Anyone else out there getting tired head over all this government spending, stimulus rhetoric, big gov, little gov, bailouts, talking heads, graphs, charts, final days, bashing the old regimes, fearing the new ones. And now I have to do my taxes, blast!
My daughter-in-law will tell you that I am mathematically challenged. We have an on-going, gentle, running joke over the contrasts between people who love words (word eaters) and people who love numbers (number-crunchers) In today's world, however, I am afraid that the word eaters are being overtaken by the number crunchers. This may be the new bigotry. I can hear it now, "Oh, you are one of those."
My bride gave me a book a couple of years ago when I was finishing my masters degree. In the midst of expensive books that I will read one time for class, on material taught by PhDs, researching papers through the Internet, dusty tomes in the basement of the library, perusing articles written and read by nerds, she gave me book by Dr. Seuss. A KID'S BOOK! The problem is, it is now one of my favorites. 200 contact hours in the classroom on Conflict Management, state certification in "family law mediation", 50-60 mediation's, papers written and read, protocol written and implemented, thousands of dollars spent, time invested, and the entire experience can be captured with end of a children's story:
The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars
And whether they had one, or not, upon thars.
Word-eaters or number-crunchers, conservative or liberal, black or white, rich or poor, thin or thick, intro or extro, tall or short, left-handed or right, we are all the same. It is time to identify the Mr. McBeans of the world, so we can get on with the important stuff.
I wish my bride had given me the book sooner. Sigh.
Godspeed.
Don
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Road Trip
Instead of flying yesterday, I took a road trip. There was a potential customer that I needed to see in central, south Texas, so I rented a car and took off. You see, by the time I figured in getting to the airport, waiting until my flight, flying to San Antonio, renting a car, driving to the customer, driving back, catching my flight back, driving home. Well, it seemed like more fun to drive.
So I picked up the car and headed out. Made a Starbucks stop in Waco, then drove the back roads (Hwy 77) to Victoria, Texas. I had never driven that route. It cut across a route I used to drive all the time when we lived in Houston and drove to Abilene for family visits. Cameron was the cross road when we would head to Temple from west Houston. When my bride and I were newlyweds we would compete for who HAD to drive, when the kids arrived we competed for who GOT to drive. But this trip was just me, and more importantly, my thoughts.
You see, I don't turn on the radio, or listen to CDs. I think. I ponder. I play the eternal "what if" game in my head. Sometimes the thoughts are trivia, sometimes esoteric, occasionally profound. I am starting a discussion group of 20-somethings next weekend, so I was wondering if the normal spiritual formation starting point was best. The question: How does God interact with this creation of His? or does He? What does it look like? How can we tell it is him and not some random event? Can we learn to anticipate the actions/non-actions of a supreme being?
You see the problem is that any explanation we come up with is problematic. So we will simply try to explore the different philosophies and see where they lead. Journeys are funny that way.
So as I blasted from north Texas through the rolling hills of central Texas to the scrub oak of south Texas, these thoughts kept me company and occupied.
The trip home was not nearly as fun, business interruptions, phone calls, and the inability to track for more than 4 or 5 hours created a more mundane drive home.
I'll keep you posted on the results of the conversation with the group. I always learn something while inflicting a little uncertainty of my own.
Godspeed,
Don
So I picked up the car and headed out. Made a Starbucks stop in Waco, then drove the back roads (Hwy 77) to Victoria, Texas. I had never driven that route. It cut across a route I used to drive all the time when we lived in Houston and drove to Abilene for family visits. Cameron was the cross road when we would head to Temple from west Houston. When my bride and I were newlyweds we would compete for who HAD to drive, when the kids arrived we competed for who GOT to drive. But this trip was just me, and more importantly, my thoughts.
You see, I don't turn on the radio, or listen to CDs. I think. I ponder. I play the eternal "what if" game in my head. Sometimes the thoughts are trivia, sometimes esoteric, occasionally profound. I am starting a discussion group of 20-somethings next weekend, so I was wondering if the normal spiritual formation starting point was best. The question: How does God interact with this creation of His? or does He? What does it look like? How can we tell it is him and not some random event? Can we learn to anticipate the actions/non-actions of a supreme being?
You see the problem is that any explanation we come up with is problematic. So we will simply try to explore the different philosophies and see where they lead. Journeys are funny that way.
So as I blasted from north Texas through the rolling hills of central Texas to the scrub oak of south Texas, these thoughts kept me company and occupied.
The trip home was not nearly as fun, business interruptions, phone calls, and the inability to track for more than 4 or 5 hours created a more mundane drive home.
I'll keep you posted on the results of the conversation with the group. I always learn something while inflicting a little uncertainty of my own.
Godspeed,
Don
Friday, February 20, 2009
Looking Down
I have hit the stage in my life when falling down seems to be a more regular occurrence. I used to have pretty good balance, but these days it seems that objects appear (or I don't even see them) to trip me up. My guess is that this started about 10 years ago when I switched to bifocals. All of a sudden stair steps were just a little higher than I thought or just a little lower than I thought and I started missing them. To my kids I had become a klutz. This was not always so. In my youth I was fairly agile. In fact, my son inherited a little of the quickness that I was proud of in my younger days. And so I took for granted the upright position that I found myself in, with no thought to what was under my feet, no thought to the rise and fall of my path.
Now I have watch where I'm going. Concrete is harder than it used to be, grass is thinner, and lets face it, the old body doesn't recover like it used to. As a small confession, I now hold the handrail at every opportunity. I spend a lot of time...looking down.
Here is my observation. America is spending a lot more time looking down. We are incensed that there are objects tripping us up and we can't figure out how it came about. It is a long fall from the top of the mountain. Like slipping down a creek bank, grabbing at the bushes that we hope will slow our descent, our gaining downward speed is matched only by our rising panic. It is now a possibility that 10-20% of American homeowners will lose their homes in the next 18 months, there will not be enough health insurance for everyone, there already aren't enough jobs. The bifocals are just now beginning to work. The step over prosperity was just a little higher than we thought, and the step into lower standard of living is just a little lower than we thought.
And this pisses us off! We deserve our goodies, they can't take this away from us! This is the American dream, and we have been dreaming for a long time.
Well, guess what? America has changed, Ward and June have moved, it is all smoke and mirrors, the house with the picket fence needs a paint job, the neighbors are noisy. Entitlement isn't what it used to be. The essence of our significance has evaporated.
Significance is not found in what we have, but in who we are. In a later blog I may explore that idea. My grandad towards the end of his life was in the backyard out at the farm flailing pecans (knocking them out of the tress with a long cane pole) He was standing on the top of a 6' ladder, when he lost his balance and fell. He said he stayed on the ground a long time waiting for someone to come check on him, hoping to garner a little sympathy. Finally he decided no one was coming, so he got up and finished his job of flailing pecans. I have always loved that story. First because he would admit that he was openly looking for sympathy, then make a funny story out if it. Secondly, he just went back to work...without the ladder, forget the pecans at the top of the tree. He found a way to look up, not down.
Anyway, Godspeed to all you travelers. Now where did I put those glasses?
Don
Now I have watch where I'm going. Concrete is harder than it used to be, grass is thinner, and lets face it, the old body doesn't recover like it used to. As a small confession, I now hold the handrail at every opportunity. I spend a lot of time...looking down.
Here is my observation. America is spending a lot more time looking down. We are incensed that there are objects tripping us up and we can't figure out how it came about. It is a long fall from the top of the mountain. Like slipping down a creek bank, grabbing at the bushes that we hope will slow our descent, our gaining downward speed is matched only by our rising panic. It is now a possibility that 10-20% of American homeowners will lose their homes in the next 18 months, there will not be enough health insurance for everyone, there already aren't enough jobs. The bifocals are just now beginning to work. The step over prosperity was just a little higher than we thought, and the step into lower standard of living is just a little lower than we thought.
And this pisses us off! We deserve our goodies, they can't take this away from us! This is the American dream, and we have been dreaming for a long time.
Well, guess what? America has changed, Ward and June have moved, it is all smoke and mirrors, the house with the picket fence needs a paint job, the neighbors are noisy. Entitlement isn't what it used to be. The essence of our significance has evaporated.
Significance is not found in what we have, but in who we are. In a later blog I may explore that idea. My grandad towards the end of his life was in the backyard out at the farm flailing pecans (knocking them out of the tress with a long cane pole) He was standing on the top of a 6' ladder, when he lost his balance and fell. He said he stayed on the ground a long time waiting for someone to come check on him, hoping to garner a little sympathy. Finally he decided no one was coming, so he got up and finished his job of flailing pecans. I have always loved that story. First because he would admit that he was openly looking for sympathy, then make a funny story out if it. Secondly, he just went back to work...without the ladder, forget the pecans at the top of the tree. He found a way to look up, not down.
Anyway, Godspeed to all you travelers. Now where did I put those glasses?
Don
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
On The Road, Again
It is apparently raining all over the world. I left Dallas for St. Louis yesterday morning, landed to a cold, damp Missouri morning. Then headed for L.A. yesterday evening, landed to a cold, damp California evening. Cloud cover all the way across, so I assumed it was a cold, damp Kansas, Colorado, Nevada day as well. Plus, being the seasoned traveler that I am, I left my raincoat and/or my leather coat in Dallas, safely in the closet, where I assume it is keeping itself warm and dry. I, on the other hand, am not warm and dry. I am cold and damp and just a little cranky.
But here I am at Panera Bread, on my third cup of warm coffee, so the world is looking just a little better. And if you haven't noticed, my eldest daughter gave me a blog "makeover" for my birthday. So those of you who suspected I was just an old coot, here is proof positive. I love the look of the blog, it probably won't help the writing or the observations, but isn't it nice looking? The grand looking lady in the photograph is my bride of 33 years (she gets frequent mentions in this blog) She is also the one that set up this entire deal to begin with, so either thank her or send her a nasty note depending on what you think of the blog.
The other picture is of my grandson when we went on a "day hike" with his father. We went to the Palo Dura Canyon, where we had a great time. Eli wore out the last mile or two and Brad carried him on his shoulders, when we hove into sight of the car, Eli asked, "can I ride my scooter?" The scooter had been packed in the trunk. Brad was firm in his response, Eli was devastated by the intractability of his daddy, I was amused by the nerve of this little guy to even ask after being carried for the previous 30 minutes. Usually I side with the grand kids (grandaddies prerogative) but this time I felt Brad had a pretty good case. Anyway, I refrained from laughing out loud, besides, I wanted a ride home.
So from the road, again, Godspeed, fellow travelers.
Don
But here I am at Panera Bread, on my third cup of warm coffee, so the world is looking just a little better. And if you haven't noticed, my eldest daughter gave me a blog "makeover" for my birthday. So those of you who suspected I was just an old coot, here is proof positive. I love the look of the blog, it probably won't help the writing or the observations, but isn't it nice looking? The grand looking lady in the photograph is my bride of 33 years (she gets frequent mentions in this blog) She is also the one that set up this entire deal to begin with, so either thank her or send her a nasty note depending on what you think of the blog.
The other picture is of my grandson when we went on a "day hike" with his father. We went to the Palo Dura Canyon, where we had a great time. Eli wore out the last mile or two and Brad carried him on his shoulders, when we hove into sight of the car, Eli asked, "can I ride my scooter?" The scooter had been packed in the trunk. Brad was firm in his response, Eli was devastated by the intractability of his daddy, I was amused by the nerve of this little guy to even ask after being carried for the previous 30 minutes. Usually I side with the grand kids (grandaddies prerogative) but this time I felt Brad had a pretty good case. Anyway, I refrained from laughing out loud, besides, I wanted a ride home.
So from the road, again, Godspeed, fellow travelers.
Don
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Both Sides, Please
There was an interesting debate going on last week in Texas. Whatever committee decides what Texas school teachers should teach was embroiled in a debate about the pros and cons of teaching the "weaknesses" of the Darwinian theory of evolution. Now the debate was not "teach or not teach" but rather would the theory be subject to critical scrutiny in the classroom. I find this profoundly interesting. The very folks who insist that this same critical thinking be applied to creationism, or any other theory, want a "pass" when it comes to their pet theory. Interesting. When folks take this stand on any theory, it makes me wonder what is wrong with it.
But before we (creationists) let fly with our stone of indignation...umm, we do the same.
Great example. In the Conflict Management class I am teaching right now at a local, small college, I asked the question about where our view (all were evangelical christian world-view adherents) of church leadership authority came from (we were talking about power sources and influence in organizational conflict management, both faith based and secular) They tried all kinds of answers, but when I pushed them they decided that maybe our conventional view was a little traditional and not theological. They became even more confused when pushed to determine where the view HAD come from.
Here's my point. We need to apply critical thinking to all of our suppositions. We need to be able to recognize the weaknesses in our arguments as well as others. It is a simple fact that people today simply do not put the time and effort into critical thinking that develops us into a people of discernment, or to use an old word, wisdom. In addition, we need to develop a culture that allows this sort of thinking, questioning. We need to learn that uncertainty is not the last stronghold of moral breakdown. Questioning is our God-given right, it is at some level our duty.
By the way, leaders hate this. Just be aware.
Godspeed
Don
But before we (creationists) let fly with our stone of indignation...umm, we do the same.
Great example. In the Conflict Management class I am teaching right now at a local, small college, I asked the question about where our view (all were evangelical christian world-view adherents) of church leadership authority came from (we were talking about power sources and influence in organizational conflict management, both faith based and secular) They tried all kinds of answers, but when I pushed them they decided that maybe our conventional view was a little traditional and not theological. They became even more confused when pushed to determine where the view HAD come from.
Here's my point. We need to apply critical thinking to all of our suppositions. We need to be able to recognize the weaknesses in our arguments as well as others. It is a simple fact that people today simply do not put the time and effort into critical thinking that develops us into a people of discernment, or to use an old word, wisdom. In addition, we need to develop a culture that allows this sort of thinking, questioning. We need to learn that uncertainty is not the last stronghold of moral breakdown. Questioning is our God-given right, it is at some level our duty.
By the way, leaders hate this. Just be aware.
Godspeed
Don
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Home Is Where the Heart Is..
Into every life a little sunshine breaks through. When the clouds are dark and the night is fast approaching, it is a renewal of the spirit to have a small beam of sunlight break through the clouds and surround you with a momentary, brilliant, heart-warming and heart-awakening, personal gift of sunshine.
Travel, lately, has been especially hard. Hard on mind, body and soul. Along with the fact that it has been constant. Work has been tedious and unending, and fretful due to the uncertainty of the results.
So today my trip got cancelled. The appointments will be moved, the business will be later, and when I got off the phone all I could say was, "YES! YES! YES!"
Here's why. I love being home. I particularly love being home in the winter. No yard work (or none I can't rationalize not doing) nowhere to be, nothing to drive me from my home. I can cook and read and veg, these may be my favorite wintertime activities.
I especially love being home with my bride. I think we are one of those couples who, after the kids moved out, the career took a few unexpected turns, the old fights and grudges gone...we have fallen in love again. It is really weird to say that after 30 - odd years of marriage, but I can't think of another way to put it. Oh, we never didn't love each other, but this is different. This is something new, reminding me of the early days, but with the seasoning of the budget battles and the teen wars, and health concerns, of friends lost and found, and all the events that can pull people apart, this new love is better, it is more....real.
So for the moment the journey has stopped at a wayside inn, with a warm fire, a fine wine, and a cherished love.
Man, I love being home.
Godspeed to all you travelers.
Don
Travel, lately, has been especially hard. Hard on mind, body and soul. Along with the fact that it has been constant. Work has been tedious and unending, and fretful due to the uncertainty of the results.
So today my trip got cancelled. The appointments will be moved, the business will be later, and when I got off the phone all I could say was, "YES! YES! YES!"
Here's why. I love being home. I particularly love being home in the winter. No yard work (or none I can't rationalize not doing) nowhere to be, nothing to drive me from my home. I can cook and read and veg, these may be my favorite wintertime activities.
I especially love being home with my bride. I think we are one of those couples who, after the kids moved out, the career took a few unexpected turns, the old fights and grudges gone...we have fallen in love again. It is really weird to say that after 30 - odd years of marriage, but I can't think of another way to put it. Oh, we never didn't love each other, but this is different. This is something new, reminding me of the early days, but with the seasoning of the budget battles and the teen wars, and health concerns, of friends lost and found, and all the events that can pull people apart, this new love is better, it is more....real.
So for the moment the journey has stopped at a wayside inn, with a warm fire, a fine wine, and a cherished love.
Man, I love being home.
Godspeed to all you travelers.
Don
Saturday, February 7, 2009
I'm Back!
My laptop passed away last Monday, services pending. This did not prevent me from throwing it in my rolling briefcase anyway and lug it to Ft. Lauderdale before I remembered that the blasted thing is nothing more than a boat anchor.
Consequently, no posts for the past week. It's not like there was nothing going on, just no way to post the events.
Here is what occurred:
1. Went to Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday, only to have my flight back delayed, which put me home around 11:30PM, for a 6:15AM flight the next morning to the city of Angels. I was very tired and cranky by Wednesday night.
2. Went to ABC corporate for a marketing meeting on Thursday. Did not see a single star. I was all set to be very cool, but to no avail. Marketing people at ABC are VERY young, nice to old folks, but young.
3. Had a presentation to the ABC people in charge of Merchandising on Friday, younger crowd than the Marketing group. They were very accommodating to the old folks as well, it must be training thing at ABC. By the way, nailed the presentation. I must say, the old guy still has it.
4. Flew home late Friday night, stayed at my youngest's house with my bride and flew out very early this morning for Amarillo to watch a budding star of a soccer player. Indoor soccer, what a concept, no sun, no wind, no cold or dark of night. The league does not keep score, but this does not prevent grandaddies from doing so (Eli -4, everyone else - who cares)
Had a ticket agent tell me he was going to break the rules and give me an upgrade because I was not "pushy." I was trying to go standby on an earlier flight, plus upgrade on a Friday out of LAX, sort of attempting a trifecta of flight travel. I didn't have the energy to tell him I was too tired to argue or insist. But it was nice, just the same. I would send a letter to American Airlines complimenting this ticket agent but it seemed problematic to start a letter, " I wanted to say "thanks" to your agent for breaking the rules."
Anyway, back on line and still on the journey.
Godspeed,
Don
Consequently, no posts for the past week. It's not like there was nothing going on, just no way to post the events.
Here is what occurred:
1. Went to Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday, only to have my flight back delayed, which put me home around 11:30PM, for a 6:15AM flight the next morning to the city of Angels. I was very tired and cranky by Wednesday night.
2. Went to ABC corporate for a marketing meeting on Thursday. Did not see a single star. I was all set to be very cool, but to no avail. Marketing people at ABC are VERY young, nice to old folks, but young.
3. Had a presentation to the ABC people in charge of Merchandising on Friday, younger crowd than the Marketing group. They were very accommodating to the old folks as well, it must be training thing at ABC. By the way, nailed the presentation. I must say, the old guy still has it.
4. Flew home late Friday night, stayed at my youngest's house with my bride and flew out very early this morning for Amarillo to watch a budding star of a soccer player. Indoor soccer, what a concept, no sun, no wind, no cold or dark of night. The league does not keep score, but this does not prevent grandaddies from doing so (Eli -4, everyone else - who cares)
Had a ticket agent tell me he was going to break the rules and give me an upgrade because I was not "pushy." I was trying to go standby on an earlier flight, plus upgrade on a Friday out of LAX, sort of attempting a trifecta of flight travel. I didn't have the energy to tell him I was too tired to argue or insist. But it was nice, just the same. I would send a letter to American Airlines complimenting this ticket agent but it seemed problematic to start a letter, " I wanted to say "thanks" to your agent for breaking the rules."
Anyway, back on line and still on the journey.
Godspeed,
Don
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