Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. Theodore Roosevelt

    I pride myself in an ability to see value where others overlook it; give me a field of briers and brush -I see a goat pasture; give me a roadside dump- I see hundred of dollars in scrap metal; show me a dilapidated old house - I see vintage chestnut and oak lumber. From my minivan that is used for a truck to my constant trolling of government surplus websites I am constantly trying to squeeze extra value out of the things around me. The world is your oyster if you open your mind and creatively and sustainably reach for the pearls. 

  I try to approach people in the same manner , I find friends in the fringes and the outliers of the community. Those who others shun I look more closely at and search for value in.  I will help anyone and abhor snobbishness and self-righteousness in all its guises. 

Father Edward J. Flanagan is the founder and visionary for what’s known today as Boys Town. He had a dream that every child could be a productive citizen if given love, a home, an education and a trade. He accepted boys of every race, color and creed. Father Flanagan firmly believed, “There are no bad boys. There is only bad environment, bad training, bad example, bad thinking.”

That being said there are people who have treated me and others wrong for their own gain or selfishness and all one can do is learn to be wary of them, and possibly stay focused on their failings so as be aware of your own.

Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

also Theodore Roosevelt