The Power of a Smile.

Posted by Jaime Buckley on Jul 19, 2010 in Personal | 3 comments

Had a very difficult day at work, met the nice people from Australia and then had a long drive home, exhausted, eyes burning and heartburn that would consume a dragon to death.

I get home awfully late and you know what i get as the very first thing when i walk into the room?

The most wonderful, soft, loving smile from my wife.

I’m talking the kind that whispers “hello my beloved, I have missed you and I’m SO glad you’re home”.

I love how Kathi can do that to me.

It screeches on my emotional brakes if I’m in a bad mood, and flips my whole day around.  It literally makes my day worth it when I see my girl smile at me.

Seriously, how the crud does she do it?  More than 20 years now and it still makes me stop in my tracks and wonder how I got so lucky…and so blessed.

Hope you boys are as lucky as I am.

How To Torture Your Teen

Posted by Jaime Buckley on Jul 19, 2010 in Just for FUN | 3 comments

Once in a while, you as a parent, should have a little fun.

I mean, you gave birth to them, you bathe them, clothe them, feed them, changed their diapers…heck you ladies have cleaned up messes that would make the Roto-rooter man puke!

Yet, the more important factor to consider here is: once in a blue moon, you should exercise your privilege of being mom and dad for the greater comic good.  It’s as simple as that.

So, if you’ve had the kind of day where your teen hasn’t listened as they should have, or maybe they hit you with some sarcasm that they should have refrained from, I want to give you a treat:

Acceptable torture for your teen.

No, this does not involve pain in any way, except maybe their ego…it’s just something that will make most teens scream and make you laugh until it hurts.  No scars, no wounds…just fun and a look of shock you’ll be able to make postcards from.  All for a couple hours of prep and a single dollar.  Seriously–just a buck.

Ready?

Go to your local dollar store and buy a bag of generic marbles.  Any kind will do, but if you happen to luck out and find some metal ones, grab ‘em–they work the best.  Now, some of us die-hard discipline, ‘honor thy mother and thy father or thou shalt be in serious crap’ parents take an extra step: buy the large metal balls used for larger game with wrist-rockets instead of the marbles.  They cost a bit more, but the level of laughter is much more satisfying.  I got mine from the local Wal-Mart.

Now take the marbles and place them in the freezer.  Don’t let the teen find them.  Paper lunch sacs works perfect.  Roll the top closed and leave them through the night.

Next, plan the time for attack.  I like to encourage my teens to stay up and watch a good movie or two, just to make sure they’re up late and really tired when they go to bed.  That way if I make a mistake, they’re too out of it to stir or care.

Take the bag, open the top and hold the bottom of the bag in your palm. DO NOT HOLD THE MARBLES IN YOUR NAKED HAND…it warms them up too fast and you miss the true effect.

Sneak into the teens room, lift up the sheets and quickly pour the marbles into the bed.  Let the sheet fall immediately behind the last marble and watch the show.

The freeze hits quickly, but the best part is watching the teen try and get away from the sensation.  No matter where they roll, the marbles follow the indentation in the bed and stick to them.  7 out of 10 times, they end up flipping out of bed, onto the floor.

Best time to do this?  Oh anytime you need a pick-me-up…but the most dramatic effects always happen in the winter months.  Teens want to stay snuggled under the covers, which amplifies my giggle reflex when they hit the floor.

Have some fun, bring a camera.  If you send me the pics, I’ll post them here if anyone’s interested.  If you have a movie and put it on Youtube, I’ll post it here as well.

The Razor Reception

Posted by Jaime Buckley on Jul 18, 2010 in Family | 4 comments

The first sign of a Buckley event is the splash of non-traditional.  The reception to my daughters wedding was not in white with lines of tired smiles and small plates of cake and ice cream punch.  Oh no, this was an invitation to entire families, bring the kids for playing in the water, softball, volleyball, watermelon and all the home made root beer you can drink.  Picnic in the sun, with laughter…and a head shaving party at the pavilion.

Head shaving?  OH yeah.  It was the coolest, heart warming thing I’ve been involved in for a looong time.

My grandson, only 4 years old, has Leukemia.  He is the most brave child I have met and we all love him dearly.  When he learned his hair would eventually fall out, his magnificent father smiled at him and said that when that day came, he would shave his head too.

Well, there were a few of us who felt the same way…and his hair fell out right before the reception.  So my daughter encouraged our family to include this act of support into her own personal moment with her new husband, who agreed.

So we did the eating, we did the playing and we did the traditional stuff…and then we opened the mic and made the announcement as we rolled out the sheets, hooked up the sheers to the extension cords and brought my grandson to the center ring with his father.

What happened made me cry and then cheer.  My grandson shaved his fathers hair off…and found a near endless stream of others wanting to express their love and support by submitting themselves to the buzzer.

How appropriate that by daughters new last name just happens to be “Barber”.

Survive Subtlety with Simplicity

Posted by Jaime Buckley on Jul 18, 2010 in Point of View | 6 comments

All of us have ‘low’ moments in our lives. The times when you may feel that all is lost, or perhaps you have failed someone you love or care for deeply. It can be a damning experience if we aren’t careful, because it seems to be human nature to brand ourselves through a clouded filter of life and self-reflection.

Let me use myself as the guinea pig here. I’m married to a wonderful woman and have 11 amazing children, 3 incredible grandchildren and a job most people can only dream of. Yet with all that comes a world of responsibility, a world you have to flow with, be aware of and maintain a level of honor, integrity and in all cases accountability.

Well guess what? I screw up a lot. In so many aspects of life, I find myself unable to stay focused on more than the most narrow of subjects. My memory is constantly taxed in each and every endeavor to the point that I rely on others to remember birthdays, holidays, doctors appointments, meetings and all other social engagements. Heck, I even forgot how old I was….twice, and had to ask my wife for confirmation.

This is a mild version of what my point is, and that is: sometimes we let others down.

No matter how hard we try, there’s not a perfect soul among us and sooner or later we will fall short. That’s when we feel the guilt, the shame and frustration, especially when we are giving our lives everything we have. Personally, I try and reinvent myself every day, to do better today than I did yesterday…but try as I might, sometimes the universe makes me out to be a liar.

That’s when simplicity comes into play. Keeping communications clear and concise. Hold a soft heart and an open mind while standing your ground against life. The trick is to clean that perception filter before you find yourself convinced that all is lost, you’re unfit or unworthy to be loved, appreciated or even tolerated. I’ve been there dozens of times and it’s all a lie.

The subtle effects of your environment can cloud your judgment. The key is to fill your heart with love, gratitude and appreciation for others, including yourself. Believe it or not, you’re worth the effort and it can’t rain forever. Hold your ground and wait for a new day while being ready to say ‘I’m sorry’ to those around you.

Adventures in the Impossible

Posted by Jaime Buckley on Jul 15, 2010 in Work | 0 comments

Wondering what happened to Wanted Hero? Wondering why the novels haven’t come to pass?

It’s nothing more than life.

The baby was born, I got a new job and opportunities opened up to use every skill and talent I had to improve the lives of others around the world.  Truly.  It has been a whirlwind of a ride and it has taken all of my strength to hang on.

Working for Crocodiles International and Roger Anthony is wonderful and the relationships formed have opened doors to publication resources unavailable before.  That means Wanted Hero is MORE of a probability now than ever.  It does mean Kathi and I need to get back to completing the editing of the first book, but that was only put off due to the new baby and the wedding.  Those are past and complete now.  We are settling in with the papers before us, so know that Wendell, Dax and Chuck are soon going to be on your doorstep once more.

What is the current project at work?  The CROCademy.  What one of our programmers says will be the very first TRUE social network on the planet.  He explained the comparisons, but I think that when they rushed me to the hospital with blood flowing form my ears.  I don’t understand the technical definitions, but it sounded cool.

So life moves on, we are getting back on track and the big hopes and dreams of this author are soon to come to fruition.

Brownie Heaven

Posted by Jaime Buckley on Jul 15, 2010 in Family | 3 comments

Making brownies was always a great pastime in our home, but not of late…well, at least not today.

Without a cooler, high temperatures outside and a stove constantly on will eventually melt the coldest of hearts! Even nibbling on each of the 5 trillion brownies and cookies being made does not ease the discomfort.

I have to say I’m grateful to see the love these children have for their older sister.  That’s what all the treats are being made for: the reception.

A truck load of Root Beer and Strawberry Lemonade, a Gazzilion sweets made by hand to feed thousands of family and friends and the Lava-Lava’s that Grandpa bought…and no one has told the groom he’s expected to wear (this is gonna be fun).

All in all, this family has always been close, but this experience–having my oldest daughter get married, has brought together the children and inspired a level of service I was grateful to see.

If I could have had one wish though, it would have been to buy all the brownies (though they would have tasted like garbage)…OR, that this whole shindig had taken place during winter months!!!

Note to reader: The original title of this post was Brownie Hell, but Kathi was looking over my shoulder as I was writing it. Luckily she does not have the technical skills to change this note (**smirk**)

Coolness by Association

Posted by Jaime Buckley on Jul 13, 2010 in Simon Says | 2 comments

I’m riding in the car with Simon (3) and Nathan (12). We’re cruising to WalMart to find a fun shirt for their older brothers party tonight, the windows down, listening to the stories come out of Simon’s mouth.

He’s talking about all the dragons he’s tamed and how they’ll roll over when he scratches their bellies and if the neighborhood kids call him another bad name, the biggest dragon said he’ll eat them right up.

There’s a pause.

“Dad?”
“Yes Simon?”

…another pause.
“Do you know Jackie Chan?”

I look in the rear view mirror and his eyes are locked on me in a puzzled expression.

“Um,…no. I don’t know Jackie Chan. Why son?”

Simon shrugs his cute little shoulder and looks down at his hands.
“Well Jackie Chan is really cool and you’re cool too so I thought he’s your friend.”

I couldn’t help but give the biggest, goofiest grin in my life. My son just compared me with Jackie Chan…and to him, I was equal in coolness.

Oh the wonderful mind of a child.
Coolness by association.

I bought him a treat at the store. =)