Fantasy vs...

Fantasy vs……

By Drew Bankston

This past week has been, to me, something out of a fairytale.

Monday morning at 3:30am I caught a shuttle, went to the airport and flew to New York. I had never been to New York, and more importantly, I had never been involved in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

The first night we were all treated to a wonderful reception dinner. It was something that would have only happened to celebrities or dignitaries. It was something that made me feel extremely special. I’m not certain that anything in my life between now and the time I leave this world will ever be as special and exciting as that dinner and what was to follow.

After the dinner, we all went to our first rehearsal. We sang our song for the first time and it was beautiful. Still, we rehearsed for three hours and then ended the day around midnight.

The following day started with an early breakfast, more rehearsing and then lunch. I took that afternoon to catch-up on some sleep, a visit to Macy’s on Herald Square and then another three hours of rehearsing.

On Wednesday, we had our final rehearsal in the morning. I took the afternoon to walk around the town. I saw the parade balloons being inflated. I saw Broadway. I saw Times Square. I walked through Central Park and saw the memorial to John Lennon. Then I walked back to the hotel and turned in for an early night.

The following day was the parade. Breakfast at 4am. Off to another hotel to change into our costumes. 6am and on buses to take us to our float where we learned our positions, practiced our songs a few more times and then waited for the parade to begin.  We sang our two main songs, “We Wish you a Merry Christmas” and “Deck the Halls” over and over again along the parade route but I didn’t mind. Seeing the looks on the faces of the children and the adults, the smiles when I would look at or point at anyone made me want to continue singing.

We sang our premier song in front of Macy’s on 34^th street and even though I was on the backside of the tree, it was still incredible and amazing.

After the parade ended, we all went back to the hotel and returned our costumes, walked back to the Pub where we shared a Thanksgiving lunch and then I was off to the airport.

It was a whirlwind visit but I made some amazing friends and still communicate with them via Facebook today. We all were involved in a historical event. The first ever Macy’s singing Christmas Tree float. They might do more, but none of the future floats will be the first. This week will be back to the normal and back to the old grindstone. I was given a few things to remember my experience with, and I will never forget. In fact, my mind will probably embellish the events of the week as time goes by. I will never forget my experiences there and how they have changed my life and how I think about it. I’ll share more with you in upcoming blogs, but for now, just know that my life will not be the same, but it will be better.

Leaving on a...

Leaving on a…..

By Drew Bankston

The time has come and here I sit on a jet plane on my way to New York. I never thought that I’d be writing my blog from thousands of feet in the air, and yet here I am doing so.

In a few hours, I’ll be on my way to the hotel, resting up and preparing for the welcome meeting where all of us will meet together for the first time. After that, we head off for our first rehearsal. It’s going to be a whirlwind week but, I think, incredibly fun. I’ll be posting frequent updates on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/drewbankston) and may even add an additional blog this week. We’ll see how time goes.

It was fun watching people at the airport today and seeing the many different types. Some looked sad, tired and totally out of it while others seemed to anticipate the future. Most of those in the airport were strangers, just as on the plane here and now. Some people, like the couple next to me, know one another. I actually know two other people on the plane, but we aren’t sitting in close proximity to each other. Lauren is the other person from Colorado who will be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with me. She brought her husband, Kwon, who I know from when he was running for mayor in Fort Collins. Perhaps when we get to the airport, the three of us can muddle through finding out Lyft driver together.

Despite the unknowns of New York and the upcoming week, there is a great deal of excitement connected to this trip and the once in a lifetime opportunity that comes with it. How many people can say that they’ve been in this parade? How many can say that they were a part of a brand new float, a brand new song, and brand new Macy’s tradition? Not many I would guess. I’m going to meet so many new people, make numerous new friends, and enjoy so many new experiences that it may be overwhelming, but I’m certainly going to be grateful for the opportunity and take advantage of every moment.

So check back during the week and see what new and exciting adventures I’ll share. It’s going to be fun my friends. I’m glad that I can take you along with me through my words!

Ready or...

Ready or…

by Drew Bankston

In preparation for my upcoming trip to New York and participation in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, this past week has been, without a doubt, the most exciting yet. On Monday I received a red envelope in the mail. It was a large envelope and a mystery until I opened it and found a letter inside. The letter was from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade group congratulating me on being selected to be a part of the parade. Something physical that I can put in a scrapbook! 

The next day I came home to find a very shiny, red envelope on my porch. I opened it to find a per diem card that Macy’s sent me to help pay for food when I’m in New York. Sometime this week we’ll find out about travel arrangements. I’ll find out about my flight to New York and home again. I’ll find out about transportation between the airport and the hotel while in New York. I already know about the hotel where I’ll be staying.

I received information about plays, performances and other activities that I can attend while in New York, and I’ve been practicing my musical parts for the songs that we’ll be singing on the float, including an original Christmas song never heard before!

I’m so excited to be going and to be a part of this.

I’m a little sad though because for the first time in 27 years I won’t be with my wife and family on Thanksgiving. It will be different. The range of emotions for this one day is amazing. The excitement and exhilaration of doing something that I’ve always dreamed about at the cost of not seeing my family on a day when I’m grateful for so much, including my wife and kids.  My wife reminds me that we’ll be together when I get back and that we’ll be together for the remainder of the holidays. Still…

I’ll continue to post about the parade and the thrill and excitement of it. I’ll post photos on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/drew.bankston) my Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/drewbankston_/) and my Twitter page (@drewbankston1). I might even do a live chat. It will be fun and I’ll announce before it happens.
My blog next week will be the last one before the parade and then I’ll be doing one more after about the parade. Beyond that is like life itself. A mystery to be uncovered when that day comes! Here we go, friends. So much more to tell!

Deck the What?

Deck the What?

By Drew Bankston

Two weeks from tomorrow I leave for New York.  What a kick!  I’m so excited to be going. I’ve done a little more research about this year’s parade and I’ve found out who else will be there as well. Now, I don’t know if I’ll have any opportunity at all to meet them, but here is a short list of the people who will be attending as participants!

In addition to the signature floats, balloons, and the annual first sighting of Santa Claus, this year’s Macy’s Parade will feature multiple musical acts, including middle-aged boy banders 98 Degrees, American Idolalum Lauren Alaina, pop singer Sabrina Carpenter, Andra Day & Common, country singer Sara Evans, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, rapper Flo Rida, ’90s superstars Goo Goo Dolls, Wyclef Jean, Andy Grammer, Bebe Rexha and the legendary Smokey Robinson.

Just knowing that I’ll be in the same parade, on the same street, and a part of the same event as some of these incredible people makes me smile. I’m only special to a handful of people on a daily basis, but in a few weeks, I’ll feel special for a day. I’ll be in the company of some amazing and successful people. Of course the most successful will come right after our Singing Christmas Tree float, the jolly old man with the long white beard. Santa Claus!

Now last week I told you that we received our music and I’ve been learning my part and singing the beautiful music. One of the songs that we’ll be singing is an original piece that is absolutely beautiful, so if you watch the parade each year like I do please watch for us singing this new song for the first time ever! This is destined to be an instant classic.

Would you like to see more about our Singing Christmas Tree? If so, here’s a YouTube video that you can watch, produced by Macy’s, that tells more about what we’re doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-7lK2lUC-U

Most people won’t get this information, so watch and see what you think. Are as excited as I am?

Much more coming next week so check back then. Thanks for reading.

Here We Come A...

Here We Come a…

by Drew Bankston

I’ve mentioned it a million times already, or at least a few, but in three weeks I get to leave for New York to prepare for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!  I’ve also mentioned that every week Macy’s does something to make this dream seem more real! This past week was no exception and I’m excited to share a few things with you.

Last week we received our schedule for rehearsals, meetings, and activities. Seeing it in writing was a real thrill and puts dreams in my head of what will be realities soon enough!

This week was even more exciting when we were sent our music and our songs for the parade. How exciting! I’ve already started practicing.

So now I’ll be in the parade and I know what I’ll be singing. I’ll also be taking time to go and watch the balloons being inflated. I’m pretty sure that I won’t stay for the entire thing. I’m not even sure how many balloons there are, but it’s going to be a thrill to see those characters come to life.

I’m not certain what the weather will be like on Thanksgiving Day. It might be cold and snowy or it could be one of those years where it’s comfortable. I don’t know. But we will be wearing an outfit fit for a Thanksgiving Day parade. It’s all quite storybook-like and is still not quite real in my mind, but in three weeks I’ll be living out this storybook dream!

Now, I’m pretty sure that after reading this you have questions. What will you be singing? What will you be wearing? These things, dear reader, will be my present to you, and like all good presents, they will be a surprise for you when you watch the parade on Thanksgiving morning. During the first few days in New You, however, I will be taking lots of photos and even doing a few Facebook Live segments, so I encourage all of you to watch for those. In the meantime, be excited and just like you would on Christmas morning, anticipate the pageantry and tradition of this wonderful parade in addition to seeing what our chorus of 150 singers will present to you! I don’t know what’s coming this next week, but I’m as excited as ever to share more with you. 

It’s going to be incredible, I believe. Here it comes!

Miracle on...

Miracle on…

By Drew Bankston

When you’re looking forward to something that’s a month or more away, it’s easy to forget about the event until a week or so before it happens.

Four weeks from tomorrow I leave for New York City to begin my adventure of marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. You would think that the reality of this has settled into my brain and that the excitement would have waned somewhat, but let me tell you, that’s not at all the case.

This has been something that I’ve thought about all of my life. From as far back as I can remember I’ve watched the parade every Thanksgiving. It’s not just a tradition, but also a total joy to experience every year. I look forward to it beginning September 1 each year. To know that I’m going to be in it is more exciting than I can express. In addition to being excited about this, the fine folks at Macy’s continue to keep that excitement building by sending us little bits of information each week. This week, however, I received the most amazing news yet. I received our schedule for the week!

At this point, I don’t think that I can share every detail of the week, but I can say that at some particular point in time, I will get to visit the place that one of my favorite Christmas movies revolve around, “Miracle on 34^th Street”. Yes, I get to visit Macy’s, Herald Square.

Now, some of you might wonder how I can be so excited about visiting Macy’s in New York. Yes, it’s true that I work at Macy’s but for some reason this store, which is one of the largest retail stores in the world, is magical. I will have to opportunity to be a part of that magic. Not only that but once upon a time, Macy’s actually had a choir. They recorded an album. I get to be a part of a group that hasn’t existed for 60 years. So being able to visit the flagship store and actually shop there, see the holiday decorations and see the Magic of Macy’s in person is beyond words. I can’t wait, and yet I have to.

I honestly can’t wait to see what is coming next week and hopefully, I’ll have a little more guidance as to what all I can share with you about my trip. In the meantime know that I’ll be rehearsing, taking lots of photos and a few live broadcasts, and having the time of my life. I want to take each of you along on this journey, so come back next week for more, tell your friends to join you, and let’s have a great time together.

Another Week of...

Another week of…

By Drew Bankston

Continuing on the news from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I have heard more this week, and with every bit of new news, the forthcoming trip becomes more and more exciting!

I think about this every day and really can’t wait for the day to arrive when I’m ready to board that plane and head out on this adventure. I’ll be posting lots of photos and will do a few live broadcasts while in the Big Apple, so watch for it all to join in the fun

This week they sent out the list of people who would be attending the rehearsals and the parade. This is exciting because it’s becoming more real seeing the names of the one hundred and fifty people from all around the country, who will be singing with me to bring joy and happiness to not only the people in New York watching the parade but those who will be viewing the parade from all around the world!

I’ve always enjoyed the holidays. At home, I bake up a storm, decorate as much as possible, blast holiday music and generally spread the holiday cheer wherever I go. I am a big part of the holidays at home, but this year I feel as if I’ll be even a bigger part of the holidays to many around the world. What an incredible thought! Now, as much as I would love to, don’t expect cookies or holiday cakes and candies from me. I would really love to be in a position to bake those for you, but unless you live close, it’s not going to happen… this year.

I’m working on many projects, one of which at least I hope will give me a little more freedom and a little more money to help me make the holidays wonderful for many more people. I’ll tell you more about that in a future blog. In the meantime, I’m excited to sing for you this Thanksgiving Day and hope that not only will each if you watch but that you’ll spread the word and ask your friends to follow my blog and watch the fun as well.  Check back next week for more information on this fun adventure!

Time Marches...

by Drew Bankston

Time marches and I will be soon! This week has been pretty incredible. We’ve had some warm days near eighty degrees, and today it’s snowing. Life is a constant surprise. I used to think that life was filled with surprises, but then I realized that it’s just one big surprise that keeps getting better each day that I open my eyes and smile.

It’s important that we cherish every wonderful moment that we can. Last week, I told you about an upcoming event that is, for me, a childhood dream come true. Being chosen to be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an excitement that I can only compare to going to Disneyland.One piece of advice that the committee has given us is to “Get in your Steps” while stating that each parade participant will be taking around 5,000 steps during the course of the parade. I walk a great deal during each of my days, and so I thought that I was prepared. Lately, I’ve thought more about getting in shape all over and about what I need to do to get there. Now, I’m the kind of person that many people envy. I can eat just about anything and not gain weight. It’s a genetic thing, I think. Because of that, I just assume that I’m always in good shape, but the other night when I decided to begin a workout routine, I received a startling realization. I couldn’t do those 100 push-ups and sit-ups that used to come so easy. It was at that point I decided that I needed to have my expectations of myself come face-to-face with my realities. It was an ego bruiser to realize that I was no longer the fit and trim person I thought myself to be and that I needed to throttle back my work-outs to reflect where I am now. I’m starting slow and working my way back to where I remember being, and what a joy it will be when I get there!

So working toward that 5,000 steps in addition to regaining the core strength that I used to be so proud of is a priority in my life now.

The parade committee sent an Email this week talking to us about the credentials that we’ll need for getting into the parade, which made the excitement of the upcoming event even more real. I am picturing myself as fit and trim for the event, and I know that I’ll reach that goal. At least, I’ll be more fit and trim than I am now and much more pleased with myself, which is the overall goal.We can’t just reminisce about the old days and about how we used to do this and that. That’s not good enough for me. I want to be able to say, “This is what I can do now” and be proud of whatever that is. When I talk about what I used to do, I want that to be a stepping stone to where I am today and not a point of bragging about past glories. Our lives need to progress and get better, no matter what our circumstances. Our current events need to be things that we can talk about while holding our heads high. I’m getting there and I know that you all can as well. Strive to make your life better each day and down the road, you can brag about each day’s accomplishments with pride, and maybe even march in a parade without tiring out!

Marching to the Beat of...

Marching to the Beat of…

By Drew Bankston

As many of you know I have a family. I care for my family by working. I wish that the way I earned all of my money was through book sales, but that’s not happening right now, so instead, I work for Macy’s.  I’m actually glad that I do because an amazing opportunity has presented itself to me and I want to share that with all of you.

A few weeks ago, Macy’s held auditions and I entered. It was pretty fun entering. The audition was for a singing part in the famed Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Here’s what they are doing.

Macy’s was looking for 150 employees from around the country to participate in a first. They are creating a singing Christmas Tree in the parade. 50 employees are coming from New York and the other 100 are to be employees from outside of New York. So they held singing auditions. If you wanted a shot at it you had to upload a video of yourself, singing one verse of a song from a list that they provided, answer a couple of questions on camera, and wait.

So I thought, “What the heck,” and I did. Much to my amazement and surprise, I was one of two people chosen to go! What a fun surprise that was. First of all, I’ve never really been to New York. Well, I drove through it once, hauling horses from Virginia to Vermont. Didn’t get to see anything except a lot of traffic. Now, however, I get to go to New York and Macy’s is paying my way.

As a child, I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade every Thanksgiving morning. Even as an adult I’ve made it a tradition to watch the parade every Thanksgiving morning. Miracle on 34^th Street was one of my favorite Christmas movies. Macy’s and the Thanksgiving Day parade was an amazing, wonder-filled event.

To me, this is an incredible opportunity and I’m very grateful that this is in the works. What fun it will be!

I leave the Monday morning before Thanksgiving and arrive in New York around 12:30PM. Over the next few days, I’ll be involved with rehearsals and social events. I’m so excited to be living this childhood dream of being a part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and plan on blogging more about it each week as I find out more details.

I hope that you all will join me on this magical adventure and be sure to watch the parade Thanksgiving morning. You might see me there singing away!

Living the Waking Dream

Living the Waking Dream…

by Drew Bankston

I don’t always write. Well, I do write a lot, but it’s not how I support my family, yet. My regular job is as an Asset Protection Detective in a department store. What that means is that I do my best to prevent people from walking out with merchandise that they haven’t paid for. The biggest question that I get from people when I tell them what I do is, “Are you very busy?” My answer is always the same, “yes”.

It’s amazing but someone steals in the store everyday. I don’t always catch everyone, but I do catch many and most are prosecuted. The other day there were two women in my store. The entire scenario is a long story, but I’ll keep it short. These two women were working together. They had a bunch of kid’s clothes and some men’s activewear. They also had a stroller and a three month old baby. They took all of the clothes into a fitting room and came out with nothing but the stroller. I looked in the fitting room and there was nothing in there but some empty hangers. Either they were great magicians or shoplifters. I chose to believe the second choice.

As I would do, I stopped them as they exited the store and asked for our merchandise back. The woman pushing the stroller became very verbally abusive, tried to run me over with the stroller and refused to cooperate. Now, here’s what really got to me. She stepped to the side of the stroller and picked up her baby and yelled at me to just take the clothes. There were no clothes in the stroller. I again told her that she needed to return the stolen property. At this point she reached down under the stroller and retrieved a backpack stuffed full of clothes and threw it at me, knocking me backwards. She and her friend then ran. She used her baby to protect herself. That really irritated me as a parent. Not only was she mad at me for stopping her and recovering our merchandise, which she obviously felt entitled to, but she put a small baby at risk.

What is wrong with people? She tried to take almost $800 worth of clothing, probably to sell it to someone else. 

I work for a living. It’s not a glamorous job and sometimes not very rewarding. I also write and hope someday, that it will be my main source of income. I write because I love to entertain, educate and make people feel good. I have bills to pay and a family to support. I don’t steal from others. I’m honest and no matter how bad things get, I find ways to make it work without resorting to thievery or possibly hurting my children! I love my family.

I believe in helping others. I love to make people smile and laugh, and I believe others should do the same. It doesn’t cost anything and it sure makes other people feel good. Everyone goes through bad times, but those bad times don’t last forever. With a little help, encouragement and a pat on the back, we could all go so much farther. I know that someday my writing will put me in a position where I can help so many others. I hope that, in some way, it does now. Do what you can to at least put a smile on the face next to you. It might come back around when you need it the most!

Crazy Little Thing Called...

Crazy Little Thing Called...

A Crazy Little Thing Called……

By Drew Bankston

Love. It’s everywhere we look and every place we go. It permeates our popular music. It’s in television commercials and is used to sell a myriad of products. We have an entire day devoted to it. We try to promote it between ourselves to make the world a better place. We share it with everyone and find those special people to share it more deeply with. There is always one person, however, that we tend to forget. One of the most important people in our lives. The one and only person without whom we would never be able to survive. We sometimes forget to love ourselves!

As individuals, we are the hardest person to forgive when it comes to, well, just about anything. So many people look at who they are and either want to change or wish that they had changed a long time ago. If we attempt to change and are unsuccessful, we chastise ourselves and become, many times, sullen and withdrawn. We are our own most powerful critics. Is this the way we should be?

We tend to forgive others of their shortcomings, so why would we not do the same for ourselves? It’s important for us to treat ourselves as good or better than we treat others.

Raising our opinions of ourselves is one of the most critical things that we can do. How can we treat others with respect, with love or kindness if we can’t do the same with ourselves? Make it a goal today to learn to make you the most important person in your life so that you can more effectively treat others the best possible and make the world the best place ever, to live.

All You Have to Do, is...

All You Have to Do, is…

By Drew Bankston

Dream. We all have dreams. Some of them become passions. Others fade with time and become forgotten memories that will be brought up to grandkids later in life as something that we wanted to have come to into reality, but for whatever reasons, they never did.

I have a dream, which is huge to me. It’s a dream that encompasses numerous other smaller dreams. Over the past five years I’ve worked on this dream. Being human, I haven’t always done everything that I could, everyday, to reach my dreams and goals. Lately, I’ve been more focused on where I want to be and how I want to get there. My big dream has become much more important to me.

Over time, my dream has evolved. At one time, my dream was to be a published author. I’ve reached that dream now, having published twelve books and working on five more right now. Now my dream is to become an author in demand. I look forward to the day when I have a following of people who anticipate my next book. Right now, I’m working on how to do that. My dream also includes allowing my wife to be able to do whatever she wants, whether it’s working or not.

It’s very strange to me how this has to come to pass. I’ve never been one to brag about myself or what I do, but I’m finding out that first and foremost, I have to be my number one fan. I love my stories, and my characters and I love to share them with people. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about money, but it’s about the love of writing and sharing my words with others. So, you might ask, what has made this dream become more important? It’s easy to explain.

It was five and a half weeks ago that I suddenly developed double vision. On a recent visit to the eye doctor, I was told that my vision has improved a small amount. I can move my right eye and additional five degrees. I’m not really certain what that means, but in reality, I’m not seeing much better than I was before that visit. In fact, most of today it has seemed like it’s been worse. Being a writer with double vision is tough. My eyes get tired very quickly trying to focus on the screen. My dream is still my dream and I wonder what will happen to that dream should my vision never improve.

 So over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying harder, taking risks, reading when I can about how to make this a reality. I will make this dream come true. I will find ways to share these things with you.

In the meantime, I encourage all of you to please look at your dreams. Figure out how to make them come true. Don’t wait until something happens that either forces you to act, or makes you give up. Dreams are your wishes that have the ability to become reality, but they need your help to do so. I’m working hard, daily, to make mine a reality. I believe that you can make yours come true as well!

Ready to Fall?

Ready to Fall?

by Drew Bankston

I turned around and September snuck up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and smiled really big when I turned back. Where the heck did the year go? In the store where I work, they started putting out some Christmas items. Then I realized that in three weeks fall begins. Fall! What happened to summer? The year, as always, seems to have flown by, leaving me to wonder along with several millions of others, where the year went.

It was one of those kind of days when I took a look back to see what I’ve accomplished over the past eight months. Normally, I do this at the end of the year and look back on the entire year, but today I told myself that if I wasn’t happy with my accomplishments thus far, I would have an opportunity to do more before the year’s end. So, as I looked back, I found that I wasn’t disappointed with my accomplishments as much as I was wondering why I didn’t do more. I did quite a bit, don’t get me wrong, but for some reason I felt as if I should have done more. More time with my family. More time promoting my business. More time writing. More time smiling more. Wait a minute, it turns out that what I was really wanting was more time.

I actually did everything that I wanted to do to date, but I just wanted more time. I guess that’s something that we all want. That really made me think. Time is a fixed thing. So what to do? The only thing that I could think of was to accept the fact that I only have a limited amount of time and that perhaps, I should work on my time management abilities.

For me, when I want to change something about myself, I write about it. I figure that if I need to work on something, there’s at least one other person out there who wants to work on the same thing. So, I’m beginning to work on my time management and put my own spin on it. I’m not going to make it a book, but I’ll post some small things that helped me to reach my goal of time management. So, if you’re ready to figure this out and get a few tips and hints of what’s working for me and might work for you, then stay with me. Check out my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AuthorDrewBankston for the weekly installments of time management tips. In the meantime, get ready to fall into Fall!

If Time Was Tangible

If Time Was Tangible

By Drew Bankston

If time were tangible, what would you do with it? Would you portion it out into small chunks and put them in the freezer to save for later? Would you file the used portions away and take them out when you wanted to relive certain moments of your life? Would you destroy certain parcels so that neither you, nor anyone else would ever think about them again?

Time is the one thing in life that we all wish we could control. Some days we don’t have enough of it. Other days it’s with us in abundance. We wish that we could go back and change it, relive it, see parts of it that were there when we weren’t. We crave to see what the future time has in store for us, for our children and for our descendants. Time is an amazing thing.

We take segments of time and store them in our memories, preserving them like a well kept scrapbook. But our memories can change, and just as the pages of a scrapbook can yellow with time, our memories can change with time as well. Time is like a river of water that wears away at the rocks, and cliffs of our memories, and shapes them into what we wish to remember and sometimes, what we wish that others would remember as well. We look at ourselves as smarter, stronger, more resilient and in some cases, better looking. Time can turn our past into the fantasy life that we only wished we had. It can make our memories happy and sad. It can create solace and forgiveness.  It can enhance bitterness and regret.

But we can control time to some extent, and the effects that it has on us. Exercise, proper eating, sleep habits, partying habits and so on can control the physical effects to some extent. They can be enhanced with cosmetics, surgery and other interventions that we’ve created to make ourselves look and feel better. But, no matter what we do, it marches on. Each second ticks by no matter how hard with wish of will it not to.

Time is an incredible thing. It does so much to us. In the end we cherish and value it. We want more of it. Each second becomes precious and we want each one back. It goes faster as we desire more and slips away before we know it.

Use some of your time to love, and laugh and enjoy life to the fullest. Time can be wasted on those things that don’t bring us happiness. Don’t waste your time, because any wasted is gone forever. Live every second. Smile whenever you can. Leave this world a better place and forever change it for the best!

Drew

Persistence

Persistence

By Drew Bankston

This week will be three weeks with double vision. I’m finding that my eyes are getting very tired throughout the day as they attempt to coordinate with each other, but are unsuccessful in the efforts. I’ve just finished a round of heavy antibiotics and steroids but haven’t seen any improvements, so I’ll be contacting the doctor again to see what the next plan of action will be. In the meantime, I’m learning what I can and cannot do.

It’s a struggle doing many day-to-day things and finding my way through the multiple images that I see without running into the phantom images that encroach on my vision. Each morning, I wake up hoping that my vision has healed, and each morning I’m disappointed.  I’m eager to have my vision go back to the way it was.

There is a possibility that my vision will never correct, and that I’ll be this way the rest of my life. In that event, I’m doing what I can to incorporate this into my life. I’ve started riding my scooter again, cautiously, and I’m getting used to where road elements are in comparison to where I am. I’m trying to work with what I have and make life easier.

The toughest thing for me right now is trying to write. Obviously, I’m able to do that. It’s my passion. It’s the one thing that I never want to lose in my life. Writing is everything to me, so I’m working hardest to be able to write efficiently and without many mistakes, and although my eyes tire easily now, I feel that it’s helping me to organize my thoughts better so that when I do sit down to write, I’m not having to spend as much time thinking about what needs to be said.

I’m trying hard to be persistent in my happiness and in focusing on the things that I can do to make life a happy place. I want to spread that happiness to all of you in my writing and in my stories that I share with you. As such, I’m completely redoing one of my series and re-launching each book over the next year with a completely new look and a few new additions to the story-lines. Keep watching for these changes. I know that you’re going to love them. In the meantime, I’m the double vision author, wishing each of you a great week and the strength to be persistent in reaching every dream and accomplishing every goal!

The Eyes Are the Windows to…?

The Eyes Are the Windows to…?

Drew Bankston

Last week I woke up to find that I had double vision. I went to the eye doctor just to be told that my right eye would not look to the right. According to the doctor, this meant that my sixth cranial nerve was not working correctly. More than that, it concerned her deeply. She asked if my family had a history of stroke. She was concerned about the nerve being compressed and what was causing it.

She determined that I needed a CT scan. The hospital determined that I should have an MRI. The insurance company decided that they should see the doctor’s notes before they decided anything. Me? My body was telling me that there was nothing really bad going on. It just was.

I’ve always been big on being in tune with my body. I listen to it and do the things that it tells me to do. So, it came as little surprise to me when, after the doctors, hospital and insurance company came to an agreement, and the MRI was evaluated, that the word was, “it was clean” and that nothing was found.

Next, I went to my family doctor. We decided that because I’ve had a sinus infection for a few weeks that this could be the cause of the 6^th nerve palsy. Today I’m a few days into antibiotics, steroids and decongestants. Is it working? It’s probably clearing up my sinuses, but so far no improvement with the eyes.

I fully expect that things will clear up eventually. I’m not certain when it will be, but in the meantime I’m just doing what I can to live with what I see. It’s the way my life has always been. Things happen and I just know that they will get better.

I’ve always felt that this is the way life is. Ups and downs like a roller coaster. Sometimes the ups are incredible and sometimes the downs seem devastating. The important thing to remember, to always remember, is that it evens out and our lives average a pretty smooth road.

I see double. I can’t drive while it’s doing this. I struggle with writing. It’s difficult to go to work and do my job. But I attempt to find ways to adjust, to live, to progress and to thrive. You can do it too. Focus on the positive. Many times things are so bad that you can’t figure out what could possibly be positive. Dig deep. Find the positive and shout it out loud. Share it with the people you meet. Make the positive firmly implanted in your mind. Keep it with you always. Your life will improve by leaps and bounds and you’ll not only find yourself getting through the low in your life, but you’ll reach a higher high on the next upswing!

www.drewbankston.com

www.facebook.com/AuthorDrewBankston

Independence Day in Alternative, Colorado

July fourth is a day filled with fun, food, family and friends. When we lived in Fort Collins we also had the pleasure of numerous activities downtown, and at the large City Park at the end of the day, we could enjoy an amazing fireworks display. We weren’t sure what to expect here in Alternative, and even though we asked around before the big day, we were still surprised at what came about.

The entire family went down to the lake, where the local park was and it seemed that everyone gathered starting around ten o’clock in the morning. 

From the north side of the lakeshore you can see Main Street not too far away. The view is pretty much unobstructed as there really aren’t too many trees in the way, and yet there are quite a few trees on that side of the lake to offer a goodly amount of shade. Main Street was important today because this particular year, Josh Pennywhistle, the local owner of the Pennywhistle Ice Cream Shoppe, had proposed that the town should have a Fourth of July parade. The newly elected Mayor, his honor Bobby Cornwaller, agreed, thinking that such a parade as an annual tradition, would really put Alternative on the map and more importantly, put his name in the history books as being the Mayor in office when the great tradition was started. Bobby had only lived in Alternative for a year and a half when he threw his name in the ring to become Mayor. In anticipation of a heated election, Bobby went all the way over to Fort Collins to have first-rate signs printed up and flyers with his picture on it to pass out all over town. Bobby had saved up a lot of money from his landscaping business that he had when he lived in Windsor. It was a good business, but he got tired of people and decided to take his savings and move to Alternative. He moved next door to Delores C. Flores, who had lived in Alternative most of her life, or at least that’s what she would tell people.

No one really knew much about Delores except for the things that she chose to let people know, so from the scraps and tidbits that she would throw out there, the community had the opportunity to build an entire history of what they thought described Delores. I think that secretly, Delores reveled in the stories and would neither confirm nor deny most of them. One of the biggest stories was that she was secretly royalty that had come to this part of the country to escape the rebels who had overthrown her country. She seemed to live comfortably with no obvious source of income, which only added fuel to the rumors.

When Bobby ran for Mayor, one of the first things he did was watch night and day for Delores to make an appearance outside of her home, and when he finally saw her, he rushed over to get her endorsement. She really had to think about it, but in the end, after Bobby had promised to have her front yard completely re-landscaped in whatever motif she desired, she said that she would lend her name to his election campaign. Truth be known, Bobby would have won at any rate. The only other person running against him was JoJo Gibbens. JoJo knew he wasn’t going to win seeing that he was only twenty-three and was only putting his name out there because he needed to experience what happened in an election for a political science assignment that he was doing at CSU.

So Bobby put together a committee to raise awareness for the upcoming Fourth of July parade, which would start exactly at 10:15AM and would run from the corner of Jefferson and Main, ten blocks to Lincoln Street. Bobby was pleased that the city fire truck, two police cars and representatives from the City Parks Department would be in the parade. Local author Benjamin Caruthers walked down the street hading out Tootsie Rolls and fliers about his books to the children watching. A few businesses followed with creative displays of patriotism and, of course, Josh Pennywhistle was the Grand Marshal since the parade was his idea in the first place. It wasn’t bad for a first parade. Afterward, there were a few booths in the park, some entertainment, and Clyde Simmons brought out his bar-b-que grill, which he often used to make hamburgers and hot dogs at block parties. The city paid for the eating supplies and Clyde cooked away. Bobby made a note to himself to invite vendors for the next year’s celebration.

After the fun and games ended, Bobby took the podium at the park and gave a grand speech talking about the significance of the day in our country’s history and in the history of Alternative. Carl Whithers made comments to himself in the crowd, just loud enough for those around him to hear, about how Alternative should secede from the union and become it’s own country, but how Bobby couldn’t be the King. The comment started a small ripple of laughter from the crowd, much to Bobby’s dismay, causing him to lose track of where he was in his speech. The flustered Mayor, simply threw up his hands and said, “Let the fireworks begin.”

Everyone enjoyed what was proclaimed to be the best fireworks show in the history of Alternative. The activities of the small town seemed to bring us all a little closer together and made our town shine and sparkle as bright and the fireworks.

As we walked home, my family and I were glad that we ended up moving here and looked forward to seeing what the rest of this year would bring to Alternative; a town where people find other things to do.

Potential

We are all told that we have “potential” almost everyday of our life. Potential. What does that mean? It’s a word that’s used a lot. “You have such great potential,” someone might say. Do you believe them?

The word comes from the Latin word, potentialis, a word that comes from another Latin word, potentia which means power! So when we’re told that we have potential, it is being said that we have power. Power to do what exactly? I would like to think, and pass along, that it’s the power to do anything you want!

Life gives us a road map that shows us how to get to where ever we want to go. It’s up to us to watch the signs along the way on our journey, to see where life wants to take us. So how do we do this?

There are times when we get so caught up in the negatives of life, that we don’t see what life is telling us. We tend to think about how much life is cheating us of the good things we deserve, how unfair it is that we didn’t get the raise, that someone else is more fortunate than we. When we get swept away with the negative tide of life, we stop looking for and at the positive and fall into depression that takes us away from what really belongs to us.

It’s important to watch the clues around us because life is filled with positives. When we tap into these positives, we take control of our lives and can steer ourselves more toward a better and more productive life. We all have goals and dreams that we want to reach, and many times we look at the obstacles to overcome more than easy way to get there.  Life is really on our side, and once we truly realize this, we’ll be well on our way to achieving more than we ever thought possible.

So remember, your potential is power. We all have it inside of us, but we can only tap into it through a positive outlook and daily, positive affirmation that life is here to bring us to our dreams and goals and give us all that we desire. Let nothing stand in your way. Your life is yours, and shouldn’t be controlled by any negative, outside influences. Take control of your life and allow it to help you reach where you really and, and deserve, to be in life.

Drew Bankston

The Universe of Tokorel

The Universe of Tokorel

By Drew Bankston

A number of years ago, while writing some short stories with a friend of mine just for the fun of it, I developed the universe of Tokorel. You might wonder what exactly this universe is and why it’s different. If so, I’m about to tell you. So, sit back and get ready for a trip to a place that will make you smile, laugh and question everything thing that you believed about reality and fantasy!

The universe of Tokorel started with a character named Permac. Permac was a handsome and rugged young man from the world of Tokorel. His home world is an interesting one. Each person has the unique ability to sense and influence the emotions of others.

The Tokorellans were descendants of people from the planet, Khizara. It had been 200 years since the Tokorellans and the Khizarans had been in contact with each other, when Permac and a woman archaeologist from Khizara, Linsora, met. Still with me? Perhaps I should go back that 200 years and tell you why they, the Khizarans and the Tokorellans, split.

So, 200 years ago a man named Tokor, a botanist, had received permission from the Prefecture on Khizara, to explore some other planets and look at the possibility of bringing back foreign plants to enhance the local food supply. After exploring, Tokor brought back a plant that he called, Tejina. This plant yielded a fruit called Chikara which was very sweet, juicy and made a wonderful addition to other fruits on the planet. But Tokor wanted to be sure that this foreign fruit was going to be safe from others as well as being safe for others to eat, and so he kept it to himself while he tested it.

Eventually, he discovered that after eating the fruit, he started to develop some interesting abilities; the abilities to sense and influence emotions. That, is another story. Over time he learned to control his powers and started feeding a chosen few the Chikara fruit, teaching them how to control their abilities as well. But secrets are not things to hide on Khizara and eventually word spread. The population of Khizara thought that Tokor’s powers were demonic. After he and his followers were threatened with death, he was allowed to flee the planet, banished forever. When his travels led him to a new and abandoned planet, he formed a society where his followers could learn to cultivate the new plants that gave them the amazing powers.

When news got back to the people of Khizara, they were horrified that the demons had escaped with their lives and actually thrived somewhere else. Rumors spread that the new race would eventually come back and exact revenge on their brothers. That day never came. Eventually, the Tokorellans, at least a few of them, left Tokorel and tried to blend in as Khizarans. That’s where Permac enters the picture. You see, Permac was one of those who left Tokorel. He ran into a Khizaran woman named Linsora, and did his best to become her friend. Eventually, however, she discovered who he really was and 200 years of fear, superstition and distorted stories culminated in her attempts to kill the demon, There’s much more to this story and I hope that you’ll check back week to learn more!

Successful You in 60 Days

Successful You in 6o Days

For the past few weeks I’ve been working on a “60 Days to Success” program.  It’s something that I’m working on and creating for myself, developing it into something that everyone can use. (If you’re attempting to build a Battleship, this might not work for you!) The success won’t necessarily be to complete a project, but instead will be a way for a person to prepare to be successful in reaching goals and aspirations. Right now, I’m three weeks into what I hope will be a revolutionary approach to reaching success, and I’m very happy with how things are progressing. Tomorrow, I’ll begin taking my notes and putting them together and into a short book because I want to share my techniques with you. I firmly believe that I’m seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and I want you to see it in your life too!

When I first decided to embark on this amazing endeavor, I wasn’t sure that 60 days would be enough time to reach that stage where success would be drawn to me. Now that I’ve reached 21 days, I’m certain that 60 days will be more than enough time. I’m seeing some major changes in my life already, and I’m sure that by following what I’ve been doing, you’ll see big changes in your life as well after only three weeks. I can’t wait to see where I am when that sixty-day point arrives.

So, please check back with this blog as I post more about my progress, but also follow my Twitter feed (@drewbankston1) as well as my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDrewBankston/). I’ll post updates frequently in those 2 places. Don’t let failure take over your life. Success can be yours in 60 days. I’m going to be living proof and I’ll share that success with you. Are you ready?

A Rainy Day in Alternative

A Rainy Day in Alternative, CO

Depending on the time of the year, people either love or hate the rain in Alternative. At the beginning of spring, people tend to not like it so much. It’s a flood or drought situation, and so the residents here watch the winter to see how much snowfall there is in the mountains before making their decisions on how they feel about the spring rains. This year, there’s been a lot of snow in the mountains but not so much here in the plains areas around Alternative. Since the Big Richardson River flows right through the heart of town, a lot of snow in the mountains and a lot of rain in the spring is a very bad combination, creating the possibility of floods in town.

The flooding only occurs in the center of town, but at the outskirts where many of the farms are, it doesn’t flood, but it just becomes a great and muddy mess. Harvey Johnson owns one of those farms and when he comes into town to buy supplies, he spends hours complaining about how his plows are just going to end up with either large clumps soil on the blades or furrows that fill in immediately after the plow passes. He’d sit at the table by the front door of the Farm and Ranch Supply store and talk to Gill, the store manager. Gill would listen patiently but then point out that his house was one block west of Center Street and in the flood plain.

When he first bought his house, no one told him about the floods. Of course, it had been dry for a number of years and perhaps people forgot about the flooding. Gill was thrilled about the location of the house and loved the fact that he could see the river and hear the babbling from a few blocks over. It wasn’t until he had lived in his home for two years until he found out about the flooding. He found out when a storm moved in the first week of April after a snowy mountain winter. The snows were melting with above average temperatures. The river was swelling and the rains made it overflow its banks. So when Gill took a step out of his front door, it was at the edge of the river. Fortunately, the waters didn’t get any higher than that, but Gill was spooked and now never knew when to expect a repeat. When he confronted Bart Gilmore, the original owner of the house, Bart would only shrug his shoulders and smile.

Bart really didn’t think about the flooding much. But it was such a coincidence that after selling his house to Gill, Bart ended up moving three miles to the west on a great lot by the lake where he could see the fireworks every July from his back yard while bar-b-queuing for his friends.  His backyard was the place to go in July as he had plenty of parking and always provided great food. His wife, Justine, was one of the original settlers of Alternative. She loved the little town and hoped to see it grow in her lifetime. And it did. She loved it. She loved seeing and meeting new people. She had seen the floods come and go. She’d seen her share of drought. She looked at the springtime as a change. She loved the new flowers and the warmer weather. She would listen to the residents, new and old, voice their opinion of the weather, and she would only smile and nod, knowing that the weather is what it is and will do what it will each year.

But regardless of how the residents of Alternative felt about the rain in the spring, they all agreed that the May flowers were the best in the country, and that would make them all smile.

That’s what’s going on this week in Alternative, Colorado, where people do things just a little differently.

Tokorel

Tokorel

Several years ago, I teamed up with a wonderful woman named Deb Alverson. We found that we both loved to write. We both loved science fiction. We both loved conventions. We both decided to start writing together. We both decided to put our ideas and characters together and develop a universe that I created. The universe of Tokorel.

Now, several years later, this universe is beginning to be noticed. So, over the next few months I want to write about this universe. I want to give you stories and back stories and more stories about this universe and the characters within it. So today is going to be short. It’s going to be brief. Beginning next week, the stories will begin. I’ll give you stories about Tokorel and links where you can find more stories about the universe and Khizara. Get ready to be amazed, addicted and astonished. Tokorel is something that you’ll never forget.

Drew

New Year in Alternative, Colorado

New Year in Alternative, Colorado

Where the People Think of Other Things to Do

It’s New Year in Alternative. Actually, New Year’s Eve in Alternative. I asked my kids how they wanted to ring in the New Year and their response was, “What can we do?”

With that question, I decided to do some investigating and had the kids walk with me through the town this evening. We would have just Goggled to see what was going on, but Alternative is pretty much off the grid. There is no town website, at least nothing that’s kept current. Rick Marcus was the local IT guy who decided to give it a go by putting a website up for the town. He did his best, he really did, but when he would get something up about the town, the town would change what it wanted to do, and the webpage would immediately be out of date. Rick tried to talk to the Mayor about it, but the Mayor would just scratch his head and smile awkwardly and shrug his shoulders, which would frustrate Rick to no end, and he would throw up his hands and walk away.

The mayor, of course, would smile slightly after Rick would walk away and turn to his assistant, Beth, and tell her how he really didn’t want the town on the internet and how much he was certain that others in town felt the same way.

Beth, of course, would head off to the Women’s Winter Gardening Club where she would ask the group if they wanted a website up and receive a mix of yes and no from her group, in between all of them trying to figure out the best ways to grow herbs indoors and which ones were the very best for healthy living. Then the group would talk about what plants to bring to the New Year’s Eve celebration at the local high school, where there would be a dance, refreshments courtesy of the city and a live local band. Brad Corbet and the Ski Masks were going to be playing. When they first started they actually wore ski masks but then realized quickly how difficult it was to sing and be understood in ski masks. So I mentioned to my kids that there was going to be a gathering at the school to which they nodded and smiled and asked what else was going on.

We happened to run into Mary Jo Sylvan, whose husband, Grover, named after Grover Cleveland and not the Sesame Street character, belonged to the local Elks Club. Most of the time, Mary Jo didn’t talk about what was going on at the club, but tonight she had to talk about the gathering that they were putting on for ringing in the New Year. She said that it was going to be a family event with a big screen TV tuned to whatever station had the very best coverage of ringing in the New Year and probably the ball drop from New York. Jake, down at the local cable company was actually planning on having a special on channel 17 that would run all day and show how countries around the world celebrate the New Year arriving, and the Elks wanted to show that. After hearing that, my kids actually decided that they wanted to celebrate ringing in the New Year in the last place that I thought, at our house. So, we pulled up the local cable special, had sparkling cider, made tons of finger foods and laughed, smiled and realized how lucky we were as a family. Alternative was the best thing we’ve done, and I can’t wait to see what adventures are coming this new year.