You’ll like my new home. It’s cool and there’s lots of room to wiggle around and create stuff. I’m just getting started.

So come visit me here and you’ll see that I’m stepping up my game a bit for you. I’ll continue to post fun and interesting info always with a personal approach. Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing you at http://drewrieder.com

Peace….drew

1. Airport food is marginal and overpriced.
2. Starbucks is a God-send.
3. People packed into small spaces behave strangely.
4. I find it humorous and comforting that humanity hasn’t figured out a way to overcome fog.
5. My I-phone is neat.
6. Apple hasn’t created an APP for fog dissipation yet.
7. In three minutes I’m pretty sure the Southwest staff will all have nervous breakdowns.
8. If you stare at airport terminal carpet too long you will start to hallucinate.
9. Without mobile devices there would be rioting and biting-after which time we would rediscover the English language and start talking to each other.
10. Citizens who feel they’ve been made to wait too long believe that they should file lawsuits against the airlines for “pain and suffering.”
11. These are immutable facts of the universe.

These are the thoughts I’ve been able to muster whilst molding my rear to this decorative row of hard terminal seats.

Final thought. Remember to smile and laugh. It’s nearly impossible to be stressed when you do.

You are beautiful and you are loved and you matter. Thanks for reading…drew

⁷ Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

⁸ There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

¹⁰ If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Though life can sometimes be hard, you are never alone. God is present always–the third strand of the cord and the One that holds it all together. Reflect upon the words in these verses and give thanks for the special people in your life. We can’t do this alone. Keep your hands open. Two are better than one!

Two are better than one!

You are Beautiful and you are Loved and you Matter….drew

Follow @drewmanity on Twitter!

Find music here: www.drewrieder.com

So, the only prize I won that day was the one for being the champion of the baby sumo circuit. Good times, for sure! And a great way to “burst” onto the scene. But, hey, look at that face. It’s a face only a mother could love. And she did and she does.

So what would possess me (aside from a high chuckle factor) to put my baby sumo mug up on a blog post? Ah, yes, grasshopper, to make a point and beg a question. Why are we so afraid of ourselves? This reality is as funny as you being afraid of my baby picture.

We’re born with all this talent and possibility and promise right from the beginning of our lives. Yet as we grow up we somehow talk ourselves out of all our dreams. We invent and parrot phrases like “it’s not realistic or it’s not practical or that’s just a daydream.”

People in our lives say that we need to do something responsible like get a desk job or become a postal worker. I just threw those examples out–not trying to invalidate anyone.

And don’t get me wrong. I don’t champion irresponsibility in the least bit. I think responsibility is nice. But it’s recklessly irresponsible for us not to be passionately and creatively engaged in our everyday lives at work–whatever that work may be.

We were created to create! We were formed to form. We were made to manifest unique contributions to the world we live in. Believe it. You, reader, have these gifts at your disposal. Are you using them? Or have you scared yourself half to death when you looked in the mirror?

Fear of self should be the least of our fears. Go. Do. Be. Try. Fail. Laugh. Climb. Make. Live. Ponder. Create. It’s your calling. Who knew what kind of shot I had at life all those decades ago. God only knows these things. But the responsibility is mine and yours to respond to this life we’ve been given.

Don’t be a baby and don’t be afraid of who you are. Today is not over and we might not get tomorrow. Don’t wait!

Why are you afraid of yourself?

You are Beautiful and you are Loved and you Matter….drew

Follow @drewmanity on Twitter!

Find music here: www.drewrieder.com

Anyway, regardless of the future of my car’s brand, I love my Saturn and I named him Kiwi early on in his life. Yes he’s a he. And yes I’m one of those people who names inanimate objects. Some people think it’s odd or strange to name a car. I think it’s weird not to.

Anyway, I digress. This is a post about inspiration. I have driven many miles in this stately steed and Kiwi has been a faithful companion. I don’t own a dog yet, but I think some could make the argument that a man’s car is his best friend due to the amount of life that happens with one (no offense to my wife at all–go with me on this metaphor).

My odometer tells me that my car is getting old (see pic), but it still runs like a top and I love it. And, as evidenced by the speedometer, it can still get up and go. You may think that your life is a clunker or that your biological clock is broken or that people your age or in your circumstances shouldn’t start something new. I’m here to tell you that’s a lie.

And my “saturn-mo-buick” is a great object lesson for this truth. You are on a journey. You’ve taken many missteps and been down many a road. But until you draw your last breath there is always endless possibility for what your life can be. Every morning when I get up to go to work and I put the key in the ignition, I have faith that I’ll get to where I need to go.

You have what it takes to get to where you want to be. You  just need a little faith. And every time I look at Kiwi’s odometer I have 153,00 (+) reasons to trust that I can keep going. If I didn’t have all this history of doing and traveling and crashing and cruising then I’d have a different perspective. But I’ve got many miles behind me.

So, what I’m telling you is put some miles on the road in your life. Don’t crush yourself by dwelling too much on the past. Start doing small things well that you are passionate about. Start writing. Start painting. Start singing. Start building. Start loving more. Start believing. Start doing that thing you always wanted to do.

START TODAY! I did. I’m writing to you. You don’t have to look very far to find all the reasons why you should.

Where are you going?

You are Beautiful and you are Loved and you Matter….drew

Follow @drewmanity on Twitter!

Find music here: www.drewrieder.com

It could be kids. It could be a restless night of sleep. It could be a Monday or any other day of your week. But mornings (for me, at least) are usually a bit hectic.

I’m a believer in doing small things to become more efficient and decrease daily stress. So I started practicing a habit several years ago. I do this everyday. I even do it on weekends to.

I always pick my clothes out the night before. After picking out what I’ll be wearing, I set them in the bathroom where I’ll be getting ready the next morning. I do this right after work most nights to get it out-of-the-way. If I don’t do it right when I get home, I make sure and knock it out right after the kids are in bed.

It’s a nice transition routine from a day of work and it puts me ahead of the game just a little bit. Just the simple act of doing this saves time and mental energy for me in the morning. I can’t tell you how nice it is to wake up and not have to make one more choice that will complicate my day.

I can just roll out of bed, shower, shave and I’m off to the races. A routine like this can also add an element of consideration for your spouse if you don’t get up at the same time. No fumbling around in the dark for clothing. No dropping of shoes on the hardwood floor.

It’s not rocket science at all, obviously. But good habits increase your time and preserve your mental health. Give it a try! You can do it!

You can do it!

You are Beautiful and you are Loved and you Matter….drew

Follow @drewmanity on Twitter!

Find music here: www.drewrieder.com

The battery in my remote control opener for my wife’s car died several months ago. Instead of “getting it done” and going to the store or the shop or wherever the place is that you get batteries for little gadgets like this, I have been doing the manual entry thing.

I know. Don’t gasp too loudly. I used an actual key to open a car door. Yes it takes me more time and is less efficient but it’s really not the end of the world. So here’s the brain development story. Once I’d worked so hard to open the driver’s side door I had to press up or down on the elliptical button for locking & unlocking my car.

In the “not-so-heat” of the moment with kids whining to get into the car and out of the cold, I could never remember what direction to press. Worse yet, I couldn’t think of a way to remember. So, after much thought and reflection, I came up with a method.

The “lower” portion of the button “locked” the car. I was able to link the letter “L” for “lower” to the letter “L”  for the word “lock” and to instantly define my choice. From there it was easy. Once I’d defined one option I could very easily manually unlock my door and unlock the rest of the car to let anxious passengers in.

This is a small and very practical real life example of how word association, knowledge connection and mnemonic (memory assisting) tools helped me solve a problem. In what micro or small areas of your life can you apply a principal like this? Mastery of small things makes a big difference!

Which way do I go?

You are Beautiful and you are Loved and you Matter….drew

Follow @drewmanity on Twitter!

Find music here: www.drewrieder.com

It’s very easy then to talk ourselves into a cage of normality and safety and blending. Yet even when we relegate ourselves to this mental prison status of possibility, there’s a little voice in our head that keeps talking.

It says, “you can do that.” It whispers and it nags, “that guy’s not any better than you are.” Your mind is in turmoil as you wrestle with the tension between your chosen reality and real possibility.

The problem is your perception. And as you sit in your self-appointed mental prison cell, you have lots of time to think. Metaphorically speaking, you think to yourself, “I’m safe here and I have a bed and I get three squares a day.” Or more relevant you might say, “my job is alright, it pays the bills and I’m safe here.”

Are you safe? Or are you meant for something more? I say more, friend.I say much more.

So the answer to a faith-filled question like “why not me” is ME. Get yourself out of the way! And do and try and think and fail (not necessarily in this order). And in the process learn and succeed. It can be you who does something amazing. It is you who has a unique talent and perspective and contribution for the world.

Why not you? There is no reason “why not!” You are the answer.

Are you stuck?

You are Beautiful and you are Loved and you Matter….drew

Follow @drewmanity on Twitter!

Music is here: www.drewrieder.com

This was a gift I received from my wife early on in our marriage. It doesn’t look like much at first, but it’s a precious memento to me. She bought it from a street vendor at a summer fair in Ephrata, WA. It’s been on every desk I’ve had since I got it. Through the years it has served to remind me daily of my love for music and my love for her. Most times in life it’s the little things that matter. It’s the small, thoughtful gestures that make a huge impact on others. Thanks, Lady!

Remember. YOU are beautiful and you are loved and you MATTER….drew

Follow @drewmanity on Twitter: http://twitter.com/drewmanity

Music is here: www.drewrieder.com