We Have Finished Our 6 Ironman Journey in One Year Successfully!!!

Greetings Everyone!

Keith Kober and I have great news for all of you!

On Sept 13th 2009 at 11:29:15 PM we crossed the finish line together completing our 6th out of 6 Ironmans within 11 months! This was a truly life changing and magical journey for everyone involved in our lives. I know I can only speak for myself but the gifts I have received all along the way are amazing. There is not a price tag I can put on them. I can tell you what it costs to take on such a Journey but it will pale in comparison to the many gifts we have recevied along the way.

My message will be simple and it is that anything that you dream about YOU can do. Anything that you want You can do. Anything that you ask for IS within YOUR reach. Make it happen. Make it work. Do the footwork and enjoy every step of the way. If someone says you can't do something please Don't listen to that message because they have no idea what You are capable of. Try your best to only co-sign positive messages and make them a part of who you are. Life is Nutz.....Be What You Are.......Join our Revolution......Your mind is what moves the engine that is you and it is more powerful than any person, place or thing on this earth.

I used to think that all of the regular folk who didn't have an addictive personailty like me didn't really understand how I viewed life and went through things like I did. I was wrong. I stepped out of my own comfort zone and took off the blinders that my own self centered existence provides and made a decision to open my mind beyond that which I thought or felt. I turned my will and my life over and really allowed others beyond my circle of recovery for the past 24 years in a nameless 12 step program and found out that all folks are much similar than I gave them credit for and they had the same and similar defects of character as I do. They taught me along this journey that I was still walking through life with blinders on and they gave me a very precious gift that they cared about things as much as I do. I believe in the human spirit and I believe in whatever you believe and that you are right no matter how you feel at this moment.

A good friend of mine Dennis my massage therapist http://www.qualitymassage.net/ ( I recommend him highly as he kept me together during this past year!) will now be riding me every week about when the book is coming out. Keith already has mentioned doing a book and yet I ask anyone out there to help us as we have no clue how to go about getting published and will probably need several EDITORS JUST TO CLEAN UP AFTER US.

I will apologize ahead of time for the long read but this will be one of our final entries as we will be traveling to Kona next month to spectate and cheer on my best friend, coach and mentor Joe Turcotte and our great friend and Ironman Brother and PRO Swen Sundberg from Germany at the Ironman World Championships on October 10th 2009!

I want you to know what happened as we crossed the finish line together in the beautiful city of Madison on this night Sept 13th 2009 at 11:29:15 PM. As Keith and I believe the finish line is a great place it is the Journey along the way and day that makes the enitre experience what it is.............MAGICAL............but for me this finish was very special for us as we did something that maybe only a handful of athletes of any sport have done to the same degree within a year and especially at 49 years old. As Keith & I approached the finish chute of the Ironman which is pure madness we both noticed Mike Reilly (The Voice of Ironman) was not in his usual spot up in the tower bringing us home. He was down on the carpet just before the finish line. We couldn't hear what he had said but found out after we crossed the finish line that because of Keith's Jen Brown's note and a letter sent by our friend Joe Turcotte (our Coach) he came down personally to welcome us in and share our entire 6 Ironmnan Journey and the money and awareness we have raised for our 6 charities with the entire crowd at Ironman Madison 2009. With over 2200 athletes he needs to recognize we felt very honored and humbled by this gesture and we thank you Mike and Ironman for that memory! He is a true friend and brother to us for life.

Time to rewind to this special day and the days leading up to it. Jen and I packed up and traveled to Madison on Wednesday before. My poor wife has had the toughest role of all dealing with a crazed Nut for a few years now in preparing and staying focused on this Journey. Most folks will never truly understand the sacrifices you have to make to accomplish this task but it does not always provide fruitful results however there has always been a good lesson along the way. My kids have also had to sacrifice allot as well so I thank them all for their love and support because without it this never would have happened. There will be some special mentions along this blog and future blogs and I know I will forget to mention some and for that I apologize ahead of time.

My sister Elizabeth got us set up at The Hotel Sheraton in a major way and my good friend and fellow marathoner Fred Becker got me out there on the flights (for all Ironmans) and so the final chapter to our 6 Ironman Journey was coming down the stretch. The next day I went down to Registration to check in and get my bike and gear bag. As I stood in line with several hundred of the early check ins we talked about our upcoming day with trepidation and wonder about what the day would bring. Would it be raining and cold like was being forecasted, would our bikes be right, the phantom pains started to settle into our bodies as we thought about what lay in front of us. To mouth the words means little to people who have not experienced an Ironman 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile marathon....I can tell as you read it you have no idea what I am talking about and that's ok keep reading. As I stood with my Ironman warriors awaiting in line it starts to hit you as you are now bonded with many others that truly understand what lays ahead whether or not this is their first time or tenth time. They have done the training and everything that has prepared all 2406 of these athletes is now sinking in to their minds. It is truly an incredible feeling. The brotherhood of knowing also begins as you talk with folks whom you have nothing else in common except Ironman and they seem to absolutely know who you are and connect immediately with a kinship that knows no bounds. You start to talk with someone who does such and such for as living and it doesn't matter because now you know and realize that what you do for a living is not who you are. Those of you who may be wondering what 140.6 miles feels like try it in a car and tell me how tired you are just from sitting for those 2-3 hours it takes you to accomplish that. Now break it down with swimming and riding a bike and running and maybe you can start to grasp what we experienced on one day. Now picture going through that one day 13 days ago in Louisville Kentucky and you are now here to do it again in Madison Wisconsin and your body has not even healed yet. Why did we do it. Because we are NUTZ and because we want to give back a gift that has been freely given to us for me that gift is Life. What I do doesn't matter to me anymore....who I am does....what I do with any time I have is more important than any thing I gain....The fellowship of a 12 step program I understand, the fellowship of an Ironman I understand, the spirit of both of these I can attest to and they are one in the same. The same concepts of Unity, Service and Recovery apply to us all. We have not only been given this gift we are now responsible to share it with others. I hope you can agree with this one idea because if you do then it will define you as a person for the rest of your life no matter what cause, quest, or challenge you choose to make for you.........

To be continued................

Ironman Louisville is Complete

IronNutz Keith Kober and Kevin Brown are back from Louisville or the "Ville" as they call it and we had a successful #5 of 6 Ironmans within a year. It was a great time and some great stories to share with you. Our Pro "Ironnutz" Triathlete Swen Sundberg from Germany competed and he was the star of the Ironman as far as the Nutz are concerned he came in 4th place overall and secured a slot for the Ironman World Championship Race on October 10th 2009 in Kona Hawaii! Congratulations Swen! You rocked the "Ville".

Before I get into the pre-race and actual race report I want folks to know I dedicated this race to the Kontoyianis Family. I grew up with them as a kid and used to hang out at their home during several of my hockey years as a young teen and into my late teens. Their husband and Dad Socrates passed away on August 28th 2009. A photo of him and his wife Dorothy attached. Their son John and I were born on the same day in 1960 on Feb 5th. Mr. K drove us to many a hockey practice and game and the entire family opened their home up to me growing up and I will be forever grateful for their love and support to me as a teen when as you all know is not the easiest time to deal with us kids....Anyway I know him and the late Bill Belcher are having one heckuva Cribbage match in heaven right now. Much love and prayers to all of the Kontoyianis Family from all of the Browns..

This was a very special week and weekend for 2 reasons. One that my brother Rich flew out and was with us to share the experience which was awesome. He was a great IronSherpa for Keith and I and he was a very calming influence on both of us as he being a marathoner understands the mindset a racer goes through before the day arrives. The second was our friends from Germany hung out with us for several days before and after the race Swen Sundberg and his bike mechanic Bodo. We had allot of fun together enjoying Louisville and preparing for the race. There is an brotherhood that forms just from being in the "Ironman" Family and that was the case with all of us together. I also have to say that Swen is the most humble and giving Pro I have ever met. Like we told them, Swen, Bodo and Swen's wife Verena are family now and that lasts a lifetime to me whether we see eachother allot or a little. It just is...


As far as Bodo not only did he support Swen for his Stork he shared Bodo with us for the week and he fine tuned our bikes and I am happy to say that I had my fastest ever Bike Split at 6:40 which is 17 minutes faster than all previous Ironmans I have done. Keith had a flat on his bike split not due to Bodo but due to someone trying to sabotage the riders by dropping Nail Tacks in the road. I know that is not cool but it happens sometimes.....

Here is the race report for me.....


Swim.....Dirty water in that Ohio River......strange start as we jumped off two docks 4 at a time. My understanding is it took 40 minutes to get everyone into the water...oh and did I mention NO WETSUITS were allowed cause the water was 81 degrees. I have never swam 2.4 miles without a wetsuit in open water and it was tough but we both got it done. The other interesting part of this swim for me was I get the crap kicked out of me all during the race. Normally the beating stops after 5-15 minutes tops but this went on for almost the entire swim....I think Keith felt the same

Bike......Awesome day for me as I had my fastest Bike Split and averaged a solid 17.8 mph for the last 55 miles so I am very pleased....As I came into transition I heard the announcer state that Swen Sundberg had just crossed the finish line in 4th place with a time of 8:43:36 which qualified him for a slot for Kona! That pumped me up and I was psyched for him! There is no other Pro Triathlete that deserves it more than him. Earlier in the year Swen was going to compete in Malaysia for his slot but got very ill and was on an IV and in the hospital for 7 weeks and he came back and took a 4th Place finish less than 4 months! He is amazing and Nutz!

Run....started great but by the time I hit 10 miles I could feel the energy leaving my entire body and by mile 16 I was in a meltdown and had to walk the rest of the course and struggled just to get the last 2 miles in and to be honest the last mile I was wondering if I was going to make it. Thanks to John Nelson whom I met at mile 16 and he walked with me and I with him to encourage eachother along the way. It was his first and he was a great support and a really nice guy. He's from Springfield Illinois and his wife will be doing a Biathlon in a few weeks. You get to meet cool people along the journey and he was one of them.

The next day I was invited to the Ironman VIP Awards with Swen to sit with the Pros and watch him get his just due as one of the Top 5 to get into Hawaii. All of these folks are unbelievable athletes and are the most dedicated people I have met. It was an honor to sit with them and share a meal and some conversation. Keith & I are planning to go to Hawaii to cheer on our coach for this journey Joe Turcotte and now we can add Swen, Faris and Raynard to that list.

Thanks for reading and know that in two weeks the last one of our 6 Ironman Journey for 6 Charities will be upon us on Sept 13th 2009 in Madison Wisconsin....

Thanks to to my IM Partner in this venture Keith. He is my brother in this amazing crazy Nutz out of our mind adventure and we have supported eachother well along the way. We are pretty sure this all 6 WTC Ironmans on North America in one year has never been done so one more to go and we will have created a tiny piece of history ......oh and Keith added IM Canada too so in reality this was his 6th and in 2 weeks will be #7 for him!

Thanks for all your support



Kevin :)

Ironman Lake Placid

IRONMAN LAKE PLACID IS COMPLETE! The NUTZ have done it again!

Ironman Lake Placid 2009 was an extraordinary week for Keith and I. I will try and give you the highlights and lowlights but suffice it to say we have completed the most difficult Ironman Race in North America and we did so in style as we crossed the finish together. We both agreed this was the most brutal of the Ironman races we have done up to this point in our journey. I feel we speak for many racers on that day that most left all their energy on the bike course and had no legs for the run left. Our mentor and coach Joe Turcotte gave us a great pep talk the night before and basically told us to suck it up and get it done and try to enjoy it as much as possible. I can't quote him on what he actually said as that may not be allowed on the blog. He is such a tender loving coach.

Before I go into to the race I wanted to share an important piece of what happens on these Ironmans leading up to the race. First I want to say thanks to some new supporters of the IronNutz. They are my CUZ ...(as she likes to say) Rebecca and her husband Bob and her daughter Jennifer and Jennifer's boyfriend Dominic. They are from Bangor Maine and have jumped on board with us and really shown great support to me and I want to thank them for being a part of my journey. I also want folks to know that as with my other 5 Ironman finishes I dedicate each race to someone and this race was dedicated to my kids. I love them and I am grateful they are a HUGE part of my life and I am very proud of all of them. I am a lucky man!

Also it never fails at each race we meet someone of some family that becomes a lifelong friend of the Nutz just due to the fellowship and spirit that surrounds these races. Lake Placid did not disappoint in that area either. Staying right next door to us in our motel were the Duncans, Bill & Lynn and their daughter. This was Bill's first Ironman and he rocked the Adirondacks as well. He is a stud. His wife and daughter were really cool and supported all three of us on race day by driving us down to the race in the early AM and giving us a pre-race hug to kick us off to the day. They are from Stiltsville, Ottawa Canada and they were all the nicest people you would ever want to meet. We shared our experience strength and hope as they did in return. Bill is an elite marathoner and has qualified for Boston several times. 2 days before the race they met Samantha McGlone (Pro Triathlete from Canada) who placed 3rd on race day. As Samantha was running down the finish chute she spotted Lynn and her daughter waving to her with a Canadian Flag and she ran to them and took their flag and crossed the finish waving it! What a memory. She then went into the crowd and found them to return it to them. WOW that was really cool for a 15 year old to be a part of! We also got to witness those family first moments when Bill's sister and 2 of her friends trekked down from Ottawa to surprise Bill the day before the race. They were very excited for him and were really cool as well. What a wonderful family they are!

The next story is the story of this Ironman and that is Matt Long. I won't go into detail but please check out his story at http://www.iwillfoundation.com/mattstory.html and I will tell you he finished with a little over 1 minute left at 11:58 PM. There was not a dry eye in the place. He is our HERO for this race and leads by example that nothing in this world happens without a reason and that the human spirit can overcome anything. Everything is possible! Thanks Matt for being a part of our day and our lives. He embodies what most Ironman and IronWomen are all about. All of us have a story to tell and if you take the time to really read them and listen to them they can change your life as well.

Okay to race day.......early on it appeared that the day would be very wet and that idea was not a pleasant one for me as it related to the bike. But first things first is the swim its a very racer friendly swim and with good positioning back right you can almost walk up to the start and stay out of the washing machine which is a great thing! Keith and I both posted our PR best on the Swim. Keith did an incredible 1 hour 13 minute 29 seconds and I did a 1 hour 39 minute 30 seconds.

The bike course has severe elevation gains and drops and brakes and water don't mix really well. As a matter of fact brakes and dry conditions don't mix with this race either. If you like fast 40 mph rides even with your brakes on then this race is for you. f you like 50 mph downhills with no brakes then sign up today. Me (not so much) I was the 40 mph and still scared sh%&less. And the last 30 miles are pretty much uphill Mountains as indicated by the maps below. This was where most racers had to figure a way to suck it up and get r done! Keith finished in 7 hours 32 minutes 25 seconds and I finished in 7 hours 28 minutes 29 seconds.

The run was almost as tough as the bike with some pretty significant hills to deal with after that brutal bike ride. Keith's stress fracture from a previous race was acting up on him early on and he was forced to walk fast as opposed to running. I on the other hand thanks to my PT folks at All Access Jessica and John, Dennis (Massage Therapist) and Dr Khoury (Chiropractor) had a decent day with my nagging chronic calf strain and was able to run short strides for a significant part of the race to mile 22 and passed Keith at about mile 7 and made a decision at about mile 23 to wait for him so we could cross the finish together. We have done these together and to be this close to finishing at the same time felt important to me. It's always been a message for me to share with you that we are never alone in anything we do and its even more important to recognize that without YOU I will not be able to finish what I start nor be the best I can be. We all need each other to survive and we all need each other to compliment and feel the peace and serenity we all seek.

Final Results for Lake Placid IronNutz: Keith Kober and Kevin Brown 15 Hours 48 minutes 10 seconds. The voice of Mike Reilly didn't disappoint as he saw us running down the final finisher chute together he chuckled as he spotted our IronNutz shirt of Keith and our TriNutz shirt on me and announced us as ..."Keith Kober from Berkeley California and Kevin Brown from West Boylston You Are An Ironman again"......................4 down 2 more to go......

Please help us help others buy buying our gear at www.lifeisnutz.com and learn more about us there as well.

All the best

Kevin :)

Halfway there!

We have 3 more IronMans to go to complete our mission of 6 in one year!

Keith and I will be meeting up this Thursday July 23rd 2009 in Albany to head up to Lake Placid for # 4 Ironman on July 26th 2009!

You can track our progress that day at http://www.ironmanlive.com/ and please go to http://www.lifeisnutz.com/ to learn more about our mission and our great gear!

Life is Nutz and we will prevail!

XOXO

Kevin :)

Ironman Coeur d'Alene

Hello everyone!

Keith Kober and I both had a successful Ironman as we crossed the finish line at Coeur d’Alene Idaho on June 21st 2009 for our 3rd finish within 7 months on our 6 in 1 year Journey! Next on the docket is Lake Placid on July 26th then Louisville Kentucky on Aug 29th and wrapping up with Madison Wisconsin on Sept 13th. Got to meet up and hang with our good friend and fellow Ironman compeitior Andy Garrobo and his wife Mel from Colorado Springs. So we had some great friends and extended family to hang out with and have fun together. Andy is now known to all of us as the Love Guru! He crossed the finish strong as well at 15:10. Keith was a 15:00 and I brought in the rear at 15:36.

Here is my recap on the race itself:

The Swim 2.4 miles……..it sucked…..4 foot swells, white caps, cross currents…..toughest swim I have ever had

The Bike 112 miles……….my best split ever….and I crashed at mile 14 and had a chain mechanical issue at mile 91

The Run 26.2 miles ……….it totally %^$c …..45 degrees, whipping rain………made it to mile 20 before my nagging injury kicked in And had to walk it out the last 5 miles before I ran home…

Final recap……..injured my shoulder a bit from the crash……..leg is OK…….hoping my bike has no issues when it comes home so it can be ready for Lake Placid….

We are halfway through our quest and feeling pretty good all things considered. I want to THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OUR JOURNEY AND ALL THAT YOU MEAN TO ME. I really appreciate many of you that have stepped up to support us and our charities by going to http://www.lifeisnutz.com/ and purchasing our cool apparel.

My memories from this one I take are not having my wife by my side as she has walked through all of this with me and I thank her immensely for her support. She had a special sign made with a great picture of her and my kids cheering me on saying Go Kev/Dad We Love You!. I carried it over the finish line with me! Also missed having our mentor Joe Turcotte from Colorado Springs who without him Keith nor I would have been able to do any of these Ironmans. He is a master of the Ironman and will be competing in Ironman World Championships in Hawaii this October!! Keith’s family his son Jarrod who was awesome hanging out and being there for his Dad on Fathers Day was a great scene to see. He is also thinking about signing up someday. My great friend and biz partner Bill Beers who was incredible getting us in the right frame of mind and supporting us throughout the week and keeping tabs on us and sending updates out to many of you of our progress. He has been given the award of IronSherpa IM CDA! And also to new friends Bob and Nacy and their family for hosting a great BBQ meal which helped to fuel us along the race. Those of you who race know the 2 days of meals prior to a race day are crucial to the success of the race and they helped out big time. Their son in law and son both signed up for Ironman St George in May 2010 while we were there so there will be 5 of us competing together there next year! That’s just awesome! I met a new friend Ben Castro who finished his first Ironman in 10:57! He is an IronStud and his lovely girlfriend Staci both from Walnut Creek Cali were great to meet and I am so pleased to have new friends on the journey! Coouer d’Alene itself is a smaller city atmosphere with a great support of the race. The folks there are extremely friendly and the area is absolutely breathtaking. It’s a great place to visit if you get the chance and I would recommend staying at Coeur d’Alene Resort as that is the mecca of the city.

I know that some of my family and friends will get to Lake Placid and watch us there and I am wicked excited about that and know that will help as this will be the toughest test to date as the bike hills are somewhat intimidating…..

That’s enough for now

Talk to you all soon

Kevin :)
http://www.lifeisnutz.com/
Kevin@lifeisnutz.com

March 2009 San Antonio

This past week I traveled to San Antonio for a conference. I stayed about a block away from the Alamo. I had an opportunity between meetings to go for a run along the Riverwalk and through the Alamo and Travis Park. What I saw while out on the run was somewhat disturbing to me. I can tell you that I had to stop running about a half hour in as my IT Band has been acting up lately so I had to walk back. The streets of San Antonio are very clean and the Riverwalk is a pretty place. Travis Park was where allot of San Antonio's homeless gather to hang out and help eachother. Pictured below is Travis Park and next to that is a picture of an EDAR which you can click the link below for EDAR.org to see more on them and what they do.

It was a discouraging feeling. It brought me back to worse days for myself and the feelings I had experienced during those tougher times for me. I realize that some do actually choose that lifestyle and that is their choice. There were others that I saw that is is not their choice to be there. They are the lost ones. They are the ones that worried me. As you will read below I was at the site of the battle that took place literally 173 years ago and what I saw is a new battle our society faces on every street in every town and most of us have no idea as to how to address it. There are no easy answers. This is a battle which we must help our brothers and sisters not by handing out $$$ and funding bureaucracy. This is a battle in which we must gather ourselves and provide food, shelter and support to help those who want help. We should not just hand things over but we must try and get these folks into a place where the opportunity to learn and change can happen. My latest charity EDAR (Everyone Deserves a Roof) http://www.edar.org/ is a start along with 2 other charities that I try and help Right Turn http://www.right-turn.org/ and The ARC http://www.thearc-metrowest.com/ Please help us IronNutz make a difference and give what you can to these charities through my websites and know that what I can't do WE CAN. I hope you enjoy the piece of history so we don't forget The Alamo but more importantly my hope is that we won't forget that the person you walk by on the street may one day be you, your son or daughter, your brother or sister, a friend. We must try and do what we can to make a difference.

Regards

Kevin :)




The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) is the most famous battle of the Texas Revolution. After a revolutionary army of Texian settlers and adventurers from the United States drove all Mexican troops out of Mexican Texas, Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna led an invasion to regain control of the area. Mexican forces arrived in San Antonio de Bexar on February 23 and initiated a siege of the Texian forces garrisoned at the Alamo Mission.
In the early morning hours of March 6 the Mexican army launched an assault on the Alamo. The outnumbered Texians repulsed two attacks, but were unable to fend off a third. As Mexican soldiers scaled the walls, most of the Texian soldiers retreated into the long barracks or the chapel. Several small groups who were unable to reach these points attempted to escape and were killed outside the walls by the waiting Mexican cavalry. The Mexican soldiers fought room-to-room and soon had control over the Alamo. Between five and seven Texians may have surrendered; if so, they were quickly executed on Santa Anna's orders. Most eyewitness accounts reported between 182 and 257 Texian dead, while most Alamo historians agree that 400–600 Mexicans were killed or wounded. Of the Texians who fought during the battle, only two survived: Joe, spared because he was a slave, and Brigido Guerrero, a Mexican Army deserter who convinced Mexican soldiers he had been imprisoned. Women and children, primarily family members of the Texian soldiers, were questioned by Santa Anna and then released.
On Santa Anna's orders, three of the survivors were sent to Gonzales to spread word of the Texian defeat. After hearing this news, Texian army commander Sam Houston ordered a retreat; this sparked the Runaway Scrape, a mass exodus of citizens and the Texas government towards the east (away from the Mexican army). News of the Alamo's fall prompted many Texas colonists to join Houston's army. On the afternoon of April 21 the Texian army attacked Santa Anna's forces in the Battle of San Jacinto. During the battle many Texians shouted "Remember the Alamo!" Santa Anna was captured and forced to order his troops out of Texas, ending Mexican control of the area, which subsequently became the Republic of Texas.
By March 24 a list of names of the Texians who died at the Alamo had begun to be compiled. The first history of the battle was published in 1843, but serious study of the battle did not begin until after the 1931 publication of Amelia W. Williams's dissertation attempting to identify all of the Texians who died at the Alamo. The first full-length, non-fiction book covering the battle was published in 1948. The battle was first depicted in film in the 1911 silent film The Immortal Alamo, and has since been featured in numerous movies, including one directed by John Wayne. The Alamo church building has been designated an official Texas state shrine, with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas acting as permanent caretakers.

Feb Update

Today was an interesting and exciting day on many fronts. Its my daughter Gaetana's 22nd Birthday. She is a very special and wonderful person you could ever want to meet. She has so much love in her heart just thinking about who she is makes you feel good. Tana you are amazing and I wish you the Happiest of Birthdays and many many more! love Dad :)

We had a great call with our newest charity to add to our IronNutz adventure and WRUN Inc company. Its called EDAR (Everyone Deserves A Roof) started by Peter Samuelson of LA who is an amazing man. www.edar.org is their site please check it out. In these tough times it is people like Peter that continue to inspire me to finish the Ironman journey we began last year and before and to keep growing what we do to help those in need.

I, like many have had some challenging moments lately. The world and its landscape has dramatically changed in a very different way than it was even 6 months ago. Allot of folks are running off emotions and not their intellect. That is not good. Many folks are reacting to situations before thinking them through, including me sometimes. The pressure is increasing more than I have seen it since maybe the 70's and at that time I looked to other negative choices to avoid feeling anything. Now the question is what do I do about it today and what kind of message can I share to help us and what message can you share to help me.

I first asked for help. I should not do anything alone anymore. The fact is that I am surrounded by the most brilliant people in the world today. Most are just a phone call of an email away and I can release allot of my stress quickly if I choose to do so. So I did. I felt better right away. When I calmed down I realized that I had allowed people, places and things to take up way too much rent free space in my head and it clouded my choices for freedom from the trap I was in. I realized that I was being overexposed to the negativity circling around me at work, TV and just in general with people around everywhere going through this mire that has arrived. I am making a choice to step out and through the mire and look towards the positive influences around me and trying to notice the small things that make me smile. I also wrote a gratitude list to show me exactly where I really was at this moment.

Moment, what does it mean really and why do so many of us have difficulty staying in it?
Moment: a minute portion or point of time : instant b: a comparatively brief period of time: present time

If somehow we can enjoy each and every moment then is that where you can feel peace and serenity. Then the answers come and you will be more empowered to help those about you and yourself. Can you stop for a moment and just be in your space right now and ask yourself how you feel? These are the things that bring me back on my own two feet and feel the most human as I can. I don't know about you buts its very difficult for me to do this regularly. I guess thats one of the reasons I love spending time with my friends and family cause they help me stay in more moments than when I am alone. When I am training in the pool, ridiing my bike or running I do better in the moments too and most of those times I am not with others but I am never alone. That does bring me peace and hope in my heart.

Lastly I want to thank Mr Samuelson for being a part of our day and reminding me and the rest of the Nutz that we are on the right path doing that which we are supposed to be doing today!

Hope to hear your thoughts and blogs as well!

Kevin :)