This isn’t a very long story at all, it’s just an event that most men would find absolutely repulsive, so I must make you share my pain.

I was at the Mondrain Hotel in Hollywood (I spent most of the last month there), gettin in some pool time on a Saturday afternoon. It was me, Mike Fey, John (the Resuscitation team) and three girls who Mike had invited to come kick it at the pool. What you need to know about expensive Hollywood hotels is that their pools take on a Vegas vibe on the weekends and they turn into party pools. Now that that’s understood, we can move on.

So, like I said, short and sweet. I was in the water with John, and the girls were sitting up on the edge of the pool. All of a sudden the girls look off into the distance and start laughing. They are murmuring something to each other that I can’t really make out, so I ask them what they’re talkin about.

They say that I wouldn’t understand. My narcissistic side disagrees. There’s nothing funny that I couldn’t understand. I keep probing them. FInally they tell me to look as they point towards towards the other side of the pool. My view is something like this:



This view is actually not as good as mine. What you’re seeing here is a screen cap of a video that John tried to make but he got too excited, thinking that he had the shot, when he didn’t. He’s trying to capture what I eventually saw: this girl has a TAMPON string hanging down like 6 inches.

She dances around for about 5 minutes while the girls try to figure out who should tell her. I sit there, grossed out, awaiting some sort of action. Finally, one of the girls walks over and whispers something to her. She looks to her friend, and asks her for help, tucking it away as discretely as possible. But this string was sponsored by Brett Favre, because it was retired three times, and kept coming back. Her friend had to help her tuck that thing away again and again before she finally made a trip to the bathroom.

I think the girls we were with were right. I had no clue how to handle the situation except to nearly throw up into the pool, which still wouldn’t be as gross as being drawn to a dangling string of an ugly, drunken girl. Oh man that was almost as rough as the time a volleyball coach for a team we were playing had a big red stain on the crotch of her white pants. Some things you gotta notice all by yourself.

A few weeks ago my buddy Ramy sent me an email forward that I thought was interesting. It was called “Sunday Message,” and every week since, he has been forwarding me these messages that I think are pretty well said and timely for a lot of people. They are written by a buddy of his named Yashar Mehrabani who is a facebooker in case you wanted to look him up.

In an attempt to share and not be the selfish one, I figured I would drop these messages on you as well so you can feel the love as well. So, enough of me, more message:

“Accelerate your life to slow motion.”
 
In the immortal words of my mentor, we need to learn how to accelerate our lives to slow motion, and begin to appreciate all the blessings that we have been granted. Do you recognize the beauty that surrounds you? Do you acknowledge all the ways in which you have been blessed? Do you tell the people who are most important to you, how much you love and adore them? If not, this is the perfect moment to start doing so.
 
Before I embarked on this amazing and beautiful journey that I am on, I was extremely impatient. I always wanted things to go my way, and I wanted them to happen on my schedule. I wanted to hurry up and finish school, I wanted to get started with my career, buy a nice car, buy a house, and travel the world. I was stuck living my life looking at the possibilities of the future, rather than appreciating and living in the present. Unfortunately, living in this manner led me to frustration and disappointment every time. I felt that people consistently let me down and that God had turned his back on me.  But being so unhappy in my life I realized that something was wrong and that I needed to make a change…and I did.
 
I will always share things with you that I know have worked for me. In this case, I was able to find fulfillment and happiness in my life by simply slowing down. I understand how difficult that can be in this hectic world that we live in. With short attention spans and the need for everything to be instant and at our fingertips, it is extremely challenging at first to take a deep breath and appreciate the simple things. It is even more difficult to accept that things don’t happen on your schedule, and that you may not always get what you want, when you want it. But if you can let go of the desire to control everything in your life, you will certainly open up so many more doors that lead to joy and bliss.
 
Unfortunately, I always hear people worrying and complaining. Whether it’s about financial struggles, relationship issues, or simply their daily life, most people I come across find a reason not to be happy. So what can you do to stop worrying and begin living your life to its fullest? Slow down, and incorporate an attitude of gratitude into your life. The next time you feel like worrying about something out of your control, think about something you are grateful for. When you begin to think about money and your bills, give thanks for your health and the fact that you have your limbs and you don’t live in pain. When you feel like being down and just feeling negative, be grateful that you have a home, with food to eat and clean water to drink. I am often asked how I can be so positive all the time, and my answer is simple and to the point….How can I not be? My life may not be perfect, but I do believe in God. And with all the blessings that are in my life, how could I ever complain about anything. Instead, I choose to recognize and appreciate all the blessings and opportunities in my life, and this has led me to pure happiness and fulfillment.
 
I leave you with this. You may not have everything that you want in your life, at this very moment, but if those things were intended for you, you will receive them. So instead of living your life, constantly looking at the things you don’t have, begin to appreciate the things that you do have. And this is only possible if you slow down and recognize everything that is in your life. By simply shifting your attitude in this very slight way, you will find your purpose, fulfill your potential and find peace in your heart. I am certain that this is the way because all of my other approaches failed miserably. I share this with you because I know that if I can do this, there is no reason why you can’t. And I know that if I found happiness in my life, happiness is awaiting you in your life. This is your time ….
 
I hope you had a beautiful weekend. Have a wonderful and productive week. One love, Yashar