I shoveled some snow this week. Five inches on Sunday morning, and three more today. My back doesn't like shoveling snow, and I usually take an over-the-counter something to ease my pain. Its not often I have to do that. God has blessed me with some mostly-pain-free years lately, and I am very grateful for that.
I sat down to blog, with no direction in mind. Something would come to mind. I read back over the titles of my recent blogs, and realized I've been a little critical in my writings lately. With good reason, of course, but not every moment needs to be spent criticizing. So I thought about life lately, and what I could be positive about.
Thanksgiving is done with, and we are headed full-bore into Christmas, but as I sit here, I am thankful. Thankful that I have pain relievers in the medicine cabinet. Thankful that I am still able to handle the shoveling. Thankful that I have a small driveway. And I felt like it was still Thanksgiving. Make a list of things to be thankful for. The people in my life to be thankful for. God, always watching over me, to be thankful for. And now I don't want Thanksgiving to be over.
The same will happen with Christmas. I like the holiday. I like most of what goes with it. It, like every other holiday, can get a little commercially, but through most of it are those things I enjoy about the season. And when its done, its done for a whole year. And I'll miss it, too.
But when I look at what I celebrate, why I celebrate, I know it never has to be over. I am thankful to God for his undeserved blessings in my life. I am thankful that He sent Jesus to be born. I am thankful that He sent Jesus to die, and rise again. I am thankful for the love of my wife. I am thankful for this great independence that my country has. I am thankful for those that have given their lives for this great country. I am thankful for birthdays, not just mine and those I love, but the great men that championed our greatness.
A holiday is, after all, a holy day. A day set aside for remembering, for gathering, for celebrating. The reason for the holiday, the deep meaning, is one that can be celebrated at any time. It all depends on where we focus our hearts. By keeping the holidays holy in our hearts, and not drowning in the trappings of societal constructs, we refuse to simply participate, but continue to breathe life into these special times.
So this holiday season, be grateful for what you have, thank a veteran, love the one who has captured your heart, and for every day that isn't your birthday, be thankful you still have a chance to see the next one. And as far as Christmas goes, look to the baby who spent his first night in a food dish. Love has come, and his name is Jesus.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
A Critique of Carrie Underwood and "The Sound of Music"
Last night was the much-heralded production of "The Sound of Music", starring Carrie Underwood. I watched it, and was not kind when updating my facebook status. I used words like "puke", and associated the forth-coming DVD with skeet-shooting. I have had time to mull things over in my little brain, and feel the need to clarify. Its an apology of sorts to my sister, who was shocked to read my status updates. No poetry or free-flowing narratives, I'm feeling bullet points on this one. Get ready...!!
1. Carrie Underwood:
Let's just start here, and get it overwith. I love Carrie Underwood. I have this thing about watching first auditions from the talent shows, and although Kelly Clarkson wins in that category (Score!), Carrie is great. An absolute unknown goes on to win her season, and like only a few winners, a superstar is born. Besides Carrie and Kelly, my other favorite superstar winner is Pentatonix, but I digress. Carrie has had an amazing career since that day. Her voice is a powerhouse, and her performances are fantastic. Unfortunately, this doesn't automatically translate to a successful acting career.
With little experience, she takes on the role of Fraulein Maria, and fails miserably. As I watched, I kept hoping that the well-known Carrie would fade, and Maria would emerge. It never happened for me. I wasn't necessarily looking for Julie Andrews' Maria, just someone other than Carrie. She's sweet, she's gorgeous, and that's all I saw. As a nun, as a governess, and as a woman, only Carrie. I believe this is attributed greatly to her lack of experience as an actor. I was terribly afraid that I would be constantly comparing her to Ms. Andrews. The production never even reached that point, because first I would have to believe she was Maria before I could compare her to another's Maria. Her sweetness never became vulnerable, her powerful voice intruded into tender moments, and her character never developed the depth necessary to make Maria real.
Carrie is a country superstar, and one of the best out there. To have such a lack of experience, and take on one of the most well-known and best-loved classics was a mistake. I'm not saying she doesn't have the potential, or couldn't do it in the future. It was simply a rookie blunder. On the up side, I applaud her for the attempt. Taking risks should be a part of everyone's life, for without them, life becomes stagnant. If only we were so brave.
2. The Venue:
I wasn't sure what I was watching. It was a live stage production movie adaptation tv special. Basically, it didn't translate well. I might have different thoughts and feelings had I seen the same production live on stage. A lot of what is on tv is simply crap, and this was a brave attempt to raise the standard. It almost worked.
3. The Script:
No, its not the movie. Yes, it is a stage adaptation of a classic musical. What really bugs me, and this is by no means limited to this production, is when modern writers think they can augment dialogue and lyrics with their own interpretations of what they believe the original authors would have, or should have, written to either fill in gaps or societize (I just made that up, its a combination of revisionist history and politcal correctness) a script. Any song that was added was far, far from deserving a place on the same stage as the originals, and inspired my use of the word "Puke!" in my status update. To restate, because it needs to be restated, anything that was added was puke, and leaving anything original out decimated the soul of the production, leaving a vapid nightmare.
4. The Other Characters:
Stephen Moyer can sing. I've heard he plays a vampire on tv. I'm not a fan of that genre so I'm not familiar with him. Had I held him in the same regard as Carrie, I might have been as critical. Having seen Christopher Plummer, I somewhat believed Mr. Moyer as an austrian Captain, but never a man in love. Here, he falls flat. He has quite the acting resume, so maybe this is attributable to the aforementioned script and venue? That's a call I am not able to make, only that I didn't feel his character drew me in at all.
Laura Benanti can also sing. She has a number of tv credits, as well as broadway experience and a Tony award. She oozes stage experience, and I easily saw that. But in the role of a pre-WWII wealthy european baroness? No. Good grief, no. Her character takes a lot of the credit for my earlier remark of societizing. She portrayed the quintessential modern woman. Powerful, vocal, and strong. I didn't feel an ounce of elegance from her, especially when she was wearing pants. It may be a modern-day adaptation, but its still about a baroness. Her character worked for me none.
Christian Borle doesn't have the acting resume of the previous two, but his character was more believeable than the others, maybe most of all. Out of the four main characters, his was the least important and the only one that didn't suffer a transition. He was able to play Herr Detweiler as a single, shallow character throughout. As much as his character was annoying, he was enjoyable to watch.
The children did a great job. The only one that I thought was sub-par was... (waiting for the beating to commence) ...Gretl. Honestly, my first thought was, "I wonder who she is related to". According to her website, www.peytonella.com, it was, in fact, an open-call audition, so she did compete for the role. I simply didn't think she measured up vocally. She's terribly cute, and did well dancing and acting. I may be the only one out there who criticizes the singing voice of a seven-year-old. Well, so be it. I'm sure she'll improve and become one of her generation's greatest stars. I'm just not sure if I'll recover from the flak I take for being honest with my thoughts.
5. The Hype:
Wow. How many commercials did I see for this? Every. Single. Night. How great it would be. Amazing. Spectacular. Ok, I'll give them that. They have the right to hype an event like this. They should hype an event like this. Its different. It has the potential to be big. No, huge! What really bothered me about the hype was their incessant reminders that this would be a "live" event. Its gonna be "live"! Oh no!! "LIVE!!!!" Snooze. I'm almost on the older side of life. I can remember when tv shows began with a voice-over that stated, "This show was filmed in front of a live studio audience." I also remember a few that stated, "IN COLOR!" Yikes. Anyways, the resumes of these people show that they have experience performing live. A lot of stage experience. Even I have a little experience performing on stage. And it was LIVE! Its hard. Nerve-wracking. But these are professionals. Sure, things can go wrong, but I would expect that nothing does. Did I say "highly-paid" professionals? I meant to. And don't even get me started on the "Behind-the Scenes" special that aired BEFORE the actual show. NO! I didn't watch it. I was afraid that watching it would make me not want to watch the show. If I'm that impressed by a performance, I'll go back and watch the bonus material.
6. Incidentals:
Costumes: Pants? On a baroness?? Give back your paycheck and promise to never consider fashion again. Ever. Men's jeans, a burlap top, no makeup, and unkempt hair for life, and that's just the beginning of your punishment. Yes, punishment. You deserve to be punished for making me look at that. Or how about the pseudo powersuit and large white headband that Maria is wearing when she returns? I'm part ape, and even I could tell someone fell asleep while driving the fashion bus. I'm guessing you drove to a pot-legal state so you all could sit in the back of the bus and toke on a fatty while trying to decide how to make Maria as un-Maria-ish as possible. "I know! Let's take a old-fashioned, humble, rural woman and make her look like some cute and gorgeous american, like, maybe, oh, Carrie Underwood!" Some things, Carrie, just weren't your fault.
Rewrites: Rolf doesn't turn them in? He lets them go? Why, because Liesl steps in front of her father and Rolf becomes the love-stricken boy again? Revisionist whoremongers! Hitler did a true (the only word I can think of here is very bad) on the youth of his country. They were entirely loyal to him, to the point of purposely turning in the closest of family and friends. He became their god, and they sacrificed their all to him. Whoever rewrote that part should be permanently exiled to Auschwitz. Some things are so atrocious, they should never be forgotten. Or rewritten. Not for any reason. Never.
Sigh. I'm tired. I'm sure there's other stuff, I just can't think anymore. Overall, it was a bad experience, and that disappoints me. Those I've talked to today echo my sentiments. Most were highly underwhelmed, and turned it off early. "Boring" was a common descriptor.
Like I said at the top, I love Carrie Underwood. I hope she pursues acting, and becomes good at it. I think she has to fight this somehow. Don't walk away, turn it around. Please. I don't want to remember you this way. And perhaps contradictorily, thanks for trying. Our standards need to be raised.
1. Carrie Underwood:
Let's just start here, and get it overwith. I love Carrie Underwood. I have this thing about watching first auditions from the talent shows, and although Kelly Clarkson wins in that category (Score!), Carrie is great. An absolute unknown goes on to win her season, and like only a few winners, a superstar is born. Besides Carrie and Kelly, my other favorite superstar winner is Pentatonix, but I digress. Carrie has had an amazing career since that day. Her voice is a powerhouse, and her performances are fantastic. Unfortunately, this doesn't automatically translate to a successful acting career.
With little experience, she takes on the role of Fraulein Maria, and fails miserably. As I watched, I kept hoping that the well-known Carrie would fade, and Maria would emerge. It never happened for me. I wasn't necessarily looking for Julie Andrews' Maria, just someone other than Carrie. She's sweet, she's gorgeous, and that's all I saw. As a nun, as a governess, and as a woman, only Carrie. I believe this is attributed greatly to her lack of experience as an actor. I was terribly afraid that I would be constantly comparing her to Ms. Andrews. The production never even reached that point, because first I would have to believe she was Maria before I could compare her to another's Maria. Her sweetness never became vulnerable, her powerful voice intruded into tender moments, and her character never developed the depth necessary to make Maria real.
Carrie is a country superstar, and one of the best out there. To have such a lack of experience, and take on one of the most well-known and best-loved classics was a mistake. I'm not saying she doesn't have the potential, or couldn't do it in the future. It was simply a rookie blunder. On the up side, I applaud her for the attempt. Taking risks should be a part of everyone's life, for without them, life becomes stagnant. If only we were so brave.
2. The Venue:
I wasn't sure what I was watching. It was a live stage production movie adaptation tv special. Basically, it didn't translate well. I might have different thoughts and feelings had I seen the same production live on stage. A lot of what is on tv is simply crap, and this was a brave attempt to raise the standard. It almost worked.
3. The Script:
No, its not the movie. Yes, it is a stage adaptation of a classic musical. What really bugs me, and this is by no means limited to this production, is when modern writers think they can augment dialogue and lyrics with their own interpretations of what they believe the original authors would have, or should have, written to either fill in gaps or societize (I just made that up, its a combination of revisionist history and politcal correctness) a script. Any song that was added was far, far from deserving a place on the same stage as the originals, and inspired my use of the word "Puke!" in my status update. To restate, because it needs to be restated, anything that was added was puke, and leaving anything original out decimated the soul of the production, leaving a vapid nightmare.
4. The Other Characters:
Stephen Moyer can sing. I've heard he plays a vampire on tv. I'm not a fan of that genre so I'm not familiar with him. Had I held him in the same regard as Carrie, I might have been as critical. Having seen Christopher Plummer, I somewhat believed Mr. Moyer as an austrian Captain, but never a man in love. Here, he falls flat. He has quite the acting resume, so maybe this is attributable to the aforementioned script and venue? That's a call I am not able to make, only that I didn't feel his character drew me in at all.
Laura Benanti can also sing. She has a number of tv credits, as well as broadway experience and a Tony award. She oozes stage experience, and I easily saw that. But in the role of a pre-WWII wealthy european baroness? No. Good grief, no. Her character takes a lot of the credit for my earlier remark of societizing. She portrayed the quintessential modern woman. Powerful, vocal, and strong. I didn't feel an ounce of elegance from her, especially when she was wearing pants. It may be a modern-day adaptation, but its still about a baroness. Her character worked for me none.
Christian Borle doesn't have the acting resume of the previous two, but his character was more believeable than the others, maybe most of all. Out of the four main characters, his was the least important and the only one that didn't suffer a transition. He was able to play Herr Detweiler as a single, shallow character throughout. As much as his character was annoying, he was enjoyable to watch.
The children did a great job. The only one that I thought was sub-par was... (waiting for the beating to commence) ...Gretl. Honestly, my first thought was, "I wonder who she is related to". According to her website, www.peytonella.com, it was, in fact, an open-call audition, so she did compete for the role. I simply didn't think she measured up vocally. She's terribly cute, and did well dancing and acting. I may be the only one out there who criticizes the singing voice of a seven-year-old. Well, so be it. I'm sure she'll improve and become one of her generation's greatest stars. I'm just not sure if I'll recover from the flak I take for being honest with my thoughts.
5. The Hype:
Wow. How many commercials did I see for this? Every. Single. Night. How great it would be. Amazing. Spectacular. Ok, I'll give them that. They have the right to hype an event like this. They should hype an event like this. Its different. It has the potential to be big. No, huge! What really bothered me about the hype was their incessant reminders that this would be a "live" event. Its gonna be "live"! Oh no!! "LIVE!!!!" Snooze. I'm almost on the older side of life. I can remember when tv shows began with a voice-over that stated, "This show was filmed in front of a live studio audience." I also remember a few that stated, "IN COLOR!" Yikes. Anyways, the resumes of these people show that they have experience performing live. A lot of stage experience. Even I have a little experience performing on stage. And it was LIVE! Its hard. Nerve-wracking. But these are professionals. Sure, things can go wrong, but I would expect that nothing does. Did I say "highly-paid" professionals? I meant to. And don't even get me started on the "Behind-the Scenes" special that aired BEFORE the actual show. NO! I didn't watch it. I was afraid that watching it would make me not want to watch the show. If I'm that impressed by a performance, I'll go back and watch the bonus material.
6. Incidentals:
Costumes: Pants? On a baroness?? Give back your paycheck and promise to never consider fashion again. Ever. Men's jeans, a burlap top, no makeup, and unkempt hair for life, and that's just the beginning of your punishment. Yes, punishment. You deserve to be punished for making me look at that. Or how about the pseudo powersuit and large white headband that Maria is wearing when she returns? I'm part ape, and even I could tell someone fell asleep while driving the fashion bus. I'm guessing you drove to a pot-legal state so you all could sit in the back of the bus and toke on a fatty while trying to decide how to make Maria as un-Maria-ish as possible. "I know! Let's take a old-fashioned, humble, rural woman and make her look like some cute and gorgeous american, like, maybe, oh, Carrie Underwood!" Some things, Carrie, just weren't your fault.
Rewrites: Rolf doesn't turn them in? He lets them go? Why, because Liesl steps in front of her father and Rolf becomes the love-stricken boy again? Revisionist whoremongers! Hitler did a true (the only word I can think of here is very bad) on the youth of his country. They were entirely loyal to him, to the point of purposely turning in the closest of family and friends. He became their god, and they sacrificed their all to him. Whoever rewrote that part should be permanently exiled to Auschwitz. Some things are so atrocious, they should never be forgotten. Or rewritten. Not for any reason. Never.
Sigh. I'm tired. I'm sure there's other stuff, I just can't think anymore. Overall, it was a bad experience, and that disappoints me. Those I've talked to today echo my sentiments. Most were highly underwhelmed, and turned it off early. "Boring" was a common descriptor.
Like I said at the top, I love Carrie Underwood. I hope she pursues acting, and becomes good at it. I think she has to fight this somehow. Don't walk away, turn it around. Please. I don't want to remember you this way. And perhaps contradictorily, thanks for trying. Our standards need to be raised.
Friday, November 8, 2013
A Lifelong Perspective on Weight Loss
A friend has asked me for some advice on how to lose about 30 - 40 pounds. Instead of replying to his facebook message, I decided a blog would best suffice. Not that facebook is a poor way to convey information and advice, but this topic can become lengthy, and perhaps others can benefit in some way from my experiences.
First off, I am not a doctor. Nor am I a nutritionist. Not even in the health industry. I have had some success, and failure, in my own personal quest regarding weight and health, and am willing to share what I have learned over the course of many years. Please read this blog as anecdotal, not prescriptive.
THE BORING BIOGRAPHY
My first battle with excess weight came in junior high school. My weight shot up much faster than my height, and I grew somewhat out of proportion. My mom was currently trying the Weight Watcher's diet, and suggested I try it with her. I will admit a level of success in losing some weight at that time. In my transition to high school, my weight leveled out to a more acceptable level for my height and body structure. I credit my excessive bicycle riding for this. My senior year found my almost-six-foot frame packing 210 pounds. Maybe a little heavy, but not excessive at all, given my level of physical exercise. I was in pretty good shape.
I enlisted in the US Navy during the summer straight after graduation. Boot camp found me at six feet, 210. Eight weeks later, I emerged quite a different person, having lost 40 pounds. Looking in the mirror, I would describe myself as "thin as a rail". Friends did not recognize me when I went home. It took me two years to gain back those 40 pounds. I wasn't trying to change, just letting my body and my lifestyle find each other.
When I met my afirstmentioned friend, I was back to my senior size. And happy with that. I looked really good, and felt really good. My friend was into martial arts, and also quite fit. We hung out for about two years, then life separated us, and we lost touch. Just a few years back, they found my wife on myspace, and we have been reconnected via facebook ever since. Someday, I'd really like a road trip to see him and his wife again.
My fitness continued into my late twenties, when I unfortunately suffered a back injury that would plague me for many years. My love of an active lifestyle disappeared in a cesspool of pain, and completely sedentary I became. Of course, I didn't change my eating habits. I had had those since middle school when my body started changing, and my exercise levels created a large caloric deficit that needed to be satiated. Even when I sat, all those years, I still ate like my body needed it, and the weight began to pile on. At some point, around the 280 pound mark, my world of denial was shattered by a headache that wouldn't go away. After three weeks, a visit to my doctor showed very high blood pressure. He told me if I didn't die from it, I would suffer a stroke and live to suffer. Harsh words, and not the first choice of path for my life. I listened.
With my blood pressure coming down, I began exercising. I was quite limited by pain, but walking was tolerable, so that's what I did. Two miles every morning. I also changed my diet greatly. Since then, my back condition has improved. Or become less painful, to the point where I am almost limitless when it comes to exercise. A wonderful place to be, a gift from above, and not one that I should squander. Do what I can, when I can, as much as I can. Good advice that I really wish I lived by. I did hit 212 lbs a few years back. My best so far. I've bounced back up a bit since then, but there are other obstacles I'm fighting, and believe me when I say the fight is far from over.
MY THOUGHTS ON DIET
After that fateful doctor's visit, I began doing research on diet, weight loss, and exercise. A lot of research. It didn't matter so much what the source was, even if it was discredited. I found that even a lot of the hokey diets out there need to start with a little truth to draw one in to the point where one becomes a believer, and is eventually willing to spend money. The sad truth is, most diet experts out there aren't experts at all unless they are being supported by your dollar. Otherwise, they are just an individual with an opinion and a blank sheet of paper. I kept my money, and read everything I could about diet, to the point of wanting to go to school for nutritionist. Maybe I should have?
I had two realizations about diet at that time: First, if I follow a prescribed "diet", and am successful losing enough weight to reach my goal, then at that time I would go off the "diet". Then what? The concensus was that I would then eat a healthy, balanced diet for the rest of my life. Fine. My question was, if I was going to eat the healthy balanced diet for the rest of my life, why did I have to start with a "diet"? The answer seemed to be to lose weight more quickly so I could become healthier more quickly. Although I believe that to be true in some cases, for me, the answer was simply to modify my diet to that healthy, balanced diet to begin with.
This led to the second realization: The key for me was finding a diet that I would be happy with for the rest of my life. Our society today is absolutely dependent on grocery chains supplying us with food. There are very few people out there who are living a true subsistence-level lifestyle. The rest of us are dependent on the nearby grocery store to supply our needs. Unfortunately, these stores are filled with foods that tip the scales far into the unhealthy realm. Learning to read product labels has turned me off to many of these foods. This has led me to a diet that is what I call "more natural". If the food is closest to the source, then it is probably the best for me. Most of us don't garden, so even source foods need to be purchased. These stores become our lifeline. Without them, we die.
This doesn't mean I'm a vegan. Not even close. I went to Burger King for lunch today. My choice, however, was a Whopper Jr. and a small fries, a far cry from the huge value meals I used to order. I do eat fast food occasionally. I don't want to exist without it, I just don't want it to rule my life. And though I do believe it is unhealthy, I believe I can eat a small amount and not suffer.
So what does my "more natural" diet consist of? Fruits and veggies. Less-chemicalized grains. Lots of water. Dark chocolate. Dependence on my wife, who is a magician in the kitchen, to cook food that is simple and close to the source, yet is somehow more tasty than any meal or food for sale in a store or restaurant. She makes homemade chocolate syrup for milk. Who does that?? The cookie jar is never full, though she tries hard to keep it that way. We haven't bought a loaf of bread in years. We do, however, buy wheat flour and yeast to make our own. Our garden has produced all the pasta sauce we need. We do shop for groceries, but again its produce, whole grains, and she even tries to sneak ground turkey into my meals. Shhh, I let her. And soups... oh my, the soups just keep coming, every one better than the last. Soups are great because you can boil the vegetables, then drink the broth and still get all the nutrients that you just boiled out of the veggies! I get scared eating out now, because I don't know what they put in the food...
Are there foods that I avoid? Diet anything makes me cringe. I trust the megalithic food corporations like I trust the government. For every one thing they tell me, I want to know the five things they aren't telling me. If there's less fat, there's more sugar. If there's less sugar, there's more salt. And don't get me started on artificial sweeteners. If it says aspartame, I run. I avoid partially hydrogenated anything. Take me to the source, where mankind hasn't "improved" it yet. I don't drink diet soda at all anymore, and regular soda on an extremely limited basis. I switched from Mountain Dew to coffee when I need caffeine. I can't drink my coffee black yet. I still need cream and sugar, though those ingredients have been decreasing steadily.
Taste becomes an issue. We are accustomed to accepting what taste is put in front of us. I learned this by growing my own tomatoes, then tasting the store variety. I never want store tomatoes again! We have learned to accept certain tastes as necessary and without option. When we begin to back away from processed foods and move towards source foods, our taste changes, and we begin to better appreciate the taste of true food, as well as the true taste of food.
My entire "diet" mentality is this: Balance and moderation, and knowledge is power. It is convenient to just buy what they sell. It is inconvenient to suffer with diseases, and more so to die.
MY THOUGHTS ON EXERCISE
Do something. Sounds fairly simple, right? Have you ever asked yourself why exercise and fitness is such a booming industry? Why does there need to be one thousand and one cardio programs on the market? Did the first one thousand not work, so we needed another? The answer is simple: Not only are we all different, but we ourselves change over time. What worked for us last year, or last week, may not work for us today.
Could we maintain a decent level of fitness with Richard Simmons every day? Most of us could. How about Denise Austin? Yup. Billy Blanks? Absolutely. PX-90? Insanity? One of these programs, done on schedule, would help most of us maintain an acceptable level of fitness for the rest of our lives.
What about other workouts? Pavel and his kettlebells are great. Chuck and Christie will sell me a Total Gym. Actually, I bought one from a garage sale. Still have it. It makes a great doorstop. I have a kettlebell, too. Its somewhere outside in the weeds by my back door, ready for my "Morning Workout Explosion!" 12 lb body bar? Yup. Use it? Nope. Made my own set of gymnastic rings in the basement. Used them twice.
What does all this tell us? We aren't going to do what we don't want to do. Or said differently, We're going to do what we want to do, which isn't usually exercising. Or, we're only going to do what is convenient. Newsflash: Good health is never convenient. It takes time. Effort. Sweat. Sometimes blood. Pain. Risk of injury. Then why do it? Because if you don't, and you develop a disease, then caring for the disease takes more time. More effort. Sometimes more sweat. Usually more blood. Usually more pain. And usually a higher risk of injury. I know. It makes sense in the head, but gets lost in the translation to the body.
How then do we commit to exercise? See the answer above: We're going to do what we want to do. When I was 20, I learned to ride a unicycle. Not well, just enough to not fall right away. 25 years later, I decided to relearn. My longest ride to date is over 10.5 miles on a 24-inch tire. Imagine riding a child's BMX bike 10 miles with no coasting. Why did I do that? I enjoyed it. Why is it now my go-to exercise? Because I enjoy it. I'll have to find something else during the bad weather, but for now, its at the ready. I also have a pull up bar in my dining room door-frame. I do use it, although not enough. It is convenient, and I enjoy it. What else do I enjoy? Friendly competition. I'm doing a facebook-based 30-Day Plank challenge, where we increase the plank time gradually over thirty days. Will I be able to do a 4-minute 30-second plank at the end? Eek! But there are others involved, and that makes it more fun. I tried the one-year push-up challenge, starting with one and adding one push-up every day. I eventually injured my shoulder doing too many push-ups. I was somewhere over 150 when I quit.
What don't I like? Running. Or more specifically, jogging. On a hard surface. My answer to that is sprints. I love sprinting barefoot on a football field. Its just inconvenient to travel there to do a few minutes of sprints. I believe running with heel-strikes on a hard surface is very bad for one's health. On the other hand, ball-strikes on a soft grassy surface feels fantastic! If you're interested, do an internet search for "tabata sprints".
What is the answer then? Find a few exercises you like, and do them. Mix them up. Find a partner or group that shares your interest. Or just do it alone, for the pure joy of it. My friend was formerly a black belt. There's a fire that could be rekindled!
WHERE TO START?
Understand yourself. Where you used to be, where you are now, and how you got there. Look for the potential. Quit making excuses. If you can't quit with the excuses, you must watch an entire season of "The Biggest Loser". And turn off the TV (unless its an exercise video). Ok, fine, just watch a lot less.
Take a cold hard look at what you eat and drink. Read labels. Understand what you are putting into your body, and how it is affecting you.
Find an exercise that you like. Do you prefer being indoors or outdoors? With others, or alone? Strength or cardio? Fat burn or body sculpt?
IN CONCLUSION:
Balance and Moderation is the key to everything you do, and knowledge is power. Power to be healthy. Power to be commercially unshackled. The Power to be a better, healthier you. NOW STOP READING AND GO DO IT!!!!!!
First off, I am not a doctor. Nor am I a nutritionist. Not even in the health industry. I have had some success, and failure, in my own personal quest regarding weight and health, and am willing to share what I have learned over the course of many years. Please read this blog as anecdotal, not prescriptive.
THE BORING BIOGRAPHY
My first battle with excess weight came in junior high school. My weight shot up much faster than my height, and I grew somewhat out of proportion. My mom was currently trying the Weight Watcher's diet, and suggested I try it with her. I will admit a level of success in losing some weight at that time. In my transition to high school, my weight leveled out to a more acceptable level for my height and body structure. I credit my excessive bicycle riding for this. My senior year found my almost-six-foot frame packing 210 pounds. Maybe a little heavy, but not excessive at all, given my level of physical exercise. I was in pretty good shape.
I enlisted in the US Navy during the summer straight after graduation. Boot camp found me at six feet, 210. Eight weeks later, I emerged quite a different person, having lost 40 pounds. Looking in the mirror, I would describe myself as "thin as a rail". Friends did not recognize me when I went home. It took me two years to gain back those 40 pounds. I wasn't trying to change, just letting my body and my lifestyle find each other.
When I met my afirstmentioned friend, I was back to my senior size. And happy with that. I looked really good, and felt really good. My friend was into martial arts, and also quite fit. We hung out for about two years, then life separated us, and we lost touch. Just a few years back, they found my wife on myspace, and we have been reconnected via facebook ever since. Someday, I'd really like a road trip to see him and his wife again.
My fitness continued into my late twenties, when I unfortunately suffered a back injury that would plague me for many years. My love of an active lifestyle disappeared in a cesspool of pain, and completely sedentary I became. Of course, I didn't change my eating habits. I had had those since middle school when my body started changing, and my exercise levels created a large caloric deficit that needed to be satiated. Even when I sat, all those years, I still ate like my body needed it, and the weight began to pile on. At some point, around the 280 pound mark, my world of denial was shattered by a headache that wouldn't go away. After three weeks, a visit to my doctor showed very high blood pressure. He told me if I didn't die from it, I would suffer a stroke and live to suffer. Harsh words, and not the first choice of path for my life. I listened.
With my blood pressure coming down, I began exercising. I was quite limited by pain, but walking was tolerable, so that's what I did. Two miles every morning. I also changed my diet greatly. Since then, my back condition has improved. Or become less painful, to the point where I am almost limitless when it comes to exercise. A wonderful place to be, a gift from above, and not one that I should squander. Do what I can, when I can, as much as I can. Good advice that I really wish I lived by. I did hit 212 lbs a few years back. My best so far. I've bounced back up a bit since then, but there are other obstacles I'm fighting, and believe me when I say the fight is far from over.
MY THOUGHTS ON DIET
After that fateful doctor's visit, I began doing research on diet, weight loss, and exercise. A lot of research. It didn't matter so much what the source was, even if it was discredited. I found that even a lot of the hokey diets out there need to start with a little truth to draw one in to the point where one becomes a believer, and is eventually willing to spend money. The sad truth is, most diet experts out there aren't experts at all unless they are being supported by your dollar. Otherwise, they are just an individual with an opinion and a blank sheet of paper. I kept my money, and read everything I could about diet, to the point of wanting to go to school for nutritionist. Maybe I should have?
I had two realizations about diet at that time: First, if I follow a prescribed "diet", and am successful losing enough weight to reach my goal, then at that time I would go off the "diet". Then what? The concensus was that I would then eat a healthy, balanced diet for the rest of my life. Fine. My question was, if I was going to eat the healthy balanced diet for the rest of my life, why did I have to start with a "diet"? The answer seemed to be to lose weight more quickly so I could become healthier more quickly. Although I believe that to be true in some cases, for me, the answer was simply to modify my diet to that healthy, balanced diet to begin with.
This led to the second realization: The key for me was finding a diet that I would be happy with for the rest of my life. Our society today is absolutely dependent on grocery chains supplying us with food. There are very few people out there who are living a true subsistence-level lifestyle. The rest of us are dependent on the nearby grocery store to supply our needs. Unfortunately, these stores are filled with foods that tip the scales far into the unhealthy realm. Learning to read product labels has turned me off to many of these foods. This has led me to a diet that is what I call "more natural". If the food is closest to the source, then it is probably the best for me. Most of us don't garden, so even source foods need to be purchased. These stores become our lifeline. Without them, we die.
This doesn't mean I'm a vegan. Not even close. I went to Burger King for lunch today. My choice, however, was a Whopper Jr. and a small fries, a far cry from the huge value meals I used to order. I do eat fast food occasionally. I don't want to exist without it, I just don't want it to rule my life. And though I do believe it is unhealthy, I believe I can eat a small amount and not suffer.
So what does my "more natural" diet consist of? Fruits and veggies. Less-chemicalized grains. Lots of water. Dark chocolate. Dependence on my wife, who is a magician in the kitchen, to cook food that is simple and close to the source, yet is somehow more tasty than any meal or food for sale in a store or restaurant. She makes homemade chocolate syrup for milk. Who does that?? The cookie jar is never full, though she tries hard to keep it that way. We haven't bought a loaf of bread in years. We do, however, buy wheat flour and yeast to make our own. Our garden has produced all the pasta sauce we need. We do shop for groceries, but again its produce, whole grains, and she even tries to sneak ground turkey into my meals. Shhh, I let her. And soups... oh my, the soups just keep coming, every one better than the last. Soups are great because you can boil the vegetables, then drink the broth and still get all the nutrients that you just boiled out of the veggies! I get scared eating out now, because I don't know what they put in the food...
Are there foods that I avoid? Diet anything makes me cringe. I trust the megalithic food corporations like I trust the government. For every one thing they tell me, I want to know the five things they aren't telling me. If there's less fat, there's more sugar. If there's less sugar, there's more salt. And don't get me started on artificial sweeteners. If it says aspartame, I run. I avoid partially hydrogenated anything. Take me to the source, where mankind hasn't "improved" it yet. I don't drink diet soda at all anymore, and regular soda on an extremely limited basis. I switched from Mountain Dew to coffee when I need caffeine. I can't drink my coffee black yet. I still need cream and sugar, though those ingredients have been decreasing steadily.
Taste becomes an issue. We are accustomed to accepting what taste is put in front of us. I learned this by growing my own tomatoes, then tasting the store variety. I never want store tomatoes again! We have learned to accept certain tastes as necessary and without option. When we begin to back away from processed foods and move towards source foods, our taste changes, and we begin to better appreciate the taste of true food, as well as the true taste of food.
My entire "diet" mentality is this: Balance and moderation, and knowledge is power. It is convenient to just buy what they sell. It is inconvenient to suffer with diseases, and more so to die.
MY THOUGHTS ON EXERCISE
Do something. Sounds fairly simple, right? Have you ever asked yourself why exercise and fitness is such a booming industry? Why does there need to be one thousand and one cardio programs on the market? Did the first one thousand not work, so we needed another? The answer is simple: Not only are we all different, but we ourselves change over time. What worked for us last year, or last week, may not work for us today.
Could we maintain a decent level of fitness with Richard Simmons every day? Most of us could. How about Denise Austin? Yup. Billy Blanks? Absolutely. PX-90? Insanity? One of these programs, done on schedule, would help most of us maintain an acceptable level of fitness for the rest of our lives.
What about other workouts? Pavel and his kettlebells are great. Chuck and Christie will sell me a Total Gym. Actually, I bought one from a garage sale. Still have it. It makes a great doorstop. I have a kettlebell, too. Its somewhere outside in the weeds by my back door, ready for my "Morning Workout Explosion!" 12 lb body bar? Yup. Use it? Nope. Made my own set of gymnastic rings in the basement. Used them twice.
What does all this tell us? We aren't going to do what we don't want to do. Or said differently, We're going to do what we want to do, which isn't usually exercising. Or, we're only going to do what is convenient. Newsflash: Good health is never convenient. It takes time. Effort. Sweat. Sometimes blood. Pain. Risk of injury. Then why do it? Because if you don't, and you develop a disease, then caring for the disease takes more time. More effort. Sometimes more sweat. Usually more blood. Usually more pain. And usually a higher risk of injury. I know. It makes sense in the head, but gets lost in the translation to the body.
How then do we commit to exercise? See the answer above: We're going to do what we want to do. When I was 20, I learned to ride a unicycle. Not well, just enough to not fall right away. 25 years later, I decided to relearn. My longest ride to date is over 10.5 miles on a 24-inch tire. Imagine riding a child's BMX bike 10 miles with no coasting. Why did I do that? I enjoyed it. Why is it now my go-to exercise? Because I enjoy it. I'll have to find something else during the bad weather, but for now, its at the ready. I also have a pull up bar in my dining room door-frame. I do use it, although not enough. It is convenient, and I enjoy it. What else do I enjoy? Friendly competition. I'm doing a facebook-based 30-Day Plank challenge, where we increase the plank time gradually over thirty days. Will I be able to do a 4-minute 30-second plank at the end? Eek! But there are others involved, and that makes it more fun. I tried the one-year push-up challenge, starting with one and adding one push-up every day. I eventually injured my shoulder doing too many push-ups. I was somewhere over 150 when I quit.
What don't I like? Running. Or more specifically, jogging. On a hard surface. My answer to that is sprints. I love sprinting barefoot on a football field. Its just inconvenient to travel there to do a few minutes of sprints. I believe running with heel-strikes on a hard surface is very bad for one's health. On the other hand, ball-strikes on a soft grassy surface feels fantastic! If you're interested, do an internet search for "tabata sprints".
What is the answer then? Find a few exercises you like, and do them. Mix them up. Find a partner or group that shares your interest. Or just do it alone, for the pure joy of it. My friend was formerly a black belt. There's a fire that could be rekindled!
WHERE TO START?
Understand yourself. Where you used to be, where you are now, and how you got there. Look for the potential. Quit making excuses. If you can't quit with the excuses, you must watch an entire season of "The Biggest Loser". And turn off the TV (unless its an exercise video). Ok, fine, just watch a lot less.
Take a cold hard look at what you eat and drink. Read labels. Understand what you are putting into your body, and how it is affecting you.
Find an exercise that you like. Do you prefer being indoors or outdoors? With others, or alone? Strength or cardio? Fat burn or body sculpt?
IN CONCLUSION:
Balance and Moderation is the key to everything you do, and knowledge is power. Power to be healthy. Power to be commercially unshackled. The Power to be a better, healthier you. NOW STOP READING AND GO DO IT!!!!!!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
The Annoying Voice of Truth
Every time I travel to a new town, one of the first things I do is peruse the radio stations to see what I might like. There are a few things I listen for: sports talk, classic pop, eighties, even symphonies at times. I've also found myself listening to NPR stations lately. Although I disagree with their blatantly liberal slant, a lot of their news is different and interesting. I can handle a different point of view until I can't handle it.
My work brings me to many different locales within the region. This week I found myself in Poughkeepsie, New York. I was travelling in radio silence that morning, just enjoying the quiet drive. Upon entering the area of destination, I switched on the radio. The fuzzy static of a station from my home area met my ears, and I quickly hit the back search button. Funny note here: I can scan forward through the stations and hit certain ones, then when I scan backwards, I'll hit ones that the forward scan missed. Just thought you should know. As the backward scan hit the first station, an annoying voice hit me full on.
Imagine Mr Magoo (for you young'uns, youtube it), but with a much, much slower voice, and some very interesting hyper-enunciation. The gentleman speaking was obviously quite aged, and not prone to generous verbiage. I can spot most radio preachers within a word or two, and he was definitely one of them. My hand reached forward to hit the search button again, but I hesitated. The tone of his voice grated on me, and I wanted desperately to shut him off, but I then wondered what he might have to say. He was speaking of truth, how God is truth, and there are no lies in him. This thought, this simple thought, took quite a while for him to get across. Each word was a burden to listen to. I would finish his sentences in my head long, and I mean long, before he finished speaking them.
His message was simple. His message was biblical. His message was true. As painful as it was to listen, I eventually grew a bit fond of his messages. Yes, I had his station on whenever I was driving, and in fact, I never changed the station while in that town. We hear a lot in this world. The tv is always on. Or the radio is always on. Or there is always music playing. Sit in the car? Radio is on. Walk in a store? Music is always playing. As a society, we have developed a need for background noise. It becomes odd to sit in silence. A lot of what we do hear while in public is either news, opinion, or music for the masses. In this case, I was isolated in my work van, and had the pleasure of listening to a wise old man speak some simple truth. Annoying as could be, but he was speaking biblical truth.
I realized this after the first listen I gave him. I got to the job site, and went to work. Hours later, I could sort of remember what his voice sounded like, although the memory was a bit faded. What I remembered clearly were his words of truth. He was just the messenger, largely unimportant. What stuck with me was his message. The message of God's truth.
If you read into this at all, you'll realize what I'm saying is that I can be annoying. Just ask anyone who knows me. I can be. I don't mean to, I just am. Sometimes. If you hang with me long enough, you'll figure that out, and you don't even have to be my smartest friend, which you're not. You'll also figure out that I don't think of myself as being terribly important. I'm not. That is good, and its also bad, in a personal sense. What is important is the message that I am trying to convey by how I live my life. If you know me well enough to know that I can be annoying, I hope you also know what I believe.
Yet another blog that should end here, but it doesn't. The radio station isn't just an old man with an annoying voice speaking biblical truth. Its old church music. Music that I grew up with. Music that would make my son rip his ears off of his head. A piano, and voices. Old church hymns, many of which I knew, and many that I didn't. I started playing bass guitar a few months ago for our church band, and I love the experience. I love playing music. Its just not the same as it used to be.
Christian music is different now. For me, it changed in the late seventies. I went on a ski trip with our church youth group. I was in eighth grade, I believe. We had a singing evangelist join us for the weekend, and it was memorable. I bought his cassette before he left. It was the first of countless cassettes and CDs that were to follow. Even the music back then, especially the Christian rock, is much different from what we have today.
This radio station played music that I missed. The simplicity of a choir of voices blending in harmony with just a piano or organ accompaniment draws me in. Brings me back. I spent some drive time trying to remember old hymns, and had some luck with the more popular ones. I remember my dad as preacher leading the songs from up front. I remembered the sign boards where the hymn numbers were posted. I remembered a lot about church in the old days, and how we worshipped God back then. It reminded me that there is no right or wrong way to praise God, as long as the praise is genuine and biblical.
I enjoyed that time, and look forward to future trips to Poughkeepsie. I may never do a radio search while there, and that will be fine with me. I have the rest of the world to search for something that pleases my ears. But there, I have an annoying old man to speak truth, and music to soothe my thirsty spirit. Hallelujah!
Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, and the VMA Awards
(I authored the following rant, originally posting it on facebook. I didn't want to lose it to a busy timeline, so I'm reposting it here.)
After all the hype and anti-hype, I finally broke down and watched the Miley Cyrus video. I have resisted because I'm not into watching trash like that, but want to stay somewhat relevant with things that are happening in our culture.
All I have heard about lately is the "Miley Cyrus VMA" video. What I haven't heard about is the "Robin Thicke VMA" video. Or the "other guy in the sports shirt VMA" video. Yes, I know Miley was famous for being innocent and all-American, and has turned that ugly corner. But these other entertainers are just as responsible and culpable for their own behavior as well as the participation in hers. Do we not care if an adult starts out being despicable? Is it only news when a formerly innocent child star loses their moral compass?
What about the dancers? They must approve of this mess. After all, they are also participating. How about the audience? Not all of them approved, but many of them clapped and shouted and screamed. If they had all sat quietly in protest, how would this number have ended?
I've also heard talk over the years of Billy Ray, and what he thinks of his daughter. If someone could post a tweet or an interview with Alan Thicke about this, I'd appreciate it. He was, after all, a good, well-behaved TV father, a role model attempting to teach his children values and morals. Did he not believe any of that in real life? Does he really approve of his son dry-humping a tramp on live TV? Where are the fathers of any of these entertainers? Will none of them stand up and say, "I don't approve of my child's behavior. They've made poor choices and need to reevaluate the direction of their lives."
This isn't the first time we've seen this. Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Madonna... there have been many. But why do these celebrities take the heat for this type of behavior, when the fans are the ones supporting them? If no one bought their music, they wouldn't happen. If the dancers didn't agree, they wouldnt dance. If the producers couldn't profit from it, they wouldn't produce it.
If this is shocking to any of you, wake up. This is our society, and we support it. And if you think this is the end, or things will change for the better, guess again. It will only get worse, and quickly. The best I can do is to make individual choices, stand by them, and try to influence the world around me for what I believe is right. And this hasn't been right, for a long time.
I worked all day, but couldn't get the VMA video out of my head. I specifically didn't discuss the actual performance in my first post, because that wasn't the focus. But there are some disturbing images here, and I need to speak.
First, Miley emerges from a big teddy bear wearing an outfit with a big goofy bear face displayed on the front. The big tongue is hanging out, and the ears are covering her breasts. Apart from the display by Ms Cyrus, her entire set, including dancer apparel, was designed to give one impression: A young girl. I would say kindergarten age. Portraying an innocent girl, her behavior was everything except innocent.
Mr Thicke is another story. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to notice that his outfit was exactly like the character in the movie of the same name, Beetlejuice. So I have to ask, what does a bio-exorcist ghost and a little girl have in common? Anyone? Of all the stories I read about this event, none, not ONE, talks about the fact that there's a ghost portraying a sex act with a little girl on live tv.
Does anyone find this disturbing? Did you even notice it? A male ghost having sex with a little girl. On live tv. I am having an awful time putting into words how deeply this disturbs me. The penalty for an adult male having sex with a minor female is prison. But the outcome of the same act portrayed on a live stage is profit, income, publicity, notoriety? While the audience, well, some of it, cheers and encourages.
I've heard it said that maybe the whole VMA fiasco is a distraction to what's going on in Washington. While we're looking in the direction of VMA, what legislation is Washington trying to sneak through? What are they doing on Capitol Hill while we debate celebrity entertainers?
Maybe we have it backwards. Maybe Washington is the distraction. Maybe the war in Syria, foreign affairs, political correctness, and gun control are the distractions. Because I'm convinced that while we keep our eyes on war and elections, the entertainment industry is stealing our souls. If we had a soul left, would our country be in the state it currently is? If we can applaude a ghost molesting a little girl, what chance to we have to effect our planet for the better?
After all the hype and anti-hype, I finally broke down and watched the Miley Cyrus video. I have resisted because I'm not into watching trash like that, but want to stay somewhat relevant with things that are happening in our culture.
All I have heard about lately is the "Miley Cyrus VMA" video. What I haven't heard about is the "Robin Thicke VMA" video. Or the "other guy in the sports shirt VMA" video. Yes, I know Miley was famous for being innocent and all-American, and has turned that ugly corner. But these other entertainers are just as responsible and culpable for their own behavior as well as the participation in hers. Do we not care if an adult starts out being despicable? Is it only news when a formerly innocent child star loses their moral compass?
What about the dancers? They must approve of this mess. After all, they are also participating. How about the audience? Not all of them approved, but many of them clapped and shouted and screamed. If they had all sat quietly in protest, how would this number have ended?
I've also heard talk over the years of Billy Ray, and what he thinks of his daughter. If someone could post a tweet or an interview with Alan Thicke about this, I'd appreciate it. He was, after all, a good, well-behaved TV father, a role model attempting to teach his children values and morals. Did he not believe any of that in real life? Does he really approve of his son dry-humping a tramp on live TV? Where are the fathers of any of these entertainers? Will none of them stand up and say, "I don't approve of my child's behavior. They've made poor choices and need to reevaluate the direction of their lives."
This isn't the first time we've seen this. Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Madonna... there have been many. But why do these celebrities take the heat for this type of behavior, when the fans are the ones supporting them? If no one bought their music, they wouldn't happen. If the dancers didn't agree, they wouldnt dance. If the producers couldn't profit from it, they wouldn't produce it.
If this is shocking to any of you, wake up. This is our society, and we support it. And if you think this is the end, or things will change for the better, guess again. It will only get worse, and quickly. The best I can do is to make individual choices, stand by them, and try to influence the world around me for what I believe is right. And this hasn't been right, for a long time.
I worked all day, but couldn't get the VMA video out of my head. I specifically didn't discuss the actual performance in my first post, because that wasn't the focus. But there are some disturbing images here, and I need to speak.
First, Miley emerges from a big teddy bear wearing an outfit with a big goofy bear face displayed on the front. The big tongue is hanging out, and the ears are covering her breasts. Apart from the display by Ms Cyrus, her entire set, including dancer apparel, was designed to give one impression: A young girl. I would say kindergarten age. Portraying an innocent girl, her behavior was everything except innocent.
Mr Thicke is another story. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to notice that his outfit was exactly like the character in the movie of the same name, Beetlejuice. So I have to ask, what does a bio-exorcist ghost and a little girl have in common? Anyone? Of all the stories I read about this event, none, not ONE, talks about the fact that there's a ghost portraying a sex act with a little girl on live tv.
Does anyone find this disturbing? Did you even notice it? A male ghost having sex with a little girl. On live tv. I am having an awful time putting into words how deeply this disturbs me. The penalty for an adult male having sex with a minor female is prison. But the outcome of the same act portrayed on a live stage is profit, income, publicity, notoriety? While the audience, well, some of it, cheers and encourages.
I've heard it said that maybe the whole VMA fiasco is a distraction to what's going on in Washington. While we're looking in the direction of VMA, what legislation is Washington trying to sneak through? What are they doing on Capitol Hill while we debate celebrity entertainers?
Maybe we have it backwards. Maybe Washington is the distraction. Maybe the war in Syria, foreign affairs, political correctness, and gun control are the distractions. Because I'm convinced that while we keep our eyes on war and elections, the entertainment industry is stealing our souls. If we had a soul left, would our country be in the state it currently is? If we can applaude a ghost molesting a little girl, what chance to we have to effect our planet for the better?
Thursday, September 26, 2013
The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round, But Not Terribly Quickly
It was a gorgeous autumn morning. The sky was blue with clouds of white and gray. The fall foliage was awash in brilliant sunshine as I travelled the rural roads of western Rhode Island into eastern Connecticut. The roads were appropriately busy for the time of day. My mind was engaged in productive endeavors when the Nissan Altima in front of me called me back to the business at hand.
Normally, I would assign the aggressive driving to a male, but her long hair and mannerisms made her femininity fairly obvious. In front of her was a green Honda Civic, then two other non-noteworthy cars, then a semi. The large letters NEMF stood out on its rear door. I've seen their trucks often, and I was now very curious as to their meaning. (While writing this, I looked it up, and the company is New England Motor Freight.) The truck was travelling below the posted speed limit of 40 mph. This can be annoying on such a stretch of road. There are numerous curves, and not many opportunities to pass. Thus, this line of cars was forced to stare at the back end of a lumbering truck.
The Altima was highly impatient. Many times, and I said "many", she tried to dart her car over the double yellow line to pass three cars and a semi in a no-passing zone. Unfortunately for her, we weren't the only cars on the road, and there were enough coming from the other direction to deter her. Then she darted right, to check out what might be on the side of the road. I was really beginning to wonder if she maybe had a medical emergency to deal with. The lumbering truck stayed its course.
On down the road we traversed, until we approached a crossroads. No light, no stopping involved, just a set of side streets. The truck did brake, but no turn signals. It just began to slow down. I thought that was odd. And then I saw it. The school bus that had been traveling in front of the semi came into view as it made a right turn on to the side street. It cleared the intersection, and continued on its way, out of sight. The semi then accelerated to a normal rate of speed for that area, and our line of cars followed suit.
We don't always see what's holding us back in life. There is a lot of frustration involved when we feel that life is moving too slowly, there are people in our way, and we can't see around the obstacles that hide our path from us. What we fail to realize is there are reasons for why things are happening this way. They may have little to do with us personally, except we are on the same road. The school bus was acting in a manner completely acceptable to school buses, traveling a bit slower due to the type of vehicle and the precious cargo it carries. The semi was also responding in a manner fit for a large truck trailing a school bus. And yet, because I couldn't see the bus, only the truck, I blamed the truck for our slower rate of speed. Not blame in a vindictive sense, just that it was the cause. Quite simply, I didn't fully understand the situation. Truthfully, I didn't need to. We all kept our cool, except for Ms Altima.
That should be the end of this blog, but... Back to Ms Altima. After the bus turned, we continued on, with her still unhappy with our progress. Dart here, dart there. No luck. We approached a traffic light. The NEMF truck made it through the green light. The car behind it turned. The next car made the green/yellow. The green Civic slowed for the yellow/red. Had it progressed, it technically would have run a red light. Ms Altima must have been furious! She floored it, and passed the Civic on the RIGHT to go speeding through the now red light. Wow! That's beyond aggressive, that's downright dangerous! The only things I could think were medical emergency or something criminal.
I'll never see the Altima again. Or will I? Not too long thereafter, the Civic turns, and behind the truck I can see the car and the Altima pass the semi. Ok, now I'll never see them again. Or will I? A few miles down the road, I see a bevy of cars in front of the semi, all motoring along with a Volkswagon Passat leading the way. At speed limit. I snickered. When the semi braked to slow down and avoid hitting Ms Altima, I laughed out loud. Really! How funny, and how very ironic.
We crested a hill, and descended into a mildly populated area. The road widened into a four-lane road, with turn lanes and entrances for a highway and a shopping area. Ms Altima, at first chance, darted into the straight travel lane, and floored it. I decided to get in front of NEMF and see if I could still stay with her for a bit. Under the highway, and... wait, she's in the turn lane for the shopping center. Now I'm convinced there is an emergency care center in there somewhere. She turns, I follow, but not too closely. We go down and around, all the way to the last parking lot. I stare at the large sign that says, "Target". She parks in the last spot in a very long line of cars, and walks casually into the store while texting. I shake my head, and drive out.
I can't speak against her. I was a dangerous driver for quite a while. Always impatient, passing at every opportunity, hitting every corner hard and not always having somewhere important to be. After a few accidents, and numerous speeding tickets, I have slowed down. But its also a maturing process. I realize I'm not the only driver on the road. There are school kids on a bus. There's a pregnant woman in a car. There's a girl on the back of a motorcycle. There are unseen obstacles around the next corner, mechanical breakdowns, and police with LIDAR. I am saddened, and more than a bit scared, to think of the chances I took, because its not just me, there are others affected by my actions. I sit back and smile when I regale those around me with stories of my escapades, but I came out unscathed. To think I might have caused someone else harm... it just isn't worth it. I hope Ms Altima realizes that, and soon.
Normally, I would assign the aggressive driving to a male, but her long hair and mannerisms made her femininity fairly obvious. In front of her was a green Honda Civic, then two other non-noteworthy cars, then a semi. The large letters NEMF stood out on its rear door. I've seen their trucks often, and I was now very curious as to their meaning. (While writing this, I looked it up, and the company is New England Motor Freight.) The truck was travelling below the posted speed limit of 40 mph. This can be annoying on such a stretch of road. There are numerous curves, and not many opportunities to pass. Thus, this line of cars was forced to stare at the back end of a lumbering truck.
The Altima was highly impatient. Many times, and I said "many", she tried to dart her car over the double yellow line to pass three cars and a semi in a no-passing zone. Unfortunately for her, we weren't the only cars on the road, and there were enough coming from the other direction to deter her. Then she darted right, to check out what might be on the side of the road. I was really beginning to wonder if she maybe had a medical emergency to deal with. The lumbering truck stayed its course.
On down the road we traversed, until we approached a crossroads. No light, no stopping involved, just a set of side streets. The truck did brake, but no turn signals. It just began to slow down. I thought that was odd. And then I saw it. The school bus that had been traveling in front of the semi came into view as it made a right turn on to the side street. It cleared the intersection, and continued on its way, out of sight. The semi then accelerated to a normal rate of speed for that area, and our line of cars followed suit.
We don't always see what's holding us back in life. There is a lot of frustration involved when we feel that life is moving too slowly, there are people in our way, and we can't see around the obstacles that hide our path from us. What we fail to realize is there are reasons for why things are happening this way. They may have little to do with us personally, except we are on the same road. The school bus was acting in a manner completely acceptable to school buses, traveling a bit slower due to the type of vehicle and the precious cargo it carries. The semi was also responding in a manner fit for a large truck trailing a school bus. And yet, because I couldn't see the bus, only the truck, I blamed the truck for our slower rate of speed. Not blame in a vindictive sense, just that it was the cause. Quite simply, I didn't fully understand the situation. Truthfully, I didn't need to. We all kept our cool, except for Ms Altima.
That should be the end of this blog, but... Back to Ms Altima. After the bus turned, we continued on, with her still unhappy with our progress. Dart here, dart there. No luck. We approached a traffic light. The NEMF truck made it through the green light. The car behind it turned. The next car made the green/yellow. The green Civic slowed for the yellow/red. Had it progressed, it technically would have run a red light. Ms Altima must have been furious! She floored it, and passed the Civic on the RIGHT to go speeding through the now red light. Wow! That's beyond aggressive, that's downright dangerous! The only things I could think were medical emergency or something criminal.
I'll never see the Altima again. Or will I? Not too long thereafter, the Civic turns, and behind the truck I can see the car and the Altima pass the semi. Ok, now I'll never see them again. Or will I? A few miles down the road, I see a bevy of cars in front of the semi, all motoring along with a Volkswagon Passat leading the way. At speed limit. I snickered. When the semi braked to slow down and avoid hitting Ms Altima, I laughed out loud. Really! How funny, and how very ironic.
We crested a hill, and descended into a mildly populated area. The road widened into a four-lane road, with turn lanes and entrances for a highway and a shopping area. Ms Altima, at first chance, darted into the straight travel lane, and floored it. I decided to get in front of NEMF and see if I could still stay with her for a bit. Under the highway, and... wait, she's in the turn lane for the shopping center. Now I'm convinced there is an emergency care center in there somewhere. She turns, I follow, but not too closely. We go down and around, all the way to the last parking lot. I stare at the large sign that says, "Target". She parks in the last spot in a very long line of cars, and walks casually into the store while texting. I shake my head, and drive out.
I can't speak against her. I was a dangerous driver for quite a while. Always impatient, passing at every opportunity, hitting every corner hard and not always having somewhere important to be. After a few accidents, and numerous speeding tickets, I have slowed down. But its also a maturing process. I realize I'm not the only driver on the road. There are school kids on a bus. There's a pregnant woman in a car. There's a girl on the back of a motorcycle. There are unseen obstacles around the next corner, mechanical breakdowns, and police with LIDAR. I am saddened, and more than a bit scared, to think of the chances I took, because its not just me, there are others affected by my actions. I sit back and smile when I regale those around me with stories of my escapades, but I came out unscathed. To think I might have caused someone else harm... it just isn't worth it. I hope Ms Altima realizes that, and soon.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Where Do I Worship?
How do I answer this question? Worship in my experience is viewed largely as the act of singing songs that shower God with a Sunday morning praise experience. Then I give my tithe, listen to preaching, and interact with like-minded believers. How wonderful it is! But is that really what worship is?
The word worship is used many times in the Bible. The dictionary definition is to pay reverance or homage, generally in a religious sense. More deeply, the word revere means to fear, to be in awe of. Homage, based on the word homme, or man, is intended to show deference towards a greater individual. The lesser honoring the greater, with fear and awe.
The word worship is used often in the Bible. Many times, deference is shown physically by bowing the head, or falling to the ground. Bowing of the head has become a standard, while falling to the ground is not something we see so much of in today's Christian society. This act was done often in the Bible when the Lord revealed himself, for a human cannot see God and live. Would it then make sense that the more we know Him, the more apt we are to fall before him when we worship? The closer we are to knowing Him, to seeing Him, the more like dead men we become? The difference between respecting God and revering God?
Who knows God best? In the Book of Revelation, the four and twenty elders that sit before the throne of God fall on their faces and worship. As do the angels that stand around the throne. Those that abide in His presence, and see Him for who He truly is, fall on their faces and worship Him. If I believe in the same God, why don't I?
This is not to chastise anyone, except myself. This is not to call into question anyone else's worship experience but my own. What I must question is how I worship, and why. I've been told over the course of my life that cleaning the church is an act of worship. Feeding the hungry is an act of worship. Paying my tithe is an act of worship. I have, at times, felt faint when writing out a tithe check, but it wasn't from feeling close to God. I believe I have confused worship with service and obedience, among other things.
Which brings up another question: Can I worship while doing other things, like driving, or cleaning a toilet? I would not want to fall on my face while doing either of those tasks, yet I have experienced great times with God while doing both.
I believe the answer to all my question lies in perspective. The answer isn't how I worship, its in how wonderful and magnificent God is. Its not in my actions, its in His revelation to me. As he allows me to see and know Him, I will respond in kind.
Do my actions matter at all, then? Of course. God isn't impressed with the size of my offering, but the condition of my heart. Its not how wonderfully I worship, but how I give my heart to him. He calls us to acts of service and obedience. He calls us to be excellent in all we do. He calls us to love. He calls us to be holy, to worship him in the beauty of holiness. As we become more like Him, He will draw us closer to Himself.
Where do I worship? John 4:24: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The word worship is used many times in the Bible. The dictionary definition is to pay reverance or homage, generally in a religious sense. More deeply, the word revere means to fear, to be in awe of. Homage, based on the word homme, or man, is intended to show deference towards a greater individual. The lesser honoring the greater, with fear and awe.
The word worship is used often in the Bible. Many times, deference is shown physically by bowing the head, or falling to the ground. Bowing of the head has become a standard, while falling to the ground is not something we see so much of in today's Christian society. This act was done often in the Bible when the Lord revealed himself, for a human cannot see God and live. Would it then make sense that the more we know Him, the more apt we are to fall before him when we worship? The closer we are to knowing Him, to seeing Him, the more like dead men we become? The difference between respecting God and revering God?
Who knows God best? In the Book of Revelation, the four and twenty elders that sit before the throne of God fall on their faces and worship. As do the angels that stand around the throne. Those that abide in His presence, and see Him for who He truly is, fall on their faces and worship Him. If I believe in the same God, why don't I?
This is not to chastise anyone, except myself. This is not to call into question anyone else's worship experience but my own. What I must question is how I worship, and why. I've been told over the course of my life that cleaning the church is an act of worship. Feeding the hungry is an act of worship. Paying my tithe is an act of worship. I have, at times, felt faint when writing out a tithe check, but it wasn't from feeling close to God. I believe I have confused worship with service and obedience, among other things.
Which brings up another question: Can I worship while doing other things, like driving, or cleaning a toilet? I would not want to fall on my face while doing either of those tasks, yet I have experienced great times with God while doing both.
I believe the answer to all my question lies in perspective. The answer isn't how I worship, its in how wonderful and magnificent God is. Its not in my actions, its in His revelation to me. As he allows me to see and know Him, I will respond in kind.
Do my actions matter at all, then? Of course. God isn't impressed with the size of my offering, but the condition of my heart. Its not how wonderfully I worship, but how I give my heart to him. He calls us to acts of service and obedience. He calls us to be excellent in all we do. He calls us to love. He calls us to be holy, to worship him in the beauty of holiness. As we become more like Him, He will draw us closer to Himself.
Where do I worship? John 4:24: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Time Bandits
A movie from 1981 about a boy who falls in with a group of time-travelling dwarf thieves. An off-beat comedy I've always enjoyed. Has nothing to do with this post.
I haven't really accomplished a lot lately. Lots of stuff to do, lots of things going on, but my list of completed tasks, or at least projects that are nearing completion, is small. We bought a motorcycle in June. An '85 Kawasaki, lots of old parts to replace. Its still sitting in pieces. The outrigger canoe I'm building for a handicapped friend? Its still sitting in pieces. Bought a bass guitar to play with the church worship team. Bought a second unicycle. Downsized the garden from last year, but its still a thousand square feet, plus a space in front of the house for hot peppers. The trash pile behind the house. The cluttered basement. You get the idea.
The above list doesn't include relationships, and the maintenance they require. Wife. Kids. Grandkids. Friends. Friends' kids. Acquaintances. Strangers. The list also doesn't include all the stuff it takes to make life work. Bills. House cleaning and maintenance. Laundry. Vehicle maintenance. How about time for work? Do I leave any time for God?
I made a major decision. I decided to say, "No". I decided there was just too much going on in my life. Too many demands on my time pulling from too many directions. I had to sit down and make a list. On this list, I wrote those things to which I have decided to devote myself. And if something isn't on the list, it will require great consideration before I commit to it.
This brings me to the topic of this post, time bandits. There are processes and endeavors that I give my time to, and they don't give back. Or, more fairly to some of them, they don't add enough to my life to justify all the time spent with them. I have begun to identify these thieves, and determine methods of diminishing their effect on my life. Some of these thieves I've always known, some are fairly new, but they still produce a drag effect on my time, and need to be dealt with.
First is facebook. I love facebook. I love staying in touch with most of the family and friends I've ever had. They are all very important to me, every one of them. I simply don't have the time to keep up with everyone's life. But I want to! How to solve this dilemma, I believe, is to not stay logged in to facebook when I'm home. Since I signed up a few years ago, I log in when I first pass by the computer, and log out on my last pass. If its eight hours, I'm logged in for eight hours. This means every time I pass by the computer, I can see if there are any new updates. A huge distraction to whatever I was doing at the moment, to stop and check that one new update. Cumulatively, a major drag on time.
(My wife is in the kitchen processing peaches, and I am in the dining room typing. We just sneezed simultaneously. Cool. And scary!)
Youtube is another. I love youtube. What an incredible source of information, and in video format! My issue with youtube is at night, when I'm getting ready for bed. I've gotten into the habit of watching a few videos, of varying and random content, just to see what's going on outside my walls. This can extend my awake time, especially if my wife becomes interested, and we lay there, peering at the small screen on my smartphone. I guess it isn't any different than years ago, when I would fall asleep on the couch to the ten o'clock news, then the late show, then the late late show, then wake up at 2 am to television white noise. Remember those days? Sleep is precious to me, and this is a time bandit that needs to be altered.
Network television is not as prominent in my life as it used to be, having been replaced by the online experience. It does still exist, and in another form: Netflix. Remember the days of getting up to change the channel, or standing there holding the aluminum on the rabbit ears to get a good picture? Now I can sit on the couch and control everything. Which can lead to a fair amount of time sitting and watching. Again, not unlike the old days.
There are others, but this post is already becoming burdensome. When I made my list of acceptable endeavors to occupy my time and replace the time bandits, the topics centered around what is beneficial to my life. What will give me a return on my time investment. If I had done this thirty years ago, how different would my life be!
The bass guitar is a source of love for my soul. I love music, and instead of a passive love, always listening, I can be a part of that love. Playing, creating, making beautiful noise in a world that needs more beautiful noise. Practicing is something I have been doing more of, and it replaces the mostly passive facebook addiction.
Exercising, in whatever form that takes, is something I am working into my schedule as well. I have a free membership to a beautiful local gym, because my daughter is a college student and I get dad access! Swimming, weight lifting, and lots of other opportunities, not to mention the outdoor tennis courts and fields, and only three miles from my house. At home, I have the unicycles. I hate running, in case you are wondering. I will sprint on a field or soft track, but refuse to jog on a hard surface. Exercise is absolutely a time commitment, but I do not want to grow old and be out of shape, dependent on others to care for me. If that does happen, it will be through injury or disease, and not neglect.
Spending time with family is something that seems to have grown less lately. Between work and other stuff, there has been neglect in this critical area. I took my daughter and the grandkids out yesterday, and just had fun. We planned on kayaking, but the torrential downpours postponed that idea until next week. We went to McDonald's for lunch, I usually chase them in the McDonalds playplace, but there were too many other kids there. Yes, I climb in them. We also went swimming at my daughter's college pool. Just spending time with them was wonderful, and they get to build memories of a fun grandpa. My son is waiting for my motorcycle to be finished, so we can go riding. After all my stories of riding twenty years ago, we are both anxious to get the wheels turning again. My other son lives with me, along with his wife and baby daughter. What a joy to have them around! I have two great brothers-in-law to spend quality time with. I have nieces and a nephew who like spending time with Uncle Alan, and God has brought a special eleven-year-old girl into my life who really needed a father-figure. Though I've known her for less than a year, I already love her like my own children. And I do spend good time with my wife. That relationship is strong, and ever-growing!
I also have family out of state, friends I consider family, and an ever-growing family tree. Although my presence isn't necessary in some of their lives, its beneficial for all of us to enjoy and share the beauty of what we've been given. This is one area where I would die inside without facebook.
To discuss my relationship with God would take hours. I can honestly say that is one area that has suffered from neglect, and is the highest priority of my time assessment.
I could go on and on, but I have to get ready for work. This post still seems burdensome, but I much more enjoyed writing about the positive changes and improvements than what was wrong. Its amazing how I think I'm too busy for some things because of other things, but with an honest look at what really matters, the unimportant stuff just sort of fades away. My life is a lot better for it!
I haven't really accomplished a lot lately. Lots of stuff to do, lots of things going on, but my list of completed tasks, or at least projects that are nearing completion, is small. We bought a motorcycle in June. An '85 Kawasaki, lots of old parts to replace. Its still sitting in pieces. The outrigger canoe I'm building for a handicapped friend? Its still sitting in pieces. Bought a bass guitar to play with the church worship team. Bought a second unicycle. Downsized the garden from last year, but its still a thousand square feet, plus a space in front of the house for hot peppers. The trash pile behind the house. The cluttered basement. You get the idea.
The above list doesn't include relationships, and the maintenance they require. Wife. Kids. Grandkids. Friends. Friends' kids. Acquaintances. Strangers. The list also doesn't include all the stuff it takes to make life work. Bills. House cleaning and maintenance. Laundry. Vehicle maintenance. How about time for work? Do I leave any time for God?
I made a major decision. I decided to say, "No". I decided there was just too much going on in my life. Too many demands on my time pulling from too many directions. I had to sit down and make a list. On this list, I wrote those things to which I have decided to devote myself. And if something isn't on the list, it will require great consideration before I commit to it.
This brings me to the topic of this post, time bandits. There are processes and endeavors that I give my time to, and they don't give back. Or, more fairly to some of them, they don't add enough to my life to justify all the time spent with them. I have begun to identify these thieves, and determine methods of diminishing their effect on my life. Some of these thieves I've always known, some are fairly new, but they still produce a drag effect on my time, and need to be dealt with.
First is facebook. I love facebook. I love staying in touch with most of the family and friends I've ever had. They are all very important to me, every one of them. I simply don't have the time to keep up with everyone's life. But I want to! How to solve this dilemma, I believe, is to not stay logged in to facebook when I'm home. Since I signed up a few years ago, I log in when I first pass by the computer, and log out on my last pass. If its eight hours, I'm logged in for eight hours. This means every time I pass by the computer, I can see if there are any new updates. A huge distraction to whatever I was doing at the moment, to stop and check that one new update. Cumulatively, a major drag on time.
(My wife is in the kitchen processing peaches, and I am in the dining room typing. We just sneezed simultaneously. Cool. And scary!)
Youtube is another. I love youtube. What an incredible source of information, and in video format! My issue with youtube is at night, when I'm getting ready for bed. I've gotten into the habit of watching a few videos, of varying and random content, just to see what's going on outside my walls. This can extend my awake time, especially if my wife becomes interested, and we lay there, peering at the small screen on my smartphone. I guess it isn't any different than years ago, when I would fall asleep on the couch to the ten o'clock news, then the late show, then the late late show, then wake up at 2 am to television white noise. Remember those days? Sleep is precious to me, and this is a time bandit that needs to be altered.
Network television is not as prominent in my life as it used to be, having been replaced by the online experience. It does still exist, and in another form: Netflix. Remember the days of getting up to change the channel, or standing there holding the aluminum on the rabbit ears to get a good picture? Now I can sit on the couch and control everything. Which can lead to a fair amount of time sitting and watching. Again, not unlike the old days.
There are others, but this post is already becoming burdensome. When I made my list of acceptable endeavors to occupy my time and replace the time bandits, the topics centered around what is beneficial to my life. What will give me a return on my time investment. If I had done this thirty years ago, how different would my life be!
The bass guitar is a source of love for my soul. I love music, and instead of a passive love, always listening, I can be a part of that love. Playing, creating, making beautiful noise in a world that needs more beautiful noise. Practicing is something I have been doing more of, and it replaces the mostly passive facebook addiction.
Exercising, in whatever form that takes, is something I am working into my schedule as well. I have a free membership to a beautiful local gym, because my daughter is a college student and I get dad access! Swimming, weight lifting, and lots of other opportunities, not to mention the outdoor tennis courts and fields, and only three miles from my house. At home, I have the unicycles. I hate running, in case you are wondering. I will sprint on a field or soft track, but refuse to jog on a hard surface. Exercise is absolutely a time commitment, but I do not want to grow old and be out of shape, dependent on others to care for me. If that does happen, it will be through injury or disease, and not neglect.
Spending time with family is something that seems to have grown less lately. Between work and other stuff, there has been neglect in this critical area. I took my daughter and the grandkids out yesterday, and just had fun. We planned on kayaking, but the torrential downpours postponed that idea until next week. We went to McDonald's for lunch, I usually chase them in the McDonalds playplace, but there were too many other kids there. Yes, I climb in them. We also went swimming at my daughter's college pool. Just spending time with them was wonderful, and they get to build memories of a fun grandpa. My son is waiting for my motorcycle to be finished, so we can go riding. After all my stories of riding twenty years ago, we are both anxious to get the wheels turning again. My other son lives with me, along with his wife and baby daughter. What a joy to have them around! I have two great brothers-in-law to spend quality time with. I have nieces and a nephew who like spending time with Uncle Alan, and God has brought a special eleven-year-old girl into my life who really needed a father-figure. Though I've known her for less than a year, I already love her like my own children. And I do spend good time with my wife. That relationship is strong, and ever-growing!
I also have family out of state, friends I consider family, and an ever-growing family tree. Although my presence isn't necessary in some of their lives, its beneficial for all of us to enjoy and share the beauty of what we've been given. This is one area where I would die inside without facebook.
To discuss my relationship with God would take hours. I can honestly say that is one area that has suffered from neglect, and is the highest priority of my time assessment.
I could go on and on, but I have to get ready for work. This post still seems burdensome, but I much more enjoyed writing about the positive changes and improvements than what was wrong. Its amazing how I think I'm too busy for some things because of other things, but with an honest look at what really matters, the unimportant stuff just sort of fades away. My life is a lot better for it!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Snow Bound
It happened right in front of me. She fishtailed left, compensated right, and went left again, but spun around and went flying into the snow bank backwards, tapping her tail against the guardrail. I've been wanting to mount a camera in my work van to catch moments like this, and here, it happened right in front of me with no way to record it.
I braked carefully, and pulled the van to the side of the exit ramp with flashers on. The car behind me had jacked his brakes up and spun around, but was able to stay on the ramp. He drove away safely. I threw on my jacket and climbed through the snow to where she sat. Still trying to accept what had just happened, she rolled her window down and looked at me in disbelief.
"I have to get out of here," she said. "I have to work today, or I won't get paid for today or tomorrow, either!"
It was the same for me. Tomorrow was New Year's Day, and I have to work the day before and after to get vacation pay. The cry in her voice was noticeable. Her head was down. I couldn't see her face past her long hair. She said she wasn't hurt, she just needed to get to work. It was easy to look at her situation and know that she would at least be quite late. I put my hand lightly on her shoulder, and asked her just to take a few breaths. She looked at her shaking hands, and I assured her that the adrenaline rush was normal, and it would subside.
I asked her if she had AAA, and she said yes. While she called them, I called 911, who assured me someone would be there soon. While talking to the tow company, she asked how her car was. I trudged around back and saw the crumpled tail light assembly and rear quarter panel. The tire looked untouched, as did the trunk area. I told her it looked driveable, but she would probably want it checked by a more knowledgeable person. Again came the comment about having to be at work. It was only twelve minutes from home to work, how could this happen?
A Christian, divorced, and living paycheck to paycheck. Her situation hit home pretty hard. I've been there. No longer divorced, but still living paycheck to paycheck. There wasn't despair in her voice, but frustration, and disbelief. I stayed with her until I saw flashing lights approaching in the distance. I asked if I could pray with her, and she said yes. It was a short prayer, one for peace and to see God's hand somehow working in this. The officer walked up and basically excused me. I left with a heavy heart.
There are awful, terrible tragedies that happen in this world. The news is filled with death and destruction. Calamity. Ruined lives. Not reported and less noticed are the little things that keep us on edge. A stomach bug that allows us to work, but makes it a miserable experience. A broken stove forcing cold dinners on us. A disagreement with someone close that doesn't turn into an argument, but gets buried for later retrieval. A decision that turns sour and bites us because it was based on a lack of pertinent information.
A patch of black ice can put us on edge. We watched numerous cars come around the ramp, see the situation before them, try to brake, and fishtail a bit before slowing down and proceeding. The accident wasn't her fault. I was behind her, so I can attest to the fact that she wasn't speeding. It was simply an unfortunate event, and it put her on edge.
I felt a little helpless as I drove away, wanting to do more, but there wasn't much else I could do. She wasn't hurt, the car was probably driveable, the police were there, and a tow truck was on the way to get her out of the snowdrift. I was on the clock. I can't have passengers in my work vehicle. I don't have reserves of cash to hand out. I did what I could, and I believe it helped, hopefully more than I know.
There will be many events that happen to us this coming new year, and some of them will put us in a proverbial snowdrift. Stuck, helpless, dependent on others to keep us sane and pull us out. I believe we can decide now, to some degree, what our behavior will be when it happens. We can decide now where and in whom we put our trust. We can also decide how much we are willing to put ourselves out there, ready to help when the need arises.
I can't prepare for every event that is to come, but I can decide who I am as a person, and resolve to not compromise my character, but to fulfill and improve it.
I braked carefully, and pulled the van to the side of the exit ramp with flashers on. The car behind me had jacked his brakes up and spun around, but was able to stay on the ramp. He drove away safely. I threw on my jacket and climbed through the snow to where she sat. Still trying to accept what had just happened, she rolled her window down and looked at me in disbelief.
"I have to get out of here," she said. "I have to work today, or I won't get paid for today or tomorrow, either!"
It was the same for me. Tomorrow was New Year's Day, and I have to work the day before and after to get vacation pay. The cry in her voice was noticeable. Her head was down. I couldn't see her face past her long hair. She said she wasn't hurt, she just needed to get to work. It was easy to look at her situation and know that she would at least be quite late. I put my hand lightly on her shoulder, and asked her just to take a few breaths. She looked at her shaking hands, and I assured her that the adrenaline rush was normal, and it would subside.
I asked her if she had AAA, and she said yes. While she called them, I called 911, who assured me someone would be there soon. While talking to the tow company, she asked how her car was. I trudged around back and saw the crumpled tail light assembly and rear quarter panel. The tire looked untouched, as did the trunk area. I told her it looked driveable, but she would probably want it checked by a more knowledgeable person. Again came the comment about having to be at work. It was only twelve minutes from home to work, how could this happen?
A Christian, divorced, and living paycheck to paycheck. Her situation hit home pretty hard. I've been there. No longer divorced, but still living paycheck to paycheck. There wasn't despair in her voice, but frustration, and disbelief. I stayed with her until I saw flashing lights approaching in the distance. I asked if I could pray with her, and she said yes. It was a short prayer, one for peace and to see God's hand somehow working in this. The officer walked up and basically excused me. I left with a heavy heart.
There are awful, terrible tragedies that happen in this world. The news is filled with death and destruction. Calamity. Ruined lives. Not reported and less noticed are the little things that keep us on edge. A stomach bug that allows us to work, but makes it a miserable experience. A broken stove forcing cold dinners on us. A disagreement with someone close that doesn't turn into an argument, but gets buried for later retrieval. A decision that turns sour and bites us because it was based on a lack of pertinent information.
A patch of black ice can put us on edge. We watched numerous cars come around the ramp, see the situation before them, try to brake, and fishtail a bit before slowing down and proceeding. The accident wasn't her fault. I was behind her, so I can attest to the fact that she wasn't speeding. It was simply an unfortunate event, and it put her on edge.
I felt a little helpless as I drove away, wanting to do more, but there wasn't much else I could do. She wasn't hurt, the car was probably driveable, the police were there, and a tow truck was on the way to get her out of the snowdrift. I was on the clock. I can't have passengers in my work vehicle. I don't have reserves of cash to hand out. I did what I could, and I believe it helped, hopefully more than I know.
There will be many events that happen to us this coming new year, and some of them will put us in a proverbial snowdrift. Stuck, helpless, dependent on others to keep us sane and pull us out. I believe we can decide now, to some degree, what our behavior will be when it happens. We can decide now where and in whom we put our trust. We can also decide how much we are willing to put ourselves out there, ready to help when the need arises.
I can't prepare for every event that is to come, but I can decide who I am as a person, and resolve to not compromise my character, but to fulfill and improve it.
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