Typical Orlando Florida Day

Had an amazing day yesterday!

Here is fair warning for next year, mark your calendars for the Encore! concert written and performed by Disney cast members next year! We saw it yesterday and it was an absolutely phenomenal show!

After that, we met parrot head friends at The Oasis Tiki Bar on I-Drive in Orlando. There are so many things to love about our parrot head friends, but the number one thing I love about them is: one phone call, and word travels and a bunch show up! An instant party!

Of course, it helped that they were volunteering at nearby Give Kids The World. An amazing charity. It's Orlando Florida's fourth theme park...for children with life threatening illnesses. The local chapter of Parrot Heads put on a pool party complete with DJ DeciBel!

Peaceful Pirate + Parrot Heads of Central Florida + The Oasis Tiki Bar= One great life!

Vero....my Hero

Just spent an incredible day at Vero Beach.

Started out at Mulligans right on the beach. Excellent service. Excellent food. And the atmosphere? Well, every other song was Jimmy Buffett off a LIVE album. I'd say that's pretty close to perfect.

Then I sat on the beach. Watched kids play. Watched people laugh. Watched the tide come in...go out. This was perfection.

On the way out of town, thought I'd stop off at Kilwins for a waffle cone. Perfect end to a perfect day.

What am I thinking today?

That is the question I ask myself every day when I wake up.

This day is a gift. I woke up breathing. That's a great start! And I remind myself that the only thing I can absolutely control...without a doubt...and without any interfering from outside circumstances...are my thoughts.

I can think anything I choose. That's a powerful statement. I have to let that soak in for a minute. I have the ability and THE POWER...to choose absolutely any thought I want to.

So I'll choose only thoughts that make me feel good. That sounds so simple. And it sounds so obvious. Yet I've been taught all my life that I can't do it. How many times have I heard "I can't stop thinking about it!" or "I can't help but think that...".

I will consciously try to think only thoughts that make me feel good. If I start to worry about an outcome that could happen later in the day, I will catch myself and imagine the opposite outcome. Why not? It's just a thought anyway.

How are your thoughts?? Want to join me?

Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.

How to turn up your peace volume!

To turn up your Peace volume, you need to turn down the noise.

And the biggest noise maker is "the news".

Turn off the news. Turn off talk shows. Turn off anyone that gets paid to speak for a living. If people are paid to tell you your thinking is wrong...or lifestyle is wrong....or that you should be angry...or saddened...turn it off. Turn it all off.

Before television, we talked to each other... Face to face...or at least on the phone. If one of us was bent out of shape about something, the other one could calm us down. We actually reasoned with one another. If you were angry about a situation and wanted to find "like minded" folks, you had to walk or drive to find a group that shared the same frustration. And maybe you cooled down before you got there.

But now you can simply flip a switch in your bedroom...and there is a man or woman waiting there to confirm any fears or suspicions you may have about any subject.

Are you a new mom nervous about your child getting hurt while playing? Turn on the TV. There are sure to be news stories about lead in his toys.

Are you a young girl getting ready to date for the first time? Turn on the your local news. Surely there will be a story about how many date rapes occurred over the last year.

Are you a man trying to support his family? Any channel will be happy to report gloomy economic news and strike fear in your heart that your company could be the next to downsize.

In other words, these fears have always existed. But we turned to friends and family to help gain a little perspective. Now TV seems to give our fears credence.

So turn to the Peaceful Pirate! He will remind you that everything TRULY does work out. Your child will be fine! Your first date will be amazing! And you, sir, deserve a promotion!

Smooth sailin'!

Peaceful Pirate's take on the Gulf Oil Spill 2010

Well, here we are facing a huge environmental catastrophe brought on by our need for oil. Oil. More oil! There was a day when ships only used wind to get around. When cars didn't exist. And the only fuel needed was hay and water for our horses.

Ahhh but times have changed. The twentieth century saw the largest technological increase in the history of mankind. Wow! Yet, in the over all scheme of things, I wonder if sometimes our technology only winds up taking us several steps back. Seriously. And we're too blind to see it. It's the whole "can't see the forest for the trees" analogy. Which, by the way, is why I prefer the sea. Nothing can hide out there.

Just this morning, I received a text. I was supposed to meet a friend at an appointment. The text asked if we could reschedule to accomodate another friend. Unfortunately, I had a conflict with the new time. So I texted back...fumbling for the right screen and right keys to convey my reply. It took over ten minutes and several texts to iron out all the details. I thought to myself: it is absolutely astounding that this device will allow me to receive a message and then type a response to someone several miles away! But...now hear me out on this...wouldn't it be cool if you could actually speak into this device and have a real time conversation with someone miles away? It would cut the time dramatically. And I would not have to resort to smiley face emoticons to convey my cheeriness.

Alexander Graham Bell is probably questioning his life's work.

Our society has gone from being able to speak clearly to one another from across the world... to typing on tiny keyboards with our thumbs.

And it is not just with phones. The other day I showed my children the critically acclaimed, and highly educational, film "Funny Farm" with Chevy Chase. In it, Chevy's character takes a picture with a Polaroid camera. The minute he snapped the shutter, the actual photograph spat out the bottom of the camera. My children were amazed! "Whoa!" they exclaimed. "That's more advanced than we have now!". True story.

And, you know? They are exactly right. In Mr. Chase's hand was a photograph. He could touch it. Feel it. Pass it around for all to see. Nowadays, after taking a picture with my digital camera, I have to upload it to my laptop. Then resize it in order to share it with social networks. Or connect a wire from my laptop to my flat screen TV to show my in-laws the picture of the bird I snapped outside my window last Wednesday.

In defense of our digital cameras today, I admit the pixel resolution is much better. This allows my Facebook friends to see a clearer, sharper image of the bird outside my window. And not just any friends. Thanks to the technologically advanced social networking sites, I have reconnected with long -lost childhood friends. And they are enjoying every high resolution picture I post of the bird outside my window. I know they are glad to see it because their smiley emoticons in the comments prove it.

Technology has allowed us to drill for a black substance a mile below the ocean surface. A mile! That's amazing. Yet soon our beaches may look like they did millions of years ago. Desolate and devoid of life. We have not figured out the technology to stop the well from gushing. Maybe we shouldn't. Maybe this is nature's "Do over" so we'll get the message to enjoy what we have...just as it is.

Oh. I see someone agrees! Alexander Graham Bell just clicked "Like" on my Facebook status!