Why Can't It Be Easy?

Making decisions and running with them seems to be real easy for some people. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be one of them. I am reasonably intelligent, analytical and pretty rational...sounds like someone that make decisions, right?

I think I am like a lot of people, especially when it comes to affairs of the heart. I can define the reasons why I am with someone, or even why I shouldn't be with them, but making decisions either seems impossible. Neither moving forward and improving my life nor languishing in a damaging relationship is easy. The trick is making a decision and sticking with it.

Why can't these things be easy?

Happy Mothers Day

I'm sure that most of the world isn't thinking about it, but today was Mothers Day in Panama. Other than a much appreciated day off, it is an opportunity to say thank you to the woman that likely had the biggest influence on shaping your life. From diapers and bottles to prom dates and sleep overs, mom should be remembered for all of the things she has done to make you the person you are today.

Take a minute to borrow Mothers Day from Panama and tell your mom how much she means to you.

What if You Know?

Country singer Toby Keith once penned, "I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then" about a love gone wrong. The truth is, knowing about something bad isn't always a good thing.

Knowledge without action is worthless, so what would you do if you found out something bad about the person you love? Knowing will only haunt you if you don't confront it.

What if you know your loved one did something wrong? Confront it head on...it's too late to wish you didn't know.

Getting Real

It seems to be ingrained in the DNA of the human race to lie. Call it survival, human nature or a character flaw, but virtually everyone does it at some level. White lies, fibs or any other of the sort are added where we see fit.

Remember that even small lies are like termites. They eat away at the foundation of your relationships and credibility until they cause irreparable harm. Let's make today the day we get real an exterminate them from our vocabulary and our lives.

Who Knows?

Nature's had it right the whole time. Ever wonder why most animals are colored so they blend into their surroundings? It's a whole lot easier for a lion to look like a mound of dirt and sneak up on an wildebeest than to try to ramp up to 60 miles an hour to catch one. Well the animal kingdom isn't the only group to figure out that little caveat.

People are the ultimate chameleons. Think you have people figured out? Guess again. Granted some aren't too good at the game but most of them are pretty amazing. Even the ones you least expect can leap on you, seemingly out of nowhere, and drag you down like the slowest antelope in the herd.

Who knows where the next one will pop up....all anyone can really do be ready to run and hope that the next challenge comes from a turtle masquerading as a bush and not a cheetah.

Smelling the Roses

There is something that is called the law of diminishing returns. The theory is that more of something you have, the less you appreciate it. Think of it this way; you have been craving a Pizza Hut pizza. You finally go, sit down in the booth and place your order. You can smell the pizzas being cooked and your taste buds are going wild. Your pizza arrives and you burn mouth because you can wait for your prize to cool down. You eat the first pizza like you haven't eaten in a year and it tastes sooooooooo good. The second piece is incredible and the third is great. This is even better than you imagined!

Then something happens....pretty soon you are full, content and slowing down. The next piece is good, but you find your self playing with it instead of attacking like you did the others. As a matter of fact, it doesn't really even taste as good now. Sure you're getting full but something else is happening too. Diminishing returns is taking place.

Diminishing returns might be a good thing when it comes to pizza. Imagine if piece number ten tasted just as incredible as number one. You could be as big as a barn if this phenomenon didn't take place but the unfortunate thing is that it works on things we don't want it to as well.

Think about the best things in life: peace, joy, love and the things that make us truly happy. When we take those things for granted, the law of diminishing returns appears. The things that make us the happiest can begin to lose their zest. If we allow this to go unchecked the damage can be devastating.

Be happy that the law of diminishing returns keeps you from eating too much but don't let it creep into other parts of your life. Defend love, joy and peace; don't let anything steal them from you. Take time today to smell the roses and appreciate the simple, yet beautiful things in your life!

Maybe the East isn't the least

Ok, I’ve previously admitted to having a cluttered mind but I’m no lunatic. Before I start I want to point out that I get it; there will probably be a 50 win team out west that doesn’t get in the playoffs and there will be a couple of East teams with losing records that do make it. Just for the sake of argument, let’s look at a couple of items that at least make a little sense when comparing the two conferences.

Top teams all out west?
To hear the national media tell it, all of the best teams are out west. Makes sense right? If you look at the records of the top 8 teams in the league, are they all from the west? Is at least the team with the best record out west? Second best record? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding no! As of the games from April 1st, (No, this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke) the Celtics have a 7.5 game lead on the ENTIRE WESTERN CONFERENCE. What about Detroit? They have a 1.5 game lead on the west as well! In fact, if you include Orlando, 3 of the top 8 teams are from the east based on current records. Not exactly an overwhelming statistic for proving the west’s dominance.

What about the bottom feeders?
Here’s the next question: what about the “have-nots”? It’s only logical that the east is haven for all of the cellar-dwellers, no? Again, it’s not like you would think. Who’s the worst team in the league? The records say Miami. Are they alone? No, there are THREE western conference teams with less than 20 wins! Must be a bunch more in the east right? None. In reality, of all the teams with less than 25 wins, 4 out of 6 are from the WEST. Maybe we should start calling it the “worst-ern conference”.

Getting fat off the other half
The west has definitely had its way with the east in inter-conference games right? Overall that is very obvious but there may be a little secret hiding in the stats. Of the top eight teams in the league, Boston and Detroit are there for the most wins against the other conference. (Boston has the most)

Temper it all with reality
Before anyone goes too far with these stats, let’s have a reality check. The western conference is the better conference. It is definitely top heavy whereas the east is heavy in the middle. It’s just interesting to notice that the best of the best are in the east and the worst of the worst are in the west.

Wrapping it all up
Aren’t statistics fun? While you can’t use them to show the eastern conference is superior, they do show some facts that may have escaped my people. With Boston and Detroit in the picture, no one can honestly believe that the NBA Finals will happen during the WCF. In fact, depending on how you shake the numbers, maybe the east isn’t even the “least-ern conference” after all! Ask the Celtics and Pistons fans where the O’Brien trophy will land and they might just tell you in the mighty eastern conference!