer to my important question without even realizing that I was looking for that answer. I doubt this person even knows how much their actions hurt me because I rose above the situation so well. If that is not an example of karma, I do not know if one exists. I have been trying for a couple weeks now to come up with the exact phrasing for number 3 with the idea that it would be its own separate piece. I know the only reason I was able to come up with the exact phrase was because I was trying to uplift my lovely baby cousin this afternoon via Facebook. God gives us gifts if we look after those we are supposed to.

5. Follow your dreams, work hard and treat other people like you want to be treated.

I have said this so many times, but it needs to be repeated. I have seen so many people do the last two without doing the first one. Why do so many people ignore their hearts? The universe gives us personalized maps and we sometimes try to look at other people’s. Don’t follow the money! Follow the love; if you work hard at something you love the money will follow. Money after all really is just green paper.

No matter what age we are we are responsible for our little corner of the world. If everyone takes care of their own corner, all the sudden the world’s problems are lessened. This is a reality in our lifetime and any lifetime. The purpose of life is not perfection it is growth. Anything is possible!

Thank You Brenners, Thank You Everyone!
Chris

Are You A Champion of Life?

2009-03-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

Below is a modified piece that I just finished writing for the Illinois Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team who lost in the National Championship Game yesterday. Please keep in mind that the vast majority of the piece was written to a team that just had a major disappointment.

Before I begin I would like to congratulate first year head coach Jeremy Lade on winning the national championship. Jeremy is a year older then me so we had competed against each other for six years over the course of high school and college. Even though he was a far superior player to me he never belittled me. He is a gentleman and a gym rat. Even though I love orange and he loves purple we are both champions of life.

I would like to congratulate you on a valiant effort yesterday. My scouts in the crowd (my parents) told me I should be very proud of my alma mater. Sometimes having a winning attitude doesn’t always result in a win; it is one of those intrinsic challenges in life that so many don't understand.

This is a detour, this is a choice, are you going to allow this to make you bitter or better?

I ask that you take a couple days to answer this question. Flush out the emotions of disappointment first. I know there were times when I wanted to cry after a loss and forced myself not to. Emotions are not good or bad; they are just emotions. Something in your brain chemistry wants you to feel that way. When I'm sad or angry I like to think of it as little gremlins dancing around in my head. If I hit them or try to force them down they're going to get angry and stick around longer. If I hug the gremlin all the sudden it is subdued and leaves me alone.

The only way a 40 minute competition defines you, is if you let it. Be bold! Erase the bad elements of yesterday and remember the good ones. Set your mind for what you want today and everyday.

Have the courage to set your mind to what you really want and do not accept anything less. Boldly proclaim what you want and share it with whoever will listen! If you are consistent with your thoughts and TREAT PEOPLE WELL the universe rewards you so, so well. Don’t worry about what is cool; worry about what is right.

It’s up to you! Do you have the courage to lift up somebody else that other people perceive as weak? During my years in Champaign I had the lowest function on the team and it was definitely not cool to be associated with me. Many of my teammates would help me out when other people were not around, but only one person would help me out no matter who was around, Pat Anderson.

When I was a freshman I had horrible balance and a chair that was way to big for me. A typical day for me was six falls between missed transfers and hitting cracks in the sidewalk etc. In my first few weeks in Champaign, I fell while many of us were hanging out at the gym. Many laughed at me, some made wise cracks, but only one person helped me back up on that day. I thought to myself “Oh my God, why is Pat helping me? He has a gold medal.” Pat has gold medals because he is a great person, not the other way around.

Pat was also not afraid to be associated with me. Back in my early years at U of I we traveled in 15 passenger vans. They are a fine way to travel unless you sit in the middle seat in the middle row. Because of my low standing on the team I got that spot for many trips early on in the season. I felt like a sardine, but I was still an Illini!

My hips hurt badly sitting in this seat, but that is not what bugged me. What really bugged me was my inability to get my balance therefore making it very tedious to read. I have no idea what possessed Pat to do this, but one early morning at rehab as we were loading up Pat requested that I sit up front with him. That became my spot for the rest of the year. Pat's generosity allowed me to get at least an extra 40 hours of studying in during the rest of the season. What makes Pat special is not his physical attributes, but his tenacity, his practice habits and his confidence. Pat is the exact same person whether he's talking to a movie star or a homeless person. He offers himself to the world and doesn’t worry what others think.

Being positive and having true confidence are paramount qualities for a championship heart and mind. Know you can do it and raise the bar as high as you possibly can. If you set your mind properly the right things just seem to happen. Eating right, sleeping more and studying more just become routine, not obligation.

When you lose you tend to get angry. I ask that you never practice in anger, only practice in love. Love allows you to get better. Fear might work in the short run, but never in the long run.

Please learn from my mistake. I attempted to make Beijing in field events. There were long stretches of last year I worked out 10-12 times a week and I feel confident in saying there was stretches I was the hardest working athlete at Lakeshore for any sport. I had a fatal flaw though. I worked out angry and scared. I was jealous of fellow athletes. That had no bearing on my life, but I was weak and a BIG gremlin was born.

Since I worked out so angry it should come as no surprise that I hurt myself. I made myself train through it and ended up pulling my C7 vertebrae out of alignment. I hurt myself so badly it took 8 whole months to heal. I found out in June 2008 that I was not going to Beijing. There was part of me that was so defeated, but I tried as hard as I could to stay positive and work on other aspects of my life like writing. When people left Lakeshore to go to staging in Colorado I was relieved. As far as I was concerned Beijing was over. A couple of days later a member at Lakeshore asked me if I was going to Beijing. I said no and had to explain how I did not make the team. She asked me if I plan to go to London and instead of saying my typical response of hope so, I flat out said yes I am going to London.

If you want something bad enough set your mind for it. If you're consistently working hard and helping others I promise your dreams will come true!

Just to let you know I practice what I preach this is what I set my mind to everyday. I will be a successful writer who will eventually help millions of people. I will go to both the London and Chicago Paralympics with the highest aspirations. I will do everything in my power to continue the Lakeshore dynasty. To me it's not about being good, it's not about being great, it's about being legendary.

So you have a choice to make, are you a champion? It’s up to you. Can you keep your head up when something goes wrong? I know you all have the capability to be champions because you are at Illinois. You have the right stuff, but are you willing to set your mind right, to stop wondering and start knowing you are champions before it happens? I loved basketball and I love rugby even more. It is the vehicle I choose to express myself in, but it does not define my life. I know I am a champion in life because of how hard I work and how well I treat other people.

So I ask again, are you a champion? Are you willing to do the hard things when you know they're right? Are you willing to be nice to anybody, no matter who is looking? Being a champion isn’t easy, but man is it worth it! I am so proud to be an Illini! Winning games is fun, but it's not what's most important. Being a champion of life is what is most important. I know Illinois has produced more life champions than any other program. Please keep up the tradition. Don't wait until you graduate, start today! Set your mind, work hard and be good to everybody and the rest just sort of flows.

Life is beautiful, enjoy the ride!

Thanks for reading
Chris

The Power of Openness and Belief

2009-03-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

When I came to the conclusion that the possibility that I had lost function was very real, there was 36-48 hours I was feeling sorry for myself. I am no saint smiley pants. I’m just a human being that realized love and acceptance is a more fun journey then fear and secrets.

I have lied to myself since October about what a real possibility function loss is. I was scared to tell my own team because they might see it as a CP guy who was just complaining. “What does he know anyways he’s not a real quad.”

The combination of my discomfort and my massage therapist Linda forcing me to face facts, but you know what happened when I shared the truth with the world, the road to recovery began. My neighbor Kelly who is a part time athletic trainer at Lakeshore stopped by and showed me some new stretches for my hands. The first stretches hurt in a bad way, but the second stretches made my hands feel a little better. As I continue to work on my computer I feel little jolts of energy and warmth on the left side of my back. I have no rational explanation for this. I would like to think it is others well wishes. Some might call it prayers.

When it comes to religion I interchange phrases. God, the universe, positive energy is all the same thing to me. I don’t worry about labels. Just believe in the power of good things because if enough good things happen it turns into a great thing. If enough great things happen society changes, if enough societies change the world change.

Things happen to us, but things don’t control us.

The blessings just keep adding up for me.

Thank you for your prayers
Chris

I Don’t Care How Long It Takes, That Turnip is Going to Bleed!

2009-03-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

I Don’t Care How Long It Takes, That Turnip is Going to Bleed!

I was blessed to go to the University of Illinois. I did not have the raw materials to be successful there, but I wouldn’t allow that to stop me. I was scared, I lacked a lot of life skills, but I had one thing going for me, I was determined.

For a myriad of reasons it took me a lot longer amount of time to do my homework then the average student. An average night for me was going to bed at 1 AM, and getting up at 4:45 AM. The only way I survived those first five semesters before I had a better system down was a lot of sleep on the weekends and occasional naps. As you can imagine I had my moments of weakness with such little sleep. There were moments I literally saw red and lashed out in anger, there were moments I was so sad when I failed, I would openly bawl in front of a large group of people.

On one such occasion someone said “You can’t make a turnip bleed.” I basically took it to mean well you have cerebral palsy; you can’t be a good athlete.

I do not like to use profanity because it puts up barriers, but it took every fiber of my being not to use a word that starts with the 6th letter of the alphabet and the appropriate pronoun. (Believe me I am no saint just ask Joel or Sulli about the Germany game in 2008.)

That anger, that venom stayed inside for quite a few years. The problem remains the same, but how I choose to deal with it has changed. I will be positive and I will overcome it.

Some of you might be asking yourself why is Chris talking about this?

On Wednesday I realized something that I knew, but was unwilling to admit. I am losing function. These are not medical terms, but this is how I explain it. With cerebral palsy you have your base injury and then you have damage from your spasms. I realized on Wednesday that my spasm damage has reached a new level. I went to see my wonderful friend and massage therapist Linda because I have felt really uncomfortable for the last five weeks. My body has felt like a pretzel. It is uncomfortable to sit. (That’s a real problem for someone who uses a wheelchair.) I don’t get scared often by my crazy body, but I honestly was.

Anyways, Linda concluded that my abs were a big spastic mess and they were shifted to the left after accidently doing some uneven sit-ups. The fact that I was doing extra crunches to make up for some injuries earlier in the year was actually causing more harm then good. We were trying to figure out what was going on and then I just kind of blurted out “could I be losing function?”

She had me grip her hands. I couldn’t grip as hard as I used to. We did some things to test my abs, I couldn’t move as easily. There was nothing scientific to what we did, but the answer is pretty obvious.

I have lost function. The weird thing with CP is I could probably get most of it back, but at a cost. No more working out if I want to have looser hands and abs. I need to decrease my muscle tone so I have fewer spasms.

This is nothing new to my subconscious. It realized that after the Minnesota tournament I couldn’t grip as well, sometime during the off season my abs lock up more during pushing then ever before and I can’t use my middle fingers or thumbs for typing like I used to. However earlier I did not have the courage to ask this question.

Could this be it for rugby? That venom from a few years ago showed up in small doses and that is one of the reasons I have stayed in my apartment for the last two days. At some point early this morning I concluded this is a major crossroads. I had a choice to make. Is this going to make me bitter or better? I choose to make myself better. It is always the right decision, but sometimes it takes some time to see it.

By no means does this mean I have to stop playing rugby! It actually means quite the opposite; it means it is time to step it up. I have always worked hard, but I don’t know if I’ve always worked smart. I need to empower myself with more information by talking to doctors and therapists. Find that perfect amount of exercise where I’m doing the most good.

This is not going to help just me; this is going to help the entire wheelchair sports community! I am going to share everything I learn with everyone so we can see all the greatness that lies ahead. People with cerebral palsy can be athletes too. We just need to be trained according to our bodies and classed properly. I know this will not be easy and this will not happen overnight, but what great things happen overnight and painlessly?

I am thankful that I lost function when I did because I know it serves a greater purpose. I prayed for months ahead a time to be at my best for the Demolition Derby and I was able to play more in front of the home crowd then ever before.

I started feeling like a pretzel the next weekend in Raleigh. The universe works in mysterious ways, but in the long run it is good to you if you are good to it.

I would like to finish up by giving thanks.

Thank you Delvin for pulling me aside at the Raleigh tournament and telling me not to be afraid to handle the ball. I now know that I was very scared by what my body was doing to itself even though I couldn’t put it into words at the moment. You saw the fear in eyes before I even knew it was there.

A very special thank you to Eddie who saw my drop in function and has believed my class should change even before I did.

I would also like to thank my friends from Canada, London (GB) and Denver for pulling me aside and saying what they saw about my function level. It is truly selfless and shows how great our sport is.

Our sport is amazing. Let’s keep playing hard, having fun and changing lives! We can smash the stereotype of what someone with cerebral palsy is capable of and make that turnip bleed.

Thank you for reading
Chris

My Favorite Team

2009-03-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week I wrote a piece for the Illinois Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team because they are preparing for their national championship competition this weekend. After they really liked what I wrote I decided to give something else a try. If you find this the least bit beneficial great, if you don’t like it just ignore it.

Looking back on my eleven years of basketball my favorite team to be a part of was the team when I was a freshman in college. We ended up winning the national championship that year, but that is not what made it my favorite team. What made it my favorite team was who we were and how we accomplished our goals. The University of Texas-Arlington had beaten us two out of three games during the regular season. The losses included a 50 point beat down (Missing several players from our team because of the Paralympics.) and only the second loss at Huff Hall in the Coach Frogley era.

They beat us in our place in February. What were we going to be able to change by March? I know we practiced harder in the weeks that followed, but the difference was marginal. Then the most intense week of practice I have ever been a part of occurred. Coach Frogley had us prepared in every way, but it was the players who decided to step up their preparation. I do not remember that week of preparation as stories. I remember it as a feeling; this intense certainty that we were going to win the game no matter what. We were set to overcome any obstacle; it was all about us. At 19 I thought this feeling was common. I now know it’s not. It’s something very special.

UTA shot 55% from the field that day. Illinois shot 63% and won the tenth championship in program history. I did not play in the game, but I was honored when my teammates decided that I should cut the first string of the net. When Coach Frogley cut down the final string it sunk in. With the net in hand, I realized we were champions! As Illinois goes for there 12th championship in program history, it makes me realize how blessed I am.

It also makes me realize how that is no longer my favorite team. My favorite team is the one I am currently on, the 2008-2009 Lakeshore Demolition!

I have found it is way harder to be a TEAM after college because of work and other life responsibilities, but we still figure out a way and this is because of the greatness of our coach Kevin Orr.

When you play for Kevin it’s not all about lollipops and rainbows. There have been times he has made me sad and times he has made me angry, but I know he loves me and all his players.

There would be no Lakeshore Demolition without Kevin Orr. He built our program on guts and determination. He had the courage to move over 700 miles away from his friends and family and over the years he built a dynasty from nothing.

I will ever be indebted to Kevin because he encouraged me to make the same 700 mile journey about fifteen years later after many were unable or unwilling to teach me the game because I had cerebral palsy.

Before I came to Birmingham I was the “most spastic player in college wheelchair basketball”. Over the course of two years, I became a wheelchair rugby player. I would not be a wheelchair rugby player without Kevin Orr. I would not be a writer if I wasn’t a rugby player first. I’ll let you do the math.

I enjoyed the other teams I have played with while I have been down here and really miss the friendship of Dan, Josh and Brandon, but this team has something special. The younger players have all stepped their games up while the veterans continue to give wisdom and perform consistently.

Kevin, Sulli, Bryan and Willard have been here since the beginning. They are legends for what they have created and are great examples of what is possible. Joel, Delvin and our newest player Kevin Kramer represent what is yet to come. With great athletes and great people anything is possible.

We begin our playoff run next week in Michigan and hope to continue it in Louisville in April. Our story has yet to be written, but I feel Lakeshore 2009 is more special then Illinois 2001. I love my team! I am hopeful we will find that feeling that Illinois 2001 possessed.

I wish everyone the best as the playoffs are going on this weekend and in subsequent weeks. I look forward to making my team better and wish everyone else the best of luck as they try to do the same.

Can I ask a favor? If you see fit could you please say a prayer for Illinois and Lakeshore. The power of positive energy is very real. I could have gone many places to play sports, but Illinois and Lakeshore gave me the courage to release myself from a net of fear and allow me to share my gifts with the world!

Thank You Frog, Thank You Kevin, Thank You Everyone!
Chris

What Kind of Writer am I?

2009-03-12T21:08:00.001-07:00

My friend from graduate school Pushpendra Mehta is working on his second book. Push has decided to get my take on some things for inclusion in the book. I feel Push and I show a small glimpse of what is possible in the world because even though we don’t see eye to eye on some topics I respect Push greatly because I know his heart is filled with love and he believes what he says.

It also happens to be his birthday today. Happy Birthday Push!

Push wanted me to write a bio. I don’t know if this is what he had in mind, but here is my journey as a writer.

When I was in elementary school I thought being able to write children’s books would be a great job. I wrote stories about an imaginary rabbit and an imaginary dog that eventually was named Ruf Ruf. I became discouraged when no one could read my handwriting, thus keeping my story inaccessible to everybody else.

When I started to understand how a library worked. I thought, “Man, it’s going to weird to see RAT on the side of my book.”

I sure didn’t show any talent for writing in sixth grade when this A and B student got a C- on his book because I over used the word things.

Sometime in high school I decided I wanted to be a sports journalist. I even wrote a few game reports for my school’s website.

I became discouraged when I talked to a local journalist who told me how hard his job was. Suddenly I let fear take over my decisions and decided I would study business.

Writing was not a big part of my life in college. I took four writing classes over the course of eight semesters and somehow I was completely oblivious to the fact that those writing classes and my higher-level marketing classes made up the majority of my memories in the classroom.
After my undergraduate years I decided marketing as I knew it wasn’t creative enough for me. My next stop was the Integrated Marketing Communications program at the Medill School Northwestern University.

I started really learning about writing at Northwestern even though I didn’t realize it at the time. Marketing Communications is more about the ability to convey ideas then anything else. Public Relations really boils down to treating people well. Convey a clear and honest message and be good to people.

My advice is learn wherever you can. Truly grasping communication for the first time happened in a café in France. Understanding the power of silence and white space happened in a copyrighting class.

Suddenly my formal education comes to a close and all I know I want to do with my life is move down to Birmingham and play some wheelchair rugby. I sit on my butt for nine months waiting to figure out what to do. All I pretty much do is read books and watch DVDs. One night I’m reading this book about remarkable people. I’m on this chapter about Mark Twain and it hits me like a lightning bolt. Mark Twain was a premature baby and had a hard time sleeping! I could write a book too!

Just as quickly as I came up with the idea I dismissed it. If I wrote a book who would want to read it?

Long story short Birmingham has been a wonderful journey, but I have fallen on my face so many times. I started trying to write my first book about a month after I moved down here, I was so embarrassed, so scared. For a long time I only told about three of my friends what I was working on while sitting in my apartment. I gave up at some point on my first attempt.

In the time span of a couple of years I tried and failed at doing online research, selling vitamins, a custom shirt idea, search engine optimization and oh yeah six other attempts at writing books. I used to be so embarrassed by my writing and I don’t know why. I figured it was something cool people did; something creative people did, and I never categorized myself as either of those.
Through all those failures I gave myself an education. I made mistakes and I learned. I read a lot. I read the bible, I learned about the law of attraction, Joel Osteen showed me it was okay to give praise the way I wanted to give praise.

I took the skills IMC gave me and learned to see the world in a new way. I have learned so many life lessons from the music of John Mayer and Jason Mraz. Somehow, someway their way of looking at the world rubbed off on me. Lines just pop in my head all day. They come from all genres of music, movies, books and life experience. I can’t write a piece of music, but I can write a piece for the web.

Nine short years ago I was scared to talk to most of my classmates because I was sure they didn’t like me. Now I have the confidence to proclaim to the entire world I think just like a world class rock star and I’m proud to be that bold! As John has taught me have the courage to be “Bold As Love”!

I now know you don’t have to consider yourself to be cool or creative to be an artist, you just have to believe in yourself and find your medium. I fully believe God wants every single one of us to create. Art can be anything. Broaden your definition and keep your mind open.

What kind of writer am I? I’m a human being just going down my path. There are more then seven billion paths out there for the more then seven billion people out there in the world.

Sometimes I stumble and sometimes I fall, but I always get back up eventually. My human siblings please remember to love yourself today and everyday. Growth is the objective, not perfection. Anything is possible!

As always thank you for reading!
Chris

Darwin Was Right . . .

2009-03-11T02:10:00.000-07:00

But that’s not the whole story. Darwin was right because only the strong survive, but the way he presented his conclusions indicated that there must be weak creatures for the strong to dominate.

That might be how the animal kingdom works, but that doesn’t mean human kind has to be run like that.

God gave us big brains, free will and dreams planted in our hearts for a reason! The universe wants us to step it up. Only the strong survive, but we can all be STRONG.

Let’s set our minds for success! The beautiful thing about the dreams planted in our hearts is that we all have different dreams. So we can all be champions in the fields we choose from our hearts. As my wonderful teacher Joel Osteen says God plants dreams in our heart for a reason and he gives us all the tools to see them come to pass.

Sometimes barriers arise and we fall down, but please always have the courage to get back up. Some think it is weak to fall down, but this is not the case. It is only weak to stay down. Getting up is the strongest thing anyone can do! If you set your mind for strength no obstacle is too large to overcome.

Strength does not mean perfection. I know I am strong, but I mess up in ways that frustrate me to the core.

Just this evening I had a hard time catching the ball at rugby practice. I know I let my cerebral palsy programming take over waiting for the ball and wondering if I was going to catch it instead of flat out willing myself to catch the ball. I can use positive energy to catch the ball, but instead I let myself slip back into old habits.

I compounded the problem by getting mad at myself. I know better then that, but I got caught up in the moment. I couldn’t see the blessing in the moment, but I see it now. I know I will be hard at work in the Lakeshore Fieldhouse today because I messed up so royally. I expect my next tournament to be my best to date. It will be in part because of the mistakes I made tonight.

Evolution did not happen over night and neither does true strength. Having a truly strong mind is a long time commitment that is worth it in any way you can think of.

Are you strong? Do you want to be strong? It’s all up to you. Choose to be strong. I promise you its worth it.

Thanks for reading!
Chris

Shine Some Light on It

2009-03-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I was up in the wee hours. I only had one light on in my bedroom and the rest of my apartment was dark. As I was leaving the bathroom in semi darkness I flashed myself a quick smile in the mirror and freaked myself out.

I had some major self esteem issues growing up so I never thought I looked good at all, but even in that storm of self doubt I always felt I knew how to present a good smile, which allowed some of my genuine nature to shine through. This long standing belief being challenged is why I became so uneasy in the early hours this morning.

The smile that was reflected back to my eyes did not match what I have come to expect. My smile looked so fake, glassy and posed. It bothered me to the core. I asked myself has my smile changed? Have I changed?

Then I realized that my smile did not match what I have grown to expect because my face was so poorly lit. There was only direct light on half of my face. I was not seeing a clear picture because I did not have enough light to see properly.

I think this happens a lot in life. At times, people are too quick to judge and you never really know if you have enough light for the situation. First impressions can be misleading, a social butterfly could become Debbie Downer if her cat just died that morning and that happens to be the day you meet her for the first time.

This is not just a case with people; it is also the case with situations or decisions. Ask the universe or God to shine light to get a full perspective. The light will grace your situation.

Learn from my mistake. If you see something that you don’t expect make sure there is enough light to get a clear view of what is going on. If you conclude there isn’t enough light turn another switch on. If you can’t find another switch have faith that it will appear.

Light is like love, we can always find more, but we might have to wait for the sun to rise.

Strive to look at things from several angles and have confidence in your observations when it feels right.

We are all wonderful! Sometimes life tricks us into believing lies, but I challenge you to have the faith and courage to smile anyways.

Get your cameras ready. Make sure the flashes are on and smile big!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Brain Poppings Test Run

2009-03-10T01:45:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody! I wrote pretty much the whole day today through a combination of emails, USQRA work, and a targeted piece that won’t be on the blog and many random sentences here and there.

I really wanted to share something with everyone, but a regular piece just wasn’t going to happen. Some days I start lists of ideas. Sometimes they are useful sometimes they are not, I thought why not share them with my readers and see what they think.

The late great George Carlin had sections in his books entitled brain droppings. They took on a very similar format, but I don’t like to think of my wonderful gifts from the universe as waste, so I changed the title up. The first half is thoughts I have been pondering or ideas that just popped into my head. The second half is quotes that have caught my attention recently.

Brain Poppings March 7-March 9

The most any person can do is speak and act on his or her truth. We would be able to accomplish so much more in this world if we just embrace what really is rather then guessing what the right answer is. The truth is always the right answer.

I read in a recent Joel & Victoria Osteen electronic devotional that said a new study concluded the average young child laughs 200 times a day. The average adult only laughs 4 times a day.

- Sign me up for preschool for the rest of my life. :) I challenge us to raise the average today and everyday. Decide to laugh 5 or more times today.

- Why is it considered mature and cool to keep joy inside while people outwardly complain about the Mun-days and how tired or sick they are as an acceptable convention of society?

Call me a geek if you want, but I’m happy and I know it. (Clap. Clap.)

You have a lot more time to observe the landscape while pushing up a hill when compared to pushing on flat ground.

You always control your mind. Don’t waste any energy wondering “what if”. Know you will be successful.

“It is always about the number of times of you get up; it’s never about the number of times you fall down.” -Modification of famous multicultural proverb.

Love BIG goals and embrace them. They will make you better even if you don't reach them exactly.

Outside forces are never the challenge. Being your best is the ultimate challenge and we can do it when we set our minds right.

Before we can eat a great meal, we must set the table. Enjoy setting the table and be thankful for your hunger being satisfied before you get to eat.

“I’ve got a plan, I gonna find out just how boring I am and have a good time.”

-John Mayer New Deep (One of my favorite songs of all time.)
I interpret this to mean don’t worry about being cool; just be happy.

“You can turn off the sun, I’m still gonna shine” -Jason Mraz The Remedy

“It’s takes a hole to make a mountain.” -Jason Mraz Life is Wonderful

“To be a prisoner of something means to always be attached to it. Be a prisoner of hope.”
Joel Osteen

“There comes a time in everyone’s life when all you can see are the years passing by and I have made up my mind that those days are gone.”-Rascal Flatts I’m Movin’ On

“I can’t sleep, I’m dreaming way too loud.” -Eli Young Band So Close Now

“You do know that any time you decide you want to be different you can just start, right?” - John Mayer via Twitter March 1st 2009

I hope you enjoyed this experiment. I would like to do this more often because I feel sometimes having the nuggets of inspiration without any further details could be most helpful. Please let me know yeah or nay.

Thank you so much for the continued support! Thanks for reading
Chris

Family Is . . .

2009-03-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

Today is a pretty big day for me. I went to my local bookstore and bought the book where my first published story resides. If you want to see it as ink on paper look for the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Twins and More Edition. My story is #58 The Triplet Raised by Wolves on page 200. If anyone just wants to see it electronically send me an email at chris.rathje@gmail.com and I will send it to you.

I think my story looks at the idea of family a little differently then the norm of blood relations. Is this a new idea? No, but somehow I think it is more acceptable in today’s American society. The idea of family has shifted in so many ways.

Every person on this planet has billions of brothers and sisters because we are all in the giant family of human kind. My simple advice is approach everyone in a loving manner and make sure to be there for the people who have been there for you.

It is a simple idea that rings of beauty and truth, but it takes patience and a moment of pause to understand, forgive and accept everyone.

Know that family is about experiences and loving actions, not just who you share genetic material with. You don’t have to be a Rathje or a Nagel to be my relative. Have your arms open to accept the wonderful people that God places in your life. Nine years ago I didn’t know I would have brothers with the last names of Perkins, Taylor and Smith, but I do.

Thank you to everyone that contributed to this dream. This is just one step on a long journey. I must take a moment to really cherish and appreciate this accomplishment because I sometimes forget to enjoy the smaller steps on the big journey.

Can I ask a favor? Can we all take a moment to let out a laugh or put a smile on our face?

After all we are one big happy family who will make this world a better place. Let the labels go and just follow the love!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Hug It Out

2009-03-07T00:25:00.000-08:00

I am starting to write this at 12:30 AM. Unlike most of my owl like writing activities I want to go to sleep, but I won’t be ready until I have written and posted something.

I hit a wall big time last week. Hurt my back after a missed transfer and literally made myself sick from worry about the book. I have the sunshine of the universe and a big happy God on my side, but they don’t always eradicate gremlins that might lurk somewhere deep inside.

So many of my issues have been dealt with in the last few years, but nobody is perfect. Long time worries, fears and negative beliefs create unwelcome visitors in our brains. They can take on any image you wish, but I was taught about thinking of them as goats or gremlins.

In many societies around the globe we are taught to fight or run away from our problems, but the key is to hug our problems. Accept that goat as part of you, love it and someday soon it will just go away. If the problem is in the dark ask for light and surround it with the purity that is given to everyone.

We can overcome anything if we set our minds right. It might not happen when we want, but the concept of time is overrated. No need to hurry to worry. Have the courage and conviction to see past the 3D world and know that our dreams will come true if we keep faith and take the actions to make them happen.

At 27 I feel so immature and simultaneously mature for my age, but whose norms am I subscribing to on this topic anyways?

I honestly feel like a four year old at times because of the way I get shear joy out of the simplest things and I have no problem sharing it with anyone that will listen.

This proud part time preschooler is starting to learn the power of hugs. A four year old will enthusiastically hug anyone. Could we take a lesson from this?

Think of a world where we can accept everyone and anything inside of us. Utopia is not the goal, but growth is. Love is the key, one hug at a time.

Thanks for reading
Chris

We Always Control Something

2009-02-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

It has already been documented that I was up in the wee hours of the morning today. I strongly believe one of the reasons I couldn't sleep was because I was meant to see a Tony Robbins infomercial somewhere around 4 a.m.

I know Tony is a gifted man who inspires many. He said something on the infomercial that sparked this idea. Tony said that the reason people accept circumstances that they don't want to is because people are concerned with uncertainty.

This made me think, sure there are many things that are uncertain in life, but we must remember that we have some level of control in everything we do. No matter what is going on in the environments around us we always control our thoughts leading up to and during any situation. Also no matter what occurs in the outside world we control how we react to any stimuli.

I have been so blessed in recent years to be released from so many of my shackles of fear, but I'm still human. One area where I still encounter fear and uncertainty is my driving. As I've written previously, the stoplight before I go on to Highway 31 has driven me bonkers at times. The last time it did this I wrote about it. Here is how the situation broke down when you discuss elements of fear, uncertainty and control.

The Fear: I felt nervous just sitting at the stoplight. This nervous feeling really boils down to fear due to traffic whizzing by me while I sit in the car on a declining hill.

The Uncertainty: The unconscious thought I was having while sitting at the stoplight was I hope my brakes keep working while I’m sitting here with traffic driving by.

The Control: I know my hand is safely on the brake and I control the car. I can be patient any other time so I just need to calm down and be patient at the red light. When the light turns green I know I can safely make the turn.

I hope everyone can see how the process can be broken down to fit any situation and eliminate fear. I am sure there is someone saying there are situations where we have no control because so much ambiguity exists.

My answer to that is we can always control our thoughts and that makes a difference. Expecting to fully control our lives might not manifest instantly, but I challenge anyone to realize how much control they do have and make some momentum towards your dreams today!

Thanks for reading
Chris

This is What I Think About at 3 AM

2009-02-26T01:03:00.000-08:00

I am working on about four different pieces that are in different stages of development. None of these are ready to share, but this simple thought is.

When we have nothing in a certain part of our life, something will do.

After enough somethings only the right thing feels like the proper path.

Many stop after one something or another because we grow weary or get scared.

I pray anyone who reads this has the courage, vision, and fortitude to make the right thing happen for his or her journey.

Your gut will lead the way and mistakes are bound to happen, but accept those beautiful lessons and keep moving forward!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Strolling Down a Familiar Street

2009-02-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

I have come to a point in writing Don’t Be Afraid to Eat Soup with a Fork where I have put together an outline and I am trying to figure out how the bricks fit together and what additions need to be made. I am toying with the idea of adding a section about reviewing the basic lessons we learned as kids.

A wonderful episode of Scrubs reaired last week entitled my ABCs. It is a great example of how much more we can enjoy our tomorrows by reviewing the simplest lessons of yesterday.

The basic premise of Scrubs is that it tells the tales of what goes on at Sacred Heart Hospital through the eyes of the main character JD. JD often daydreams, but what made the daydreams of this episode special are they included Muppet characters like Oscar the grouch, Grover and Elmo. This back to basics, Sesame Street inspired episode had three main lessons to ponder at the end.

Always play nice

This is an easy lesson to remember and understand, however the practice of it can sometimes be difficult. I try to keep in mind that no one else controls how nice I am to them. I believe karma has a way of rewarding people who are consistently nice. Sometimes the rewards do not come instantaneously, but they do come to those who learn to share the sandbox well.

Always try your hardest

Again so easy to understand, but sometimes it is much harder practice. I think sometimes people slip up because the bar to try your hardest is not set there by society or some other outside force, but I challenge anyone to set the bar as high as they possibly can for themselves. I think we all have an inner sense of when we are trying our hardest and when we are not. Another reason sometimes people don't put their all behind something is because they have failed so many times before. Believe me; it is always about the eight times you get up. It is never about the seven times you fall.

It’s okay to cry

This is personally the hardest lesson for me. Many times I force myself to be happy when I'm really not. I think it is important to recognize when you are feeling sad and to cry if you feel like crying. Do what you need to do, and recognize that crying can be a form of love and happiness. When the tears have dried up it is time to play nice and try your hardest again!

Never underestimate your ability to learn something important from any source.

Thanks for reading
Chris

A Quick Thought on Building

2009-02-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

I was writing an email today and this organically came out when my fingers met the keyboard.

“I understand Rome can’t be built in a day, but it can’t be built until construction is started.”

To expound on this, take hold of the dream you hold most dear and move towards it today. Even if you have no idea what direction to go, write down the goal confidently and the path will illuminate itself with time and effort.

Focus on today, enjoy today. Put joyful effort towards today’s step on the path or today’s brick in the coliseum. Sleep easy at night eliminating fear so you can take one more step or make one more brick for tomorrow.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Some New Rathjeisms

2009-02-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

My friend asked me to write something up for him. In the process here are some lines that just came out of me. They are gifts from God and if anyone can find any use out of them, I consider that to be some cool beans. (Thanks Frog for that saying!)

The way to succeed in life is to have the courage to aim high and to keep enthusiasm to keep fighting towards your dreams even if the road to success is not a straight line.

Stay positively vigilant with your thoughts, if you keep a great attitude regardless of your surroundings the winds of chance will eventually blow in your favor.

Fighting is not about gritting your teeth and pulling your self through every moment. Instead have a smile on your face and charge through any difficulty that might arise on your journey. The key is not to curse the difficulties in life, but instead be thankful that you have the strength to overcome them.

The right path will illuminate itself if you follow your dreams, stay positive and work well with others. The shadows can be long, looming and confusing, but believe in the power of light. No matter what, expect to see it!

Haven’t done a piece like this in a while, I hope it finds you well.

Thanks for reading
Chris

My Highway 31 Theory Revisited

2009-02-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

I can see Highway 31 anytime of day right outside my front window. The speed limit of the cars zooming by is supposedly 40 miles per hour, but when I am sitting still it seems so much faster. At times, nothing brings me more apprehension then sitting at the long red light waiting to make my left hand turn on to Highway 31.

I wrote a piece several weeks back on Highway 31. I am proud to report I have grown so much in a few simple weeks. I understand so much more about love, fear and how so many things in life are neither good nor bad, but I still found myself being nervous at that darn stoplight today.

Here is the process I found myself going through today:

I recognized that I was feeling nervous sitting at the stoplight today.
-It is pretty hard to fix a problem unless you know it exists.

I asked myself why was I nervous.
-The universe shows its beautiful ways when we have the courage to ask a question, it might take some time, but the answer will come to us if we stay positively vigilant with our thoughts.

I listened to myself ask the question and I was able to break down a cloudy confusing question down to some simple points.
-First I have my hand firmly planted on the brake so I wasn’t going anywhere. If I am firmly in my location there is no need to feel apprehensive even if cars are whizzing by me and I am sitting on a hill. Second waiting doesn’t bother me much any other time so I shouldn’t let it bother me now. When the light is red I just need to patiently wait my turn. When the light is green it is my turn and I can handle that too!

Even though this is based around how one certain intersection and I do not mesh well I hope others can see that the lessons learned from this simple situation can be applied to other things that happen in this beautifully odd dance we call life.

Something happened today at the stoplight that I had never experienced before. The wind was blowing quite hard and the lights were slightly swaying back and forth. I used this visual as a reminder how the winds of chance are always blowing no matter how simple or complex the situation is.

It is up to us through our thoughts and actions whether or not they will be winds of favor. We all have the power to make wonderful things happen, but it makes life easier when we expect those gusts to help us out.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Not in the Flow?

2009-02-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

I have so many topics on my list of things I want to write about today, but the words just are not coming to me. Some might blame the prevailing grey skies that are looming over me. Some might call today “gloomy” or “bad”, but I am starting to learn not to label things. This is especially true when using such simple polarizing language like good or bad. Just how so few occurrences in life are black and white so few things are good or bad.

Even out of the worst situations imaginable like 9/11 or the Holocaust so much learning and love was born from the horrible suffering that millions had to encounter. The positive always wins out no matter what the situation. It accomplishes little to worry or complain about the present.

Take action towards the future you want to create today! Even if you can’t see any possible action you could do today, plan for the future. Write down what you want to accomplish in the future and write it in a way like you already accomplished it. It is one of those tricky things in the universe; believe your dreams before they happen, but be willing to let them go if they don’t come true.

I always try to keep the Garth Brooks lyric in mind. “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” Set goals today even if it feels gloomy. Because even if things don’t work out how you had them planned in your mind’s eye, you are still moving towards greener pastures.

Yesterday I had about twenty minutes to write two emails. Both emails were pretty straightforward, but I just slowly meandered into writing the first one and it took about fifteen minutes. The next email, even though it was of the same complexity level it only took me five minutes and I didn’t cut any corners. I created the goal with my mind and my actions followed through without even paying too much attention to the clock. This is a simple example, but when we can master how to take a step a long journey just became more managable.

So I ask again am I in the flow? I wanted to write and I did write; just not what I had planned for this morning. It is a good reminder to be thankful for God’s gifts even if it’s not exactly what you had ordered up.

Conventional wisdom says a great day is 72 and sunny, but without the base of a gray rainy day how could we ever have rainbows?

Thanks for reading
Chris

Humble Questions

2009-02-17T12:59:00.000-08:00

I have recently learned that in order to find answers to my questions I have to ask the questions to others and not just ponder them in my own head.

As a person who is not geographically connected to so many people I care about I frequent facebook. I am honestly fascinated when I read someone’s facebook status that says they are bored. This is because I get lonely or confused, but never bored. My mind is always full of thoughts and activities.

I just couldn’t get into a good flow for writing yesterday so this resulted in four ideas for writing topics as layovers from yesterday. By midday today two more ideas to write about had popped into my head and I’m not even including the idea I’m writing about.

This is such a blessing, but how do I calm my mind down so I can finish the book? I think asking is a good start, but I still have another problem. How do I write a book which is a linear object when all I see is circles in how everything is connected?

I am considering a choose your own adventure like format where people can decide his or her own journey through my thoughts. A fun thought for the day.

Here’s something to chew on for today. There are no hard and fast rules to life. Do what feels right to you and don’t worry about what “they say”. Go after your deepest dreams. Even if they seem impossible today, head in the right direction and who knows what all your tomorrows will hold?

For practicality and clearness of communication I will probably finish writing my book in a linear fashion, but isn’t it fun to ask questions? We can do it about anything at anytime! :)

Thanks for reading
Chris

Every Car in the Lot Has Damage

2009-02-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

My beloved Honda Element has many imperfections and the vast majority is due to its owner and primary driver. The Element has countless scratches on it because of the clumsy nature in which I get my wheelchair in and out of the car and several slips of the hand while I have the key in my hand resulting in me accidentally keying my own car. It also has some damage from a small accident I had in November.

I discovered a new blemish on Saturday when I realized there is a tear in my upholstery of the driver’s seat. By the size and shape my best guess is that the footplate on my wheelchair ate a chunk of the upholstery.

I think it is a natural reaction to be frustrated and slightly angry with myself for all the unintended damage I do to one of my most important and prized possessions. However I noticed something yesterday when I drove out of the parking lot. The big black truck that was parked right next to me had worse damage on its doors and bumper than anything I had on my car. As I drove further down the parking lot I realized the small tan car a few spots away looked like it had been in an accident too. It looked like there was a lot of paint missing and it had some damage as well.

People are just like cars, we all have our imperfections. It is natural for us to recognize our own imperfections most easily because we drive around with them everyday, but it is important to recognize the damage that exists from all angles.

Something that I find beautifully liberating is the fact that no one is perfect. Even if someone has the prettiest face or the perfect body, we have no idea what is going on inside of them. I feel this is why it is paramount to be kind to everyone. Your random nice words could be exactly what the inner mechanic needs and you might never know that was the catalyst for the repair.

On the reverse side have the courage to go up to the person that looks a little mentally slow, the person who has a constant frown on their face or even someone who is crying because you never know when a few simple words could start the ignition down a better road. If you try to go on a test drive of a damaged car and it just won’t start, move on and realize that the problem is with them and not with you. You will get rewarded for your attempt with future incentives that might not be easy to see in the three-dimensional world.

I am still trying to learn more about damage everyday. I have it far from figured out, but I humbly submit this for your consideration. I think it is important to accept the fact that everyone of us has damage, but only in the sense that we know where to tell the repairman where there is a hole in the upholstery. How will we ever know what to fix unless we see it first? The positive thoughts of God and the universe can repair anything! Most things we really care about are not quick repairs, but if we all keep faith the key scratches will get smoothed away one by one.

Even though I momentarily get mad at myself for the damage I cause my beloved Element, at the end of the day I am thankful for the journeys it takes me on and the blue book values of others will never be a concern.

Thanks for reading
Chris

A Day to Celebrate Love

2009-02-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

A holiday based around love is the most beautiful celebration I can think of. Love is the most important feeling in life. It is paramount to love yourself, love your dreams and love the important people in your life.

Something odd in society has happened where an anti-Valentine movement has arisen. Some media outlets will lead us to believe that it is some new phenomenon, but my hypothesis is this feeling and actions are as old as time.

What it really boils down to is jealously, which is fear based that we will never find the love which others have.

I know how horrible Valentine’s Day used to make me feel in high school and college. I felt like such a social reject with all the outward displays of affection that surrounded me.

I never got to experience a real valentine of my own, but guess what? No one made me feel that way I chose to buy into what society said about the day and then I projected feelings of inferiority on to myself because I lacked the ability to experience something on an arbitrary date.

Choose to love yourself everyday: No one controls how you feel about yourself except you. Remember your positive attributes and good deeds everyday.

Have you every known someone who rushes into a relationship just to have someone on Valentine’s Day? Don’t sell out yourself or your dreams to match some arbitrary date on a calendar. Make sure everything you choose to do is out of joy.

Don‘t let others’ ideas bring you down.

Have you ever heard of someone being uninvited from an event because someone deemed it couples only and single people weren’t allowed. I have heard of this and I think it is one of the rudest acts. Just because someone is single doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy good food or music. If you would be happy being surrounded by your friends whom all happen to be in relationships I say embark on the evening. If someone uninvites you that is their problem and you have better things to do to pursue your dreams.

Be Thankful

Even though I find myself single for the 27th time in a row on Valentine’s Day I am extremely thankful for the wonderful people in my life and the wonderful year I have had since we last celebrated cupid’s arrows and pink frilly hearts. I say all us single people should send out a prayer to all those who have found love over the last year and those who continue to embark on the journey of true love hand and hand that their love continues and grows.

I firmly believe if we stay positive while going down the path of our dreams the winds of favor will gust in our direction and true love is just around the corner!

Love is the most powerful and beautiful force in the world. I humbly ask that you find a way to celebrate everyday. Love is joy, passion, appreciation and compassion. Love is never fear.

Have the courage to love everyday and celebrate love everyday!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Friday The 13th: The Luckiest Day of the Year?

2009-02-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

I am not writing this piece because something remarkable happened to me yesterday. In fact, I had a rather typical day. Yesterday I did not encounter any black cats, broken mirrors or unexpected cracks in the sidewalk. I sincerely dislike the idea of Friday the 13th because it is a holiday based in superstition, which really boils down to being afraid to break some arbitrary rules.

As part of my belief that we can all recalibrate our brains for the better I ask that you never celebrate fear, eliminate instead.

One way to eliminate fear is to laugh in its face. If you look at the superstitions with fun and joy, then I say go after the celebration of Friday the 13th with full blast!

In full disclosure this kind of celebration does not come easy to me. I would not enjoy joking around about superstitions, but this goes along with the beauty of life. Everyone is there own radio station or beautiful color of paint. What works for you does not have to work for me. As long as we celebrate life each and everyday that is all that matters.

I am sure there are many people out there who think Friday the 13th is the luckiest day on the calendar even though conventional wisdom denies them that belief. The beautiful thing is we all have the ability to set the tone for Friday the 13th or any other day on the calendar.

Please remember you are the only person that controls your thoughts. Completely ignore society if it does not match your dreams. We can make the most out of each and every day because it is truly a present. If we all stay vigilant with our thoughts and follow our guts we never have to experience a negative circumstance again.

This does not mean we will always have things go exactly our way in the conventional sense; however it does mean that we can choose to not label things that happen to us as negative or bad. We can wash out negative thoughts like unlucky Friday the 13th and just go about our daily lives as we come one step closer to our extraordinary dreams.

Who knows? By the next time Friday the 13th comes up on our calendars we will have built up so much positive momentum and good fortunate we can all call Friday the 13th the luckiest day of the year.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Embrace the Shades of Gray

2009-02-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

Much of our society revolves around absolute questions of yes or no or either or, but most of the beauty of the world does not reside in colors of black or white. Believe me yes or no has its place; no computer would be possible without binary code. However, most of the beauty of the world resides in the seven billion shades of gray that are between white and black.

Most of the time absolutes like black or white are easiest to deal with, but usually the easy solution is not the best solution. It is easiest to cut something out of your life or fully accept an idea, but comprise, subtlety and openness to new possibilities are wonderful tools of the universe and mankind.

I have been thinking about the shades of gray for a couple months now, but watching one of my favorite shows in the wee hours of the morning brought me to the point where I had to write about the shades of gray today.

One of my favorite television shows is Friday Night Lights. It tells the story of a small Texas town where life begins and ends with football, however the show does a beautiful job of portraying tales of life and simply uses football and what surrounds it as a backdrop.

In the most recent episode I have seen, the head coach is having a real dilemma on who to start at quarterback. His two choices are the senior Matt, with vast experience and knowledge or the young gun freshman JD, who has some of the best raw talent he has ever seen. He does not want to crush his incumbent senior by benching him in the middle of his last season, but he also does not want to throw his young freshman into the fire before he is ready. As far as conventional football wisdom goes he has to pick one player or the other. However Coach Taylor creates a beautiful new shade of gray!

He decides that his two quarterbacks will alternate offensive series. His senior quarterback will run the I formation where knowledge and poise are paramount while his freshman will run the spread offense where his athleticism will shine through.

This is such an unorthodox strategy any opposing defense won’t know what hit them. Coach Taylor opens the door for new possibilities because he was willing to make the most of his resources and he had little care for what conventional wisdom says.

Have the courage to make your own shade of gray each and everyday! Decisions have to be made where yes or no questions have to be answered, but you do not have to hold on to that for every question.

Do what you want to do, be who you want to be and follow your dreams! Recognize the beauty in each shade of gray and realize we can paint more beautiful paintings in life when we have more shades of paint to choose from!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Go Pink Moped Go!

2009-02-12T01:22:00.000-08:00

I was getting into my car on Tuesday night when what did I see? (Can you guess from my ever so clever title?) :) A pink moped cruising down Highway 31.

This was during rush hour traffic and if the pink moped was capable of staying at the same speed of its four-wheel counterparts it was not showing off that ability. I could tell by the driving patterns of several other automobiles near the moped that they were annoyed, but that didn’t matter.

The pink moped was just safely chugging along to its countless possible final destinations for that evening.

I really enjoyed the sight of the pink moped because it reminded me of how I feel sometimes and it also taught me a valuable lesson.

There are times when I sense that some people think that I am corny or cheesy and I don’t fit into the normal traffic patterns of life. It has taken me a long time to get here, but I are certain I am being genuine and true to myself and its okay to be the pink moped on occasion or everyday if that fits you and your dreams best.

The last three plus years since I left Northwestern has been the farthest thing from typical I can imagine. I now realize though that this unique detour has reconnected me to a path of some of my earliest dreams that I never even meant to pursue after my childhood. Measurements like speed and age are all relative.

Don’t worry if your current position in life doesn’t fit with others’ traffic patterns. Do your own thing. Be the pink moped with pride! Follow your dreams, work hard and be good to others and the ultimate traffic cop will look after you.

Let the other cars honk as they speed past you on the short term, but a moped is just like a tortoise. Slow and steady does win the race! Let others honk their horns in disgust and zoom past you. Don’t worry about what the SUVs and sports cars are doing. The only gas mileage you need to worry about is your own. I can promise you mopeds are fuel efficient, you have so much gas left in your tank you can go anywhere you want to with fuel to spare for places you haven’t even dreamed of yet!

Thanks for reading!

Chris

Hi Everybody!

2009-02-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

My three weekends in a row of rugby tournaments have come to a close. I showed myself glimpses of my desired future playing well against great competition, but believe me I had moments of extreme ugliness that was some of my worst play in this or any other season. I move on and am thankful for the wonderful learning opportunities. I am also thankful that I have grown closer to my team.

I am very excited to be spending the next several weeks in Birmingham. It will give me plenty of uninterrupted time to finish my first book. God willing I will have completed my entire draft within the next few weeks.

I received word that Chicken Soup for the Soul: Twins and Multiples edition should be hitting shelves about March 10, maybe even earlier in some stores. My first published piece Triplet Raised by Wolves will appear in this book.

I have been writing a lot, but many of my ideas feel too nebulous to share. I promise to write a few things in the next several days.

As a way to close , here is s lesson that the universe works in mysterious ways. While on a flight a couple weeks ago I got in a trance and wrote seven pages handwritten. I was so deep into my writing I completely forgot I was on an airplane. This was an amazing occurrence to me because flying used to be my deepest fear.

I suppose anything is possible when we listen to our guts and are thankful for the gifts the universe has given us.

I hope this finds you well and we can continue to grow together as I hop back on the blogging horse!

Thanks for your patience with me.

Peace & Love
Chris

Live Your Life, Love Your Life

2009-01-30T18:42:00.000-08:00

Back in October and November I listened to the song Live Your Life by TI featuring Rihanna on a loop. I loved the general message of doing what you want with your life and being thankful for what you have. The song made such an impact on me I wanted to write a piece on it right after I heard it, but the words just didn’t come.

For the last 8 years or so I have believed everything happens for a reason, but life keeps telling me that fact with louder volume through my different experiences.

As I was trying to fall asleep about a week ago the phrase live your life, love your life just came to me. Life is wonderful, but love is paramount.

My wonderful friend Linda who has read countless items on positive energy and the law of attraction has taught me that one of two emotions lies at the root of every thought we have. Either we do things in love or we do things in fear. If we always choose love great things will come to us and I promise we’ll have more fun along the way too!

In a way that only makes sense in my brain I saw something on Monday night that has a different point, but somehow it works for me.

I was watching Inside the Actor’s Studio on Monday night and they had Conan O’Brien on as a guest. He said something that I continue to find even truer as each day passes.

When talking to James Lipton he said that there were many interns on Late Night. If they want to know how to be funny watch rehearsal and see how it all comes together at the very last minute. He expounded by saying something like “we don’t have any idea what we’re doing and it just works itself out.”

Mr. O’Brien continued with this idea, “as you branch out into different fields you realize how no one has any idea what they are doing in anything.” He used such entities like the stock market as an example.

Mr. O’Brien furthered stated that when we realize that we all have no idea what we are doing, we all have a choice to make either you allow this to terrify you or liberate you.

Always choose love and liberation! Realize that fear will exist, but we must embrace it like a scared child and keep moving forward.

I am still learning about this myself, but expect a section on love and fear in Have
Courage to Eat Soup with a Fork.

Thanks for reading!
Chris

My Swiss Mistake

2009-01-24T19:32:00.000-08:00

I’m currently having a blast at the Knock ‘n Roll wheelchair rugby tournament in Lake Worth Florida. I was very blessed to get an opportunity to play against the national team from Switzerland on Friday.

On the first possession I was in the game I learned a valuable lesson that can be applied to life.

My teammate Bob inbounded the ball to me and I took off down the court. Without going into great detail, I successfully crossed half-court, which in high-level games like this has been a difficulty for me in the past.

I got a few quick pushes and then went blind to the right side of the court. I only saw one very good defender between me and the goal. My ego got the best of me and I tried to make a one-on-one play. It all kinds of blurs together, but there was a collision where we fought for the ball. I ended up getting the ball back but in the process I went out of bounds and caused my team to lose the ball.

I learned a valuable lesson in that one play and it can be applied to life.

My problem was rooted in my improvement process and shortsightedness.

Going over the half court line is a much different endeavor in wheelchair rugby when compared to wheelchair basketball because of the rules that say who is at fault if you are to go over and back across the half court line.

This is a situation that I had a very difficult time interpreting, up until a few months ago. I was so proud that I calmly got across half-court, I zoned out into a mode where I felt it was all on me to score and I would accomplish my goal.

I do not consider myself to be a selfish player, but that was a selfish moment.

It is a good reminder how both rugby and life are team sports. Trying to score the goal with a flashy one on one play is like trying to accomplish a goal in a more challenging and brash manner. Many times if you calm down and take it one step at a time you can accomplish your goal just the same. You may not get all the attention, and it might take a little longer, but you can accomplish your goal all the same.

Some of the other things I learned are:

1. Just because you make it one step further down your path, don’t go two or three steps ahead when you’re not ready.

2. Keep your eyes open to the right side of the court. Just because you see one path to your goal doesn’t mean others aren’t available.

3. Remember life is a team sport. We can all achieve more when we use the help of those around us.

4. As we all continue to follow our dreams, the speed of the game will increase and raise our heartbeats, but we must have the mental strength to stay calm and use the same fundamentals we learned earlier on down our paths.

I hope others can benefit from my international blunder. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such greatness and I honestly cherish my mistake.

If you find yourself struggling in an area that you really care about, take the time to love the activity and eliminate fear from the equation. If you embrace your mistakes and learn from them they are just steps on your path to your dreams.

Thanks for reading

Chris

We Are All Dragon Warriors!

2009-01-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

I had the great honor to watch Kung Fu Panda on Tuesday. Once again just like Meet The Robinsons this animated film had so many wonderful lessons about life.

First Po never gave up on his dreams. He was determined to see who the Dragon Warrior would be so he tried time and time again to get a view of the ceremony. He would get a small glimpse each time he tried, but then his view would be blocked or some other aspect would thwart his plan. Then he took the action to make the firework chair, which blasted his reality into his dreams and beyond.

Later on in the movie Po is asked by the masters why he is staying to train. He is doing so poorly, he’s failing miserably at his attempt to learn kung fu.

I can relate so much when Po says something to the effect "the reason I stay even though it hurts so much to fail is because it hurts so much more to be who I am when I don’t try to be who I want to be."

I have been blessed to be involved in athletics since I was nine years old, but a in my four sport journey through my life I have never been great in the way I want to be in the last 18 years. It hurts me so badly to not manifest what I want to be on a consistent basis. I see very small glimpses of the possibilities during eight minutes in November, four minutes in December or some random 15 seconds on any given Tuesday or Saturday, but for the most part I am so disappointed in myself. However I have faith that I am going down the right path to find my firework chair that will blast me into a reality beyond my wildest dreams.

We are all capable of this, but we must have faith in our thoughts and beliefs. We all have dragon scrolls to use, our brains! Positive thoughts can make small intermediate impacts right away and as you continue to go down that path the momentum builds and builds.

Here is a small example of the power of thoughts. When I am home in Chicago I think nothing of it when it’s 20°, however when it hovered somewhere in the high 20s in Birmingham I felt so cold. Then I thought to myself why am I cold? It is so much warmer than 0 like at home right now. I instantly felt warmer when I thought of how lucky I was and that put a smile on my face.

We all have the capability to go after our dreams or change our current outcomes by thinking positive thoughts and having the courage to love everyone around us including ourselves. If you’re chasing a dream and things don’t seem to be flowing right even though it is firmly planted in your heart find a way to heal what is bothering you and keep pushing forward.

In Kung Fu Panda they struggle to find the one dragon warrior, but there is no struggle because there is no need to limit. We are all Dragon Warriors!

They also say in Kung Fu Panda that "there is no secret ingredient" and even though I understand their point I think belief and love are amazing secret ingredients. Anything is possible in this world if we surround ourselves in an environment where everything is possible and we are all connected together as one loving family. Sometimes the choice of love does not result in immediate positive outcomes, but if we all have faith to stay the course the fruits of our labors will be immense.

Thanks for reading

Chris

Going Off the Grid

2009-01-21T00:38:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody

I just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow I am going to Florida for the Knock ‘n Roll wheelchair rugby tournament. I'm sure I'll be able to find wireless somewhere but just in case I wanted everyone to know what’s going on.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I have made the decision to focus less on the website and blog so I can work more on my book. I have been busy making bricks, but now it is time to work on the structure and how everything will fit together. I am proud of my new house, but I must work on it considerably before it is sound enough so I can have visitors.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I have made a revision to the title of my book. It will now be called Have the Courage to Eat Soup with a Fork and Other Lessons from the Gut. I want to have as much positive language in my writing and other communications as possible.

I will try extremely hard to still write often on the web, but it will no longer be my first priority. I have a couple pieces that I have not shared yet and I will not hesitate to make links back to some of my better work. I am sure new things will pop in my head and my gut will tell me to share them with the world, but I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page.

Thank you so much for reading!
Chris

Inauguration Day!

2009-01-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

Today is a very exciting day for the United States of America and the rest of the world. Today we welcome the administration of the 44th president of the United States of America, Barack Obama!

I’m extremely excited for the Obama era to begin and it has very little to do with politics. President Obama understands community and love that in a way that will allow this to be a time of transcendence in the world. He is blessed with the ability to inspire millions and he also realizes that inspiration without action has no value.

I have been impressed by President Obama since the Democratic National Convention in 2004. In spring 2006 than Senator Obama gave the commencement speech at Northwestern University. I was no longer on campus because I graduated early in December, but I downloaded the Senator’s speech on that day. I was so impressed by what I read that document has stayed on my desktop screen for the past 2 ½ years.

I have wanted to write about the inspirational abilities of the President for a long time, but I was apprehensive that I could not do him justice and I still feel I have not digested everything I need to in order to say exactly what I want to say.

I promise an extensive piece on President Obama and connected issues when the time is right.

Until then please realize that even though today is a special day in history, citizens of the world can build whatever we want any day.

Peace and Love on a monumental day!
Chris

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Beers

2009-01-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to my Uncle Ralph. He sent this to me in an email today and I think it is great. With the forwarding nature of emails and the Internet I have no idea who the orginial author is, but he or she is a wise person and should be commended. The only editing I have done is to make it easier to read.

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar he shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with an unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf ball first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked. The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend."

Please share this with someone you care about. I JUST DID

Thanks for the wisdom Uncle Ralph.

Thanks for reading everybody
Chris

Lets Move Mountains

2009-01-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to keep a list of all the different topics I would like to write about. My very creative title for it is “The List”. Even though “The List” is at record length right now I will not be addressing anything on it in this post.

This is because I was inspired today by a commercial that I saw for the first time today, which ran in Canada this summer. Aliant Commercial

It stars my friend Dave Durepos. I have been honored to call Dave a friend for the past eight plus years. He is a great player, but that's not the thing I admire most about him. I admire the journey he took to become great. Dave does not take no for an answer and he finds a way to make opportunities for himself.

Dave lives in a relatively isolated part of Canada where there are very few players close to his caliber. This means quite a bit of time alone in a gym practicing by himself. It was also hard for him to find games on the domestic level that are challenging for him. Dave found a way to get more playing time by rostering with American teams and sometimes taking up to three connecting flights to get to tournaments.

Dave will always have a special place in my heart for the way he mentored me in my late teens and early 20s. Dave understood life is a team sport before I could even fathom the concept. I know Dave led some cheers for me when he was sitting on the sidelines while I would get in during the final minutes of a game that had already been decided and all I would do is hit a layup.

Once during my sophomore year of college Dave and I were working at the same wheelchair basketball camp for junior players after not seeing each other for several months. During the breaks the counselors would scrimmage. We were on the same team for the first scrimmage of camp. After the scrimmage Dave came up to me and said you have improved A LOT!

The way that Dave said it I knew I had just crossed the line of being a good player in Dave's eyes. I did nothing special, I made a couple layups and set screens so Dave could do his thing from downtown, but Dave understands the power of positive talk and he instilled so much confidence in me.

Dave is not the only thing that is so inspiring about the commercial. The song that is playing in the background is called Believe by Suzie McNeil. I highly encourage everyone to check it out because it is one of the most inspiring songs I have heard in a long time. As the lyrics say “You can move mountains with dreams” and “You can get through almost anything if you just believe.”

Lets believe, have some fun and move those mountains so we can all get to our dreams!

Thanks to Aliant for bringing together the brilliant work of Dave and Suzie! It inspired me deeply.

I hope everyone has time to check out the commercial and the song. It is well worth it!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Please be sure to check out my new website chrisrathje.com Everything will be moving over there once I get word press blogging down.

Be the King & Queen of Your Life

2009-01-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

I came up with this analogy a couple of weeks ago in the wee hours while playing chess on my new buddy Mac.

When I was a kid I didn’t like chess because the different pieces had different values. I know this sounds funny, but even as a little kid I hated inequality. That is why I stuck to checkers growing up, however as I am maturing I enjoy chess more each day because over the last several years I realize that having different abilities is not equal to being better or worse.

Chess is so much like life. However to fully understand what I mean perception is the name of the game.

It is a sad truth that people misinterpret and abuse other people in life. I am fully certain this is not the default setting on human nature, but it happens. We all have many pawns in life which are moving pieces as we make the transactions of our lives. Problems only arise when one person interprets another person as a highly valued piece while the other person sees them as a pawn. Make sure that the people you surround yourself with see you as the knight or bishop you truly are. Everyone deserves to feel highly valued because everyone is.

We must always realize how much control we have in our own lives. There is no loyalty like self-loyalty. Remember everyone is their own king and queen on their chessboard of life. We are the queen because we are the most powerful piece and we are king because we are the most valuable piece.

This analogy made me think of the wonderful romantic comedy made a couple years ago called The Holiday. Even though it is a wonderful story about love I enjoyed the LA screenwriting neighbor the most. He instilled “gumption” in the Kate Winslet character and made her fully realize that she’s no best friend, she is a leading lady. Please remember we are all leads in our own lives. Go out in the world and get what you really want!

In the movie The Holiday they also say anything is possible when the Santa Ana winds are blowing. As far as I’m concerned the Santa Ana winds are always blowing.

No matter what anyone thinks of your value, remember that if a pawn is able to outthink and outplay its opponents to get all the way across the chessboard it gets promoted to queen the most powerful piece on the board. We can get anywhere we want to go in life no matter where we started as long as we keep moving up the chessboard of life.

Thanks for reading!
Chris

Party Clean Up

2009-01-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who attended my virtual birthday party yesterday. The beautiful thing about the Internet is even if you couldn't attend yesterday, you can still do it today.

First things first I'm sure plenty of you are wondering about the photo. A few weeks ago my dad sent me that photo and dared me to somehow incorporate it in my blog.

Even though some have said I am too deep for my own good this picture is proof I don't take myself too seriously. I think it is very healthy to be able to bust out the inner four year old on occasion. The last kid waving her arms up and down on the video yesterday inspired me to bust out the photo.

I had wanted to share with you my dream from yesterday, but I just couldn't figure out a way. So I guess when we're cleaning up the party is as good a time as any.

The last thing I saw on TV before I went to sleep was a piece on CNN about this great kid’s choir in Atlanta that is being invited to President-elect Obama’s inauguration. They were animated and extremely entertaining.

As I drifted off into dream world, these wonderful kids were practicing being led by a man in a suit who used cup crutches to get around. When the practice was over the leader joyfully walked home dancing and singing while he did it. What made this such an odd dream was he was walking home by using a major highway in which he was going the wrong direction. Somehow he was fine and happy even though cars were coming at him with incredible speed.

I just thought this dream was such an incredible metaphor. I think if we do the right things in life we are always being protected, but we don't always see it. He was so full of joy that the craziest of circumstances could not harm him.

The essence of life to me is to follow your dreams, work hard to make them happen and help out our fellow man. I strongly believe if we take care of those things we are constantly being protected down our path. This has been a gradual process over the last couple years, but I try extremely hard to label things as little as possible. A “bad” experience last month can be the catalyst for an experience beyond your wildest dreams next month.

As my party cleaning is wrapping up I would like to make everyone aware that my wonderful friend Benjamin Reece has directed a new fifty people one question starring the people of London. The question he asks in the London and Brooklyn video is beautifully simple and thought-provoking at the same time.

My answer would be: Right where I am and so many other places all at the same time. In order to know the question you should check out the video at fiftypeopleonequestion.com

I hope you enjoyed the party because I sure did!
Chris

It's Birthday Time!

2009-01-14T19:15:00.000-08:00

Hey Party People!

Guess what? It’s the 27th anniversary of my birth!

For a guy who likes to treat every day like a holiday in the past I’ve been really poor at celebrating “my day”. That’s over now though. I am celebrating right here and everywhere right at the same time through the power of the Internet. We are all so blessed to live in a time where communication and connections happen at the speed of a broadband cable.

My friends and family are dispersed throughout the world, which makes celebrations in the traditional sense difficult, but I say when tradition is impractical; innovate!

Welcome to Chris’s virtual birthday party. The party will not be televised however it can be found on a computer screen, a Blackberry or a piece of paper near you.

I wanted to write a nice fun piece that might resemble a party. The topics might not be connected just like when you talk to different people in a party situation however by the time it was over hopefully everyone had some fun and it was worth your time.

In an ideal world maybe something at the party sparked something inside you and we can use that light to brighten the world around us. If there is some extra light maybe we can use it to illuminate the candles on the virtual cake. :)

Every party needs some planning so I reviewed my wrap-up piece for 2008 again. I was extremely surprised how much of it I had already forgotten. I think this shows a major shift in my attitude. I used to remember everything and now I just let life flow and it seems to be working out so much better. I think it is important to be reading and writing our own life story at all times. Remember the past, but don’t live in it because you have so many more experiences that are left unwritten.

What is a party without music?

If there is a composer to my playlist of life it is definitely John Mayer. In a recent iPod upgrade I realized that 13 of the top 25 listened to songs is the work of my favorite lyricist from Connecticut. His words speaks so loudly to me and I am proud of the fact that I saw him play live in the same auditorium I had accounting classes before I ever saw any of his videos on MTV.

My favorite song on his most recent album is entitled In Your Atmosphere. For me it was one of those songs that I had to listen to for days before I understood what it was about. It is a song about lost love, but it also taught me a wonderful lesson in perspective.

The line that sticks out to me the most is “I don’t think I’m gonna go to LA anymore.” John sings the lyric in a way that speaks of sadness, which is totally understandable, but I think I’ve come up with a different way to look at it.

He could say I’m not going to LA anymore full of enthusiasm and joy. One connection did not work out, but that just means something better lies ahead. He doesn’t have time to go to LA because he has to visit others that are on his frequency all over the world.

I know my way is much harder, but having faith in the unseen reaps massive benefits. As I was reminded today by my wonderful friend Linda most of the time life is about what we feel and we don’t need to focus on labels or our two-dimensional world.

Trust the feeling, love the feeling, and live the feeling.

You better believe I am rocking out hard-core with the beautiful music that plays in my head. I hope you have time to celebrate with me by finding a joyful feeling and say a few thank yous for the unexpected blessings in all of our lives.

Those that come to mind over the last year include ownership of my beloved Element, what a wonderful experience Vancouver was in June, and my parents and I grinning ear to ear over the Peabody Ducks. Not to mention all the wonderful people that has assisted me in getting a forum for my new career and life.

What’s a party without some entertainment! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTif6Sz2PPQ

Keep it light, with the light of life! Thanks for the link Conor. Another special thank you goes to Gary, Crystal and Linda for spending my birthday with me in person.

Until we can meet again in person I hope you enjoyed this little virtual gathering I created. I am so blessed to have you all in my life and I am so excited that I just threw the biggest party I’ve ever had!

Thanks for attending!
Chris

Keep Moving Forward!

2009-01-13T22:07:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons and man was my night full of pleasant surprises. Back in 2007 when Meet the Robinsons first hit theaters I wanted to see it because I thought the animation looked great and I thought the dinosaur saying I have a big head and tiny arms was pretty funny, but man those reasons were selling this movie remarkably short.

It is a wonderful tale with a wonderful message regardless of the age of the viewer. It takes a refreshing and surprisingly profound look at “failure”, personal responsibility and the importance of beliefs, dreams and possibilities.

The movie also does a wonderful job talking about family and how we do not need to be bound together by genetics to be a family. This warms my heart because I know we are all in this together.

The movie closes with this wonderful quote that will stick with me the rest of my life.

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
–Walt Disney

As a person who has failed 100 times for every time I succeed it so rejuvenating to be reminded of the right path when the soup seems to be falling through the fork at record levels. The most beautiful thing is that movie can be shown to anyone and they can benefit from the message!

God and the universe have wonderful things in store, but we must keep moving forward to reap the benefits.

I am sure some are saying this is easier said then done, but believe me when I say I have been there many times over. At times the only thing I had to hold on to was faith in something better. At times, I feel I am far from my dreams, but no one can deny that I keep moving forward.

I would like to finish this post with a wonderful bible verse that has inspired me lately.

"By your endurance you will gain your life." Luke 21:19

Life is a beautiful journey with twists and turns we don’t fully understand, but to get to the success that waits for us down the path we must keep moving forward.

I would have never predicted the twist that came my way on Monday night. A Disney movie that I thought would be something light and relaxing ended up having a great impact on my life. Who knows what other twists and turns lie ahead for all of us, but we will never know unless we have the courage to listen to Walt.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Go to Denver!

2009-01-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

I watched Grey’s Anatomy Thursday and a simple line spoke to me very loudly.

One of the patients in the story had a medical condition that had gone undiagnosed for quite some time. This medical condition had been a major burden on her life and had limited her in many ways. As soon as she was diagnosed and proper medical care had been given she wanted to know when she could leave the hospital. When asked if she was looking forward to going home she responded “No. I'm going to Denver.”

She was determined to reconnect with a lost love. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this example of someone going after what they really want, I enjoyed the doctors’ response even more.

I'm going to Denver became their battle cry for the day that basically replaced seize the day. This concept made me grin ear to ear. I have no idea if this is human nature or not, but it is very important to me to keep things fresh and make up new sayings and other concepts all time.

I believe wholeheartedly that life is supposed to be fun and sayings like this reenergize me. Even when I'm going after my biggest dreams like the Paralympics and being published I need a kick in the hindquarters every once and a while and for some reason “I'm going to Denver” does it for me. Even if you don't like Grey's Anatomy be like JD and Turk from Scrubs and “go to steak night and eat it right!”

My point is there are so many ways to have fun in life and you do not have to subscribe to anyone else's sensibilities. Do what works for you so you can have more fun and get more done.

I know one thing that is currently making me quite apprehensive is the editing process for my first book. I haven't come up with the perfect battle cry for the situation yet, but I know I need to start assembling the bricks and figure out if I have enough to build my first house.

Please keep it fresh and get excited about every step in your journey!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Please check out my new website chrisrathje.com at some point in the near future everything will shift over to there.

Lefty is Taking Over :)

2009-01-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

I would like to sincerely apologize for not writing the last few days. I have had a myriad of things going on in my mind and I’m not really sure how many posts this purge of my brain will result in.

I suppose my most recent physical injury is as good a place to start as anywhere. I fell in rugby practice on Tuesday night. There did not seem to be anything particularly unique about the fall, but there must have been. I have fallen countless times during my rugby career without any consequences to speak of. When I returned to my apartment on Tuesday night I felt a slight pain in my forearm area, but I didn’t think much of it. I did not work out on Wednesday or Thursday and I was ashamed of that, but there was some pain and I was exhausted, sleeping at least 10 hours a night. I was so mad at myself that I was accomplishing so little.

In retrospect my body was telling me “ You’re not right, you need to rest”, but I was not listening. In blind love for the sport and commitment to my team I practiced on Saturday making my sprained wrist and whatever else is going on with my arm worse. This has resulted in some pretty intense pain and my left hand and arm being more useful than my right for the first time in my life.

I fully believe with God’s grace that I control my life and I’m trying to figure out what I did to cause this current situation in my life. Even though I am deeply within my own head on this one, this is what I’ve come up with so far:

1. I must listen to my body especially when it is telling me something negative.
I am trying to learn that just because I acknowledge and deal with something negative that does not mean I am creating negative things. We all must deal with negative components in order to receive the abundance that is awaiting us all.
2. The only way I could see the strength that exists in my left arm was to harm my right arm so severely. My arms work far from normal and my right one functions better because of the practice it has had as my dominant limb, but what my left arm has been able to accomplish in the last couple days has truly amazed me.

I hope this post has not been too self-indulgent. Please know I realize how blessed I am. There are millions of people who are suffering way more intensely than I could ever imagine.

My points are simple. Listen to your gut in the face of negative experiences, always look for the silver lining, and you will always surprise yourself when push comes to shove.

We must always remember a negative experience is just helping to provide the contrast for the wonderful things that awaits us down our path!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Opportunity or Obligation?

2009-01-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to anyone who has ever played college wheelchair basketball.

No matter who you are that simple question can be applied to many activities that we have to deal with in our everyday lives. Is having to drive your sick relative to the doctor an opportunity to spend time with them in a moment of need or is it a family obligation? Only you can decide what is the right answer for you.

I first came up with this theory when I was a student athlete playing wheelchair basketball at the University of Illinois. Is studying for that exam an opportunity to better yourself or an obligation to stay eligible? Is going to practice an opportunity to become a better player and person or is it an obligation to stay on the team?

Playing college wheelchair basketball and being a student is a unique and challenging task. I know I was exhausted for the vast majority of 2000 through 2004, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The experience made me tougher and more able to face life’s challenges after my days in Champaign were done.

I was once asked in grad school how I could possibly smile after several 80+ study hour weeks in a row. I replied “I get to sleep in every morning until 8!” I have a different view of the world thanks to getting up at 4:45 AM during my freshman year.

If someone finds themselves in the middle of this experience I would like to humbly submit some pieces of advice for consideration.

1. Always remember you are special and this experience is special. Playing college sports is a huge opportunity and playing wheelchair sports is extra special. You get to be around your peers in an unmatched way. This experience will broaden your horizons in immeasurable ways whether you are newly hurt or have been living with your disability your whole life. However this is not a given, you must be open to the opportunity and be willing to work for it.
2. Find a way to love your teammates even if you don’t always get along. I do not use the word love lightly. When you become part of a college team you become part of a family. Take the time and energy to get to know and appreciate all of your teammates. It is worth it in the long run and it will suit you well later on in life to be able to get along with a wide variety of people.
3. Always remember you are one team. Cliques are bad news and unnecessary, take the time and energy to reach out to everybody.
4. Look for the respect. I know things have changed in a few short years, but I know in my days we were frustrated by how little the university as a whole paid attention to us, but the respect was there. I was always surprised when I would get a complement out of the blue on how hard we worked from a football player who was a Big Ten champion or a college tennis All-American.

Take or leave my suggestions. I am nothing special. My career scoring total equaled great games for several players. I am still a work in progress, but look at people like Will Waller and Paul Schulte who made the most of their opportunities and now are All-Stars on all levels. They are great athletes, Paralympians and have wonderful careers that provide for their families. There is no big secret to their success. They spend the most amount of time in the gym and the office and they realize all the wonderful opportunities that have been presented to them.

I am one of the least talented people to ever put on a blue and orange jersey and I was on the verge of quitting at times, but one thing I never confused was what a wonderful opportunity I was being given by the universe. If I, a person with very little natural talent , can turn four years of being a student athlete into a masters degree from a world-renowned university and an opportunity to play for a legendary rugby program. What can you accomplish when you realize any time spent in a classroom or a gym is an opportunity and not an obligation?

Thanks for reading
Chris

A Quick Thought on Failure

2009-01-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

If you have modest expectations you might be lucky enough to avoid failure, but if you have big plans you are sure to encounter failure town at some point. Just because you have an unexpected detour does not mean your final destination has been changed at all.

I am writing this for myself because I hate that I forget that even though negative thoughts lurk in the shadows this is stuff I need to work through to get to the pinnacle that awaits me.

If anyone else can learn from my failures then that is a wonderful benefit.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Everyday Family

2009-01-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

I was watching the DVD of Definitely Maybe recently and the song in the opening credits that Ryan Reynolds is listening to on those cool wireless ear buds called to me. It sounded familiar, but it took a while to get my finger on it.

The song was Everyday People by Sly and the Family Stone.

This is a wonderful song that is an anthem for acceptance. I know that we are in an unmatched time of acceptance, but that doesn’t mean we can not strive to do better.

The words are so simple and make me think about the silly reasons why people choose to not get along or dislike someone. I am not a political scientist, but with all the sad things going on in the Middle East and other regions of the world we should start with ourselves and our relations at home.

We must tear down barriers in our own minds and get rid of garbage thinking that says any two people can not get along. We must always remember that we are all children of God. It has become much more commonplace to look past skin color and I am extremely blessed to live my adult life in the post Americans with Disabilities Act era, but there are issues we need to still work on in our society.

The first one that comes to mind is Prop 8 in California. When it comes to who we love, people must know that is planted deep in our hearts and we must go with our guts. When I was four years old I started to notice the pretty blonde ladies on TV. Nobody told me to like them, but man did I! I would even go up to the TV and give it a kiss because I liked what I saw so much.

No matter who you love, that is a gift from God and God does not make mistakes. If you live in a peaceful and love filled home, enjoy it and let your neighbors pursue their own dreams. I know when I was younger I would always try to figure out why two people who seem to have little in common got along, but I waste little time with it now.

In order to get to the level of abundance that we all have a right to we must believe in the highest possibilities for ourselves and everyone else.

You might not be able to figure out what bag I’m in, so let’s just accept everyone’s different strokes and say we are a family of everyday people.

May you chase your dreams everyday and find a way to accept more and more people every waking moment. We are all in this together!

God Bless
Chris

PS It is still a work in progress, but please check out my new website chrisrathje.com

Only In My Mind

2009-01-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

After many days of searching I finally found the quote from the Curious Case of Benjamin Button that allows this piece to be written. I am very excited to write this piece!

In the interesting world that is my brain sometimes things just make sense to me and they might not make any sense to anyone else. I hope I am able to convey why a nearly decade-old quote from a Dr. Dre song and a beautiful speech from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button sing in such beautiful harmony to me.

What cause I been in the lab wit a pen and a pad Tryna get this damn label off
Dr. Dre Forget About Dre

What the Dr. Dre line means to me is you don’t have to accept the label that others give you. Through hard work you can overcome any label. I always say that line to myself when I’m practicing by myself. Whether it is a Saturday night in Champaign or random weekday afternoon in the Lakeshore Fieldhouse I refuse to accept the label of inferiority. I know a greater player lies underneath and I must prove it to myself one pass against the wall at a time. No matter what your craft is you can get that label off one step at a time.

“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit... start whenever you want... you can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that stop you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”-Benjamin Button

When it comes to the quote from Benjamin Button I feel there is less to explain. The strength of the words does enough speaking I do not need to add anything to it. As a little view into my head here was my thought as soon as I heard the speech in the movie. Yes! Yes! Yes! This is exactly what I’m talking about!

Always push forward, always go after your dreams, refuse the self-limiting thoughts, find some way to get the spark and be brave enough to take action.

Those are a few things floating around in my head. I hope a new spark goes off in someone else’s head too therefore making the title obsolete.

Thanks for reading
Chris

A New Inspiration?

2009-01-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned in previous posts I have struggled with the word inspiration in the past. I took it to have a negative connotation, which I no longer agree with. I think inspiration can be a powerful word. It can be the catalyst for excellence and a dangerous word all in one. To me inspiration represents a spark, a thought, an idea, but nothing more.

I’ve been lucky to be successful in a few ways in life, but I have failed way more than I have ever succeeded. I believe a large part of this had to do with my inability to take action. I would come up with ideas, but I was so scared to make things happen. Throughout my life I figured out a way to encourage others, but I was my worse naysayer. I was also worried about offending people with my actions. It took me a long time to figure this out, but if someone has a problem with my actions based in peace and progression that’s their problem. I am certain taking action results in more success in life.

Therefore I would like to submit a new word for everyone’s consideration. Inspiraction: Take the spark that is currently inspiring you and make something happen, today. There is no need to wait. Even if you are just taking a step in the right direction, you are blazing a new trail! That is how dreams come true, one step at a time. If it’s planted in your heart don’t think about the step just take the step.

Inspiraction is just a humble idea but if it helps facilitate one dream than it has done its job.

Thanks for your consideration
Chris

Please check out my new home chrisrathje.com

The Thin Line

2009-01-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

It seems that in the last few days I have had many people come up to me or write me and tell me how inspirational I was. I know I push the optimism button like nobody’s business, but I just want to make sure that everybody knows I’m human too. I get frustrated and sometimes my thoughts are less than happy.

I was just commenting a few days ago how I don’t think I’ve really accomplished one thing I set out to do in the last three years except for moving to Alabama. Everything else I have failed at. I never gave up on any of my dreams and I’m pushing forward on the path, but sometimes the path can be treacherous, confusing and tiring.

I think there can be a very thin line between optimism, realism and pessimism. I would love to be able to tell you I never cross over in P Land, but that would be a lie and I don’t do that. Believe it or not I try to be realistic as little as possible. I want to do what’s in my heart, end of story and I know I can create positive outcomes with my mind and soul when the logical world tells me that is not the case.However there are times when I look at the feedback the universe is giving me and I realize steps towards my dreams aren’t happening. Sometimes I’ve been after things for so long I don’t even remember what Plan A, Plan B or Plan C even look like and with Plan X being up in the air and feeling even more unsure about plan Y I try to analyze what’s going wrong and before you know it I find myself lost in the creepy neighborhood of pessimism.

I’m not really sure what I’m saying here. Maybe I don’t have a full fleshed out point. However I’m starting to believe analysis is only useful to a point, then its time to go do something. And even if you are in pain, confused or sick of naysayers the white puffy clouds of optimism are still the best side of the line.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Big News! A New Home chrisrathje.com

2009-01-04T18:18:00.000-08:00

I am happy to inform everyone that chrisrathje.com is now up.

This is all thanks to my friend Brad. Thank you Brad for your encouragement and hard work for making this happen.

Please bear with me as I get used to my own site and word press, but I am trying to continue to push the envelope.

Thank you everyone for your encouragement. I do not feel worthy but I am trying to live up to it. The new site is all thanks to the generosity of Brad. It is proof that we are all a team.

I will be keeping both sites up for some time.

Thanks for reading
Chris

You Can't Make the Club in the Tub

2009-01-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

I was sitting in front of my computer yesterday afternoon and had ESPN on as background noise. There was a piece on there talking about injuries in the NFL. 99% of us do not need to deal with such physical difficulties as the massive injuries that NFL players deal with, but we all have our physical, mental and emotional wounds.

I have developed a certain kind of radar for phrases and other sources of inspiration that will allow me to communicate my thoughts to others. My senses were on high alert when I heard Chad Johnson say “You can't make the club in the tub.”

He was referring to players who focus too much on their injuries and therefore sit out practice or other activities to sit in the therapeutic ice tubs or hot tubs, but I think this can be applied to almost anyone in life no matter what kind of injury they are dealing with. We all must get out whatever our safe tubs are and strive for excellence by working hard in order for our dreams to become reality.

When it comes to injuries I think people make mistakes in both directions. Some people focus on injuries way too much and resign from a complete life while others do not take the proper time to heal and just keep chugging along never really figuring out what the problem is.

In my life I have been the later. Coach Frogley always warned me that life was a marathon and not a sprint, but like a dumb train if I see track I keep chugging. I've never had a better example than my recent injuries in 2008. I had a relatively minor injury that left ignored turned major.

Injuries of all kinds are a common occurrence because of the imperfect nature of human existence, but I feel certain any wound can heal if the person that is wounded wants it to heal. We must all find the beautiful medium where we nurse what bothers us, but we do not surrender to it.

If you find yourself with a major wound where a logical cure does not seem possible pray hard and believe in a cure. There is a whole way of thinking that is above logic. It is the dreams planted in our hearts.

Thanks for reading
Chris

It's Your Time By Joel and Victoria Osteen

2009-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Even though I have never met the man, Joel Osteen has been a great teacher to me through his words and broadcasts.

I am blessed to recieve daily emails from him. For the second time since I have started the blog his message speaks so loudly and perfectly to me I have to share it with everyone who reads the blog.

It's Your Time

Today's Scripture

“The vision is yet for an appointed time..." (Habakkuk 2:3).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

God has planted seeds of greatness on the inside of you, and He has predestined that those things in your heart come to pass. You may have had more than your share of unfair things happen in your life. You probably have plenty of reasons to just settle where you are. But understand, the depth of your past is an indication of the height of your future.
If you’ve been through a lot of negative things in the past, it just means that your future is bigger and brighter and greater than you can even imagine. It’s your time to step out and embrace all that God has for you! Are there dreams and promises that you’ve let go of? Are there things that God has placed in your heart, but because of time, because of disappointments, you’ve given up on them?
Today is the day to give your dreams a new beginning. Today is the day to allow faith to rise in your heart. Remember, what’s happened to you is not nearly as important as what’s happened in you, and you are stronger and wiser than ever before. It’s your time; it’s your season to move forward into the destiny that God has prepared for you!

A special thank you to the Osteens.

Thanks for reading
Chris

The Fun Crew

2009-01-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

I kept my mind open to meeting some great people and man did my theory of making new friends ring true today.

It started before I even got on the plane and met a wonderful couple named Nancy and Charlie. It turns out that Nancy swims in the pool at Lakeshore. We had never met before because she keeps mostly to the downstairs pool while I am usually upstairs in the field house.

I started my flight wonderfully just like any other Southwest Airlines flight because I didn't have to use an aisle chair. I could just transfer from my wheelchair to the front row. It makes life so much easier!

Most airlines do a great job of helping disabled passengers, but Southwest is king because they know how to deal with people of any ilk. If we can figure out a way to get along with anyone, we will all be very successful in life. This is the reason why I will take a connecting Southwest flight before a direct flight by somebody else if I have a choice.

Southwest crews are always the friendliest, but I knew this was a special crew with Emily’s warm greeting, Nancy’s willingness to talk sports and the bond I shared with Steve as a fellow Illinois alum.

This set the stage for one of my more fun airplane stories. After Steve questioned my Illinois loyalty because I said I root for Alabama because an Alabama victory makes some of my rugby brothers so happy I had to prove myself. After a dare to sing the Illinois alma mater I obliged complete with Chris Rathje rugby playing volume.

If it bothered anyone on flight 1756 I apologize, but I don’t mess around when it comes to my Illini.

It was a wonderfully typical flight filled with random bits of conversation, peanuts, Coca Cola, and me jotting down some random notes. The soda had soon done its job and it was time for me and the Coke to part ways. When I returned from the bathroom Emily offered me some hand sanitizer. I have made well over a hundred bathroom crawls in my day and this was the first time anyone offered me hand sanitizer. One other time someone offered me a Kleenex.

I relish the times when I eat soup with a fork and I do what needs to be done to live my life, but little acts of kindness like that makes it easier to remember I am not the only one who believes life is a team sport.

I have no connection to Southwest Airlines, but man would I like too! If there is one airline, heck one company, that understands what I believe in it is Southwest Airlines. Southwest crews know how to eat soup with a fork and they realize the party is everywhere.

It was a special flight filled with special people. Thanks Nancy, Charlie, Emily, Nancy and Steve!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Airport People

2009-01-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited to be writing my first post from an airport! After a short journey in Midway I located the accessible laptop station and I'm having a blast with my buddy Mac.

I love airports because they represent endless possibilities. They are the portals to anywhere in the world.

They are also exciting because within the halls of airports lies beautiful mosaics of people going about their lives with infinite purposes and possibilities. I'm always hopeful that I will run into an old friend or make a new one.

The only time I ran into an old friend that comes to mind is when we figured out that I would be leaving Birmingham within 45 minutes of when my former roommate and brother in life Rob was coming into town. When only one gate separated us everyone in the airport knew Robbie John had arrived!

I always hold out hope that I will run into another long-lost friend but it has not panned out yet. I convinced myself for a minute I saw a former classmate today in Midway, but after further investigation I realized the woman I came across was a couple inches too tall and had sadder eyes.

Regardless if I ever get another blast from the past or not, I love the friends I make like the man who worked for train supply company headed to China, the softball player headed back to Tuscaloosa or the friendly couple headed to Colorado.

Airports are also wonderful experiments in frequency. You can be remembered by the friendly ticket agent in Detroit or the friendly janitor in Houston and you can also be practically forgotten by a myriad of other people because of what people choose to tune in on when you meet.

It is an excellent reminder to send out your best to the world at all times.

My trip home, filled with family is over. It is now time to train back in Birmingham. I will see my friend the airport soon enough when it is time for West Palm and rugby to converge for Knock 'n Roll!

Headed to Bama like a freight train on an airplane.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Pieces of People

2009-01-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

As I continue down the path of my life I've come to the sad realization that no matter how hard you try sometimes people just fall out of your life. Sure there can be a dramatic falling out like the movies, but most of the time it is a subtle thing that happens over time. I know it is part of the natural aspects to growth and life in general, but I don't like it. I don't see why we can't continue to grow our families of friends under almost any circumstance.

I fully understand it is reality, but there are many times I have visions of a better reality where things continue to grow and get better and we adapt rather than disconnect. Like I've said before, when I was a kid I never understood many social aspects of life. I never understood the statement there is a thin line between love and hate. Under the vast majority of circumstances how can you ever hate something you once loved?

As I gain more life experiences I understand the statement, but I beg everyone who reads this to have the patience, wisdom and strength to be above this negative emotional statement. As we connect with people on a higher level, they have a deeper place in our heart and soul and when they leave our lives even under the best of circumstances a little jagged edge can create a very deep wound. I try extremely hard to always focus on the positive, but one area I have failed in recent months is when I think about once close allies who are nowhere to be found in my life. If I look at one of these people as a whole I start by remembering the good times, but I find myself going to a cloudy place that I'm not used to visiting.

A new technique I have adopted to gain the positive that is there is to break these special people into pieces. I remember their best attributes or the funniest stories and disregard the rest. I remember the time they got me out of that pickle, their ability to make me laugh so hard or the most caring, kind spirit I have ever known.

Even Chris the dreamer realizes he might never see a person again, but that doesn't mean the wonderful things you learned or experienced have to die. Have the courage to take those pieces and make yourself a better you.

I will be the first to admit I don't have this down to a science, but I'm certain it is better to try to be positive than to wallow in self pity or block somebody or something completely out of your mind.

Sometimes we want to hold on to the past because we think it was the peak of the mountain, but if we keep our dreams alive with a great attitude to work hard and help our fellow man there is a new peak waiting for us. There could be days of snowy weather or haziness ahead, but the peak is still there.

Lets go straight to the top!

Chris

Repaint, Retune, Recalibrate

2009-01-01T00:49:00.000-08:00

January 1st is a date where many people take stock of their lives. I know it is convenient and it has its own poetry based on the simple idea of new year, new you, but growing up I never understood new year's resolutions. I will readily admit I was a dimwit growing up when it came to social norms, but for all my lack of understanding I think kid Chris might have been onto something here. How we act on January 1 is no more important then February 17 or July 25.

All days are units of time and we as individuals and a society assign importance to certain dates. For instance, I assign importance to the date January 14 because it is the anniversary of my birth. Always remember we choose what we see, hear, and think in our minds. We can change it at any point. It doesn't have to be a clean even time like midnight; you can decide to mentally change your life at 8:53 AM any day of the year.

I haven't had the clearest or most positive thoughts the last couple days. I've been sitting thinking about how to solve some problems and instead of focusing on new solutions I find myself analyzing past failures. I lie to myself and convince myself for a moment that I am going through past failures to figure out a new solution, but if it was that simple I would have already figured out a solution.

Especially when it comes to big important complex dreams you have to step in faith. You have to think up new images you've never seen before, new melodies you have never heard before and new measurements for success you've never thought of before.

Being a bona fide dreamer is an honor and a privilege, but we must remember in times of evaluation or hardship we can't use mundane metrics or tools to help explain something only we see. Always keep the faith! If you fall down and have a bad minute accept it, but move on and refuse to have a bad hour or night.

You own your mind nobody else does. You control the paintings they get drawn there, the songs that get played there, and the metrics that get used there. If you fall back in the norms of averageness understand that we are all human, but you can decide to snap out of it with the beat of a song that nobody else hears or a new mental image.

We can change whatever we want, whenever we want. There are times when being brave and creative are not easy, but have the courage to be different because when your dreams come to fruition the challenging times will be looked back at as a fond memory.

We can achieve anything!

Chris

2008: Many Failures = Great Success

2008-12-31T19:11:00.000-08:00

I believe it is incredibly poetic that I started the year 2008 in front of my computer in Alabama and the final hours will be in front of a computer in my childhood home. I started the year unsure on so many fronts I thought it would just be easiest to stay in for the night as a subtle surrender to the crazy unknown world, however I end the year working on one of my deepest passions and 100% knowing I control my own life and I sit in front of my computer by choice.

In totality this year was so much more challenging and difficult then my greatest year of uncertainty 2006. In 2006 I had only one goal to move down to Alabama by rugby season. I was lost in a mind of confusion and self-doubt for much of the year. I applied for jobs in Birmingham and just sat reading, watching movies and working out, waiting for my phone to ring or e-mails to come to my inbox. Neither came because of my lack of action that was all tied into my low self-esteem. Thanks to the generosity of my uncle Ralph and aunt Trish a trail was blazed to Alabama in October of 2006. I moved 700 miles away and made a dream a reality. I do not think it was a coincidence that less then six weeks later the idea to write a book popped into my head for the second time in my adult life. I started writing, but by the time I had compiled 40 random pages I had convinced myself that no one cares about my college years and how I perceived them. Between November 2006 and November 2008 I started and failed to complete seven books. The books included two about college, a fictional character goes on his last road trip, a book about trying to figure out life, a fictional book about dating, a book I called Rathjeisms and a book about figuring out your new body once you have a disability. I just realized something, going with the biblical quote in Proverbs and the ancient Asian saying I fell 7 times before I rose to start writing Don’t Be Afraid to Eat Soup with a Fork And Other Lessons from the Gut.

My biggest failure this year was I did not qualify for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. In retrospect, I worked extremely hard, but I did not succeed because I wasn’t ready. There are so many things I am at peace with in my life that I never used to be, however training for the Paralympics was not one of them. Sure I trained 10-12 times a week meaning many days I would push up the hill to Lakeshore twice a day, but I did that out of fear of failing I did not do that out of faith. When the teams departed for Beijing in the later part of August a calmness came over me because they were on the plane and it was over. Beijing didn’t happen, but London will. A member at Lakeshore asked me the day after everyone departed if I planned to go to London. For the first time ever, instead of my typical response I hope so. I said I’ll be there! The path is still foggy because I’m not at the level that I need to be at for either sport, but I know I will get there.

I’ve never had much faith in myself, but it is growing thanks to a very interesting circle that has developed. I have a strong belief in God and everything good in the universe. I know a vast majority of my ideas are gifts from the universe. I wholeheartedly believe in my ideas. If God and the universe see it fit that I be blessed to be a megaphone for its glory, maybe I’m a better person then I have ever given myself credit. I’m 100% sure that this logic can be applied to anyone. All human beings are worthy and lovely creatures. Pump yourself up if you are down or bring yourself back to Earth if you think you are greater than others.

Outside of sports another weakness has been my interesting mix of social skills. With the dual purpose of getting the word out about my writing and coming to grips with my entire life I have sent out more e-mails and friend requests on facebook then ever before. In today’s day and age I realize there is no reason I must keep my thoughts to myself. If I think of someone or something there’s no harm in writing a paragraph or sentence to send out good energy in the world. As I have previously written, thanks to John Mayer, I realize life is so much better when you “say what you need to say.” I hope everyone out there figures out the best way for them to communicate and they find the courage to communicate freely. I cannot reiterate this enough, there is nothing special about me I just got to the point where I was fed up with aspects of my life and I realized it was completely in my control to change it.

When talking about friendship I find it very fitting to share with you my last sleeping dream of 2008. I entered a movie theater with some people, as we approach the seats they go to the last row of the theater rather than sit up front with me. I just kind of sit there baffled as I sit there alone. Before I know it the entire theater fills up with people many of which I do not know. As the last seat in the theater is filled, the movie theater morphs into a mini version of my favorite stadium in the entire world, Huff Hall. A pep rally breaks out and my greatest cheerleader for the past 8+ years my incredible friend Dave joins me in the front row and makes the entire crowd keel over in laughter thanks to the assistance of his large microphone.

This dream had some metaphors in it. Just like the ideas of frequency and music we should find people who like to sit in the same part of the theater as we do. It is most politically correct for me to sit in the front, but I want to surround myself with people who are not embarrassed by me dragging myself to the top row. Dave has done more fireman carries and other acts of sheer will to help me eat the soup of life then anyone. We all have our cheerleaders and people to sit next to but sometimes it takes patience and a willingness to go about your life pushing forward regardless of the circumstance.

Now it is time to thank my copious amount of supporters. The first thank you goes out to my guardian angels. I know I have many passed family members and friends who are looking after me as well as my man Brenden Foster as vessels sent to me by the universe.

I would also like to thank the wonderful people at fiftypeopleonequestion.com It has been an honor to get to know Benjamin Reece and I look forward to getting to know the rest of the crew in 2009 and beyond. This blog and my career would not be where it is without your influence. They are geniuses and their voice needs to be heard by the entire world.

Thanks to Judy Vorfeld, Daryn Kagan and the people at Chicken Soup For the Soul for being the first people to professionally believe in my writing. 2008 has also been the year of the virtual friend. I have made more connections without actually meeting people then ever before. Thank you our new friendships have been an honor and a privilege so far. Facebook continues to amaze me and I am excited with more people joining my group every week.

Thank you to my amazing Lakeshore family, my biological family, and my entire rugby family and all the other brothers and sisters I have collected from Lester elementary school, Herrick Middle School, Downers Grove North, University of Illinois, Northwestern University Medill IMC, Birmingham and this odd and wonderful dance we call life!

Even though I failed early and often in 2008 it was the greatest year of my life. This year I realized I 100% control my life. Speed bumps are a certainty, but that is our chance to prove we really want something. If anyone ever has a time of challenge, email me at chris.rathje@gmail.com I will do my best to help. We are all in this together!

Towards the end of 2007 I met a great young director named Jared Goodman. He asked me what I wanted to accomplish and I told him to get some real momentum going in my life. I knew if I became a more consistent person and believed in myself more I could become a force of nature. I joked there is earth, fire, wind and Rathje. I know together we can accomplish great things. I’ve come up with a new analogy. Lets all get on a rocket train together. Horizontally we can bust through anything that comes, like a freight train, and vertically we’re headed to the top in a way never seen before.

I’m really excited for 2009! In complete honesty I don’t fully believe in myself yet, but I do fully believe in my ideas. I have to succeed to show the blessings I have been given have merit. Lets all walk together in faith, belief and love to promote positivity one step at a time.

Thanks to all the faces in the crowd that have been such wonderful support and all those blank faces in my dream that I’ve yet to meet. We will sit together and make beautiful music with lyrics that anyone can do anything being sung often!

Thanks 2008 it has been a blast. Hello new friend 2009, the best year yet!

Thanks for reading!

Chris

The Big Ledger

2008-12-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

I came up with this idea about six years ago and it just popped back into my head out of the blue today. Nothing I will be talking about has any absolute nature to it whatsoever. These statements are all just ideas.

Digest whatever you like and if it helps at all, great. I'm sure most people are aware of the concept of karma, the idea of what comes around goes around and you cannot escape the energy you create. I know the law of attraction and similar ideas are absolutely true, but I've learned they don't work in a linear fashion and at times can be hard to predict.

From my own experiences and talking to several friends on this topic it is particularly difficult when you're good to a person or group and they betray that goodness with negative actions of some kind. In my younger days there is no question I did not deal with such situations well, but learn from my mistake and meet most actions with peace, calmness and positive actions.

As part of the condition of being human, petty actions happen all the time. Find the courage and strength to rise above it.

A few weeks ago I came across a beautiful song by Kanye West called Street Lights. Throughout the song there is a beautiful metaphor about faith, taking chances and possibilities that we don't fully understand. A lyric that is constantly repeated is "Life's just not fair" and after many days of consideration I agree with Mr. West. Life is not fair, but it is beautiful. In a fair system 2+2 always equals 4, but that is not how karmic math works. Karmic math is so complex we can't fully understand it, but we must have faith in it.

As I am putting together my next post, which will be my last of 2008 I have brought myself to tears a couple times this afternoon. I do not cry often, my eyes have been dry for the entire fall and winter, however I can't help it when I think of Brenden Foster. He was so much smarter then me and he didn't get the chance to be a teenager. I figure Brenden was so much better then us God needed him to work along side him in heaven

I don't understand God's big ledger in heaven, but I am thankful for the beautiful page I have been given. There is little question that Brenden's page did not balance, but it was one of the most beautiful pages in the massive book of credits and debits.

I ask that if someone wrongs you, let it go. Sing your song and ignore the interference. Let somebody greater then us do the accounting and focus on accumulating credits of good that make your dreams closer or helps your fellow man.

Lets start a new math together full of love and persistence!

Thanks for reading

Chris

Is That Possible?

2008-12-30T18:38:00.000-08:00

I had a great experience today. I had the opportunity to visit the neighborhood where I used to live during graduate school. My favorite extracurricular activity during those years was to go to this amazing movie theater right down the street from where I lived. I loved it so much because it is the only movie theater in suburban Chicago that gets every independent movie you can think of. I love independent movies they usually speak to me more. In about 15 months of living there I'm guessing I went to about 40 movies.

I had it down to a science that if I left my apartment 17 minutes before the movie was supposed to start I would be able to get in a seat in the theater right as the trailers began. The most interesting and adventuresome part of the 17 minutes was going up the escalator in my wheelchair.

If you would have asked me four years prior to living in Evanston if I could go up an escalator by myself I would have told you heck no.

Sometimes though peer pressure is exactly what the doctor ordered to change a belief for the good. I was a freshman at the University of Illinois and we were trying to catch our flight at O'Hare. Everybody else on the wheelchair basketball team was taking the escalator and I had no clue how to do it. I had to figure it out quick because no one was going to take the elevator with me. Many attempts over the next couple years would not have won me many style points but they got the job done. I'm not sure where that turning point was but at some point I became proficient and escalators became a preferred tool of movement in airports, train stations and my favorite movie theater.

At one point towards the end of my time in Evanston my friends Adam and Therese came to visit and we saw a movie. As we were leaving the movie theater using the down escalator a lady on a cell phone using the up escalator stopped her conversation in mid-sentence and said rather loudly "Is that possible!"

A 19 year old version of myself would have said that it is impossible. Many others have seen some of my maneuvers as impossible or dangerous. However I ask that we broaden Snoop Dogg's wisdom. "Don't put limits on your life" or other people's! If you see somebody in public do something that is out of the ordinary chances are they have done it before. Politely offer help or offer a silent prayer of encouragement, but please restrain from comments of discouragement.

I promise you anything is possible especially when you are willing to eat soup with a fork.

God Bless

Chris

Forgive Me for I Have Sinned

2008-12-29T19:29:00.000-08:00

I am very disappointed with my own behavior this afternoon. I ate a wonderful lunch at my favorite restaurant, but afterward I accomplished next to nothing. I was dragging after a hearty meal and sat in front of a computer not really accomplishing anything else the rest of the afternoon. I just clicked on this or clicked on that and determined I was not in a place mentally where I could discuss any of the big topics I currently had on my list.

It probably would have been wisest to just take a nap, but instead I wasted at least a couple hours playing mindless online games. Since starting the blog I've been very proud of my time management skills, but there's no question I sinned today.

Someone might be asking "Chris isn't that a little too harsh to say you were sinning just because you wasted some time?" It all depends on the definition of sin that you use and the perspective that you take. I humbly ask you keep an open mind while I examine the word sin.

When looking up the word sin in the Google powered dictionary the definition was simple "estrangement from God." However over the last several months thanks to Eckhart Tolle I have become aware of another definition when looking at the ancient Greek translation sin literally meant " to miss the mark."

Ever since God has blessed me with this blog I have had little to no missing the mark because I have big goals and I have sent them out into the universe. I've been so focused, this once huge NBA fan completely forgot the Celtics were playing the Lakers on Christmas Day because I was too busy writing between family functions.

I guess that's why I'm so frustrated I missed the mark today. I had no real reason except lack of focus and a little bit of self doubt that I wasn't ready to tackle some of the bigger topics currently on my list. I can understand the perspective that I was estranged from God because I was not providing productive work this afternoon, but in the grand scheme of things God knows better than us that we will sin. So I humbly ask aren't we being estranged from God when we expect ourselves to be perfect at all times.

My point is we must work hard to accomplish our dreams and that is why God ultimately wants, but we must also have the faith to miss the mark occasionally because that is all part of God's plan.

I hope I salvaged a less then perfect situation.

Thanks for reading

Chris

Far From Sparta

2008-12-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

Today I had the opportunity to see the movie Doubt. Meryl Streep's character was very compelling to me. There were many times throughout the movie she showed great strength.

My favorite line in the entire movie was something to the effect "In ancient Sparta whomever spoke the loudest won the argument, luckily we are nowhere near Sparta." The character delivered this line in a very calm and cool manner. Regardless of what other people were doing there was no question she was under control.

This quote excites me because it reminds me of my mission that peace, love and thought will always win out. We might live in a media age where the provocative sound bite is currency on some airways, but we also have the great privilege to live in a time where we have forums of publicly controlled discourse of the highest level and we control certain segments of the media in a way never before seen on this planet.

Always believe in calmness of argument, peace during disagreement and love for your fellow man because it will win out and allow us to all reach our dreams sooner!

Thanks for reading

Chris

Inexperience Is an Experience

2008-12-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to my amazing friend Denny Muha. I had the honor to play wheelchair basketball with Mr. Dennis for two years while at the University of Illinois. We bonded over our trips to the late-night cafeteria full of semi-philosophical conversations and a wide variety of Coca-Cola products.

As one of my last rites of living in Illinois I took a trip to Champaign about two weeks before I moved down to Birmingham in 2006. I had a wonderful time during the shenanigan filled weekend, but something Denny said during a mellow Sunday afternoon conversation has always stuck with me.

I was hypothesizing with Dennis about whether or not I had wasted my college years. I was a very scared kid in more ways than one during my college years. There was no question I was a driven person, but looking back I was more afraid to fail then desiring to win.

A perfect example is how I studied 16 hours over a weekend for my first ever marketing test. This was not a final just a regular test. Other than eating in the cafeteria I locked myself in my apartment for the entire weekend. I got 100% on the test, but could I have gotten 100 after studying for just 12 hours and then work on other skills during the other four?

When I had this conversation with Denny I was extremely concerned that my social skills were lacking in some way and going to a new place where I knew practically no one was daunting.

Denny was extremely wise in his response. He said something to the effect "Sure you didn't go to many parties and some of your skills might be unrefined, but your inexperience is an experience. You never know when something you read locked in your apartment three years ago could come in handy down the road."

A specific example does not come to mind but I know Denny's words are the truth. His wise words can be applied to so many lives. We can always attempt to rebuild a bridge with someone, but outside of that there is little we can do to change our pasts. Use what you know to make the best future you can. No matter who you are you have experiences so use them to push forward and make your dreams come true!

Peace and love to all my friends and a special thank you to Denny!

Chris

Reflections

2008-12-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

During my November 2008 visit to Memphis I had the honor to go to the Stax Museum, which chronicled the once famous musical label based in Memphis.

The last exhibit I viewed I believe was a special exhibit that was completely based around photographs. Many of the photographs were set up in clear plastic frames which allowed for something very special to occur in my eyes.

On one wall was a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. on a perpendicular wall was a picture of one of the first famous African-American disc jockeys. I apologize I do not know his name at the moment. However when I looked at the disc jockey's photo a very unique visual experience occurred, because of the frames it looked like you could see the disc jockey thinking about Martin Luther King Jr.

I'm sure this is not a stretch, I would bet the disc jockey thought of Dr. King often as he was also a leader and voice for the same group of people. I know I carry around many people with me everyday through my thoughts. There is no visual proof of it, but it is still a fact.

My point is simple. Never underestimate your own actions because you never know who is carrying you around in their head. As our legacies live on in the form of other people's memories don't we all want to be remembered for positive actions of love like Dr. King?

Thanks for your love, I love everyone

Chris

What Is a Disability?

2008-12-27T17:44:00.000-08:00

Even though I'm about to try to answer the question how I see fit. I also humbly ask the question to anyone who is willing to submit to the debate.

I have friends who do not appreciate the word disabled at all. For whatever reason it does not bother me. In general, labels don't bother me for the most part. I know I have my weaknesses in certain areas but this is not the forum for that discussion. Other people I know appreciate phrases like differently able, but that does not appeal to my sensibilities. Isn't every person on the face of the earth differently able from everyone else?

I know this is a inefficient, but I usually take the time to fully describe my circumstances especially for people I've never met in person. I always start out by saying that I use a wheelchair to get around. If further explanation is necessary I go on to explain my hands don't work so well especially in dynamic situations. In the rare case this is not enough I also explain I deal with balance issues and muscle spasms.

I rarely mention I have cerebral palsy to people who have limited disability knowledge because I have had some very odd reactions in the past. On multiple occasions I have had people tell me that I am lazy or there is something wrong with me because I can not walk. Strangers have told me they know someone else with cerebral palsy and they can walk, so I should be able to as well. Some do not understand that cerebral palsy is a very broad term.

Can't that be said for disabilities as a whole? My "disability" has given me so much. A short list of attributes includes a tenacious attitude, a wiser spirit and a passion for wheelchair sports that has pushed the rest of my existence on this wonderful planet.

I will freely admit I do many things poorly compared to norms. However I ask a simple question. Who is more disabled when washing clothes? A man who refuses to get off the couch and help or someone like myself who will offer the productive contribution of poor loading skills and atrocious folding skills anytime he is asked.

Food for thought. Thanks for reading!

Chris

Clear The Mind & Push It Forward

2008-12-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

I would like to dedicate the first part of this post to Yanik Silver, Steve Pavlina and Jack Canfield. I would like to dedicate the second part of this post to God and the universe to for continuing to inspire me with wonderful topics.

Clear The Mind

Right before Thanksgiving 2008 I was reading several pieces by the three previously mentioned authors and it allowed me to realize for the first time in my life how important it is to clear my mind. Paraphrasing something Mr. Silver said " you're better off finishing 20 things then working on and not finishing 50 things." Since the conclusion of my Thanksgiving holiday I have taken this to heart pushing forward to accomplish tasks.

In congruence with this I started a Thought Book in August 2008. It is a modified journal that works the way my brain does. No one has ever really seen its contents and would have a hard time understanding it with my unique lack of penmanship. However both practices has allowed me to clear "mindspace." (Mr. Silver's phrase)

Quite ironically in my younger days I hated to write things because of my lack of fine motor skills. This resulted in a pretty good memory that led my friend Josh George to give me the nickname Steel Trap. At one point in my college basketball career I could tell you the score of every game I ever participated in. That skill has diminished significantly as I write more things down and use my brain more for creativity and less for memory. The more I commit to clear out "mindspace" for creativity the more I am rewarded with wonderful ideas.

Push It Forward

Last night I was extremely diligent in clearing "mindspace". I wrote down every single idea I had in my head in the Thought Book. I even rewrote a couple topics that have been lying dormant in my thought book for some time. I peacefully went to sleep and was awoken by loud thunder sometime in the five o'clock hour this morning. As I jolted awake I saw the words Pay It Forward accompanied by some unique shapes. I interpreted this as pay it forward in a new way.

Pay It Forward is a 2000 movie starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osmond where students are taught to do a good deed for someone else if they have been the recipient of a good deed.

I hypothesize that we throw Pay It Forward into hyperdrive. We Pay It Forward before we are ever the recipient of a good deed. This will create numerous spontaneous good deeds that will have an impact on society and the good karma will also impact the lives of those that are selfless. For my part, I have many objects in my parents home that I no longer need. I plan to do a lot of donating to charity in the days to follow.

Please only do what you feel is right, but I have little doubt that this simple yet powerful idea is due solely to my clearing of the mind. What would your mind be capable of today if you took the time to clear it?

Just a humble suggestion filled with love. *Please know I am open to suggestions. If anyone has a better name for Push It Forward or other ideas please feel free to email me at chris.rathje@gmail.com

Thanks for reading!

Chris

Want to Be Healthy? Be Happy

2008-12-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

For the rest of my life I have the lofty ambition to always be in a relatively good mood. Once again I humbly ask if an 11-year-old who is about to lose his battle with cancer can figure out a way to have fun. Do any of us have an excuse to not be in a good mood?

I am certain there are numerous medical studies that back up my beliefs, but I'm not a doctor. I am a guy who sits around and thinks and then he talks or writes about his thoughts. The best way for me to get my point across is to give you some anecdotal evidence from my life.

To the best of my memory I have only been in a sustained negative mental state twice in the last 12 months. The first time was during the middle of January. I just returned from a rugby tournament in Florida where I played below my expectations. I felt the germs in the air and I focused on sickness. Before I knew it I had a terrible cold and was bummed out that I was spending my birthday completely alone sick in my apartment.

I have little doubt I created the situation by negative actions. The second time I created a negative outcome for myself was when I decided to work out on a Friday night in late April. I became so frustrated on multiple fronts in my life that I became angry. This is a very rare occasion for me but there is no question my frustration level had reached a point where anger is the proper word to describe my emotional state.

Before I knew what hit me I created the worst sports related injury of my life. About eight months later I'm still recovering, but I've learned a very valuable lesson and it will never be replicated again. I have noticed that when I tell people this story in person some people believe me and some do not. I promise you that I speak nothing but the truth.

On at least three occasions this past year I fought off colds before they even began with the health and strength of my thoughts. Always remember you are a child of the universe and with joy in your heart anything is possible. Always focus on your health and strength. There is no danger or negative consequence to being happy!

We can all live in health and happiness!

Thanks for reading

Chris

Seeds of Imagination

2008-12-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

The picture you see here is the basis for my first consistent imaginary friend. His name is Ruf Ruf and he is a country dog!

I think I've been a pretty creative kid ever since I can remember but my first consistent imaginary friend was born on January 14, 1990, my eighth birthday. My parents took some of my classmates and I to Chuck E. Cheese and at the end of the afternoon my buddies put all their game coupons together so I could get Ruf Ruf.

It was not in the cards for me to get a real dog so I was going to make one up! He slept with me that very first night and our adventures began in my dreams.

I know this is an area where kids are superior to adults. Kids are not afraid to think outside of the box to make life more fun. Life is supposed to be fun! If an 11-year old can remember to have fun and give back to others when he is losing the battle with terminal cancer. Do any of us have an excuse not to have fun?

I will concede that the path I have chosen allows me a great deal of freedom to think outside the box. Coming up with Wilson the writing worm a few days ago was just another day at the office for me, but I'm sure everyone of us can find three minutes a day to make something new that gives us chuckle.

I didn't think I would bring this up for a long time but the wonderful voice inside my head is telling me that it is a good idea. At my elementary school it was customary for kids to eat outside on the playground when it got warm enough. It was one of the first days of playground lunch in fourth or fifth grade and I had finally achieved enough upper body strength where I was able to get in and out of my chair off the ground with no assistance. I decided it was time to use this skill to sit down on the asphalt in the customary lunch circles with everybody else. As soon as I touched the ground a whole lunch circle of several kids decided to get up in unison and leave me sitting by myself for lunch. This was a very scarring experience but a beautiful flower arose from it. I vowed never to make fun of anyone for something they couldn't control.

In all honesty I have failed this promise to myself on several occasions especially around my early teen years however it gave me the freedom to make many jokes and tell many stories about complete figments of my imagination. Who could be offended when I make fun of the invisible kid named Wolfgang!

My point is no matter what your age is have the courage to think outside of the box and be silly. However I beg you please do not be negative or gang up like the immature ways of our past. Create a new joke that can be shared with any friend. Inclusive is a word that bonds us all together. Responsible joy is the name of the game!

The most important story I've shared is the selfless act of my birthday party attendees. They worked together to pool their resources and plant the first seed in my beautiful imaginary garden. Thank you everyone for cultivating this land with me. We will change the world together with our creations!

Thanks for reading!

Chris

Happy Boxing Day!

2008-12-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

Today in many places throughout the world December 26 is known as Boxing Day. The general idea is to box up things you no longer need and give them to the less fortunate. I think this is a wonderful idea and the spirit should be adopted every single day.

Of course there is logic that some are more fortunate than others, but I believe we all have our needs that only others can provide. Someone who has a large amount of monetary resources can still be broke inside. Please do not get caught up that giving has to involve tangible items.

If you give your ears for listening or your mouth for a friendly greeting you can start a trickle-down effect that cannot be measured. Who knows? That friendly greeting to a busboy could lead to increased productivity which then leads to a promotion. Never underestimate your own ability to give.

I know I constantly question my own talents, but I also know I carry sunshine with me wherever I go and whatever the weather is outside. There is no talent involved whatsoever. I simply have a smile on my face and a willingness to say hello to whom ever I come across.

Please get ready to give today and everyday. There are no boxes necessary!

May we all be blessed today and everyday!

Chris