 
Delivered fresh on September 14th, 2009
Greetings!
How do you live a great life? I was asked this question once and I answered by saying: "By wanting what you already have as you wait to get what it is that you want; by being grateful for everything, even the stuff that you don't think you like and by accepting yourself the way that you are and the way that you are not." My answer failed to leave me inspired. The words that came out of my mouth were just noise. If I had answered the question by honestly and thoughtfully, what I would've said was: "By having the courage to show up -- ANYWAY. ??I know what its like to want something with all of my heart, what it seems like I will never have; to face the thing that I have feared the most and come out on the other side - whole; to get up in the morning and start all over again because I've got the guts to hope. ??There are days when I just want to quit but I don't and I won't because my life is not about just me." How do you live a great life? You start by telling the truth... It is only when we dare to tell the truth that we can begin to set ourselves free to discover what it means to be alive. We can only begin to be truly happy when we stop apologizing for who we are and start responding to the invitation to share our real stories. The stories that are the hardest to tell are the ones we all long to hear. The conversations that reveal who we are and that communicate what we stand for, are the conversations - that we all really want to have. Dana DANA DELIVERED! User's Guide: 1) Open up your Dana Delivered! email. 2) Choose an article from the menu on the left hand side or just start from the beginning and read all the way through. 3) If you are reading an article and want to finish, Click on "Read More..." and you will be taken to our website. You can finish reading and while there, have a look around. Note: Dana's Dailies changes, well, daily so come back often. 4) Click on any of the words highlighted in red and you will be taken right to our site, DanaRoc.com. In INSPIRING PEOPLE: Dana talks with Novelist, Screenwriter, Political and Cultural Critic, Trey Ellis. Trey Ellis seems as complex as his life seems complicated; as serious as his life seems fun (and funny). Read Dana's EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Trey for the opportunity to wallow in the unadulterated humanity of a single Dad in the big city. Take a minute to read DANA'S WEEKLY INSIGHT and make sure that you listen to the AUDIO VERSION as well. There may be someone who needs you to pass that along. Check out DANA'S DAILIES for no other reason than to hopefully smile. And come back and visit the blog all week at www.danaroc.com/dailies. The special article FROM DANA'S GUESTS this week is A Profile On Dr. Michael Hrankowski. Dr. Hrankowski is a dentist who is making a difference by serving people without health care insurance; helping those who have been turned down for treatment again and again. Read his inspiring story! Check out AUGUSTE ROC'S MY TWO CENTS (For Whatever It Is Worth). There is something in it for YOU! While it may be "Two Cents" but you'll find it's worth a whole lot more. Feel free to email your comments to Auguste at auguste@danaroc.com. This week's THE GOOD LIFE : BOOKS selection is Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs by John Bowe (Editor), Marisa Bowe (Editor), Sabin Streeter (Editor). Everyday stories about the lives of everyday people often times offer the most extraordinary examples of courage and encouragement. Read it! Something useful in THE GOOD LIFE : WEB SITES this week. Check it out! And there's more so sit back, grab a cup of coffee, relax and enjoy. As always, thanks for reading! Stay cool. Be hungry. Never look back. Always reach back. Fear not. Believe always, Dana Yes I Can't
I like to know ahead of time if a story has a happy ending so sometimes I cheat and fast forward to the end of the movie or I turn first, to the last page in the book. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way in real life. Try as we might, it's impossible to know ahead of time how things will turn out in the end and we can't anticipate with any accuracy the things we might encounter along the way. Between the first scene and that last line, between "Once upon a time" and "They lived happily ever after" is when all hell usually breaks loose -- just like in real life. And, just like in real life, the middle is the mystery; the place where the adventure plays out. The beginning is when we can choose to opt in. In the end is where we look back triumphant. But, the agony of not knowing how or whether every little thing will be alright - happens in between. My eager hand shoots skyward with authority when she surveys the room for a volunteer. I am feeling lucky as I imagine that I might actually hear her say my name this time. I concentrate hard in an effort to increase my chances - hoping and quite frankly, fully expecting, so when she calls my name, I'm not at all surprised. I stand up victoriously and head to the back of the class room. Every one of those other fifth graders watches me with envy. I dutifully accept my prize -- two fat and furry guinea pigs - as I proudly agree to assume my responsibilities -- to take those guinea pigs home for the weekend with the pledge of getting them back to school safe and sound on Monday morning. In this moment, I feel like there's nothing I can't do. But I will soon discover that winning the right to take care of a couple of guinea pigs for the weekend was not at all what I thought it was cracked up to be. I imagined in the beginning that I would be the hero at home, worshipped by my brothers and sisters for my fearless abandon as I handled those pigs like a pro, admired and appreciated by my classmates upon my Monday morning return. What I could not anticipate however, was that home alone after school, beyond the borders of my classroom, without my teacher and those kids looking on, those pigs would scare me half to death, escape from my grip, assume the run of the house, force me to seek refuge in the bathroom, reduce me to a screaming cry baby who now needed to be rescued by Brenda Roley's mom who could hear my drama playing out from next door. Caught somewhere between, "I can conquer the world" and "What in the world was I thinking", the desire to somehow rewind the clock, erase the tape and lobby somebody, anybody for a do-over was overwhelming because - All hell had just broken loose! Imagine. Somehow those guinea pigs seemed a lot less scary at school. With all the kids standing around the cage fighting for a turn to hold them, I was confident. When the teacher called my name I could imagine, with certainty, returning to school on Monday proud that I had done a good job. Only, trapped in the bathroom, I couldn't figure out how the heck I would ever get to the end of what was supposed to have been a good time. And you? Have you ever started out excited and confident about doing something, heading toward a happy ending because that is the way we are taught its s'posed to turn out, only to find yourself caught in the middle of it? Feeling in the beginning like there's nothing you can't do, it's easy to imagine yourself the hero in the end. Trapped now and on your own, might you secretly be hoping to be rescued by anyone who might somehow notice that you need a little help? Forced to question your initial resolve, will you choose to stay in 'til the end? Mrs. Roley helped me round up those guinea pigs and she stayed with me until my mother got home, and although I never fully got over my fear of holding small domesticated little rodents, I did manage to rise to the occasion and honor my commitment and I was, in the end, applauded on Monday at school. Finding yourself in the middle of what only used to seem like a good idea and one that you hope can still turn out okay, is a pivotal place to be. It's where we question why we ever said "yes" in the first place and it's often where we grow. In the end the opportunity to look back, triumphant will emerge and the chance to acknowledge with pride that we survived, that we did what had to be done, will establish deep within us the desire to - say "yes" all over again. Dana Have a great week!
  Novelist, Screenwriter, Political and Cultural Critic, Trey Ellis
Trey Ellis seems as complex as his life seems complicated; as serious as his life seems fun (and funny). Trey generously offers a welcome opportunity to escape by inviting us to wallow in the unadulterated humanity of a single Dad in the big city. DR: Tell me about your life and your work. TE: I am a writer. I write novels and movies and I am a political blogger on the Huffington Post. I am also teaching screenwriting at Columbia University film school. Last year I wrote my first play which was put up at the Lincoln Center Institute which is Lincoln Center's teaching wing. I like doing a lot of things. I like wearing a lot of hats. DR: Your book is about fatherhood. Can you tell me about being a father, doing the work that you do, living in the city... TE: Five years ago, my wife and I...
 A Profile on Dr. Michael Hrankowski, DDS and the "Day of Caring"
Healthcare. Insurance. Universal. Private. Single-payer. Through the media and our personal experiences, we all know that our healthcare system is suffering. We have too many people without access to healthcare and still more who have access but are still driven to poverty due to the overwhelming costs still not covered by their health insurance plans. The topic has been a national debate for years and yet, even though there are now glimmers of hope, the crisis is worse than ever with millions falling through the cracks. A crucial facet of healthcare often missing from our debate on the crisis is dental care. Dental health is central to our physical health and yet is often overlooked. When dental health deteriorates and oral decay begins to spread, the effect on the body is immediate and systemic, with negative impacts that range from lowered immune resistance all the way up to fatal heart or brain disease. In addition, a smile is a person's first interaction with and impression to the world. When the smile is damaged, so is self-confidence and the perception others have of the person's worth. Most often, when self-confidence is lost or others negatively judge the person, lost too is the person's ability to be their best, to contribute, impact and make a difference in their communities. This past February, on a cold Saturday morning, Dr. Michael Hrankowski opened the doors of his dental office - Edmonds Woodway Dental Care - to provide...
 Goal Tending
Have you ever agreed to play a game, launch a project or complete a task and then found yourself having to deal with unexpected problems and issues that threaten the outcome? Games are designed fundamentally to include challenges. Every game that you will play will include roadblocks and obstacles, big and small, along the way. There are times when challenges will appear to be insurmountable and when every step taken will be met with a surprising blow, knocking you two steps backward for every one step that you've taken. And just when you get though the first difficulty, committed to going on no matter what, you find yourself having to deal with something all over again. Athletes train long and hard to prepare their mind and body to take on every obstacle -- planned and unplanned. They condition themselves to overcome and develop their ability adjust to every possible situations, believing that they will ultimately succeed. In 1986, French champion Savate martial artist, Gilles le Duigou, broke both his arms in attempting to block a roundhouse kick during a championship match. Despite urges for him to stop the fight, Gilles continued without the use of his arms, and went on to knockout and defeat his opponent with a whip kick. Years later in a television interview, when asked why he chose to not quit during that fight, he responded: "My desire and will to win was the most overwhelming thing." For world class athletes, winning is more important than the obstacles that they must overcome. Keep your eye on the prize. That's my two cents (for whatever it's worth), Auguste Roc
 Don't Disturb This Groove!
The first conscious memory that I have of making a fool of myself was — the first day of kindergarten. It was my very first day of school ever and we all stood holding hands in a circle. We had a few minutes left before it was time to go home. Mrs. Marquardt asked if anyone had an idea about what we could do with our extra few minutes. No one spoke up so I did: "I know!", I said. "Let's dance!" (I had a new pair of white patent leather shoes and I was so proud. Could this be my opportunity to show them off and make a few friends in the process?) I jumped into the middle of that circle and I danced like there was no tomorrow. When I finally came out of my happy trance and opened my eyes, everyone was looking at me but not the way that I thought that they would. Then Mrs. Marquardt expressed her disapproval without holding back. I walked home that day a little less of who I was when I got there. But, when I got home and my little sister Denise asked me, with complete and total worship: "What was like at Kindergarten?" I answered her by slipping on those patent leather shoes and — re-enacting my DANCE!  Free Documentaries.org
Why I am recommending this website: Because the range of subject matter is fantastic and the fact that they offer users the opportunity to see these amazing and informative films for free is - well, does it get any better? For a great way to spend a winter afternoon - hang out on this site! From the Website: » Visit Free Documentaries.org
 Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs
Because I am fascinated with intimate peeks into the lives of everyday people. There is so much beauty in the candor and simplicity of human beings and so much that we can learn about ourselves while peeking. Click here to purchase this book.
Click here to purchase this book.
 
Thoughts should be considered as sweet fruit or fine wine. Until allowed to fully ripen, they should remain — unserved.
 
DanaRoc.com is a multimedia Internet destination featuring Dana Delivered! -- an ezine filled with interesting stories and fun tidbits delivered fresh to your email inbox first thing every Monday morning. Both entertaining and informative, Dana Delivered! is packed full of sound advice, inspiring perspectives, great original interviews with influential and successful people, insightful and interesting guest articles, regular columnists, Dana's recommendations and more.
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