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"My
Favorite Fins"
Aqua
Shack owner/instructor/philosopher discusses his favorite fins past &
present.
My
Favorite Fins
by
Capt. Jim Hinckley
Hi
Y'all... Capt. Jim checkin' in...
In
response to a question and a few answers posted in Aqua Shack Reasoning
Room I figured it was time to do a little writing. I hate to admit it, but
I gotta agree with Damon to a certain extent on this one (only kidding
Damon. I don't really mind agreeing with ya). Marcus & Jason bring up
good points too, which may or may not pertain to you.
I've
been diving since 1973, let's see that'll be 31 years and well over 5000
dives this May, ... wow, I fee old! In that time, I've tried hundreds of
fins as a diver, Divemaster, Instructor, boat Captain and Dive Center
owner. I've also bought more than I care to think about in an attempt to
find the perfect fin. Unfortunately, there is no ONE PERFECT FIN for ALL
divers in all conditions doing all types of diving. So instead I've
narrowed it down to a few of MY personal favorites for the types of diving I
do. If you want the short answer as to what fin to buy, I'd say BUY 3 or
4 ! One long warm water full foot fin, one open heel long paddle fin
for when you want to "crank", one open heel split fin for when
you want to move without working too hard, and one open heel short stiff
fin if you do wreck/cave diving.
First of
all let me say Damon is correct in stating that there are
"scientific", hydrodynamic and empirical results of design,
thrust & efficiency (thrust to work ratios) tests and then there are
"REAL WORLD" results! I tend to trust & believe in my and
others real world opinions, keeping in mind a little of the
"scientific" results of design & materials testing so I know
the "reasons" the fins behave as they do.
Your
"real world" results will vary greatly depending on many factors
such as; size & stiffness of the blade, design of the blade & fin,
your height & weight, your body shape, your leg strength, your kicking
style, the other gear you're wearing (wetsuit, drysuit, no suit, amount of
weight, etc.), your body position in the water as you swim (attitude:
head/shoulders higher than, level with, or lower than your feet), the shape
of your foot (effects foot pocket comfort), the type of diving you're doing
(wreck/cave vs. open water), currents or how "fast" you want to
move, your personal desires as to how hard you want to work that day (some
days I want to "crank" others I want to chill out and relax), and
probably many more I can't think of right now. Anyway, that ought to give
you some idea why there are so many subjective "real world"
opinions about what's best! What's my idea of best may suck for you!
With all
that said, I've compiled a short list of my favorite fins of all time (some
of which are not even sold any more) for various activities and climates.
Wreck/cave
diving: Scubapro Jet Fins - Positives - Short & maneuverable,
relatively stiff yet quite efficient. It still amazes me that they got it
right way back in the 60's before CAD/CAM systems and hi-tec materials.
They've changed the materials over the years making it a little more
flexible, but the design remains the same. Unlike "copies" that
just put a hole in the fin, Scubapro keeps the fin short but actually
INCREASES the surface area by having two fin planes, the end of the first
overlapping the beginning of the second (the main) by a few inches. If you
look at a U.S.Divers, IDI, IST or any of the copy "rocket" fins,
you can see right through the hole. True, this makes it easier to kick, but
only because all the water spills through it rather than producing thrust.
The Jetfin allows the water to pass through, but keeps it going backward
before it flows out. This adds a few inches of surface area to the fin
without adding length and forces the water out a smaller opening than it
entered (hence the "Jet" moniker). This last point is referred to
as the "venturi effect" and is a special case of
"Bernoulli's Law" to be discussed later.
The
venturi effect was used in designing nozzles for steam engines and later
for rockets and uses a converging (narrowing) nozzle to speed up the flow
of a gas under pressure. The principle also holds true for fluids as well
as gasses. The venturi effect is seen when water is pushed at high speed
through a nozzle. It all has to do with the "conservation of energy"
principle. As a volume of water (or any fluid) is pushed through a
narrowing nozzle, the speed of it MUST increase to allow the same volume of
fluid to pass out through the other end. The venturi effect is also the
effect we see when a current of water enters a narrow passageway; like the
incoming tide under the "Blyman Canal" in Gloucester. The venturi
effect is a very "efficient" principle to apply to fin design
since it allows extra down-force to be created with little or no increase
in drag. Enough of the science lesson for now.
The only
negative I have with the Jetfins is the foot pocket design. if you look
at it from the end, its almost a rectangle. The top is very flat. If you
have high arches or use big thick drysuit boots this puts extra pressure on
the top of your foot and can hurt after a while. For me this wasn't much of
a problem until I did start using them with a drysuit. They really began to
hurt and actually cut off feeling to my feet after a while. To fix it I
heated the footpocket with a heat gun, stuck a beer can inside and let them
cool to the new "rounded shape". It worked awesome! I told
Scubapro about the problem and my fix, but they still haven't done anything
about making a slight change to the mold. Whatever! I got mine...
As a second
place finisher I go quite often with the Scubapro Splitfin (the
Black one... it's a little stiffer than the other colors). I don't see what
some people say about not getting enough maneuverability out of them. I
think they work fantastic with a frog or modified frog kick. Another plus
is that they disturb very little water (and therefore silt) on the up and
down strokes when inside a wreck. The water is all sent rearward because of
the split. Also, even though I've heard some people say they don't have the
power/thrust of a paddle fin, I have three observations 1) you're not
usually flying around inside wrecks anyway... you're going slow and
purposeful, and 2) I think they give you the same speed (if you need it on
the outside of the wreck) as a Scubapro Jetfin, it's just that you don't
feel like it because your kick is so much easier. It's like a mental
thing... "I COULDN'T be going as fast... it's too easy". Lastly,
3) as Damon mentioned the kick cycle is definitely different. To get more speed
out of them, rather than kick harder and wider (as with a paddle
type fin), you do MORE and faster kicks, but still no wider than the
width of your body and gear.
Think of
the difference between an old paddle wheel steamer and a modern propeller.
With the old paddle wheel, you notice it moves very slow. There is a huge
paddle moving large volumes of water so it's very difficult to make
it move faster. To increase speed it takes lots of energy (more steam
power) to get the paddle to turn faster. This is like your leg... you
"feel" the stress on your thigh muscles of "harder"
kicking with a paddle fin. With a modern propeller to increase speed you
increase the throttle and the prop spins faster thus increasing the velocity
of the water exiting behind the boat. A similar principle applies to the
Split fins. Another way of thinking about it is, it's like riding your
bicycle in 1st gear rather than 10th gear and trying to cover the same
distance. In 10th you're peddling much slower but feeling the resistance
much greater than in 1st, where you peddle many more revolutions but feel
much less resistance.
The only
negative to them is, again, the shape of the foot pocket is
rectangular and suffers the same problems as the Jetfins... it hurts the
top of my foot. Fortunately I applied the same fix and now they fit like a
glove... er... I mean boot! Scubapro never has gotten a foot pocket
right... I think everyone over there on their design team must have square
feet!
"Warm"
Open Water Diving: Mares Avanti Quattro HP Full Foot Pocket - Positives - Hands down the
best warm water fin for open water diving is the Mares Avanti Quattro full
foot pocket fin. It is relatively long with fairly stiff side rails
tapering to a more flexible side rail toward the end of the blade. The
Quattro Avanti has 4 very flexible "membranes" that when kicked
produces a cupping action to prevent water from "spilling" over
the side rails so more water is directed rearward producing great thrust
(for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction). It mimics a
seals fin quite nicely; and we all know how agile a seal is in the water.
It has, I think, the most comfortable full foot pocket on the market which
is most important, especially on a full foot fin where you're not wearing
boots, but rather are bare foot.
The only
negative might be... hell, I can't think of any... I love this fin! I
was going to say it can be a little "too much" fin for some
people as it moves a lot of water, but this is easily overcome by most any
diver with any kind of leg muscles just using a more relaxed, slower,
longer kick. In other words, if it feels like your working too hard and
your legs are getting tired, slow down and take it easy! You can do that
with this fin and still get very decent thrust. Some fins like the old
Mares Avanti are just stiff, stiff, stiff and they're always hard to kick
whether your kicking hard or trying to relax a little and kick them easy
(and in that case you won't go anywhere). If you want a really easy kicking
fin get a splitfin!
Cold
Open Water Diving: I choose 3... In MY order of preferance 1) Atomic
Aquatics Splitfin, 2) Scubapro Splitfin and 3) Mares Quattro Avanti. For me it all
depends on what I'm doing (photography vs. scallop diving for example) and
how hard I want to work that day. I usually bring them all and decide at
the last minute based on conditions and how I feel at the moment, and to be
honest I usually end up going MOST OFTEN with the Atomic Aquatics
Splitfin... it's a awesome compromise between the Mares Quattro Avanti
and the Scubapro Splitfin. Let me say this first; I know not everyone is an
owner (or former owner) of a diveshop and can buy all these fins, so if you
can buy only one fin for all your Cold Open Water diving, go with the
Atomic Aquatics Splitfin, you WON'T be disappointed.
I
already described the Scubapro Splitfin in plenty detail above under the
wreck diver fins. Well, it also makes a great Open water fin as well,
especially if you're doing photography or want a nice relaxing, easy
kicking dive, but still want to "move" every now and then. I also
described the Mares Avanti Quattro in full foot pocket version for warm
water diving. Well the same principles hold for this fin in it's cold water
open heel version. Rather than getting a nice easy kick, you definitely
"feel" this fin. If you got the leg for it, it cranks... moves
lots of water and will get you there in a hurry with a good hard kick!
It is my
opinion though that the Atomic Aquatics Splitfin is the best of both
worlds. Longer and stiffer than the Scubapro Splitfin, it gives those of us
that feel the Scubapro Splitfin is too "floppy" more resistance.
This way you "feel" your kicks a little more, which many people
like, especially us old timers that are used to stiff fins. You don't feel
like you're kicking your brains out and not getting anywhere. On the other
hand though, they are MUCH easier kicking than the Mares Quattro Avanti, a
nice bonus when you just want to take it a little easier.
I've
noticed as I got older I began to use my Quattros less and less, I just
wasn't in that much of a rush anymore and quite frankly didn't want to work
that hard! At first I went to the Scubapro Splitfin, and loved them... they
were great. But as I said I was used to a fin with a little more
"feel" to them, and actually, I prefer it that way. Then the Atomic
Splitfin came out and I was sold! As I said... an awesome compromise.
It gave me an easier kicking motion, relative to the Quattro, the stiffness
I was looking for, could be kicked light and easy for a relaxed dive or
"pumped up" when I wanted to crank or had to fight currents, AND
has an EXTREMELY comfortable (rounded shape like a foot, not
rectangular) foot pocket which comes in a TRUE XL for drysuit boots!
The ONLY
negative is the ski boot style buckle which is a weak point waiting to
break. I've broke a two (now I carry extras). I broke one when I threw my
fins up onto the rocks once (I don't do that anymore), and one when my foot
got bashed into a rock making an exit at Catherdal in rough seas. I do
believe Atomic is coming out with another buckle, and there are other
manufacturers buckles that are simpler in design and less likely to break
that fit also. I still feel that this slight drawback is minor in comparison
to all the benefits the fin offers, and is my choice for an all around Cold
Open Water diving fin!
In
closing I can't write an article on fins without mentioning MY FAVORITE
FIN OF ALL TIME!!! Again from Scubapro, and again they had the same
poor foot pocket design (rectangular with a flat top), but if they were
still sold today I'd buy a pair in a second and try my "heat them up
and remold them fix" I used on the other Scubapro fins. I wish I
thought of that fix years ago. The fin is no longer made and most of you
new diver probably never heard of them, but some of you older divers may
remember the Scubapro SEA WING.
These
fins were way ahead of their time. They had no leading edge to disturb
water flow over the fin, a design now used on Scubapro's new Razor Fin.
They also "hinged" to keep the angle of attack of the blade in
the best position, a design feature now used on the Mares Volo fin, but
without their hinge/joint arrangement which breaks. The were fairly short
and slightly wide and, like the Jetfin, had the two overlapping blades that
allowed water to pass through making the kick a little easier while
INCREASING blade surface at the same time!
These
fins truly worked on Bernoulli's Law. That is ... For horizontal fluid
flow, an increase in the velocity of flow will result in a decrease in the
static pressure. The equation describing this effect is known as
Bernoulli's law. For a complete explanation see
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/BernoulliEffect.html and
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/BernoullisLaw.html . The most
practical example of this is in the action of an airfoil. The shape of an
airplane wing is such that air flowing over the top of the wing must travel
faster than the air flowing under the wing (to cover the same distance and
exit at the foil end), and so there is less pressure on the top than on the
bottom, resulting in lift. When swimming horizontally in water this lift is
manifested as forward motion.
When
they first came out many people thought they were ugly ass fins because the
blade was rectangular which was a huge departure from the norm, and people
just couldn't get over that. But now-a-days there are find of all shapes
and man... just thinking about them makes me wish they'd come out with them
again... but with a better foot pocket of course. You can still find a pair
or two on Ebay every now and then, but that's about it. As a matter of fact
I just bid on the only two XL's I found listed on Ebay, and if I get them,
I'm gonna try to remold the footpocket. I can't wait to try them out ...
again!
Well
that's it! I had fun reminiscing about my favorite fins and hope I was of
some help to those of you looking to purchase a new pair. Peace Out &
See you underwater!
Capt.
Jim
"One Love, One Destiny. One Earth, One Chance!
Symbiosis"
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"Thank You Everyone"
Thank
you to all who made the Aqua Shack so much fun for me!
Capt.
Jim Hinckley
Aqua Shack
owner/instructor/philosopher/"Third Power" Soldier ponders
his years "in the business".
Where I came from...
My
fascination with the ocean and its inhabitants began as a child
snorkeling the coast and lakes of the Northeast on camping trips with
my family. Cape Cod & Cape Ann Massachusetts, New Hampshire, the
coast of Maine and lakes such as Sebago and Moosehead, and even the
Finger lakes region of New York were my training grounds for a later
career in diving. I began full-fledged SCUBA diving in college at
UMass Amherst back in May 1973. Since then I have logged well over
5,000 dives (loving every one) and have trained over 4000 divers to
various levels and certification. That's a lot of time underwater!
Since 1988 when I took my hobby and made it my vocation, Symbiosis
Dive Service has grown to include Symbiosis SCUBA Academy (SSA our
Training & Education Division formed in 1988), Symbiosis Dive
Charters (local charters & trips abroad formed in 1990), and the
AQUA SHACK (our retail store in Marlboro, MA formed in 1997). I still
love diving and always will. It's my way of escaping the everyday
pressures of life. For that hour or so underwater I don't think of
anything else... I hate to admit it but sometimes I don't even
think about the dive itself! I'm just totally enveloped in the sea, a
part of the cycle of life here on earth, and enjoying every minute of
it.
As
time went on after I started the Aqua Shack I found myself more and
more tied up in the everyday affairs of "running the
business" and able to dive less and less. Most of my dives were
"class / training dives" with students. This caused three
changes to slowly come about. One, my dives were not "mine"
to wander about aimlessly and thoughtlessly like I wanted to for my
sanity... I was "responsible" for the very lives of my
charges! Not that they weren't fun, it's just that they were work
dives and goal oriented... not conducive to being able to relax. Second,
since many of my weekends were taken up with class dives and
charters, I simply had that many less free weekends to do what I
wanted... diving and otherwise. Thirdly, I was so tired of working
dives that when I did get a weekend day free, I didn't want to dive! This
is when I started thinking something has got to change...I love
diving too much to not go!
Then came the family...
To
most of you who dive (especially deep, wreck & tech) and have
kids this may sound familiar to you. To those of you who haven't been
fortunate enough to have kids yet, well you may not understand. I
thought I understood what children do to you... but in retrospect I
had no idea. I'm not talking about just the time involved, that I
figured for. I'm talking about the whole change in attitude,
thinking, emotions and way of life. It can't be explained to someone
without children because the emotions are so strong and all
encompassing that the words to describe the feelings simply don't
exist! All the things I thought were SO important all of a sudden
meant SO little compared to what is REALLY important in life.
I
used to define myself by what I was and did... I'm a Master SCUBA
Instructor, I'm a USCG licensed charter boat Captain, I'm a Dive
Center owner, etc... Now all of a sudden I'm a Daddy, and I'll
tell you, NOTHING makes me prouder or happier or more fulfilled than
that title. Life has come full circle... now I know why we're here...
now I know my purpose in life. Karina was born in July, then 6 weeks
later we had the infamous 9/11 tragedy. This really effected me. I
wondered and thought about life, death and life after death! I don't
know about you or whether you believe in (physical) life after death
or not, but I know one thing... you DO live after death through your
children and/or what you've created and done with your life.
Where I am...
I have done my share of the deep stuff, both as a foolish 20
something year old who ignored the risks and was lucky enough to live
(I won't have any problems... that stuff only happens to other
people), and as a properly trained and experienced middle-aged
adventurer who invested in the gear and training necessary to
minimize the risks and maximize the enjoyment. However, even with the
proper gear, training and experience there were two things that kept
bugging me... the hours of in-water decompression required for a 150'
- 250' dive, and the UNDENIABLE increase in RISK (something many
people fail to think about). The more I learned about the realities
DEEP diving the less glamour it held for me... it just became another
set of skills required to achieve a goal like see a wreck or cruise a
coral wall at 200 plus feet.
After decades of heading to the bottom I began to find myself
fascinated with things closer to the surface. This came about for two
reasons. First was my renewed interest in photography with the advent
of digital cameras. The photo ops were simply better nearer to the
surface where there was more light, color and marine life. Also
shallow dives allowed me to concentrate more fully on photography
without worrying so much about air consumption, narcosis,
decompression illness, oxygen toxicity, lengthy deco stops, and the
dive shop worth of gear I had to carry on my back in addition to the
photography equipment. I have photos and video of many of my dives on
wrecks and reefs over 200' and I'll tell you they were MUCH harder to
get! Second of course was the kids... now I had a reason to live. Not
that I didn't before, it's just that now the reason is so clearly in
focus, it isn't just about me any more... there are two little
Hinckley's (not to mention my wife) that count on me being around for
at least a few more years! After having several friends and
acquaintances die doing deep tech dives, caves and wrecks (one on my
very boat) I made it my mission to try to convince the divers I
certify and the customers I serve of the enormous increase in risk
and to question whether or not the objective of the dive is worth
DIEING for. Before EVERY deep tech dive you should ask yourself
"Is what I'm about to do WORTH DIEING FOR?" As I began
asking myself this question, I found myself doing less and less deep
tech & wreck diving; and I have done none since the birth of my
daughter.
Where I'm going...
Thinking
back to my first SCUBA dive some 30+ years ago at Hermit Island Maine
with my buddy Ralph, I realize that it wasn't about the depth, it was
about the environment - the ability to exist in a weightless three
dimensional world, interacting with and becoming a part of the
environment that was off-limits to my fellow air breathing mammals.
Oh what a simple and enjoyable time that was! Ralph and I had more
fun and forged enough memories in those shallow coves to last a
lifetime. This revelation and having children has added a renewed
validation to shallow water diving I might have discounted a few
years ago. I truly do enjoy getting back to the reasons I began
diving in the first place. It seems to hit me more and more every
time I dive in the Caribbean... or do a nice relaxing dive here in
New England. I jump in with basically just a mask, snorkel,
fins, SCUBA unit and wetsuit, and as I float effortlessly over the
reef, it hits me... "Aaaahhh, THIS is why I took up
diving!". I don't get that feeling wearing 200 pounds of gear,
carrying 4 tanks, constantly having to remain totally focused and
worrying about what could happen Even if I DO do everything
right! (it can still happen!)
Staying
shallow allows me to use just one tank, stay down longer without
worrying about decompression or equipment failure, get more light for
my photos and remain warmer. Not all my future dives will be shallow
and within "Recreational" limits; there will be more jumps
down into the blue depths. But from now on, the shallow stuff will
always be more than a place to hang out during decompression. I have
my children to thank for my renewed interest in shallower diving, and
I can't wait until I can take them down to look around. I have a
feeling that NO deep dive could match the rush I'm going to get when
Karina and Zack look around for the first time, eyes bugging out in
amazement, and pop their head above the surface to ask me what it is
they're looking at! It'll be like re-living that first dive of mine
some 30 years ago and everything will be NEW all over again... ONLY
BETTER!
What about the Aqua Shack???
I
am so pleased (thrilled) to have sold the Aqua Shack to Marcus Hannay
and family. I certified him and his family several years ago and I
knew then that I liked him. Since he's been working for the Aqua
Shack he has come a long way and I feel like he is part of my family.
Even my mother (better known to all simply as "Ma") said
it's nice that I was able to keep the store in the
"family". I don't feel like I've sold the store, it feels
more like I've "passed the torch" for him to carry on the
fine tradition we've started. I will still be teaching, diving and
probably even run an occasional charter now and then, but the retail
end of the business was just taking too much time from my family.
Every
parent I met kept telling me "Enjoy these young years with your
kids, they are so much fun and they pass so quickly. Also, they are
the most important for forging lifelong family bonds". I decided
they were right. I kept putting family time off because I had this or
that to do for work. I love diving & teaching, but the retail end
of the business was not fun and it was taking too much time, so I
decided I wanted to get out. However I didn't want to just close the
Aqua Shack and sell off the gear, compressor, tools, books, etc. I
put too much time, money and effort into it to just close it down.
The Aqua Shack has a good following of loyal customers and a good
reputation in the business, and I didn't want to just walk out on all
of them. (Also I still wanted a dive center I could trust to go to
for my air fills, service work and social dive adventures.)
Fortunately, when I asked Marcus, who has been with me for three
years, if he was interested in buying the Aqua Shack, he was very
receptive. With the help of Lori & Gene (his Mom & Dad) he
took over as the new Owner on April 1, 2003.
In
closing I just wanted to give a big THANKS to all who have patronized
the Aqua Shack over the years and made us so successful. I hope you
all continue to help and support Marcus in his new business endeavor.
I know he is excited about the opportunity and will serve all of you
with renewed vigor and to the best of his ability. I will still be
around if he or any of you need me. I still own & will maintain "Symbiosis
Dive Service" (the training & education, charter &
travel end of the business) as I have since 1988. I can still be
e-mailed at captjim@aquacorps.com
if anyone wishes to reach me for any reason. Once again Thank You All
Very Much for your support and understanding. See you diving ......
and be safe!
Captain
Jim Hinckley
size=2 width="100%" align=center>
Do you have a diving
experience or just some thoughts you'd like to share? Email us at the
address below, and you might see your submission posted here!
I thought this was a nice thought. I wanted to pass it on to all
of you.....
Maybe our lives are too busy!
I saw Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America. If you remember, she's the
wife of Todd Beamer who said "Let's Roll!"
before he helped take down the hijacked plane that was heading for
Washington D. C. on September 11, 2001. She said it's the little
things that she misses most about Todd - such as hearing the garage
door open as he came home, and her children running to meet him.
She told a story from her school days...
"I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago
whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his
death, she shared some of her insight with her students. As the late
afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows
and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the
edge of her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection
on her face, she paused and said, 'Class is over... Now I would like
to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but
which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to
learn, share, love, appreciate others and give of ourselves. None of
us knows when this fantastic experience called life will end.
It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is the powers way
of telling us that we must make the most out of every single
day."
Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, "So I would like you
all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on
your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to
be something you see, it could be a scent - perhaps of freshly baked
bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the
breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the
morning light
catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look
for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite
to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little
things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take
for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at
anytime.. it can all be taken away. "
The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed
out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my
way home from school than I had that whole semester.
Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an
impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of
those things that sometimes we all overlook."
So take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today.
Go barefoot. Walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way
home tonight to get a double dip ice cream cone. Skip work tomorrow
and have fun with the kids!
I have seen people die and almost without exception, their only
regrets are usually that they didn't have enough time to spend with
loved ones. I've Never Yet heard anyone on their death beds say
"I wish I worked more hours". Seems as we get older, it is
not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't
do. So go do them!
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away... Jah Bless!
Dance Like No Ones Watching
We convince ourselves that
life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another.
Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be
more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have
teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out
of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our
spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are
able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there's
no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit
this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.
One of my favorite
quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, "For a long time it
had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there
was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through
first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to
be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that
these obstacles were my life.
This
perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness
is the way. So, treasure the precious time that you have.
Treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special
enough to have spent your time with... and remember that time
waits for no one!
So stop waiting until
you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten
pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your
kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until
you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until
Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or
home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until
winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth,
until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've
sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that
there is no better time than right now to be happy...
Happiness is a
journey, not a destination.
Thought
for the day:
Work
like you don't need money,
Love
like you've never been hurt,
And
dance like no one's watching.
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align=center>
Njė
Dashuri, Njė Fat.
Njė Tokė,
Njė Rast.
Jetoj
bashkė nė mirėkuptim
That's
Albanian for:
One Love,
One Destiny.
One Earth,
One Chance!
Symbiosis
(live together in understanding)
(live
together in understanding is the closest Albanian translation I could
find for Symbiosis)
Capt. Jim
Hinckley
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align=center>
One Love, One
Destiny.
One Earth, One Chance!
Symbiosis
Capt. Jim
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