Straddlers

I'm a straddler.

Alfred Lubrano defines a straddler: "Being the white-collar child of a blue-collar parent makes you a Straddler, with one foot in the working class, the other in the middle class, completely at home in neither world. It's the part of the American dream you may never have heard about: the costs of social mobility." Limbo: Blue-Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams

My blue-collar side: Nascar, football, hamburgers, beer, Buck Owens (who just recently passed away) & George Jones CD's.

My white-collar side: reading, writing, National Public Radio, Starbucks coffee, jogging, Bombay Sapphire

He says the working class has an ethic of straight talking, being up front and honest with people. This kind of behavior is not always welcome or understood in middle class working world. But, I still think that with some wisdom, being upfront and honest with people is the way to go. I think it can actually work as an asset for you in the middle class world because people learn to trust you.

Openness

I believe a mark of a good leader is someone who will take the risk to be open about his or her thoughts with other people. The challenge for the leader is that you risk being criticized. But, the flip side is worse. If people don't know what you're thinking, they'll make guesses that are usually very incorrect.

President Bush's recent unscripted town hall meeting in Cleveland and then his White Press conference got me thinking about this. I give him credit for being willing to open himself up to questions from people who disagree with him. He's usually kept himself from this kind of situation.

I want to be the kind of person who opens up his thoughts to others whether I'm in a leadership position or not. Openness works better with my wife, my friends and co-workers.

Living with open hands toward God and others. That's my goal.

Goo Goo Ga Ga

I'm one handed right now. I've got a baby in one arm so this is a slow post.

I get a chuckle out of how adults go goo goo ga ga over babies (and at my bad moments also a little annoyed by it). This one dear lady at work comes up to me with a huge cheesy grin. She makes cooing noises & giggles a bit. She wants to know all about how our little guy is doing. It feels odd to me but it's really quite sweet.

Why do adults do this? Perhaps even I will do it too...someday.

I've theorized that some are vicariously reliving the experiences they had with their newborn children. Maybe it's just exciting to have a new person in the world.

I'm excited because he's my son. That's why I go goo goo ga ga.

Whew!

A couple months ago I mentioned that I was needlessly freaking out over an audit that was going on at work. Even though these things have always gone well before, I get scared that this time will be a huge problem. To be fair to myself, I do freak out a lot less than I used to about these things.

Well, I recently got the results. No problems or issues at all! Nothing to follow up on. I can't believe it.

So, once again, that worry was needless. How many times do I have to do this in life before I can just relax rather than stress? Obviously this is not about logic.

The audit hits that button in me that fears the critical authority figure. The critical authority figure will rip you to shreds over any little thing you did or didn't do properly. The critical authority figure is that voice in my head which likes to point out that I am always falling short.

So, I say to the critical voice, "You're wrong once again. I'm not going to believe your lies anymore."

A Mother's Touch

My beautiful wife has this wonderful touch with our newborn son. She's able to change his diapers without him crying. If he's fussy, she's the one who's able to comfort him. She seems to intuitively know what he needs. I've heard of a mother's instinct before, but I've never seen it in action. Seeing this beautiful quality in my wife brings tears of joy to my eyes.

Not sleep deprived, yet

Our little guy, Sam, has now had 2 full days at home from the hospital. This morning he celebrated his 5th day of life outside of his mother's womb. The first night he was home would have been comical relief for anyone who's had kids before.

We have him in a bassinet next to our bed. I was laying there the first night listening to him. Each time he chortled I wanted to jump up to make sure he was okay. Then, when he was just quietly breathing, I wanted to jump up to make sure he was still breathing. Needless to say I did not sleep very much.

Thankfully, I slept much better last night. I reminded myself that he will sleep just fine without me constantly worrying. I awoke only when he made his presence known by crying. I feel rather rested today.

Baby's arrival

Our little guy finally arrived on Tuesday February 28 at 6:22 am. At birth he was 6 pounds 12 ounces and was 21 inches long.

It must be quite a shock for any baby to go from the surrounded comfort of the mother's womb to the outside world. He has to go through the contractions of child birth. After birth he's poked and prodded. So, we've been swaddling him and holding him a lot to help make the transition a little easier.

My wife and I are so fortunate to have this little guy. We are truly blessed.