Getting Sick

The symptoms are there - sore throat, tired, and achey. Yes, I'm coming down with a cold. Hopefully with some good sleep and taking it easy I can avoid the worst of it.

When I get a bad cold, I have that general feeling of malaise. The world is gray. "Woe is me" is the settled way of seeing the world.

But, what about people who are really, really sick? A cold is not a huge deal. But, what if it were cancer or chronic pain? Would I have the grace to be kind hearted and generous even when I wasn't feeling well?

It's a good reminder to handle this cold with a good attitude.

Reading Legislation

A few weeks ago I put a portion of my letter to my Congressional Representative, Vern Ehlers, on my blog. I was expressing some of my concerns and frustrations with the Republican agenda and financial mismanagement. He wrote me back (or one of his staff) regarding the spending reduction bill that targeted Medicaid, student loans, food stamps, etc.

After reading his letter, I was prompted to do something I've actually never done before. I went online and started reading the bill that was passed in the House of Representatives.

I'm weary of the left and right giving me their spin about the bill. Instead, I wanted to read it myself. That way I can form my own opinion about the legislation.

After reading portions of the bill, I see why people tend to rely on others to highlight important aspects of the bill. It's a lot of information to process. But, it's worth it to me to get away from the spin and get to facts.

Johnny Cash

Just got back from seeing the Johnny Cash movie, Walk the Line. My parents had some of his LP's so I got to hear Johnny as I grew up.

If you have seen the movie, I'm going to give away some tid bits here so I am absolved from any guilt of giving away parts of the movie if you read further.

Alcoholism and drug abuse are ugly things because they tear relationships apart. Johnny had a love affair with the bottle and drugs. These substances became his god. This is a life ruled by the feeling of feeling good. Bless June Carter and her family for their patience with Johnny as he came out of the fog.

I was infuriated by Johnny's father. How on earth do blame your son for the death of the other son when you are the one feeling guilty? You pour your shame on another. How cruel. How inhumane. That is wrong! I'm soon to have a son. I can't imagine calling my son a loser who won't amount to anything. It's little wonder Johnny had a hard in life with that kind of abuse from his father.

I highly recommend the movie.

Music of my Parents' Generation

Lately I've been fascinated by the music of my parents' generation. Here's what I've been listening to:

Bob Dylan - I've been immersed in his music for the past month.

Peter, Paul & Mary - Mary's voice is compelling. Their version of Pete Seeger's song, "If I Had a Hammer" really moves and personifies the issues of the day. I love their early hit, "Lemon Tree."

Johnny Cash - Can't wait to see the movie that's out about him.

Simon & Garfunkle - Feeling Groovy

Could my new found interest in the music of my parent's generation have anything to do with the fact that I will soon be a parent?

Do the ends justify the means?

Have you heard the recent reports of the National Security Agency (NSA) spying in the USA? This spying was authorized by President Bush. But, the NSA is prohibited by law from spying on Americans. So, it seems the President broke the law. I did hear some attempts from the Bush administration to defend its position as being legal. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Then I caught a little bit of a President Bush's press conference. He said that he authorized this spying after the 911 attack to protect Americans from terrorism.

If I understand him, he's saying that he's allowed to do whatever it takes to protect Americans from terrorist attacks. So, breaking a law or invading a country are all OK in the name of protecting Americans from terrorism.

I get very uneasy with a world view that says the ends justify the means. It allows you to rationalize whatever action you take because of the perceived greater good of the ends.

The Newspaper

I'm one of those people who loves to read the newspaper. I love learning new information.

I go first to the sport section. Next, I enjoy scanning the editorial page for the national columnists. My recent favorites are David Brooks and Tom Friedman. After that I read the regional and city news because I like to have a sense of what's going on in the community. I also give a look at the national and world news as well as the business section. The business section carries the Dilbert cartoon which is always good for a chuckle.

I never read the entertainment section so I miss out on the comics and Ann Landers. And, I never look at the classifieds.

But, last week, I got really busy. I didn't have time to read the paper each night. Now I have a whole week of newspapers. I feel an obligation to read them. I could be missing something of interest. And yet, if I take the plunge to throw them away, I free myself up to read the paper this week. I think I'll take the plunge, just this once.

Tookie

Last week Tookie Williams was executed in California. His case created a furor over the issue of the death penalty. Apparently Williams had done some redeeming things like writing children's books to encourage them to not get involved with gangs. Yet, I also read that he never seemed repentant of his crimes. I don't know what to think of him.

I used to be very much in favor of the death penalty. Now, I'm not sure what is best. It's certainly not a deterrent to violent crime because few people who commit heinous crimes worry about the consequences of their behavior.

All that being said, Williams was a human being. Human beings have immense value, even those who have done evil.

The day after his execution I turned on my radio to one of those call in talk shows. The host of the show was almost gleeful that he had been executed. For him, it was a political victory over the liberals that fought in his defense.

I couldn't keep the radio on for long. For me, it is never right to gloat over someone's death.

Sacrificial Love

Sacrificial love is beautiful. Perhaps not always easy to give but a gift that lasts.

We are at our best when we lay down our lives, our rights, even our desires in order to bring about a greater good for another.

The movie Narnia reminded me of the difficulty of sacrifice and the beauty of sacrifice.

And, in this Christmas season, I'm reminded too of the sacrifice of Jesus.

Mistakes

Today I was reminded that mistakes are not a character indictment. Mistakes are learning tools to help me learn what and what doesn't work.

If I run around constantly afraid of making mistakes, my creativity and spontaneity wither. It's hard to learn new things if I'm afraid of making mistakes.

Yet, I've lived much of my life trying to avoid mistakes. God, grant me the grace to pursue a life that is not boxed in by my fear of failure.

How do you deal with failure?

Stress Free Productivity

Last week I was reading the magazine, Cutting Edge. They interviewed a guy named David Allen. He said that trying to keep track of all the things that need to get done in our head creates a lot of stress. I applied this idea by writing down all the open commitments at work so that I wouldn't have to worry about forgetting anything. It helped reduce some of my stress and allowed me to focus on one task at a time.

Because that was helpful I thought I try his book, Getting Things Done, The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. He suggested an exercise in the first chapter that took 2 minutes and was helpful once again. I picked the most stressful looming task at work. He said, "Now write down the very next physical action required to move the situation forward." I did this in regards to the upcoming audit and I recognized that my stress level went down a small notch. Having my next action step in mind helps me let go of it today knowing what I will do about it on Monday.

I am hopeful of making some changes that will lead to a lower stress life.

ADD Kittens

"Our research shows that an overwhelming majority of kittens begin displaying classic symptoms of ADD and ADHD within their first two to three weeks of life, symptoms such as uncontrollable, aggressive hyperactivity, constant squirming and being easily distracted by irrelevant sights, sounds, and extraneous stimuli - a ball of yarn or a toy mouse. Novartis will soon bring to market Kitilan, a specially formulated derivative of Ritilan made exclusively for kittens to help curb their symptoms." Recoil, December 2005.

I think the PickleOs need Kitilan for their ADD kitten. What do you think?

I laughed out loud reading this article over a pineapple smoothie at the Hungry Heart Cafe tonight with the cutest and teeniest pregnant lady you'll ever find, my wife.

Mr. Kitty

Mr. Kitty has finally woken up to the fact that I will give him attention and pet him. His Mother has been occupied with a child growing in her belly so he doesn't get to lay on her chest at night like he's done for 13 years.

So now, I wonder if I've created a habit I'll regret. Each night Mr. Kitty jumps into bed with us and sits on my chest. I pet him and he purrs up a storm. Last night he laid on my back while I was sleeping.

Mr. Kitty used to just put up with me. Now I think he likes me. I like you too Mr. Kitty.

Stress Sucks

I am stressing primarily about work these days. It's busy and we've got an audit coming up. I hate audits. I keep fearing that I've been doing something horribly wrong that they will find. It's uninvited accountability.

Yet, each time we've had an audit, it has worked out. The end of the world did not come. The end of my job did not come. There were issues to address but they were manageable.

I think these audits push that button in me that fears failure. Anything less than perfection is not acceptable in this whacked way of thinking and feeling that I fall into.

So, I resolve today, to remind myself that I am human. I do make mistakes. I do not know everything. That's OK because I'm a limited human being.

Creamed Grapefruit

Note to self:

After cutting open a grapefruit, carefully examine the substance you are pouring on your grapefruit half. Even though the sugar and creamer containers look similar, they are not the same.

I managed to pour creamer on my grapefruit today. After some careful scraping, I saved the grapefruit half and then added sugar to my grapefruit. Whew!

Defiant Bob

My friend, Mr. Librarian, is a Bob Dylan fan too. He lent me 4 CD's he owns of Bob Dylan stuff and it's been a lot of fun listening to them.

One CD is a live recording of a 1966 concert in Manchester England. Bob had gained popularity for his folk tunes playing solo with the acoustic guitar and the harmonica. Some of his tunes became popular in the civil rights and anti-war movements in the early 1960's.

Instead of sticking with the safe folk tunes that made him popular, Bob was playing new music with a full band, electric guitars and all. And, it was LOUD compared to the acoustic guitar. As a result, many saw him as a traitor in the folk music scene because they felt that acoustic instruments were the only things that should be played.

So, in this 1966 concert, he played the first set with his folk music and was well received by the crowd. In the second set Bob brought the band out and Bob's new music. This was not well received by the crowd. Through slow hand clapping and cat-calls many in the crowd try to disrupt the 2nd set.

Before the last song, the band is tuning their guitars. You can hear someone in the crowd yell out, "Judas" and a bunch of people clap in agreement. After a moment, Bob Dylan speaks into the microphone and says, "I don't believe you." Then, he adds, "You're a liar!"He then turns to the band and says, "Play f***ing loud!" The band cranks out a loud version of "Like a Rolling Stone." It's an electrifying moment all caught live on tape.

I appreciate Dylan's willingness to follow his own road in pursuing the music that was on his heart. He didn't sell his musical soul for the sake of popularity.

God's Politics

God's Politics, Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, a New Vision for Faith and Politics in America by Jim Wallis is a good read. He tackles such issues as racism, poverty, terrorism, the Iraq war and the budget to name a few.

His approach in this book is refreshing in today's partisan politics. He takes an issue. He lays out the strengths and weaknesses he sees in how the left and right is approaching the issue. Then, he puts forward some ideas toward addressing the issue. I like Wallis's proactive approach to dealing with problems in our society that goes beyond partisan politics.

I get sick of the left and right wing talk shows. The conversation is usually about how it's the other guys fault for the way things are. They make it seem like heaven would magically appear in the USA if all of their candidates were elected. Unfortunately, if all the candidates from one side or the other got elected, I bet we'd see many forms of hell magically appear in the USA.

This & That

We've got a company Christmas party tonight. I used to dread big social events like that but now I don't mind them much at all. Kind of looking forward to it.

Went to visit a good friend in Muskegon last night. With lake effect snow, the drive got a little crazy the last 5 miles. On my way home the first 5 miles were crazy and then it got better.

I've a weekend with no commitments. I'm excited to have some down time. I want to finish reading God's Politics, Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It by Jim Wallis. I've got about 2 chapters left and a friend that wants to read it after me.

It's December and we've already had a butt load of snow. I fear it will be a long winter and expensive with natural gas prices increasing by 59%. If only we could find a way to heat our home with a different kind of natural gas - the farting kind.

Grizzled Souls

Sitting in the airport I see hundreds of different people. They all have bodies, some pretty and some not so pretty. I am prone to just see the body and react primarily by their looks.

But, what make each of us very unique is our soul, the essence of who we are. When someone dies, we don't talk about whether they had a great body or not. We talk about the person, their personality, their character, their deeds. These are the reflections of the soul.

What is their soul like? Have they walked through deep pain in their lives? Are they happy go lucky? Are they mad at the world? Do they love richly? Do they bless their family?

I see great beauty in a soul who has been wounded deeply yet chooses to keep his/her heart open. That's a grizzled soul. Grizzled souls enrich our lives and our communities. Who are the grizzled souls you know?