Busy

There's a simple quiet solidity in being busy. Not overworked or frantic, just busy enough. Things get done, you feel a sense of accomplishment, and look forward to the next activity.

Thoughts for next Sunday

So just a thought on content for Sunday School lesson next Sunday. In the parable of the talents it's almost a shame that the Roman wages for a day's work are called a talent. It's been taken to mean so many times that we need to magnify our talents. A true thought, but it's way too limiting for me. In the parable of the talents the men are given talents, money, substance, a thing - and left to do what they will with it. What has God given you? Talents? Sure, but also time, health, family, friends, employment, opportunities, any number of things which we are expected to make the most of.

Works both ways

A while back the boys had some debate topics in their AP Lang class. One of the topics was the Patriot Act. I gave them an argument that could be used for either side.

Because we have no idea where the next attack will come from, we have to do everything in our power to gather all information to protect ourselves.

Because we have no idea where the next attack will come from, nothing we can do will make a difference. Sure we might get a break because of additional surveillance, but who's to say that information couldn't be gathered through conventional channels.

It seems the world has become a muddy place where many issues can be argued based on subjective criteria.

The only black and white anymore is when you look inside and compare your actions against your values. If it's not black and white, then what goes on outside doesn't matter in the long run, because you really don't care.

Meaning

I can provide words, but God has to provide meaning.

Faces

I used to see faces.

Given any random pattern of spots on a wall, or swirls in a wood grain, or really any common thing, my eye would pick out faces. Smiling, mischievous, angry, bored - they were all there somewhere.

I remember once when I was about 5 I couldn't sleep, because I could see a scary looking face in a basket of toys. I didn't sleep until my dad came and rearranged them for me.

I've noticed I no longer see the faces, and I wonder when I stopped seeing them. I don't know if I'm just too steeped in seeing things for what they are, or if I just have a hard time seeing.

I think I'll look for faces.

The Faith of a child

There's nothing more inspiring than absolute faith. Ian prayed "bless my runny nose, that it will stop running."

Miracles

Miracles are not necessarily events beyond understanding. They are just events beyond YOUR understanding.

Sigh ...

I'm broken
I can't see beyond myself
Cowering under crushing gloom
Terrified of the portents of an imminent storm
I can see where and what I should be
Glimpses of a better me
I look farther
Perceiving the golden opalescence
The larger sky beyond the tempest
Life is the whole
Eternity is the goal
Dark clouds add dramatic counterpoint

Wandering

The greater the imagination, the richer the mental landscape, the harder it is to get out of your head and live in the real world.

Morning Funnies

Son's friend on the way to school - "I think Harry Potter would have been a better movie if I'd gone to the bathroom before the movie.

Son's other friend (wearing ski cap and shorts - "What!? It's slushing! It's not supposed to slush. Where's the snow?"

Heard on the radio concerning an imminent winter storm -
Anchor 1, "I hope this isn't a haberdashery of the year to come."
Anchor 2, "What? We're all going to be wearing hats?"

Type A ...

I am not.

Thought, gee, with this NaNoWriMo thing, I could use it as an exercise to make better use of my time. I know the principles of time management and goal setting - I've even taught classes on it - but I am a hardcore Type B person. More so than I realized.

I've been trying to set a schedule for myself - and I can't even get around to making the schedule. I just do. No plan. No goals. If something needs to be done - I do it. Otherwise there is no urgency.

I know it's possible to force a Type B into Type A mode - at least I think it's possible - maybe, but from where I sit I've been entrenched in my mode of operation waaaay too long. Time for a reboot.

Back Story

OK, trying the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) - so I might have a few more thoughts than normal. (Insert empty head joke here) I am rapidly growing a healthy, nay admirable, respect for the author that can reveal a complex back story without resorting to a load of exposition. How do you reveal the details without killing the pace of the story?

"He hit him."

"The grey-green sun shined off the sweat specked scales of his opponent as the boot-camp entrenched typical gut punch landed."

I've got to find a happy medium in there.

HOV Lane

Think about it. The only reason HOV lanes work, is because the vast majority of vehicles on the road only have one person in them. Create an inexpensive stylish green small-footprint/profile one-person vehicle and you've created lots of room on the road.

Sight Seeing

I dreamt I was working in a city. I was in a subway station. I had an appointment and I knew exactly how to get there, which trains to take and where to transfer. I walked up to the ticket counter and asked for a series of tickets which took me to several stops where there were sights I wanted to see, all at the cost of delaying my arrival for my appointment.

Why is it so many time in life we choose to delay our progress. We don't stray off the straight and narrow, we choose to turn aside and walk away.

Kite Flying

A dream tethered by reality
A patch of color swimming in an azure sea
A goal at it's limits always straining to go farther
A piece of quiet exciting a grounded spectator

Ahhhh...choo

Summer's ending. A late summer cold has tried to tell me to slow down. Unfortunately I haven't listened. I've kept up my normal pace, wearing down toward evening each day, and not feeling much better. Full day and travel tomorrow. When I get back I'll either be better, or so sick I have to take a couple of days off.

Which should I hope for?

Reset

Cleaning off / up / out and starting over can be so refreshing. The past is done and gone. Life needs more reset buttons.

Praise

I dreamed of a coach trying to teach kids to pitch a baseball. He would walk behind them as they threw clapping and encouraging them each time they made a mistake, but once they got the hang of it the clapping stopped. One child puzzled over why the coach stopped praising their efforts, once they got it right. The realization was this -

Praise is only necessary until one becomes competent. Once competent, successful achievements provide the sense of accomplishment.

Online

Why? I've come to the point, where I think to myself why do I need to be online. I have to be online for work, but otherwise I think real life holds more appeal for me. I don't want to spend my time gaming - although I would love to. I would be one to plug-in and ignore the outside world given the choice, but should virtual accomplishments and adventures come anywhere close to to the feelings and experiences of the real world?

Well...

so much for the increased activity on here. Sorry, Facebook lured me back, and so far haven't been hacked yet. Work is terribly busy (I know it's a good thing) and I need to learn to adjust and not react to stress and demands. Travelling a lot, but not taking pictures. Ready to rest.