Something Powerful is about to happen.

There are times in our lives when instinctively we sense something bigger is about to happen.

The dilemma comes when our need to figure it out overpowers allowing the journey to simply happen. To allow is often more laborious.

When I had a career, the desire to unravel the mystery led to missteps and directions not meant for me. My over-zealous desire to take the next step, several times left me face down on the curb with cuts and bruises. I’m finally learning to balance my life on the edge of courage and caution.

Washington D.C. showed me something.

We’re five stories above the city below, in a makeshift studio. This is Washington D.C. a city where the mere skyline reminds you of the monumental power yielded in this place.

I am with a team of film producers. Our mission is a Documentary on “The Gentleman of the Senate, Mark Hatfield.”

There is nothing like digging up the story of people’s lives. This process is the place where I find me.

That may sound odd but it’s a gift and when you operate in your place souls are touched, minds opened and things come alive where they were sleeping or worse dead.

I honestly don’t know for sure what changed or what’s coming. Some will speculate and you’ll be wrong.

I met some new teachers in The District. They didn’t give me advice they shared their lives and I found something.

Open your mind and listen more.

Don’t just come up with ideas: write them down before time and busyness whisk them away to the land of the forgotten.

And remember that at the end of the day the only thing you have are relationships, so preserve them at all costs.

Now that is some very powerful advice.

I’m Leaving Something Behind in D.C.

Sweat dripping off my arms, running down my temples and landing on the treadmill beneath my feet is a great way to end my trip to Washington D.C.

I click on the local news to get an idea of what’s going on today and find myself deeply saddened. The topic of the day is whether Christine O’Donnell of Delaware, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, is worthy of her primary win.

First off let’s get this straight: I don’t care if she wins, loses or draws. I have no ties to the Tea Party and care little of partisan politics unless “disgust” falls under your definition of “cares.”

But who are we to judge? The political pundits pile their pretentious pollution on the people promoting programs that promise to produce a perfectly polished electorate. That’s a lot of pee isn’t it? That’s how I felt as I listened to the so-called experts beat up this candidate. It felt as though someone were relieving himself or herself on me and unless I moved to take action I would walk away wet, not with sweat.

Oh, it wasn’t just her. They also plunged and pounded former President Jimmy Carter for his comments on Senator Ted Kennedy. Carter claims Kennedy blocked Carter’s health care plans back in the day. Should Carter have done that? I don’t know; I’ve got a mortgage to pay and clients to take care of which leaves little time to sit around pontificating Jimmy Carter’s comments.

Why do I bring this all up now? I just spent a week talking to some amazing leaders and former leaders of the U.S. Senate. Senator Thad Cochran, Senator Pete Domenici, Senator John Warner, Senator Daniel Inouye and Senator Bennett Johnston.

I don’t want to sound like some public relations guy, but I’m offering you my personal thoughts. These men are Democrats and Republicans who understand the meaning of working together.

We were talking about “The Gentleman of the Senate,” Senator Mark Hatfield. Hatfield is a man, who in his public service served the public.

But if Mark Hatfield tried to run for office today the same political shows driven by ratings and resources would find something to belittle him and raise their numbers in the process.

The bigger problem is we listen.

We as people in this country must stop this. We have to get involved in the process and not allow the noise of the news and the wannabe’s to drowned out the will of the people. We must stop listening to simply those we agree with and do as these Senators did in their careers, work together.

One day we will wake up, look around and see that the country we once knew is gone. But you can’t blame the news, the government or the latest party fad for destroying it. We can only blame ourselves. We did it. We allowed apathy to win. We quieted our voices or screamed and yelled to gain attention for our point of view and we forgot the value of listening when it comes to relationships.

Here’s a wild idea you will read and probably ignore. Senator Hatfield would have said it much better and been much nicer with his words. But I would say it like this:

Be Quiet and listen, it’s not about you.

DC: It’s not all “Their” fault.

I don’t know why I get this sense when I walk through the doors of our Nations Capitol. I don’t know what it is about this place that causes my heart rate to go up two or three beats per minute.

It happened several years ago when as a TV News Reporter, I came to Washington DC to shoot a series on the new congress; it happens to a lesser degree when I step through the doors of the Oregon State Capitol.

As I look up at the statues of Jefferson and Lincoln, I get a lump in my throat. When I see the people from other countries who flock here to see what we have, I’m reminded how blessed we are. As I walk through the Vietnam and World War II Memorials, I tear up.

When I sit down to talk with some of the most powerful senators in the country, my nerves twitch a bit with excitement.

So much is said about what’s wrong with this country and I do my share of complaining and stirring, and that’s okay, but we can’t forget what we have either. We can’t blame those we put here in Washington for all the problems of the world. At least they are doing something. Many of us just bitch and do nothing to change or add to the debate.

If we as a people, as a country, do not get past our partisanship: We’re dead. If we don’t stop banging our party drums and instead do as Senator Mark Hatfield used to tell his staff, we will continue to give away what we have.

What did Hatfield tell his staff to do? What is his advice that so many ignore?

“Open your mind and develop a listening ear.”

His life is a reminder that when all is said and done, when the debate is over and the decisions finished, relationships must be preserved.

Please don’t just read this blog and say: “How nice or what a good reminder.” We’ ve created a culture that abdicates its responsibility. If you want change, work for it. If you want freedom, it will cost you everything. If you want to live, you have to find a way to become selfless.

Yep, that’s what I’m finding in Washington DC. Rather amusing isn’t it?

Greatness Changes: It doesn’t just go away.

In his time he was one of the most powerful men in America. At 78 former Senator Pete Domenici’s name still holds power but he is the first to say it’s not like it used to be.

On this side of the lights, a camera inches away, I sit asking questions of this man who served in the U.S. Senate from 1973-2009.

He tells me at the beginning of the interview he will do his best to remember details of the events that happened but feels it’s more important to talk about the man (Senator Mark Hatfield) who was more than a colleague but a friend that he loves.

As he spoke I watched the return of the Senator Pete Domenici that people talk about. He looked back and forth between my eyes and the eye of the camera and spoke with a softness that still commanded power. I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been like, in his prime, when he stood on the floor of the senate and spoke about what he believed.

Here in this room, with me, is a man who understands what age takes away but what he may not have seen, because of his proximity to his own perceptions, was what those of us working on the Hatfield Project clearly experienced. This is still a man of greatness.

As the Senator continued to speak I kept thinking to myself “How did I get here?” I can’t help thinking, the deeper we move into this documentary on Senator Mark Hatfield’s life that something even bigger will emerge.

Greatness is an illusive description. In the public eye it comes and goes but when you sit down with those who’s lives help define it you realize as greatness ages it just looks different and it never needs to look back.

Not My Game

Last night we went to a Baltimore Orioles Baseball Game. I’m not a huge baseball fan but when I was a kid my parents took me to a Washington Senators Game and I had a great time.

So for memory sake I thought I should do it. The crowd was……not a crowd. The Ravens also played last night and they played a great game. In Baltimore football rules.

We started our night at the Pickle Pub across the street from the stadium. $4 pulled pork sandwiches, $2 canned local beers and loud music.

As we arrived at the stadium a guy was standing there handing out free tickets to the game. I didn’t ask where he got them we just took the tickets and walked in (I think they were comp tickets).

We sat behind a group of guys from Canada who were drinking too much and were cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays. At first they were irritating but as the game dragged on they became almost more entertaining than the actual game. They were a group of high school friends on a “mancation” (man vacation). Several of the guys had wives who were about to have babies and they wanted to take one last trip before fatherhood sets in.

So what do I take from this adventure? You don’t have to over plan your life. You don’t have to do something you like to enjoy what you do. But you do need to do whatever it is with people you like.

Lights, Camera, Action.

Here’s a little behind the scenes look at a day in the life of a documentary film crew. The day starts with loading up equipment. We have lights, a very expensive camera, monitors, cords, computers, disks and a bunch of other stuff. We shove that and five half grown men in a mini-van and drive around D.C.

It’s sort of like going on a camping trip, but the trip only lasts a few hours and then you pack it up, put it away and start over the next day.

We also scout out locations for shoots scheduled for later in the week. We have some amazing places to film.

While Kevin, Devon and Ryan set up the room, Rick, that’s me, looks over last minute questions, checks out backgrounds of the interview subjects and Josh takes pictures and gets his still camera ready for extra shots as he prepares to put together a story about the film project for his web magazine Wired Oregon.

Once the interview starts it’s pure magic. Today we interviewed Jim Towey a former Hatfield Staffer who also worked for Mother Teresa.

The best quote of the day for me personally was when Towey spoke of what summed up Senator Hatfield.

This was his answer: “It was not the ballot box, but Judgment Day that guided Mark Hatfield’s life.”

Tomorrow we will conduct at least five interviews and I can’t wait to hear what they have to say.

The more we get involved in this project the more important it becomes.