SCUBA Diving is a Great Sport

SCUBA diving is a wonderful activity. It is like jumping into a whole new world. It is also a great non-competitive sport. Some of you may think that is a strange statement from a macho guy like me. However, in a high stress dog eat dog world there is no better way to unwind than to jump into the wonderful environment where one can achieve perfect buoyancy and experience the feeling of near weightlessness. In saltwater a diver can view some of the most unique and colorful creatures on earth. One other reason that SCUBA diving is a great activity is that nearly anyone can participate. Even the most awkward person you know can learn SCUBA diving, once they understand that the equipment will help him or her achieve a smooth effortless glide through the underwater world.


I was introduced to SCUBA diving at the age of thirteen. My cousins allowed me to try SCUBA diving one summer while camping with them at Center Hill Reservoir. At the time I loved the activity, but I thought that it was too expensive, and I would probably never be able to afford to participate. Though I really enjoyed my short-lived experience with SCUBA diving, I assumed that the sport was out of reach for me. After about ten years passed, the opportunity to learn SCUBA diving fell into my lap. I had volunteered to be an Explorer Scout leader and the kids wanted to take SCUBA lessons. At the time I was working at a large pharmaceutical company that paid very well. For the first time in my life, I felt I was making enough money that I could afford to take lessons and buy the necessary equipment.

In 1973 I took lessons to become a PADI basic SCUBA diver. There was a stone quarry about an hour drive from my house. Over the years I would get to know nearly every rock in the quarry. In 1974 the movie Jaws came out and I refused to watch it because I had made plans to meet my brother, Melvin, in the Florida Keys for our first saltwater dive. Though I knew in my mind that Jaws was total fiction, I didn’t want to let a silly movie scare me out of my plans to dive in the ocean. Of course this did it for me. I fell in love with saltwater diving immediately after I took my first giant stride off of the dive boat. I loved every minute of my dive. I watched the sea fans wave in the current, marveling at the intricate designs in the multitude of the many formations of coral. I also loved watching the multi-colored fish dart in and out of the beautiful coral walls.
From then on I couldn’t get enough SCUBA experiences. In 1975 my wife and I went to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. More beautiful wow experiences, in more pristine waters! While in the Virgin Islands, a Divemaster embarrassed me in front of a boat load of divers. He caught me off guard and quizzed me with a question about coming to the surface too quickly. I thought the answer he wanted was “decompression sickness,” but he was really referring to “pneumothorax” (ruptured lung). He made it a point to make me look foolish in front of everyone. It was at that moment I decided: “I am going to learn everything I can about SCUBA diving.” I wanted to do this for two reasons: 1) so no one would embarrass me again like that, and 2) I wanted to know for my own safety. After getting my PADI Instructor certification, I went on to become certified to teach basic open water diving, advanced diving, rescue diving, shipwreck diving, night diving, deep diver equipment specialist, and underwater photography. After teaching hundreds of students I ended my teaching career as a PADI Master Diver Trainer.


Copyright by John W. Marks

So You Want to Buy Your Child a Bow

When picking out a child’s bow, or youth bow, the most important thing to remember is that that child will be growing up soon. Many fathers or mothers, whatever the case may be, sometimes get very excited thinking about the possibility of their little one following in their footsteps and becoming a great archer. Most children want to do what their parents are doing, and most children want their moms and dads to be right there with them when they’re participating in an activity or sport. Sometimes, however, a parent may misinterpret the enthusiasm of their child. A very small child’s attention span is more often than not very short. A parent should take this into consideration when purchasing a bow. My suggestion to them is to purchase a very simple fiberglass bow with string. I know when my first grandson was born I was excited to teach him how to shoot a bow. I started him out with a simple fiberglass bow and string, and that worked out well. He really enjoyed shooting at my 3D target. However, the low poundage bow, in combination with dull points found on youth arrows, would often times bounce off of the 3D target. This sometimes presented a safety problem because of the bounce back. This would also cause frustration for my grandson as he wanted to see his arrows stick into the 3D target. I then made up some arrows with a sharper point. Then I had to quickly teach my grandson not to run with the arrows and point them toward the ground when walking with them. As my grandson grew I was anxious to buy him a compound bow. This turned out to be a bad investment. I bought him what I considered to be the best youth bow on the market at that time, the Browning Micro Midas compound bow. The bow was very nice, and he loved it. The problem was my grandson didn’t live with me, and he was only able to shoot on occasion. In between those visits he would grow. This meant constant adjustments on the bow. My suggestion to parents is to let the child stay with the simple fiberglass bow until you see how excited the child is about the sport of archery. Let’s face it, in today’s world children have access to all types of entertainment. It may disappoint most parents to know that some children are content to shoot three or four arrows, and then go back in the house and grab a computer game or watch cartoons on television. This is perfectly normal. I suggest parents allow a child to be a child and do not push them into the sport of archery or bowhunting. Do not get discouraged. If you’re the type of family that goes to a lot of archery 3D shoots and events, there’s a good chance that your child will get the archery bug. Another consideration is that you may be having more children, and it may be necessary to purchase more archery equipment. Make it easy on yourself. You may be like me and have bows hanging all over the walls in your archery room that your children and grandchildren have outgrown. If you are nuts about archery, never fear there is a good chance your child will love archery also.


Copyright by John W. Marks

Choosing the Less Painful Option for Your Life!

Think back through your childhood: what is the worst job that you've ever had? If you lived on a farm perhaps baling hay, feeding the hogs or cleaning out the horse barn may be one of the worst jobs you've ever had.

When I was in high school I would help farmers bale hay when the alfalfa crop or clover crop was ready to cut and bale. The temperature outside would be about 90° and many times the humidity would be nearly 100%. When I started I probably only weighed 140 pounds. Most of the farmers preferred their hay bales to be approximately 75 pounds, which made it very difficult for a 140-pound young man to lift and stack a bale onto a wagon or into a barn. It was truly a very difficult job for anyone, let alone a small boy.

Later in my teenage years, I had a job at a lumberyard. Shortly after I got my job with the lumberyard, many tornadoes tore their way through the Indiana countryside. It was really sad to see all the devastation caused by these tornadoes. Many people lost their homes and had to rebuild. One small town north of my hometown was nearly wiped out by the tornadoes. No one would wish this type of destruction on anyone, but the timing could not be better for the new lumberyard. What this meant for me was I would be loading and unloading many truckloads of building material to the areas that were struck by these tornadoes. The most difficult part of my job was lifting and carrying countless sheets of drywall. I would go home at night with achy muscles from carrying all the building materials to and from these devastated areas.

Another job I had later in my teenage years was that of a hod carrier. We mixed a type of cement, sand, and water, and would carry it in buckets to the brick layers on the building site. Carrying hod to the brick layers wasn't the worst part of the job. Sometimes I would have to help the cement finishers roll a heavy wheelbarrow of cement down a narrow plank into a basement, so the workers could finish out the cement floor. One time while I worked for the same company, I had to carry liquid plaster up several flights of stairs in 5 gallon buckets. The plaster was so dense and heavy the handles on the buckets would not hold up under the weight.

When I was 19 years old I landed a job at a local pharmaceutical company. The job was a combination of physically-demanding and somewhat mentally-demanding work. The commute to this job was only about 20 minutes each way. Compared to the jobs that I previously held, this job was a piece of cake. The stress level of my new job was low, and the people I worked with were pleasant to be around. The pay was three times more then I was accustomed to making. I believe I would have been content working at this job for the next 35 years. What happened to me six months later changed the course of my life. I was drafted into the Army and after medic training I was sent to Vietnam. You may be able to imagine how stressful and physically demanding being a combat medic was. While I was involved in my fair share of combat, after seven months a new medic took my place and I was given a job in the base camp first aid station. My job consisted of keeping medical records on every soldier in the battalion. This involved a lot of typing, and I hated typing. I had barely squeaked by in my high school typing class, but I did finish with a passing grade. Even though I despised typing long reports, this is exactly what was required of me in the battalion first aid station. Sometimes I would get so stressed out, I would start complaining to my medical platoon leader. His reply to me was always the same, you can grab your rucksack and your M-16 rifle and go back out into the jungle if you want. His reply brought me back to my senses, and I got back behind my typewriter and continued typing the long boring medical forms and reports.

While in Vietnam I think I saw the worst job ever. They say an army travels on its stomach. I think this is true. A well fed army is much more efficient than a starving army. The fact that armies eat a lot, leads to the necessity for one of the worst jobs on earth. What I am leading up to is the fact that someone has got the dubious job of burning fecal matter. This involved pouring diesel fuel into tubs of feces and stirring it with a paddle. The feces was then lit with a match and burned down to a fine ash. Everyone made sure not to get down wind of this operation, the odor was horrendous! The poor soul that got this job was not envied by anyone. The job was often given to someone who had gotten in trouble with military authorities. Sometimes the job was given to those who did not perform their previous job well. Often though, the job was just given at random, because there was no one else to do it. In my mind I was constantly hoping that I would never have to do that job.

Many people have jobs that are not physically demanding at all. However, a large number of people that make a fairly good wage have jobs that are mentally very stressful and difficult. The stress of commuting an hour or more each way to and from home to a mentally stressful job can be very exhausting. After you get to your job location you may have to work with difficult people. Nothing is worse about any job, than having to work with difficult people. This is why thousands of people are searching the web, trying to find a way to escape their current employment situation.

Everyone has a reason for their current situation. Some may feel they do not have many options or lack of education may be a factor. Many other people may have gotten a good education, and maybe doing well financially, but may be frustrated by the demands and the long hours that their job requires. It is usually difficult to find the perfect job. Some may get paid very well, but the very long stressful hours steals the joy from their life. Another problem workers face is low pay. A person with a low paying job may have more spare time, but less money to buy or do the things they want.

It is a matter of pain and reward. The pain, frustration, and aggravation of being trapped in a mentally or physically demanding job must be carefully weighed against the reward of being one's own boss.

Many people never take that first step toward the freedom of owning their own business. I'm not suggesting that's an easy decision. Walking away from a monthly check is often hard to do. I would like to suggest, however, that a person can begin by educating themselves a little at a time.

In today's world, education is King! Most people went to college, became educated in their field, and started a good paying job. To earn money on the Internet, also requires an education. The learning curve for some may be long and for others may be short. Those who were achievers in college, have a good chance of achieving in their own online business.

If you're the type of person that can stay focused and steer clear of all the hype and get-rich-quick schemes, you have a great chance of making it big on the Internet. The education you receive from reputable Internet companies can provide you with the tools necessary to earn an excellent income.

In conclusion, our careers are all about pain and reward. The pain of physically and mentally stressful jobs. The pain of long stressful commutes and many hours away from family. The pain of being underappreciated by your boss. The pain of knowing that you have never reached your full potential.

The reward of owning your own online business means no stress from long commutes or long hours away from the family. No more boss to tell you what to do, when to do it or how to do it. Another reward of being your own boss is taking time off when you want, spending time with your family and doing the things you enjoy. I always tell people if you enjoy what you’re doing, keep on doing it, but if you're ready for a change consider starting your own online business.

More to Life Than Dying!

More to Life Than Dying!
When I served as an infantry medic in Vietnam, I was amazed at how young all the other soldiers were. I witnessed many dead and wounded young men, some died in my arms. The nausea in my stomach was partly from fear, and partly because I mourned for my dead comrades. I thought to myself. God! There has got to be more to life than dying here in this jungle!
When I arrived home, the nausea in my stomach was still there. I wanted to cry out to everyone in America, "young men are dying over there, don't you care?" The country that I came back to had changed. The television shows, the news, the war protestors, all portrayed the Vietnam veteran as a bad guy! I went to serve my country and now the bad guys on TV are all mentally deranged Vietnam veterans! I did what most Vietnam veterans did, I clammed up. I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want anyone to know I was a Vietnam veteran.
I had gotten married before I went to Vietnam and had a little girl. I wanted to be a good husband and father, but the guilt and low self-esteem brought on by my Vietnam experience kept me mired down in self-pity and shame.
I had gone to church throughout childhood, and felt that the prayers of my church had gotten me through safely, but I was still having nightmares and walking the floor at night. I went to church and asked God to take away this burden. Praise God! I have never had another nightmare about Vietnam, and I have learned to take pride in the fact that I am a Vietnam veteran!
Give your life to Jesus Christ and start really living!
I am no longer ashamed of being a Vietnam veteran, and no one should be. Satan has a way of robbing us of what is rightfully ours. God can restore you through his son Jesus Christ!

Romans 5:7-8 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John W. Marks
Medic 101st Airborne
2/501st Infantry
69-70

Business Can Bee a Fun Adventure!

I grew up in a small town in Indiana and every day was an adventure. A local landowner had cut down a tree, and honeybees had built a nest inside a knothole in this tree. Now that the tree was laying flat on the ground, the knothole with the bees was right there about waist high. My friend, David, came to my house and wanted me to help him fight off the honeybees. He had the big idea to fight off all of the honeybees and get the honey inside of the beehive. Being young and stupid as I was, I thought that sounded like a pretty good idea; after all who can resist the taste of fresh honey. David and I didn’t realize how difficult the task at hand would be, but we knew that it would be exciting and adventurous to try. The bees were swarming all over the place. David and I used gunny sacks to fight off the honeybees. We were fighting honeybees for all they were worth. The bees were swarming all around us. We were afraid that we were going to get stung if we slowed down or stopped fighting. It is amazing how fast and furious one can work when motivated by fear.

Then it happened: David was stung on the tip of the earlobe. Now David was a tough little kid and he was really enjoying the excitement of fighting off those honeybees. He did not let the fact that he had been stung by a bee stop him from continuing his quest. Well, it was now getting close to lunchtime, so I went to my house, and David went to his. I had just barely finished my lunch when I heard a knock at the front door. It was David. I couldn’t believe my eyes! David’s face had swelled up to the size of a basketball. My mom and sister came running to the door. When they saw David’s face they were in shock. They didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He didn’t even look like the same little boy. He looked more like a puffy faced old man. His entire face was swollen and his eyes looked like little slits. My mom, being a registered nurse, treated the bee sting and insisted that David go home and show his parents. Needless to say, David and I were not allowed to go back to that beehive!
In the business world sometimes we focus on making money, instead of focusing on all the obstacles that stand in our way. Many times we are overwhelmed with the little things, and we spend all our time working on tasks that mean very little to our bottom line. Knowing where to focus our efforts is very important in the business world. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced entrepreneur or starting a business for the first time. Problems can come at you from many directions, like a swarm of bees. We swat and flail around at our problems trying to avoid a financial sting. The experienced entrepreneur may need to learn the latest techniques and skills. With the advent of the Internet a businessman or woman needs to be alert to constant change in the industry. Whereas the newbie must find expert advice or his time in business will be short-lived. It is a must to know where to focus our efforts. It is the key to success for all start-up businesses to get off on the right foot. Finding a marketing system that will lead you to your financial goals is not only important, but paramount.

Thinking About a Simpler Time

Hi everyone, John here. Ever since I was a small boy I have wanted to be in business. I think it all started back in the 1950’s. “Wow am I old.” I was named after my uncle, John W. Marks. He owned a grocery store in the very small town of 300 I grew up in. I loved to go into his store and run up and down the 2 aisles of canned goods and other food items. His main service was the fresh meat he sold. I loved to watch when the man brought the sides of beef into the store. They had a system with a large pulley that rolled right through the back door and into the refrigeration room. On butchering day my uncle would hire extra people to help him cut and wrap the meat. Some of the meat went on display in his one glass refrigerated display case. Another part of his business was to rent out small refrigerated units called “lockers.” As time passed fewer and fewer people rented locker space, because many of them started buying their own refrigerators.

At this point you are probably wondering how on earth did he stay in business with such a small store. Believe it or not two other stores offered groceries on a smaller scale as well. It is difficult for us to grasp the concept of three small grocery stores in this small town of 300 hundred people. The one thing that gave my uncle an edge over his competition was “friendly service.” He treated everyone with respect and a smile when they walked through the door. He also gave his customers great service, because he genuinely cared about all people, even the people that didn’t come to his store. I had gained great respect and admiration for my uncle, because he cared about me as well. To sum up his marketing skills, it was all about friendliness, service, and word of mouth. Yes, I believe that it was well known in our small town that “Marks’ Grocery” was the place to shop.

It is fun to reminisce about simpler times, but these marketing skills are not nearly enough in today’s world economy. It is good if your business is known for friendly service, but in the online world of internet marketing, it is far from enough to stay in business. The greatest need for an online business is online presence. Having a website is like building a brick and mortar business in the middle of the desert. It may be the greatest website in the world, but if no one ever walks through the door, your business is doomed before it starts. My uncle’s little grocery store made him somewhat wealthy by 1950’s standards. In today’s world of online marketing, having the right tools to drive business to your business is paramount and the life blood of your business. My uncle passed away at the age of 89 on 9/11/2001. Yes, it was on the same day that the twin towers were attacked. He was a memorable man that died on a memorable date.