Neighborly Flash Forwards

(upbeat music) Hi, everybody, and welcome back to the MilesPathcast, the flagship podcast of Making Progress. Or, okay, what I wanted to say was like, you know, making a difference, or changing lives, and it just, it sounds so cliche or blown out of proportion, but here's what I wanted to talk about. Here was the idea behind it. In my job, I work with kids with special needs, some have disabilities, and some are just like, literally normal kids that just need some extra help with one thing or another. I mean, heck, I've got some kids that come in that have been so good at things their entire life. They've never faced adversity or frustration, or not be able to do something. So I gotta help them with that. I mean, it's just, it's everything across the board, all different types. And I'm very lucky that I can, like, look back and see the difference that I've made, and here are things from the family, and how much better the kids are doing, and it's great. And there are obviously times too, where it's, you feel stuck. Like, you're just not really making a lot of progress with certain ones. So then you also get the ones where it's like, it's amazing, and it's life changing, and it's the ones that you really, really want to hang on to remember for the harder times. And I had that. I had a patient and a family who they drove a very long ways. They drove hours to get here, a little four-year-old girl, and she's, like, her whole life. It has been the situation where she can't tolerate clothes that well, like her skin is like on fire. Like she'll, when I first saw her, she would tolerate only like one very specific night gown. So mom's like, we just washed this night gown over and over and over again. She couldn't tolerate underwear. Couldn't tolerate shoes or socks. Well, she had, she had one like basic kind of shoes. It's like a crock type thing. It's just a very basic shoe. Otherwise, couldn't tolerate anything else. Like she, and this wasn't like a behavior thing. Like I've got those, and those are a little bit more frustrating. This was like the kid actually, she really wanted to wear this stuff, because it was inhibiting her, or prohibiting her from playing on the playground, and from going to school. And she really wanted to do these things. Like she'll try, but it feels like her skin's on fire, so she just can't. And on top of that, she'd get car sick. Like I said, the drove along ways. The first time I saw her, she was very, very sick. And it just was, you know, this collection of things that have been like really hard for her. Very, very sensitive to a lot of different things. And like I said, the clothes was the biggest one. Well, if you look at it from my perspective of my job, there's one specific thing where that all gets connected. And it's, it's called the spinal galant reflex. Doesn't make a big difference to what I'm talking about. But everything that she had going on really like worked back to this, and she never crawled as a child. And crawling is where this thing kind of falls into place. And if you don't crawl, this may or may not fall into place, and this could then lead to all these difficulties, probably not this, this intense, but anyways. I was nervous because, or anxious, because she came back today, and judging by how things were the first time, like I'd given mom a lot of stuff that she could try, things that they could try at home, because they obviously can't come here on a weekly basis, because they drive along ways. She gets car sick and all this stuff. She comes back today, and she's happy, and she's smiling, and she's wearing new boots, and she's got socks on, and she's wearing underwear, and she still has a nightgown, but it's a different nightgown, and mom's like she's trying new ones, and she now wants to like try dresses, all this stuff, and all the progress that she made, and we were able to get through all of our stuff really, really easily, whereas before she was so sick, we couldn't do anything. It was so cool to see that. Like she's getting car sick and much less, and it's just, it's awesome as a reminder every now and then, like to see these just like wild, amazing improvements, and here to hear how grateful the family is, and they're like, "Oh, we've tried so many things, "and we've never found a network," so you're the first one that's made a difference here, and I don't know, it's cool. It's really, really fun to have that. I know everybody in their jobs, they always have these moments as well, no matter what you do, and it's fun when they come up every now and then. All right, today on the show, it's that time of year, we got to talk about it this weekend. It's opening weekend. The IOU one's a little bit different. It's for the girls that live across the street from us, and a little reminder that came up this last weekend. It was great. And then, Sean's what are you into? One of my favorite things that I get a nerd out about, and I've got a reason to do it again. All right, but tell me something good. (upbeat music) Tell me something good. This weekend is, it's opening weekend. It's opening season for deer season. All the guys are coming up. Chandler's coming up. The, I can, I see all the guys. The wives are coming up too. There's a whole bunch of people coming up anyways, the mom and dad's house, and I'm gonna drive down there, and we're gonna go, and we're gonna look for deer. Whether or not we see anything's another story, but we're gonna get out there. We're gonna take our guns for a walk. And the weather looks perfect. Like everything's lined up. Every now and then, we get like really cold weekends on this weekend, or it's gonna rain. But I think we're like lined up for like low six seas, just perfect weather for like, you know, walking around the fields and seeing we can find anything. Last year, I don't think we saw a single thing. I don't even know if anybody even fired their gun or anything. And it's, it's kind of become that way. It's, there's just been all of this. We've had very dry summers, which has led to a lot of, like dried up cricks, which leads to blue tongue, which like wipes out just a ton of the deer population. So the deer population has been so much different than it was, than we were growing up. And it's become like, you just get happy if you see stuff out there. And even happier if you see something that's actually like legal to shoot. And it's just, it's become harder and harder, but it doesn't take away from the joy of just walking around. That's why I've always loved hunting season. Like just being like to go out, like first thing in the morning, you see the sunrise over the fields, you're out in the farm fields and it's beautiful. You're walking through all the different, like little draws and valleys and hillsides. It's just, it's, it's awesome out there. It's really just peaceful and cool. And again, you have that constant excitement of, hey, maybe there's going to be something that's going to jump up right in front of me. The gut, that excitement is real. And it's, it's, it's really, really cool. But again, it's just, it hasn't been the same. It hasn't been the same, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's, it's hunting season and it's still a lot of fun. And you know, we'll get down there and we'll have breakfast and we'll go out first thing and we'll probably stop by the little dive bar in Garfield for some beers and burgers midday. And then think about some football and then hopefully go out that, go back out there again. Usually at the most of luck, like relatively early in the morning or kind of later in the afternoon as the sun's starting to go down, which you know, see you just, you're trying to throw that needle and be in the right spot at the right time. And it's, it's still fun. Like it's still always a really, really good time. The weird thing about this year is I'm trying to decide, 'cause I've been very lucky. We growing up, Garrett and Dad and I, we, we cashed out our tags almost a year after a year, after a year that the fact that all three of us would find a way to get something was really, really crazy. I've been very, very lucky for that. And even more recently, just in the last couple of years, I've, I think it was like, I guess two years ago, now I got one and no one else. Well, maybe one another guy did, I don't know. Long story short, I've gotten a lot in my life and I've gotten one relatively recently. And it's got me thinking like, do I even get like a hunting license this year? I mean, I'm gonna go out regardless. Don't get me wrong. I love going out. But I, I'm at the point in my life where I would derive so much more joy if I see Tyson get one or if Braden's got a drag one out or if, if Jake or Brandon, just anybody else. Like, like, again, they probably haven't had the chances I've had and they just, the excitement would be so much, it'd be so cool to see that. And so cool. I don't even know if Braden's ever got one before. Sorry, Braden, if you have, I don't think he has. And that would bring me so much more joy. So it would suck for me to have a license to get one when I've, you know, I've already gotten lots of them and to have that take away from what somebody else could. I mean, 'cause again, I'm gonna be out there one way or the other. I just take my camera out and I guess shoot dear to the camera as opposed to a gun and try and get some cool pics. But I'm trying to side that because they changed it this year whereas before, like, you had to, you know, go to a gas station or a store of some sort and buy your tag and your license. Now it's all over an app. It's like, I could do it more in a way if I really, really wanted to. If I wanted to spend the money and see what happens, I mean, if you really wanted to be, you know, play it low, you could probably do it, you know, once you get one, which, fair for roundup on, don't do that. I don't know, I'm just trying to side though. 'Cause again, I love being out there. It wouldn't change anything for me. It's just like, do I pay the money? For something I don't necessarily, I'd rather somebody else get and just like take my camera out. I don't know, so we'll see. But regardless, I'm excited. I'm excited to be down there. I'm excited to go look for some with the guys and hopefully, we can have a little bit of luck because, man, it makes it so exciting seeing that and getting one and the excitement that kind of comes with it, it's something that's really unlike anything else. If you've ever been out there and, you know, you're just walking along and all of a sudden something jumps out in front of you and you gotta be quick where we hunt, it's not like you stay in a deer stand and you just sit there and you wait all day and maybe you put out, you know, you call 'em in or you put out, you know, whatever, maybe. You're walking and when you see one, they're very likely at a dead sprint by the time you've got your gun up. So it's just, it's a very different kind of hunting than I feel like what a lot of people associate it as and in my mind's my favorite. Hunting to me, sitting in one spot and just waiting for him to come to you does not interest me in the slightest. What we do of walking around and like just looking and hoping they're gonna jump out of the grass right in front of you, that's awesome. And that's what we do and I'm so excited about. I mean, I'll probably hit my license. I'll probably still have my gun out there just in case 'cause you'd hate to be in a spot where you see one and no one else does and you could have, you know, taken advantage of it, but I will see. I'm excited about it, one way or the other. We'll be down there and it'll be great. I owe you one. ♪ You know who you are, yeah I owe you one ♪ It was a little bit different. This was last weekend. Yeah, Kenno's out of town. So I had the girls, we were all at home and it was one of those magical windows where the girls are just, they're happily playing with each other and like they don't need anything, they don't need me. So I'm able to just be, they were in the back of my pickup and they were playing coffee shop. So like they come to this first window and like order what you want and then you walk around the pickup and you go to the next window. But they were just playing the back of my pickup. They even need me as a customer to walk around and order coffee from them. They're happy playing in there. So I was able to get some stuff cleaned out of the garage and get it ready for winter and get rid of some things that we didn't need. It was great, it's like a little magical window. And all of a sudden I hear like a car drive up and some voices and I look out and our neighbors, there's at least two girls, and they're like early teenagers. I would bet there, there's like one that's probably 14, 15, and one that's 12, 13. Anyways, they're out there on the side of the curb, and one of their friends had just driven up that had just, apparently had just got her license. I was, I'm assuming she just got her vehicle, and she just got her license, and she was showing up her new car, and they were all super excited about it. And in that moment, it took no effort for me, and this is just how my brain works, like to flash forward and picture that someday down the road. And in the not too distant future, that's gonna be our girls. They're gonna be out there on the side of the curb, and one of their friends who was older than them, who just got their license, is gonna drive up, and they're gonna be so excited about their new car, and they're gonna be talking about it, and talking about all the adventures they're gonna go on, and how much fun it's gonna be, and this new face of their life, and I'm thinking about it, I'm like, oh man, that's not far away. It's 10 or 11, 12, 13 years, but it's gonna go by in a heartbeat, and I know in that moment when it comes, this is how I always think. In that moment, if fate or father time or some figure tap me on the shoulder and say, hey, do you wanna go back to when they were, when they're little girls, when they were four and two, there's no doubt in my mind, I would say yes. And it just, it made me appreciate what we're at right now, because it's just, they're at this stage of the life where there are some nights where it feels like it's gonna last forever. Like it's, you're kinda stuck in it, and sometimes you get frustrated with it, because they, they don't wanna try new foods, or they're fighting with each other, but all in all, it's great. Like it is an awesome time of their life, and it's so much fun here, and the things that they say, and the things that they do, and just the constant amazement of like, wow, I can't believe you know that, or I can't believe you can do that. Like the other day, and he was like, buttoning up her pajamas by herself, I'm just like, I didn't know you could do buttons, and again, just like the things that they say, it's so cute and so perfect, and it's just, that moment started to remind her, like we don't need to rush this, like we're really, really good with where we're at right now. For me, I always, I've talked about this before. It's my goal as like a dad, to be just as present and as tensionals possible, and that I am with them. Like I can only be the first to a test, like I never use my phone, if I can help it when I'm in front of them. Like she'll text me when she's on a work trip, and I'll respond for three or four hours, because it's like I see it on my watch. I know it's not like a time and period of thing, and I just, I don't like using my phone in front of them, because I want to be there with them and to be focused on them. And I always think too, it's like, we don't obviously give them a phone or anything. So in my mind, it's like waving a beer in front of a farmer who is just bucked haybills all day. I wouldn't love that beer, but nope, you can't have it. So it's something I just tried to avoid. And it's, you know, this isn't me breaking. It's like, you know, do whatever you want to do. This is just a me thing that I aspire to do as a dad, and to be there for them, and to be as attentionals possible. But even then, again, there are times where it's like, holy smokes, like I just want you to take it, we're trying to get them to try new foods. So we like, we break out of the fact that we just eat, or we just eat chicken nuggets and noodles in case of Diaz all the time. And there are nights where they're mad and they're upset. And it's like, you know, it's just, it's like holy smokes. Can we get past this? But then you have the moments where you see the future, flash before your eyes, and you're like, you know what, this is pretty great. They're pretty great as it is. And I'm just trying to get full advantage of it and be as present as possible. And it's fun. I love having those moments where you flip to the future and like, wait a minute, I'd love to go back to a rat. Hey, that's still where we're at. Let's enjoy this while we can. Anyway, stay again. Just me, I love those reminders. Okay, Sean's what are you into? - All right, listeners, it's time for hidden passions, wild hobbies, and that one thing that you didn't know miles was obsessed with. Buckle up, it's time for Sean's, what are you into? The Apple announced like some of their new smart home stuff this week, which got me back in the mood, and I love it. I love smart home stuff. I'm an absolute smart home nerd. Like our house is so outbited with this stuff. Like any chance that I have a talk about, I got to take full advantage of it, so I'm sorry. Be good to listen to me, just nerd out over this stuff. I think the comments conception with smart home stuff is like, oh, you have, you can use your phone to turn lights on and off, which is a very, very small part of it, like the whole, the lovely part about it is that the automation is behind it, and the automatic things that you can set up. Our house is done in a way where it's extra helpful, because we have like one giant main room, where it's the living room, and it's the dining room, and it's the kitchen, it's just like one giant space. And because of that, there's like lights in the ceiling, we have hanging lights and lamps, and there's just banks of light switches. And it's an absolute pain like, right now I could not tell you, if you pointed it to a switch, I couldn't tell you what lights that turns on and turns off, because it's just a random hodgebodge of that second one from the left, and that bank of lights is gonna turn off the two right above us, and that one's gonna turn off the fireplace, it's just, it's confusion. So it's great that we have smart bulbs, we have a ton of stuff, so to have it all into one system, we can have these automations in place, like every day in the morning at a certain time, like six, 15, some of the lights slowly turn on, and then more turn on over time, and the speaker turns to the Jay and Kevin show, the radio show, so that's playing, and like the temperature changes to a certain, you know, temperature where the house starts to warm up from being cooler, and we have cameras outside our house, that when they detect motion, but only at night, certain lights turn on, so you have that going for you. We have temperature sensors in throughout the house, but mostly in like Emmy and Gabby's room, because their rooms get way colder or way hotter than the rest of the house, so whereas usually the thermostats, the one that's like taking the official temperature, and what the furnace and the AC is based upon, at night, it switches to Emmy's room, because Emmy's room gets the coldest, so it makes sure that her room doesn't freeze itself out when the rest of the house doesn't do so. Just little things like that, what else? We have the motion sensors, like in the laundry room, so if you go in the laundry room, the light turns on, but only for two minutes, and it shuts off again, same thing if you go in the garage, it'll turn on for five minutes, then it'll turn off, just again, for like the simplicity sake of it, and you don't realize how nice that automatic light is until you got it, and it's awesome. At six o'clock every night, like our night time scene comes on, so like a lot of the lights dim, some turn off, all the hanging lights stay on, so it's like this really like kind of a warmer night time glow, because the dimming is like my favorite thing of not having to have the lights full blast at seven o'clock a night when you're trying to get the girls to bed. Okay, it's just, it's a bunch of little stuff like that, but I feel like if you really want to get into it, I would love to nerd out, and I try to figure out like what works best for your house, and what things you need, and what things you don't. We've got a lot of colored light bulbs, so like if you say, hey, blah, blah, blah, set Halloween, like certain lights turn orange, certain lights turn green, certain lights turn purple, and you can have like different music play in these moments. It's just, it's so cool. Like there's so many little things that you can do with these automations, whether it's based around certain days, or certain times, certain temperatures, again, like time of day, whether it's morning or afternoon or night, just like little things that you can do. I don't think like in the girls' rooms, we have like a little switch, or it's a little, well, they say it's a switch. Imagine like a pill-shaped thing where there's two buttons on it, and you can push the, like the on button, if you push it once, it sets lights to like 1%, which is perfect for like first thing in the morning, or like when you're reading stories at night, you push it twice, and it sets it to 100%, which is great, like midday, we need a lot of light, or when you're cleaning up their room, or whatever it may be, and then like if you hit the other side, you can turn it off, or if you hit it twice, it turns off both their lights at the same time, which again, just little little things, it's nothing mind-blowing, and I know there's a lot of people like, oh, just flip the switch. Works great until again, you have our situation where you just, you have 1,000 switches, and it's an absolute pain. But it's like at night, you know, what you can say, you know, hey, blah, blah, blah, good night, or when you're leaving, and it shuts all the lights off, it locks the doors, it turns the bedroom fan on. I don't know, just little things like that. Little things that make a big difference, and it's all a voice control that, if you want to be, you can control it from your phone, if you want to, but again, the idea is it just, it runs itself. So it's super efficient, and it works really well, and it makes it so you don't have to worry about certain rooms freezing at night, and you don't have to worry about it. It's so cool. I love it, clearly. And it's one of my favorite things to turn out on, and just like to sit and think like, what can we do to make this more efficient? What automation could I add? Like, where could I add a light that's gonna make this work better? Where could I put a motion control sensor? Where could I put another thermostat that's gonna just change it? And again, I know a lot of it's not necessary, and you can get away without it, but I love the nerding out part about it. And anyways, like the new stuff they came out with is like a new speaker with a screen on it, so you can like, the screen seems extra. I was going back and forth if we really needed that or not, but I think we'll at least try it because you can like, you know, it's in the kitchens, you can like pull up recipes and set timers, and the girls can FaceTime, Nonean, Gigi, and everybody else, and it just, again, it just got me in the mood of like thinking about the smart home stuff again that we've got, and all the like, the little intricacies of it, and that's what I love. So if you're interested, I can help you out because a lot of it, you got to know kind of how to get into the nuts and bolts and deep into the weeds because it's not as simple as it could be. That's been the problem with the smart home for any company ever is it takes someone that really gets into it that, because everyone's house is gonna be so different and their routines are so different, you got to understand that the nuts and bolts of it. But anyways, I love it. I love all that stuff, and I'm excited about the new stuff coming out, and it's just a, again, just a fact to explore that some more. Anyways, thanks for indulging me with all that stuff. All of my nostalgia, and my nerdiness, and hunting season, and everything else. I appreciate it so much, so much, as always. Emmy Gabby Soundby, on the way out. Thank y'all for listening. It means the world to me, and we'll talk to y'all next week. Bye. - What do you want to do? - Yeah, I want to watch football. - You want to watch football? - Yeah.