A friend of mine told me a story today--she talked about "S-cubed"-sharing, searching and I don't know the third one. I just know I am in the sharing stage. Learning to express myself and not hold things within. Not that there are hidden things/thoughts/feelings that shouldn't be held in, but rather that expressing yourself is becoming whole. If you don't let it out or express it, you aren't whole and you aren't becoming what you can be. Interesting thought, another thing that comes up for me is that I would normally have stopped short once I forgot what the 3rd "S" stands for. Not today, I HAVE to write something today.
I guess I could have emailed her to get it, but here I am anyway. Google had some hilarious alternatives from science students' society, to sexual selection switch to the volume of a cube of one side of "s" dimension. After 14 pages of Google results, I decided my friend had just shared something of her own self, and that I am one of a relative handful of people privileged to know it.
Anyway, searching means looking for what will move you in a direction (Update: I went back to Google and tried a modified search--15 pages later, I am back). So beyond just sharing what is inside, you are searching for what you want--what is your passion--what will make life better. Makes sense (Update: I just sent her an e-mail asking her for a clue). I am giving up for today!
Another piece of her message I will need to think through was this: 50% Work you care about and 50% Play you like=100% passion. Thanks, Alison and let me know what the 3rd "S" was!
OK, I am back,and I know what the 3 S's are! (no, my memory is not improving--she answered my email). Say, share and search. I think I was there. I am saying it, and sharing (via this humble beginning as a post) and searching is what this whole effort is about--finding my voice. Hmmmm.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
More Service Anyone?
What is "service?" I read a sign on a monument yesterday, it said "To All Who Serve." Of course it made me think of the Minor coincidence, not more than a few hours earlier, I mailed a donation to a firefighters' association I know. I had been on the receiving end of a solicitation call on a day I had been thinking of my father, who was a firefighter for thirty years, another coincidence.
Anyway, I asked myself if I might ever fit into that category--one who serves. I volunteer a tiny bit right now but it doesn't seem to amount to enough to fit any definition I could see for one who serves. There is another organization I volunteered for, but my work schedule must interfere with their calling me so far. I think I will have to remind the director I am still around and would like to serve. But, it strikes me that unless she needs a very active board member and/or part-time manager of the organization, I won't feel involved enough to be one who serves there for very long. I suspect that organization doesn't have a plan to carry itself beyond status as a kind of neighborhood clique anyway. While I will aim for more involvement, I will have my doubts until it grows some. Sounds kind of like sour grapes as I re-read it now, but that's just how I feel.
But I want to serve and don't know just how. I live in an area where there are many who volunteer, so volunteering often turns into a crowded field. I have this urge (as I always have had) to do something no one else is doing. I may not find it soon, but I am on the lookout.
I've noticed some people in government service who think they might be public servants, but their approach strikes me as self-serving--which is sort of the opposite of "All Those Who Serve" in the monument I saw. Maybe we would have some true public servants if it didn't take so much fund-raising to enter public service, or maybe if it weren't possible to make a career for life out of it. I have a friend who told me he truly believed that term limits would leave the country in the hands of the special interests, since they would be the only ones who knew the ropes in Washington or (pick one: city hall or the statehouse or the state capital, etc.) I think we could overcome that--the senior senator could be tasked to get the junior senator acclimated, or the congresspersons from any given state could make it the business of their caucus to orient the newly-elected. Egad, I am talking about politics--I apologize, really.
Another consideration about being one who serves is that I might just want to supplement my income during this second half of life. That complicates things, I know, but I think service that is really valued is not always free and that "voluntary" service should be valued. Talk about making the search difficult, now he wants pay at a not-for-profit (or is it a non-profit?). So, Dear God, if you're listening up there, give me a few hints. I'm sorta lost here.
Anyway, I asked myself if I might ever fit into that category--one who serves. I volunteer a tiny bit right now but it doesn't seem to amount to enough to fit any definition I could see for one who serves. There is another organization I volunteered for, but my work schedule must interfere with their calling me so far. I think I will have to remind the director I am still around and would like to serve. But, it strikes me that unless she needs a very active board member and/or part-time manager of the organization, I won't feel involved enough to be one who serves there for very long. I suspect that organization doesn't have a plan to carry itself beyond status as a kind of neighborhood clique anyway. While I will aim for more involvement, I will have my doubts until it grows some. Sounds kind of like sour grapes as I re-read it now, but that's just how I feel.
But I want to serve and don't know just how. I live in an area where there are many who volunteer, so volunteering often turns into a crowded field. I have this urge (as I always have had) to do something no one else is doing. I may not find it soon, but I am on the lookout.
I've noticed some people in government service who think they might be public servants, but their approach strikes me as self-serving--which is sort of the opposite of "All Those Who Serve" in the monument I saw. Maybe we would have some true public servants if it didn't take so much fund-raising to enter public service, or maybe if it weren't possible to make a career for life out of it. I have a friend who told me he truly believed that term limits would leave the country in the hands of the special interests, since they would be the only ones who knew the ropes in Washington or (pick one: city hall or the statehouse or the state capital, etc.) I think we could overcome that--the senior senator could be tasked to get the junior senator acclimated, or the congresspersons from any given state could make it the business of their caucus to orient the newly-elected. Egad, I am talking about politics--I apologize, really.
Another consideration about being one who serves is that I might just want to supplement my income during this second half of life. That complicates things, I know, but I think service that is really valued is not always free and that "voluntary" service should be valued. Talk about making the search difficult, now he wants pay at a not-for-profit (or is it a non-profit?). So, Dear God, if you're listening up there, give me a few hints. I'm sorta lost here.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Never Be Listless
(I was thinking of doing a rant on the joys of traveling, but nobody likes a whiner, and what I do would be a lot worse if I had to drive all that way, so I am ok with travel even when it's not timely.)
I have been thinking about the value of lists, especially to-do lists and lists of accomplishments--they are the same thing most of the time. The exception is one of those days where all you got done was making the list in the first place. I make lists each week, and, of late, for any trip I take. Now you might think my attachment to lists is related to a weakening memory, but I just get too much satisfaction out of checking off the completed items to believe that. It's that positive feeling that keeps me coming back, not just to keep from forgetting.
I also spend less time deciding what to do next. I usually put some priority on the list--A means "do it today if there's time." B is "do this tomorrow or the next day, just not today," and C is "some day, maybe." Initial listing of the C's doesn't include the "maybe, but after transferring a C from one old list to a new one a couple of times, the maybe just shows up in my head. A lot of my C's turn into "never going to do's," but they would haunt me if I didn't use the power of the list to reach that conclusion. Turning into a "some day, maybe" is the first step. Sometimes I will promote a C to a B to try to get it done. If I move it back to C, that is usually the second stage of preparing to drop it altogether. So lists can help me decide what not to do, too.
I usually put a sheet nearby to capture the fleeting urge that is incipient motivation, if it occurs to me I need to do something AND I put it on my list, then I am motivated enough to do something. For example, there's .... Oops, now I have to dig my to do list out of my briefcase--I have something to add to this week's edition.
I have been thinking about the value of lists, especially to-do lists and lists of accomplishments--they are the same thing most of the time. The exception is one of those days where all you got done was making the list in the first place. I make lists each week, and, of late, for any trip I take. Now you might think my attachment to lists is related to a weakening memory, but I just get too much satisfaction out of checking off the completed items to believe that. It's that positive feeling that keeps me coming back, not just to keep from forgetting.
I also spend less time deciding what to do next. I usually put some priority on the list--A means "do it today if there's time." B is "do this tomorrow or the next day, just not today," and C is "some day, maybe." Initial listing of the C's doesn't include the "maybe, but after transferring a C from one old list to a new one a couple of times, the maybe just shows up in my head. A lot of my C's turn into "never going to do's," but they would haunt me if I didn't use the power of the list to reach that conclusion. Turning into a "some day, maybe" is the first step. Sometimes I will promote a C to a B to try to get it done. If I move it back to C, that is usually the second stage of preparing to drop it altogether. So lists can help me decide what not to do, too.
I usually put a sheet nearby to capture the fleeting urge that is incipient motivation, if it occurs to me I need to do something AND I put it on my list, then I am motivated enough to do something. For example, there's .... Oops, now I have to dig my to do list out of my briefcase--I have something to add to this week's edition.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Dancing in the Dark
Learning to dance seems so important to the amateurs on "Dancing with the Stars." I am starting to worry about one of those distant promises I may have made--I think I may have said I would take dancing lessons in my second half of life. It seemed like a long way into the distant mists of time--out there somewhere. But I just had another birthday, and there's a "6" in my number somewhere. It means that a certain person will be reminding me of a conversation (maybe more than one, I really don't recall) we once had about ballroom or shag or something-or-another lessons. I have never been described as graceful, but I can ice skate, and I did it well enough to play hockey for five or six years. In fact, I think on my first date I took a girl ice-skating. It didn't last, I was a way better skater than she was.
But I digress--I never made a varsity team in any sport but football, and, trust me, football in 8th grade required little grace of a lineman or even a linebacker. So, how do I learn to dance? On the above-mentioned TV show, it looks like a full-time job. How do I make any progress taking a few lessons? Is it really that hard? If it is as hard as yoga, I am going to need a lot of encouragement.
The first obstacle will be within me. I know I am self-conscious when I try to learn dance steps. Dancing in my teen years was sort of formless anyway, so doing it wrong would be hard for anyone to tell. But these lessons imply that there really is a right way to do a dance. That also means people will quickly notice I don't know what I am doing.
Another issue will be my tendency to think too much. Whilst my partner is on to the next move I will be thinking--"OK, now i take 2 steps back with my left and one forward...OK..let's go.." At that point my dance partner will be stopped, waiting for me to move, etc., etc. I am over-thinking it right now, aren't I?
Then, there's the left from right thing. She swears I always want to go left when everyone else goes right, probably because I am partly left-handed. I write left-handed, throw right-handed, and kick right-footed. I also eat left-handed and play ping-pong left-handed.
But, maybe what I need is protection. The eyes I worried about seeing my awkward steps, what if.... I know what to do, take lessons and practice in the dark--no one will see the missteps, except herself, but I have her number anyway. So--it will be dancing in the dark.
But I digress--I never made a varsity team in any sport but football, and, trust me, football in 8th grade required little grace of a lineman or even a linebacker. So, how do I learn to dance? On the above-mentioned TV show, it looks like a full-time job. How do I make any progress taking a few lessons? Is it really that hard? If it is as hard as yoga, I am going to need a lot of encouragement.
The first obstacle will be within me. I know I am self-conscious when I try to learn dance steps. Dancing in my teen years was sort of formless anyway, so doing it wrong would be hard for anyone to tell. But these lessons imply that there really is a right way to do a dance. That also means people will quickly notice I don't know what I am doing.
Another issue will be my tendency to think too much. Whilst my partner is on to the next move I will be thinking--"OK, now i take 2 steps back with my left and one forward...OK..let's go.." At that point my dance partner will be stopped, waiting for me to move, etc., etc. I am over-thinking it right now, aren't I?
Then, there's the left from right thing. She swears I always want to go left when everyone else goes right, probably because I am partly left-handed. I write left-handed, throw right-handed, and kick right-footed. I also eat left-handed and play ping-pong left-handed.
But, maybe what I need is protection. The eyes I worried about seeing my awkward steps, what if.... I know what to do, take lessons and practice in the dark--no one will see the missteps, except herself, but I have her number anyway. So--it will be dancing in the dark.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Music and Learning New Things
Not starting with a title makes this easier at times. Just start by putting some words in play and the rest will happen. I am returning to something I used to do on a much more regular basis--listening to music.
I wonder about today's most popular mode of listening, though. I was in downtown Chicago about five years ago on a weekday morning and everybody was wearing ipod earbuds (could have been iphone earbuds, too, I guess). But the point that strikes me is that it is a solitary experience. Each person is in his/her solitary world, listening to music.
Now, I am sure my wife prefers not to listen to the music I enjoy, but I am just as sure she doesn't want me to shut her out and move around with earbuds on all day. I haven't resolved that just yet, but I have a new gadget that will allow me to listen to what I want to in one of the final places where I can control what I listen to--my car. Now mine is old enough that there is no place to plug in an mp3 player--heck, it has no CD player, cassette player, etc. But, you can't plug in your earbuds and drive. You're likely to run someone off the road singing along to "Under the Boardwalk" or "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." So, I bought a little gadget for myself for my birthday. It plugs into the lighter (yes, my car is old enough to have a cigarette lighter, not a power source) and into your ipod--my apologies to all you competitors to Apple, I just have an ipod--and set the radio frequency for an empty spot and turn on your music. Cool.
I don't spend a lot of time in my car, but I do spend lots of time on planes--another place I can control what I hear. Putting in the earbuds can work there, but I need something wireless. I have adjusted to the bluetooth for my phone, can I get one to function with an ipod? I am going on the prowl for such a device. Hope I don't get tired of music... It looks like I am going to have a bagful of gadgets and chargers to make music happen that is bigger than a suitcase.
Learning new things, just one more--spell check says "earbud" is a misspelling, preferring "ear bud." I prefer "earbud" and Merriam-Webster is on my side.
I wonder about today's most popular mode of listening, though. I was in downtown Chicago about five years ago on a weekday morning and everybody was wearing ipod earbuds (could have been iphone earbuds, too, I guess). But the point that strikes me is that it is a solitary experience. Each person is in his/her solitary world, listening to music.
Now, I am sure my wife prefers not to listen to the music I enjoy, but I am just as sure she doesn't want me to shut her out and move around with earbuds on all day. I haven't resolved that just yet, but I have a new gadget that will allow me to listen to what I want to in one of the final places where I can control what I listen to--my car. Now mine is old enough that there is no place to plug in an mp3 player--heck, it has no CD player, cassette player, etc. But, you can't plug in your earbuds and drive. You're likely to run someone off the road singing along to "Under the Boardwalk" or "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." So, I bought a little gadget for myself for my birthday. It plugs into the lighter (yes, my car is old enough to have a cigarette lighter, not a power source) and into your ipod--my apologies to all you competitors to Apple, I just have an ipod--and set the radio frequency for an empty spot and turn on your music. Cool.
I don't spend a lot of time in my car, but I do spend lots of time on planes--another place I can control what I hear. Putting in the earbuds can work there, but I need something wireless. I have adjusted to the bluetooth for my phone, can I get one to function with an ipod? I am going on the prowl for such a device. Hope I don't get tired of music... It looks like I am going to have a bagful of gadgets and chargers to make music happen that is bigger than a suitcase.
Learning new things, just one more--spell check says "earbud" is a misspelling, preferring "ear bud." I prefer "earbud" and Merriam-Webster is on my side.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A Year Of Writing
If I am to discover my voice, it will happen here, this year. I will write something each day, some days more than others, and some times editing a work in progress. I will write about what I see, hear, think about and feel on a variety of topics. This should be a challenge, since I haven't written anything here since February, but...
Today is my birthday, and I don't feel much like waxing philosophical. But I did look at the obits today and spotted a 69 year old who passed away. Don't get the wrong idea, I don't spend time looking there every day, I just landed there with my eyes open and that entry caught my eye. I never really think about whether there is a limit to the time I might have left. Instead I usually think of how much I have left to do. Among those things, is an unfulfilled wish to write--essays, speeches, fiction, anything at all. So here I go.
Today I thought about how much yoga is teaching me. The importance of remembering to breathe; to rest between periods of effort; humility, as I find myself unable to successfully complete a pose or stance (my teacher would scold me for that one--attempting is success, never making the attempt is failure); the fascinating process of muscle and brain "memory" that allows improvement with each day's effort. There's more, but I just realized I need to go tackle "Jim's daily dose" of yoga, as my teacher has dubbed it. See ya.
Today is my birthday, and I don't feel much like waxing philosophical. But I did look at the obits today and spotted a 69 year old who passed away. Don't get the wrong idea, I don't spend time looking there every day, I just landed there with my eyes open and that entry caught my eye. I never really think about whether there is a limit to the time I might have left. Instead I usually think of how much I have left to do. Among those things, is an unfulfilled wish to write--essays, speeches, fiction, anything at all. So here I go.
Today I thought about how much yoga is teaching me. The importance of remembering to breathe; to rest between periods of effort; humility, as I find myself unable to successfully complete a pose or stance (my teacher would scold me for that one--attempting is success, never making the attempt is failure); the fascinating process of muscle and brain "memory" that allows improvement with each day's effort. There's more, but I just realized I need to go tackle "Jim's daily dose" of yoga, as my teacher has dubbed it. See ya.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)