March 9 was international Good Deeds Day. It seems like there is a day for everything and everyone anymore.

I thought it was odd, though, that we have to have a day for “good deeds.” Don’t get me wrong, I applaud the effort and recognize that it is probably necessary. Everyone seems so quick to anger anymore. As kids we were all told that you “don’t discuss religion or politics.” Social media seems to have transformed that attitude to “only discuss religion or politics” and only do it when you are willing to criticize other people for their opinion and have no interest in trying to understand someone else’s thoughts on any given subject.

Without realizing it was a day set aside for good deeds, that day I helped a friend out with his website, supported another friend being ordained as a minister and then my wife and I saw a woman have a seizure and collapse outside a store. While my wife comforted the woman, I called 9-1-1 and got help on the way. My neighbor offered me the use of his log splitter and a couple days later he spent a couple hours in the yard with me moving logs and busting them up (thanks, Paul!).

The last thing I’m trying to do is hold myself up as a paragon of any virtue; quite the opposite, in fact. Too often I get wrapped up in my own little world and forget to even look up, much less do a good deed for anyone else. It does seem, though, we all spend more time worrying about what someone said or implied online than we do worrying about people down the street. Maybe that’s why news stories about someone paying for other diners’ meals or going out of their way to help each other are actually news stories and not just common events.

West Virginia has taken some bad hits in the national news over the last few months, not the least of which was a poll that indicated that West Virginia is the unhappiest state in the union (again). At this point, I’m fairly convinced our “leaders” don’t have a clue how to reverse these trends, even if they were to admit they were real. On the other hand, I’m confident that West Virginians know how to do it without any help from the government. Doing good deeds actually does more for the doer than the recipient.

My vote is we make West Virginia the “Good Deed” state and then we’ll see who has the highest level of overall well-being..

I’m fairly certain I’m not the only person who has been moody or grumpy lately. I really wasn’t sure why I was out of sorts until my wife showed me an article titled “18 Things Creative People Do.” As I read down through it, I thought to myself “I used to do that” or “The last time I remember doing that was last Fall.” It was a bolt from the blue to realize I was moody because I wasn’t being creative. I had all this energy inside me and it was getting stale. I’m betting I’m not alone in that feeling, either.

This winter and its weekly snow storms, arctic cold and general misery have driven us all inside. When you throw in the stress of the Water Crisis and the on-going anger most of us have from that, and mix it with the daily dodge-em cars we play driving down roads filled with potholes, it is no wonder a lot of us are out of sorts.

Realizing the need to get out and do anything creative, I jumped at the chance to go listen to three university professors/artists speak about printmaking as part of the “Gallery Divided II Lecture Series” at the Clay Center last week. Yes, I know “Printmaking” as a topic sounds fairly esoteric even for creative types. I wasn’t going there to learn about techniques; I hoped to find some inspiration.

Joseph Lupo, from West Virginia University, spoke about a really interesting project where he has deconstructed a comic book for its visual elements. It is pretty amazing how we have all come to recognize what those elements mean even when taken out of context.

Peter Massing, a professor at Marshall, said something that really struck me. “Looking is as important as making,” he said.

I know I probably lost a lot of people when I began talking about creativity, but even if you’re not an “artist” or “crafty”, get out and explore the arts, art opportunities and look for inspiration around you. You’ll be surprised at all the opportunities right in your backyard. And then turn off the television and get out there and make something. It will do you a world of good.

I’m not a printmaker or an “artist”, but I did come up with an idea for a new project that will have me stepping outside my comfort zone.

And maybe I won’t be so grumpy….

Driving through Kanawha City with my daughter last week, we passed the site of the old Watt Powell Park and I mentioned to her that was where I used to go see baseball games.  I remember going there as a kid with my family to see the Charlies and then later with friends to see the Wheelers and the Alley Cats.

Passing by a television tuned to a sports channel yesterday, I saw baseball players getting in shape in Florida as part of Spring Training. That’s the strongest signal I know of that Winter will eventually lose its grip and Spring and Summer will be here before we know it.

My girls were born in North Carolina and we went to see the Durham Bulls play from time to time. That was a beautiful ballpark but the downside was the Bulls are AAA and the park is nearly the size of a Major League ballpark.

I really like Single A baseball for the intimacy of it and West Virginia Power Park is a nice little venue. If you’re interested, you can get to know the players and really have a connection with what’s going on—on and off the field.  If you’re so inclined, you can even make your presence felt by the opposing team. I will never forget the 3rd base coach for the Visitors turning around and telling my buddy to shut his mouth at Watt Powell. Of course that was the worst thing he could’ve done. Let’s just say my friend really didn’t listen to the opposing team’s coach.

Single A baseball has the same appeal for me as do the summer and winter Olympics and college sports. The players are there for the love of the game. They are getting paid, but they are far from getting rich. They still have dreams and are busting their tails to live them out.

After this endless winter and the itinerant cabin fever that came with it, I can’t think of anything I’m looking forward to more than getting outside and relaxing in the sun. And this year I plan to spend some of those summer evenings at the ball park. As my friend Danny Boyd just told me, watching baseball in the summer is “Good for the soul.”

Is Spring Training over yet?.

A couple months ago, I saw a news report that Hugh Jackman, the actor, was sporting a band aid on his nose after having a basal cell carcinoma removed. He said it was a small spot on his nose and he had ignored it for a while.

His revelation, originally made on Instagram, made me wonder about a small red spot on my cheek. I showed it to my wife and we agreed to watch it for a while. A couple weeks ago, I decided it was time to get it checked out. As recently as a half an hour before I left for the dermatologist’s office, I wondered if I was making something out of nothing.

In about 30 seconds, the doctor’s physician assistant told me I had an Actinic Keratosis, a precancerous lesion caused by long-term exposure to the sun. Not a big deal itself, but it does have the potential to turn into a squamous cell carcinoma. In just a couple more minutes, the PA froze the lesion and told me to come back in a couple months for a follow up. That was it.

I remember the days when putting on lotion for the sun meant oil that made our tans darker, not lighter. There was even a brief period in the late 1980s when I worked at a gym in South Charleston, that I used a tanning bed. As a diver, and general water dog, I’ve spent a lot of time in the sun with sunlight glaring off the water directly into my face. I’ve gotten sunburns on my face, my shoulders and arms, and the tops of my ears.

If you have a spot on your skin, anywhere, that doesn’t seem quite right; if it doesn’t seem to heal, is scaly, red or painful, even if it is really small, have it checked out. (The spot on my face was about the size of a pencil eraser.) Early detection of skin cancer is the key to increasing your chances of recovery. If you notice a spot on a loved-one, say something about that, too.

I’m not going to pretend as many people read this as pay attention to Hugh Jackman, but if it makes one or two people think and get a small spot checked out, that will make me very happy.

Yes, we are in the midst of a winter that won’t seem to quit and we are all praying to see the sun again. The last thing anyone is thinking about is sunburns and skin cancer. But every year, more people are diagnosed with skin cancer than any other form of cancer. And it can kill.

Don’t ignore it..

    Yesterday, I attended a ceremony to award a US Army Bronze Star with “V” device. The V stands for Valor and means the award was given for Acts of Heroism, specifically in combat. This award was a little different though. It was James McCormick’s third Bronze Star, but was given for something he did in Iraq in 2004.

James was surrounded by friends and family for the ceremony and his son held his hand as Brigadier General David Buckalew, Director, Joint Staff, WV National Guard pinned on the medal. I watched his face during the presentation and I could tell discussing that day in Iraq brought back memories of day when he used his gun truck to defend a supply convoy against a violent attack from the enemy.

James graduated from Winfield High School in 1986 and immediately joined the Army as a Cavalry Scout for the 24^th Infantry Division. He served in Desert Storm in 1991 where he earned his first Bronze Star. After two enlistments, James left the Army to earn his Bachelors Degree from West Virginia State College (now University) and later returned to the Army where he received a direct commission as a Second Lieutenant. In 2004, he deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. James ended up being recruited to a new company called the 518^th Combat Gun Truck Company, where he served as the Executive Officer. Their job was protecting convoys from ambush attacks. Some of the worst fighting of the early part of the war was on the roads in and around Baghdad International Airport and the 518th never lost a vehicle to the enemy. His actions earned him two Bronze Stars with V Device and three purple hearts.

The 518^th took the name The Regulators, after a deputized group of men in the Old West who fought in the Lincoln County war, and spawned the likes of Billy the Kid. They created a new doctrine of convoy support, based on what their predecessors in Vietnam created.

When James left Iraq in 2005, he hadn’t received the final Bronze Star, but he said they told him “Don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of it.” Better late than never, the army got his fouled paperwork straightened out and sent James the award…or they were going to until others learned that his Bronze Star with “V” device was coming in the mail. James’ friends decided a true hero needed to be honored for his service.

 US Senator Joe Manchin, Maj. Gen. Allen E. Tackett (Ret.) and Hershel “Woody” Williams, the only surviving West Virginia Medal of Honor recipient and the last surviving MOH recipient from Iwo Jima all spoke about James’ honor and bravery. Maj. Gen. James A. Hoyer was unable to attend, but sent additional recognition with Buckalew.

The Bronze Star with V Device citation reads:

For heroism in ground operations against a hostile force. Second Lieutenant McCormick distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 7 April 2004 while performing dual assignments as the Convoy Security Commander and Gunner providing security for the 1487 Transportation Company during Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Second Lieutenant McCormick quickly maneuvered his M99 Gun Truck into position providing protection while engaging and destroying the enemy. Second Lieutenant McCormick suffered an injury to his left hand but continued to fight and protect the convoy until the entire element was remove from the kill-zone. His commitment to duty is in keeping with the highest standards of military traditions and reflects distinct credit upon himself, the Coalition Force Land Component Command and the United States Army. 

James retired from the Army as a Captain and is now the director of the WV Warrior Farmers Project, working to help veterans become farmers, support themselves and quite likely find some of the peace many of them lost on the battlefield. James arrived at the courthouse for the presentation ceremony wearing bib overalls and carrying his suit. He had just come from the farm where they were working with honey bees he is helping to teach veterans to raise.

I’m proud to know men like James McCormick and Woody Williams. Their days of fighting are long behind both of them, but they both still fight for veterans and their country.

Maybe this is the harder fight.

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