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Urgent: Stop Suicide

Thank you, Tim Ferriss, Jocko Willink and Echo Charles . You just gifted me the most urgent podcast message I have ever heard: Jocko Podcast Episode #50.

For the love of God, share Jocko Podcast Episode #50 NOW. And if God is not among your loved ones, for the love of them, share it NOW! This is a message every teenager should hear NOW, every Veteran should hear NOW, every college student should hear NOW. Every ________ should hear NOW. Fill in the blank. Share, share, share, NOW! Why?

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas some years back, my cousin Tyler killed himself, all alone. He had reached out to me and to my sons, just asking what we were doing over the holidays. We sensed he was fishing for an invitation, but we were busy.

We never heard from Tyler again. Instead my aunt called. She could not handle it. I flew out to California and cleaned up what Tyler left behind. He never saw the New Year. And every New Year, I try to forget it could have been different. But I can’t because it could have been.

You don’t need to carry a burden like this the rest of your life. SHARE Jocko Podcast #50 NOW. Listen for the quiet desperation that may lie behind the polite question or phone call of a friend or relative, and SHARE Jocko Podcast #50. Share yourself, your ear, your heart, your time. A false positive carries little risk, but a false negative can mean a death to be borne forever. You can make a difference you may never know you made until in due time you yourself pass over.

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Blog

Wisdom Day 14 July 2016: Flee Fools

First of all, Bonne fête de la Bastille, i.e., Happy Bastille Day! Lots of fireworks in France tonight, which on the French clock is just about now. My older son and his family are in Paris to enjoy it all. Would love to be with them, but here I am with you, which is not all bad. So here goes.

Escape quickly from the company of fools;
    they’re a waste of your time, a waste of your words.

The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track;
    the foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch. (The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 14, Verses 7 & 8, The Message, BibleGateway.com)

The take away? Roll with the wise. Let fools roll with fools. As Tim Ferriss warns:

“ . . . you are the average of the five people you associate with most, so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker.” (Timothy Ferriss, The 4-Hour Workweek, Amazon.com)

At this point in my life, it seems I associate most with Jocko Willink and Tim Ferriss, maybe sometimes even more than with my immediate family, i.e., wife and children. I invest numerous hours weekly listening to Jocko and Tim Ferriss podcasts and hours more on Twitter following Tim, Jocko and Jocko’s colleague, Leif Babin. These guys seem to be diminishing little by little my native foolishness. Some actual face-to-face would be even better. I’ll work on that.

In addition to the Jocko and Tim Ferriss podcasts, the following are some resources  that have helped in the quest to enhance strength and wisdom:

Hardcover
Takeaways
Audio
Kindle
Slimline
Study
Paperback
Hardcover
Kindle
Audio
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Blog Poetry

Thalia Zumba Star

I wrote this for my wife Thalia in 2010. Today LA Fitness called her. They will audition her for a position as Zumba instructor at their Las Colinas location. So indeed, ¡”la niña sale bailar”!

La Niña Sale Bailar
© 2010, A. Allen Rowe, para Thalía

Le interesa la clase de danza árabe.
Hay ballet pero sus horarios no se acomodan.
Dice que necesita bajar de peso.
No lo creo.
Su belleza es clásica, no de hoy,
belleza de poder, vitalidad y pasión,
no floja, débil, o corrupta,
belleza de Rubens y no de publicidad.
Pero su mente susurra lo contrario,
para justificarse a si misma
y a los demás.

Este pretexto esconde la verdad.
¿la verdad? . . . su corazón tiene otra razón:
quiere liberar la niña.

De pequeña, su corazón ordenó al cuerpo de bailar.
Como niña, su alma ardía de expresarse
con música, ritmos, y danza,
a festejar nueva vida
explotando de alegría.

Sus circunstancias no lo permitieron,
e hicieron presa su alma.

Pero hoy, felicitaciones, señorita.
La niña sale de su cárcel.
La niña sale bailar.

La niña sale bailar
La niña sale bailar