Point of Reason

Point of reason is the place where we can share thoughts and experiences about daily living. There is much we can share and learn from each other as we journey through life.


We all experience moments in our lives when there is a reason to celebrate. My wife recently celebrated her birthday earlier this month which she thoroughly enjoyed. September seems to be one of the most popular birth months because most of the people I know, celebrate birthdays in September. My son who is four, wish he had a birthday every month so that he could have a birthday party and a cake to cut. He absolutely loves birthday parties. I have to keep reminding him that his birthday only comes once a year and on a very special day.

We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, special events and moments in our lives. We celebrate for different reasons and all celebrations are not the same but it is important that we do celebrate. Symsure Limited, the software company that I am a part of, will be celebrating its third anniversary this weekend which is a really big deal for us. Milestones and achievements should be celebrated because celebration is good therapy to our souls, as it uplifts our spirits and gives us joy and happiness.

So let us remember to celebrate and find reasons to celebrate. Let us not let life's worries get us down. Let us embrace the victories that we have won and the milestones that we have achieved and learn from the challenges we have encountered and the hardship that we have to overcome. Let's not forget to party!

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Recently, it was announced that Usain Bolt will be accorded the Order of Jamaica. With this distinction he will be officially referred to as the Honorable Usain St. Leo Bolt. The court of public opinion seems to be divided on the issue. There are some of the opinion that he is way too young to recognized with this title. Especially, given the fact that he recently celebrated his 23rd birthday. Others believe that he is well deserving of all the praises lauded unto him. Should age be a hindrance to titles and responsibilities bestowed?

It is no secret that Usain Bolt is special. We have seen him grow and develop over the years. I remember him at the Athens Olympics in 2004 competing in the men' s 200m with his necklace in his mouth and doing the ‘willy bounce’ before the start of the race. His entire island nation wanted him to do well but the truth is that he was not ready for this level of competition. Four years later he returned to totally dwarf the competition in both the 100m and 200m, smashing the world records in both events. He later returned to help the Jamaican 4x100m relay team secure victory and set a new world record in the process.

We have also seen the other side of Usain of him being an avid party-goer. By his own admission he loves to go to Quad (one of Jamaica's most popular night clubs). He recently had a near death experience when he overturned his BMW motor vehicle while driving on Highway 2000 - soon to be renamed ironically - Usain Bolt Highway. His displays on the track is always punctuated with playful gestures before and after competing, where he does funny faces and some of latest Jamaican dance moves.

Based on Usain’s unique position in history, giving him a national honor will potentially do more good than harm. When responsibility is thrust upon us we tend to mature to deal with the new challenges set before us. This situation is no different and Usain should be given the opportunity to be mature and represent Jamaica with class, dignity and style. Age is just a number and it shouldn’t stop him or anybody from being an example and being recognized for it.

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Track and field sensation Usain Bolt of Jamaica, the defending Olympic and World Champion and world record holder in the 100m and 200m, is set to receive Jamaica's fourth highest national honor; the Order of Jamaica. Additionally he will be appointed ambassador at large with full diplomatic status and will have the country’s main thoroughfare - Highway 2000, renamed Usain Bolt Highway in his honor. This announcement was made by the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding. These accolades will make Bolt the youngest person ever in the country's history to receive such distinctions. This is quite a feat for the 23 year old Bolt.

Usain has really been stupendous as he continues to make the world reevaluate what’s humanly possible. He has made his country extremely proud as he continually represents Jamaica like a true stalwart. However, does his track and field accomplishments give him the right to be recognized with a national honor? My answer is a resounding YES! Usain has been able to re-energize a sport that has been losing support of fans due to constant scandals about drug use. He has been able to inspire millions of people around the world by his charisma on an off the track. He is truly something special.


 Jamaica has always had a rich history in track and field with the likes of Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, Donald Quarry, Merlene Ottey and Grace Jackson-Small to name a few. More recently we have seen Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell, Kerron Stewart, Melanie Walker, Shelley-Ann Frazer emerged on to be world leaders and beaters in their particular events (again this is only a few of our great athletes). It is important that we as a nation not allow Usain Bolt's performances to over-shadow the other amazing performers that this great country has produced. We need to make all our athletes great or not, feel like they are a part of the greatest track and field nation on earth. So that whenever they get a chance to represent the country in the black, green and gold, they will wear those colors with pride and strive to produce their best performances.

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Last night I was at home watching the US Open men’s singles 4th round match between Rafael Nadal and Gael Monfils. It was a very exhilarating match where both athletes traded breath-taking shots. Nadal currently ranked as No. 3 in men’s tennis and Monfils ranked at 13th. Monfils quickly jumped ahead of Nadal with a lead of 5-2 in the first set and looked very impressive. This could be seen as the perfect start from Monfils point of view. The early signs indicated that Nadal was in danger of being upset by the less accomplished Monfils. However as the match progressed, Monfils struggled to muster the endurance to keep up with Nadal and after putting on a fascinating display early on, was totally exhausted by the end of the second set and Nadal capitalized. The strength and mental toughness of Nadal became more prominent and the match quickly turned in his favor. He recovered after losing the first set 6-7 to winning the match impressively in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. Monfils started strong but in the end, Nadal was even stronger.

The start that we have doesn’t dictate the final outcome. This match was a good reminder of that.

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Well, summer is finally over and we all know what that means...back to school again. For some of us this is a happy time when we get the chance to pry the kids away from the television sets and the video games (at least for a portion of the day) that they have devoted all their time to over the summer break. After all, it’s for their good, right? Seriously though, this time of the year is very important, the kids are excited because they get to showcase all their new wears and gears and get to share summer stories with their new and old friends. My son who is four is excited about seeing his former teachers. He told his mom and me that he misses them the most. I'm sure that all teachers would love to know that their students missed them in a similar way.

What I really want to talk about is the importance of preparing our children mentally and emotionally for school and the school year ahead. The initial excitement that they have will quickly fade when all the summer stories have been shared and they get back into the swing of doing school work and other activites. School can be exhausting, especially after a long break filled with fun and relaxation. Now its time to get back to the routine; getting up earlier than usual so that they can get prepared to get to school on time, having several different activities and lessons for the day, doing assignments, having limited play time and having scheduled bedtimes. Keeping this routine can become frustrating to both children and parents and sometimes results in a strained relationship. Plato once said, "Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each."
As hard as it may be, we need to ensure that we spend time with them on a regular basis, helping them with assignments, playing with them and following up on the things that they deem important. There is so much that our kids go through in a day and they feel good knowing that their concerns, problems and adventures are important to us. We must ensure that we do not allow our children to be raised by their friends and their peers but by us; their moms and dads or guardians in some cases. Kids are very smart, they know when something is important to us, they hear it in our voices, they see it on our faces and they see it in our behavior. Let us show them that as they journey through school, we are with them every step of the way providing all the support they want and need.

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Have you realized that the older you get, the harder it gets for you to be motivated to exercise, especially, after you begin to have children? I was once an athlete in high school participating in track and field championships all across the country but that was over a decade ago. The only exercise I got for years was walking back and forth to the car. It wasn't until recently that a few colleagues from the office and I decided to do something about our lack of energy and our desk job physique. We started jogging at a near by park after work on weekdays and we (the guys) play soccer on the weekend. We have been doing this for the past four months and it has really made a significant difference in my endurance and energy levels.

Exercise routines are often seen as boring, painful and tough to stick with, especially when you are doing it alone. Several friends of mine have enrolled in gym classes and after a few months they have given up on it. I've found that it is good when you have a group of people or even one other person who is there to motivate you to continue. One of the interesting things about exercise is that what you put in is what you get out. It is one of the healthiest habits that we can form, that will be rewarding if we don't give up. Charles C. Noble famously said, “First we make our habits, then our habits make us.”

I suggest that when you decide to start an exercise routine that you start off with the basics before you and do anything too fancy. Depending on the kind of physical shape you are in, it's probably best to start walking before you start jogging. When you have gotten comfortable walking then gradually increase the pace until you can start jogging. Remember that the goal of whatever routine you decide to do is to form a life long habit that is healthy, fullfilling and enjoyable.

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