Latest / Voices for Voices® / Santa, Stuffed Puppies, And Why Feelings Matter | (Episode 356)

Transcript

Santa, Stuffed Puppies, And Why Feelings Matter | (Episode 356) · Voices for Voices®

• 0:02
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Hey everyone, it's Justin.
• 0:04
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh welcome again to another episode of Voices Your Voices TV show and podcast.
• 0:10
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh, we are over 355 episodes.
• 0:16
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Thank you for your love and support.
• 0:18
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Thank you for tuning in, whether you're watching or listening.
• 0:23
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: If you're in the United States or in any country, territory, province across the world.
• 0:31
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um we we ask if you can give us a thumbs up, if you can smash that subscribe button, like, follow, share, uh, leave us comments, uh, reach out if you'd like to be on the show.
• 0:48
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And uh we are just grateful to have you with us on another another episode here.
• 0:56
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And what we're gonna do is uh speak a little bit about uh how uh imagination plays a role in our lives, our children's lives, children, um, whether they're ours, whether we have nieces, nephews, uh imagination plays a big role in children.
• 1:34
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And I think not just children.
• 1:38
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I think I think children are who we look at and look to for umosive imagination.
• 1:54
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh, you know, as as life goes on, there uh tends to be less and less things that we're able to open up our imagination dream uh about for one reason or another, uh, that we think a door is closed when uh maybe we just need to walk up to that door and see if it's uh see if it's open.
• 2:27
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And with the children having you know that that real that real innocence of each and every day learning something new, uh something new, how the world works, how their mind works, how uh uh physically uh whether they're jogging or running or um shooting a basketball, um, playing catch.
• 3:06
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh so many different ways to use our imagination.
• 3:14
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh and one we haven't touched on is that mental imagination.
• 3:22
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um the younger we are, the more we're able to have a belief and imagination that the world is a big place, and we can do what we put our mind to.
• 3:52
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um oh, before we go on, uh I did get a little haircut.
• 3:58
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So yeah, you're if you're watching, uh I I did get uh a little bit of a trim, so um just wanted to call that out.
• 4:11
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: It's not uh you know any any studio effect.
• 4:15
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And uh so uh so moving on, uh we're thinking about the that word imagination and and I kind of I kind of put that together with dreaming in a way because to dream is to really think about something, some things that we want to do that we've seen others do, we've talked to others, we've uh seen a play, a show, uh talk with our our families about, and and so they're very to me, they're they're closely linked together.
• 5:17
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh because in order to dream, you have to have that imagination that you can do it, that you can get there, whatever whatever it takes.
• 5:33
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh, because we know things aren't aren't easy.
• 5:39
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so as we find ourselves uh growing up and being more self-sufficient and learning and testing and hypothesizing that whole scientific method.
• 6:02
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um it is the imagination that really helps us continue to have that drive, that ambition to want to want to do something maybe that nobody in our family has done, whether that's attain a certain degree, uh, whether that is playing a sport, whether that is uh uh becoming an actor, an actress, uh a professional sport player, yeah, whatever, whatever that may be, and an astronaut, that was my my dream and my imagination at a young age thought that that was like the coolest thing to be able to do that.
• 7:07
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I still think it's a cool thing, but I do have um a lot of claustrophobia, I guess now, and so there's not quite a lot of room in uh in these uh space vehicles and to uh uh yeah, I I just I just have different different thoughts on on that.
• 7:38
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um on the one hand, I'd love to do it.
• 7:41
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: On the other, you know, thinking about that claustrophobic um and and and then my anxiety coming in the in the play.
• 7:51
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh but with children, uh with with people that still have that hungry spirit, that mind to be a veterinarian, to help animals, to be a doctor, a nurse, uh somebody who draws blood to get tested.
• 8:23
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh so many so many different things we we can do.
• 8:31
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so first and foremost, we're never too late to dream.
• 8:39
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: There, we're never too late to imagine.
• 8:43
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh there may be some barrier older, not older, some extra barriers, depending on our age, depending on if there's you know a financial barrier.
• 8:58
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh for instance, uh, some of these uh in in the United States and even across the world, you know, there's restaurants and some of them are franchises.
• 9:10
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so in order to purchase a franchise or buy into a franchise, like a McDonald's, like a Chick-fil-A, and the list goes on and on.
• 9:25
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh you have to have a certain amount of money saved uh before you can go forward and and start looking at locations.
• 9:39
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh not to mention it's not a you know an eight to five, 40, 40 hour a week job.
• 9:46
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: It's a it's uh really a big undertaking to to do that.
• 9:55
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh and so maybe that's one one one of that's uh I mean that's a dream uh to imagine one time you or I to have that ability to uh have the opportunity to have a franchise of a particular restaurant chain.
• 10:20
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh and and so again, we we may still have that dream, that imagination, but maybe we don't have the required money uh needed available to do that.
• 10:39
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um and so we we just continue on and until we uh we we get to the point where we do have the money uh or another dream, another idea has been imagined and dreamed uh for us.
• 11:03
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I'm done a lot a lot of talking and some of it might not be making a a lot of a lot of sense, but uh now I think uh you know getting into why I wanted to do this this particular show.
• 11:28
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So regardless if you practice a religion or not, uh you have holiday or not, uh I'm I'm going on my experiences, so uh we're all we're all in this together.
• 11:49
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh this this isn't something that it's you know it's only me and it's only for certain believers.
• 12:01
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um with children, there's that imagination, you know, the brain still forming and you know forms from the back to the front.
• 12:17
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So you know, rationalizing a reasoning is the frontal lobe of our brains, uh, and and that that is not fully developed until in sometime in our 20s, uh uh years of age.
• 12:35
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so that makes a little bit of sense of as we as we're growing up, but we may not have the best understanding of uh well, we have we have to understand the consequences, uh but we just have less less things to to to worry about.
• 13:05
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh more than likely, you know, growing up six, seven, eight, nine, ten years old, we don't have a mortgage, we don't have food that we have to buy, we don't have if we want to go on a vacation, uh we don't have student loans, we don't have car payments or leases, uh those those types of things we uh we kind of acquire the older we get.
• 13:34
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so some of us we celebrate uh we celebrate Christmas or another holiday.
• 13:46
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And there is you know for for for believers like myself with my higher authority, you know, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Jesus dying on the on on the cross, uh, carrying his cross, falling, and only to be uh crucified and then uh raised on on the the third day.
• 14:19
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um and and and so the meaning of what Christmas is Christmas, so let's spell it out Christmas C H R I S T M A S.
• 14:36
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so if we put that together and then we separate Christmas, Christmas, Christmas means more Christ.
• 14:55
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Doesn't mean more presents, doesn't mean more gifts, doesn't mean oh now I'm gonna get that brand new car that I always wanted, uh, or private jet, or you know, you name it.
• 15:15
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Maybe for some of us that that's the case, but uh the older I've gotten in uh out of kind of the the mental health valley for me started to really try and keep trying, keep trying to not just focus on myself and what I want uh but what others want and and and need.
• 15:58
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So there is a uh say a uh is a fundraiser.
• 16:13
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So locally here and uh around the Akron Akron area, Akron Children's Hospital, they have a and and I'm not endorsing any organization, I'm just giving the facts as they are.
• 16:30
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And the fundraiser is where individuals, organizations, uh you know, dental practices, uh lawyer practices, uh, they'll they'll have a theme.
• 16:50
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Again, I'm talking about the the Christmas aspect.
• 16:54
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Again, I'm not leaving out if if you you believe in another higher authority.
• 17:02
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I'm I'm just giving my my example here.
• 17:05
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh and so you can adapt what I am sharing to your your story and and your family and your beliefs or non-beliefs.
• 17:17
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so each year there's this this annual uh Christmas tree show where families again, dental practices, uh anybody can can uh put together an idea and decorate a tree, and then you know, then there's a number put on the the the tree of how much it is to purchase that tree.
• 17:55
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so these are uh artificial trees, and some have themes of sporting teams, some have themes of snowmen, of certain types of food, candy, gift cards, gift baskets, uh and one year uh I was I was teaching uh college at the local university, where I've been teaching for the last 10 years.
• 18:31
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Hopefully that comes back because I really enjoyed doing that uh and sharing my knowledge and my mental health experience as uh Dr.
• 18:40
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Collins uh has uh really instilled trust and strength in me to do that when I'm given that opportunity and those opportunities.
• 18:52
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So having done that for uh over 10 years, um one of the things at at the university is uh the business school, not every year, uh a lot of years or sometimes school-wide, there would be an adopt a family, and so a family that uh has fallen on hard times and not sure if they're gonna be able to provide again.
• 19:32
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: You know, the Christmas is really about more Christ, not about presence and and that.
• 19:39
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh but these this tree festival uh that that happens uh at the university.
• 19:51
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Sometimes again, there's you know, one like a family that they kind of that they kind of adopt for that year.
• 19:58
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so uh you know, gift cards and money and donations and and um and all those get collected and and then uh delivered to the family, and and they're able to celebrate and have uh a better chance at having a more normalized holiday Christmas, if that's what they're celebrating, like us.
• 20:35
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And even if it's not, that's okay.
• 20:39
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh you can still have holiday trees and still decorate.
• 20:44
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And in some year, my uh my now wife, she and her family, uh, they had a theme, they wanted to do a tree, and it was around school supplies, and so there were uh on the tree, there were uh you know markers, there were glue sticks, there were colored pencils, pens, pencils, paper, there's there's a ton, and you you can look back through our social media.
• 21:19
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um, it's uh it's been quite some time.
• 21:23
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh it I do tend to sometimes duplicate posts uh during different times of the year.
• 21:30
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So, you know, maybe as we get closer to December 25th, then uh maybe maybe I'll make make a post with with that tree, uh, you know, in a protractor, having uh a ruler, uh having uh things related to school.
• 21:53
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so what I wanted to do, uh and so there's a price tag on it, and the money, all the money that's raised goes to the Accerton uh Children's Hospital.
• 22:09
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so if you you buy the the tree or the wreath, uh then you know there's a certain day and time that they they'd like you to come pick pick that up.
• 22:27
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so what I ended up doing was uh given that I was teaching at university, the university had a family that they had picked out for that particular year.
• 22:44
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so I ended up donating or purchasing the tree that my now wife uh and her family put together uh that was based around you know school, school supplies, and uh for those parents or anybody that's a guardian uh watching over a child or at some point throughout their lifetime, school supplies.
• 23:12
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Well, some can be less expensive, they can add up over time, and and so uh I ended up donating the amount of that tree that my wife and her family um we weren't we weren't engaged uh at at that at that time, but my now wife.
• 23:40
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh so we were dating and then we're getting engaged and then married and and and and the like and so I I wanted basically do well three things, what it ended up being.
• 23:57
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Number one, the money was gonna go towards the Akron General Hospital as a donation.
• 24:03
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: That was number one.
• 24:05
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Number two, the tree wasn't gonna be left over at the end, or sometimes there could be trees left over that maybe people weren't interested in as much, and I didn't want that to happen.
• 24:27
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh, so that was two, and then the third part was being able to have that tree delivered to the university so they could then deliver it to the family in need, and so for me, uh that was something that I don't I mean, I guess it was a dream of uh imagination of taking one thing and being able to do three different things of helping people, and so I was able to do it, and it was the feeling that I I got from doing that.
• 25:23
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I mean, there's really no words to explain that.
• 25:28
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh as if you obviously under understand and know voices for voices and uh what we're intending to do as an organization and helping three billion people plus over the course of my lifetime and beyond with the guests, with the topics we we we delve into.
• 25:55
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh it probably comes as no surprise that I would be involved, if possible, with something that could be not just one thing.
• 26:08
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: It could turn into not not one, not two, but three different ways of uh utilizing a uh utilizing my strengths and when uh and helping people, uh as well as having my wife and their family feel good that the tree was gonna go to uh I wasn't buying it for our ourselves, I was buying it for others and donating for for others, not just the money aspect, um, but to to be able to get that to the family need.
• 26:55
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And that was probably one of the best feelings, and it took a a little bit of imagination, uh, but the way my mind goes, uh it didn't really take long for my mind to arrive at okay, if it's possible, is this something that's even possible?
• 27:21
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Of okay, now I have to do the logistics of not have me deliver, not me pick up the tree, but have it delivered to the school, uh, who would then transport it to the family's house with the other uh gift cards and and and gifts that were uh collected uh school-wide.
• 27:52
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And this is another example of when I talk about you know what I'm doing here on earth, what what we're doing, voices for voices, and this was long before voices for voices.
• 28:12
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: This was just me as a person, and I still was say somewhat still in the midst of uh you know my my alcohol abuse days.
• 28:24
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh I I was I was not through those those days at that time.
• 28:31
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um but I I look back at that experience and how I mean I still didn't get you know goosebumps talking about it.
• 28:43
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And it's not to say like, oh, I'm better than anybody else.
• 28:46
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: It's not it what it is is I identified a situation and I tried to maximize it and help as many people as I could through one event, one action.
• 29:12
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And I I mean, even to this day, and it's been many years since uh that that occurred, and it it's still again, I you know, the hairs in my arms are and the goosebumps are there because it made me feel so good to really get to a point where I was starting to formulate what I wanted to do with my life.
• 29:55
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I wasn't anywhere close to starting voices for voices.
• 29:59
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Voices or hitting rock bottom mental health wise.
• 30:04
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: But whether it was that, whether it's uh taking somebody who doesn't have a ticket to a ball game uh and sit with them for a whole game.
• 30:22
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um when they're outside the stadium asking for money and donations and not just have them come with me to the game.
• 30:39
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um, but I stayed the whole game with that individual, and that individual told me that uh he really did appreciate uh, you know, basically me inviting and going up and saying, Hey, do you have a ticket?
• 31:01
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And he said, No.
• 31:02
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And I said, Hey, do you want to go to the game?
• 31:05
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um, he said, sure.
• 31:07
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So we went.
• 31:09
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And it was, I don't know if it was the fourth or fifth inning, but it was somewhere in the middle of the ballgame uh of the the baseball game.
• 31:19
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh for those that uh don't know, there's usually nine innings in a baseball game and the and the pros.
• 31:28
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: The the world series is going on now between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays.
• 31:34
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Toronto is up uh three games to two, it's the best out of seven.
• 31:40
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um, and so uh one of the two teams has to win four games to win the World Series.
• 31:49
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So, right now, if the Toronto Blue Jays win the next game, then they'll have won the World Series.
• 31:56
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: If the Los Angeles Dodgers win the next game, then uh the series will be tied up three games to three games, and then they'll go to game seven, and whoever wins game seven will win the world series.
• 32:13
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Anyways, getting back to that story.
• 32:15
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um, so yeah, it was somewhere around the middle of the the ball game, and and the the individual that uh again, I never met him, I never knew who he was.
• 32:27
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I had an extra ticket, and I was like, maybe I can bless somebody and and help maybe make their day a little bit brighter, and it was a very cold day, so and it wasn't uh the weather wasn't that that great.
• 32:47
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So I uh found individual.
• 32:52
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I went up asked him and ended up going in.
• 32:57
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: We were watching the game, it was about midway through.
• 33:00
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I asked if he wanted something to eat, got something to eat, and it was shortly after that that yeah, he kind of he's in a wheelchair and and he kind of turned to turn next to me and just said, Hey, thanks for for doing this.
• 33:18
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh and I said, You're welcome.
• 33:20
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I I really like it just made things better to go to a game with somebody, um, even though I didn't didn't know who they were, but we you know we got to have a conversation and and chit-chat.
• 33:38
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And he said after uh we we both ate a little bit uh at the game, that he said no.
• 33:49
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: He said I he was he was really thank you.
• 33:52
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh I said, you're welcome.
• 33:55
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh I wanted to do it, and you didn't have a ticket, so I I I wanted to ask you, and so I did.
• 34:05
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: He goes, No, not just that, not just the not the food.
• 34:09
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: He said the fact that you stayed with me for the whole game, even just having conversation and about the game, about just random random things, just conversation.
• 34:32
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And he said, you know, he goes, uh, you know, other people have over the years uh you know Bob you know had had me come with them into the game and that he said, but all the other times, as soon as it we got into the game, so we got through the you know the ticket scanners and the security and all that, he said that once they got through the security and the ticket scanner and and all that, that the people left.
• 35:09
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: They didn't leave the the ball game, they just went and did their own thing.
• 35:13
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: They felt that like well they did a good deed and and that and what they did.
• 35:17
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh he said, you know, you you didn't have you don't have to be, you know, just you know, stand in with me.
• 35:30
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And I said, I said, that's not a problem.
• 35:34
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Like that's that was my intention.
• 35:36
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I wasn't gonna just leave uh just leave you uh as we got through the gates, and and that part made me feel really good.
• 35:50
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And yeah, there was a cost of tickets and the m and and and of of the food, but that comment there still to this day means so much.
• 36:03
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh the I just I just figure that if other people had invited him into a ball game before that they do the same thing, they would hang out and talk and cheer for the home team, or if it's an away team, or you know, just being a human.
• 36:33
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So just because he has some challenges, uh mobile challenges and moving around didn't mean he was any less of a person, and he wasn't.
• 36:46
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And I said, You're welcome.
• 36:48
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh that's what I wanted to do.
• 36:51
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh and I said, and trust me, you know, you're doing as much for me as you know I'm doing for you, uh, just by having conversation and um being at the at the game.
• 37:06
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And I uh so there's things over the course of the the years that that I've done that I'm not a saint, I'm not perfect, nobody is, I'm not, I know darn sure, I'm not.
• 37:25
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so the reason I'm bringing this up on the on this this particular show and getting into imagination and and such is when you have those feelings, like wow, it that feels really good.
• 37:44
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: What I what I did, uh again, it doesn't all have to be money related, it can be something small, uh volunteer at a you know food kitchen over the holidays, or it could be in any number of things, and so when what I'm trying to do better at is those days when I'm down, is try to think about those days and those actions that I've done that have made me feel better, but really bring out, you know, you know, that song the true colors, you know, really bringing out the the true colors that if I'm able to one way or another to help others, I want to do that, and so that's one of the areas why I'm so passionate about voices for voices is we're helping people.
• 38:59
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Some of it is big, some of it's small, and even a higher percentage of that are things that I'm never gonna find out, our team's never gonna find out how we were able to help people, and I'm okay with that.
• 39:24
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: It's nice to get that feedback of you know being able to tie a particular episode or an event or an experience of helping uh helping another person, or not even us helping you, but maybe it inspires you to help others when you're given that opportunity, uh, or even just appreciate it if somebody helps you out, like if somebody helps me out, just having that that appreciation, and so with that imagination, I wouldn't have been able to do those things if I didn't have the that imagination and the dreaming of wanting to not just be the ordinary, but try to be extraordinary whenever it's possible.
• 40:34
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh, so whether it's you know the the the tree example, whether it's uh ticket to a ball game and and treating the individual like we all should be treated, you know, as human beings.
• 40:51
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh when others, once they got in the stadium, they just went their other way.
• 40:57
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: They went their way and he went his way.
• 41:00
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh uh those those things are you know, those you can't put a price tag on those.
• 41:09
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh so maybe that gives a little more sheds a little bit more light in into why I am so passionate about voices for voices, and wanting to do the best that I can as an individual, as an organization leader, to help as many people as I can because time on earth is so limited, and I know how those feelings are when I guess kind of reminisce on those those situations and events, and how I felt even one of our mission trips went to Poland, uh visited, shipped over uh books, hygiene kits, uh, and literally took the shirt off my back and gave to a Ukrainian refugee.
• 42:30
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh when I was in Warsaw a couple years back.
• 42:37
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so there's you know, episodes, and that's been covered extensively in the media, and for me, it was you know, just as you know, God, Jesus say, you know, if literally, you know, give give the shirt off your back.
• 42:59
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh, because I realized at that moment during that time, and even today, when people are displaced, some people have 15 minutes to pick up all their belongings, get in the car, and leave, uh being forced out by a military or uh uh other authorities.
• 43:33
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um and that that's another event.
• 43:39
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And then take in a family, uh, a mother of uh house that has uh small children and and moms that had fled, and just going to the grocery store and buying groceries, thinking it was gonna last maybe a week and a half, two weeks, because there was probably around 30 or so uh individuals with the moms and the children, and uh and so I look back at those times and yeah, there were some media coverage, and but when it came down to it, it was the feeling at that time to be like, okay, here's this person really well, there are more people than just the one, but the shirt I gave off my back, uh it uh yeah, when you do things like that, I've learned that it doesn't matter about the money, doesn't matter about it matters about just being a human and what a fellow human would need.
• 45:11
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And again, they have 10-15 minutes to gather their their belongings.
• 45:17
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I can't even imagine what that'd be like of having 15 minutes and like what what I even would what all I would bring, right?
• 45:27
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Because we have all these, at least for me, have all these things, and we've accumulated things over the years and the days and the months, and it really just comes down to like uh I don't know, it it just comes down to what's important to us, and so that's the big thing.
• 46:04
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So, to close out this episode, you know, children have that imagination, that spirit, they're growing, their bodies growing, body parts that you know, they're getting taller, they're wearing bigger sizes, bigger shoes, um, other clothing, and so when there are things like even though Christmas is about more Christ, there's a belief of you know, Santa Claus, Chris Kringle, Father Christmas, whatever term you you like to use.
• 46:56
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And again, I'm I'm sharing this as my my example, my story.
• 47:02
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So uh adapt what I'm sharing to what your experiences are, and um if you practice religion or not, we're all human beings, so it's it's more of for me, it's about the symbolism of have somebody we know that we're celebrating, and we want to keep kind of the tradition alive, Santa Claus, and at a certain time there may be a time where it's somebody at school or at a birthday party or Christmas party or a reunion where somebody says, Oh, you believe in Santa Claus?
• 48:06
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Like Santa Claus isn't real, and that's where the innocence and the imagination of just letting the child and the children just imagine keep keep that imagination out there, and we know the children are growing up and they're hearing things and seeing things that they some of the things shouldn't be seen or heard for for many years.
• 48:54
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um but we we can't control all that.
• 49:00
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: We can we can try to stop it a little bit and and and delay it and sort of have our children, our our members of our families continue to have that belief for as long as possible is big to me.
• 49:36
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so there was a one of the big reasons I wanted to do the show is so um sorry, just uh a little emotional.
• 50:08
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um but right, we know the difference between a real pet, a real dog, a real cat, and a stuffed animal cat, stuffed animal dog, or other pet, other animal.
• 50:32
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And we had one of uh one of the practices for one of the uh extracurricular activities that our our daughter's doing and so we we don't have a real life pet dog, cat and our daughter um brought the most recent dog stuffed the animal, but with her, and one of our friends said, Oh, is it real?
• 51:24
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Is it real?
• 51:25
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Is it real?
• 51:27
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh and our daughters said, Yeah, he's real, and and this is where you know, as parents, it's like what do you do?
• 51:43
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And let's just say somebody that was not me and was not my daughter showed my daughter's friend that oh no, he's not real, he's a stuffed animal.
• 52:04
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And my my daughter just was just crushed first because she didn't have the chance to do it, she didn't have the she didn't have the opportunity to to do it, and I I could think back in my life if and maybe there were times when my parents did that and I just got super emotional.
• 52:39
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So there was that, and then there was so there's the emotions about that, then there was the emotions about you know, he is real, the stuff the animal is real, and that's why I bring up new imagination is so big, and trying to figure out how and when to bring up she understands a great bit knows that he's not hundred percent real, that's a stuffed animal, but it's helping her play and helping her pretend she's six years old, she's six years old, and so then that crushed her too.
• 53:58
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So it was again somebody not me, it was not my daughter that got in the car and took this took the dog, the puppy out.
• 54:14
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so my daughter lost, you know, the the emotions are like like you didn't give me the chance to do it.
• 54:23
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Why didn't you give me the chance to do it?
• 54:26
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And the emotions to that, and then the second there are emotions were the he is real, he is real, he is real.
• 54:40
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And you know, I brought up the Santa Claus and Chris Kringle and Father Christmas, and you know, how Christmas has become more and more about presents and gifts than it has about, you know, this is when Christ was sacrificed, that God sent down his only begotten son, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.
• 55:12
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so I got a little bit emotional when when these events happen earlier tonight because I think one, I'm just an emotional person first, and then second, it's we would by not letting our daughter be the one to make the decisions, like I said, she's sick, she's not 16, uh, to be able to show her friend that that just that just tore her up inside.
• 56:07
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And then to say he is real, he is.
• 56:12
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: We got him at the pet store, not at the grocery store.
• 56:19
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so I just want to say let's let our children explore and imagine now if it's something dangerous, that's one thing, but it'll it's not, it's a it's it's a puppy, it's a it's a puppy.
• 56:42
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Nobody was in any any any no danger whatsoever.
• 56:49
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And obviously hindsight's always 2020 or 2015 or 2010.
• 56:58
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: It's like, oh, I wish I would have done this or wish I would have did that.
• 57:04
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: But I got you know caught up a little bit in in that, just me personally, because it just hurt our daughter's feelings that she wasn't able to be the one to decide what how she wanted to share with her friend.
• 57:27
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And so more and more our children, family members are growing up, and like I said, hearing things and seeing things much sooner in life than even when I was growing up and my parents, and it seems like so so quick things are being put in front of our our children and our young ones, and so helping to manage through those are are hard because these some of these things are things that happen at a much later time when I was growing up than when our daughter is growing up, and so whenever we're given the opportunity, we you know we've heard that we've heard that that song, you know, when you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.
• 58:46
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: If we give the opportunity, again, and there's it's not dangerous, nobody's in any danger at all, uh, everybody's safe when our when our children get the chance to let their mind run wild and play and to imagine and when they're given that opportunity.
• 59:19
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Let them play.
• 59:23
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Let them play.
• 59:27
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Let them imagine.
• 59:30
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Let them imagine and play.
• 59:37
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So hard to witness that.
• 59:49
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: It wasn't done intentionally, but it it occurred.
• 59:59
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So again, when our children, our young ones have the chance to sit it out or play, or sit it out and imagine, or sit it out and dream again safely, securely.
• 1:00:26
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Let them play.
• 1:00:33
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Let them imagine.
• 1:00:34
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Let them dream.
• 1:00:36
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So we love each and every one of you here in the United States, across the world.
• 1:00:47
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: We're just absolutely floored.
• 1:00:52
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh this month of October.
• 1:00:58
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: The biggest month, downloads, just audio.
• 1:01:04
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And these are analytics that we know we're not able to see all the analytics because, right, we have privacy settings on our phones and devices and private servers, and there's and we get that.
• 1:01:21
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So to still see the biggest single month since our show's been out, and it's almost double the next highest month, which is over six months ago.
• 1:01:40
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So if you can help us out, we can smash that, uh, not physically smash it.
• 1:01:49
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: The subscribe button, uh hit that press that subscribe button, follow, like, share, subscribe, all those things.
• 1:02:02
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Uh it allows us to be able to have these conversations and uh to work through some tough topics, tough things.
• 1:02:14
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Um needless to say, all that has taken a little impact on on my my mental health um for today.
• 1:02:25
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: However, I was also able to have a regular visit with uh one of the members of my mental health team, and so that again we could look at it as a bad thing.
• 1:02:50
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I don't, it was a good thing.
• 1:02:54
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I'm grateful to have that opportunity to be able to do that and to share that the therapy is not for weak people, it's for strong people.
• 1:03:06
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: The therapist, if you're not driving or not connecting with them, there's so many others out there.
• 1:03:15
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Just keep looking around, don't stop.
• 1:03:19
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Your life's worth living.
• 1:03:22
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: I'm sure for the stories and experiences that I shared tonight or in the morning, whenever you're watching and listening to this particular episode, I'm sure you have just as many, if not more, instances where you you were able to do some pretty pretty awesome things for people.
• 1:03:47
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So until next time, be a voice for you or somebody in need.
• 1:03:53
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: Let's celebrate the voice of everybody, no matter what shape, color shape, sound that that voice may take.
• 1:04:05
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: And uh we are gonna see on the next episode.
• 1:04:10
  Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: So bye bye for now.