The Parish Family Blog

What Happens when Animals Take a Stand?

You will be amazed at the end result here. It's not gory, though it is about the animal kingdom's quest to survive. Thank you to Gregg Roberts for passing this along. Total time is 8 minutes.

Tom

Rising Prices

I've had some noteworthy lifeshocks around money over the last few months. It all started with my thinking about why the cost of college education seems so outrageously expensive. Why is it our children have come to accept the fact that a college education is synonymous with graduating with tens of thousands of dollars of debt? There seems to be no end in sight for this issue. All I see are businesses interested in lending students money versus finding ways to deliver college-level education at more competitive prices. Where is the SouthWest Airlines of education? What segments of society are getting excluded from higher education because of this?

But more on the home front is the cost of gas and the cost of food. I've been driving more lately. Some of that is work-related and some of it is that I'm out more and dating and just seeing more people in general versus staying home all the time. In the past I was lucky to only fill up with gas once a week or every 10 days. Now it's much more often. It's something I can afford so I choose to drive, but it just seems like there is a powerful trend up in prices that is not letting up. Sure it falls back some, only to rise even more a few months later.

I was speaking with a friend of mine who has retired with his wife in San Miguel, Mexico. They sold both of their cars and walk everywhere or rent on rare occasions.  I know that's not uncommon for New Yorkers or people in Boston or maybe San Francisco but for us Texans that's such a foreign thought. Yet, how enticing is that - no automobile to feed endless amounts of maintenance and gas to. Which reminds me, I need new tires ...

Anyway, what I also wonder is how the price of gas is impacting the cost of food. Sure seems like I'm paying more at the grocery store. How about you?

So let's look at the trends. Notice over the last three years there have been spikes but this current upswing we are on seems to have a head of steam to it ... where is it going to end and what will it mean?

Tom

My Interview on Web2point0.tv from SXSW

Here is yours truly - Tom Parish at SXSW March 2008.  It's always kinda odd at first seeing oneself being interviewed. I so often do the interviewing or I speak in front of a crowd. But being interviewed one-on-one in front of two cameras, I found myself a bit more nervous than I expected. Anyway I am thankful for the opportunity to speak about my services.

Lauren and Ryan - Moving to Portland, Maine, in June

Well, it's official. Ryan matched for a residency position at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, in Anesthesiology.  Lauren is applying to physician assistant school at the University of New England. They leave Galveston on June 4 and head for the East Coast to start their journey together to pursue their careers.  Lauren and I have talked and I can hear both the worry about leaving all her friends and relatives in Texas and the excitement of living on the East Coast for 4 years while they complete their education.  I'm proud and excited for both of them, and look forward to hear about their new adventures as a young couple.

Well, ol' dad is going to have to figure out how to visit Juliet and Justin in Boulder and Ryan and Lauren in Portland. Thank goodness Lily is still in Austin, but that too will change in a couple of years.

For now I'm looking at a short trip to see Lauren at the end of April to connect with both of them and wish them well on their journey. I think May will go by quickly for them as they focus on packing and moving and finishing up school in Galveston.

Here is the lovely couple in Maine in December of 2007 when they were scouting out the location. I understand they already have dibs on a neat little home to rent. More on that soon.

Tom

A Night of Refection

It's saturday night - late. I've been standing outside my bedroom looking up at the twinkling stars. I can hear the chimes on the back deck singing the song of the night air. The air moves around me and feels crisp, cool and so clear. The sky looks lit up with more stars than normal - it's almost creamy.  I'm wondering what goes on up there in the starry heavens, and where are the people I know who have left this earth. I miss them. I wonder why am I still here, what will I be called to do next and in service to whom and what? This is a vein of thought that has been occurring for me more often in the last couple of months.

A business friend from many years ago (early '90s) died this week. He was about my age - Ron Riedesel. We were not close but I do remember going on numerous business trips with him and admiring how gutsy he was in his business dealings.  He was a family man and family was important to him. I'll admit I was shocked, hearing of his passing, and saddened to hear the news of him going so quickly while struggling with cancer.

I'm wondering what my next few years will be like while I'm here. I know I want to cultivate a love for life and a passion for sharing what I know with others.  LIly and I were talking about her graduation in the year 2010 and what life will be like then. I realized that her graduation is in two years and I know from experience how that passes so quickly.  Each passing day becomes another one to cherish.  Justin will graduate the same week, I believe. One phase of my life will be complete and yet I'm sure more will be on offer for me to participate and contribute in Justin's, Lauren's and Lily's lives and others close to me.

But what about society and global issues? How will we shift our consciousness and mindsets around the practice of generating more clean power and using it more wisely, promoting healthy living with more nourishing food, affordable medical attention, education that is affordable and matters of peace versus war? These matters don't just go away by voting a new, seemingly popular president into office and hoping he has all the answers.

I'm not sure where my part is in all this as I enter the second part of my life. I trust this will come to me when it's time. I do feel an urge to be part of the solution versus part of the problem in whatever way I can contribute my skills.

The stars might not care one way or another. They will always be here just as the sun will rise again tomorrow. But I care and will be searching for how I can stay engage and create and continue to inspire others.

Sweet dreams,
Tom