Random Thoughts with Will

     Ever since the pilot of Spongebob Squarepants , Spongebob's eternally optimistic attitude can best be described by his catchphrase: "I'm ready". Whether Spongebob is applying for a job at the Krusty Krab or about to take his boating exam for the umpteenth time, he confidently shouts "I'm ready" a few times. As it turns out, Spongebob was ready for the job at the Krusty Krab - but to this day, he's still never fully ready for that boating exam, no matter how many times he says "I'm ready".      Sometimes in life, we may say or believe that we're ready for something...only to realize that we weren't ready. We may have been overconfident, we may have underestimated what was in store, we may not have fully understood what was in store, or there simply was no way to fully be ready. As a nod to old Nationwide commercials (pre-Peyton Manning and Brad Paisely, of course), life comes at you fast. Life doesn't wait until you...

     When I was in high school, I ran cross country all four years. One year, at the end of practice, we were talking about t-shirt ideas for our team. One idea that our coach suggested was "'Walk' is a four-letter word".  We didn't fully understand it in the moment, but his rationale was that it was a bad word like other four-letter words. You know, in a sport that's about running, walking is a bad thing.      In cross country, walking is the last thing that you want do during a race. However, outside of the cross country course, walking isn't so bad. Over the years, walking is something that I've come to really enjoy. There's just something simple yet relaxing about walking. It's a way to get in some exercise, but also a way to take in the sights and sounds of the area. Walking provides that peaceful, soothing feeling that allows one to get lost in one's thoughts. Come to think of it, I've also found walking to be a good stress-reli...

     When most people hear the name "Ringo Starr", the first thing that comes to mind (if they know who that is) is that he was the drummer for The Beatles. For me, the first thing that comes to mind is that he was the first narrator of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends and even starred (no pun intended) as Mr. Conductor on the PBS show Shining Time Station at one point, a role that later went on to...George Carlin. That's pretty incredible - the first two narrators for a little kid's show were a member of the Beatles and a comedian most famous for 7 words that can't  be said on television, let alone a little kid's show. But I digress...      Going back to Ringo Starr the drummer, while John Lennon and Paul McCartney did most of the singing for the Beatles, there are a few songs that Starr was the lead vocals on. One of those songs "With A Little Help from My Friends". The title explains the song pretty well - Ringo sings about how he gets by wi...