One ends, another begins

Well as one chapters closes, another begins.  Another month ends, another one begins.  And to this, I am excited. 

June has been an interesting month to say the least for me.  It has been full.  Full of frustration, at times, and full of anticipation for the future.  Full of moments of great enjoymen and I have thoroughly been changed this month.  Especially, since it is for the better. 

Because I have a fuller picture of what I desire.  And a better glimpse at where I should head.  In the coming days, I will be discovering more and more what that means and looks like but for now, I stand at the end of the month.  Anticipating the arrival of the 7th month of the year.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming months? 

Much more to come

Whew…I have so much to say but so little time. I’ll start by saying thank you.

Thanks for being there through thick and thin. And thanks for allowing me the privilege of being read. An opportunity I’ve longed for since I first “published” my book in 3rd grade with the laminated pages and hardbound cover about the tragic race between Superman and Batman. I’ve come a long way but not yet far enough.

In the words of the Carpenters, we’ve only just begun.

Thanks for joining me. Much more to come.

God > i

God > i.

This simple idea is shaping up to a whole lot more than I bargained for.  It is actually a tattoo I got a couple years back but it comes from the idea that when Moses first met God, God told him that He was the Great I AM.  The end-all be-all to everything we ever wanted to know and do.  In fact, He was/is greater than all that we will ever know.

When I see my tattoo, I see the fact that HE > i because I focus on such little trivial things while He holds the world in His hands.  I focus on my little pea-sized problems while He has issues of the universe to deal with.

I think on the fact that my life is a vapor and lasts but a moment while He has been interacting with people since the beginning of time and even existed before time.

This simple idea has captured me and is the subject of what I am yearning to be focused on from here on out.  So you may see me writing more about God and less of me in the near future.  But unfortunately for you, I will always have a part to play because the main thing in my life until I learn to stop being so selfish is me.

But I hope that you get a glimpse of God being greater than all that you know this weekend.  It is a restful thought when you catch it.

See you Monday.

If you were rich, what would you do?

What would you do if money were no object?

Earlier this month, an 84-year old lady, won the lottery.  In fact, Jimmy Fallon summed it up so nicely through Twitter,

An 84 year-old Florida woman won the $590 million Powerball. Other Floridians were like, “Figures it would go to some kid.”

This lottery, like so many before it, got me thinking.  This time I wasn’t thinking about how she would be broke within 5 years like half of the people but I was thinking whether or not she would live that differently.

I am 29 years old and I am pretty set in my ways.  I cannot imagine being 84 years old set in your ways.  For some reason, I don’t see a grandmother going on a shopping splurge.  My grandmother would never have done that so it doesn’t register in my brain.  But if she even could, would she?

So my question still stands, if you had all the money in the world you could ever dream of, what would you be doing?

I know a guy who would become a golfer full time.  That is all he would do.  I know some who would go play music and bypass the whole music industry to release an album.  I know some comedians who would buy a comedy club and just headline every night while others came on before them.  I also know that the guy from the movie Garden State, who sold a new type of velcro to the government, had all the money he could ever dream of and was bored out of his mind.

But if I had to ask myself, I can’t give a straight-forward answer and it is something I am working toward.  I am certainly narrowing it down a lot more than previously but my only answer would be that I would write.

I would read a ton and write a ton.  So because of that answer, I’m doing more of both of those.  I do still love music and mentoring others and speaking but I feel like the greatest impact I can have is by writing and thinking through some of the issues I care about.  And it is so freeing to put that on paper (or screen).

So let me ask you and I sincerely want to know so please respond:
What would you do if money were no object?

The wrong question

What will be my magnum opus?

I don’t think that is the question most people ask.  Actually, I think it is the wrong question.  I don’t picture Stephen King sitting around asking of his magnum opus.  Or Ludwig van Beethoven.  Or George R.R. Martin.  Or J.J. Abrams.  Or Steve Martin.  Or Dave Chappelle. Or Lebron James.  Or Justin Timberlake.

I see them ignoring that question and just doing what they love and writing/singing/playing/directing the things they want to see happen.

But why do we lesser folk ask that question.  You probably don’t use those words but you probably say things like “when am I going to do what I’m called to do?”  Or “when am I going to do what I love?”  Or “when am I going to be happy?”

We get stuck on the question while they’re pursuing the answers.

That’s the difference between most people doing that which we would love to do and us, sitting at Starbucks dreaming about it while simply watching/reading/listening to their works and just admiring it.

So I am vowing to stop asking so many questions and to start stepping into the game.  Will you join me?

Impact

Yesterday, I talked about my first memory.  Today, I want to speak about what I hope is my last.

I hope that at the end of my life, I have made a difference in people’s lives.  Yes, I do hope that my funeral is crowded but honestly I hope that most of the people I have impacted don’t know that I pass.

I have a great memory of the week of my Father-in-law’s funeral that I will cherish as long as I can.  He was such a great man and I know that he has left a great legacy for not only his family but also for those in his business and for those he helped to counsel.  But the one thing that most sticks out about that week was something my sister-in-law said at the funeral home while visiting his body.

When you walked into the long room where they kept Charlie’s body in his Marine blues was his casket, some flowers, and a shirt with his grandkids’ handprints on it that he was going to wear to his chemo treatments but didn’t want to mess up the shirt.  This is normal stuff for this type of occasion but there was another set of flowers in the corner.  She went over to those flowers in the corner and said, “I have no idea who these people are and Dad made an impact on them.  We don’t even know all those he impacted.”

We don’t even know all those he impacted.

That’s awesome.  That’s what should happen.  I could dig deeper and try to figure out if he even knew his impact but that’s not the point.  We are called to impact tons of people by our choices each and every day.  And we are supposed to do it not for any recognition but because, most of all, it needs to be done.

So to my Father-in-law, I thank you.  You impacted me greatly.  And so many more.

I truly hope that the same thing can be said of me.

First memory

What is the first memory you had as a kid?

The only one I remember pre-5 years old was when I got sick one time at my mom’s and she gave me a dragon looking stuffed animal that made me feel better.  It didn’t magically make me feel better as I clutched him in my arms.  Now that would be a thing worth writing about.  But that memory is the first one I have.  And that scares me.  Because I’m sure lots of other things happened before I was 5 years old.  But no matter what I try, I have only been able to remember that dragon.

I do remember vague things like going to kindergarten but specifics are not there to recall. Its like it didn’t happen or that I didn’t exist.

This scares me for me but also for Harrison.  Because if his life plays out like mine has, he still has not entered his remember-phase.  The time we had at Safari Nation the other week is not there.  The first time he got scared of fireworks at the Grasshoppers stadium would not be there.  The first moment he caught a ball while we were playing catch outside is not there.  The first time he ever saw Batman is not there.  Gasp, this is serious business.

I heard about a researcher who is trying to help people recall their early days, and I may look it up to fix my memory because honestly, without the stuffed dragon, I would have nothing.

I may be on a ramble today but that’s what you signed up for when you hit subscribe.  I hope you enjoyed today’s lesson in the world of Bunch.

I guess the lesson is cherish the moments you have because at 29, you may not remember them.

What is your first memory?  Or at least, what is the first memory you remember?

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!!

Today, I can’t help but thank my Dad, Robert Bunch.  After all, it is Father’s Day and this is the thing that a child must do on Father’s Day.  But I don’t write this out of obligation but out of gratitude.

Gratitude for the times you played catch with me when I was little knowing that you had just put in 80-100 hrs that week to work to put food on the table.

Gratitude for the moments you spent showing me how to be a man, by allowing me to make my own choices, even though you helped guide me along the way.

Gratitude for all those trips every 2-3 weeks to SC to pick me up for a short weekend when you and my mom got divorced.  And also gratitude for enduring those trips with sing-a-long tapes.

Gratitude for getting me a walkman really young because you couldn’t stand those tapes Uncle Bill gave me as a gift for Christmas and as a torture device for you.  Getting me a walkman so young probably is one of the main catalysts for why I love music so much.

Gratitude for not getting Harrison those same sing-a-longs.

Gratitude for that time where I was 5 years old and we got out of the car and I switched the car from park to drive and hit the gas pedal into a tree/wall.  You didn’t make me feel as terrible as you could have and I still remember that lesson to this day.

Gratitude for the fact that you didn’t give me everything I wanted but gave me everything I needed.

Gratitude for buying me that gold trumpet that I loved so much in 10th grade when you could have gotten me the silver Bach Strad like everyone else had for because it was a less inexpensive version.

Gratitude for the absolutely mind-boggling thought that you took me to all of my games and  band concerts/rehearsals as a single dad.

Gratitude for the way that you watch my son and enjoy spoiling him rotten whenever you see Him.

So here’s to you, Dad, on this Father’s Day.  I hope that my son feels half as much joy toward me as I feel for you.  I love you dearly.

And to all of the other Fathers out there, you truly made a difference in my life and I know that you will in countless more.

And to all those kids out there without a Father, it is my prayer that you have a man in your life who can step up in the greatest way by simply giving you his time and knowledge.  And that you realize that your heavenly Father is the best there ever will be.

Thoughts from parenting at Safari Nation

This past Saturday, my son, Harrison and I went to Safari Nation, a bounce place where it is filled with a ton of bounce stations made for endless enjoyment.  I forgot that these types of places force you to wear socks so I had to buy a pair for both H and I because we are barefoot men in sandals.

I bring this up to let you know that I care deeply about my son.  I am not bragging but I never thought of these moments before we had Harrison.  When I thought about being a father, I simply thought about the long-off moments such as taking him to soccer games and teaching him how to drive.  I completely forgot about the little moments like an afternoon having pizza and dipping dots (best thing ever) and bouncing in an area not made for a 6’2″ guy weighing 280+.

But I had a blast.  He did too other than being scared of a huge gorilla at the top of a slide that ascends in darkness.

So my advice to you, reader, is that you should cherish each moment you get with your kids because as Ferris Bueller once said, “if you don’t slow down and see it, you may miss it.”  (By the way, I probably butchered that quote.  Oh well, you should see the move if you don’t know it).

Root of all evil

Money truly can become the root of all evil if you let it.  Desiring what others have can be quite a disastrous way to live.

So today, I want to propose that we all focus on what we have and let nothing rob us of that.

Vickie and I have been looking at getting a swing set for Harrison.  A nice magical one that will make all his dreams come true but small enough to fit in our nice 1/4 acre lot.  And we have been debating on getting a swing set/playhouse vs. a trampoline.  My vote probably goes toward the trampoline because 1) they are easier to put together, and 2) see #1.

But my fear is that no matter what we get, it won’t live up to our expectations.  Clearly, reading the above paragraph shows that we set the bar high for our kid.  And I myself am not the best at putting together….things.  I get angry if directions aren’t clear and particle board shatters when I look upon it with disgust.

So needless to say, we are going to be getting a background play thing that we wish serves the purpose we get it for.  But my fear is also that we will see what someone else has and then regret our decision because we get jealous and envious.

All this to say, we covet your prayers because we are flawed individuals.

What things do you most look and compare with others?