Do You Linger?
Without chaotic distractions my mind would begin to rumble before churning into full-blown danger mode. My remedy was to stay distracted with other distracting thoughts, activities or people.
Pouring Out Your Oil Always Gives You More
From the tabernacle to the feet of Jesus, oil poured out is symbolic of God’s own gifting.
10 Tips For Finding Peace In Today’s Chaotic World
Does that mean every day is filled with sunshine and snowballs? Of course not, but peace is a constant state of being that helps us through perilous times of conflict.
Is There Really A Stupid Question?
The Laggards, who only want to ask a question are now excluded because they dared to do what we’ve always been encouraged to do – Ask Questions.
Mullet Life. The Great Deception
Don’t allow open sanctuary doors to become more about, “Hello” than “Hallelujah”.
You Asked For It, You Got It
Isn’t it amazing that the very things we clung to as markers of living an informed life such as celebrities, athletes and influencers have immediately vanished, yet no one has barely noticed?
Men’s Workshop: First on Facebook Featuring Twenty Top Influencers
I reached out to my closest and most trusted brothers in Christ and asked them to join me bringing the best men’s workshop directly to you. April 6 and 7, 2020, we’re hosting over 20 top influencers from pastors to firefighters. It’s completely free and only for men.
Men With Friends: Choosing Them Wisely
People influence who we are and who we become. If you want to become a better person, you need better friends. Why? Because you will begin to adapt the habits and practices of those guys you spend time with.
25 Days of 31: Broken and Blue
There are a lot of great cops doing almost impossible things under the most dire of circumstances. And that’s even before they go on duty. When I was led by God to retire from law enforcement, I just knew He was going to give me something special in return. He did. It’s my life.
9 of 31 Days: I Don’t See It
And sometimes, if I’m lucky, I get to go a few hours without seeing the faces of the injured, the abused or the murdered. Though I don’t think I’d like them to completely go away as they remind me of why I’ve done what I’ve done on their behalf.
FIT@50: Let Your Light Shine
Does that mean I failed? Not unless I try deceiving the people who trust me with their stories of the ups and downs of reclaiming their health.
FIT@50: An Odd Space For A Kettlebell
It’s an odd shackle when the devil tells you that there’s still too much work left to be done at the desk, and I shouldn’t leave Leah to go exercise.
FIT@50: The Devil’s Whisper
I heard the whisper, “Look how weak you’ve become over the years.”
FIT@50: Let’s Do This
I promise, this isn’t a “gym rat” adventure. But I did return to that place I once loved. Except it was different because someone had made what used to be light weights, feel heavy and immovable.
FIT@50 / week 60
I’m a Mondaholic. With great intentions to start everything from being more productive in my work, to going to bed at a normal hour, it all was set to start on the next Monday.
FIT@50 / week 39
I walked across water
FIT@50 \ week 19
FIT@50 \ week 19 Sidelined Growing up playing every sport imaginable, the idea of being sidelined was inconceivable. As I’ve grown more “fit”, the idea of shining light on others while supporting from the bench is amazing. I considered what a difference a week makes. We were in NYC for a thriller writers’ conference dominated by a different crowd – okay, it’s still very much a boys club. Liliana Hart stood aside as authors introduced themselves to discuss crime and mystery […]
FIT@50 \ week 18
FIT@50 \ week 18 Broken: Don’t Do It “They broke me.” Those words were hard to hear. “I know. It’s what they do,” was all I could say. The somber, wooden expression in my friend’s face showed what two decades of service could do to even the most dedicated. Some professions require a certain adherence to its culture, although not part of the official policy. Mavericks, self-starters and long-haired freaky people need not apply. Unfortunately, the conflict between old school tradition and […]
FIT@50 \ week 14
FIT@50 \ week 14 Balance Thursday night at a family birthday supper my niece said how odd it looked to see a wedding ring on my hand. I said it throws me off balance. Then I thought about what I said. There’s a weight associated with this ring. It’s called balance. To shift from decades of doing what I wanted, when I wanted to coordinating daily calendars for meeting the needs of the family took balance. Shifting gears from an “I want” […]
FIT@50 \ week 8
FIT@50 \ week 8 Teamwork: I’ve been a part of teams my entire life – from sports to SWAT. Victory by each definition was the ultimate goal, and I trained to achieve them like my life depended on it. In some cases it actually did. This past weekend, Liliana Hart and I joined our most favorite team to challenge ourselves and each other in an adventure run. Team Us enjoyed the planning, and kidding about how we’d perform. We even had fun […]
FIT@50 \ week 7
FIT@50 \ week 7 Standing Guard: I stood watch all night as poor kiddo was in and out of the bathroom. Watching from the foot of his bed I realized how easy it was to know when to react based on his body’s movements of feeling distressed. Being FIT requires an ability to guard against the things in life not so obvious. Things such as gossip and harsh words against your character. While you don’t have control over when or what naysayers […]
FIT@50 \ week 5
FIT@50 \ week 5 Legacy Building Talking with a newly promoted commander I encouraged him to consider how he wanted to be remembered. “Think about building your legacy today,” I said, “not on your deathbed.” He leapt to his feet and shared a movie scene he felt applied. Warring kings agreed to have their respective champions fight in their place. King A calls a giant, menacing soldier. King B calls a guy—who’d decided to sleep in that morning. An apprentice was dispatched […]
FIT@50 \ week 3
FIT@50 \ week 3 Empathy: It’s okay to care. No matter how “fit” I’ve become, minding my own business has always been my business. During the many years in special operations my job was to know other’s secrets. I was good at my job. Knowing the darkest moments in another person’s life is a cross of confidentiality I understood I’d carry to my grave. Over the years it might have even caused me to construct a wall around my empathetic understanding. During […]
FIT@50 \ week 2
FIT@50 \ week 2 Finding this picture earlier I thought about how much better shape I was then than now. Behind my computer the adrenaline returned to re-experience the rush. I still sensed the empty state of exhaustion after having completed an open water swim and a long bike, to only prepare for a long run. Then I took a deep breath, hit “save” on this document and looked at the picture of me. In that chaotic ocean of nylon, Velcro and […]
FIT@50 \ week 1
“…when I began the Friday posts my goal was to exercise like a teenager leading up to his prom night.”
FITx50 \ week 31
FITx50 \ week 31 Folks, this is the very last episode of FITx50. I’ll be blessed with the distinction next Wednesday, March 11th. I’ve loved your support through these posts. Most encourage by saying it’s only a number, and if that’s the case it’s 18262.1 days. It’s 438,291 hours. It’s 26,280,000 minutes. Then while calculating the number of seconds, my handheld showed this – 1.5768e+9 – Did I just discover a hidden mathematical computation? Despite the math, on March 11th it comes […]
FITx50 \ week 30
FITx50 \ week 30 This week Liliana Hart curiously said, “In two weeks you’ll be 50.” Silent, I waited for the punch line or the life’s lesson – nothing. She followed with, “Just saying.” It was the first time I realized just how close I was to the half-century celebration. No panic, just realization. Quickly I flashed over the initial goals I’d set as the idea of FITx50 became what I thought was a great idea. I always enjoyed the saying, “If […]
FITx50 \ week 29:
Someone commented this week during a Mardi Gras parade that they enjoyed keeping up with my Friday FITx50 posts. They thought it was funny that I veered away from physical fitness and began focusing on other aspects of being fit. I have to admit, it wasn’t anything purposeful. Looking back I saw where the transition began, and I think that was the point “fitness” truly began to mean more to me than physical accomplishments. I do look forward to turning 50 […]
FITx50 \ week 26
FITx50 \ week 26 What do BL and I have in common? Other than an almost 50 year spread, we both love cheesecake. This was his first time tasting it. My sister had the great idea of sharing mine with the tyke. End result – kid gets new treat and great uncle eats less cheesecake. Win – Win if you’re the one year old. Kidding of course. This week has been fantastic as I returned to a regular schedule at Momentum Gym […]
FITx50 \ week 23
Happy 2015. It’s been a great week for inching a bit closer to my goals for blasting the 50 year mark. Momentum Gym has been incredible as always and it’s great to exercise among a community who also share similar goals. I’ve not had a pinch of cake, ice cream or pizza this week either. Guess what? I’m in no need of a coroner’s hold either!!! Have an awesomely lived weekend and here’s to getting fit. Best of success Tami Mills-Merrill & […]
FITx50 \ week 21
FITx50 \ week 21 was spent on another adventure out West. While the endless walking involved in what is Las Vegas was exhausting, I’m not sure it counts as exercise. Not when buffets, pizzas, fancy foods and snacks bookend each journey. Encouraging was the wisdom to avoid the slots, and keeping up a frantic pace. Between solving the CSI exhibit’s mystery and helicoptering / boating / hiking the Grand Canyon, I held up pretty good. Christmas was also wonderful to return home […]
FITx50 \ week 19
FITx50 \ week 19 This is my favorite Christmas picture for several reasons. For purposes of this post, the expressions illustrate the yin and yang of fitness and dieting. Santa’s look is how I feel after I blow my diet. The sly grinning kiddo is how I feel once I’ve logged in the exercise and managed to avoid the sweets. I also think its funny because the photographer failed to notice the “horned” candles behind Santa’s head. This week, I can say my […]
FITx50 \ week 18
You thinking what I’m thinking? Breakfast? No, but it was delicious yesterday. Delicious but not over indulged. I made it through this holiday by eating great food, with family and friends. Before i got a bit full, guess what? I stopped. Planning ahead, i also anticipated the desserts, so I made an effort to up the exercise leading up to T-Day. And….I plan on enjoying a great community post-holiday session of crossfit Friday morning. So what was the lesson this week? Not […]
FITx50 / week 17
FITx50 / week 17 and this has been my approach of late. After last week’s post-travel and fancy food eating festival I returned to the crossfit gym. I was greeted by the realization that at closer to 50 than I was weeks ago, shape, like the space station, is something just waiting to drop. Some crazy workout call Down Sally Up – yeah, that’s what I said – I got the down part pretty good. Okay, mostly I’m kidding but this little […]
FITx50 \ week 16
Week 16? What happened to weeks 14 & 15? Well, that’s what I want to know. It’s crazy how trips to south Florida and the Carolinas can easily take you off your game plan. Seriously, I’m like a bald tire spinning in marsh grass. I had to reintroduce myself to my friends at Momentum Crossfit, my Trek Madone 6.9 won’t even look at me and ice cream and I have been joyously reunited. How? That’s my struggle. Weeks to months of sustained […]
FITx50 \ week 13
Did I Do That? The Warrior Dash is in the books, and I’m super energized with motivation and memories. While it wasn’t the most physically challenging thing I’ve accomplished, it was one of the most enjoyable. Why? It was a short-term health / fitness goal associated with a cause greater than losing a pound or two and flexing some rusted muscle. I’ve already set another goal to get me through the holiday season. So I encourage you to do the same. Don’t be that […]
FITx50 \ week 12 – SPECIAL EDITION
Warrior Dash DASHED Fitness Benchmark #1 has been met. This weekend was the Warrior Dash in St. Francisville, La. Our team of Cops-n-Kilts sponsored by Liliana Hart’s Warriors started strong and finished even gutsier. There was unexpected difficult terrain, injuries and dehydration within the unit, but no one left the others. I’m still in awe of the effort of each. No matter how tough, everyone knew we were doing this for the true Warriors committed to kicking the crap out of cancer. […]
FITx50 \ week 11
Gotta get up to get down That’s this week’s theme. I’ve been faithfully training for my first fitness benchmark – October 11th’s Warrior Dash. Crossfit 5x/week along with running and cycling. Cut carbs WAY down and feasted on protein throughout the days. On target to work close with our Cops-N-Kilts team. Then, I hear the kiddo make that late night sound every parent dreads – the Yulp. Yes, stomach virus. Of course, doctor dad attends into the morning and next day with lugging […]
FITx50 | week 10
Fight Like a Girl Thinking through this week’s update, I took this picture of Lori Cortez at work. We often kid at the office and were working on a fund-raiser by selling the bracelets she’s modeling. BTW they read MAN ENOUGH TO WEAR PINK and SAVE 2nd BASE. Then she said, “It’s already been a year.” as she turned her head away. I knew what she meant. It wasn’t spoken but her eyes glistened with the significance of her diagnosis just a […]
FITx50 | Wk 9
Monkey See. Monkey Do Seems after nine weeks the theme of Cops-n-Kilts has turned into Kids-n-Kilts. The kiddo not only loves his Boston Strong shirt, but sporting his sport wrap. He also loves going to crossfit to exercise after the big kids (adults) do. One of the major benefit of reclaiming a healthy lifestyle is your Silent Witness. While we ache and creek and moan and stretch – others see the effort, the commitment, the progress. Now as an 18-year-old – I […]
FITx50 | wk 8
I’m a romance novel cover model – Really? Those writer’s conferences can get pretty wild, but you know fiction is crazier than reality. Hu? Speaking of conferences and fitness, I spent last weekend in North Carolina to present classes to amazing authors at the Writer’s Police Academy. It was a wonderful event as always. Even tough the pace was hectic and non-stop smoozing – I did find time to exercise. As far as eating right, well not so much. But no worries […]
FIT x 50 – wk 6
Ahhhhhh —Youth. I get a kick out of the officers willingness to show me how far I’ve yet to go for reaching my fitness goals. Although, surrounding yourself with positive, health focused peers provides the motivation and accountability elements that lead to a sustained life change. I’ve been athletic my entire life, but rarely combined exercise and diet. I’m trying, but not so much of late. Good intentions with a poor roadmap will still lead you down a dead-end. Still killing the […]
Fit by 50 / wk 5
Seems like someone is always celebrating a birthday at the Thibodaux Police Department. This week was my Administrative Assistant’s special day. She’s been every Chief of Police’s Admin for the last 38 yrs. Happy Birthday Kim Robicheaux. Lori Cortex, the super cool lady in green has a birthday this weekend – Happy b-day to you too. How does an office birthday party factor into a Fit by 50 post? You got it… Cake. Not just one deliciously moist slice, but two. I […]
Fit by 50 / wk 4
Week 4. Really, week 4 already. That only leaves XX weeks until the Big 50. Whose counting anyway. A funny thing happened at crossfit this week. Actually several things happened, but I’ll keep hush on those. We worked to find our max weight in squats. That means how much weight can you lay across the back of your shoulders and scream while you bend down and back up. People take pride loading the bar with heavy plates until it bends. It’s all […]
Fit by 50 / wk 3
A funny thing happened after my Week 2 post last week – people started sharing their goals and challenges. I’m stoked because I believe it’s better to achieve success as a community than alone. Let’s smash our health / fitness goals together. Another funny thing happened while at Momentum Gym. The instructor, Lauren Z challenged us to eat clean for 21 days. Things such as gluten are off-limits. Of course I sneered because I have no idea what gluten is. Then she […]
Fit By 50 / wk 2
First off, big THANK YOU for the awesome response to last week’s inaugural posting of Fit by 50. People shared tips, victories, challenges, well wishes, but unfortunately–no one said – “No way, you look 35.” Well, maybe that one message just didn’t make it’s way to my inbox, so thanks to whoever you were. Week 2 is in the books, and I gotta say it was fantastic. Ever heard of a George Foreman grill? Where have I been the last 25 years? […]
Fit by 50 / wk 1
Last year I began a weekly series chronicling my efforts to reclaim a healthy lifestyle while even in a stress filled occupation. I’d set defined goals and developed a plan to accomplish them. With the help of great friends and folks who signed on to share their knowledge, experiences and challenges it was a success. I might have a slid a bit on the weight goal – let’s call it ice cream, but now I’m knocking on 50’s door. I’ve got clear […]
Peer Pressure: I passed a tractor & ate a bug
Yes, it’s much better than had I eaten a bug, then “passed” a tractor. Get it? Anyway, peer pressure is an odd phenomenon. We exert it or succumb to it as children, we implore our own kids not to fall victim to it, yet even as adults we sometimes still give in to it. Bicycles don’t usually pass moving vehicles on the highways, but many of us have dreamed of that moment when pure man and muscle-driven machine out runs an automotive […]
I’m Shaping Up | Week 24
I’m Shaping Up; Week 24 You just never know. A few weeks back I received an e-mail from my academic mentor and friend, Dr. John Kiefer. He was my master of public administration program’s thesis advisor while I attended the University of New Orleans. We connected immediately, and I admired his career as a professor and his calling as a United States Marine. Satisfied with my graduation from UNO and no intention of continuing my education, Doc encouraged me to pursue a PhD […]
I’m Shaping Up | Week 23
It’s the last week of summer!!! For kiddo before school; the rest of us get to continue in suffering beneath the sweltering summer sun!! Gotta tell ya that the combination of fitness routine and kiddo at your feet made for challenging times and other times not so much. The great thing about returning to a healthy life is during the times when the gym closes too early, the afternoon rain showers are too consistent or the day gets lost playing with kiddo, it […]