Anyone who knows me knows that I very rarely do anything “off the cuff” without any reason or thought behind it. In fact, most people think I overthink some things. The name of this blog would fall into that category. I probably spent two weeks running through different names. I wanted to be fun, clever, meaningful and interesting — whether I effectively achieved that is up to the audience, I suppose, but I like it!The name sets the tone of the blog. It’s the first thing most people find out about a blog (when seeing the name in blogrolls, blog directories, search engine results and elsewhere). It can instantly convey a personality or promote a message. I wanted this title to do just that. So, what’s this blog name seeking to convey? Well, seeing as how I’m long-winded, it’s probably best for me to break it down into more “bite-sized” pieces. So, for this post, I’ll concentrate on the first part of the blog name…
“Brad Neese…”
That’s my name. The blog is primarily about me (as selfish as that might sound) — my life, my thoughts and my observations about the world around me. I’m proud of who I am — not in a conceited sort of way (or at least I hope not) — but because of Who made me, because of who raised me, because of who loves me (and whom I love), because of my life experiences, because of my achievements, because of my failures, because of my skills and talents, and because of my quirks, imperfections and shortcomings.
I am unique, few people will disagree. I am sometimes odd, sometimes weird and sometimes very silly — in a very child-like (or some would say, childish) way. I am intelligent, thoughtful and opinionated, yet open-minded and tolerant of most — except for intolerant, moronic or overly self-centered people. I love to laugh. I’m not afraid to cry (and often can’t help it when I watch a really good, “tear-jerker” movie, documentary or television show).
I’m mildly anti-social, especially when it comes to large crowds or unfamiliar situations. I can be fun to be around (or so I’ve been told). I can be a grump as well. I’m passionate about many things. I am generally a generous and caring person — almost to a fault having been taken advantage of a few times. I love my family more than life itself.
I am the son of two wonderful parents who loved me, cared for me and taught me a lot about real life. I am the brother to a brother and sister who have grown into amazing people who I respect greatly and enjoy spending precious (dwindling) time with each successive year. I am husband to the woman of my dreams — really. She is the very essence of “womanly.” She is my soul mate, my lover and my best friend. I am the father to two awesome teen-aged daughters. They are my absolute pride and joy. They are truly wonderful young ladies who are intelligent, respectful, well-mannered and fun to be around.
I am me. And here you will get a glimpse of my world — both internal and external. It’s like living in a glass house. But the advantage of living in a glass house is that you are unlikely to live a life or behave in a way within your home that you wouldn’t want the outside world to see because glass walls allow them to see inside anyway! This is my very own virtual reality show. Move over Gene Simmons — this is my “Family Jewels“!
“…Living Large…”
As you may or may not be able to tell from the portrait at the top of the homepage, I am a big boy… a really big boy. “Well, how big a boy are ya?” Roy D. Mercer might ask. It’s too embarrassing to outright tell you what I weighed on the bathroom scales this morning, so I’ll tell you what I would weigh on the moon, which sounds much nicer: 56.2 pounds — now you go figure the math! When Oklahoma City’s mayor shared with the world about his challenge to city residents to lose a combined 1 million pounds by the end of this year, he had me in mind. I’m convinced that he got the idea after seeing me walk in downtown Oklahoma City and was counting on me to account for a significant percentage of that 1 million pound goal. Well, okay, that’s not really true, but I did take it a little personally when he told the world that we were one of the fattest cities in the country and needed to go on a diet. I hate diets, as is evidenced by my ever-expanding girth. And at times I can be little sensitive when people make comments about my size.
I’ve always been overweight. I was a fat baby. I was a pudgy kid growing up in school — always called fat, even when I wasn’t all that much above the norm. Even when I was at my leanest, which was in college around the time that I met and married Karla, I was still overweight — and that was while I was dieting and exercising a lot — which is a little disconcerting when you think about it. If I couldn’t get to my ideal weight when I was on a strict diet and solid, daily exercise program during my college-aged years, what hope do I have now of ever making it?
While I would love to lose weight (and will strive this year to do just that), I am what I am and I will make the most of what I am and who I am. As I said last time, I am proud of who I am, even as a large man. And as a large man, by definition, I am “living large.”
As I thought about the name, I loved the double entendre. Not only was I living in my largeness, I am striving to truly live life to the fullest — “living large!” As I considered whether the double meaning was truly what I thought it meant, I did some reading around the Internet and found a lot of different meanings for living large, some related to weight like I did here, others referred to spending habits (which would likely apply to me as well) and others meant it the way this writer did and the way I was meaning it as well:
Living large to me means exploring all your talents and not being afraid to attempt them. It means taking chances and not only rejoicing in your accomplishments, but taking your mistakes and using them as a great life experience. It means not having any regrets and enjoying everything life has to offer, the good and the bad.
I think that applies to me as well, especially in the last few years. I’m trying to get the most out of my life. I’ve purposely adjusted my attitude to try to be more positive, to be more joyful (and pleasant to be around), and to be more flexible about life circumstances. I am more content and more at peace than I’ve ever been. I try to be the smile in my workplace when others look like they aren’t so happy. I diligently strive to expand my horizons, both professionally and personally, so that I’m constantly growing and improving myself. I am making the most of the time God has blessed me with — trying to savor every precious moment with my growing (much too fast) daughters, trying to treasure every moment with my bride and trying to appreciate every moment of my life as much as possible because I realize that once that moment has passed, you never have another chance to live it.
So, I believe that I am truly “living large” in every sense of the phrase. And as you follow along my life story as it unfolds, perhaps if I put my whole mind to it, I can live life larger in a much smaller frame. Stay tuned!
“…in Oklahoma”
That’s where I live. It’s a state that I’ve fallen in love with. It’s a place that I am (generally) proud to call home (except for those times when the most ignorant side of our state gets national exposure).
I’m a transplant to Oklahoma. My family moved to Altus in 1986 right at the start of my senior year in high school. We didn’t know what to expect at the time. When we heard we were moving to Oklahoma, we were deflated. “What’s in Oklahoma? Where is Oklahoma?” We had very low expectations about the state we were being assigned to. An Air Force officer at the base my dad was being stationed told us before we moved to appreciate and remember the trees where we were living at the time because there weren’t any in Oklahoma. Well, it was an exaggeration obviously, but he wasn’t too far off in Altus (located in the far southwestern part of the state).
Two things we noticed right off when we traveled through Oklahoma (literally from the northeastern corner, driving down I-44 through Miami (Mi-a-muh, as I’ve been repeatedly reminded by native Oklahomans), Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Lawton and then straight west to Altus.
- Red dirt — and I mean RED dirt. That was the first time we had ever seen red dirt. Dirt is supposed to be brown or black, right? That’s all we’d ever seen… before coming to the red earth state.
- Big sky. The sky seems so much bigger in Oklahoma than just about anywhere else* we lived previously, especially the farther west you go in the state. On a clear day in Altus, the sky was/is an awesome shade of blue that stretches from horizon to horizon and it seems so incredibly big. I can’t emphasize that enough. I know that other western states have similar views, but this was the first time I had noticed it and it was amazing. (*The exception would be when we lived in far western Kansas, but it still didn’t seem as big, but maybe I just wasn’t noticing and appreciating it at the time.)
I’ve lived here for more than two decades since and I have truly grown to love this state. There is an unquantifiable je ne sais quoi that makes it difficult to describe to outsiders what makes this state so endearing to those who call this place home.
There’s a natural beauty to the state (that some people don’t or choose not to see); Oklahoma promotes itself as having the most diverse ecological landscapes within its borders than any other state. Certainly, if you travel from northeastern Oklahoma to southwestern Oklahoma, you’ll notice a distinct difference; and if you travel between southeastern Oklahoma to northwestern Oklahoma, you’ll find an even more stark contrast.
More than any other state that I’ve lived in, this state has a spirit — the “Oklahoma Spirit” that locals like to brag about — that binds it together, that rallies its citizenry together in times of tragedy and need, and that rises above the distinct (and sometimes quite partisan) differences among its people.
I’ve lived in several other states: Florida, Texas (far southern part along the coast), Virginia, South Carolina, Kansas, Illinois and Indiana. They each have qualities I like about them, especially Florida. But none of them is like Oklahoma. And this is where I want to live. And this is the place I am proud to call home.
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So, now you know “what’s in a name” when it comes to this blog. It boils down to this: This blog is about who I am, about what I’m doing and about where I’m doing it. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
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