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There are three things important in life.
First is to be kind,
The second is to be kind,
And the third is to be kind.

My doctor has taken a pledge, “First do no harm,” but I can one-up the profession by taking this a step beyond: First, be kind. I’ve decided to come into every situation, stressful or not, looking for a way to be kind to the other person.

As I see it, even if my kindness isn’t returned, I’ll be setting an example for others. I think of it like this: Today, I’ll do at least one kind thing for someone else and expect nothing in return.

It’s a hard history to acknowledge, but my Grandpa and his son, my dad, did not talk or see each other for years.  Then suddenly, Grandpa died and it left a hole of grief in Dad’s heart afterwards.

A little over 15-years later, a nearly identical situation carried itself out as I learned my dad had passed away.  We had not seen each other in over 12-years, though I was able to reach him for a while at his job and I sent him letters and cards.

Now, I’m seeing my son gravitate away from me, as I did with my father.  It’s a family history I don’t want to see repeated and yet have no idea how to halt.

Throughout high school I was known for many things, some good, some bad, but mainly as ‘fast.’ That’s because since 7^th grade I was a race-winning sprinter, setting several records and even getting an invite to the 1976 Olympics track and field try-outs.

It could have all been very different though, but for one thing, a girl who could run faster than me moved from Klamath before she realized her talent. I’m talking about my friend, Brenda Crump.

At least three times she out raced me for one reason or another. Her stride was not only longer than mine; she had a naturally powerful start, something I had to work at time and again.

As a 12-year-old boy, I refused to acknowledge this. Simply put, I was afraid of being teased about being out run by a girl.

I bet she can still out run me, still.

While European expeditions along the Northcoast remained rare during the 1500s and 1600s, a number of their ships did pass by the coastline of Del Norte. Most notably among them were the Manila Galleons.

These ships formed a trade route that connected Acapulco and the Philippines and brought the riches of the Indies to Europe. In 1565, the Spanish discovered the Japanese Current that made their travels across the Pacific considerably easier. Sometimes as they turned south, they spotted the fog-laden Northcoast.

With English piracy in the Pacific on the rise, the Spanish decided to set up a harbor on the Northcoast that the Manila Galleons could use as a refuge. So sailing from Manila in 1595, Sebastían Rodríguez Cermenõ passed into and sailed about Trinidad Bay.

Afraid of rocks, however, he decided not to anchor and went south to Acapulco. Eight years later, Sebastian Vizcaíno led another Spanish expedition to explore the Northcoast.

Illness and poor weather prevented the expedition’s two ships from fully surveying the coast. Mapping of the northern coastline never was much of a priority for the Spanish.

Though claimed by Spain, this section of California was remote, and the Spanish found themselves preoccupied with conquering South America, maintaining their colonial holds in Mexico and fending off piracy across the Caribbean and Atlantic. The second Spanish expedition whose mission was to formally claim lands north of Alta California for that nation’s crown, brought Bruno de Heceta and Bodega y Quadra past the coast of what would later become Del Norte County.

Elko County’s famous Flying Sheriff, Jesse “Jess” C. Harris is the son of Sheriff Joseph C. Harris, who headed the same office from 1910 to 1936.  The younger Harris came into office in 1950 and served until 1974.

Between Joe and Jess, they served 50 years in the 20th century as the county’s sheriff.

And though he’s not related to Jess and Joe, Neil Harris, took office in 1990, serving for 17 years. That means one Harris or another had been sheriff for 66 of those 97 years.

As Howard Hickson, Director Emeritus of the Northeastern Nevada Museum in Elko, writes, “Good name to have when running for sheriff in Elko County. Statistically, there was a Sheriff Harris 69-percent of the time.”

This year marks the tenth anniversary of blogging for me. And still I keep learning about this format.

If this were a marriage, a gift of tin would be proper.

First, I should never post more than one entry per day. Anymore than that and I drive you away from taking the time to read it.

Second, keeping each entry short and simple is the best approach to this sort of format. More than a thousand words and you won’t take the time to read what I’ve written.

Third, posting political commentary is a turn-off.  I removed all the political content from my blog-site and you never noticed.

Here’s to another ten years.

It’s wonderful to slip into bed, close the eyes and let the world sink away. A good night’s sleep helps the body and mind refresh from all the worries of the day.

And when we go to bed early – we can wake up early, getting jump on the day ahead. The time can be used for journaling, taking that half-hour walk or even spending time reading the Holy Bible or meditating.

At least, this how I wish my days were – but I work the third and first shifts — so I must adjust my hours so. With this, I’ve also learned to sleep in shifts; two, four hours periods of sleep with an hour or two in-between.

It all comes down to a positive attitude and living within the circumstances of life.

We’re more creative than we give ourselves credit for. That’s because you and I often suppress them before they can grow.

Can’t afford that.
That won’t work.
Shouldn’t do this.

If you can, you must gather the courage not to censor your ideas, your thoughts.  Instead we should surprise ourselves with the free flow of our imaginations.

Truck won’t start.
Roof is leaking.
Porch light shorts-out.
Forgot to pay a bill.

Small stuff can pile up and ruin a day, but only if we allow them. You and I can’t think big thoughts all the time, but we can keep the little ones in perspective and not let them overwhelm us.

Time and a again I’ve heard, “It’ll get better if you give it some time,” or “Time heals all wounds.”

It’s like time is some sort of magical healer. However, time does not change anything — you and I do.

It’s the work that we do while time is passing that changes things. The good news is that neither of us has to wait even a minute to start this work.