Icewind's Ramblings

I think sometimes as we live our lives we get wrapped up in all that is going on and forget what is truly meaningful within our existence.  I have stated over and over that we need to live in the “Now” moment as that is the only thing that really exists in our lives.  The past is just that, gone forever and the future is not yet arrived and is still in the fantasy state of our minds. There’s no way to get around the fact that life is here and now with our entire being a whole entity and indivisible from ourselves.  How you choose to think, feel, and be is going to be what you get back out of life in the experiences you have and create.  Create positive thoughts and for the most part you will experience positive things and people back in return.  If you wake up and choose to be negative then there is a great chance that you will have a negative day or experience the not so good things coming back your way.  It all stands to reason just as common sense ...

It’s getting to be that time again . . . Wacky Winter . . . when Chicken Little’s prediction finally comes true: “The sky is falling.”   Winter has long been here in Alaska , and the darkness with it.  As we once again approach summer and finally moved into “Springtime” in Anchorage we are gaining approximately 5 minutes and 44 seconds of daylight every day until Summer Solstice on June 20 th @ 9:04 PM Alaska time. For most people it may seem strange to hear “springtime” as barely having temperatures just above freezing still in the thirties or if we are lucky reaching the low 40’s for a few days.  Anything to help melting commence and get breakup out of the way is desired by everyone it seems. How one handles this time of year makes or breaks many people who live here.  It is a wondrous place to live . . . most of the time but it does wear on you in the late stages of winter when you want the snow gone, light to return, and the “heat” of summer to on...

We all seem to have it lately . . . I guess it is that time of year when everyone has so many things going on in their lives that things build up for everyone.  Maybe it is that Late Winter/Early Spring time of year that we are all starting to go crazy waiting for the snow to melt and get breakup over with here in the far north. I saw this story on Peter Kovacs wall and wanted to pass it on as it shows us that many times we look at something from the obvious perspective but it we change our focus or gaze just a little bit it opens up a whole other thought process which can give us new insight or attitudes about things going on in our lives. A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience.  As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question.  Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out from the class r...

I am sure there are times in everyone’s life that it seems like the hard times are the ones that keep finding there way into our lives which create stress within that person’s being. Every one of us needs to find that center where we can rid ourselves of those things which we may not be able to change or fix.  Lose those feelings of helplessness and pain. Next time you are stressed; Take a step back, inhale deeply and laugh. Laughter will ease muscle tension and allow your thoughts to flow into calmness all around you.  Laughter releases endorphin's that help you feel better and maintain a positive attitude. Remember who you are and why you are here. You're never given anything in this world that you can't handle. Prepare yourself for the unexpected. Be strong . . . be flexible . . . love yourself and love others. Life changes and you do not want to waste opportunities in your life. Always remember, just keep moving forward. Neve...

Anyone can achieve their fullest potential, who we are might be pre-determined, but the path we follow is always of our own choosing. We should never allow our fears, or the expectations of others to set the frontiers of our destiny. Your destiny can't be changed but, it can be challenged.   Every man is born as many men and dies as a single one. How is your own endgame of Life? Live fully and be prepared for the unexpected! Ice

It seems like this happens more and more these days as I received the call yesterday afternoon from an Old Friend that news of a family member having inoperable lung cancer was texted me so I would know what was happening.  Several phone calls later and with much anxiety details and some form of plan was put together on how best to prepare for things. It is never easy for anyone finding out news that affect your circle of family and friends but one which everyone needs to prepare so you can be the shoulder if needed or the foundation to give them your support and a pool from which to pull from your strength as needed while dealing with things. It is a bittersweet feeling that you are honored to be one of those who is trusted to give your thoughts on things but also the futility of not being able to “fix it” or make things immediately better.  All anyone of us can do is place things in “Others” hands to help everyone see things through as that is all anyone ...

One Hundred Twenty Five Hours that changed my Life - Part Three - The Hospital ER & OR I warmed my rig up and started for the hospital.  The winter time here in Alaska gives us a little different ambiance than that found in the Lower 48.  We are in our cold dark period and on this day it was minus 10 degrees outside and at seven o’clock in the morning it would be over three more hours before the sun would rise over the mountains to the east of Anchorage .  We are approaching the winter Solstice where we only get about five and a half hours of daylight.  The sun is up around 10:30 in the morning and sets just before 4 in the afternoon.  The rest of the time we are in darkness making for long cold nights here during the winter. On this morning traffic from my house to the hospital was extremely light with only a few cars making there way along my route.  I had seen a moose eating beside the road as I approached the Hospital by the University o...

One Hundred Twenty Five Hours that changed my Life Part Two  - The Time Line of Events This is the second part of sharing my recent heart attack and the lifestyle and possible events leading up to it.  Sometimes we are so busy living life that we fail to see or recognize things that may be in plain sight in front of you.  I recently had one of those experiences that oddly through the mental pain, the physical pain and suffering found a way to change some things modify my lifestyle a little bit.  It is from these changes and those events that probably saved my life.  We are getting older and need to be aware of our habits both in eating, exercise, and our mental state, not sweating the small stuff. What I am talking about is a heart attack. Friday, 11-30-12    11:00 am      Pick up Friend & go to Fred Meyer before lunch She had returned home from a flight late the night before and wanted me to give he...

Part One Sometimes we are so busy living life that we fail to see or recognize things that may be in plain sight in front of you.  I recently had one of those experiences that oddly through the mental pain, the physical pain and suffering found a way that surprised me and probably saved and changed my life. What I am talking about is a heart attack. Through my blunders and somewhat set ways I came through this and survived but as my cardiologist told me I could have easily died as most people do that have the type of heart attack that I did.  I had what is often called the “widow maker” is a nickname used to describe a highly stenotic left main coronary artery or proximal left anterior descending coronary artery of the heart.  Mine was the LAD type and the widow maker term is used because if the artery gets abruptly and completely occluded it will cause a massive heart attack that will likely lead to a sudden death. Mine was als...

It has been a little strange for me that since my heart attack that my being able to sit down and write just seemed to be stalled.  There was much to say and many notes to gain topics from which to write but it has been hard for me to sit down at the computer to write it down. I have tried many times in these last few weeks where I would sit and start and just as quickly stop not able to make my fingers hit the key strokes like they have so many times before.  It is strange in some ways as I could sit and write things on a notepad but could not bring myself to transfer the words from paper to word process.  I have wondered why that has been that way or what did not motivate me to sit and write during this time I have been in a state of convalesce since my hospital stay. It has only been two days now that I can seem to sit here and contemplate this state and start to put things down on what I would like to say again.  I have been editing my book getting it r...

I was in the hospital for a few days this week after suffering a heart attack. When I was in recovery at the hospital on Monday afternoon there was an earthquake here which lasted about a minute and 15 seconds and shook the hospital pretty good knocking out two elevators at the time. Once I returned home this afternoon and walked in all the rooms of my house noticed that several pictures and a few other items had been knocked off the shelves.  No damage just strange seeing things out of place, it was like someone had been in here knocking over things and leaving. Just a random thought. I will write more on the hospital adventure shortly but wanted to put this down tonight. Ice

“I can see myself it's a golden sunrise Young boy open up your eyes It's supposed to be your day. Now off you go horizon bound And you won't stop until you've found Your own kind of way. And the wind will whip your tousled hair, The sun, the rain, the sweet despair, Great tales of love and strife. And somewhere on your path to glory You will write your story of a life.” (Harry Chapin) It seems like this happens more and more these days as I received the call yesterday afternoon that one of my good friends and co-workers had died of a heart attack.   We worked on multiple projects together over the last three years and traveled around Alaska with the shared goal of building water treatment plants and clinics making life better for the communities and villages we worked in. I know this last winter had taken a toll on him with his family but things were working it self out getting back to an even keel.   We talked Friday and now in another instant he...

I do not know about you but sometimes television commercials just do not seem like much thought was given when making them. The one currently running on TV here for Viagra shows a nice looking middle age man sailing alone in a sailboat.   It looks like it is dusk and he is sailing away as it goes into the side effects of the drug.   He is ‘Alone’ in the boat.   Now I do not know about you but the idea of being alone in a boat with a ‘stiffy’ for over 4 hours does not sound all that fun.   The commercial shows him having a problem with the mainsail and having to fix the problem . . . I wonder if the ‘wood’ helped or hindered the repair.   Did this poor fellow use it to hammer the broken part in place or was this about the time the other side effects kicked in? I have never taken any of these so I can only speak from the commercials and the information provided but it seems like . . . well . . . it may not be the greatest thing it is being made out to be. ...

It’s been busy here and it took me a couple weeks to write this so I could post but the next time you’re having a bad day . . . just think of me. Having a bad day?   Cheer up it could have been like mine! So what did I do today? Well . . . I had a once (hopefully) in a lifetime experience today.   Something most people will never have to go through, if they’re lucky!   I went to see a dermatologist for a sore that is not healing. No big deal right?   I’ve had an old ‘war injury’ for over 35 years now and from time to time I get a flare up to the skin as either dryness or other condition irritates things . . . down there.   It’s sore from time to time and I’ve had this round since the end of 2011.   It is no big deal because it’s in an unmentionable location of course it’s only unmentionable by most people’s standards, not mine.   I’ll just say it . . . it’s in my a$$ crack.   I could say butt crack, but a$$ crack is a lot funnier to say and m...