Tim would go on to create ShareThis, a really cool sharing app that actually has some real usefulness outside of just being a fashionable widget.  Me… I would go on to… hmmm… nothing quite so glamorous.

Tim calls me every now and again and tells me that he just met so and so at ESPN or MTV or House of Blues and that they are implementing the ShareThis widget on their site.  I saw the widget appear on FoxNews.com one day and realized he’d made it to the big time.  Tim is one of those humble guys not just chasing a dream but grabbing it by the horns.  He and his family had a nice write up in Family Circle about the trials of running a huge multi-million dollar internet company while trying to keep family a priority. He does both well and because of that Tim is one of my heroes.

So what is ShareThis anyway and why should you care share? ShareThis is more than just an easy way to get social media content from one place to the next.  And if there is one thing that is certain: we are bombarded and overwhelmed with managing the information we see on any given day. ShareThis is like a platform for managing this information you find during your travels online. If you’ve seen the ShareThis icon on a website, that site owner has recognized the benefit to its readers by making the article sharing process a one-click event. In the past, you’d see an article you like and you’d have to copy the URL, paste it into an email, find the person or persons you’d like to send to, and then send it on its way. Or you find something useful for yourself and you’d like to save it to read later. You create a word document or notepad for “useful links” or just bookmark it.  If you are like me the bookmarks on the browser can get large and unorganized quickly.  Or suppose you want to Twitter something useful to your tribe.  There’s a better way.

Andy Andrews, in a remarkable way, tells a modern day parable about people.  People like you and me.  Broken, bruised, prone to giving up, occasionally questioning what life’s all about, and then seeing glimmers of hope.  In The Noticer, you’ll find at least one of the characters is you.  There were several well representing me.  You’ll also find yourself wishing you had a Jones to show you who you are.  To live out who you were made to be.  But I don’t want to give it away…

The writing style flows well and weaves well-developed characters into believable storylines.  My wife picked it up as soon as I put it down. I can always tell a great story when I find myself sharing the concepts I learned with others immediately after reading it.  This was one of those books.  A classic that will be shortlived on your nightstand, but will find its way back there soon enough as you find the need to read it again.  Because, after all… Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.

A recent newsletter had an interesting story about Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Several things struck me after reading it.  Here is the snippet.

Honey, I got Fired — Nathaniel Hawthorne went home to tell his wife that he had just been fired from his job. “Good,” she said. “Now you can write your book.” “What do we live on meanwhile?” Hawthorne asked. His wife opened a drawer filled with money. “I have always known that you are a man of genius,” she said. “So I saved a little each week, and now I have enough to last for a year.” Hawthorne used the time to write “The Scarlet Letter,” one of the great masterpieces of American literature.

First I noticed that he “failed” by getting fired.  At least that’s what most people think of when on the losing end of that dreaded event.  To Hawthorne it was a setback (failure).  Where will the money come from (failure).  How will I provide (failure).  Guys have a need to be providers.  Losing a job puts a major dent in that armor.  But read on… Second thing I noticed was that he had a wife that knew him well and planned for his success.  She saw his genius, perhaps even before he did.  With that, she put away money, knowing if given an opportunity to write, he would be successful.

Our wives play an important role in helping us guys see our genius.  But that too is a choice that must be made on both sides of the equation.  For the wife it means having patience and impeccable timing.  Knowing what to say and how to say it.  For a husband it means being willing to listen and accept that she may actually be right about a few things.  That’s a tough one for the male in the species.  But one thing is for sure… it’s risky either way.  But so worth it.

Mrs. Hawthorne knew the language of her husband. She knew just what he needed to hear. She didn’t focus on the negative.  In “The Noticer” (which I would get your hands on as soon as humanly possible), one of the chapters portrays a marriage gone bad and the communication disconnect that caused it.  Very simply, you need to understand your mate’s love language, that which speaks life into him or her. If only there were a Rosetta Stone for marriage, you ask.  It’s really not that tough once you know what the language is. Why would you learn German while planning a trip to France.  Doesn’t make much sense. Get The Noticer.  It will change your life.

Back to the job dilemma… Whether it’s losing a job or some other situation that may or may not come up suddenly, we each have the ability to choose how to respond.   Don’t give up.  Perhaps it’s time to try something different. Take your accumulated experiences and see where they may point you. If you are in that position of having been let go from a company or are considering a change, take a look at some of Dan’s offerings at the 48 Days Website (after you’ve read The Noticer).

It was just before dawn one miserable morning in black ‘forty four.When the forward commander was told to sit tight when he asked that his men be withdrawn. And the Generals gave thanks as the other ranks held back the enemy tanks for a while. And the Anzio bridgehead was held for the price of a few hundred ordinary lives.

And kind old King George sent Mother a note when he heard that father was gone.
It was, I recall, in the form of a scroll, with gold leaf and all. And I found it one day in a drawer of old photographs, hidden away. And my eyes still grow damp to remember his Majesty signed with his own rubber stamp.

It was dark all around.There was frost in the ground when the tigers broke free.And no one survived from the Royal Fusiliers Company C.They were all left behind, most of them dead, the rest of them dying.And that’s how the High Command took my daddy from me.

I grew up listening to these albums without really paying attention to the words or the themes.  The music was great.  “Another Brick in the Wall” caused much angst among teachers I recall.  As I look back and listen again today, I can only think that Waters spent much of his youth and most of his adult life angry and confused, if these and other lyrics are any indication.  To a child, war doesn’t make sense.  Losing a parent to something that doesn’t make sense makes it doubly tough.

When a child loses a parent to war, especially an unpopular one, the risk is substantial that the honor and respect — the legacy — due the parent by all Americans will be forgotten.  It’s tough for children to overhear things like “illegal war” and “misguided ideologies” and “torturers” and not come away feeling angry and confused, much like Roger Waters did.

A Soldier’s Child Birthday Foundation was established in an effort to remind children of fallen military personnel that their mom or dad did make a difference and were in fact heroes just by the mere fact that they chose to don a uniform of the United States.  It is our hope that you might consider joining us to keep the legacy of dad or mom alive by helping us provide a birthday present to a child each year up to age 19.  This Memorial Day, consider a child.  Read more.

No one gets a free pass here, though some more than others have played a significantly greater role in opening up America to the dangers that we now face. It didn’t start during this presidency and not every decision made recently was the best.

But before you go crying out for a non-military solution, remember that if certain countries were to get what they want, America would either be annihilated, or would be run as a theocracy. Cries for separation of church and state would be met with immediate death simply because you are an American. Don’t kid yourself. This is real.

This fire will forever change the fabric of our community. Eight families are currently homeless, and in many cases have lost their vehicles as well as their homes. One of our neighbors, the Mahaias Family, lost their three cars as well as the equipment one family member uses for her massage therapy business. Teenager Brian Mahaias is devastated not because he has lost his belongings, but because he fears that this fire will force him to move away from this neighborhood that is his family as well as his home.

The Simple Way has lost a community center that was home to our Yes! And… afterschool program, community arts center, and Cottage Printworks t-shirt micro-business as well as to two of our community members. Community members Shane Claiborne and Jesce Walz have lost all of their belongings, after school studio and library were ruined, and community member Justin Donner’s equipment and t-shirts were destroyed.

They are thankful that we are able to help each other during this time of need, and we will continue to keep your informed about today’s events.

Loving twitter..

If you’re hungry for more updates from me then sign up for that. it’s a micro version of this. Day to day sometimes hour to hour. Want some others to follow? I like these guy’s music. Miloshmusic and DavidSugar (just started .. please encourage!) Also Calvin Harris and Stephen Fry super active and fun.

Twitter related : Going to release those vocal files for whoever wants to put music to it too by 12th Feb as something for Twestival. It was a song Idea I came up with for an animation that never happened… music was going to be done by someone else… but now that person is you! The song that never was… but will once some of you have a go of it.

Mostly feeling good about stuff… you know how it goes though…after the big highs come the big old lows. life would be pretty dull without these waves though eh?

Lots of love fluv to you all and thanks again for following.
yours Heap x

This last song, “Between Sheets” is going to be the missing piece. I’ve got the essence of the song, musical direction and feel, melody and about half the lyrics. I really felt the album needed this one calm space. A little breather about half way through. It’ll be nice to have something fresh on there for me as I’ve been living with some of these songs for 2 years. I think in hindsight, Maui was not the best place to come for 6 days. I’ve neither finished the song nor really gone out and explored either but spent the time being frustrated about not doing both very well. Another week would probably do it but I really really have to get this darned album finished or I am going to implode. Then, perhaps once it’s done, artwork done, single artwork and b-side done, video for canvas and the first single done, the 18 minute live set for the TED Global conference in July…then…. and only then… can I go on a little much needed holiday!!!

So… at 8am Hawaii time today I’m going to play this (now slightly out of tune from the heat) piano for the last time here. In those minutes… I’m going to get my head free of all this worry about what I need to do. There’s nothing like noodling about on the ivories for clearing the head. It’s worked for me for years. It’s as close as I get to meditation. So, please join me if you read this in time and send me some strength and good luck through the internet while I’m playing. I need all the help I can get! I’m going to be doing everything I can to make sure that when I land in London I’m positive, with this song ready to record and just go for it for the 20 days I have left to finish.

As usual… it is just my self imposed deadline. This time It’s official though. The album is coming out 3rd week of August. It’s going out in my press release this week. It’s time to let this baby go!

Lots of love to you all. Thank you all so much for all your encouragement. I can’t tell you how much it’s kept me going.

It looks like Nashville might be becoming a hockey town eh? We do have a lot of canadians.

I love going to these games. It’s a great sport for a great city. Nashville is becoming.

It is a crappy thing if you ask me. Let the guy play baseball!!!!!!!!! I still LOVE to watch this guy swing the bat. IF he is proven guilty, THEN do and talk…

If you get the chance to watch “Bonds On Bonds” on ESPN Tuesday nights. Pretty cool TV I must say. You get to see a lot more of Barry Bonds than the media would like for you to see.

I guess I am just sick of hearing about how Barry is a sinning scum of a person. But, hey don’t listen to me…I like Pete Rose, Kobe Bryant, and the music of Michael Jackson.