How many Thanksgivings have you been on this planet? Can you remember a consistent answer to the question that always arises? What are you thankful for? (Excuse the dangling preposition, but the only alternative that comes to mind is this one--what is that for which you are thankful? Yuck!)
Back to thanks, some were related to visits--thanks for safe travels, for bountiful tables and for visiting relatives or friends. Some related to life-events—births, adoptions, marriages, engagements, graduations, new jobs. And then there are things—new homes, new cars, raises, bonuses, and more.
So what really counts? I mean, what could you do without, and still be grateful? Do without travel and with less food? Sure, and maybe you could do without the new jobs, bonuses, raises, new cars and new houses? Probably could. Now, you still need a job and a roof over your head to be thankful, don’t you? Not always, if you have a spouse with a job and/or resources to get you through the rough patch, you may be able to make do without the job and focus on something else (like being thankful you have a spouse). Being without a roof over your head is another question—be it ever so humble, there’s no place like, etc. So, I am thankful for having a home.
But most of the important things I have been thankful for are people in some form or other. New additions to the family—babies, children, fiancées/spouses—are especially important to Thanksgiving holidays. Successes that happen for family members are somehow more things you can savor again at Thanksgiving. My son has a job (thank you, Lord), he’s been promoted and complimented on his performance (again, thanks). My daughter and her husband have jobs, and their two children are growing and healthy and strong (thanks again and again and again).
When I recall some of the happiest Thanksgivings, I don’t really remember the whats we were celebrating, but I can picture the whos. My favorite measure of a good Thanksgiving is the size of the group of friends and family you assemble, so I’m certain what I am thankful for are the people in my life, those I can be with and those I can’t. So, thanks again.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
What I Want for Christmas
Every year it comes back around, the inevitable question. This time, I was given a full thirty minutes before my daughter arrived with the two grandchildren, all of them looking forward to a great afternoon. The grandkids had me looking after them (always a treat for them), and Bridget had her mother and a head start on Christmas shopping. Hence, the question, and I had no immediate answer. I mean, I had a vague recollection of thinking about it once before when she made a veiled reference, but...
How about a cure for all the illnesses that everyone I know seems to be coming down with? A year of two free of the natural disasters that seem to be showing up more and more frequently? Peace on Earth? No Iranian nuclear program? The end of drug wars around the world that seem to be growing, the more we enforce our own silly laws that seem to inject super profit margins into what otherwise would be simple commodities (poppies, marijuana, etc.). None of that's possible, I'm afraid. It's just more wishing for cosmic Christmas events that just won't happen. So, let's take it down to the personal level.
What can I change? Oh, I can be more charitable, who can't? Still, I wouldn't do much of anything differently, maybe try to be closer to my siblings and friends--but geography is what it is, and we all stay with our own children and grandchildren if we are lucky enough to have them.
Give me the good sense to savor what comes along, good and bad. To see this world as perfect just as it is, and to make my way in it holding onto compassion, generosity, and patience in the hope of helping others make their way. OK, that's what I want for Christmas.
Which leaves me with the question, what do I want for Christmas, really.
How about a cure for all the illnesses that everyone I know seems to be coming down with? A year of two free of the natural disasters that seem to be showing up more and more frequently? Peace on Earth? No Iranian nuclear program? The end of drug wars around the world that seem to be growing, the more we enforce our own silly laws that seem to inject super profit margins into what otherwise would be simple commodities (poppies, marijuana, etc.). None of that's possible, I'm afraid. It's just more wishing for cosmic Christmas events that just won't happen. So, let's take it down to the personal level.
What can I change? Oh, I can be more charitable, who can't? Still, I wouldn't do much of anything differently, maybe try to be closer to my siblings and friends--but geography is what it is, and we all stay with our own children and grandchildren if we are lucky enough to have them.
Give me the good sense to savor what comes along, good and bad. To see this world as perfect just as it is, and to make my way in it holding onto compassion, generosity, and patience in the hope of helping others make their way. OK, that's what I want for Christmas.
Which leaves me with the question, what do I want for Christmas, really.
A New Meet The Press
This might sound like political discourse, a subject I steer clear of due to my allergy to (select one, or--better yet, all--offal, debris, dreck,effluvium, junk, litter, garbage, rubbish, spilth, crud, sewage, slop, swill, wash; detritus, remains). Anyway, I just want to sound off on something. Why do TV producers (and, by extension all of us, since the producers are doing their best to provide content we want to consume so that they can sell commercials to people who want us to consume other stuff), so why do we continue to allow politicians to use up our precious time saying the same old thing to each other, and demonstrating their practiced abilities to ignore anything uttered by their opposite numbers? I mean, really, do I need to hear another Democrat complain that the rich aren't paying their share? Or a Republican say "no" to any adjustment of tax rules that might remotely be insinuated to be an increase in taxes? I am watching Sunday Morning, and Bob Schieffer comes on to tell me, excitedly, about the scheduled appearances on "Meet The Press" of one pol from each side of the Super Committee.
Speaking of which, what is so "Super" about anything Congress does these days? The imagery is about as bad as that of the "czars" Presidents have been appointing in ever-increasing numbers (sorry, you Republicans, that is not a slam against President Obama, in my lifetime, the first two "czars" were the drug and the energy czars, appointed by Richard Nixon). No, "Super" does not come to mind when I watch the pols at work or on TV.
But back to Bob Schieffer--I propose that no more politicians be invited to appear without a vigorously enforced set of ground rules. I don't have them all, but two or three come to mind--No Republican is allowed to object to an idea or position based on the notion that he or she is opposed to all new taxes. In turn, no Democrat is permitted to complain about one group of another not paying its fair share. Neither side may use the terms "class warfare" or "corporate greed." You are free to propose a few more ground rules, but it is my fervent hope that persons appearing on "Meet The Press" would begin to demonstrate the ability to 1) Think on their feet, 2)Listen and respond without evading the question, 3)Defend a position with reason and not rehearsed twaddle, .... Well, you get the idea, discourse.
Discourse, there's an overused term. Merriam-Webster, and I am not making this up, offers this as the definition of the term discourse--archaic : the capacity of orderly thought or procedure : rationality. They call that one "archaic," as in no longer in use. They must be watching "Meet The Press."
Speaking of which, what is so "Super" about anything Congress does these days? The imagery is about as bad as that of the "czars" Presidents have been appointing in ever-increasing numbers (sorry, you Republicans, that is not a slam against President Obama, in my lifetime, the first two "czars" were the drug and the energy czars, appointed by Richard Nixon). No, "Super" does not come to mind when I watch the pols at work or on TV.
But back to Bob Schieffer--I propose that no more politicians be invited to appear without a vigorously enforced set of ground rules. I don't have them all, but two or three come to mind--No Republican is allowed to object to an idea or position based on the notion that he or she is opposed to all new taxes. In turn, no Democrat is permitted to complain about one group of another not paying its fair share. Neither side may use the terms "class warfare" or "corporate greed." You are free to propose a few more ground rules, but it is my fervent hope that persons appearing on "Meet The Press" would begin to demonstrate the ability to 1) Think on their feet, 2)Listen and respond without evading the question, 3)Defend a position with reason and not rehearsed twaddle, .... Well, you get the idea, discourse.
Discourse, there's an overused term. Merriam-Webster, and I am not making this up, offers this as the definition of the term discourse--archaic : the capacity of orderly thought or procedure : rationality. They call that one "archaic," as in no longer in use. They must be watching "Meet The Press."
Friday, November 18, 2011
Idea-lings and Sleeping On It
I awoke at 3:00 AM today. It's a privilege my age and circumstances have bestowed on me of late. On these occasions, I have the opportunity to do some of my clearest thinking. I fear losing that clarity by morning, although there is no real evidence of this to which I can point (At this point, if you have forgotten it, you have to wonder if you can recall enough to regret it, don't you?). Anyway--this is what got me out of bed--5 paths lay before me. Two of these paths are already existing opportunities which I have either joined or applied to join. I will continue to pursue them. The other three are just idea-lings, partially-formed ideas or seeds of thoughts.
Yes. I've heard the expression, "Just sleep on it." But I am not so sure that is as good as writing on it. "Writing on it" gives me access to lots of different thought directions. I sit to write and the idea-lings grow in my head. They sprout questions I can chase while I'm at it (Oh, I'll just google that and see what I can find). Chasing the questions produces a harvest of next steps that begin dropping all over the place. I rake them in and put them on lists (God, I love my lists). And so it goes until I feel I can sleep again, like now. Good night idea-lings.
Yes. I've heard the expression, "Just sleep on it." But I am not so sure that is as good as writing on it. "Writing on it" gives me access to lots of different thought directions. I sit to write and the idea-lings grow in my head. They sprout questions I can chase while I'm at it (Oh, I'll just google that and see what I can find). Chasing the questions produces a harvest of next steps that begin dropping all over the place. I rake them in and put them on lists (God, I love my lists). And so it goes until I feel I can sleep again, like now. Good night idea-lings.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Moving Forward--Am I in Italy or Holland?
The path just never seems very even or predictable. It's more like trudging up a hiking path to the crest of some hill, in a mist. It meanders right and left, in circles at times. Occasionally there is a sharp turn or even an obstacle that makes you turn back and restart at the last fork. But, once in a while you take a few steps right in a row and it feels like progress, or else you have wandered off the path altogether. Still, you face forward and move again.
But the temptation to look back and estimate how far it is back to safety doesn't go away and you wonder--is this the right way?
I am at a crossroads again, and the old procrastination is setting in. I know the next steps to take. They flashed into my head all at once yesterday. But, what if this isn't the right choice? How do I know? Well, the answer can be found in one of two ways--try it and see where it takes you or stall until it passes you by. Either way, it will come and go. The up side of letting it pass you by is there is no risk of failing, or so you tell yourself. The down side, you will never really know. The up side of trying it is you learn a few things and find out the truth about what it is like. The down side is you might fall on your face.
At issue is whether or not to pursue a role as an advocate for research on a specific physical challenge I have. Part of me wonders if this is the right path and part of me says it's perfect.
One thing I am committed to is to find and use every tool I can use to fight my challenge and that sure fits with my pursuit of the role of research advocate--I will learn more and can help others discover and use those tools as well Denial is a self-limiting strategy.
In the midst of all this, I heard a man offer an analogy about life's challenges. "It's like you spend years dreaming of and planning for a trip to Italy, then you take off and land in Holland instead. You can spend your time complaining you are not in Italy, or you can look around and see what Holland has to offer." I was blown away. My approach up to now has been limited to fighting my particular challenge and denying it. Now I am not ready to stop fighting it, but denial is no longer an option. Welcome to Holland.
But the temptation to look back and estimate how far it is back to safety doesn't go away and you wonder--is this the right way?
I am at a crossroads again, and the old procrastination is setting in. I know the next steps to take. They flashed into my head all at once yesterday. But, what if this isn't the right choice? How do I know? Well, the answer can be found in one of two ways--try it and see where it takes you or stall until it passes you by. Either way, it will come and go. The up side of letting it pass you by is there is no risk of failing, or so you tell yourself. The down side, you will never really know. The up side of trying it is you learn a few things and find out the truth about what it is like. The down side is you might fall on your face.
At issue is whether or not to pursue a role as an advocate for research on a specific physical challenge I have. Part of me wonders if this is the right path and part of me says it's perfect.
One thing I am committed to is to find and use every tool I can use to fight my challenge and that sure fits with my pursuit of the role of research advocate--I will learn more and can help others discover and use those tools as well Denial is a self-limiting strategy.
In the midst of all this, I heard a man offer an analogy about life's challenges. "It's like you spend years dreaming of and planning for a trip to Italy, then you take off and land in Holland instead. You can spend your time complaining you are not in Italy, or you can look around and see what Holland has to offer." I was blown away. My approach up to now has been limited to fighting my particular challenge and denying it. Now I am not ready to stop fighting it, but denial is no longer an option. Welcome to Holland.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Giving Back to the Tribe
My friend John wants to move to Oklahoma. He's applied for a job there, but doesn't really hold out much hope for being chosen. He talked with me about his hopes and his prospects for succeeding.
John is focused on what he can contribute to the organization if he succeeds. He visited the site not long ago and listened to members of the management team there express their number one concern--no one in the local labor market seems to have the skills they need. John, who grew up in Oklahoma, knows a few things about the Choctaw Nation's manufacturing training programs that customize training for manufacturers in the hope of getting jobs for young members of the tribe. It's free. Nobody knew anything about it. You see, all of the managers there are from somewhere else. John, who is part Choctaw, grew up in Oklahoma. He knows where to find resources like that.
John is also the kind of guy that puts in the time to learn what he has to in order to have certification to enter any part of the facility. Why? He'd rather be accessible to hear about what's on people's minds before they get mad enough about them to look him up in his office.
What he dreams of is putting the facility's needs in front of the Choctaw's manufactring resources and launching a development program that helps tribal members get some of the best jobs in the state. He says it would be a great way to "give back to the tribe." His notion set me to thinking. He could probably see the gears turning, and John, being the kind of guy he is, turned the conversation to me and my thoughts and the conversation moved on.
It made me think some more about "giving back to the tribe." What is my tribe? When will I wake up and get moving on giving back? How can I best do that? John even had a few suggestions. But enough about me.
Back to John--it turns out there is someone who is in line ahead of John. She is likely to be chosen because she needs it as a development opportunity. There is a cynical corporate expression for such choices. She will just be "punching her ticket," by holding a place in this role for a year or two in John's dream job. Not that John is bitter, he only observes that it isn't very likely to want to tackle the job when he's sixty.
Me, I'm rooting for John and for "giving back to the tribe."
John is focused on what he can contribute to the organization if he succeeds. He visited the site not long ago and listened to members of the management team there express their number one concern--no one in the local labor market seems to have the skills they need. John, who grew up in Oklahoma, knows a few things about the Choctaw Nation's manufacturing training programs that customize training for manufacturers in the hope of getting jobs for young members of the tribe. It's free. Nobody knew anything about it. You see, all of the managers there are from somewhere else. John, who is part Choctaw, grew up in Oklahoma. He knows where to find resources like that.
John is also the kind of guy that puts in the time to learn what he has to in order to have certification to enter any part of the facility. Why? He'd rather be accessible to hear about what's on people's minds before they get mad enough about them to look him up in his office.
What he dreams of is putting the facility's needs in front of the Choctaw's manufactring resources and launching a development program that helps tribal members get some of the best jobs in the state. He says it would be a great way to "give back to the tribe." His notion set me to thinking. He could probably see the gears turning, and John, being the kind of guy he is, turned the conversation to me and my thoughts and the conversation moved on.
It made me think some more about "giving back to the tribe." What is my tribe? When will I wake up and get moving on giving back? How can I best do that? John even had a few suggestions. But enough about me.
Back to John--it turns out there is someone who is in line ahead of John. She is likely to be chosen because she needs it as a development opportunity. There is a cynical corporate expression for such choices. She will just be "punching her ticket," by holding a place in this role for a year or two in John's dream job. Not that John is bitter, he only observes that it isn't very likely to want to tackle the job when he's sixty.
Me, I'm rooting for John and for "giving back to the tribe."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)