Dogs just don’t live long, or in the case of several of mine, nearly as long as I would like. Depending on breed, on average its 10-13 years and some live into the mid to high teens but that is about it.

Why is this you ask. Well, I believe it is because they pack more living into each year than humans. They are always in the moment. They never tell us that they have a call to make first, an article to read first, a trip they have to take, another meeting ahead of yours, too tired, too sleepy, too upset, too sick. No, a dog is always about what you want to do at any given time.

You could wake a dog up at 2am and they are as happy as if they slept until 8am. They always have time for a tummy rub, ear scratching, loving licks, longing eyes for their master etc. They are simply always in the moment as it comes along.

The reason it takes humans longer to live is because we waste so much time and so many energy with things that just don’t matter. A dog knows what really matters and it is quality and quantity of time. They never say, let me get back to you on that, let me call you back, I need to think about it for a while and, you want to meet like right now?

So tonight, when you get home to your dog just reach down and start rubbing your furry friend and watch them forget about anything else and watch them totally succumb to that single moment because their master needs them right then.

This could be one of the many reasons, (Keith believes) God created all the other animals first and saved the dog for last because humans need dogs and dogs need humans. Dog is also God spelled backwards. KT

Have you ever started a home project and realized halfway into it that it will take much longer, and cost much more than you thought it would? No takers? I guess it’s just me then.

Well multiply that a few dozen times and it will give you some idea of what we are going through with the renovation and addition to our lake house. We decided in late 2023 to move full time to the lake and started an optimistic redo of the lake house. Here we are almost at the goal line and you guessed it, it’s taken twice as long and cost close to twice as much.

You know the easiest way to tell if you are getting stressed about something? When you wake up earlier than expected several times and find yourself talking to yourself in conversation meant for the other party. Yessiree, if you find yourself taking to yourself, it’s a dead giveaway that you may be more stressed than you realized.

What do you do when this happens? Well, here is the Keith Thompson theory – 1^st, forgive as best you can. 2^nd – honestly pause and ask God for his wisdom on how to handle it. 3^rd – fast forward in your imagination a few weeks or maybe months and envision the issue resolved and how at peace you will be. 4^th and lastly – ask God to help you through it and let you find favor in places you need.

Why am I writing this blog you ask? Because I have been arguing with my contractors in the middle of the night (in my mind) for the last several nights. Ha. So, I am taking my own advice and giving it to God. Peace out. KT

We are moving to our remodeled lake house in a few weeks and let me tell you, it requires some real decision making on the things to take and the things to let go of. Sounds easy right?

At our Eagles Landing home, I have my own office, and I have saved and collected all sorts of hotel related items, sales awards, plaques, keepsakes, hot rod models and everything all the way down to a collection of hotel bibles. Well, the vast majority of that stuff isn’t going to make the move to the lake. I have an office chair that I have used for 31 years that has moved with me everywhere I have gone and that too will not be making the move.

Just going through all the storage places, drawers, shelves, cabinets etc., there is all manner of history, notes, pictures, and things that mean something to you but it’s impossible to keep it all.

I had a dumpster brought in yesterday and a charity truck came yesterday, and the first moving truck comes tomorrow. Needless to say, change is hard, but I feel lighter having got rid of a bunch of things that had been collecting dust on my office shelves. Having a life reset is not necessarily something you look forward to, but it can help you see the next phase, cycle of life, and allow you to look forward to what is coming. KT

My hope is that as you read this blog, you can look at your life today and find areas where you have been blessed and are currently blessed. I know that is the case for my life. I am among the most blessed.

Age is funny. When we are with our daughters, son in-laws and their families, they are in the life cycle where it seems like we were at just a couple of years ago. Then it hits me, that was 25-30 years ago.

Life is a special occasion, and we shouldn’t miss it. Its common to be in a special moment and somehow think there are going to be many more moments just like it. Just ask any person who just got a bad report from their doctor or was in an accident or  just lost someone close to them if life’s occasions are to be savored.

My advice is to stop hurrying through life thinking you have all the time in the world. Hopefully you will, but you may not. When you kiss your children, make it last. When you hug your family, act like you mean it. When your grand children are talking to you, really focus on what they are saying and make them feel like they are the only person in the world at that moment. If you are fortunate enough to still have a spouse, be grateful. When you are with your family and those you love, use words like, I love you, I respect you, I miss you, I forgive you, I need you and just maybe you will find that you are in life’s special occasions and you are not missing it. KT

IQ stands for intelligence quotient and EQ stands for emotional quotient. The word quotient means the degree or amount of a quality or characteristic.

In the real world, having a high IQ is great but it does not determine the trajectory of your life. Some people score low on testing such as SAT and ACT but have very high EQ scores.

How many really smart people have you known that struggle with jobs, relationships and life. There are many because while they have book intelligence, they don’t possess the personal skills / emotional intelligence needed to excel in the workplace. Thank goodness for me, I had a higher EQ than IQ which was the ability to relate to people. If we took a companywide IQ intelligence exam, I would be dead last.

The only way to develop a high EQ is to be around other people. Kids need to be around other kids and adults need to be around other adults. In the world of gaming, IPad’s, cell phones, screen time and TV, we seem to have skipped a step in the healthy growth of children that sometimes results in dysfunctional adults.

When we were growing up, we had neighborhood friends and played outside, built tree houses, played basketball, raced bikes and a thousand other outdoor things. Many of us probably had ADHD but didn’t know it. We probably had other disorders you hear about today, but we had incredible EQ’s because we related to other kids and developed into adults with a sound self-esteem.

My point is this. Grades are important but they are not the most important. Love, forgiveness, acceptance, and good life examples are many times the difference of us being introverted or extroverted. So, IQ is great, but we should also strive for a healthy EQ. KT