Zac Parsons

In 1994, Brad Jacobsen was hanging out with some friends along the bank of a river in the Pacific Northwest.  Someone decided to break out a frisbee, and a spirited game began.  At some point, when someone threw a frisbee near to one side of him, like he did with so many other things in his life, Brad went all out.  With a few steps in the water and a quick, spry jump that was always natural for the athletic young man from British Columbia, he tried to leap into the water.  But his foot slipped on the sand.  Thinking that part of the river was deeper (and trying to avoid an embarrassing bellyflop), he tried to roll as he hit the water.  Sadly, it wasn’t.  It would be the last time he would ever have the use of his legs.  Brad’s spinal cord was irreparably injured.

Since that day, Brad has persevered from the life-altering accident to become a man more focused than ever on having a positive impact on this world and a high quality of life.  He also happens to be a VJ for The Pacific Institute’s “Discovering the Power in Me“.  Brad has an incredible sense of self-efficacy.  He continues to be an avid outdoorsman and has hiked the physically and mentally exhausting Pacific Trail.  He is producing a documentary of the journey he and nine friends took on the trail.  Check out the preview below.  If you would like to be a part of financially supporting the completion of his movie, you can contact Brad at poobala@hotmail.com.

His body may be seated, but his spirit is standing.

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90 minutes was not enough time to decide the semifinal match between the L.A. Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo last night.  My childhood friend Alan Gordon came on as a substitute late in the game.  During the overtime period, Alan drew a penalty kick that would ultimately be taken by team captain Landon Donovan.

Here is a video of Landon Donovan’s goal from across the stadium with the shooter’s point of view in frame:

Here is another angle on that same goal, with the goalkeeper’ point of view:

From a physical perspective, it’s not really an impressive goal at all.  Most 12 year old soccer players could put the ball where he put it.  If the goalkeeper were to dive to his right, he surely would have blocked the shot with some part of his body.  But he didn’t dive to his right.  He was fooled.  Donovan has become one of the best penalty kick takers in the country.  What’s more impressive is that he has done this with one of the least powerful shots in professional soccer.  A little glance of the eye, twist of the hip, and a fountain of confidence gives Donovan the mental edge in nearly every duel from the penalty kick marker.

Speaking of mental edges, David Beckham is now one win away from making good on his promise to lead the Galaxy to an MLS cup championship.  As you may remember, Beckham was banged up when he first signed his MLS contract in 2007.  Most of his appearances that season were with him battling some sort of injury or another.  Now, he’s 100% and his fingerprints are all over the team.  Even if the Galaxy do not win, it makes you wonder if Grant Wahl want’s to add an addendum to his June 2009 book “The Beckham Experiment”.  With this excerpt entitled “How Beckham blew it“, it’s obvious that he considered the experiment to be a failure.

But Beckham paid no attention to charges level at him in the book.  At least, he did not allow them to disrupt his objectives this season.  His focus was consistent even in the face of loud fan objections, as I wrote about earlier this year.  The guy is nothing if he is not resilient.  Maybe more people will start believing that Beckham’s success has come more from his mental discipline than from his pretty face.  We’ll find out after the final on November 22, 2009.

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So…. maybe you heard about the controversy surrounding the speech that the President of the United States is giving in Arlington, VA today.  If not, I’ll try to fill you in quickly.  Its a speech to children.  Children in a school.  A public school.  And it it being broadcast around the country to any other public or private school that would like to participate.  In fact, the White House in encouraging all schools to take part, but it is not a mandate to do so.  Why this is controversial?  That’s what I am trying to figure out myself.

Before reading on, I would really encourage you to read the entire speech online at www.whitehouse.gov.  Many people have accused the President of being a skilled orator, with a dynamic speaking presence that can mesmerize an audience, whatever the subject matter may be.  So please, take the time to read it yourself, so that you are not hearing his voice or seeing his actions, but just the content of his message.

Well…. what did you think?  Pretty chalk-full of liberal propaganda right?  Most of the uproar about this speech has come from Americans who do not believe that a (insert adjective here) President should have an audience with young, moldable minds.  Is it because he is a Democrat?  Is it because he is young?  Is it because he is (gasp)… black?  I really don’t know.

I really believed that the President has the right to such a request to speak to the nation’s youth.  I wondered why people would be against it.  After reading the speech myself, I am even more convinced of his intentions to encourage America and promote American ideals.

Having some background in preaching myself, I was reminded of some of the better sermons that I have listened to in my life.  His call was not to judge the world and everything that is currently besetting our country.  He didn’t bemoan the financial crisis or speak ill of past leadership.  He spoke directly to the student, and put the responsibility right on the individual to take charge and make right the world in their own unique way.

Encouraging kids to continue their education to reach their dreams?  Propaganda!

Sharing stories from his own life to illustrate what perseverance can result in?  Brainwashing!

Building up children to set high goals and understand the work needed to achieve them?  He is the antichrist!

Now, these answers have come from people of varying degrees of political extremism.  But they are real responses to the idea of the President speaking to America’s children.  If you have a problem with the speech, is it because you are an American, or because you are a Republican?  Would you be opposed to a speech made by John McCain (whom I voted for….TWICE!) under similar circumstances?

It’s almost been a year since we officially voted a young, black, democrat with a background in Islam to the White House.  When will more of us treat him with the respect that his office commands?

Thank you for your investment in today’s American youth, Mr. President Barack Obama.  You have earned these 15 minutes with my children.

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But what was the question?  Just hours before passing on November 21, 2008, Brendan Foster was interviewed by CNN for a food drive for the homeless that he helped  birth from his hospital bed, just two weeks before.  The reason for his hospital stay?  Leukemia.  The interview and the question that he was asked is in the video below.

It’s been over 7 months since Brendan died, but his words have echoed in my mind countless times since then.  I tend to be an adventurous person.  I love to try new things and experience the different flavors that life has to offer.  But, as we all know, there are only so many hours in a day, and only so much that can be experienced at the same time.  Sometimes to try something new, you have to give up on something old.

It sounds great right?  Something is not working like it was before, so you throw it away and get something better?  You only live once, so make sure that you live it right!  No one wants to look back at their life in regret of the actions that they did not take, or the experiences that they were too afraid to try.  It does take some courage to try something new, but that courage does not make you wise or righteous in having it.  In fact, you can be a fool if you do not first consider the circumstances around the “old” thing, at the time when it was “new”.  What was it that made the “old” thing so desirable in the first place?

I slowly raise my hand up to identify myself as one of those fools.  I was experiencing difficulty in my marriage.  In some ways, if I’m being honest, it felt like a terminal illness.  I was unhappy, and the only option I chose to see was the one that Brendan wished that I wouldn’t.  I gave up.  I threw both hands in the air and said:  ”I quit!”  I thought about my wife and my children and honestly believed that they would be happier to have a happier me.  That meant leaving.  I didn’t believe that my presence and perseverance were valuable enough to hold onto.  What I saw… was broken.  So I threw it away.

Then, I saw Brendan’s interview.  It shook me.  ”Why was it ok for me to give up?”  I kept asking myself.  But it was too late.  I had closed the door, sealed my fate, and turned the page.

But his words stayed with me.

The divorce continued.  She moved on.  I moved on.  Lawyers came in.  Assets and debts were divided.  Visitation schedules were drawn up.  Friends took sides.  Family members ached with their own sense of loss and betrayal.  And on May 6, 2009 it was finished.  The divorce was final.

And with that mutual goal of divorce being completed, something changed.  Something in our perception of reality.  We now faced a future together as co-parents of three wonderful children.  We were still “partners”.  In truth, our love for children is what brought us together in the first place.

We had poured out the bottle of our love for each other.  Every last drop was gone.  But as we looked closely at the bottle, we noticed the “CRV” near the bottom, in small print.  Cash Redemption Value.  Whoever created this bottle still wanted to use it.  Even after we had exhausted it’s contents.  We remembered when the bottle was first filled with our courtship and marriage.  We remembered praying together asking our Creator to create something beautiful with us.  We wondered if there was value still to be had from this bottle.  We wondered if we were worth redemption.

Now, as we attend counseling together, I see the value of holding on.  As we learn more about cognitive psychology together, we see our scotomas and acknowledge our limited perceptions.  We are creating a new vivid picture together and we are praying again for our Creator to fill the bottle.  It still has value.  WE still have value.

I share Brendan’s answer on what makes him sad, for myself.  Not every situation is like mine.  There is necessary growth in life and sometimes we must let go to grow.  But now that I have this chance again to create something beautiful, I’m holding on.

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Wow!   It seems very clear now that Susan’s dream has been a dream for quite a long time.  So she got knocked down a few times and things didn’t take off for her right away.  She kept hold of her dream and kept developing her skills.  The idea that “anything is possible” is poweful and important to cultivate in everyone, young and old.  But,  it should be remembered that large scale success can and often does take time, especially when developing specific skills are involved.

This really made me think about my own life and the personal changes that I have been going through lately.  Sometimes, things change so fast, you can look at yourself in the morning, and not even recognize who you are.  When I look in the mirror, I don’t see who I was, but I don’t quite see the man that I want to be either.  It’s a strange sort of in between place that I’m in now, wondering whether to turn back to some of my former habits or to keep growing and developing my new ones.  I believe that healthy self esteem is the essential starting point for self-directed growth and personal development.  But is there a point in that growth and development where you can lose your identity?

Surely Susan had some times in her life and sputtering career where she doubted and took some time wandering on different paths.  It’s very encouraging to me to see how she never gave up on what she was so clearly passionate about.  It’s a great gift to be able to change our mind.  It’s also great to see the potential of a long held hope come to blossom at last.  Cheers again to Susan for her to get out there with her frumpy dress and keep her dream alive.  May we all be as successful as her someday!  What perseverance!

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Yesterday, I went to the 9th annual pizza eating contest at Flancer’s Cafe in Gilbert, AZ.  The rules were set up to see which of the 25 contestants could eat the most pizza in 15 minutes.  The winner would receive $500, a crown from Miss Arizona, some bragging rights, and a sort of pizza allergy for the next week at least.

The contest would eventually be won by Jimmy Peng.  Jess Harter gave a nice write up and pics for the East Valley Tribune here.  Even better than the the $500 that Jimmy won and the publicity that Flancer’s received, was the nearly $20,000 that was raised for the Wounded Warriors Project with Disabled Sports USA.  Kirk Bauer is the Executive Director of the program and has been involved in the Flancer’s fundraiser for a few years now.  However, this was his first time down to Arizona to see the contest live, in action.  He was a very gregarious, encouraging, and outgoing man.

Having a disability himself, Greg has a deep personal passion for helping others achieve success in life.  He lives this success himself.  He finished the Boston Marathon in 2000, winning in the Mobility Impaired class.  He is a fantastic man involved in a wonderfully effective organization.  It was very encouraging to see.

I also met a member of the Board of Disabled Sports USA, Gregg Baumgarten.  He lives and works locally in Arizona with Arizona Disabled Sports.  We hit it off quickly and he told me about the Desert Challenge that was commencing that afternoon.  He invited me to the archery competition and following luncheon.  It was incredible to see the successes achieved by the athletes in the competition, all with varying physical disabilities.

I got to meet many talented athletes and their families.  It was so very beautiful to see the comeradery amongst the competition.  Lane Jeppesen told me all about the organization and it’s purpose.  She clearly believes in the athletes that she works with and sees how their success in competition carries over into success and happiness in life.  The disabled athlete community in Arizona is clearly strong and thriving.  Gregg and Lane have a lot to be proud of.  I’m looking forward to getting more involved with this community in the near future.

All in all, it was an amazing day!

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As I watched this clip for the fourth time today, I still got goosebumps.  I even welled up a bit and may have dropped a few tears.  There is something so universally beautiful about this.  The humble confidence in her comment: “I’m gonna make that audience rock!”  The ache in my heart about her never being kissed in her 47 years.  Her regained composure after momentarily blanking out at Simon’s question.  The crescendo approval and applause that bubbled forth from the audience.  I loved all of it.

She mentioned how she always wanted to perform in front of a large audience.  Perhaps we have heard others say this, and we have labeled them as self-centered or egotistical.  But with Susan, I feel a tremendous sense of healthy pride that she is good enough and able to do such a thing.  It is what she has rehearsed in her mind over and over again, creating an extremely vivid picture for her.  One that is full of emotion.

It’s fantastic (to use her word) to vicariously experience her triumph over a judgemental world (and audience).  Al Bandura talks about how we go through our successes to quickly and too lightly.  Here’s to hoping that she spends plenty of time reveling in the joy that she gives to others with her performance and her personality.

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