Living the life I lead
Has more depth than it seems
Daily flexibility to pursue my dreams
Regardless of where they lead or seem
To take me
I succeed
This life I lead
Allows for unlimited adventures on my timeline
No need to delay gratification while I move forward in the world
Basic tranquility and happiness
Allow me to live this life I lead
Life’s limitations can only limit what you allow
You have control over all circumstances
This I will avow
The simplicity of life will make you see
The things most important can be
Right in front of you
But you have to stay true
The vision you have requires additional work, time and effort
Put the past behind
Start to remove the limitations from the process and let the simplicity of life
Guide your path
Calvin Williams
Life’s limitations can only limit what you allow
You have control over all circumstances
This I will avow
The simplicity of life will make you see
The things most important can be
Right in front of you
But you have to stay true
The vision you have requires additional work, time and effort
Put the past behind
Start to remove the limitations from the process and let the simplicity of life
Guide your path
Calvin Williams
The enemy within causes a majority of problems
Thoughts provoked by fear
The anger is near
Constant give and take
What type of life to make?
Pulling one way, then the next
The pendulum of life continues to swing
What might tomorrow bring?
Thanks to my Walk into the Future blog readers for a great 2024! I’m looking forward to 2025 being the best blog year yet. Stay tuned for more travel, fun and training articles. Guest bloggers will make a few appearances in 2025 as well! 😊
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! See you in 2025!
Irie!
“Come to the Florida Keys, where sweating like a tourist is a rite of passage”.
(#MeltingAway, #KeysLife)
My Walk into the Future continues to allow me to seek and find new adventures in my life. The concept is to enjoy life at a relaxed pace but to always move forward. I need to remember why I created the blog name and make sure I follow through daily.
Took the relaxed pace concept to heart when looking for my next adventure. What better place to find relaxation than the Florida Keys. 😊
I am a native Floridian but never ventured down to the Keys before. I’ve thought about it a few times but never acted. My thought process was it was too far to drive but I never put anything into Google maps to see the distance and/or drive time. Told you I didn’t put much effort into this process. 😊
Google maps identified the northern Key (Key Largo) was a three-hour drive from my house in Fort Pierce. Key West was much further but I never had a desire to get that far south. Decided to focus on Key Largo and plan a trip down around the 4th of July. I took an extra day of vacation time so I could beat the holiday traffic and be in Key Largo before the fireworks started and people crowded the area. Mission accomplished on both ideas.
Didn’t know much about the Keys but wanted to get down to explore and experience something new. I’m a huge Marriot fan so booked the Courtyard right off US 1. This location put me right next to a marina with boat tours and several nice restaurants with fresh fish on the menu. This location allowed me to walk to multiple places of interest while in the Keys.
Made my way over to Snappers Oceanfront Restaurant and Bar on my first day to people watch and get fresh fish. Walked by the African Queen boat tour area on my way over. Didn’t know they had boat tours, but this was a popular attraction in Key Largo.
The next stop was Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill which was a lively spot with music and great western views. They had outstanding drink specials and the largest shrimp I have ever seen in my life. Highly recommend this spot if you love shrimp, great sunset views and cold drinks with a kick.
The Caribbean Club was identified as a spot for great live music. I was the most Caribbean person there and the band was an old school classic rock outfit. It was still a great little spot because they had outside chairs sitting right next to the water. The sunset views were better here because of the pawn trees—used them to frame a few of my pictures. Visited both places two days in a row so they had a very authentic vibe. Watched 4th of July fireworks from the Caribbean Club and enjoyed every second of the show.
The Key Largo Princess glass bottom boat was my next adventure in Key Largo. Saw the boat go out when I first arrived and was curious where it was headed. It’s a simple tour where the boat heads out to a coral reef and circles so passengers can get a great view of the sea life. The ship’s crew warned that some folks get motion sickness below deck while they circle. I didn’t believe them but had to head back upstairs because I started to feel weird. I was fine once I got back on the top deck and enjoyed the rest of the boat tour in the open air. We saw tons of fish, sea turtles and nurse sharks on the excursion. Great way to end my first venture in the Florida Keys.
Where are you heading this summer?
Irie!
“Come to the Florida Keys, where sweating like a tourist is a rite of passage”.
(#MeltingAway, #KeysLife)
My Walk into the Future continues to allow me to seek and find new adventures in my life. The concept is to enjoy life at a relaxed pace but to always move forward. I need to remember why I created the blog name and make sure I follow through daily.
Took the relaxed pace concept to heart when looking for my next adventure. What better place to find relaxation than the Florida Keys. 😊
I am a native Floridian but never ventured down to the Keys before. I’ve thought about it a few times but never acted. My thought process was it was too far to drive but I never put anything into Google maps to see the distance and/or drive time. Told you I didn’t put much effort into this process. 😊
Google maps identified the northern Key (Key Largo) was a three-hour drive from my house in Fort Pierce. Key West was much further but I never had a desire to get that far south. Decided to focus on Key Largo and plan a trip down around the 4th of July. I took an extra day of vacation time so I could beat the holiday traffic and be in Key Largo before the fireworks started and people crowded the area. Mission accomplished on both ideas.
Didn’t know much about the Keys but wanted to get down to explore and experience something new. I’m a huge Marriot fan so booked the Courtyard right off US 1. This location put me right next to a marina with boat tours and several nice restaurants with fresh fish on the menu. This location allowed me to walk to multiple places of interest while in the Keys.
Made my way over to Snappers Oceanfront Restaurant and Bar on my first day to people watch and get fresh fish. Walked by the African Queen boat tour area on my way over. Didn’t know they had boat tours, but this was a popular attraction in Key Largo.
The next stop was Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill which was a lively spot with music and great western views. They had outstanding drink specials and the largest shrimp I have ever seen in my life. Highly recommend this spot if you love shrimp, great sunset views and cold drinks with a kick.
The Caribbean Club was identified as a spot for great live music. I was the most Caribbean person there and the band was an old school classic rock outfit. It was still a great little spot because they had outside chairs sitting right next to the water. The sunset views were better here because of the pawn trees—used them to frame a few of my pictures. Visited both places two days in a row so they had a very authentic vibe. Watched 4th of July fireworks from the Caribbean Club and enjoyed every second of the show.
The Key Largo Princess glass bottom boat was my next adventure in Key Largo. Saw the boat go out when I first arrived and was curious where it was headed. It’s a simple tour where the boat heads out to a coral reef and circles so passengers can get a great view of the sea life. The ship’s crew warned that some folks get motion sickness below deck while they circle. I didn’t believe them but had to head back upstairs because I started to feel weird. I was fine once I got back on the top deck and enjoyed the rest of the boat tour in the open air. We saw tons of fish, sea turtles and nurse sharks on the excursion. Great way to end my first venture in the Florida Keys.
Where are you heading this summer?
Irie!
(Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay)
The poetry of life moves me forward
Towards the things that bring
The happiness I need
To fulfill these huge dreams that I dream
Reaching out to help the next man
Create and work towards a plan
That makes the world a better place
And one that stands to improve your stake in the race
Let the poetry of life flow
And discover the glow
Of the poetic peace of living the life designed for you
“Music is the soundtrack of your life”.
(Dick Clarke)
The Walk into the Future blog is back to give a run to the Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt.
This writing prompt allows me additional flexibility to my writing program. It provides a level of freedom where I can branch off and leverage a word or concept and then put a good five minutes to make a valid point or something others would want to read. So here we go with another five-minute prompt.
My fourth prompt for Five Minute Thursday is: Favorite Artist.
The Dick Clarke quote above is simple but is prophetic for me and my favorite artist.
One word: Prince!
I’ve said multiple times that Prince wrote and sang the soundtrack of my life. Maybe not in my adulthood but my teenage years and twenties resonated with every song that Prince put out.
Most folks think Purple Rain was the best music Prince put out, but my soundtrack started a lot earlier than this musical masterpiece. Dirty Mind (1980) and Controversy (1981) were my introduction to the Minneapolis sound and the genius of Prince. I was fully engaged with his music when he dropped 1999 (1982) on the world. I was hooked and remember my high school friends and I sharing the album—we would take turns bringing the album home and listening to the rock/funk/r&B sounds coming out of Minneapolis. It was hard to believe that one man could play every instrument, sing every vocal note to include backup and produce at the level he did. He introduced the band, The Revolution on the cover of 1999 but he was a one-man band up to this point. I remember watching Prince on MTV for the Little Red Corvette video—he was very dynamic, musical and had all the dance moves. The video enhanced his mystic and let us know he was a different kind of dude.
I was into the music and the sounds of Prince then he dropped the Purple Rain soundtrack and movie in 1984. It vaulted him into superstardom and then the world discovered my favorite artist. I was already on the band wagon, so it was funny hearing other folks talk about Prince like he was a brand-new artist—he was not. He had been building the soundtrack of my young life prior to ‘exploding’ onto the music/movie scene with Purple Rain.
My first concert was the Purple Rain tour. My friend Anthony Simon and I got tickets to see Prince in the Leon County Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida. Convinced my mom to take us and dropped us off so we could experience Prince live. This was one of my favorite moments from my childhood because the live music was even better than listening to an album. He performed all our favorite songs, and we sang along just like we were part of The Revolution.
I saw Prince live 5 times before he passed away in 2016—still a sad day for me but I’m still enjoying the music and reliving my youth every time I crank up the music.
I visited Paisley Park back in 2018 to walk the same halls as Prince and experience the place he made music later in his life. This is still one of my favorite Walk into the Future adventures.
I introduced my niece Jayla to the 1999 album earlier this year. She started collecting vinyl and I found a local store specializing in classic vinyl. Jayla’s favorite artist is Michael Jackson but still wanted her to experience the grand sounds of Prince. She’s listening to the soundtrack of my youth, and I know she is enjoying it! Go Jayla! 😊
So, you’ve had time to think. Who is your favorite artist and why?
Irie!
“Wah gwaan!”
Wah gwaan (what’s up?) is a friendly way to greet people while in Negril. The common saying is an easy way to integrate within the Jamaican way of life and make instant friends.
Mi deh yah (I’m doing well) is the most common way to respond to Wah gwaan.
Made my annual trek back down to Negril over spring break for some sun, fun, rum, and reggae. This year I went down for complete relaxation and to enjoy the Irie vibes.
I hit my normal food and music spots to maximize my time in Jamaica but made sure I finished reading the two books I had in my book bag.
Love Negril, irie vibes, reggae, and great food when I’m there.
Here are some pictures from my latest visit:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Where are you planning to visit this year?
Irie!
“Goals are dreams with deadlines”.
(Diana Scharf)
The Walkinto the Future blog allows me to chronicle thoughts and adventures with my readers.
Goal setting remains a high priority for me, and I make a point to reset my goals each year. I was able to hit all my 2023 goals and look forward to a productive 2024. There are always goals that carryover from one year to the next but decided to add a few wrinkles to my goal plan.
Travel is a central theme to my Walk into the Future and 2024 is no different. I’m heading back down to Negril, Jamaica for spring break in a few weeks. This location makes it on my goals list each year since Negril is one of my favorite places to visit. Can’t wait to get back down there for the great food, reggae, rum, and outstanding sunsets. The staff at Samsara do a great job of taking care of guests and treat everyone like family. The Turks and Caicos is a new destination on my travel agenda for 2024. I’ve heard great things about the Turks and Caicos and want to experience it for myself. It would be a new adventure and allow me to explore another part of the Caribbean. Will target summer travel for this island visit.
I have an overarching travel goal to visit all 50 states. I’ve got 38 so far and want to get busy seeing the other states. I recently signed up for the Rhode Island Half Marathon in May and this trip will allow me to venture north to visit three new states, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. I crossed off Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island last October. Ran out of time to hit the other 3 states so a return trip to New England is scheduled. Will look for an opportunity to visit Arkansas and West Virginia at some point this year. Got a few western states to visit but will focus on the west in 2025.
My exercise program remains front and center when I sit down to write out my goals. I will workout 3 days and run 4 days each week. My targeted weekly mileage is 30 – 40 total miles which would put me slightly ahead of my 2023 mileage numbers. My current race schedule is listed below:
| 2024 Bridge Buster 5k |
| 2024 Vero Beach Half Marathon |
| 2024 Town of Celebration Half Marathon |
| 2024 Fleet Feet Run for your Heart 10k2024 Sailfish 10k |
| 2024 Winter Park 10k |
| 2024 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon2024 Rhode Island Half Marathon |
| 2024 San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon |
| 2024 Virginia Beach 10-Miler |
| 2024 Chicago Marathon |
| 2024 OUC Half Marathon2024 Palm Beaches Half Marathon |
I’m sure I will find a few additional races to sign up for, but this is what I have so far.
Reading is another major component of my goal setting process. I set a goal of reading two books (minimum) monthly in 2023 but did not hit my targeted goal. I read quite a bit but never got close to two books per month. I enter 2024 with the same goal and I’m happy to report I am ahead so far this year. I’ve made a concerted effort to pick topics I want to explore (leadership, team dynamics) to ensure I stay engaged in the process. My book selections in 2023 were ambitious but did not excite me so I began to lag in effort—not in 2024.
I recently purchased a new grill and will look to get good use out of it in 2024. The grill provides me with healthy options that I will leverage to cook more this year. I’m not a huge fan of leftovers but can eat grilled food daily—love the flavor. I will grill or bake twice weekly to ensure I’m getting healthier dinner options—especially on the weekends.
Professionally, my goal is to network and identify additional consulting and speaking roles. I’ve found success with local business contracts and want to get a few more. My Authentic Leadership platform continues to grow, and I want to share it with other organizations.
Volunteering in the local community is another goal I want to meet in 2024. There are multiple options available, and I will get active in 2024.
Lastly, the Leadership eBook is coming! 😊
What are your goals for 2024!
Irie!
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hope”.
(Andrew Carnegie)
