Party Clean Up

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 Your Time By Joel and Victoria Osteen

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 New Question: Where?

The crew at fiftypeopleonequestion.com have posted new work!  The location is Brooklyn and now the question is "If you could wake up anywhere where would it be?"

This question sets the table for us to have a deep look into someone's thoughts through the portal of a simple question.

We see a wide variety of answers that represent contentment, excitement, creativity and even grief.

Since the first time I have seen the video I have had one definite answer but I would also like to go over some alternatives from different sides within in me.

My inner 4 year old wants to wake up wherever wheelchair rugby  is being played in addition to where his friends are so he can be goofy and loud.

My romantic side wants to wake up in a warmer bed then I am used to.  He is eager to see the face of an unknown angel that will change his life.

My creative side wants to wake up in a world where total strangers having a conversation is commonplace.  If people from all over the world could switch roommates every few days think about the better understanding of the world around us we would have!

Now for my main answer I want to wake up wherever I am and in days to come places I dream of.  I wish to recognize the current step in my journey while knowing my dreams are coming true sooner then I can fathom.  I want to wake up in places like New York, London, Hawaii, Buenos Aires and Auckland but in order for that to happen I must be appreciative of the current day and work towards the visions of my mind's eye.

In closing I would like to send major kudos to the woman in the blue scarf for her outside of the box thinking.  Thoughts like that are the catalyst for propelling society to new heights.  

Keep up the great work fiftypeopleonequestion.com!  Food for thought dreams can become thoughts and thoughts can become reality.  Therefore anything is possible if you remember your dreams wherever you wake up!

Sweet Dreams Everyone!

Chris

Like Minded People

Hey Everybody!

It is getting to the point now where enough people contact me about the blog using a wide variety of mediums that the best way to contact the most number of people is the blog.

I have great news! Today I had an email correspondence with Daryn Kagan of DarynKagan.com and got the gracious invitation to share some of my posts on her website as well. Ms. Kagan is a remarkable woman who is trying to build an online community around the idea that we can “Show the World what’s Possible.”

If you enjoy my writing I would strongly encourage joining her community because our goals are synergistic. What I lovingly refer to as “Soup Fork” can already be found in the Overcoming Obstacles discussion section of DarynKagan.com. Follow this link if interested.

In an effort to stay better connected please email me letting me know if you would like to be added to a mailing list or join the Facebook group.

Thank you for all the amazing support! Go after your dreams, they can come true.
Chris

Go Down The Path

I have been very encouraged by the response I have gotten from a post entitled “Don't Be Afraid to Eat Soup with A Fork” So I've decided to write a post about another favorite quote.

C-SPAN is a cable network not known for high ratings among the general public however during the spring it has some of the best television you will be able to find on the cable box. Springtime is graduation time and C-SPAN broadcasts commencement speeches from universities around the country. If you take a second to think about it, it makes sense that a commencement speech is a great map because a successful person is talking about how they navigated their journey through life.

In the spring of 2005 or 2006 (I apologize I am going off of my memory and I do not want to misspeak) Oprah Winfrey gave the commencement speech at Howard University. There was a line in her speech that will always stick with me.

“There is no such thing as failure only going down God’s path.”

I would now like to share how this saying has shown to be true in my own life.

When I was in high school all I cared about was finishing in the top 2% of my class. I failed but this eventually led to a calmer mindset where I did better academically than I could have ever imagined while at the University of Illinois.

The only other interest beyond my academics at Illinois was wheelchair basketball. There is not enough ink in my printer to explain all my failures as a basketball player however I had a reputation for making the most of my opportunities. There are many score sheets out there that say C. Rathje 1 for 2, 2 for 4 or the occasional 1 for 1.

That is why I became so distraught after the national third-place game my senior year in college. We had the game well in hand and I got my one open shot to score with less than two minutes in the game. Clang! I did not put enough arc on my shot and I failed.

Against the odds I was accepted to the Medill IMC program at Northwestern University straight out of undergrad. I had an incredible learning experience during my 15 months in Evanston but from a practical standpoint it was a vital goal to find employment for after graduation. In the early months of the program I got introduced to several representatives from a major corporation. I admired this company and I was under the impression the feeling was mutual. I failed in my assessment because I was not even granted an interview.

My basketball failure and employment failure have propelled me to go down the right path, the path of God and his dreams for us. If I had originally “succeeded” by making the shot and getting the job who knows what would have happened for sure but I doubt I would be joyfully living out my dreams to become a world class writer and athlete.

Some might say great Chris, but that isn’t how it works in my life. I humbly challenge you to have the faith to look down the path where failure does not exist and your dreams are in your future.

Faith is a vital tool throughout life. If there is anyone out there who dislikes their connotation of faith I humbly ask them to broaden their possibilities. Figure out your own way to find faith in yourself, your fellow man or one particular dream.

Anyone can do anything!

Thank you for the wisdom Ms. Winfrey.

Thanks for reading!
Chris

Don't Be Afraid To Eat Soup With A Fork

This unusual saying is one of my favorite quotes of all time. A little over three years ago I was multitasking cleaning my apartment and watching the post game of a NBA game on TNT. Analyst Kenny Smith was commenting on a team's defense (which I believe was the Detroit Pistons but please do not hold me to this) when he said that the team was not afraid to eat soup with a fork. I instantly knew what he was talking about because I have been eating soup with a fork for my entire life.

Even though this is one of my favorite quotes of all time this idea lay dormant in my head for several years. (Thanks for the reminder Nicole!)

Mr. Smith later went on to expound upon his point. The team had an ugly and inefficient way of playing defense but they made the most of what they had and worked so much harder than their opponents they still came up victorious most of the time.

Based on personal observation my function level (a term used to describe the severity level of my disability) seems to be quite unique even when comparing it to other people with cerebral palsy. I am blessed to have an extremely strong upper body for stationary tasks however I have some other weaknesses such as spasms and weak legs that don't match up with my upper body ability.

Because of this I cannot walk at all but I am able to easily transfer from seat to seat and I can get anywhere I need to by crawling or dragging myself across some area. I do not pull this parlor trick out every day but I figure God gave me this ability for a reason and it is my duty to use it. I know many people who would pay a great price to be able to independently get off the ground easily. So it does not bother me to use this gift to get upstairs when there is no elevator or I cannot safely get my wheelchair through an area like a curb or snow.

I've had many people look at me oddly, make fun of me or whatever else but at the end of the day who cares? At the end of the day I was the person who got to go to the party or still made it to class or that job interview even though the elevator was broken.

No matter who you are sometimes in life you don't have all the tools you need to make your dreams come true in a way society deems appropriate. If it is a dream in your heart then make it happen even if you have to go down the path ugly and inefficiently you're still going down the path!

If two people were in a soup eating contest where one contestant used a fork and the other contestant used a spoon conventional wisdom would say that the fork contestant would have no chance but that is not true. The contestant with a fork could win but they would have to work a lot harder and they might end up looking silly and messy because the liquid would fall through the fork. At the end of the competition the fork contestant still gets the trophy if he wins regardless of what he looks like.

I encourage anyone to go after their dreams because I strongly believe God gives us everything we need to accomplish them. Sometimes it might be ugly or inefficient or socially unacceptable resulting in some spilled broth but when you chase what you really want it is nourishing regardless of the utensil you use to get to the end goal.

Thanks for reading!
Chris