Jay Platt, "Mr. Unstoppable"

Don't Judge A Book (part 2)

"Beware, so long as you live, of judging
men by their outward appearance."

~ Jean de La Fontaine ~

The following is the second part of my post on judging others. It is excerpted from my first book, "A Time To Walk: Life Lessons Learned On The Appalachian Trail." If needed, you may read the first part of the post here. Enjoy!

While on the surface the comments directed toward me seem harmless enough, I believe they are reflective of a growing trend in our society of not caring about the feelings of others.

Being on the receving end, I could not help but think of how someone must feel when they’re made fun of because they talk, walk, or look differently.

Other sorts of subtle discrimination occurred any time I would go into a restaurant. I’d have to wait forever to be seated and then only in a corner away from everyone else.

Getting decent service was nearly impossible, and many, many times the service was downright rude. All of these examples are minor, though, compared to what happened in Pennsylvania.

I’d hiked fifteen miles one day and decided to camp near a road. The night went by without incident, but the next morning, I woke up with blurred vision in my right eye that was steadily getting worse. This wasn’t a very good situation to be in, period, but especially for a one eyed man!

I was concerned because I had gone blind in my left eye under similar circumstances, and worried the disease had now moved into my right eye. I gathered up my gear and staggered across the road to a parking lot. Being that it was Sunday, I figured there'd be people coming by to hike in the area for the day.

Just as I’d thought, not long after, an elderly couple pulled up. By this time, my right eye was in a lot of pain. I cupped my hand over it to block out the sunlight and staggered over to their car. I waved hello and motioned them to roll down the window. The lady cracked her window just an inch.

I explained to them that I was a hiker and had hurt my eye and needed some help. Their response? They told me to leave them alone and sped off, leaving me standing there in their dust.

I couldn’t believe it. But after thinking about it, I decided that I probably looked pretty scary to them. They probably just didn’t understand what I wanted. The next time I’d try to be more calm and articulate what I needed. Shortly after, a man and his son pulled up. They got out of their truck and walked my way.

When they got beside me I said, “Excuse me sir. I know I look a mess, but I’m not a bum. I’m a hiker and I need your help. You see, I have this form of cancer that caused me to go blind in my left eye, and I’m afraid it’s now moved into my right eye. I can barely see anything out of it. I don’t know what else to do. Could you please help me?”

After explaining like that, I thought surely he’d help me. But he didn’t. He just told me that he wasn’t going my way and to leave them alone. I couldn’t believe it. I was outraged! More than that, though, I was saddened by the example that he was setting for his son, who was watching every move his father made.

Now, I was really getting worried. What if no one would help? I realized there wasn’t any more I could do about the situation, so I put it in someone’s hands that could. I said a prayer and asked God to send someone my way who'd help me. Within five minutes, a Jeep Cherokee pulled up. Out came a couple, who were about to do a day-hike in the area.

As they approached, I asked if they could look at my right eye for me. She, (her name was Susan) looked at it and said she didn’t see anything stuck in it. They then asked me if I needed a lift somewhere. Another prayer answered! They drove me about fifteen miles, and dropped me off at a hotel, near an interstate.

As soon as I got in my room, I lay down and slept for several hours. When I woke up, my eye was fine.. Apparently, whatever was in it had worked its way out while I slept.

The next day, I was faced with the dilemma of determining where I was, and how to get back to the trail. Across the road from the hotel, was a convenience store. Figuring they’d have a map of the area, I went in to take a look.

Over in one corner of the store were dozens of maps. As I was browsing through one of them, the clerk asked me what I was doing. I explained I was just browsing. She then said that if I wasn’t going to buy anything, I’d have to leave. She didn’t stop there, though. She said if I didn’t leave, she'd call the police.

I couldn’t believe this was happening. She didn’t know me, or anything about me. She just assumed things, because of my appearance. I was so furious that I told her to do what she had to do, because I wasn’t leaving until I was good and ready.

All of these incidents combined taught me a great deal about human behavior, in a way I never would have learned otherwise. I was able to get a firsthand glimpse of what it must feel like to be an unaccepted minority.

In all fairness, I must say there were also many, many good people I met on the trail. People who picked me up in the rain, people who opened their homes up to me, etc. To them, I am forever indebted.

But I think I learned most from the bad examples. Because they reminded me of something we should all keep in mind—none of us, not one, is more special than the other. Sadly, many people forget that. They don’t seem to realize it was a blessing that they’ve arrived where they are today.

Think about it. What makes you more special than a child in India or Somalia that's starving? What did you do to deserve to not have muscular dystrophy? Why weren’t you born mentally retarded? Etc., etc., etc...

My point is this: You really had no control over those things, and neither did they. The best thing you can do, is simply count your blessings, and while you’re at it, treat others like they’re just as special as you, because guess what—they are.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!

Don't Judge A Book (part 1)

"Judge not, that you not be judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged. And with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

~Matthew 7:13~

The following is an excerpt from my book, "A Time To Walk: Life Lessons Learned On The Appalachian Trail." The book is about what I learned during my more than five month thru-hike. Due to its length, it will be a two part post. Enjoy!

Don't judge a book by its cover. It's an old cliche that most of us have heard. But have we really taken it to heart? Have you? Or do you allow your perception of others to influence how you treat them? Think about it. How do you look at the world around you? Do you treat everyone fairly?

When you see a homeless person on the street, what’s your first thought? Do you see him or her as a person in need of help? Do you realize that you too could be in their shoes, if things went wrong in your life? Or, do you just look at them with disgust in your eyes? Are they just lazy bums? Do you wonder why they don’t just get a job? Things to think about, huh?

What about someone who’s overweight? They couldn’t have any pride in themselves, right? I mean, why don’t they just exercise and diet? They probably don’t have the discipline you have, do they? Or what about the…?

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. The reality is, most of us don’t truly treat others as fairly as we should. Particularly when they’re not like us.

Most of us are prejudiced in one way or another, whether we admit it out loud or not. We tend to believe that we’re somehow better than those who are less fortunate than us, or different from us. This type of thinking is universal too.

All races, genders, religions, etc, can be subject to a certain amount of prejudice, according to where you are in the world. One important point to remember, however, is that it is a behavior—and like all behaviors, it’s something we’re taught.

If you look at little kids, you’ll notice that they accept everyone. It’s not until they are influenced by others, that they begin to hate those around them. The positive side of this is, just as we're taught negative behavior, we can also be taught positive.

Looking back on my own life, I must confess that I can rarely recall a time when I felt like I was being looked down upon by others. Sure, growing up, I was teased at times, as I’m sure everyone is. But I can never recall a time where I felt like I was being looked down upon by others, because of who or what they perceived me to be.

Why is that? Well, to be quite honest, in this country, I’ve had it made. Being a white male in America, I’ve been privileged to acceptance by most of society. I’m not saying that’s right, it’s just the way it is.

When you look like the majority, and act like the majority, then you are usually accepted by the majority. And that’s where I stood, until the trail. As a thru-hiker, for the first time, I experienced discrimination. And, I didn't like it! It didn't come from my fellow hikers, but from others in society.

It seems I no longer fit into the mold of how you're supposed to act, look, smell, etc. I guess my scraggly beard, dirty clothing, and the black patch I wore over my left eye weren't exactly people magnets. While my appearance was acceptable on the trail with other hikers, it was far from it around non-hikers. More often than not, when I was in a town, at a restaurant, in a store, etc., I'd get a distinct feeling that I wasn't welcome.

One of the first instances of this occurred in New Hampshire. I’d just arrived in the first major town I’d visited in over a month of being on the trail. I couldn’t wait to get there. I was so hungry for something other than trail food, and was really looking forward to a hot shower.

Shortly after arriving in town, my buddy Felix and I came across a Dunkin Donuts. Dunkin Donuts! Wow! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some freshly made donuts. I could just see myself easily eating a dozen, all by my lonesome.

Then it happened. As I was getting ready to place my order, the cashier asked me a question that caught me by surprise. She said, “ It’s a little early for Halloween, isn’t it?”

Now, in all honesty, I’ll admit that comment didn’t really hurt my feelings that badly. I learned a long time ago that what others think about you is really irrelevant. The only thing that really matters is what you think of yourself. But, her flippant remark was insensitive to say the least. So I decided to make her “pay” for her comment.

I acted like I’d been devastated by her remark. I told her it had taken me over a year to build up the courage to leave my house after losing my eye. I explained how worried I’d been about what others would think about my appearance. I continued by telling her that only after being convinced by my family that the patch wasn’t that noticeable had I decided to face the public again.

By now, I could tell that I’d made her feel pretty low. But I went on and told her that I felt that she’d discriminated against me. About this time, Felix caught on to what I was doing and began trying to “console” me. At this point, the lady began apologizing like crazy. She even offered to give us our donuts for free—and we took her up on her offer.

I was harassed in a similar fashion a few other times while on the trail. Once, in a diner, a man asked me if I was supposed to be Captain Hook or something. Another time, a man pointed at me and said to his son “Look son, it’s a woods pirate.”

Well, that's it for part one of this post. Join me next time for part two. Until then...

Keep reaching,
Jay

P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!

What You Say Is What You Get

"Self-suggestion makes you a master of yourself."

~ W. Clement Stone ~

 

Although I may not personally know you, I do know some things about you. Particularly when it comes to the way you talk to yourself. Chances are, you fall into one of two ways of being.

The first way is strong and resolute. When this type of person faces adversity, they truly believe they can make it through it, that they'll find a way, no matter what.

The second way is that of a defeatist. When this type of person faces adversity, they feel overwhelmed and beaten. That there is nothing they can do.

If you fall into the first camp, good for you. Chances are you will succeed at whatever you set your mind to, and really go after. Truly the only thing that will hold you back is you.

But what of the second type of person? Is there any hope? I can tell you without hesitation that the answer is yes. It's all about changing the way you talk.

Think of your mind as a computer. One so powerful, nothing man has built even compares to its virtually unlimited capacity. A capacity so great that it’s been estimated that the average person only uses three to four percent of it in a lifetime.

Your "computer" is basically empty when you first get it (when you’re born), but it quickly begins filling its database. And it does so in a truly amazing way.

Unlike a regular computer, this one records everything that it comes into contact with, automatically. This means that it not only records when you are intentionally inputting information, but also when you are totally unaware. 

This means you, as "the programmer," must exert as much control as possible over your “computer.” By what you read, listen to, and watch. By who you associate with, and the focus of this post, what you say to yourself.

This probably has more impact on your success or failure than any other one thing. Literally, what you say is what you get. Remember, you can never get away from yourself. The outside world may not hear what you say, but your mind does. It’s always there. Waiting, listening, recording.

When you say things like “I can’t,” or “I’m nothing but a loser,” it hears you and takes action to ensure your commands are carried out.

Conversely, believing in yourself will do wonders for you. You can do far more than you ever thought possible, if you’d only believe in yourself.  Henry Ford understood this when he said, “If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

We’re also affected greatly by what others say to us, just as we affect others by what we say. That’s why we should all be mindful about the words we use; particularly to children, who have very impressionable minds.

Although there are many factors involved, it basically comes down to this. Your mind is like a fertile field and you’re the farmer. If you’re planting weeds, don’t expect corn to come up. So, what are you planting?

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!

How Determined Are You?

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by
the things you didn't do than the ones you did. So throw
off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch
the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

~Mark Twain~

In this post, I would like to share something that I consider to be essential in accomplishing your most important goals in life. In fact, whenever I begin working with someone in a new coaching relationship, it's something we talk about upfront.

Let's begin with some important questions. How determined are you to succeed? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to reach your goals in life? Is there something you must do, and you are willing to keep at it until it's done? Or, like so many others, will you simply quit as soon as the going gets tough?

Hard questions, I know (at least if you are being honest). But, your answers say a lot about you, and how far you'll go in life. See, no matter what you want to achieve, your success lies in your ability to persevere. You have to be determined.

So what exactly does it mean to be detemined anyway? Well, according to Dictionary.com, determination is: (a) a firmness of purpose; resolve (b) a fixed intention or resolution. The common denominator being resolved to the achievement of your goal.

And what goal is that? Well, that's for you to decide. You must determine what you need to achieve in life to feel satisfied when it's all said and done. What drives you? What will you look back on and say, "I woulda, shoulda, coulda" if you don't do it?

Maybe you're thinking, "Yeah, that's fine for him to say, he's probably had every advantage in his life. Things just come easy for him." Far from it. It seems that most everything in my life worthwhile has come as a result of determination. And that's the case with most succesful men and women.

Real, lasting success just doesn't happen overnight. Rather, it's the result of day in, and day out effort. Plus, the determination to see it to the end. That means doing it even when it's no longer fun and you don't "feel" like doing it anymore.

For instance, whenever I decided to write my first book, I vastly underestimated what it would require. The first three weeks netted me a grand total of six pages. That's it! But, you know what? Even though I only had six pages, it was six more than I'd have had by just sitting back and thinking about doing it.

Later, when I had over 100 pages, my computer got a virus and my hard drive crashed. I had not backed up my files on disk the way you are supposed to, so I lost all that I had done. I was devastated. But, looking back, I have to say that what came out the second time was much stronger than the first.

After many months, my book was in the hands of an editor. When I got back the edited version and read it, I hated it. It lacked focus. So, I went back to the drawing board. Finally, almost a year later than I had planned, my book was released. Another mission accomplished!

Of course, my story isn't any different than anyone who has accomplished great things in their life. The good news for all of us is that while we're still above ground, it's never too late to begin working on our dreams.

That was certainly the case of Ray Kroc of McDonalds fame. He was in his mid fifties selling milkshake machines until the time he struck a deal with the McDonald brothers.

Or look at Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken. He was sixty-five years old and retired before he began trying to franchise his chicken recipe. It has been said that he endured more than 1,000 no's before he found someone who said yes.

Finally, on a more personal note, allow me to share with you another wonderful example of someone who has shown great determination and proved that it is never too late to work on your dreams. My mother, Dawn Platt.

She was fifty before she ever stepped foot into college. But, she completed her schooling with great distinction and is now a registered nurse. Something she never would have achieved if she did not show great determination.

So, as I wrap up, let me ask you again. And think about it before you answer. Are you determined to succeed? Are you really, really determined to succeed?

Because if you are, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that you can't accomplish!

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!

Why You Should Aim Low

"How am I going to live today in order to create
the future that I'm committed to?"

~ Anthony Robbins ~

 

Tuesday marked six weeks since my brain surgery. I'm still not at 100%, but I'm getting there. And, how I'm going about doing so is what I want to talk to you about in this post, as I know you can use the same information in your own life.

For more than a decade now, I've talked about the power of setting and achieving goals and have written about it here in the past. There is real power in goals and I can't say enough good things about them.

But today, I would like to talk about goals in a slightly different way. Something that you don't hear that often. I am going to recommend that you aim low (at least at first) in order to achieve the success you're ultimately looking for.

I know, I know. How could I actually recommend that you should aim low of all things? Shouldn't I be telling  you to "shoot for the stars" instead?

Well, while telling you something like that would certainly be motivational (and may be the ultimate goal), it's just not realistic for most, and is not how most big goals are accomplished.

Hence my recommendation that you "aim low" on your goal, at least initially. The thing you want to do is set a goal that you can achieve. This gives you something you sorely need in the beginning -- confidence.

A win in the beginning gives you the impetus you need to begin to set goals which will stretch you and allow you to achieve more than you ever dreamed. A loss, however, can do just the opposite. Sadly, that is what I see way too often.

Far too often, people will set goals that are not reachable, then when they don't achieve the goal they set they throw their hands up in exasperation and give up on the whole idea of setting and achieving goals.

So, all I'm suggesting is that you do just the opposite. Set something that you know you can do. Then, use that win to set the next one, and so on. A perfect example of this is a goal I have set for myself and getting back into shape.

On March 10th, there is a 5k road race that I have entered. Putting a time goal at this point would be much too intense. So, instead, my goal is just to finish the race. That's it. Something I know I will be able to do. And from there, who knows?

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!

What Having A Brain Tumor Has Taught Me

"The gem cannot be polished without friction,
nor man perfected without trials."

~ Chinese Proverb ~

 

Having a brain tumor is scary. And while I'll be the first to admit it, I also think it can teach me (and you) some really important lessons about life. That's the idea of this post anyway.

It's been 14 years since I first learned that I had a brain tumor. Actually, I had four. After a 12 hour surgery, they could only get three of them, so they closed me up and let the final one stay in place. And it didn't cause much problems until recently.

I first started getting headaches about three weeks before my swim of the Mississippi River. My head hurt a lot, and I felt weak the day of the swim, and I then began experiencing nausea and dizziness once it was done.

Now, as I prepare for surgery to remove the tumor, I want to give you some lessons to use in your own life, when you inevitably face adversity. My hope is that you will take them and use them to make you better.

1) Bad things sometime happen to good people. You might be a positive person. You might help others. You might do a lot of wonderful things. None of that will keep you from having to face adversity though. It's just part of life. Deal with it.

2) That which does not kill me, makes me stronger. Maybe not physically, but certainly mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. You must be open to the lessons adversity is trying to teach you though. If you learn them, you'll be stronger as a result.

 3) It could always be worse. As bad as things may seem at the time, I know they could always be worse. If it was fifty years ago, for instance. Or, if I had not been blessed to be born where I was. Or...Well, you get the idea.

 4) Your attitude makes the difference. While it takes a lot more more than just attitude to accomplish a major goal, your attitude really does make a huge difference when it comes down to your overcoming the difficulties of life or not.

5) Prepare now. Since you don't know when adversity will strike, it's important to be preparing yourself now. If not, it would be like getting ready for a hurricane when it is bearing down on you. It's too late then.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

A Day I Will Always Remember

November 11, 2011 is a day I will always remember. On that cold and windy day, I swam across the Mississippi river while handcuffed, shackled, and blindfolded; becoming the first and only person to have ever done so.

I did it show show people who have been wounded and injured in combat, those with a chronic illness, and anyone who has ever thought they couldn't do something, just what is possible.

I hope that I've done that. There is much more to do though. I know that. But that is for another day. For now, I am resting up and plotting my next move.

Before I go, thanks so much to Billy and Madge Howell at Delta Bohemian (www.DeltaBohemian.com) for the great job in putting the above video together. I hope you will visit their site.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

Nothing Happens Until You Take Action

   

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~

 

In August of 2004, I got a phone call from my mother asking if I had heard the news yet. Alberto Christini had just swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco with both his hands and feet bound, becoming only the second person ever to have done so.

I was floored. Not because he had made it, because I had no doubt it could be done. Jack Lalanne had proven that. No, I was upset that he'd done the swim, period. I was mad!

It was like he had “stolen” my idea. Of course, he hadn’t stolen anything. He just got the same idea as me and acted on it. Did you get that? He got the same idea as I had and acted on it.  

Imagine that—a guy living in Italy comes up with basically the same idea as I had. Then, he gets on a plane, flies to America, and actually does the swim.

And though I was going to do the swim myself, and thought I'd be the second to have done so, none of that mattered now. The truth is, action is the only thing that really matters. Ideas, or intentions, are a dime a dozen.

And so that’s how I ended up becoming the third and not the second person to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco with my hands and feet bound.

Has anything like that ever happened to you? You’ve got this great idea, but don’t do anything with it and before you know it someone else does. If so, read on.  

DON’T WAIT

I am convinced that one of the biggest differences between high achievers and most everyone else is that high achievers are much more action oriented.

They don’t just think about doing something or just talk about doing something, they actually do it. Right then and there. There is a lot of power in that. And that’s what I want for you.

The problem is that we buy into the false belief that “knowledge is power.” We read a book or take a course and believe that somehow it's going to miraculously help us. But I've found that it’s just not true.

I mean, think about all of the things you have learned over the years and then you did absolutely nothing with the information. Sure, while you may be more educated, the bottom-line is if you don’t use it, it’s really not that helpful to you, is it?

Please don’t get me wrong—I am certainly not against education, far from it. I just want you to understand that it’s not enough to hear or read something in order to know it. To truly know it, you’ve got to use it.

There is an old adage that applies here. It comes from the Chinese philosopher Confucius and he said this: “What I hear I forget, what I see I remember, but what I do I understand.” The power is in the doing.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

Adapt To The Situation

"Take the world as it is, not as it ought to be."

~ German Proverb ~

My first marathon race was about as miserable of a situation as I've ever been in. While I technically made it, I just about had to crawl to the finish line. To put it bluntly, compared to what I'd thought I'd do, I'd failed miserably.

But, I have found that some of the most valuable lessons are often learned through such failure. Though it doesn’t happen automatically. To really learn from your failures requires you to be completely honest about what didn’t work and why.

And so it was with my pitiful showing in my first marathon. I knew that if I was going to learn from it, I needed to take a good, hard look at where I had gone wrong. And there was plenty to choose from.

Having the “I already know it all” mentality had hurt me. I just assumed that my shorter mileage races would translate into running marathons, so I prepared as I had done before. I didn't consider the differences involved. And that was a big mistake.

The truth is, there are many differences between marathon and shorter distance running—things like pacing, hydration, etc., can make a huge difference on race day. And all of this must be considered during your training leading up to the race

You can’t simply do what you've always done as you prepare and then come race day suddenly try to change things up and expect to perform well. It just doesn’t work that way. That’s why proper training is so important.

And while you may never run a marathon yourself, I hope you see how this applies in your own life. Change, and having to adapt to it, is no longer optional. It's something we must deal with on an almost daily basis.

You simply can't do things the way you have always done them. You have to adapt to the current situation. In matters of principle, stay firm, for sure. On other things, however, you must be open to change or risk becoming obsolete.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!

Why Faith Is So Important

"Faith is to believe what you do not yet see;
the reward for this faith is to see what you believe."

~Saint Augustine~

 

Faith is a big part of me being unstoppable, and I really can't imagine accomplishing all that I have in life, without having that faith to sustain me—faith in myself, faith that I'll succeed, and faith in a loving God who I believe wants the best for me.

My faith is not always strong, however, and is something that I continue to work hard on daily. The following tips have helped me strenghthen it a lot, though, and I hope they'll help you too.

FIVE TIPS FOR INCREASING YOUR FAITH

1) Follow your heart, not your head. I’m not suggesting you do no critical thinking. There is a time and place for that. But faith is often based on that which cannot be seen, yet can be felt. As such, it's more of a heart matter than one of the head.

2) Ask for divine help and believe you'll receive it. Whether you ask for divine help from God (my choice), the universe, or whatever you happen to believe in, there is strong evidence that there is a force greater than we are out there somewhere.

3) Ignore the naysayers. There are people in the world who suffer from what I call, “skepticismitis.” They have to see something before they’ll believe it. My advice is that you don’t allow them to influence your way of thinking.

4) Take some action. Remember the scripture that says “faith without works is dead.” I heard someone once say that you should pray as though it’s up to God, and work as though it’s up to you. I think that’s pretty good advice.

5) Have high expectations. There is a natural law called the law of expectations that has much to do with faith. Essentially, it says that in life we don’t get what we want, we get what we expect. High expectations typically produce high results and low expectations produce low ones.

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!