Several weeks ago, I had a humbling experience when I went to the doctor. I learned that my blood pressure was on the high side. This came as a surprise because I have never had any problems concerning blood pressure. In fact, if anything my blood pressure was normally on the low side. My doctor asked me a variety of questions mainly focusing on my diet and level of stress. I answered the questions and followed the doctor's order on the things I needed to do.

As I drove home, somewhat concerned I thought in more detail about my diet and the level of stress I had endured in recent months. I could not reach a reasonable conclusion on why my blood pressure was out of whack and frankly why I had not felt particularly well in a few weeks. Granted I had been through some stresful situations in recent months but my life had calmed down quite a bit. Moving back to my hometown was the best decision I could have made. My diet was no better or worse than it had been in years.

As I thought about what changes I could make in my life, I thought about a variety of things. Perhaps I could cut down on eating red meat, exercise more, and pray more because my faith is important to me. I began researching other things I could do to improve my quality of life and I became interested about a couple of things.

One of the things I read about was on how to promote a healthy heart. Most of the stuff I already know but one thing that called my eye in more than one article was the benefits of Fish oil and flax seed oil.

I always knew fish was supposed to be good for you. I always have liked tuna, salmon, and mackrel, but with the exception of tuna, I have never eaten a lot of fish. As I read the research, I was amazed at how important fish oil was to maintaining a healthy life. According to research, fish contains Omega 3 fatty acids that are good for the heart. You can get these acids from eating fish, but there is a danger of mercury contamination and other toxins. Pregnant women are often discouraged from eating fish when carrying their baby and it is discouraged in small children. However, fish oil supplements are devoid of toxins and therefore a much better choice.

Among the benefits of fish oil are the lowering of bad cholesterol levels, stopping the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries, and reducing inflmaation in the blood. In addition, fish oil has been used to treat eczema, IBD, and arthritis. Fish oil has also been known to help with depression and many people with bipolar take fish oil supplements along with their medications. In other words, it has a variety of benefits most people can use.

Flax Seed Oil is different than Fish Oil though you can buy supplements that contain both. Flax seed oil contains Omega-6 and Omega-9 which are also essential fatty acids. There are many benefits to flax seed oil. Research has indicated that people who have a high amount of lignan in their diet have much lower rates of breast and colon cancer. The sees oil is also good for the heart, joints, immune, and reproductive systems. It has also been known to strengthen finger and toenails, help relieve some cases of asthma and improve the absorption of calcium.

The last decision I made concerned my intake of caffeine. I have always been a big soda drinker which is not good for you. I would like to say I could quit cold turkey, but that is about as likely as me finding the Loch Ness Monster swimming in my bath tub. Caffeine is a stimulant. Drinking caffeine causes the body to receive an artifical high. After a few hours, when the high wears down, people often find themselves lethargic or suffer from mood swings. This causes people to drink more soda or coffee to regain that high. Caffeine is a drug and like any other drug the body eventually acquires an immunity to it. That means people have to start drinking more and more caffeine to stay energetic.

I made the decision since I am not ready to cut out sodas altogether (fortunately I hate coffee), I would begin drinking only non-caffeinated sodas. Instead of drinking Pepsi or Mountain Diet, I normally drink a Diet Slice or a Mug Rootbeer (which believe it or not does not contain caffeine).

In the last few weeks, I have felt better than I have in a long time. I have had more energy and slept better at night. I have found my general attitude toward life to be vastly improved. Are there other things I could do to promote good health? Of course they are. Healthy living is a slow process. It is the little things we do in life that make a difference in how we feel.

Each one of my suggestions has scientific backing and I encourage you to do your own research. We can all do things to improve our quality of life and these are three doable things that have worked for me that have not required major changes in the way I live.

Last week I received a pleasant surprise while at a local retail store, one of the clerks actually seemed to care about her customers. When I arrived at the cash register to check out, the girl asked me if I had found everything I was looking for. I told her I had found everything except one item. To my surprise, she personally directed me to the item I was looking for. As I returned to pay for my items, I couldn't help but notice what a positive spirit she had. She was polite and made me feel like my business was important to her. As I walked to my car, I thought about her professionalism and how her smile had made my day.

As I drove back to work after my lunch hour, a thought crossed my mind. Why was I so shocked by her friendliness? Why had her professionalism touched me in such a positive way? Then it hit me. As a society, we have grown accustomed to poor customer service.

One of my biggest pet peeves is poor customer service. It is not an easy job dealing with literally hundreds of people a day. Most people who work at a local retail store, gas station, or restaurant are not making a lot of money and at times they are treated rudely themselves. However, it is not my fault or yours when one of them is having a bad day. I suspect everyone reading this blog has at least one story they can share.

Today, I decided to go through the drive-thru at the local KFC. When I arrived, I noticed there were very few cars in the parking lot. I figured I would be there a very short time. As I pulled up to the intercom, I was surprised at the amount of time it took for anyone to take my order, but that did not annoy me. Finally I heard a girl's voice. To my surprise, I did not receive an obligatory "Welcome to KFC, can I help you?" Instead I received a "Yes." Immediately my spider sense started tingling. I gave her my order and heard silence. Finally, she said, "repeat that!" It did not come across as a request but more of a command. Patiently, I repeated the order and to my disgust I received a "Huh" as a response. As I was about to repeat my order yet again, I could hear talking in the background but audible through the intercom. It immediately became obvious what the problem was. She was carrying on a conversation with someone else. Annoyed I asked her a legitimate question, "Ma'am are you going to pay attention to my order this time?" Immediately I heard a "What?" come through the speakers.

That was the last straw. I drove off without my order and mumbling a few choice words under my breath for Colonel Sanders. When I arrived home I called KFC Headquarters and voiced my displeasure.

I realize that in the grand scheme of things losing my seven dollar order is not going to close KFC down. In fact, I am quite sure they do not care. However, I CARE. The employee at KFC made me feel like I was not important and if that is the case I choose not to do business with them anymore. I am better than that and any of you who have ever been mistreated for simply trying to make a purchase deserve better as well.

The art of customer service sadly seems to be dead in this country because major companies simply care only about the almighty dollar. If places like Wal-Mart would spend more time explaining why they have seven or eight employees standing up front but only two check out aisles opened, perhaps they would make even more money.

Each Monday, my co-workers and I normally go out and eat together at a local restaurant. I can assure you KFC will NOT be on the list.

Yesterday, I took the day off from work to go to the doctor. For years, I have suffered from back pain likely due to a car accident in 1992. For a number of years, people have suggested back surgery, but I have chosen an alternative route which includes regular trips to the chiropractor and a steroid shot into my back several times a year. It has made a world of difference. Yesterday was my regularly scheduled appointment, but I left thinking I needed surgery on my ears.

I had the pleasure of meeting a new nurse. As I was being prepped for my treatment, we exchanged small talk. She asked me the typical "how are you doing?" among other things. I didn't go into any specific details because I viewed it as a generic question. When most people ask you how you are doing, I operate under the assumption they are just being polite but don't really want to know the answer especially if you are having a bad day. I told her I was fine and asked how she was going. That is when I got an earful. She proceeded to talk about her husband and how she was going through a divorce. According to her, this was her second marriage and he had deceived her. They have been married for only four months. I told her I was sorry to hear that and realized how difficult divorce could be. That was a mistake on my part.

She proceeded to go into elaborate detail about everything he apparently had done wrong in the marriage. I finally told her the best advice I could give her was to communicate with him, try to be cordial, and realize that sometimes marriages don't work. At that point she thanked me and then told me something interesting. She stated this was her second marriage and that even though the divorce was filed just last week, she had invited her first husband to move back in with her. My spider sense started tingling. I will confess that at times I have been guilty of moving too quickly in my life, but I couldn't help but think getting back with your ex that quickly seemed like a mistake. However, it was not my place to judge or even offer advice so I remained quiet.

As I left the doctor's office a few hours later, I thought a lot about my conversation with this woman and about my own personality. In some ways I am a contradiction. There is a side of me that is very social, but I tend to rarely talk about myself in public. I have a few really close friends, who I spill the beans to from time to time, but I would much rather listen to other people's problems than my own. Perhaps it stems from my career choice. On a daily basis, I listen to other people's problems and mine often seem minor in comparsion. I also have always struggled with the fact most people expect me to always be "on" and don't seem to recognize I have problems too. I suppose we are all guilty of that.

It also made me think a lot about my hobby of writing and some of the things I discuss in my blogs. When I write a blog, it is therapy for me. Often I will write about things that I would never say to anyone in public, especially a stranger. However, I often voice my feelings in this forum which seems like a contradiction. Someone once told me that deep down inside I am an introvert. I use humor to mask the fact I am shy at heart. It made me realize that I write not for other people but for myself.

The fact that any of you take the time to read my blogs is an honor and an added bonus. When I write I intend to entertain and inform and I hope that I occasionally write about things that you can relate to your own life. At times, I am probably guilty of providing too much information and I am as guilty as anyone of using propaganda to make a point. For you see, there are always two sides to every story. While I always try to be truthful in everything I say or write, any time I discuss my own personal life or comment on society, it is the way I personally "see it."

When we deal with other people, we are all guilty of providing too much information at times or leaving too much information out. The nurse I spoke about was guilty of both. In the beginning, she proceeded to tear apart her current husband while not admitting any wrong doing on her part. However, towards the end her own behavior left a few questions in my mind. What is my point? My point is we all need to realize there are two sides to everything and truth often comes from one's own personal perspective. Sometimes "the way I see it" comes from my own irrational fears or judgements without getting both sides of the story or trying to put myself in someone else's shoes.

I have joint custody of my son. There was a time when I didn't think that could happen. After my first wife and I decided to split, I knew that I was in for the fight of my life. We both loved our son dearly and had issues with one another concerning our failed marriage.(As far as I am concerned, those issues are well in the past and forgiven.) At the beginning of our fight, we were both guilty of making the custody battle about us and not the well-being of our child. Does this sound like any of you?

Despite being a loving father, my attorney told me I had basically had no chance of winning. In Tipton County, an astonishing 95 percent of women, win custody of children. Basically a woman has to be a drug user or child molester to lose in this county. Do you know how that made me feel? I have serious issues with the legal system in that regard and do all I can to help fathers who are going through legal battles just to be part of their children's lives.

Over the next several months, you would have thought you were watching an episode of WWE Raw. My ex-wife and I did all we could do to gain an advantage over the other parent. Many of our actions were based on emotion and emotion can make you do irrational things. The, one day we both had an epiphany. Let's start acting like adults.The fact is for every issue I had with my ex-wife, I could not deny the fact she loved our son. She knew the same about me.

I will never forget the day we reached an agreement concerning our son. The previous day we had met in a dreary room together with our attorneys and neither side was in a very good mood. I found her attorney unlikable. His line of questioning and bargaining was juvenile and ridiculous. Many of his arguments consisted of half-truths, but that is how law works. My ex-wife did not particularly care for my attorney either. I must admit there was a strategy in the attorney I chose. While I found my attorney very over the top, sort of like James Spader on Boston Legal, I saw a positive. She hated losing in court. It is the worst kept secret in Tipton County, that she has political aspirations and winning cases could only help her status. I also knew that if nothing else she would allow me to stand in court and point out the discrimination leveled against fathers concerning custody issues. In fact, she told me I would have made a good attorney. Before I move on, let me get on my soapbox. To this day it pisses me off when women complain about deadbeat fathers then do all they can to crush good, decent fathers in court. I have as much problem with a worthless father as any of you reading this blog. I DO NOT FALL IN THAT CATEGORY. I just knew one thing, I would not be a hotel room and a paycheck.

After our attorneys, had their ego-driven battle which was the most pathetic thing I have seen since Rosanne Barr tried to sing the national anthem. I realized how sad this all was. I still loved my soon-to-be wife and for all the problems we had had no desire to take our son from her. I just wanted to be a large part of his life.

Sometimes people act like they have a sense of entitlement. The fact is I was no more or less entitled to a relationship with my pride and joy than she was. However, our son deserved the opportunity to have a strong, loving relationship with both parents.

After meeting with the attorneys in the same room, we spoke on the phone in private the next day. We both realized we loved our son and should both be equal parents. That day we reached an agreement to split custody of our child and split expenses fifty-fifty. It is a decision I have never regretted. Our son enjoys time with both parents and loves both of his homes. He is a mama's boy and a daddy's boy and gets to spend time with both of us every week. He is well-adjusted and happy. Our arrangement works because it is about him and not us.

Over the last few years, my ex-wife and I have become decent friends. We both admit mistakes of the past and realize we both have grown as people. We seldom have an argument and whenever we do, it blows over quickly. I still get angry at the courts for the way they treat fathers and I do occasionally feel like I take the brunt of the blame whenever my son gets in trouble in school or elsewhere, but even that has gotten better. There is nothing more special than a love that is shared.

Last week, I got involved in an interesting discussion about the history of music. A friend of mine asked me who I thought were the ten most influential bands in the history of rock music. Being a lover of classic rock and hard rock, I quickly spewed out ten bands that I considered influential. For the next hour, we discussed and debated not only my list but his list as well.

As I drove home that night, I began to think of influential bands and performers in several genres of music. I began compiling my list at home using the following criteria: their influence on music, originality, and bands that copied their style. Some of these bands and performers were extremely popular in their hey day, while others were not as commercial successful but often cited as an influence.

The following is my list of bands and performers. I welcome you to add or take away from my list. These are in no particular order and I only left comments on select bands. I hope you enjoy "the way I see it" when it comes to music.

1)Les Paul-Anyone who came up with the Les Paul guitar is as influential as it comes.

2)Bruce Springsteen-I debated putting John Mellancamp on my list. However, I realized "The Boss" is the original king of Americana.

3)Beatles

4)Eric Clapton

5)Yardbirds-They were perhaps the first supergroup

6)Alice Cooper-Cooper is the original shock rocker. He was the first to bring theatrical rock to the masses and is actually an underrated songwriter.

7)The Eagles

8)Neil Young

9)The Rolling Stones-I am not a big Stones fan but I cannot deny their influence.

10)David Bowie

11)Beethoven-You could probably through Bach or Mozart in as well.

12)B.B.King

13)Elton John

14)The Sex Pistols-they were a huge influence on the punk scene

15)Run DMC-while I am not a fan of rap or hip hop, these guys were ahead of their time.

16)The WHO

17)Led Zeppelin

18)Pink Floyd

19)Janis Joplin

20)Loretta Lynn

21)Garth Brooks

22)Widespread Panic

23)Black Sabbath-these guys were the original kings of heavy metal

24)Queen

25)Nirvana

26)Genesis

27)Lovin'Spoonful-they were one of the first bands to have hits on several different charts

28)Guns N Roses-Appetite for Destruction was perhaps the best hard rock album of the 80's. It is a shame Axl Rose destroyed this band, they could have been up there with the Beatles

29)Doors

30)The Ramones

31)Amy Grant-this Christian artist was able to top not only the Christian charts but the pop charts

32)Madonna

33)Diana Ross and the Supremes

34)Little Richard

35)The Police

36)AC/DC

37)Bob Dylan

38)Lynyrd Skynrd

39)The Allman Brothers

40)Crosy, Stills, and Nash-You can throw in Young with this group as well, but he already made the list

41)Credence Clearwater Revival

42)Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

43)Heart-showed girls can rock

44)Joan Jett

45)Bee Gees-admit it you used to own a Bee Gees album

46)Michael Jackson-I am not crazy about the guy, but musicially his solo work and his work with the Jackson Five is definitiely influential

47)John Denver

48)John Prine-one of the greatest folk songwriters of all time.

49)Elvis Presley

50)Jimi Hendrix

51)Metallica-this band started off turning thrash music into a commercial success and remain popular with teenagers today.

52)Motorhead-never big sellers but almost every true heavy metal band cite these guys as an influence

53)Joni Mitchell

54)Willie Nelson

55)Stevie Ray Vaughn