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The Cape Maker

Once upon a time, legend tells, of a secluded mountain cabin where there lived a tailor known the world over as the maker of the most exquisite, detailed garments. He was renowned as a veritable magician with a needle and thread.

This artisan, however, also had a secret.

Sequestered in his remote mountain cabin, hunched over his table with spools upon spools of multi-colored thread and fabrics of every exotic land across the globe he weaved his magic day after day.

By night, however, the magician of the thread served another, equally magical, purpose.
He was known to a select group simply as, The Cape Maker.

Superheroes from every corner of the globe would travel to his forest-ensconced hideaway to request his services for no one was as skilled as he in creating the most beautiful capes. Each thread intricately woven with such care and every attention to detail with only the finest materials such as befitting a superhero.

His craftsmanship was unsurpassed and yet only a select few were worthy of having him create his masterpieces for them.

Bulletproof? No problem. Fireproof? But of course. No challenge was too great for this Master of the cloak. His work was the envy of all, and the pride of but a few.

Every superhero requires a costume befitting their talents and powers. Every superhero wanted a cape from The Cape Maker. His talents, however, were reserved for only the worthy.

Each visiting hero was treated the same way.
The Cape Maker would sit with them by the hearth of his stone fireplace, overlooking the lake. He would offer them something warm to drink, to ward off the mountain chill, and then a conversation would begin.
Respectfully he would ask each one “why” they wanted a Cape?
What was it they felt a cape would do for them?
How would it help them in their work?
What purpose did they serve?

Very few would earn the privilege of having The Cape Maker weave his skill into cloth for them.

Over the course of time, as fewer and fewer Superheroes continued to roam the Earth, there became fewer and fewer Capes produced by the Cape Maker.

Today, only one remains.

Only one Superhero.

You may search the world, but you will never find the cape, and no, not because the Cape is invisible.

The power, you see, was never in the Cape at all. These Superheroes never needed the Cape.

It was who they were that mattered.

It was their selflessness, their passion in the service of others, in helping humanity, and putting the needs of others before their own that earned them the right to The Cape Maker’s skill; but it was never about the Cape.

Today the power of the Cape is found not in a cloak of beautiful cloth, but in what it represents.

The comforting feel of velvet softness caressing the shoulders; the warmth and protection of being surrounded by the exquisite luxury and heaviness of the Cape as it enfolded itself around you. The stell-like barrier of quality keeping the elements, and even the negativity of the world, from penetrating beyond its protective shell.

These powers, and so many others, were not found in a cloak of unmatched splendor, but in the power of The Cape Maker himself. His quiet, unassuming support of the Superhero. His gift of the most exquisite garment to ordain each Superhero’s shoulders never held any magic. It was inside of them all along. All he did was help them believe in it.

Unassumingly, Humbly, Modestly, and Silently he performs his magic no longer with thread and needle, but with acts of support to ensure the Superhero is free to focus on the world-altering work they are destined to complete.

So, look if you must, though you will never find the Cape. Nor is it likely that you will see The Cape Maker either.

For the world has shifted. The Superhero is no longer the legend of old.

SHE is a Woman.

And the unique man behind her, supporting her, cheering her, encouraging her, and comforting her, is not her servant or side-kick; but the age-old Cape Maker.

He is weaving a new Cape, not of cloth, but of love. The strongest Cape ever created by the Magician of the cloak.

A new age has begun, and a new Superhero(ine) rises up to face never-before seen challenges.
The Cape Maker’s work is needed now more than ever.

I recently read a post about veterans being uncomfortable when someone says “Thank you for your service”.

I get it.
Most people who server in the Military don’t do it for any recognition so while the thank you’s are definitely appreciated, it can be a little uncomfortable.
Anyway, it got me to thinking.

I’m a veteran, and yeah, it can be a little uncomfortable but I still appreciate the gesture when it happens; but it’s not about me.

Let me ask you a question. When you hear the word “Veteran” what image does it conjure up?
Do you see an image that stems from the Vietnam war, whether it’s a bronze statute, the memorial wall, or a photo or video image that pops up in your mind?
Is it someone from the Iraq or Afghanistan wars?

Here’s another one. What does the word Veteran mean to you, from a definition standpoint I mean?
Again, if you ask most people they’ll answer something like, “Someone who served and fought during a war”.

There’s nothing wrong with any of the above, but… well, they’re not the only ones.
Everyone who enlists signs a contract agreeing that if given the order to serve in combat or other hazardous situations that they will do so. This is the equivalent of the ‘putting their life on the line’ statement so often repeated across the internet.

Everyone signs up knowing this.
Not everyone goes to a combat zone during war.
Some are stationed around the globe and never go into the war zone. Others are stationed in the US and never leave.
All of these people serve during a time of war but they don’t fit the profile most people have of a Veteran.
Their roles, however, are no less important.
The man or woman who supplies the troops in theater, as it’s known, are vital to the success of the mission for those who are in the combat zone.
Equally important are those who work in the hospitals around the world and receive the casualties of war to help them recover.
The same can be said of all the men and women who are stationed in other parts of the world, perhaps helping to avoid a conflict there, or simply working on US Military installations but not in the combat zone. Are they any less of a Veteran because their name wasn’t called to go into the war?

And then, what about those who join during peace time?
They too, pledge to put their life on the line if called to do so, but what if they serve and their entire service the country is not at war?
I realize in this day and age where we seem to have been in conflict one place or another continually since 9/11 it’s hard to imagine but there are certainly times when we have not been at war and many men and women sign up for military service, doing everything the Military does but are not called upon to do so in combat. (The exception to this are the Special Forces who often go into harms way regardless of war status).

My point is that all military personnel, regardless of where or when they’re stationed, agree to put their life on the line. They sign up for it knowingly, but they don’t get to choose whether or not they are sent into harms way.

I’m not against Veteran’s day, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not just about me. It’s not just about those who served during a war.
And for those who did, it’s not just about those who were sent into combat.

Every branch of the Military is a self contained system, and that system only works when all the cogs in the wheel are turning. One cog breaks and the whole wheel stops.
So, why do we recognize some cogs more than others?

I’m proud to be a veteran.
I’m proud of my son who joined during wartime and is still on active duty, with his whole career so far having been during conflicts.
I’m also proud of everyone who joins the military, no matter when, where they serve, or what they do. Without all of them, it just doesn’t work.

So, this isn’t about me. It’s about everyone in the military.
Thank you, to all of you who served, are serving, and those who will serve in the future.
Veteran or not, we all owe you a debt that those who never put their life on the line, cannot understand.

I’m a veteran.
Every year I read ‘thank you for your service’ messages and I’m grateful. Truly, I am.
This year, I’m also frustrated.

FREEDOM!

That’s what most people equate to Veterans as to why we serve, why we fight. To protect and preserve that most basic of American values: Freedom.
So what, exactly is this thing we’re fighting for?

Look it up.

Google’s dictionary has the easiest to read answer.

Webster’s Dictionary is more proper though it essentially says the same thing:

freedom
free·dom | \ˈfrē-dəm \
noun
1: the quality or state of being free: such as
a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action

So why am I frustrated? Because this “freedom” you think I was fighting for isn’t the freedom you say it is.
This past election showed me that what you call freedom isn’t the same thing as what freedom ACTUALLY is.

Look at those definitions again: the right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

Basically, if you want to boil this down to its simplest form it means “Live and Let Live”.

The vitriol and hate, the accusations, lies, and outright disdain for each other, FROM BOTH SIDES, that spewed across social media this past election proves one thing. You think Freedom means you get to think and act and believe the way you do but everyone who doesn’t agree with you doesn’t.

That’s not how this works.

The ‘absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action’ means that you get to believe and think and act (within the boundaries of the law) the way you want to AND SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE.

THAT is what I spent my years serving to protect. Freedom for all.

Stop trying to make everyone act and think and believe the way you do. That’s not freedom, that’s oppression.

The vast majority of American’s want practical, common sense government. Stop letting the fringes (on both sides) dictate your opinion of what “those people” are like.
Find out for yourself. Talk to people who disagree with you. It’s okay. We’re not supposed to all think alike and it’s okay to have differences of opinion.

Find somewhere to start. Find a point you can all agree on and then start the conversation on the various (there are almost always more than one) solutions to those problems.

Yes, there will be fundamental points on which you cannot find consensus. That doesn’t mean you have to hate someone or accuse them of doing despicable things. The vast majority of people who belong to political parties, as well as those who belong to none, are just like you. They have their opinions and by and large they are rational thinking people.

So, thank you for thanking me for my service. I appreciate it, truly.
And if you really want to thank me and other veterans for their sacrifices, maybe you could try respecting the freedom we fought for. I mean actually respecting it. Acting like adults instead of spoilt children who didn’t get the toy they wanted.

This isn’t about just you.

It’s about all of us.

Freedom is not free, and it doesn’t apply to just those who think, act, look, and behave like you do.
It belongs to us all.

9/11

Every year, on September eleventh, those of us who lived through the horrific attacks and tragic loss will pause and remember the awfulness of the day.

Today, as in year’s past, social media is awash with ‘never forget’ or ‘always remembered’ memes, photos, and posts; and rightly so.

But do most of us really “never forget”? I mean, yes, we remember the day and days and weeks that followed; but outside of family and friends of those who were killed that day we are not reading names or listening to the live broadcast as names of the fallen are read.

And while, like all horrible parts of history such as genocides and mass shootings, we should never forget those who were taken or what these acts mean to our country perhaps we should also be looking ahead.
Equally important, perhaps, is understanding who we are as a country now as we look back and reflect on that terrible day. What are we doing to not only prevent this atrocity from happening again in terms of security, but also what can we do in the world as a people.

How often do we truly take Gandhi’s advice to be the change we want to see in the world?

Are we, as individuals, as groups, as communities, as states, as a nation, a country truly able to look in the mirror and say we are ‘being’ the change we wish to see in the world in others?

It is vitally important to remember the actions of 9/11, especially the brave and courageous souls who lost their lives that day simply by being in the wrong place, doing their jobs, or trying to help others.
Let us also look ahead.
Let us remember 9/11 from a future that is brighter and better than the memory of the awfulness that was.

This year’s American 4th of July celebration marked a new era. Especially on social media. Oh the usual celebratory posts were there, but so too were new posts, disturbing posts, posts that signal a new dawning of division within and throughout our country.

What were those ‘founding fathers’ signing independence from anyway?
Having already cut most major ties to England, and establishing their own congress, currency, army, and post office the Colonies, through a letter drafted by Thomas Jefferson, explained that a they had a right to change governments if it becomes unfair and controlling further explaining that governments fail when they no longer have the consent of the governed.

In short, what Jefferson said when he wrote if “any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute New Government.” was that if a government starts to destroy people’s rights, rather than protecting them, the people have the right to change that form of government and start a new one that will protect those rights.

This is all fine and well until one begins to consider what those rights are and what they mean.
This then, is the crux of the matter when it comes to the political divide in the United States. Conservatives vs Liberals. Everyone falls somewhere on this spectrum whether they align with a political party or none at all, their views will fall across the conservative and liberal spectrum often crossing both and also leaning one way or the other depending upon the issue.

Thus, we have become a divided country of those who are labeled as one or the other.

Here’s the thing.

What if you win?

It doesn’t matter which ‘side’ you’re on, think about the answer to the question what if you win?
Meaning, let us say that you have a magic wand and with one flick of your wrist you can change the entire three branches of the US Government (Congress, Presidency, and Supreme Court) to match your views exactly. You win.

Now what?

Oh sure, you might be jumping up and down with joy because finally, FINALLY, all your screaming and shouting has come to fruition and the country is now being run the way you believe it should be.

There’s just one or two small problems with this magical scenario.

The first, and probably the most significant, is that you have now become the same form of Government that the Colonies were fighting to become independent of. English King George was the winner. He was running the government the way HE and his friends thought it should be run. It was his view, his take on conservative and liberal governance that was the law of the land and to hell with what anyone else thought.

The second problem is that your view, is not everyone’s view.
In the 2016 election, as no doubt we have all heard before, roughly 25% of the voting public voted one way, 25% voted the other way, and just under half of the country didn’t think either way was worth voting for at all. So, at best, “your way” likely only matches 25% of the people. \

If we look back at what Thomas Jefferson was saying, that people had a right to change governments if it becomes unfair and controlling and that governments fail when they no longer have the consent of the governed, clearly having only 25% of people agreeing with ‘your way’ is not the consent of governed, but merely a small portion of it.

To reiterate, this applies no matter which side of the conservative or liberal point of view you happen to side with.

This 4th of July I saw posts from people who said they were ‘no longer proud to be an American’.
Others were still spewing hatred towards the ‘other side’ out of fear of what that other side might do in the future.
Some were calling for a new Civil War while others declared victory in finally getting the country ‘back on track’.

We have forgotten that opposing viewpoints are part of what makes good government. It’s part of what allows us to continually evolve beyond dictatorship or authoritarian rule. Government should never be about what one side wants, but compromising and continually expanding our viewpoints to learn new and better ways of living with those who think and look and act differently than we do. This is no different than people who settled new lands since the beginning of time learned when they found that only by working together could they build their communities, towns, and cities and eventually countries in order to survive.

If all we do is cry out about how ‘wrong’ those with differing viewpoints are, or spread hatred and fear about what will happen if ‘they’ are allowed to do what “they” want to do, we will never become what those brave colonialists intended when they risked everything to begin anew in what we call ‘the experiment’ of America.

If we can only see our side as ‘right’ and their side as ‘wrong’ we are no different from those who rule over lands and peoples all throughout history and the world without thought or care for those they govern.

Let us remember what we gained independence from.
Let us listen with open ears and hearts. Listen to understand, not to judge or argue or fight.
Let us remember that hatred and distrust, fear mongering, and calls for civil war do not bring communities together and that without compromise, without understanding, without a common goal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness FOR ALL, we will not survive beyond the bitter infighting and destruction of civilizations that have happened throughout history.

The intent of the United States of America was supposed to be better than that.

It used to be something fun.

The adorable young girl scouts going door to door asking you to support their troop, oh and the cookies were yummy.

Then it became a little more competitive and you’d get the parents bringing order forms to work to try and get their daughter over the top for that next level.

Of course, there was always the table at the grocery store.

Now… well, technology has arrived.

This Article talks about how the Girl Scouts are changing their business philosophy.

Sure, you can still buy the cookies from your niece, nephew, co-workers daughter or the tried and true girls who go door to door, but now the Girl Scouts are getting high tech.  Now you can get the APP and find out who has those boxes of cookies near you and get them almost instantly.  It’s like the organization isn’t satisfied with the competitions, now they want to make it as easy as possible for you to get your fix and never mind who sells the most cookies the old fashioned way.

What’s next?  Amazon Drone deliveries of thin mints in under an hour?

Apparently, research shows that your mood first thing in the morning affects your productivity all day long.

That’s probably not earth shattering news but how often do you pay attention to your mood when you first wake up?  For  most of us the answer is somewhere between little and none.

Many of us have rituals we follow in the morning.  No, not some sports-like superstitious ritual we have to follow lest bad luck come after us, but simply what we do most days, each day, when we wake up.  The challenge, however, is how much of that morning ritual is spent getting us ready mentally and emotionally for the day ahead?

When I ran across an article in TIME from Eric Baker called 3 Secrets to Having a Better Morning I found it full of wonderful nuggets to help get our morning rituals focused on getting us ready for the day ahead not just dressed for it.  Not only did Mr. Baker fill the article with plenty of research-backed information but his 3 secrets centered something that makes sense to me.

Basically, his 3 secrets center around:

Purpose
Control
Optimism

But it’s what’s in each of these ‘secrets’ that jumped out at me.

Read the article and you’ll see that it’s all about asking questions.  I know right?  ON top of that, with his first secret of Purpose he talks about a Japanese study around those who have ikigai which is another passion of mine.

There’s far too much in the article for me to try and distill here, read it for yourself, it’s packed full of amazing questions you can ask to not only help you get your day started in a positive direction, but also change the direction of your life.  It will help you find perspective around the purpose for your life, learn how to get control around your life, set goals, and start with the optimistic fuel we need to be productive and accomplish our goals during the day; all of which leads to our ultimate goal of feeling happy day in and day out throughout our lives.

Summing it all up, this is a great article to help you live A Better Life and step one is all about asking questions.

You’ve probably heard of people who are dying and their “regret lists” before.

This article, however, from a nurse who worked with ‘end of life’ patients struck me so I decided to read it.

The list may not contain anything earth shattering, though I found #1 and #3 interesting and not quite things I had seen on other lists.

Here is the list: The Top Five Regrets of the Dying

Life shouldn’t be about regret. It’s about living.

These lists, though not new, are a good reminder that we must choose to live our lives, rather than having other people choose for us. We only get one shot at this thing, we need to make it count.

As I am fond of saying, Life is meant to be lived, not merely endured.

How can you begin to live a life worth living today?

I’ve written about Seth Godin before. The bestselling author, TED Speaker and Brand Strategy Guru shares something valuable every time he blogs, writes, or speaks.

So, when I saw this article from entrepreneur and author Andrew Griffits 7 Sage Strategies to Challenge Your Thinking From Seth Godin about what he learned after spending a full day with Seth Godin I had to read it.
It’s not long.
In fact, Andrew diluted his day with Seth to 7 “Light-bulb Moments” that he shares in the article. Read the article for great insight and explanations of each one, but here are the 7 titles of each light-bulb moment.

1. TRUST COMES FIRST, THEN THE COMMUNITY FOLLOWS
2. ATTENTION IS A COMMODITY, AND IF YOU DON’T TREAT IT LIKE ONE, YOU’RE DEAD
3. INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR CUSTOMERS FOR YOUR PRODUCT, FIND PRODUCTS FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS
4. WHY BLOG?
5. HOW ARE YOU CHANGING YOUR CUSTOMERS?
6. LEARN TO LIVE WITH TENSION
7. IT ISN’T ABOUT NUMBERS, IT IS ABOUT TRUST

If you want to challenge your thinking and take your career, business, work to the next level, these gems are worth looking into.

Have you ever wanted to write a book?

Not sure what to write? How to start?

Afraid that what you have to say isn’t important, won’t be liked?

Afraid you’ll fail?

Join the club.

I found some advice for you from someone who’s been around the block or two when it comes to writing.

This article This Bestselling Author of 17 Books Just Gave Some Brilliant Writing Advice. Here It Is in 1 Sentence really does give you great advice in One Sentence.

Stop worrying, wondering, and waiting… take a look at the short article and start writing now.  We’re all waiting for the story only you can tell.