Oddly Enough

The following is my best recollection of the events I experienced while operating an airport livery shuttle during the Northridge Earthquake of January 17, 1994. Photo Courtesy of JW Griffin Like most mornings the monotony of waking up at 2:45 am was not at all what I considered fun.  This was the start of what I knew to be a very long day. On the road four to six days a week up to fourteen hours and three hundred miles per day, life became one long van trip around Southern California. It’s funny and strange how taking to the highways and meeting at the very least six new people every single day could become so addicting.  The idea of being a driver as a means of employment was not something I put much thought into. Unemployment has a way of directing ones decisions out of necessity but this turned out to be a life changing experience.  What I didn't expect was the beauty the Southland has to offer. Considering the people, the landscape, architecture...

In my perfect world, I would have worked for my Dad. He wasn't a business owner as far as I knew, but he lived considerably well for his circumstance as I understood it to be. Dad, Pettibone Bruses Collard, provided me with my very first idea of what it was like for a man to create his living conditions to his own satisfaction. First and foremost, he was married to a woman whom I believe became a friend on a level that made their connection unbreakable. Weekends with Dad were full of new stuff to learn at every turn. From music to food to plain conversation, weekends and summer vacations were always worth the wait. My father lived in a three bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home in the hills of Altadena, California. The entire back of the house was floor-to-ceiling glass with a canyon view of Los Angeles. The backyard garden was designed almost as if it was meant to be a mini-park. This included a seven-foot concrete street lamp that brought old world Los Angeles charm to the en...

If you are trying to manage a business or a household even if you are the only one in it, it is important that you know where every cent goes and that you do not spend more than you take in. At one time I spent a number of years working in financial services for an insurance company and then later a debt settlement company. During this time I personally spoke to hundreds of families about their financial life. It is utterly amazing how many people have no idea what they do with their finances on a monthly basis. Most people do keep track to some degree, but many are simply too lazy to discipline themselves to do simple math and then wonder why they are unable to fulfill even the smallest of their dreams. Many will purchase the “things" they want and need but never the time to enjoy life. We as Americans seem to be mesmerized by surface rather than substance. Here are 3 Reasons why every Young Cubicle Soldier must make saving as much a habit as paying rent or utiliti...

The family unit as we are told it should be although real, ideal and perhaps the standard to reach just isn't the reality for a large portion of individuals throughout the planet. When both parental units are available as well as present the product/offspring learn social lessons much earlier and deeper.  These are the little combinations in life that make relations and relationships.  It is through family interaction in the early years where we obtain our first glimpse of the expectation of the adult we think we are supposed to become.  Both of my parents were born in Chicago, Illinois during the 1920's from parents who may have migrated from the southern states. Both were only children (without siblings) and divorced from each other by 1965 when I was about 2 years of age.  A negro couple in the States during the Civil Rights Movement divorcing, eliminating their family at a time when the solid family unit was exactly what was needed became common...

The maturity level of a great man or woman can be seen in how well we handle failure. If we can begin to see failure for what it truly is, we will note that it is nothing more than necessary feed back. FAILURE is FEEDBACK Failure shows us areas that need improvement. Whether we need to change our approach to a situation or change ourselves, failure much like pain is a warning signal that something is wrong. Something needs to be addressed before we are able to move forward and obtain our target. In this country we are taught to value ourselves according to what activities we involve ourselves with, our financial status, physical appearance and all these other nonsensical ideas that although have some value are in the grand scheme of things on the shallow side. FAILURE DOES NOT DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON Failures, no matter how many we experience do not dictate our worth. In the eyes of God we are wonderfully made. He delights in us. He wants to see us obtain all he has...

It always starts out with "What is the one thing that you do so well and enjoy doing so much that you would gladly do it for FREE?" I have heard this phrase a million times and totally understood it. But the journey to find my passion has taken most of my life. I can say with a certainty that my passion is teaching life skills to young artists and the marginalized. Some people know exactly what they are meant to do in life at an early age. But like most people it took much life experience, study and discovery before stumbling on my gifts even though all areas envolved were gifts I possessed as a child.  Funny how that works out. Do you struggle between service to others and the need to make money and earn a living? I certainly did. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Go back in time and embrace the feelings and energy you experienced when you first made the decision "This Is What I Am Meant To Do!" This was way back when you had no idea how any of it would ever co...