As the new year is still fresh from the oven, it is a good time to take an inventory of all the good things in our lives. This can be done even in periods where it seems nothing is going right. At any given point, even in periods of seeming darkness, there are wonderful things that beg attention. Focusing on the good people for whom you’re surrounded, the food on your table, the roof over your head, or even the fact that you have life at all can greatly improve your mental state… and if you improve your mental state, you improve your situation. It is the things in our lives which we neglect by not recognizing their value in the moment that seem to get taken away from us, so it is nothing short of good sense to appreciate all that you have in real time.

I wish you all the best this year… I’m grateful for the people in my life (you all know who you are…)

1) I’m really glad I managed to hold on to that grudge.

2) I’m really glad I played it safe and didn’t take any chances.

3) I should’ve told people I loved them much less than I did.

4) I’m glad I looked cool and never let anyone know how I felt.

5) I should’ve had less fun.

6) I should have spent more time at work.

7) I’m glad I pushed everyone away.

Are you making every moment of every day count??

While we pray for a miracle it is easy to forget that miracles aren’t always pretty or pleasant. They do not arrive into your life with background music from the New York Philharmonic or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They are not illuminated by beams of sunlight shining through breaks in clouds like the background of a cheesy religious Hallmark greeting card. Usually they do not even announce their presence. Instead they slip in and out of our lives quietly and under the radar, often unnoticed because of our preoccupations. They sometimes come to us disguised as undesirable, perhaps even heartbreaking, moments that shake us to the very core of who we are. Miracles are not burning bushes, nor crying statues. They aren’t moments of divine intervention that rid us of all of our burdens in one fell swoop. They do not leap tall buildings and save us from situations in which we were meant to save ourselves. They are not something for which we should sit and idly wait. That is not how miracles work. That is not what they are.

Yet, our lives are overrun with miracles. We just have to learn how to spot them. When you think about it, the fact that we are alive is miraculous. The fact that we have consciousness and thought is miraculous. The things we’ve built, the stories we’ve dreamed, the words we’ve written, the lives we’ve shaped, the society we’ve fashioned, the people we have loved and the ones we hae forgiven, the list goes on… these things are all miraculous.

It’s a miracle when things make us laugh at the very moments we need to the most, and it’s a miracle how something as simple as spending time talking to a child can help us to realize how little we know in comparison to them. It is miraculous when a song comes on the radio out of the blue addressing a worry we’d been carrying around – sometimes for many years. It’s miraculous thinking that there were exact moments when people who would ultimately play major roles in our lives entered into our stories, and its miraculous that there are more of those moments and people yet to come. It is a miracle how we can be stripped against our will of the unimportant material things to which we unnecessarily cling. It’s miraculous that no matter how far off the path we travel, life has a way of setting our courses straight again. It’s a miracle that we are presented with hardships that shape us, and it’s a miracle that we are given (seemingly out of the blue) people and tools to make those hardships more bearable.

We are all, at various points in our lives, forced to endure storms or hardship. During those moments, it’s incredibly hard to label anything miraculous. It’s easy to sit in the downpour and wait for our miracles to come, blind to the fact that miracles are already all around us. The miracle may very well be the storm itself, and the role it plays in who we are to become. The miracle may be in what the storm washes ashore for us, who it brings into our lives, or the miracle may be how hard times have a way of making us remember our awesome capacity for love and acceptance. Out of everything, this is the biggest miracle of all.

On a personal level, miracles shape my day to day existence. They are as unassuming as the many friends who have stood quietly by me while through some very tough circumstances and scary change. They are present in the privilege I have of doing the same for others from time to time. They have been as violent as the events in my life that have brought me to my knees, let like steel purified by fire, I find miracle in becoming better for having gone through these experiences.

Never doubt the existence of the miraculous and divine; just learn how to spot it.

Yikes.

Quick inventory – - checking to see if I am a kid or at least what one would call “young”, void of social connections and accomplishment. Nope. That’s not me. (Well, I like to think that at 42, I am not ready for Shady Pines yet, but I digress). I’ve done pretty well for myself, yet, oh God, I Tweet. It’s true. I confess. I Tweet in the morning, I Tweet during the day, I Tweet at night. And I have not gone blind.

I have a professional Twitter account, and a personal Twitter account. I’m on LinkedIn and Facebook as well. I am even old-school: Long before the days of MicroBlogs like Twitter or Social Media sites like Facebook, I Blogged and continue to do so on WordPress. I must say, however, I have my limits; I dumped MySpace. it got a little too trashy for even me.

What do I tweet about? Politics (ever wonder how all of these politicians get elected when no one admits to voting for them?), travel (I’ve got accumulating airlines miles down to a science and really DIGG(.com) keeping up with fellow Cruise Line followers who like to take to the seas on occasion ), automotive (Hemi Power & Cops and Rodders – fun stuff), current events and pop culture (ever wonder how an American Idol gets elected with no one admits to voting for them?), daily frustrations and blessings (and I am that, for sure). Nothing is sacred: I even Tweeted from my Granny’s funeral, and she would have LOVED it, too.

I think I am in good company. At this very moment, astronauts are Tweeting from the Space Shuttle (fellow tweets, check out @Astro_mike) as they wonder if the weather will ever clear in Florida so that they can land. Along the way, though, they are also Tweeting about how they feel to be looking down on Mother Earth from orbit. All sorts of celebrities Tweet, though there are imposters so be careful about who you follow. Local and national media type’s Tweet. Lawmakers on both sides of the isle and in all 50 states Tweet, and its gotten a few of them in trouble. College professors and Nobel Peace Prize winners Tweet.

Different people gravitate to different things. Cable TV vs Sat TV vs broadcast, text messaging vs a phone call vs a postage stamp, traditional print newspaper vs online news vs news tweets from CNN, sedan vs convertible vs bicycle.

So what is Twitter anyway? Technically speaking, it is a Microblog. Think of it as a stream of mini blog posts, limited to 144 characters each. If a blog is a short story, a Twitter is the title. Think of it as an interesting news feed and don’t judge it by the continuously updated public timeline that often consist of pointless chatter (“I love my cat” blah blah”) . The value of Twitter is in your own online community of people who follow you, as well as those people you choose to follow. You are in control and you shouldn’t care what any crowd thinks, but rather you should care about the wisdom of a carefully selected crowd.

Why might you want to Tweet? If you are a student of current events and understand the importance of the human connection, both for personal enjoyment and professional growth, you might actually enjoy the opportunity to learn new things. There are tons of daily thoughts and ideas from experts and leaders like Tony Robbins for example. I am sure that you also have expertise in your own area – something important or informative to impart to others. Why not share that expertise? If you are in business, why not use it to help communicate your message, such as Chrysler is doing right now through bankruptcy?

Another reason to Tweet is to become a better student of rapidly developing technology. Look at how quickly the online universe is changing? I am found Twitter to be great way to learn about fresh new tech ideas, and the very nature of Twitter with its 144 character limit forces focused communication. You won’t have to worry about reading anything as lengthy as this one blog entry. You can keep up while you are on the go using text messaging or Twitter on an iPhone if you are the type to be always on and plugged in. It’s a matter of preference.

The bottom line for me and the millions of other people who use it is that Twitter is just one more communications tool. If you check it out and don’t like it, the world won’t end. No blood will be shed. And if you do decide you like it, that doesn’t make you an unemployed bum with too much time on your hands.

There are sharp edges at low levels and exposed outlets. There are unlabeled toxic substances left out that make us sick after unknowing consumption. There are hard grainy surfaces to smack us when we trip and fall. There is no one to kiss our scrapes; no one to save us from the bullies. There is no one to tell us “no” before we charge headlong into the things that will ultimately hurt us. Nothing is safe. Nothing is padded. We get scarred up, beat up, fall, and just have to get up our own damn selves when we take our spills.

But a child proof life teaches us nothing. We gain little from the safety of a life with no risks,, one with padded edges and smooth surfaces. A life with unwavering guarantees, like a playground with no bullies, offers no opportunity to learn and grow. Sometimes I think we get roughed up and knocked around for the lessons only a good beating can give us. Every time we are forced to pick ourselves up and dress our own wounds we become better at standing and caring for ourselves, and we get better at speaking for ourselves. For every stove we touch, we learn how to avoid the hot surfaces. For every metal monkey bar on which we bust our heads, we learn our boundaries and limitations. For every kid we knock down on the playground, we learn to be more sensitive to the pain of others. For every seemingly intollerant individual we are brave enough to debate, we learn how to project our own voice.

Life is not child proof. Life is not safe. But, if you think about it, what fun would that be anyway?

I joined the Continental Frequent Flyer program, OnePass. On a gamble, I sent them a copy of my American Airlines frequent flyer card and asked if they would reciprocate within their OnePass program at the equivalent level, and they agreed. Hello Elite Silver! I then applied for and received from Chase Bank the Continental Airlines Presidential Plus credit card. This is apparently the godfather of mileage-based airline credit cards and its expensive – annual fees of about $400.00/yr –almost as much as an American Express Platinum Card (which I DO NOT have). But the perks of the Presidential Plus card are worth the cost to me. The annual fee gives Elite Premier status on Continental, even if you don’t fly the required 25,000 miles annually to achieve the lowest level of elite status in the OnePass program. That is a big deal, especially for a big guy like me. Elite Premier allows you to board first (no fighting for overhead space) and you can check two bags up to 70 lbs at no cost . Yoru checked bags get priority treatment, unloaded first and sent to the carousels first. You also get priority access through security ar most airports. The annual fee also provides membership into Continental’s Presidents Club lounges, along with access into several partner lounges such as Delta, Northwest, Alaska Air and a few others. No such benefit exists for American Airlines members. You want to go the lounge there, you pay for it. With the Presidential Plus card, all air, hotel, and rent car miles count double, you get free double class upgrades with Avis, and Gold Status with Hyatt hotels. All in all, not a bad deal, especially compared to American Airlines where their lowest flier program level just gives you the opportunity not to be upgraded on their oversold flights. Extra bonus: On Continental, you don’t have to fly on an MD-80 (my mental equivalent of a New York City taxi cab) and even if you do not successfully score an upgrade, Continental still serves hot meals in coach.

So, I have used the Continental President’s Premier card for EVERYTHING I can. Utility bills, gasoline, you name it. And the miles to accumulate pretty fast. Right now I have a nice accumulation of miles on that card, plus a lot of miles left on the old American Airlines Citibank card, and about two tickets worth of miles on a Bank of America Alaska Airlines card I got on an Alaskan cruise several years ago. I also have a Discover Miles card.

Here is where things have started to get tricky. I am  currently in the process of scheduling travel for the next year back to Texas – - mostly holiday weekend types of trips.  In fact, this morning I just booked mileage flights back to the lakehouse  for my birthday next January (on Continental) and President’s Day weekend in February (on American).   I have a high credit limit on the Citibank American Airlines MC and AmEx cards, and I have no balance. I have an equally high limit on the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card, with a very minimal balance. There is a big limit on the Discover Miles card with no balance and I haven’t used it in months. For the past year my every day card has been the Continental Card with a high limit and a lot of activity each month that I pay off monthly. In today’s crazy economic environment, I am trying to protect the available credit on these cards that in the past I never used so that my FICO score stays high because of my low debt to credit line ratio.

Now that I am starting to use some of the miles I have accumulated, I am now starting to find myself playing credit card roulette each month to get miles on each mileage program (American, Alaska, and of course, Continental) to the magic increments of 25,000 miles, which equals a round-trip ticket. Doing the credit card mileage juggle also keeps each credit card company happy because I am using them in spurts, even though I pay them off each month (No credit card company likes it when you carry a high credit line on a card you never use – it sticks out like a sore thumb). For example, I have 125k miles (5 RT tickets) available on Continental right now, and 67k (2.5 RT tickets) available on America Airlines, so for the next few months I will start using the Citibank American Airlines card for monthly expenses to get those miles up to 75k, the equivalent of 3 round trip coach tickets.

So that is how I am managing the miles!  The more tricky issue is how to actually use them. The airlines are good at giving you all of these miles, and then making it almost impossible to use them! I will blog about that next tme!

Just make your favorite meatball recipe (obviously not with Italian seasonings).

I use 3-4 lbs of ground meat, brown them, set them aside., then in the fat that remains, brown 2 packages of dried onion soup.

You have to keep stiring, so it doesn’t burn, and after it is brown, add two cups of water and keep stirring.  Add that a pint o sour cream and aout a cup of white wine.        Thicken it with a flour, warm water mixture ( I use Wondra) and then add th emeatballs back in and simmer the whole thing for a bit. 

Serve it with white rice or over noodles.     

One word of advice, go easy on the salt. The onion soup and  already have a lot of salt in them.

The word “Mopar” originated in the 1930s  as an acronym for “MOtor PARts”, the parts producing arm of the Chrysler Corporation.     Enthusiasts who raced Chrysler products of any make over the years have come to refer to their vehicles “Mopar” products rather than by their individual names, Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge.    Mopar owners boast that the acronym has multiple other meanings such as “My Own Pure Adrenaline Rush”.

I knew very quickly that the NJ Mopar Group was not a typical car group after attending one of the groups weekly “Meet and Greets”.      The Mopar group recruits new membership by attending car shows and by hand distributing invitations to other Mopar owners,  but it is  through a series of  “Meet & Greets” that take place on different nights throughout the week that prospective members really get a feel for the breadth and depth of the relationships that exist within the family-like organization.    The group’s calendar, updated daily on their website,  includes something for everyone:   car shows, charity events,  group modification weekends, family dinners,  play dates for the children of the members, pool parties, and weekend overnight trips as a group.     The kindred atmosphere is hard to miss.   Whether cruising together to enjoy an ice cream cone or to attend a large regional car show,  the group arrives for every event as a unified  and impressive caravan of classic and late modeled Dodge Chargers,  Challengers , Magnums,  and Chrysler 300s representing a rainbow of colors that is as diverse as the membership itself.    With military-like precision, the each vehicle, one-at-a-time,  backs perfectly into its assigned space is a domino cascading manner that has become well-rehearsed over time.   The doors open and trunks open , canopies are erected, soft drink coolers are placed, and lawn chairs are arranged before each family returns to their own Mopar to prepare it for show.    It is not uncommon to see dad detailing the car, mom shining the interior, and the kids polishing the wheels.    We are all, indeed, a stalwart assemblage of friends.

Giving back to the community is a key focus of each of the regional groups that reside under the Muscle Mopars of America umbrella.    In August the regional groups will come together to host the 3rd Annual Muscle Mopar Bar-B-Q.   Planned for Saturday, August 22^nd at Spruce Run State Park in New Jersey, the event is open to all Mopar owners and their families from across the Northeast and will include a car show, homemade food, fellowship,  and children’s activities, with all proceeds from the event  benefiting  St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

This weekend, the PA Mopar Group assisted sponsor High Horse Performance (HHP) to conduct a Welcome Home Day at the VA Hospital in Wilmington, DE for Afghanistan and Iraq troops.   In its second year, the event was free to the public and, in addition to the car show,  included a  military band, police dogs, Air Force helicopter,  and several events for children  from face painting to games.    We were surrounded by service members from every branch of the military, and from every generation.     Many were escorted to the outside festivities only with their aid of their nurse and IV poles, and it was clear they were very glad to enjoy the short break from their personal recovery and circumstances to enjoy a day that was arranged just for them.    Top honors at the car show were designated as  “Memorial Awards” , each named after  an armed services member who lost his or her life in Afghanistan and Iraq.   The gesture  gave each award very significant meaning and caused all of us to pause and think about what is really important in our lives:    our freedom and our relationships with each other.    I have never been more proud to be associated with my Mopar family than I was at this event.

These are challenging times for many people.  Our lives are busier than they have even been in an economy that is impacting many families in ways they have never experienced.   It’s easy to become so focused on survival – on getting through the day, on getting through the week – that you forget that there is a lot of strength that comes from being with others who share a common interest and joining together for common causes.    The families that comprise our collective Mopar groups, whether from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York or elsewhere, are fortunate to have such a strong network of friends and counterparts, all united in our common passions that involve our cars and our communities, but also in our concern for each other.

Membership in the any of the Mopar Groups represented under the Muscle Car Clubs of America umbrella is open to all Mopar owners and enthusiasts.

REALITY CHECK TO MYSELF: The best thing you can ever do for yourself is to turn outward. Standing on the edge and looking beyond yourself is the only clear view you can have. None of us are the center of everything, as much as we are ALL the center of everything. Whatever you are experiencing, good or bad, look outward and see that EVERYONE is going through SOMETHING. Instead of bathing in your own glory or soaking in your own tub of mess, do whatever possible to brighten someone else’s situation. It provides much needed perspective on your life, and hell, it never hurts to spread a little joy now and then anyway. So, kick some ass, spread some joy, and get the over yourself.