Thought for the Day

Seeing, Really Seeing

Leonardo daVinci provides the thought for the day:

            “There are three classes of people:

                        Those who see,

                        Those who see when shown,

                        And those who do not see.”

Can you match up friends and family members with each of the three classes? Can you accurately slot yourself in the proper class? How confident are you that your self image is self known?

Think on these thoughts over the long weekend. Perhaps you’d like to share your thoughts or comments with this blog next week?

August 31, 2013

Labor Day 2013

This weekend is special in America. Monday marks yet another Labor Day Holiday. Yet most folks don't reflect on the holiday and its meaning.

Labor Day is old. Its roots were in Canada and then adopted by the labor movement in the USA. Parades and demonstrations were the early salute to the special day but later as labor unions gained a foot hold and made the world of work more just and fair, the holiday took root and became a recognized federal holiday.

The holiday is not just a salute to labor unions, however; it is a bow and curtsy to the labor we all expend in making a life for ourselves and families. Some labor is highly compensated; other labor is considered lowly and minimally paid. Some labor is free; a flight of fancy and dream and also of charity. Truth be told there is much free labor these days. The work of a huge and complicated society is not always compensated by wages and salaries. No, compensation is in the form of rewards of the spirit and fulfilled dreams of better lives for others. Service to others. Service to unknown people. Service that is important but more so to our inner selves.

Today’s blog must appear Pollyanna-ish to some of you. Well it might! And that’s OK in my book. We need to get out of ourselves often to understand the world better, and to better feel the value of all we take for granted. So much of what we think is good and valuable simply isn't all that durable.  Think on this anonymous quote from the internet:

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have,

 what makes us think we’d be happy with more?”

A very fine question! Seeing how others live should not focus on what they lack and what we have. Rather it should focus on what makes them happy and grateful in spite of their wants and needs. That is when we see what is valuable. Often free. There for our enjoyment. That’s the thing I’m speaking of.

For our enjoyment. It makes us feel good. Perhaps Labor Day should be celebrate as many families do at Thanksgiving and Christmas – they work in soup kitchens, serve up healthy meals to those who cannot get that on their own. They work in food pantries, too. Some drive disabled vets and elderly to their doctor appointments. Some watch kids in the neighborhood while their moms an dads work at low paying jobs to support their families. Still others read to the blind, or do their mending and laundry or simply vacuum their homes – because why? Because those other people cannot do these actions for themselves.

As elder populations age further and become more dependent on others – families, neighbors, churches, and strangers – there will be more opportunities for all of us to be of use to others.

The beauty of it all is that we gain more than those we serve! It’s true. Try it and see!

Meanwhile, enjoy this Labor Day. Do something for someone else in need. I am very sure you will be the better for it. So will they! Just think what our communities would be like if an army of us did this sort of thing.

Zowie!

August 30, 2013

State of Housing

We are fans of HGTV on cable! Especially the remodeling programs that take a broken down home or set of rooms, and make it into something special.

We are also fans of housing in general: buildings that become homes, more than a place, but a nest for the heart and spirit – a place in which to raise families, hopes and dreams!

The idea of nest building is beguiling. Given a place we make it more of our home by decorating it, changing it, adding furniture and function to the space.  You know the drill – change it so it is mine or ours!  Change that we direct. Change that we make.

After the newlywed years of apartments, we lived in one home in Wheaton for 23 years. The kids were born there and graduated from high school there. One graduated from college, and the other remained in college for a few more years. Then divorce and moving to another home, this time in Warrenville.

The kids came with me. Daughter left for her city apartment in a few months, but son remained part time while he worked on his college degree out of state, then in the city for grad school. I learned the necessities of home keeping and cooking – sort of! But for 19 years Warrenville became home via the town home. Rocky joined me 13 years ago and we built a good life together here in town.

Now we are moving on. Not sure where at this moment, but we are looking for affordable housing for two old retired guys. Metro Chicago is too costly with inflated property taxes, and often inflated HOA fees as well. So we are looking rural.

The search has been instructive. It appears that housing stock is plentiful. In our price range much of it is foreclosures and short sales. Conditions of the homes range from fair to awful. Foreclosed homes have electrical equipment and even switches removed. Appliances are long gone. Gaping holes in walls suggest missing fixtures and treasures now removed.

Other homes have sloping floors where such was unintended! Buckled doorways, ceilings and walls are evident as well. Carpeting is not just soiled, it is wrinkled, torn and often missing entirely. Smells of empty homes have another story to tell. Most of those stories come unbidden and unpleasant.

We have found drug houses where marijuana was grown in abundance; mysterious rooms hidden from view with shelving in place for countless racks of plants, myriad electrical outlets for grow lights, aromas of soil and excess water to grow the plants.

One wonders if any of these homes were once coke houses or amphetamine labs. I understand smells in those places are not to be forgotten.

Driveways that have long ago broken up to native gravel (sort of) and patios that look like rough mosaic – so broken up as to yield multiple tripping hazards.  And wet basements and slab floors where rain and snow melt liberally enters the home by season and nurtures mold and mildew aplenty.

It is alarming the state of housing we have seen. And this is in suburban settings.

The rural settings tell their own story of chagrin and struggle. Proud old towns along the by-ways and rivers of Illinois have struggled to survive. Homes are very out of date. Empty homes, smelly homes, foreclosed and forlorn – short sale homes neater and nicer, but still forlorn and forworn.

The economic downturn in Illinois has had a toll on most communities. Only the most tony of them have remained unscathed and those I have not visited. I am not tony! Nor is my wallet in their same league.

Our home search continues but along many sad pathways of economic hardship by so very many good people.

As we journey through this period of life we do have hope that we are moving toward something that is good. We think we are going to find home. Somewhere, somehow, we will find The Place for us to build the next chapter of our life.

Home is hard to find. You have to work at it. If the search is too easy the end result may not be worthy of our time forward.

Stay tuned for developments! I know for sure, however, that the HGTV instant rehab is not in our future. We can dream of it, though!

August 29, 2013

Religious Freedom Redux

I wrote about religious freedom a week or so ago. At the time I was mostly concerned about how governments around the world get so tied down by religious tradition and belief systems – theologies.

By their nature theologies attract thinkers and emoters. Variably these folks think because they must and feel the way they must as well. Through the centuries and millennia populations large and small have adopted theories of how the world began and why and how our life came to be. These were the mythologies, the theories, the theologies, the dogma adopted by people through the ages. They made sense then; some do to this very day. Others fell by the wayside. Others have morphed into combinations of several belief systems.

Tragically many of these beliefs grew to be the primary decision point as to who is right and who is wrong: this group or that one? That nation over there or our very own nation? And once the decision is made, what do we do about it?  Love, fight, adopt or destroy?

George Bernard Shaw was quite the philosopher and writer. He gave us this quote many years ago:

“Once there was a time when all people believed in God and the Church ruled. This time is called the Dark Ages.”

Many of us chuckle over that quote. Some get angry with Shaw’s outlook. Other’s don’t give a hoot.  No matter; someone is getting angry and prepares to take action based on their feelings. Perhaps that is what Shaw meant by ‘dark’!

Lest we think Shaw was alone (we know he wasn't!), let me share a quote from Barry Goldwater, a staunch Republican, policy maker, conservative leader, US Senator and candidate for President in 1964:

“Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the Republican Party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know, I’ve tried to deal with them.”

You know what I’m talking about. You know the people who grab TV time and newspaper headlines with their comments, demands and exhortations. Because people respond to these bold statements and headlines news agencies give them publicity. Sound bites follow along with a lot of public discussion about things that simply are off the beam.

In our current time political parties are struggling with these very same topics. It is one of the Tea Party strongholds of philosophy. And conservatism in the main. Of course opposite stances create other centers of political discussion and party poopery! The race is on and the airwaves are filled – a lot of it nonsense.

Go back to George Bernard Shaw and Barry Goldwater. Reread their words. Do not latch onto them as pure and the only truth. Observe them for the opinion and the cause/effect/result of those words. Will they have wisdom to guide us in the future? Do they call on us to rethink some of what we take for granted? Are we on the right course in history? Or are we in the process of making serious, deadly errors?

I think the latter, but that is my personal feeling. The Dark Ages will constantly revisit us if we do not take these matters seriously. Others are. That’s the problem.

Where do you stand on religious freedom?

August 28, 2013

Which Is It?

Saw this quote on the internet the other day. It is anonymous:

            “Life isn't about finding yourself.

             Life is about creating yourself.”

I am not sure I totally agree with these sentiments, but then again each line says something to me that is powerful.

I spent a lot of time trying to find myself – what I was interested in, what I ought to be interested in, what I should do with my life, who I wanted to surround myself with – you know the sort of thing I’m speaking of. These were things I did in my teens and early twenties. Searching. Discovering. Getting to know me.

Although that period of my life worried me I did find it stimulating and fun. I was wrapped a little too tight to fully enjoy the period, but I did relax enough to find a meaningful career, a terrific woman to love, a very good education and all the things that flowed from those discoveries.

Now creating yourself is another thing entirely! Or is it? Is it the opposite side of the same coin or just another view of the same side of the coin?  A good question. I’m not sure I know the answer.

An old quote from Peanuts by Charles Schultz goes like this:

            “Life isn't meant to be easy, it’s meant to be lived.

             Sometimes happy, other times rough…

             But with every up and down you learn lessons that make you strong.”

Engaging the experiences for their full value provides the lessons of life. And they go on for as long as you allow them to. In that sense we are always in the process of finding ourselves; and we are always in the process of creating ourselves as well.

The teenage years and the twenties, they were heady times for exploring life. Back then, however, we didn't have all the tools we gain with experience to understand what life means or the challenges that loom in our path. The same can be said of each phase of our life as it unfolds.

How well prepared were any of us for parenthood? For welcoming a baby into our home? For parenting kids through each of their very personal phases and their own life discoveries?

How did we learn to discern the right path through all of the options of our education? And career choices! The list of decisions grew enormous as we worked our way from one job to a full career, and then moved on from there to yet another opportunity that called us.

And aging. There’s a pip of a learning cycle! Through all the developmental steps of our life as our bodies change and challenge us, as well the mind coping with vast opportunities now becoming much more limited. Each step on the journey is a challenge.

We are tested often. We do not know the right response to each test. But we are better for it, even when our response turned out wrong. That experience taught us something we can take with us into the future.

Along the way we learned who matters and who doesn't. These lessons are hard to live through let alone learn from. I caught this quote the other day:

“I learned the hard way that I cannot always count on others to respect my feelings, even if I respect theirs. Being a good person doesn't guarantee that others will be good people. You only have control over yourself and how you choose to be as a person. As for others, you can only choose to accept them or walk away.”                           ~Anonymous

That’s a very hard lesson to learn, isn't it? The lesson appears unexpectedly. We are called to learn from it nonetheless, and to make a decision. To work with the people or walk away from them. Each situation is its own world of experience. Each calls us to live fully and carefully ~ to take the time to discern what matters most for now and the long term.

Which is it for you? For each of us?

August 27, 2013

Sharing Positive Outlook

Some of my readers know that a small group of volunteers established a local newspaper about five years ago. The first effort failed due to the ego of the person acting as publisher. After a few months we severed that relationship, took a break, and re-gathered for a second attempt. That newspaper is still in operation and doing well.

We share the paper with two other communities. Both of those towns receive 1200 or more copies dropped off at high traffic sites. Once a month we mail to one of the towns’ an edition containing a business section authored by the Chamber of Commerce serving our three communities. The paper goes to each home and business address.

The smallest of these towns has had a difficult time with local governance. Their public discourse is a hot debate most of the time. Poor manners and hostile exchanges mark much of their public meetings and elections. Opposing newspapers have been launched to sway public opinion around elections, then disappearing for a time only to reappear when a public issue or election is near on the horizon. This pattern of behavior has gone on for at least 40 years. It is part of the village’s persona – well known and chuckled over by neighboring communities.

Three months ago our newspaper was approached by some people wishing to elevate the village’s public discussion. They liked our newspaper and its tone of collaboration, logic and good manners. Our paper in their mind is pleasant to read and positive in nature – a perfect partner, they said, to get their message across and help the village work through its differences.

So we agreed to be a partner in this process but told them we are unfamiliar with the details and facts of their community. As involved residents they would be better at researching and writing articles covering public bodies. They agreed and began submitting copy for print.

We were first pleased with some of the material as mature and well thought out; well phrased, too. But content was often peppered with words of judgment or taking sides on an issue. Normally a news article reports on what various parties said or who supported which votes on which agenda items. Why they took such action is left up to the reader unless the reporter seeks answers to quote from the participants.

Conclusions and positions on an issue are usually left to an editorial or a columnist’s analysis and opinion. Letters to the editor can take strong positions as well but those are not the views of the newspaper. A well-rounded presentation of various letter writers is healthy and instructive for all readers. It also makes for spicy reading!

It soon became clear that the volunteer writers from the village wanted freedom to air their views as news articles. We edited them accordingly and attempted to acculturate them in the ways of journalism. But they resisted. In fact they insisted they were reporting the truth and that we were obstructing their efforts.

Without their cooperation I removed myself from the editing of their material and left this task to a seasoned professional. He experienced the same difficulty as I had. He soon lamented that we had agreed to work with this group of volunteers in a town of which we didn't have sufficient understanding. So we began to distance ourselves from them.

The saga continues to the third monthly edition containing their material. This one will be sparse. This one will be contained to the facts. And most likely this will be our last issue featuring any material from them. I suspect they will be relieved. I know we will be!

Going forward we could serve as their publisher but not as their editor. It would be a vendor relationship pure and simple. The content would be theirs and theirs alone. They would have to answer questions and potential lawsuits alone. Not us.

Time will tell if the culture of gridlock in their town will allow them to see past these problems toward a future where collaboration and honest discussion moves the community forward.  I have likened their community as one in parallel with the gridlocked politics of Washington DC and our own state capitol. Both of those capitols are locked in fierce battle and accomplishing very little. So too our neighboring village.

Too bad. They could do so much better. A good newspaper would help them if only they would let it.

August 26, 2013

Thought for the Day

Trusting Your Instincts

A blog named “Lessons Learned In Life” published this the other day:

            “Always trust your first gut instincts. If you genuinely feel in your heart

             and soul that something is wrong, it usually is.”

The instinct is probably the start of discerning something you need to know or decide.

We are attempting to find a new home in a new community. Knowing if the community will be right for us or not is a task of discernment. We have little to go on so instincts play a large part. Is this the right neighborhood? Does it have the right feel? Will we be at home here? What about the larger community? Does it have the look and feel of home to us?

These are hard questions to ask let alone answer!

Contemplate these questions in the many arenas of your life. You may find this an interesting experience!

August 25, 2013

Meeting Etiquette

I was in a meeting recently. A public one in which the participants were all elected to the board to do the public’s business. The agenda was established. Our routine was well known. The meeting got underway.

As the agenda unfolded many policy statements were reviewed and enacted. All were basic and mirrored our established manner of doing business. Editing and tweaking the text was minimal. Then came a policy manual of 38 pages. One of our board members had ideas about editing the manual in detail that would not change policies suggested but rather how they were written. The text’s voice was under discussion. Punctuation became a minor issue. Reading level of potential users of the manual was also discussed. Many changes were being made.

I began a slow burn. A meeting that is usually one hour in length went on past two hours and came to an end just short of 3 hours. Exhausted and frustrated, tempers became a bit brittle. Especially mine.

This meeting began at 6:15 pm and ended at 9 pm. Each of us had put in a long day at our own lives and careers. And then someone raised an issue about another organization in town – the chamber of commerce. The comments began to build with little respect for the dignity of that organization. Criticism was plentiful. Not one person was a part of that organization but me. And my slow burn from previous board work exploded with this new turn of discussion.

Now the Chamber is not without its faults and weaknesses. No organization is, especially one solely comprised of volunteers. I've served on the Chamber’s board for 15 years or so. Being a consultant in strategic planning and organizational development, I recognized the Chamber’s need to improve if it were to be truly effective. I worked on those issues for a number of years and the Chamber prospered.

Along the way I learned that history often shadows an organization, especially a public one. Seems the Chamber had been the center of attention years ago and not all people are prone to forgiveness. We worked through those problems and focused on the future. A lot of good work was done and the organization flourished.

Back to the meeting in question – I allowed that the Chamber probably had not performed as expected on a joint project with our organization and that a future agreement would have to be worked out. Most likely that agreement would actually sever our relationship with the Chamber for that project going forward. That would be an expected outcome and reasonable, for both organizations. In fact this was a direction both organizations were expecting. They had outgrown the original purpose of collaborating on the project.

Instead of moving on with this understanding, discussion centered on finding fault with the Chamber. I didn't disagree with the fault; I merely suggested that it was not fruitful to discuss this any longer given the late hour and most likely would not be working with them in the future on this project. Continued discussion of a negative nature was not appropriate. And I reacted accordingly.

There is one person in particular who delights in talking about other people and their organizations. She thinks it is funny. I think it is vain gossip. It burns up time and effort for no gain.

These lessons popped to mind later upon reflection:

            “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”

                                                            ~Booker T. Washington

            “Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you.

             Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.”

                                                            ~Anonymous

            “The problem is not the problem.

             The problem is your attitude about the problem.

             Do you understand?”

                                                            ~Captain Jack Sparrow

                                                             (Pirates of the Caribbean)

            “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

             Be kind. Always.”

                                                            ~Anonymous

At the end of a long day it takes patience and forbearance to stay positive. That job belongs to all of us in the meeting room. Each of us.

Not a bad etiquette to practice.

August 23, 2013

  

Sequel ~ Public Decision Making

Continuing on yesterday’s blog, I mentioned that the Warrenville (Ill.) City Council had purchased a vacant land parcel with an empty manufacturing plant on it.  This had been the site for fabricating wooden windows and doors many years ago. The building had been used for different purposes over the years since, but mostly the building was empty. A large parking and distribution driveway complex became a dusty, gravelly void in the center of our town.

Over the years several businesses inquired about using the space. Each request was carefully considered and pretty much left to market forces to determine if the buyers and sellers could reach an agreement.  But then things changed.

The city became interested both in economic development and creating a downtown center, even a small one. All research informed the city that more housing units adjacent to the area would help small shops, retail services and coffee shops succeed. This would make a walkable downtown area, they said. And an attraction for others to gather there, too.

The empty manufacturing site seemed ideal. Immediately adjacent to existing housing, light industry, the City Hall, Recreation Center, and the Library, 4.5 acres properly developed with housing such as townhomes might just be the ticket.

Meanwhile other buyers arrived on the scene. One in particular was a regional private ambulance service searching for a dispatch center and fleet maintenance garage. The idea of a hundred ambulances coming and going 24/7 in the area, especially behind an established neighborhood of homes, seemed very inappropriate.  The council quickly realized it had to protect not only the residents nearby but also the community’s development options for the future. What would best serve the community?

To preserve and protect the council bought the property for $2.2 million using idle funds in the water and sewer reserves. The inter-fund loan agreement continued to pay the water and sewer fund an interest rate the same as its investment return it had been earning. The plan was to sell the property to developers at the appropriate time and maybe even turn a profit! If not, at least options had been maintained for the community.

As it turned out the land was marginally polluted with industrial waste and needed to be cleaned up. The city paid for some of this work and obtained grants from various agencies to pay for most of the clean up. Probably $300,000 of city expense paid for the removal of the empty building and soil restoration work. So now the property has cost the city $2.5 million.

Meanwhile, the real estate recession hit full square in 2007/08 and continues into 2013. Property prices are rebounding and interest in future development is returning. The neighboring 3-year road reconstruction project of Butterfield Road/Route 56 is now complete and the neighborhood is prime for implementing the plans carefully set by the city.  Will someone arrive on the scene and buy the property? Will they pay the full carrying cost the city has borne? Will the development plans come alive as so many have hoped?

These remain unanswered questions. Time will tell if plans were good enough. Time will tell if this community investment will pay off. But one thing remains sure; many poor opportunities were repelled for the good of the neighborhood. Many good options for the future were preserved. 

Possibilities are like that. We have to make them happen. We have to plan for them. We have to have a vision of the future. We have to have faith that our futures are worth working for. Together. Not for private gain but for good of community.

I’m proud our community had the courage to pursue its dreams. It did so in the open with lots of input from anyone interested in providing it. Together the future will develop the way the community wants it to. Not an easy task but one well attended to by people of goodwill.

August 22, 2013

Getting It

It surprises me that many people ignore facts to arrive at conclusions that do not fit with their context. Numerous examples of this phenomenon exist for most public issues under discussion. I’m not sure why this is true. Is it because they don’t trust authority figures even though they elected them? Is it because they are afraid of any change in their surroundings, distrusting the change as a threat to their established routines? Do they even examine closely current history as it unfolds each day, or are they applying a broad brush to the past? Allow me to give an example of what I’m referring to.

Our community has made several efforts to support economic development over recent decades. The objective was to increase commercial activity that would support increased tax revenues for use in refurbishing decaying infrastructure. New employment opportunities were dreamed of as well as increased local retail traffic for local shops and restaurants.

Some of these efforts paid off. First was a major TIF district (a Tax Increment Financing area). TIF theory works like this: take an unused parcel of land, improve it with streets, sewers, water supply, curbs, gutters, street lights and traffic signals; buyers will purchase land parcels in the area and build office buildings, research facilities, small manufacturing firms, and a host of other commercial businesses. The increase in tax revenues from these new businesses would eventually repay the town for its investment in new infrastructure; it would also develop more business activity, building of new homes, fresh investment in others parts of town and an overall boost to the local economy. Such development usually improves quality of life while sharing the tax burden over a larger tax base.

In Warrenville’s case the investments paid off. Cantera is a square mile of commercial development at the southern end of town. Property value in Cantera approaches $170 million and the tax flows created enormous new budget resources for the taxing bodies. Tax increments alone repaid the initial TIF investment, and further enriched the community with something like $53 million of fresh dollars that could be used to replace infrastructure in the older part of town and shared with other taxing bodies.

So our community created a separate TIF district in the older part of town adjoining the first one. The purpose of the second TIF was twofold: access TIF 1 dollars to replace and expand aging infrastructure and hopefully attract new investment to improve existing properties in the older sections of town.

How did it do? The first objective was very successful: built a new police department facility; built a new and large public works garage and operating center; remodeled and doubled the size of the library; built a new recreation center for the Park District; built a new City Hall; expanded the Fire District facilities and added new fire trucks to serve the expanded district; added a stormwater drainage system; replaced curbs, gutters and street lights; provided new funds for sewer and distribution systems. Furthermore, all of these facilities were engineered to be efficient as to maintenance, repair and utility consumption. And all by using TIF 1 and TIF 2 revenue, but not one dime of public debt.

The second objective came close to being realized but in the end produced few results. Although some homes and businesses refreshed their properties, new development was sparse. The community developed a vision and subarea plan in 2007 for expanded retail outlets, walkable shopping districts as well as new amenities operated by private parties.  None of that has yet occurred.  There was one golden opportunity presented to the city in 2006/07 by a developer who purchased property rights, paid for engineering and planned a development of store fronts and townhomes/condominiums for an old part of town near some existing retail businesses. The opportunity disappeared as citizens raised objections to the changes and the city council voted against the project.

With no new projects submitted the TIF 2 District was ended early. Before doing that the city council invested in engineering studies, land use consulting support and researched development opportunities in the community which resulted in the 2007 Old Town Civic Center Subarea Plan. The selected area already contained the Recreation Center, City Hall, Police facility, Library and the public works facility at the edge of the neighborhood. Missing were shops and eateries sufficient to support an active downtown center.

The biggest investment was a purchase by the city of 4.5 acres of a vacant manufacturing building (former Musselman Lumber) within the targeted downtown area. Rather than allow another user of that space to derail long-term plans, the city took control of the parcel for downtown redevelopment.  More on this in a later installment.

Before downtown land-use planning was complete, the 2007 real estate depression happened. For seven years progress on the 2007 Subarea Plan has been slow. Defining what is wanted and dreamed about is one thing; implementing those dreams is another until the markets rebound. So a waiting game ensued, with the city working to clean up and prepare the former Musselman property for re-development once the real estate and housing market rebounds.

With real estate markets improving in 2013 the city created TIF 3 to revive its plans and move forward with help from private investors. 

The city has learned from the past: do nothing and change will be imposed on you; do something and you affect the changes that will eventually arrive; actively plan and invest in the future and the community can attract the kind of change it wants and sustain for the long term.

Some people complain the city has not worked hard at economic development. I think what I have written above demonstrates they are mistaken. But they will not pay attention to these words. They don’t get it.

 

Benjamin Franklin had a saying that is appropriate here: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

And at 87 years of age, Michelangelo admitted this: “I am still learning.”

May we all get involved and make learning a lifelong enterprise. Our community has done this and bit by bit it is reaping the rewards. Others should take note. And pay attention.

August 21, 2013

Religious Freedom?

For Americans religious freedom means a lot. It is historical. It is principle. It is part of our value system. It means we are free to believe what we will without interference from others. It requires us to provide others to believe as they will different from us, again without interference from us.

Freedom to believe. Freedom to explore life and its meaning. God and spirit. Dogma and church. Theology and intellect. Warring factions within the mind and body that creates the tension that helps us come to understanding – to knowing in our own way what matters the most to us.

Americans are mostly raised in the Christian heritage. There are millions raised in the Jewish faith as well, but still a small fraction of the American population. Of course there are those who do not belong to any religious tradition – or perhaps they were born into a family faith tradition but chose later to abandon it. They are agnostics or atheists, or whatever they wish to label themselves. They are free to do so without our interference.

And the laws we live by are the result of political process and legislative protocols that give weight to our traditions of Bill of Rights freedoms. Or so we think!

Not so fast in accepting compliance with the Bill of Rights. Political process often allows prejudice and bias to enter our laws. Religious tenets are buried deep in our social psyches. We include religious belief in many ways in our laws. Not always evident until you look closely.

Just the same the laws of our land are faulty in some ways. Over time they are corrected by courts who are asked by our own citizens to review the laws and reinterpret their meanings.

In time of old religion played a role in social life and structure that was enormous. Life surrounded the local place of worship. News of the community was shared and broadcast there. Families were formed there through marriages. Life was saluted there in funerals. Tragedies and joys were trumpeted there in memorials and celebration.

Hallmarks of community life were deeply embedded in the church. Small towns with one church; focused activity and meaning as viewed through the lens of the local congregation.

As social institutions grew with population, urban growth and sprawl, so did pluralism of social contact, religion, commerce and governance. Multiple churches were built. In them religious thought multiplied and specialized into different denominations and whole churches entirely. The Reformation occurred. The Crusades occurred. The Renaissance happened. Thought by one and all expanded exponentially. The world was alive with new thought and art and appreciation for history.

Trouble was then – and now – the focus was on Western Civilization. What about Middle Eastern sophistry, religion, history? What about Asian peoples and cultures and their religions and sociological institutions? And their anthropology?

It is no wonder that our egocentric view of the globe excludes whole regions of the Earth with diverse peoples and belief systems.

Hence we are left scratching our heads over Egyptians killing one another over Islamic Brotherhood and more traditional Islamic faith traditions. The one is a life led strictly by religious dogma. The other allows life to be lived with the help of religious faith and guidance while governance is about other things shared by the population unaffected by religious traditions. One faction wants religious freedom; the other does not. The latter fear that life will shut down their religion if they are not allowed to practice it! Yet their practice eliminates all other thought and belief systems!

Is America in danger of the same thing? Yes. Perhaps a little more benignly. But the threat remains nonethesame. If birth control is a religious fundamental, then those who believe in that should practice it. Those who do not so believe should be free to follow their own hearts and minds on the issue. Legislating the practice is not acceptable to Freedom of Religion. Same with abortion. Same with defining marriage narrowly or broadly.

We live by religious terms more than we are aware or admit. And they live in our laws.

Understanding the Middle East – Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Iran – should be easier than we admit. Their religious freedoms have run amok. But so have ours.

August 20, 2013

Dust Tails

The GPS gave us directions. They didn't work out well. From an Interstate highway we quickly were guided down country blacktops. Road by road we made the turns as the disembodied computer voice instructed us. Then – suddenly we were on a gravel road. Going 45 miles an hour seemed a bit risky so I slowed to 40. One and a half lanes. Tails of dust rose from the back of the car. Long wisps of dust rising into the deep blue sky marking our way into croplands awaiting harvest in a few weeks.

Soon the back window of the van was obscured by dust sediment. A quick flip of the rear wiper plowed a clear view with a swirl of dust. But still the dust tails rose behind the car.

With relief we found ourselves back on paved roads and finally into small towns. GPS recalculated a couple of times but eventually led us to the back entrance of the Sandwich (Ill.) Fairgrounds. From there it was an easy dog leg to our destination.

Still we search for our new home. This day’s journey was back to the trailer park. Saw four more homes, two we had previously seen, both under heavy rehab; two were new to us. Workable. Pleasant. Homey.

Management promised us a good deal and help in financing it. Feeling better about our situation – as though there is a resolution likely to be a happy one – we left for home thinking about what we had seen.

Croplands are lush. Country lanes are curving and in good repair. Travel is swift and uncomplicated. Woodlands dot the landscape and surround the roads in much of the area. It is a peaceful region. And we know it is home to many nice people. Is this our possible future?

Once home we had received an email response from our real estate agent. Could she help us? Yes, we said, we have many options we wish to explore through her. One is single family homes in Sandwich as an option to a double-wide trailer. Are such homes affordable and available?  Second, is there still an option for us in Oregon, Illinois? Yes she told us, and she had referred us to the same agent we had already worked with in that town.

Third, what about condos in the west suburban areas of Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Geneva, St. Charles and Naperville? Were there possibilities that would provide us a new home while maintaining our relationships with family, friends, church and medical contacts? Again yes.

And so we plan further exploration nearby our present home with new possibilities.

At breakfast this morning I asked Rocky what he had been thinking of since we last left Sandwich.  His reply?  Pretty basic: Sandwich represents a pleasant place and home we are moving toward and it includes the possibility of continuing his ceramic art. Remaining close to Warrenville eliminates his art studio if we do not find a home with a two-car garage or a suitable outbuilding. The only reasons we considered a condo was affordability and availability. I knew it would mean finding another solution for the studio including eliminating it entirely.

The starkness of that decision creates the image of retirement in full – utter retirement. No art. No old friends. Nothing to fill the days until our medical end of life. How depressing!

If we are to go on living life with hearts and minds of exploration and meaning, we need to include our interests and our art. It is a must. It requires studio space. We need a roomy garage.

So, back to considering low cost single family homes with roomy garages. That will draw us away from Warrenville and farther out among farm lanes and open space. Small towns with ample home inventories – hopefully with suitable garages!

The journey continues. So does our saga!  Stay tuned as we weave our way to new places and home.

August 19, 2013

Thought for the Day

Losing sight of the goal: Employers are reducing hours of employees so they don’t have to pay for health care coverage. They think this is retaliation for Obamacare.

Little do they know the result they curry?

Under-insured workers in America undermine the faith and trust they have in their employer, their industry and their nation. They will be unreliable for the long term because they will seek employment elsewhere for benefits fairly paid and earned.

For most of my working life employee benefits were viewed as a part of compensation. Employers provided these benefits to be competitive in the market place, and to attract new workers and new talent. Benefits were viewed as part of keeping the workforce happy and productive.

Today they are seen as a burden and no one should mandate them.  Funny. The market mandated it in the past.  For decades. And it worked quite well.

Now? Who’s the enemy. The employer? The worker? Surely not the government that is attempting to solve a huge social problem – 46 million uninsured people in our nation of 320 million!

This is not a fairness issue. It is a justice issue. Universal coverage has not been mandated. But perhaps it should?

August 17, 2013

Reconnecting

Wednesday we met with my brother who is visiting Illinois from New York. We have been distant in recent years due to political differences. And then in the space that developed between us he has imagined my life in tumult where none is, that my relationships with others is wrong-headed where little evidence suggests such, but active imagination provides the grist for making such conclusions.

And the return feelings are true as well from my end directed toward him.

This is family. These are the relationships we build or mess up! From the imagination come resentments. Then actual feelings emerge of slights and hurtful statements. Rather than reacting to a kidding remark with laughter, anger or hurt feelings result. The only difference is we imagined the negative intent where none likely exists. The negative attracting negative results? Most likely.

Rather set those feelings aside and learn what is happening in the lives and family of the sibling. What good things have happened in their lives since last we met? How did that affect them? How does this development change your outlook on life? What changes, if any, have you made?  Not a bad line of questions that focuses on them not me.

Our lives are different to be sure. We each took different paths in education, career and marriage. We each have children and grand kids. We each are happy in our chosen locations of residence. We each have struggled with challenges throughout all of life but found the things that meant the most to us and prospered. Surely in different ways we prospered. Not the same circumstances; therefore not the same results. But prosper has it’s own subjective meaning – as well as an objective meaning. Which definition is used will make all the difference to the parties in the conversation.

Reconnecting with our sister is another challenge. The desire is there. The work is arduous. Anger, trust and hurt are ever present in our relationship with her. Caring is as well. We grew up together in the same household from earliest age to elder status today! We recall our innocent forays into daily living when we were free of resentment and negative motivations. How did we arrive at this unsettled position, making nice-nice when feelings do not warrant the external behavior of manners?

Indeed, how do we navigate these choppy waters to do the least damage and rebuild a skin of comity? We each want that. What price is due to achieve it?

Like most things in life we don’t have clear answers. We just put one foot forward and trail the other behind it. Step by step we live and step by step we learn. Time will tell if the effort was fruitful or took a long detour from the goal!

I’ll keep you posted on this story. It has had many chapters and it will surely have more. The key point is – to what end do we labor?

August 16, 2013

Juxtapositions

Side by side, parallel positions, in full view of each other so we can compare. The good and bad, the good and good. Whatever it is two things placed in a position so we can see and study them. An example that resonates or jars?

Most likely the latter.  Here are some examples.

Religious beliefs and freedom of religion. Some cancel each other out. For instance:

           

“No, you can’t deny women their basic rights and pretend it’s about your ‘religious freedom’. If you don’t like birth control, don’t use it. Religious freedom doesn't mean you can force others to live by your own beliefs.”

Who said that? President Barack Obama. I think he said it spot on! If you believe something, live your life accordingly; just don’t force others to live your beliefs. They have the right to see it differently and live accordingly, too.

The International Olympic Committee has a rule against political statement in the venue of its sporting competitions or by teams, individuals and nations participating in the competitions.  Then why are anti-gay laws, fines and punishments allowed in Russia for the 2014 Winter Games? Russia, and Putin, are using the venue for their political statement. If you recall communism does not recognize religion so anti-gay positions cannot be labeled religious dicta. Russia can do and say their political position but no one else can? The Olympics have always been about peace and getting along with one another at a time of pure athletic competition. How does this square with the current situation?

Caught this quote on the internet the other day: 

           

            “Love is caring for each other even when you’re angry.”

I tried to learn about the author but couldn't find him/her. If you know, please share.  The simple statement is powerful. It especially applies among good and deep friends, and of course family relationships. The latter are more difficult because of the emotional current running through the relationship. I’m not sure it is competition, or desire to influence the other, or what. Our anger is often misplaced. It reflects most likely a perceived difference of opinion and thus motivation. ‘Why did she say that?’ Or, ‘why did he do that?’ Resentment builds and then anger. But do we care about the person still? That is the question.

Here’s another quote from an unknown author:

            “A negative mind produces a negative life!  Stay positive no matter what!”

We all know some negative persons. They are grumpy. They are worrisome and protective. They are cautious and on alert for someone or something around them that may produce a negative impact.  And of course the negative happens!  Like clockwork. It is as though they produced the outcome because they attracted it. 

The opposite is true as well: a positive attitude attracts positive outcomes. If you think you can make the basket from the 3-point zone if you can imagine making the score! Athletes train by positive imaging of themselves functioning in perfect form to compete for the win! Sales personnel imagine winning the big sale and making it happen. The person with the positive attitude in the room attracts more friends in the group.  We see this happen over and over again.

Yet negative attitudes persist in many people. Best they follow this advice:

            “Life is like a camera…

             Focus on what’s important,

             Capture the good times,

             Develop from the negatives,

             And if things don’t work out,

             Take another shot.”

                                                            ~Anonymous

Yesterday was the last court date for our home’s foreclosure. It makes us sad. But another home beckons. A new chapter of life entreats us to begin anew.

Yesterday I applied for a loan to purchase a double-wide manufactured home. We were denied. A cold feeling of defeat enveloped us. But another lender or a positive outlook with the first lender on re-applying invites a better outcome. The battle is not over.

Other options exist. Each must be considered. Carefully and positively. Nothing is guaranteed. We bring our hopes and dreams to life each day. In turn they will have the chance to succeed. Now there’s a juxtaposition!

August 15, 2013

Vacation Bible School

This past Sunday the worship service was combined into one, the traditionalists and the modern-day casualists. The latter is quite the family affair! Many kids – large and small – with parents and grandparents. This particular day marked the close of the annual vacation bible school, a week of half-daily sessions. This year 46 children were enrolled with 11 adult teachers and 12 high school students assisting. The church was full each day and the students had lots of fun. It would be difficult to determine who learned the most, the students, adults or teen helpers! As in most educational settings everyone learns from each other.

The worship service this Sunday was a capstone to the end of classes. I've witnessed this sort of thing before but never did it strike me as it did this year. People we are close to lit up like a thousand candles as they watched the youngsters celebrate what they learned and the friendships they began this past week. Joy. That’s one word that describes the wonder in the eyes and faces – of the elder members of the congregation! They celebrated young life as it was nurtured in age old customs and beliefs. One generation imparting to another a tradition of living life together in hope and faith.

Some will say this is a theological issue. Others will counter with the observation that this is nurture in happy pathways. What these kids come to understand twenty years from now may be totally different than what they touched this past week. We can only hope that they caught the essence of faith in themselves, in each other and in a higher power that is beyond them but with them still. Each day. Each hour. If they want it and seek it.

As decades pass the mumbo jumbo of organized religion fades while the core ideas sharpen. We need each other. Some will never get that point. Others will find other things to love. Maybe themselves. Maybe someone else. Maybe its humankind that is loved and committed to.

It’s funny isn't it? What matters most is loving something or someone outside of yourself. Letting that happen is the key to being loved and knowing you are worth it. Now that is of central importance. Being worth enough to be loved. How many people never get that point?

Through all the ages every religion has taught us to love one another as ourselves. Sounds corny. So many people have ignored this dictum. In the final analysis, though, it is what matters the most.  The Golden Rule is Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You. To do that we must love others as much as we love ourselves. Hard to do but it works if we really try to make it happen. Once learned it sticks with us forever.

That’s what I mean by faith and hope. It starts with me. It moves to you. Together it builds.

On the internet the other day this quote was found:

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

                                                ~Author Unknown

Isn't it about time we emerged from the dark of childhood and made faith together for the sake of community? Whether neighborhood or global we all need the same nurture and faith in each other.

May be each find it now!

August 14, 2013

Dappled Dawn

Upon rising this morning the light played on the grass. A flicker was caused in the shadow by a bird flitting to another branch of a tree. A ripple of golden light was the result of a light breeze brushing against tree tops.

No clouds in sight. Lovely shade of blue with dewy droplets lightening the azure hue. Rays of sun cast brightness on neighboring houses. The few early rays that made it to ground through the trees caused pools of golden greens constantly moving around the yard.

Day begins. Birds sing. Dew dries. It is August and the air will be dry today.  Until then the early morning is damp. Loam smells rise from garden beds. The earth is alive!

On this Sunday morning we prepare to go to church. To see people and be with people who have become good, good friends. Our time with them dwindles. We will move in a couple of months. So each day, each week, the routines are aware of an ending. One chapter closes to make room for the beginning of a new one.

“What comes easy won’t last. What lasts won’t come easy.” –Author Unknown

How true the sentiment but also the effort. We accept the challenges each day and by bedtime we know where we have been and where we are. We also know our feelings. They have been affected by our activities this day.

There will be those who think we are escaping. But no! If they knew how hard this has been they would keep their tongues silent. An unknown author wrote these words:

            “Anyone can run away, it’s super easy.

             Facing problems and working through them,

             That’s what makes you strong.”

I have worked through many challenges. To move at this time of life is one of those challenges. To seek another new beginning takes courage and faith that all will work out well. I know we have that faith. The courage we have to start the process; time will tell if it serves us well to other conclusions.

The problems facing our community are for others to work on now. We have done our share. We have invented solutions; not all have been adopted! But we talk about them, urge others to discuss them and learn about them. We can only point the way and hope others will follow.

I found this on the internet the other day:

            “Great leaders don’t tell you what to do…they show you how it’s done.”

At that point it is up to followers to take up the work and do it proud!  Leaders do not fail the community. Followers fail the community. By arguing what has already been argued and learned. Re-learning it doesn’t do much good. It just impedes progress.

So all should know that being a follower is a very good and valuable thing.  First we followers have to listen, learn and hear what we can do for the good of others.

Are we listening? Are we ready to hear? Are we willing to follow?

Hope and faith are alive to see it happen!

August 13, 2013

Tying Up Loose Ends

A little bit ago I wrote about decisions. Some big and some small. We all encounter them. Throughout life. Most are very small decisions but they have cumulative value. In time we are moving down a forceful path, perhaps on a journey we didn't plan. But one we chose nonetheless!

Mine began a long time ago. Self employed as a consultant. Built the practice on a nearly career-long road of gathered experiences and skills. A good time doing the work; a little scary at the beginning but one of my kids was graduated college, the second one well into his college career. Divorce was final and paid for. College money was in the bank so I didn't have to worry about that. Just had to worry about my own retirement and that was well on the way to investment and eventual payoff.

I concentrated on having some personal fun for a change and followed my dream to get involved in public policy and elected office. Small potatoes, really: city council, park board; but along the way a lot of boards of directors and organization work that was very satisfying. But then things changed.

The cigarettes had long been out of control but alcohol became an emotional addiction. Before total collapse occurred I quit both and moved back to the career focus.

Shortly thereafter, however, lung and heart issues popped into control and health issues cascaded. Trouble was I was self employed and had no disability income insurance. So I used what I had available, the SEP-IRA. When it appeared my working career was nearing its end, I used the SEP-IRA to pay down debts and downsized my living expense base. Lived monthly off the SEP-IRA for awhile until things worked out with Social Security and Medicare. Once transitioned things evened out for awhile.

Then the IRS took its view that I owed taxes on the SEP-IRA regardless of the cause of its use. So finally there I was paying them $50 a month for life to settle their claim. No hope of ever paying off their supposed fines and interest.

The decision forgotten in all of this? The importance of private disability income insurance. That would have saved me a lot of trouble.

Anyway, here I am. The house is in foreclosure; final court date is August 13. Then we await the inevitable eviction notice.  Meanwhile we seek housing where it is affordable. And that is in a rural town. Beautiful. Agricultural. Peaceful. Loaded with very nice people. It is a good direction we are moving in.

Now to find the house and its financing. We think we have both arranged enough to plan for the move. We are getting rid of household goods we know we are not going to need, and we are packing up the things we can store for awhile in the garages of friends and family! Then arrange purchase of the new place and plan the move before the Sheriff’s work crew descends upon us.

Other loose ends? Well, if I move out of the Park District I must resign my commissioner post. Also, I’m on the board of the Arts Council and will need to leave that position once I've given them all the help I can to successfully complete this year’s obligations.

The really big change will be leaving the local newspaper. Co-founder and managing editor, columnist and city hall reporter (and obit writer, recruiter of writing talents, identifying themes for each issue and arranging writing assignments to spice up the paper’s content). Leaving this very creative post will be painful.

Because I’m a member of the Chamber by virtue of the newspaper’s membership, I will have to resign the Chamber board and its executive committee as well. The assignments there were just getting juicy and creative. I’ll miss those opportunities.

I know this sounds rather dire. It is in some sense of it but not in its totality.  This is the end of one chapter of our lives and the beginning of a new one.

A new beginning. Slimmed down and much less burdened. New opportunities to discover self and others. And life. To discover life in a fresh new way.

Actually we all have that opportunity at the beginning of each new day. The challenge is finding the courage to just do it!

How about you? Are your days fresh and renewing opportunities? Livelifehappy.com gives us this thought to consider: “Accept what is, let go of what was and have faith in what will be.” 

That’s a healthy way of looking at it.

August 12, 2013

Thought for the Day

Sioux Indian Vine Deloria provides the quote for today:

            “Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell.

             Spirituality is for those who have already been there.”

This may appear to be counter intuitive at first. But think again. Spirituality has much to do with the individual ~ his or her search for meaning and connection to the vastness of the universe. It is not tied to a specific religion or theology. No dogma. You good sense of being and in balance with the world around you.

Religion usually gets bogged down in too many fine points. Yet spirituality is an aid to religion. It is good for meditation, calming frayed nerves, finding serenity and so much more.

Personally I won’t pooh pooh religion. It has been very important to my life. And I feel certain it will remain so. But there is value in self examination from a point of calm poise. 

Think. Meditate. Peel back the onion layers of your life. Get to the core. Find peace there. Then venture out to your new day.

Have a wonderful, relaxing and fruitful weekend!

August 10, 2013

Perfect Storm?

So much needs to be done. Pension reforms in each state and most industries. Job creation in industries just now emerging from the soup of creative evolution. New energy sources, scientific discovery, medical break-throughs, electronic products that nurture creative advancements, collaboration among governments and entrepreneurs.

Rebuilding the middle class now long beaten into subservience is a good goal to work on. Generating a new means of journalism, one that keeps score and gets to the bottom of political hype and misleading ideography. Open honest communication among people hungry for it. Journalism that describes, educates and examines truth closely. Well modulated and positive, yet just and accurate beyond doubt.

Understanding public employment is part of labor statistics – unemployment is not only private sector jobs, it includes government jobs, too. With governments at every level under budgetary pincers, there is no doubt why so many of their jobs have disappeared. Yet taxes have not gone down. Government expenditures have not abated. The sky has not turned rosy with such good news. No; only that employment is in the doldrums, new job creation is soft, blah blah blah blah….

Truth be told job creation is pretty darn good. Would love it to be double the current 172,000 new jobs, let’s say 350,000? Could be you know; just start hiring back laid off government workers. Don’t believe me? Ask city managers, agency heads of state subdivisions, and certainly major agency heads of federal departments. They have work to do but can’t get it done. Budget cuts have slashed employment figures. Negative growth in government employment has dragged down the unemployment stats for several years now. And the politicians would have you think this is because government policy is killing private employers.

Not true. Just the opposite.

Congress is on its famous summer break. Five weeks of vacation to return to home districts and face the music, er voters. That’s right. Congressmen and senators are free to return home and talk with all of us. Wonder what they will say? To whom?  Who is listening? Who is believing?

Seems to me we have a perfect storm of incredulity among voters. Most of us don’t believe what the pols are talking about. They have a lot of explaining to do. Why has nothing been done on the federal budget, the deficit ceiling, employment policy, pension reforms, filling vacant judge-ships, building new roads and bridges, supporting new scientific inquiry within the academic community, setting a timetable for discovering the next form of energy that will replace petroleum? Where are they on all of these issues?

They have been playing us dumb. Now it’s our turn to ask the questions and demand unimpeachable answers.

Call them. Visit them. Write them Give them the all-knowing eye when you hear nonsense from their lips! When enough of us do this maybe, just maybe, these public servants will return to our seats of government and do the job they were elected to do.

Perfect opportunity or perfect storm for truth?  You are the only one who can make it happen either way.

August 9, 2013

Minimum Wage

I've written about this before and recently. I just came across a statistic that stunned me. This is it:

            “Myth: only teenagers make minimum wage.

 Fact: of the American workers directly impacted by a minimum wage increase,

 85% are age 20 or older.

             26% are parents, and 49% work full-time hours.

 Over 10.9 million children have a parent who would be helped by a minimum

 wage increase.

             It’s time to Raise the Wage!”

                                                ~Economic Policy Institute

Lest we slough off this issue too quickly, let me remind you what Greek Philosopher Plutarch said:

“An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.”

The imbalance builds resentments and may lead to class warfare. It is the seat of unrest and something democracies need to guard against.  This is not an issue of socialism but rather one of justice. Besides, those who labor at the lower wage rates and more menial tasks need hope that life will get better for them. They need the hope but also the will to make the hope possible. The rest of us have work to do to ensure that their hope is realistic and attainable.  We can even help them in practical ways. As people of faith and values we have a responsibility even to do this sort of work. 

It will make our community stronger. Our nation will be buttressed. It is all good!

Along this journey our society will teach most people this simple adage:

            “Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing,

             And your attitude when you have everything.”

                                                ~Author Unknown

Ed Schultz of Msnbc advises us of this point:

            “Sticking up for workers is fundamental in this country.”

I know Ed is a pulsating liberal to many people, but that does not diminish the value of his statement. Our national history is not one of wealth accumulation; rather it is one of workers’ rights and opportunity. We support public education so our labor force is well trained and intelligent to handle the work of the country. We invest trillions of dollars over decades to educate and reward people to be adaptable, to spot the emerging trends which will catapult our economy to the top of the heap. All of this investment builds toward a society that enables talent and achievement by individuals. The rest of the nation benefits from employment, higher standard of living, adaptability to change and a just and fair social order that constructs quality of life.

With quality of life we can accomplish much. Together. It is its own reward. And so much more pleasant than fighting every little thing at all times.  Think about our state legislatures and Congress. What a monumental waste of time, talent and national treasure!

We can do better. Much better. It is up to each of us to make it happen. No one person is to blame. In fact the blame game needs to end.  The game we should focus on is ‘envisioning tomorrow’. It’s much more worthwhile than our current pastime!

August 8, 2013

Stuff

This posting is about stuff. The things with which we surround ourselves. Lamps and tables have function and are needed. Some of those items are special in design or sentiment. We keep them for decades as special things.  Still they are stuff. Same for dining room sets, bedroom furniture, living room settings.

But wait! There is the kitchen and its many drawers and cabinets. What stuff lurks in those dark places? What items are hiding in the darkest and farthest reaches?  You know, the things you haven’t used in 14 years but still can’t part with. Your mom gave you that, or you found it at a garage sale when you were 7 months pregnant and somehow the ‘thing’ is a keepsake – but forever?  Evidently.

Drawers in the bedroom.  I wore a pair of briefs yesterday that had lost its elasticity. They were so loose-fitting that later in the day they slipped down toward the leg holes of my street shorts!  Quick thinking saved me from a certain blush attack! They went out in the trash this morning!

But what of the twenty or thirty shirts that never seem to change position either in the closet or in the bureau drawers? When will we admit defeat and toss them? Or at least relegate them to rag service? Don’t forget there are plenty of resale shops and charities that need and want your cast offs. If they are worn enough they sell them to rag recycle-rs. Best if they can be recycled as new apparel for a needy family.

OK, so we've covered the clothing angle, and the 100’s of kitchen gadgets unused for years, what’s next? The d r e a d e d garage inspection.  You knew it was coming. What is in that stack of boxes in the rear corner? You know, the one with an empty gas can perched on top?  Are those books?  Tax records? Maybe old family photo albums? Dare I look? If they are as useless as I suspect they are to my life, what will I do with them?  Donate, trash, or pawn off on other family members?

The garage is quite the burial site for many items. Shelves. You were so proud to build those shelves, or purchase slap-together shelving units. Once erected they allowed you to move the unused from the floor to the shelving units. They look so great there! Up and out of the way, until years later you realize none of it has moved an inch. Yep! They are useless to you. And they need to be released from your address.

But wait. We are not done. There are still two areas needing to be explored. One is high up in the attic. The rarest of treasures await us there. Usually the bridal gown sealed in a special box with proud markings announcing the contents! But also there are boxes of photos, old text books that consumed our study time in high school, college and grad school. We spent so much time with them we can not possibly dump them now, could we?

Of course we can. And must!

Wait, there is a suspicious pile of debris over in the corner? What sneaks there? Aha! Of course! Here is all the athletic equipment and costumes through the ages of each kid, and some of the aspiring parent – cross country skies, boots, too;  baseball bats and mitts numbering over a dozen. Golf clubs too small for a tiny adult; soccer gear, tennis rackets, and of course the croquet set missing mallet heads and balls.

Why do we hang on to this stuff?

But wait, for many of us there is a basement yet to be cleaned out. And that is just too gruesome to go into here.

Suffice it to say that we acquire stuff and hang on to it.  Just in case we might need it, you know. And as we graduate through the decades to increasingly sedentary life styles and inabilities (!), we remain faithful keepers of the goods.

I think this behavior has a lot to do with reluctance to make decisions in the first place, and in the second instant, it has much to do with the discomfort with knowing we are changing and are unready for such evolution. It is a psychological thing. The stuff is our anchor to the past and to the present.

The future beckons. Can we pass through the portal of discarded trash to peek at the fresh possibilities of tomorrow?

Moving between homes gives us an opportunity to make new decisions.  The exercise is valuable to our development. As well these decisions remove obstacles to moving forward.

And that’s a good thing. Moving forward. Leaving stuff behind that clutters our spaces and our minds.

Good riddance!

August 7, 2013