I think the title of this blog says it all, but I’ll elaborate.  2017 has been a weird year so far.  Not necessarily in a bad way, but it’s been a year of changes and rearranges.  Losing the Chargers was a big part of how the year started. It is probably one of the biggest internal life shifts I’ve ever gone through, and I’m still waiting to see where I will stand overall with my passion for football.  And for those who know me, I had a BIG passion for Chargers football. There are a lot of people with a lot of different opinions on where they stand and I respect them all.

I can compare my feelings for the Chargers leaving with those who stalk their ex on Facebook.  They check to see what they’re up to, they are wishing nothing but failure in their new relationship, and they still wonder whether they should send a ‘friend’ text and hang on to a bit of what they once had.

OK, enough about them for now, I’m sure I’ll blog more about that once football season gets closer.

Change is not easy, whether it’s positive change or challenges.  There is a lot of change going on right now in my life, and sometimes it can get overwhelming.  But with change can come new opportunities.  I have decided that I have no choice but to look at the changes going on and think to myself “What can this turn into?” Instead of “Why did things have to change?”

With that, I’ve really started looking at what makes me happy.  My wife makes me happy, my family makes me happy, and even though don’t always focus on it enough, I’m really coming back to a place where I make me happy.  When I’m at my best I love who I am.  I love making people laugh, I love being a positive person, and I have to remind myself a lot that no one and nothing has the right to hold me back from that feeling.  When you believe in yourself then forward is the only way to go.  Never let any anyone or anything tell you otherwise.

So, outside of Chargers football, I’m on this mission to rediscover the little things that make me happy.  All those things I’ve buried and moved on from due to “Adulting” I really want to find and focus on again. So, not that long ago, I found a great way to kick this feeling off.  And with that, I give you…….

DISNEY EXCLUSIVE MUPPET STAR WARS FIGURES!!!!!

I love the Muppets.  I love Star Wars and I love Disneyland.  If you don’t know this about me, I’m sorry, you may be looking for another Greg Betz blog 🙂 For the longest time, Disneyland sold these Muppet Star Wars figures at their gift shop just as you came off Star Tours.  For years I would look at these figures and think how amazing it would be to have them, just grab that piece of my childhood.  But, the adult I am always told myself there were better things to spend the money on and I would get them “Next time”.

Well, that next time finally came with a trip to Disneyland in 2014. We rode Star Tours, and as we came off the ride I walked right past the area they were…..or used to be.  Disney stopped selling them, the shelves were stocked with something else completely.  I asked every cast member I could talk to, they sent me from one store to another looking for anyone that still had them.  And…….gone. They officially discontinued making them in 2013.

I was honestly mad at myself for being an adult that day.  I was mad for looking at something that the kid in me wanted for so long and missing that opportunity.  I got on my cell phone and did internet searches, called Walt Disney World in Florida, and nothing.

It wasn’t about the material toys, it was the idea that you found something that you have a passion for, something that connects with who you are, and you told yourself “Next time”.  No matter what it is in life that makes you happy, material or no, take a moment to think about whether or not “Adulting” is more important than doing something for yourself that makes you happy.  Make that left hand turn instead of right, see that movie, sleep 5 minutes more, do whatever you need to do to make your day and life just a little better.  For me, I wanted to feel like a kid again.  I wanted to know that going to work means something more than just paying bills.  I found a piece of my childhood and I felt I deserved it.  Believe me, I don’t always treat myself to much, but when I do it’s something that matters.  So, never giving up……..

Long story short, after years of Ebay stalking I found someone selling the whole collection intact and at face value.  And now they are mine, in all their geeky Muppet glory, and I have them on display right where I want them.

Change is not easy, but holding on to who you are and how to represent yourself will make a big difference in how you can handle that change.  For me, it’s learning to love what makes me happy.  Losing the Chargers hit me hard, but it opened my eyes to looking myself in the mirror and reminding myself what makes me….me!  There are many things I love, and this is especially fun to share a piece of what makes me smile.  To some they’re just toys, to me they represent never letting go of who you are and what you love. Plus, my inner geek is floating on a cloud now 🙂

I’ll leave you with a quote from Jim Henson used in the original Muppet Movie:

“Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending. We’ve done just what we set out to do. Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers and you.”

Thanks for being here 🙂