Names

I have discovered an unsettling aspect of my aging process. There seems to be some disconnect between my brain and, well, my brain. I can't seem to remember names nearly as well as I did even a year ago, and certainly not as well as five years ago.
This is a huge problem for someone in sales and someone who routinely teaches classes and leads groups in a community of faith.

At first I thought it was just a little bit of information overload. You know, working with an old 486DX, long before the Pentium drives sort of thing. I simply had too much data accumulated over the years and no way to delete and reset. Of course there for a while I intentionally forgetting names. People who had annoyed or harmed me in some way. It was sort of my version of forgive and forget...more forget than forgive, but you know what I mean. I've come to the conclusion that it simply that my brain has decided this is trivial information and is just refusing to store it away.

It was with some comfort that I found a common traveler with the same problem. She had attended my little group Sunday morning and several new faces had shown up..I forget their names. But there was a couple there that I know had attended my groups before, the faces were familiar, but the names were not coming. So I asked my friend who these people were and watched with amazement her struggle with the names. To her credit, she hit the wife's name right off the bat. Or at least I think she did, I was so clueless that she could have made up the name and I would have stood there, nodding agreement, and in the center of my brain the little old guy who looks up all this stuff is just standing there, peeking through the eye sockets and shrugging his shoulders. So we called over one of the guys who is supposed to keep all this stuff together and asked him and he worked through it and decided that the husband's name was the name we had assigned to the son. Again, he could have made it up because the little old guy in my head had decided to sit on a dusty storage box until we decided who these people were.

I think I might get a badge and wear it on my shirt, " Tell me your name again. Can't remember it, no reflection on you, I'm sure you are charming and significant, but my brain has decided to stop accepting input, like names, dates, and data." Kind've a long badge, but it will cut down on my trying to think up clever ways to make them say their names.

There is also the possibility that the older I get the closer the circle will be drawn that I will forget people I know and love will be the recipients of this lecture. I can imagine waking up one morning and spooned in with my bride and wake up in alarm. Who is this woman?!? What if my wife finds out? Oh wait, she looks really familiar..Brenda? no, that's not it, Babs? Can't be..Beverly!!Yeah! Love of my life. Wow, that was close, I need to write this down. My humor has frequently saved me in awkward situations. I suspect anything humorous at that moment will not have the desired effect.

So to my friend at church yesterday, you passed half the test. I flunked miserably. I can't wait to get the stage in my life where I can call people by the wrong name and they will just laugh and think how dear it is that the old guy just can't remember anyone's name. At this point they just get huffy.

So Godspeed out there, the journey is long, but filled with a growing number of people who shall remain nameless...
Don

Sheffa..The Best Earth Can Offer

This is one of those travel weeks that tend to take a lot out of me. From DFW to LAX, very bumpy ride, followed by a very bumpy meeting with a customer. Then a drive through a rainstorm that would make Noah wince. Followed by a flight from LAX to Seattle that was bumpier than the ride the day before. I'm a pretty calm flier, but this was rough enough to make me uneasy. About halfway through the choppy part I realized that the up and down movement didn't bother me nearly as much as the side to side, I believe the pilots refer to it as "yawing" Severe enough it can create yelling, but that is another story.

On the leg from LAX to Seattle, American put me on a "partner" airline..Alaska. Well, I am an Executive Platinum flier with American, but am relegated to a "no-body" with Alaskan. In other words, I sat in the back. So crammed in on a completely full flight, having missed lunch, I bought the "picnic pack." It had little nuggets of beef jerky (I think) and a package of "salt and peppered cashews" (plain would have been great) and a package of Sheffa. Hmm, what is Sheffa? So while I ate the cashews and beef nodules I read the package about Sheffa.

Here is the first paragraph on the back..."Sheffa is an ancient word for abundance. It's also the sublime energy that moves through all creation, Earth-supporting and nourishing, giving in a boundless flow to all beings. Sheffa is what food should be-a wealth of enjoyment and sustenance."

Really? May the Force be with us.

I thought that this is the kind of tree-hugging, sappy, air-headed, worn jeans, bra-less kind of drivel would you expect from Alaska. I imagined either the writer being a 26-year-old from Juneau, or a 56-year-old executive drop out with a pony-tail and ear-ring. Then I looked at the distributor of the product..
Sheffa Foods Inc
New York, NY
A product of? want to guess? Israel. It is Kosher, says so right on the pack.

It contained ground chickpeas (no idea what these are) roasted corn (think beer nuts at the local bar, or so I've heard) pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds (no salt) sunflower oil, spices (unspecified) and sea salt (as opposed to regular salt, but not much of either). It is vegan-wheat free-gluten free-no GMO-no trans Fat-no cholesterol, and I might add very little flavor.

Two things I learned from this:
1. bring a book on board..as you can tell I had nothing to read for over two hours
2. pack an emergency Snickers bar, peanuts, caramel, milk chocolate..all the major food groups.

Want to bet I'm the only guy on the flight that read the incredibly small print about Sheffa?

Godspeed..or Sheffa..or feel the Force. What have we gotten ourselves into?
Don

What a Great Group!

Over the past 6 or 7 years I have drawn a group together to spend several weeks experiencing and practicing the spiritual disciplines. Usually this group is pretty homogeneous; folks my age, life style, circumstances. But this time I recruited young adults, parents of young families, and of course my friends who would have a hard time turning me down. The reason I wanted this was to get a cross view of generational perspectives. Believe me, millennials do not view the world the same way as boomers, or busters, or X-ers. So it is nice group, hopefully outspoken, willing to share their ideas, thoughts and concerns.

So I started this group with the question I always start with..Why? Why care about this stuff? What can you gain? And the obvious answers, Self-improvement, curious, and my favorite..they love my teaching (sorry, ego is an insidious creature)
So we spend some time looking at what the real goals need to be. You see, spiritual disciplines can be a wonderful handmaiden, but a terrible taskmaster. If you don't understand the point, the exercise can begin to create terrible strain and even more guilt than what you started with.

So we spent the time talking about "wisdom" or discernment as our culture would understand it. Dallas Willard says that the world doesn't need more talented people, or smarter people, but deeper people. I agree. You see most churches can't seem to develop a very balanced approach to spiritual formation. Depending on the talent and inclination of the pulpit guy, most churches will tilt towards service, or knowledge, or emotional mountain tops, few lean toward inner piety, but the imbalance will inhibit growth. So this time together will allow us to re-balance our tires, to find a smoother ride in a world that wants us to go along a road that promises to be bumpy.

Anyway, for those who are in the group..welcome. For those who are not, I will share a little of our insights as time goes by.

In the meanwhile..Godspeed.
Don

We've Come a Long Way, Baby

Wednesday I was sitting in the St. Louis Airport, having just had lunch, waiting for my flight. It is common for me to break out the 40 lb. laptop and do some work, but today the emails were flying fast and furious and I was handling all this on my Blackberry. Smaller, easier, not as conspicuous in dealing with fairly short responses. These were email strings where people were responding to short answers.
Earlier, during lunch I had checked my daughter's blogs and made a true comment about how much alike my 6-year-old grandson was like his momma. Apparently his momma took exception to the way I characterized her nature (in a good-humored way)

So in floated a text message about custard pie being made (my favorite) and how I wouldn't get any because I was ugly about her, but there might be some forgiveness anyway. A funny little message followed by 4 exchanges, each shorter than the previous until the last message from my daughter of one word. I laughed and felt warm about the funny little exchange that happened in the midst of a busy day. Probably not all that funny to anyone else, but special to me. Connected by a satellite miles above the earth, through technology that I know nothing about. If asked to describe the technology of cell phones I would revert to my cave-man ancestors and simply grunt and turn monosyllabic.

But it occurred to me that the technology allowed me a moment with my daughter that was unavailable just a few years ago. A few years ago I would have had to wait until I could call, then be mindful of the long-distance charges (yes, kids they used to charge for long distance) and the moment would have been lost. The direct connection made the spontaneity priceless. But why text? Why not call? The instant connection is still there. I think there may be a couple of reasons. 1. The responses can be offered in our own time frame, we don't have to drop what we are doing to respond.
2. airports make visiting difficult, you can't hear, you are conscious of strangers listening in. 3. My eldest and I enjoy the routine of putting our thoughts into written words. I love to write what I feel, to explore the way words can be used to communicate fear, love, warmth, mild teasing. I have had at least one of these with each of my kids over the past few months, and they all leave me content and a feeling of "home" in my fly-around world.

This sense of community is one that I'm sure is driving sociology professors into orbit. Churches are struggling with what this means. Younger generations are redefining "together"
But I like the ability to reach out and have a moment with a loved one, hundreds of miles away, yet as close as my Blackberry. We can now truly speak to each other at any time, in any place. Community draws from our time together, but now does not require it.

Oh I still prefer the physical presence, the hugs, the laughter, the snuggling on the couch. But our world does not allow this type of constant interaction. So instead of railing against the intrusion of technology, I've come to embrace it, to value the moments it gives me, across the miles into the heart of those I hold dear.

Godspeed, as the old ad used to say, reach out and touch someone.
Don

Let's Get Ready to RUMBLE!

I love time off. The holidays we just finished are the just about the best. My body gets beaten down after a lot of weeks of travel. I know you think it is glamorous to fly all around the country, but I'm getting to the age where hauling sample bags, shuttling from one place to the next, in and out of meetings, all takes a toll. So every 3 months or so it is nice to settle in for a week or so of rest.

But there is a significant part of my nature that is always looking to the next thing, the next trip, the new idea, the customer who needs persuading. It is simply my way that I'm ready to move on. So here I am on the first workday of the year anxious to get started. Ready to pack the briefcase, ready to do battle. This morning I got up at 5AM, got dressed and was just ready to hit the road to the office and get the year going.

There are still problems left over from last year at work. We made a ton of mistakes. Somehow, though, this time off has given me fresh perspective, renewed energy, unbounded enthusiasm. I guess we get a little of that from our school days; new lunchbox, new shoes, starched jeans, hair barely slicked into place, ready to move on to the next grade. That little wriggle of excitement in the pit of the stomach feels exactly as it did 40+ years ago, well it just never goes away.

So for those of you dreading this day, hang in there and stay away from my office. The exuberance could maim you.

Godspeed, a new year of journey has begun!

Don

Happy New Year!

The new year usually brings about all sort of resolve about how we hope to improve ourselves in the coming year. Losing weight, saving money, etc. get all the top billing. These resolutions are usually defunct by about January 15th and we have slumped back into the life we know and secretly love.

My take on the first day is that there is usually nothing that I really want to do. You see my life is filled with schedules and tasks, people to see and persuade, things to do. Spiritual formulists will tell that the greatest impediment to spiritual growth is the sense of "hurry" that we all are addicted to. We feel guilty if we aren't busy doing something. So the first of January is my "nothing" day. We did fit in a movie with some friends, but it was last minute and certainly not planned. When my bride started talking about taking down Christmas, I suggested I would not be involved, this was too much effort for my nothing day. Also skipped the workout for the day.

It occurs to me that we are victims of the velocity of our lives. We have a very hard time just sitting and ruminating on our lives and being appreciative of those around us. I assure you, when Monday hits, it will suck my back into the vortex of work and travel and home life and the balance that those obligations in my life entail.

But for one day, the first day of the year, there was nothing on my plate. It was the best day of the year...by far.

Godspeed, the rest time is over. We now take the path through 2010. I wonder what it will bring.

Don