Up through the 9^th grade, I was basically a skinny kid that wore glasses and stuttered. I was the kid that always hung back on the sidelines of life and I was clearly not popular and I was never “one” of the guys. I always shied away from the casual conversation and hated to be called on to read out loud.

Elaine and I were eating breakfast at a restaurant this weekend and there was a little league baseball team on the way to a game. I knew they were on the way to the game because their uniforms were clean. Ha. I would say that the boys looked about 12 -13 years old. While I was eating and watching those boys, all the memories of that time in my life came flooding back. I remembered being cut from the little league baseball team in the 4^th grade and walking off the field while all the boys who made the team, were happy and lining up to play ball. I could take the next 3 paragraphs and tell you up to that point in my life the teams I made, didn’t make and the benches I rode the whole season while watching the talented kids excel on the field. I could do that but it is not the main point of this blog. The main focus is what the turning point was for me and recognizing the need in each of us to feel like we are part of something. The need to belong is buried deep within each of us and in my opinion it doesn’t change with age.

For me it was high school varsity football. For you it may me some other sport, chorus, making good grades, an association, a club, church group or any other such areas when you realize for the first time. I can do this. It is the realization that, “I can do this,” that I believe is the element that kids and even adults most need to experience. I call it the “I can do this moment.” In my sophomore year of high school, I had a good friend Ray Leake that was on the football team and he talked me into to trying out. In the spring varsity game I made an interception and that one play changed my life as a young person. I got on the bus after that game and knew I had found something I could do. I wasn’t a 4.5 second 40 yard sprinter but I did like to hit people and that little talent landed me in the middle linebacker position. I have wished many times that I had my old football helmet because it didn’t have any paint left on the front. That period of time was before anyone worried about head injuries to kids and in fact the coaches taught us to tackle leading with our face mask. Ha, hence the reason I didn’t have any paint left on the front of my helmet. I went on to become the captain of the football team and the senior class president of Morrow high school but it all started when I found that place or that thing I could do and felt like I was a part of. For young people and adults alike, we all need that moment when we began to believe in ourselves.

For many people this happens in college or late 20’s or late 30’s before you find your place. For the founder of Chick-fil-A, he was in his in late 40’s. For Colonel Sanders of KFC, he was in his 60’s. For Abraham Lincoln it was after he lost 9 elections before he realized, I can be the president of the United States.

I believe in life each person there are two graph lines, ability and opportunity. Those two graph lines cross several times in a person’s life and with each time, I believe it is an “I can do this” moment. In 1990 in hotel brokerage it happened for me again when I sold my second hotel. When I closed that deal, I felt just like I did when I caught that interception in the spring football game and I knew that this was something I could do. The first time the graph lines crossed for me was when I was 16 years old and the second time I was 32 years old.

What is the point to this blog? The point is to be on watch for those rare moments in our lives when we realize “I can do this.” In real life it is less about our personalities, looks and talents and more about experiencing an “I can do this moment.” I hope you have had many of these moments in your life but if you haven’t, that should be your prayer, that God puts you in position to see and realize that you can do something and do it well. KT

The next time you are facing what seems to be a giant of an issue, look yourself in the mirror and say out loud to yourself, you are David. The next time it seems like you have failed, it seems like you have made a wrong turn in life, it seems like you have made a mistake, it seems like the world is closing in on you, it seems like you have lost your joy, it seems like life is too big of a giant, remember the story of David and say out loud to yourself, I Am David.

The full story of David would take 10 pages to write so I will try to summarize. The prophet Samuel was led by the lord to choose the next king of Israel. He was told by the lord that this king would be Jessie’s son. He shows up at Jessie’s house to see the king. One by one, Jessie’s sons came to meet him and one by one, Samuel knew they were not the chosen one. Finally after all the sons had been interviewed Samuel asked Jessie, “Are these all your sons?” Jessie replied that the youngest and least (don’t miss that) is in the field. Jessie called for this son to come to house and it was David, the chosen.

Sometime later the armies of Israel were getting ready for battle with the Philistine army and the Philistines had this giant named Goliath who would come out daily to taunt the Israelites saying “choose a man and have him come fight me, If he is able to kill me, we will become your subjects and serve you but if I kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” All the mighty men of the Israelite army were afraid. In comes David bringing the soldiers lunch and hears what Goliath says. Long story short, he tell the army’s, “I will go fight him.” The smallest and weakest among the mighty men said basically, get out of my way and I will kill and deliver the giant to you. Verse 45 of 1^st Samuel 17 is what David shouted as he ran toward the Giant. Yes, he picked up his slingshot and ran toward (don’t miss this) the giant and shouted, “you come against me with sword and spear, but I come against you in the name of the lord almighty.”

David slew the giant that day with a slingshot and saved his country. The next time you think you are not equipped to battle life and that you are not up to the challenge, remember David. This was not just a story in the bible for the sake of having a story. It is the example God wants for you and me to fight the giants in our life and to do so with courage, boldness, confidence and a right purpose. So, the next time you are feeling a little ill-equipped, small, weak, afraid and shy, remember David and say out loud, I AM David. KT

There comes a time when you stop being cool and you need to move into being classy. I am clearly 20-25 years past the point of being cool, therefore the only option is to age with class.

Earlier today I was with one of my son in-laws looking at a car at CarMax. I looked around the lot at all kinds of hip and fancy cars and I amused myself thinking which of the cars I could drive and not feel like a goober in. One the cars was sleek and fancy and I tried to imagine driving it at my age and the only image I could come up with was a pig wearing a wrist watch. I would look as out of place in that car as a pig would look wearing a watch. Ha

Life is full of cycles and changes and I suspect the objective is to move gracefully from one to the other without looking like goober. I have a friend who is 68 years old and he went out and bought a new neon yellow corvette. The funny thing is he thinks he looks good driving it but doesn’t know that other people are snickering at him. Take a 911 Porsche for example, I would love to have a 1965-1966 911 because of it being vintage and an old school show car. That would be fun to own and fun to drive. That said, if I went out and bought a new 911, I would look like the preverbal pig wearing a watch. Some things just don’t go together and should not happen.

One of my greatest mentors in life taught me this a long time ago. He said, you will age and the cycles of life will change and you need to be aware when they do. It’s like the old guy at the beach wearing a speedo because he still thinks he looks young. Someone needs to pull him aside and help him understand that when all your hair is gone, your backside looks like a frog standing up, (got that image?) your arms and neck jiggle when you walk and your belly is hanging over your speedo, it is time to put on more clothes and change your beach wardrobe.

So moving from cool to classy happens to everyone and the objective is to know when it is happening and adjust your decisions to reflect what age appropriate looks like. Can I hear an amen? KT

The not knowing is the period of time between the journey and the destination. It can be a period of vulnerability, questions, anxiety and sometimes doubt. It is the time when you question if you are on the right road, doing the right things and heading in the right direction. It is called life.

I don’t know about ladies but us guys want to look out at the road before us and see where it ends and all the hills and valleys along the way. The great news is that God does not allow us to see that and he doesn’t allow us to see the mortality of life. We simply could not handle that knowing.

I have this mental image of driving in a car on a two lane road in the mountains and not being able to see around the curve. I know what the desired destination looks like and I have to find peace that I am heading in the right direction and in the right vehicle and on the right road. It is always easier to look back on life and know with certainty why you were heading in a certain direction. When you look back you can’t remember why you were so uncomfortable and uneasy on the journey. When you are on the mountain road and can’t see around the curve is when you really have to ask God to give you the peace of the not knowing. You are asking him to settle your spirit and calm your anxiety and to renew your faith that he can see around the curve even though you can’t.

The moments of life are to be taken seriously because you do not know when the moments will end. This morning I got up a little earlier than usual and our coffee maker is right beside the refrigerator. While the coffee maker was warming up I took a moment to look at the pictures of our family on the side of our refrigerator. I realized that on the side of our refrigerator is all the things most dear to me. It was a reminder of the important things in my life and to be all that I can be for my family. I suspect if you ever get confused in life on what is important, just go look at your refrigerator.

The not knowing period can be uncomfortable but it can also be exhilarating to find yourself at peace with exactly where you are on life’s journey even though you can’t see around the curve. KT

I love history and I really love historic hotels. I have sold probably 20-25 historic hotels over the years that date back to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. With each one I dig deep into its history and am fascinated by its past and how the people lived in that time period.

Probably one of the most amazing and interesting stories I have ever encountered is about Indian Springs Georgia. The town is about 60-70 miles south of Atlanta and today has a Georgia State Park on the land that once was an Indian reservation. The area has waters falls, camping, cabins and all the components you would expect in a state park. Indian Springs has also been known for centuries for its naturally produced healing mineral water. People would travel hundreds and even thousands of miles for the water. It is produced by a natural underground stream and the mineral water is so dense it smells like rotten eggs but is said to have healed all manner of diseases from arthritis, kidneys, and various wounds to cardio vascular issues.

120 years ago it also had (as I believe) the first Indian Casino in the country. Yes gambling. Today is just a State Park where you would go for camping and picnics and there is also the little town of Indian Springs just above the park and that is where this story begins.

Elaine and I were down there a couple of years back and we went through an antique store just looking around. While we worked our way through the store we went into a back room and they had these large pictures on the wall of hotels. I mean big hotels. Well as you can guess, it peeked my interest and I began asking questions about the hotels. The story is that around 1895 – 1905 there were 10 hotels at Indian Springs that catered to tourists. This flabbergasted me because there are no hotels there now and to my knowledge had never been. The story is that Indian Springs used to be like the Vegas of the east coast 120 years ago. People would travel via railroad from all across the country to vacation in Indian Springs. They had restaurants, bowling alleys, drinking, gambling and added to that the healing waters. It was basically a very desirable resort area that was known nationwide. Ha.

In 1920 the Government initiated Prohibition which made it illegal to sell alcohol and the big hotels in Indian Springs all got into financial trouble. The people that enjoyed all the gambling, liquor and other activities stopped coming. Shortly thereafter several of the large historical hotels mystically burned to the ground all within the same week. I can’t image why that would be. Can you? Ha. The remaining hotels slumbered through the recession years and were eventually torn down. When that happened the resort town of Indian Springs Georgia returned back to a little town existence with a State Park.

The story of Indian Springs Georgia is one of those tales of lore about a time period of great prosperity and vibrancy that only lasted a short number of years. When I think about these type stories, I think of the people that are all long deceased and the lives that changed during that period in the early 1900’s.

It still gives me pause wondering what it must have been like during that time. Hope you enjoyed this little American history lesson. KT