Gray Gray Go Away

So it’s the end of March 2014. Gray skies have dominated the month. Rain as well; days of rain. Also snow, cold, strong winds. Average temps in the 20’s rather than 40’s or low 50’s. The vernal equinox has become the infernal equinox.

Once March seemed hopeful of spring, but then it dribbled dark clouds, gloomy mists and too cold air. Winter continued on with a weather weary populace yearning for warmth and green lawns.

The latter will come with seasonal thunderstorms. Nitrogen greens the grass, don’t you know? And warming sun of longer daytime hours will pop the leaf buds on the bushes and trees.

Birdsong abounds so we know the buds will pop soon. Birds know whereof spring comes!

So patience, my friends. Patience. Winter’s grip is loosening. Spring’s tug is yet to come. Soon summer will arrive.

We are anxious for it with special focus. Our new apartment faces due west into the setting sun. We are curious as to what to expect for summer temperatures and the air conditioning load. Will it be heavy or moderate?

Our apartment has transom windows over the larger windows, I think they call these transom lights. Window coverings apply only to the lower windows so sun and moon shine brightly through the transom lights.  Will this cause heat problems for summer? Will we need to wear sun glasses indoors on bright days?

Time will tell. Meanwhile we have noted bright daytime even during gloomy days. Plenty of sky light bathes the interior of our home. And if in doubt, a huge skylight adorns the kitchen ceiling and more light is shed in what would otherwise be a dark interior room.

For now we wonder at the pitter-pat of rain on the skylight and appreciate the daytime light in our home. And the warmth as well. It seems warmer with all the natural light.

We installed oak shelves in the new kitchen, a transfer from the old one. They look perfect in the new location and match the cabinets even better than the old! Now some of our art pieces grace the kitchen and connect the sight lines to the dining and living rooms where more art rests in place.  Over all a very pleasing look! And the ever present day light streaming in lights up the art in unexpected and wonderful ways!

We have mirrors. Lots of them. They were used in the old place to brighten up dark corners and blank walls. In the apartment we don’t have dark corners but we have small spaces and the mirrors now expand that space. And, too, the mirrors reflect art and color in unexpected ways.

Again, we are experimenting with the new home and it continues to delight and surprise us.

It ‘s a good thing. At the same time we resume our usual routines and travel the same roads to our well established relationships with people, institutions and organizations. Life has changed in a personal way; but in the important dimensions life is the same, just better!

March 31, 2014

Thought for the Day

Have the perfect thought to focus on today:

            “In life it’s not where you go – it’s who you travel with.” ~Anonymous

Ever traveled alone? If so did you see something special you really liked and had no one to share it with?  Did you realize that at the time? Did you hunger for someone specific or special to share the experience?

It’s happened many times in my life. That’s why the quote is a good one for the weekend. Who you are with is more important than where you are going. Think about it. And savor!

March 29, 2014

Stuff

And more stuff. Having recently moved we have been managing stuff. Lots of it! More than I thought possible. There was the garage attic, cavernous, deceptively roomy, lurkingly mean in the amount of stuff stashed there!

And the closets, five of them, plus the utility room, garage (not counting the attic). To say nothing about the kitchen cabinets.

Now there’s an issue. Our kitchen has a ‘butler’s pantry’, an interesting aggregation of upper cabinets repeated in the same fashion as lower cabinets with a shallow counter top separating the uppers and the ‘lowers’.  We used them for storing china, extra serving plates and dishes, plus lots of dry goods with long shelf life. [Note: shelf life is a misnomer; ours was years, far longer than the admonitions printed on the boxes and cans!]

Along the way, over a 20-year time span, more than serving dishes and dry goods found their way into the butler’s pantry. Let’s see, candles, cigarette lighters (for the candles, don’t you know?), odd and various photos too dear to discard, but too unrelated to our lives to truly save, a collection of shoe strings, strings and packing ties. Oh yes, some Brasso, silver cleaner, the odd shaped vase too tall to fit anywhere else…well you know the sort of things one has to save for future use. Lots of little things.

Space to store stuff is a luxury. When you don’t know what to do with something you look for a cranny or nook perfect to embrace it. When found it is safely stashed. All’s well with the world! The mind resumes a peaceful state.

But when no such space can be found, the search begins in earnest and resolve is made to clean out some junk to make room for the newest treasure. Only the resolve is empty and the junk never seems to be tossed.

Until, that is, you prepare to move to a new home. That’s when all past resolve and good intentions loom large. We didn't do it then; we must now.

As I write this piece I’m sitting in my well intentioned new library-study. A wall of books, a corner secretary nearly 100 years old, a mirror or two, counter height work desk perfect for two of us to perch at with computers, and some open space and a closet to ruminate with the books. A good place to write. A good place to track household expenses. A neat place to organize the mind and set to work.

Only all is not well in the new space. The book cases have only a scattering of books so far, and countless cartons of same are stashed temporarily in my daughter’s garage several suburbs away. Meanwhile the book shelves sport several boxes of indeterminate contents still awaiting a new stashing place. In other words, junk seeking a new resting site.

I've managed to clear out the new closets of bags and boxes. Shelving is now assigned too much stuff; hanging rods are crammed full of clothing we probably won’t wear. So culling the unused and unlikely wearable is still a task to do.

At the old place the garage still needs to be cleaned out and a very odd vase or art piece or two remains in the attic. All of the closets are now empty. But not the rooms. Corners remain catchalls for remaining items we totally don’t wish to own anymore. So the arduous task of moving stuff from one room to another, and finally from the second floor to the first begins in earnest. Then it is the migration of stuff from the first floor into the garage.

The garage is now the staging area: to save and move; to save and store; to give to family; to donate to charities; to trash. Yet other piles await sorting. What are they? Five computer cords, two extension cords, no fewer than six power strip cords, and an assortment of electronic fittings that have no home or equipment with which to mate. Homeless and orphaned this stuff seems to grow dust, grow presence and assume a rightful position of power.

Power. Control. Order. Management, or not.

Those are the true elements of owning stuff and containing their disruptive influences. Yet mostly we don’t. We gladly allowed them into our lives and then, in sheer terror, we fail to make decisions needed to control the hideous growth of stuff.

What to do? In our case we learned family and friends do not want the extra doo dad we don’t want either. How come we didn't say no 20 or 30 years ago, too?  Ah well, it’s too late for that kind of thinking.  No, we have to come up with a solution.

And we did. The Discoveries Resale Shop in Warrenville gladly took several carloads of stuff from our shaking hands. Grateful, we drove home to reload. Lovingly they accepted our treasured stuff for their shelves or sale bins. Hopefully they will make faster decisions about our stuff than we did! Else they will be plagued with another generation of self perpetuating mounds of stuff.

Funny, each time I enter Discoveries their shelves and display racks are clean and orderly and not reproducing more stuff. All seems well. Perhaps there is a demand for our stuff after all?  Some people need our stuff in their lives and they actually buy it? What a relief.

Discoveries serves the community in many ways. It receives your unwanted and unneeded stuff for re-use by those who do need the very same stuff. At the same time people of lesser means are able to afford needed stuff while the shop makes enough money to subsidize the many charitable services of the Warrenville Youth and Family Services.  Good work is done by all.

And it is all possible because we lost our battle to control and manage stuff!

Now in our new home I fervently hope and pray that the battle will be more successful this time around. One can only hope. Such is the stuff of dreams. Perhaps this time they will come true?

March 28, 2014

Children Learning

Fred Rogers of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” gave us today’s quote to ponder:

“It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”

Heroes. Lots of them. You know them; perhaps you are one of them?

Look, I’ve always thought it funny that people claim they shouldn’t pay school taxes because they don’t have kids. What they forget, conveniently, is that their education, their schools were funded by a lot of people without kids, or people who had already had kids, paid for them, and now they are supporting grandkids in school.

Another argument for paying school taxes: the quality of life is defined by how well people adjust to their world, make sense of it, participate in it, and contribute to it eventually. All of that is a result of education; good education; and kids so educated are less a disruption on the streets, in your neighborhood, in schools, and society in general.

An ordered society is one in which each person feels connected and purposeful. Those at loose ends make for trouble! We’ve read about that for generations. No new research suggest we are mistaken.

Not long ago I participated as one adult among two with a youth Alcoholics Anonymous group.  We met weekly and the kids were mostly 16 to 18 years of age. They were there primarily because a judge told their parents either they enrolled their offspring in the AA group, or he would mandate by court order.  The kids came.

But they were there because they were told to be there. Also, alcohol was not the prevalent problem among them. No, drugs were the problem. Some had nearly died from overdoses – the warning signal that earned the youth attention.

Actually, the youth resented being in the group. They also felt drugs were their thing and they could take care of it. Alcohol was a companion behavior and not a problem to be eliminated.

Sticking around I listened. When that occurred they paid attention. They poured out their thoughts and feelings. They participated with depth and young wisdom. They acted as though no one had listened to them before. Especially adults, parents included.

I understand that. As a parent I didn’t want my children to have problems or get into trouble. That was for their sake and mine! Our experience was good. The kids evidenced very few problems and entered adulthood whole and functioning, able to take care of their own lives. We didn’t know this would be the result then; we could only hope. So parents are more hip to their own concerns and tend to miss listening to the kid.

That’s a mistake. They have lots to share with us. They need to share with us. They hunger to share. But when they are ignored time and again, they learn not to share and waste your and their time. So no listening pattern, no sharing pattern.

Fortunately there are those who care and do listen. Perhaps your child was lucky to have someone like that in his or her life. Perhaps at school, maybe at church, maybe a parent of one of their friends, or simply a good person who happened on the scene at exactly the right moment.

Fred Rogers got it right. That’s why he calls them heroes.

I don’t know who wrote this bit, but it could have been Rogers himself:

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

It works miracles, just paying attention to the other person whether it is your child or not. It works for us, too. We hungered for attention, to be listened to, trusted and confided in. That’s how we learned to adapt to life. Through listening and talking with others. And being paid attention to, as well!

Think how you are listened to and how you listen to others.  Especially young people.

It’s not just for them. It is for all of us.

March 27, 2014

Why I do What I Do

A long time ago I heard these words: ‘Let George do it!’

Of course I also heard all about Georgie Porgie, and pudding stuff…! Didn't understand those things but the letting George do it stuck.

At the time I didn't know what it meant but mom and dad told me to do lots of things those days, so I figured it was errands and tasks. Just get busy and do as I was told. You know the words, you heard them too, no doubt.

As the years ticked by ‘doing stuff’ became a habit. A routine. Something needed doing, I did it. If it was worth doing I did it early. In time the routine became habit; maybe even an obsession? Well, that’s for others to conclude.

At any rate I kept on doing. The pattern continued into my work and career. Eventually I was the person people came to for answers to questions, or facts on what would make their job complete.

I didn’t set out to be a know it all. No. I set out to understand what I was doing. Why was it important that the job assignment get done? How did it fit into a larger scene? Who else was involved in this task, and could we improve things and results by working together?

In time I became the explainer, not because I was imbued with extraordinary powers or intelligence, but simply because what I did had to make sense to me. With that understanding just about everything else fell into place.

Opportunities to use this learned skill became plentiful. Many people disliked doing tasks without understanding why they were doing them. Helping them understand that motivated them, so I offered my help. Soon that became my career: helping people understand what they were doing, what they could do better, and why. Eventually I helped people teach themselves these useful skills. 

They call such a career ‘consulting’.

In retirement I kept doing the explaining, only this time it was for free. Those same skills helped hone reporting skills as I moved into volunteer newspaper duties, reporting, and column writing. Then too community organizations asked me to be on their boards so I could assume secretary duties and take minutes of meetings.

Writing a blog became a natural and so, here I am writing yet another blog post!

Funny thing, though. What I do must have a broader meaning than what is viewed on the surface. The broader purpose I think has emerged over time in several ways. Let me see if I can put it into words.

I have always loved music. Usually classical forms. My favorite composers are Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Haydn, and Handel. Not in that order, of course. Learning this music by playing the piano, violin and singing in choirs, led me to deeper understanding of the music. Moods and emotions. Soaring moods, some up and many down. Into the depths of feelings I went with the music. Not just tones and melodies. Not just chords or runs. But sweeping ideas taking me places I had never been before.

These episodes of communing with music led me to visual art forms. It took years to form; decades really. But in time I appreciated color, shape, form and disjointed messages from artists in many genres. Entire arenas of meaning opened to me.

Ernest Hemingway wrote this many years ago. I think it fits here:

“The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.”

How can I tell the truth if I have not risked learning about it in the first place? How did I make sense of the world and the explanations I needed to understand in the first place? And if it is not beautiful in one form or another, how can I tell what is ugly?

I think Hemingway got it right. Tasting life is one thing, even savoring it. But exploring it takes discipline and requires risk. Whether these things combine to make the best people I really don’t know. But I do know that these things make life worth living.

Might this be a truth of yours as well?

March 26, 2014

What’s It All About, Alfie?

So many things to think about. Feel, sense and wonder. Sound, aroma, touch. Mood. The sun rises in the sky, travels across our day’s horizons and then sets; what has transpired in that time? What feelings are called on as the sun settles in orange splendor? Or rises in bright yellow strobes?

What’s happening now. What busy-ness fills our hours each day. Getting things done. Building something, not always apparent. Purpose. Function. Roles played and succeeded.

What does it all mean? When do you ask that? and why?

Carl Sagan once said:

“We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.”

Strange isn't it? We labor over hand held devices, receive and make phone calls on them, scan emails, probe the internet for what's happening at this very moment. Yet we don’t know how these things work. Only that they do. We catch ourselves wondering what life was like before these inventions joined our lives. And it is hard to remember how it was. Hardship used to be traveling without color TV at the end of the day. Then hotels and motels provided the color.

Remember when we worked our day and maybe once called home to learn how things were going there, and what was for dinner, or if that meeting scheduled in the evening was still on? Many years most of us didn't call home at all. It was something our employers discouraged except in emergencies. Even then my boss once wondered why I wasn't coming into work now that my son was born that early morning! Indeed!

Now we bravely go forth each day on our complicated schedules knowing that we are in touch with our family, friends and office mates at the touch of fingers on the cell phone. We even know the flow of our emails and what needs our attention and what can wait for office time. Convenience and productivity. Modern communications are instant and at hand 24/7. That’s a good thing…and bad. No privacy, constantly ‘on demand’ nowhere to hide for 15 minutes to catch our breath. But think of it: once we used to worry about and make arrangements to call each other during the day. It took coordination and commitment to do so. Today we have cell phones and no need to coordinate.

Too, we have computers (not one, often three or more!) and the tools they contain: internet, Google, research engines, email and work files that deliver facts and consistency whenever we need and want it. So much easier.

I recall working on complex projects. Many related files of paper and documents piled high on my desk. I sorted through the files to find the related and pertinent material needed for the specific step I was working on to complete the project. Today we have computer screen desktops where icons represent not just files but whole folders of files. And other folders of still other related material specific to the project. How much easier is it to create mental images and ideas with these icons staring me in the face each day?

Relativity of ideas and facts. These accumulate into master plans and processes that guide our lives. And data management we take for granted is widely available to us all the time. I think we take this for granted.

But Carl Sagan was concerned that we lived with technology and science without understanding it. So right was he! How do we access science? Use it? Understand it? Provide for its continuation and development in our lives?

Education helps. For each generation to acquire the knowledge and skills to maintain a future of science and technology. But do we support education to do this? We think we do but hardly are we successful at it.

Generational divides dot our social landscape constantly. Those under 20 years of age stun those over 50 with their knowledge and capable use of science. Workers at machines don’t wonder much beyond the technology that guides their tools and machinery each day. How then do we invent new technology and things? Who is there to note what needs to be improved? And by that discover new and exciting processes and tools?

Invention and re-invention is the duty of the generation. Are we preparing them to do this? Do we provide the math education? The logic discipline? The intellectual stimulation that will drive each generation to ponder, solve and excel?

That is what each company must do. Also each inventor. Then too each family must do this for elemental reasons. And nations, governments, charities…so many units of society perpetually re-inventing themselves.

Another anonymous quote found courtesy of the internet:

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”

What does this have to do with science and technology? Plenty! What we do with our time is one thing. That activity keeps us productive and employed. It helps us spend our time doing worthwhile things. It brings pleasure to our lives as well.

But the last quote speaks of things still more basic. Who I am is defined better by how much I loved, how well I lived without taxing others and natural resources, and knowing when not to bother with things unrelated to the self. The inner life is defined by much external.

That’s what it’s all about Alfie! Getting the clues, putting them right, and using them well is the process. It depends heavily on how well we do our functions daily and that relies on science and technology. Separate and equal? Maybe. But certainly necessary to one another. And us.

March 25, 2014

Impressions

Urban. Suburban. Rural. I've visited rural but I have lived in both urban and suburban locales. Each of the three is vastly different from the other. One of the differences is congestion. And noise. Then too the presence of nature is present in each, other urban settings make nature more special. Must be the paucity that makes that so.

Noise. The hum of machinery unseen but ever present making lights work, railroads function, and heating and air conditioning systems operate. The hum is not always noticed. If you are new to the neighborhood you notice. Quickly it becomes background and environment. Not noticed. Like the trains rumbling through the night. Sometimes a bell or two, rarely a horn, but sometimes a light toot. Always, though, the rumble. A reminder of its weight and might and the importance of its mission.

Traffic. Sometimes light and predictably heavy during rush hours. Regulated and routine traffic as people go about their lives. Just like us. In all kinds of weather and at all hours of the day and night. Some work days while others work nights. Still others work different shifts or odd hours. Function and mission mixed into routine. Normal. A tempo thrummed as tattoo.

When I first visited Chicago it was at my great aunt’s apartment on the west side of the city. The neighborhood was called Austin. She taught English at the high school there. It was certainly urban but mostly of apartment buildings, small yards and closely planted houses. Streets were tightly knit and heavily parked with autos. But the hum, nearly a roar, that spoke of urban surrounding. I marveled at the sound then. I still do today.

It drums a rhythm of excitement, of the city’s presence.

Birds singing make their presence known. Flittering about in tree tops and bushes they raise a more personal presence. In suburban settings this is common, almost signature. In urban surrounds not as commonly noticed but still there. Like coyotes prowling city streets, nature whispers its presence always. It came first, we second. Don’t forget.

Buildings are different. Frame homes and small frame and brick apartment buildings. That’s suburban. Mighty thick walled buildings containing homes and businesses – that’s the stuff of city. Noticeable right at the start the size of real estate structures tells us many people live here and work here. The  neighborhood is a presence of large, brooding structures. In time their grace appears to our eye. We see beyond large and brooding. We notice line and light, form and function. The intellect of structure becomes open to view.

Flow of traffic takes on grace and motion sweeping through the urban landscape like a ballet. Ordered and enticing; motion of purpose and hope, of future.

I’m not speaking of vast city now, but differences among suburbs – some weighted by population, others by villages of gathering neighbors. Some towns are small and simple; some more ponderous and congested. Like a small city. Different from neighboring communities.

Impressions of life among others. Not yet personal but of differing scales. Size and density. Population and walkable streets. Villages, towns, cities. Communities all.

We live in vast diversity in bewildering arrays of scope in America. Do we see this? Do we allow awareness to embrace it all?

I wonder. From such stuff come poems. Making sense of everything before sense is made of it. The finery of nature. The finery of social structure. How alike are they? In whatever surrounding?

March 24, 2014

  

Thought for the Day

Ponder this quote from Charles Darwin over the weekend:

“There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery.”

We are one with the planet. We need each other. We live parallel lives most of the times. We live intermingled lives often.

And that is good.  Think upon that over the next two days.

And smile!

March 22, 2014

Lessons

As time goes by many things come into focus. Patience is one. How to relax and the need for it is another. Avoiding congestion – both traffic and lung! I’m still working on that. Taking one step at a time, especially for the large projects, like moving! Or getting through an election day as a judge.  So much to do. Such a tight time schedule at the beginning and end; yet the middle hours can go slowly, painfully slowly.

Renewing my spirit in tough times has taught valuable lessons. Giving up what bothers me is not easy, but it is necessary if peace is to be achieved. And when the peace comes the reward follows. A deep breath. Filled lungs pressing against the inside of the rib cage. Tension released in arms and legs so that they are once again felt, not with throbbing but with ease and lightness. Now the back loosening up is still a job to be done but it will come, with peace.

Talked with a stranger the other day. Opening remarks were relaxed and comfortable. We shared what was on our minds. Easy and free. He in his 20’s; me, 70. On the surface not a lot one would think we could easily share, but we did. He is finishing college. Worried about starting his career. Wondering about the elections and their relevance when so much is happening culturally here at home and so much unrest and violence in the rest of the world. That got us started. I shared my thoughts on a few of the topics he introduced. He caught on I am gay. A non-issue. We spoke as though we had known each other for many, many years. Comfortable and direct; honest; heartfelt.

I am enthused with the future with such young people about.

Morning news was on a lady who won her republican congressional primary in Illinois, somewhere near Chicago. She believes autism and Alzheimer’s is God’s punishment for gay marriage and abortion. In this day and age someone wins a primary election with that set of opinions? Opinions she believes important enough to insert in her campaign? And she won?

Well, the republican party asked her to withdraw from the ballot but she didn't; yet she won.  Guess the democrat will win the district, eh?  One can only hope. The young understand this. They get separation of church and state. They get acceptance and understanding. They welcome diversity not dogma, divergence of thought not ditto-thinking. Thank heavens.

Lessons. Yes many  lessons learned. Even in our new home our neighbors are catching on that ours is a gay household. And yet it is quite normal. Like theirs. Get up in the morning. Work the computer. Make coffee. Get involved in the community. Conduct countless tasks and errands. End the day exhaustedly in front of a good meal and comforting TV. Or maybe go to any number of meetings.  They witness our daily routine. They know we are people worth knowing. They also know we are people not worthy of being judged.

They are very nice people. We felt at home immediately.  Do you know how special that is? Do you know how special that is when you know you are representative of less than 10% of households in America? And yet you are accepted?

We know how that is because we are daily in contact with the real world. And that world sees us clearly. We are not lying or hiding. We live our lives openly and well. In spite of bad economics, financial pressures, aging bodies and all the rest, we live lives of purpose. That’s all they need to know we are good people to know and be partners with in the projects of their lives and interests.

This quote was spotted on the internet the other day:1111111111

“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.”    ~Author Unknown

That fits in nicely with what we were discussing, right?

I Think our country is getting a lot of things right. The pendulum has swung wildly in recent years but we are pulling ourselves upright again. We are coming into a better age of understanding and acceptance. That’s a good thing.

A very good thing. And a lesson well learned!

March 21, 2014

Home

Awoke early this morning. The election judge duties are behind me. Rocky continued to unpack and organize the apartment following the bulk of the move yesterday. Today are some meetings and miscellaneous errands. Then we prepare for distributing the paper tomorrow. That involves printing postal tray labels, picking up checks for the printer and post office, and clearing out the van for the hauling. Thursday is the day we pick up newspaper from printer in DeKalb, haul to Warrenville and sort into postal trays, reload, then distribute to 33 drop off points. Then deliver paper to post office.

There are other errands to run but any free time will be spent at the old house to clear out trash, separate donation items, and get ready for family to pick up various pieces of furniture and personal goods. Then back to the apartment to continue the task of getting settled.

Then the final meeting of the board for the park district. I resign effective that evening because I have moved out of the district.

As we awake each morning in the new place it dawns on me that this is our new home. The cord of belonging has been cut and looking forward has begun in seriousness at the apartment.

Yesterday as I worked at the election polling site, I greeted old neighbors and friends in Warrenville. It was like old home week. A pleasure at first, but heartsick too to realize a journey of 20 years has come to a close. Although we will live only 3 miles farther north, and we intend to continue many of our Warrenville haunts and relationships, it is inevitable that our shift of focus will grow at our new home. And that is normal, and good.

Already new neighbors are welcoming us to the ‘hood. Offers of help to carry boxes and lift heavy things have poured in. Helpful hints have been received on how to accommodate the building’s rules and regulations. Very much we are made to feel welcome. And it is good.

The bed seems firmer and more comfortable! The moon shining through the transom lights seems intrusive at first then comforting. The soft urban noises provide a hum of background sound, comforting as well and rarely intrusive. But it is the floor that amazes. It is heated by hot water within and always comfortable to the feet whether bare or stockinged!

And did I tell you the garage was heated? Well it is and early on election day (5 AM) the car was 64 degrees while outdoors the temps hovered at 32 degrees. The car’s heater gave off soft warmth immediately. What a luxury in Illinois!

A new place must acquire many attributes before it is truly home. Already, however, we are noticing homey aspects building day after day.

We know we have made a good choice. We do feel at home now. Even as our ties to Warrenville remain their strength fades at least a little.  We are excited by what is to come.

May you feel as ‘received’ and embraced as we have. It is good.  It is all good, indeed!

March 20, 2014

Customer Service in 2014

We Americans have high expectations for service we pay for. When something goes wrong we are quick to call ‘customer service’ at the provider and ask for help. And we expect a reasonable response within a reasonable time.

The move we are currently making from a 6-room townhome to a 4 room apartment has offered some interesting customer service opportunities.

First, Comcast. We have Cable TV and internet service from them. A week or more before the move we called customer service to arrange the connection at the new address. Turns out the apartment had Comcast before us so the Comcast representative told us she had switched the service back on and all we had to do was move their equipment from our old address to the new address, plug it in and connect. Both internet and TV services would be instantly available.

We did that on the move in date and nothing happened. They tested the line and had no record of our order, who we were or when it was to be processed. We gave them all of that data and they attempted to re-establish service over the phone. Well, one thing led to another and they finally said a technician would have to visit our home. Next available date was Tuesday next, this being Thursday. On Friday we attempted the phone fix again and was told that the technician was not available immediately and we would have to pay for the service call. 

No, we told them this was their problem and their system had failed us, the customer. We responded with this challenge: fix it by supper time (3.5 hours hence) or we would call AT&T U-verse. We also expected a good discount on our final bill for the services we paid for but did not get.

They told us we would get a call within 20 minutes. No such call came. We called Customer Service and they are currently working on the problem.

My question is this: when a customer proactively manages their account with a service provider and does everything they asked of us, why is it our fault and expense to fix their problem?  Increasingly Americans are experiencing this utter failure.  Comcast is one of the biggest offenders.  Ask anyone who has or has had Comcast. They are likely to tell you a horror story similar to ours.

I’ll let you know how this turns out, but I bet we change carriers. They have a golden opportunity to prove to us they care about us as customers. I bet they squander the opportunity!

[NOTE: Comcast did not fail us! On that Friday they asked us to meet a service technician at the apartment at 1 PM; we agreed although that was our moving day. On that day the technician called me and asked if we might be available early, say by noon and we said yes. I met the movers and Comcast at the same moment outside the apartment. The technician was a 27-year experienced warrior with Comcast and labored hard to solve our problem. He did so swiftly for internet service; it took a couple of hours longer for TV service. He admitted the staff on the phones at Comcast do not always know what's real in the field and promise what they cannot possibly understand. This was true in our case; the cable service was not 'live' to our apartment and we could never have connected on our own. Problem solved. We remain with Comcast because of the dedication of a field professional. Amen!]

Second, awakening on our first morning in the apartment, I dashed into the shower only to find icy cold water and no hot water whatsoever. What I think was supposed to be hot dribbled out of the shower head at low pressure and no warmth! The sink in the same bathroom provided plentiful hot water. And the second bathroom also had hot water at the sink, and also in the shower. So I switched bathrooms and enjoyed a good shower.

Entering the kitchen I attempted to send the coffee grounds down the garbage disposal but nothing happened. A hum and then a click followed by silence. The unit was dead! Turning to the refrigerator the ice maker was fiddled with over two days but still did not produce any ice. And finally, again in the master bathroom, the toilet leaks water from the upper tank to the lower bowl, and the entire toilet rocks on its base.

I called the tenant help line and got a response in less than 5 minutes. They scheduled a technician visit for Monday morning. This is Friday afternoon as I write this.

The landlord has made a grand start with us; bad for the problems, but great for the response to repair same. So far I am impressed.

[NOTE: the repairman came early for our appointment and fixed nearly everything.  The garbage disposer first and almost in an instant! The ice maker has a more serious problem requiring a specialist. All of the other items were handily repaired and we are totally delighted!]

Third, we reserved a U-Haul truck to move the rest of our household goods on Saturday (tomorrow). I received a call on Friday afternoon confirming pick up and return times only to find out the on-line reservation system made an error. Instead of panicking, the U-Haul representative said she would seek another truck in the system to meet our needs. I asked if a slightly smaller truck were available and she said yes. Problem solved. Together we saved the day.  Customer and service provider worked together to find a reasonable resolution.

[NOTE: the U-Haul experience worked out splendidly. The move went smoothly and we returned the truck two hours earlier than schedule and on budget. Excellent experience with U-Haul!]

Three examples of snafus in what was expected. Three widely divergent methods of addressing each. Reasonable people can get a lot done reasonably.  Unreasonable people fail to solve problems and make larger ones.

Why can’t Comcast seem to learn this valuable lesson? Bankruptcy teaches those lessons well if the companies do not wake up to the real world.

In our case you observe how each case ended. Satisfactorily. Because we stuck to it. And the companies followed suit.

March 19, 2014

Transitions

The move has begun. From a home of nearly 20 years to a new community, surroundings and yet retention of many friends and family nearby. We have moved 3 miles distance.

Accordingly we are separating from the Park District Board but little else. Our church remains the same, Trinity Lutheran in Warrenville (ELCA). So does our writing, editing and organizing for the Village Chronicles newspaper. A small local paper, we serve Warrenville, Winfield and West Chicago, Illinois. All three towns share boundaries with one another, school systems and county authorities. Their cultures and histories are different. But we huddle together to face a brave new world.

So too connections remain with the Western DuPage Chamber of Commerce. Similar to the mission of the newspaper, the Chamber serves the same three communities. Its mission is to develop healthy commerce and a dynamic economy embracing all three towns and beyond.  Positions on the board and Executive Committee keeps me in the middle of strategy and mission reach of the Chamber.

The Warrenville Arts Council is searching for a sense of renewal and mission to help both budding and experienced artists in a host of expressive genres.

The blog continues of course because it is a journal and commentary on life’s emerging twists and turns, at least those that are a part of my life! The blog, however, is much more than all that. It is a tool for my mental health. It helps me make sense of my life and world  and keeps my thinking disciplined.

Our neighborhood has changed. We once lived in a community of townhomes, 321 of them, all organized under the complicated state law government condominiums. From a Warrenville condo complex of 700 souls we moved to a condo building with 36 homes on 4 floors. A modern building completed in 2008, the Gallery Gateway Centre is home to 65 to 70 people in West Chicago. We are on Main Street, next door to City Hall, across the street from the Train Station, and within a block of countless grocery stores and other retail outlets. It is also 2 blocks from the Police, Fire and Chamber offices.  A small city at our doorstep. And what an array of eateries, both fast and slow food varieties!

Our condo/apartment is 1142 square feet with two bedrooms, two baths, a laundry, two storage areas, a dining/living room combination, and an eat in kitchen. Four floors below is the ground level garage with our assigned space convenient to the elevator. Did I say the garage was heated? Well, it is; heated; spacious and convenient. Out of the weather of all seasons. Secure. And heated! Am I repeating myself?  Heh heh.

We slept in our new home last night. The bed was moved yesterday. Still no night tables, lamps or a dresser. But then the TV and internet service is not working as they promised so we read, and slept like the dead. Every bone, sinew and tendon aches. These old bodies of ours feel damaged from the exertions of recent days. And to think we have today as another set aside for preparing the old house for more moving, and organizing and settling the countless details in the new place. Then tomorrow, Saturday, family and friends gather to make the final big push to move us from old to new home. So our work is not yet done. Cleaning the old home for sale will take some time; throwing out bunches of now useless items will take more time. But then we will donate a lot of items to the charity resale shop. All such things have a purpose in life, and even a re-purpose!

Like our lives. This is the beginning of a new chapter for us. Yes we will continue in art, community, non-profit organizations and church relationships. And the family and friend relationships will mature a few more notches as well.

All good. The process of transitioning from one thing to another, one life phase to another, is all instructive and enriching. Oh, it’s a lot of bother, too, but then without that effort we would likely miss out understanding many things. Those things are the building blocks of life’s understanding moments. We relish those lessons. Indeed, we look forward to them and engage them.

More on this life as it meanders forth.

March 18, 2014

Rush to Lowest Common Denominator

I've wanted to write on this topic for some time. Many times thoughts have popped to mind over the past several months. Over and over again they echo in my mind. Finally, I will allow some of them to make an appearance here today.

Watching television is a chore. Three reasons: first, commercials are boring, mostly uninspired, and aim for the lowest common denominator among us; second, programming is often dull, silly and sleep inducing; and third, news programs are not very explanatory of the current news items let alone how they emerged from underlying issues that preceded them.

TV ads seem to make buffoons out of most men. They are the stupid ones being taught why a product or service is best by a child or a condescending spouse. Silliness is a common theme as though this is designed as viewer entertainment. Mostly it is not. It is just silly.

There are ads that are inspired and creative. As a TV control freak, I often mute the sound during commercials; I still watch the ads so I know when the program is about to resume. If the ad is creative it will inform and amuse me without a sound track. In the future I will un-mute the sound so I can finally hear the whole ad. This sort of advertising skill is entertaining and influential. It just may help me remember the brand when I am next buying that type of product or service.

I remember Volkswagen ads from the 1950’s. They were stunningly simple and direct. Easy to remember. Almost always they made me laugh. And the next day people talked of the latest VW ads.

I wish more advertising were this effective and entertaining. Evidently it is not to be.  Too many people don’t pay attention to the ads and thus the common denominator pulls down the creativity quotient for most advertising copy.  Too bad; way, way too bad.

TV programs suffer a similar fate. Plot lines seem to follow a childish mentality. Poor taste and sloppy thinking appear often during the program. The lowest common denominator theme reappears! Think reality shows. Always drama, then a solution. Often vicious personalities colliding with one another. Some tears, fears and threat of violence. Then resolution. Week after week, season after season. Boring.

And news programming! Now there’s an oxymoron. News is supposed to be about what happened, when, where and to whom. Then an attempt is made at explaining the cause of the happening. If more than one possible cause is probable, then all should be covered dispassionately to explain why the issue is an issue in need of resolution.  No opinion from the reporters. No commentaries that are incomplete. Please! Just explanatory notes on what happened and why and how it may end up eventually.

This is the way most people take in news, understand it on an immediate time basis, and how they come to view it later on once more time and exposure to potential causes have been reported and explored.  News is a teaching moment if handled correctly. If not, it is a tool of propaganda. Think Fox News.

Three functions inescapable by the TV viewer: ads, entertainment programs and news reports. Very few of these offerings feed the intellect. Very few raise the tone of communications or logic. Most pander to the lowest common denominator among us.

I am not a snob. I enjoy thinking. I enjoy reasoning things out. I am compelled to make sense of things. Increasingly public media does not satisfy those interests.

This is a worrisome public issue for me. If media challenges the public I believe the quality of public thinking and discussion will be of a higher plane. We are not a dumb nation. We pour enormous time, talent and financial treasurer into education. We should use those ‘muscles’ not allow them to atrophy.

More on this topic at another time. For now it is out of the alleys of my mind and that’s a good thing, at least temporarily!

March 17, 2014

Thought for the Day

NOTE:  This posting is for Saturday's Thought for the Day. We are moving from a townhome to an apartment and internet service is still not freshly installed. Using someone else's Wi Fi I posted Friday's blog and am advance posting Saturday's blog.  Hopefully by Monday we will be back to normal!!!

Sue Fitzmaurice is an author who has provided this thought to ponder today:

“Stop being offended by what someone said to you, by that Facebook post, by a piece of art, by people displaying their affection.

            Be offended by War, Poverty, Injustice.”

Amen to all of that.  Do think on this over the weekend.

March 15, 2014

Importance of Voting

Next week in Illinois is the Primary Election. Often voters avoid the primaries because it requires them to choose candidates in their own party to run against each other, the winner to run against the opposing candidate’s party. It is slate selection time. It is also the time we attempt to discern who is more ‘for’ our beliefs and interests. Not an easy task in this day of information overload from media outlets.

Primaries are the building blocks of the next regular election. It is good if we pay attention now so that the eventual election is a meaningful one.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said:

            “Voting is the foundation stone for political action.”

How true. If the issue is one for our basic agenda of government and society, it usually gains access during an election. Only the vote allows the issue to be dealt with one way or another. Not voting denies the issue access to the gateway.

Yet political fussy business clouds many issues. Humorist and actor Will Rogers (1879 – 1935) said:

            “The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.”

To make that quote come alive, think Ted Cruz, US Senator from Texas! How very odd that someone like Ted Cruz shares the limelight with truly serious issues that we all need to care about. He is a diversion. He offers no serious solutions. Just self attention and wasted time.

Ted Cruz is a symbol, too, of what troubles the Republican Party has made for itself. Milt Shook, a long-time political analyst and observant progressive writer, gives us this quote:

“Republican Rule has transformed this young, vibrant nation from a nation that once believed it could do anything, into a nation that believes it’s broke and can’t afford to do anything.”

Leadership calls us to do the impossible, to attempt the big project, to succeed where no one has succeeded before. The Walk On The Moon challenge should have proven to Americans that we can do the impossible! Winning World War II should have done the same thing. Facing up to our prejudices and passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is another example of doing the right thing against all odds.

Working to solve the health crisis of uninsured citizens is another impossible task that we are tackling this very day. The work is not done. It has just begun. What a great start is now working its magic!

Telling the American People they can’t do something should be tantamount to challenging them to do just the opposite.  Why then have we seemingly believed the Republican rant that America is broke and cannot fix the economy until…whatever ideological salve is administered by them?

Let’s face a very large, basic fact: republicans have made a career out of saying government ought not be trusted and should not enter matters best settled by private citizens. Their answer to every issue is ‘keep government out of it’.

I think this is a prescription to do absolutely nothing about anything. And that’s the biggest folly of all.

Government fought our wars – the good, bad and ugly ones! Government created one currency for the nation. Government provides improving education accessible to the masses. Government delivered Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Space Program.

In short, government does what the private sector is not willing to do. Now that government has done that, privateers now want in when the risks are known and controlled by government policy. That’s a no-brainer.  Free markets indeed!

Chris Hayes is a young political writer and commentator who offers us this intriguing thought:

            “Here’s a cardinal rule in American politics, one that we ignore all the time:

Do not elect people to run a government who demonstrate a fundamental contempt for what that government does.”

Perhaps we have lost sight of this cardinal rule?  Has the pendulum swung far enough to the right? Is it finally time for it to swing the other way? Along the arc of its travel, perhaps the pendulum will find a resting place within the broad middle? While there maybe we can finally solve some of the problems the republicans have found insurmountable?

March 15, 2014

Taking Care of You

The Do-It-Yourself age has resided in America for several decades. Some would argue it’s been a part of our culture for much longer. Whatever, there is another aspect of the DIY ethic that has crept up on us. Many would aver this has always been a part of American life. I would argue otherwise. Of course there is the intellectual set that would debate the issue further.

The immediate topic at hand is – Taking Care of the Inner You.

According to Facebook.com/ChangeYourThoughtsToday, here’s what they suggest, and I think it is a good place to begin today’s blog:

            “12 Steps for Self Care

1.      If it feels wrong, don’t do it.

2.      Say ‘exactly’ what you mean.

3.      Don’t be a people pleaser.

4.      Trust your instincts.

5.      Never speak bad about yourself.

6.      Never give up on your dreams.

7.      Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’.

8.      Don’t be afraid to say ‘yes’.

9.      Be kind to yourself.

10.  Let go of what you can’t control.

11.  Stay away from drama and negativity.

12.  Love.”

Well now, that’s a mouthful of wisdom! I suggest we each print this out and tape it to our bathroom mirror, or maybe even our computer screens. This list is a reminder for us of what to watch for throughout each day.  A guide to remind us of important things we should do to be healthy in mind.

A mature personhood is one which navigates life’s troubles with self awareness and openness to difficulty. Not to be defeated by challenges is a dear lesson learned. Ill health? How do I accept that prognosis and follow doctor’s orders? How do I make the best of the situation? Do I accept defeat and wind down my own clock to the future? Do I waste away and let my will just disappear?

I think maturity says something else about challenges and what we think of as defeat.  For example, going broke and recognizing the lack of money. How do I react to this situation?  I think the mature person realizes how much good in life is free and enjoys those things with abandon. A deep breath of fresh air is one. Knowing the presence of a fresh spring aroma, or the crisp ‘nose’ of wintry air chilled by a fresh snowfall. Or the chirp of an early bird near the window sill.

How about laughter heard from afar? Someone is enjoying life and it has burbled over for us to witness. But do we normally hear it at all?  Probably not. It is there, however. For us to note and to enjoy. The laughter of others, of joy felt.

Sitting quietly in a chair, feeling warm sunshine on the feet, sensing my dog coiled at my feet in safe repose - these are images of comfort and ease, and safety.  Security. Lack of danger. This is one of life’s good things. Do we notice it?

The 12 Steps helps us prepare the mind to act and pro-act to situations that we might otherwise behave poorly in. We could go down the list and talk about each one, but that would be boring! The reader can do this for him or herself easily enough. How honestly we think on each of the steps is a test of inner honesty.

For me, number 3 is a critical item: ‘don’t be a people pleaser.’  I think we are conditioned to be a pleaser, or so dislike the animosity of being unpleasing, we avoid it entirely. It is one thing to listen to another person and feed back your understanding of their message so they know you are paying attention, than it is to give the impression you agree with what they just said. That leads to certain folly not easily undone.

Not agreeing with someone or doing something counter to what another wishes you to do, does not mean we need to act disagreeably. We can disagree and be polite at the same time. In fact it is this chemistry in interpersonal relations that allow us to grow the relationship. Maturity helps us see that reality.

The entire list of 12 Steps helps us avoid drama and negativity. Together they build wholeness of mind and spirit.

That ought to enable us to love and be loved. And isn't that a people pleaser in and of itself?

March 13, 2014

Building Trust

So many quotes appear on the internet. They grab attention and focus powerfully on a thought. I use these to spark inner debate. Ideas percolate in my mind and at some point the fingers begin banging out a blog, or newspaper column. Occasionally the thoughts coagulate into a series of articles.

Individually the quotes are thought provoking. But more comes of them when allowed to mingle with life experiences and current events.  Take this one for example:

“It’s funny how everybody considers honesty a virtue, yet no one wants to hear the truth.”  ~Anonymous

For another day we will consider the broad anonymity of the internet! Why so many authors desire to be unknown, I don’t know. I just wish to give credit where credit is due for the thoughts used, and clearly report I am not taking credit for the quotation.

The quote cited is a good one for me today. Let me see if I can articulate why.

Being open with others is considered honesty. Also humility. We allow others to see our flaws without filters. We are on display for all to see, or whoever is interested!

The point is that we are not hiding from the scrutiny of others. That’s good unless it becomes a laundry list of horrors stashed away that ought not to be seen by others. You know the people who talk you into a corner at a party. They tell you their woes and if you show the slightest, polite interest, soon a cascade of misery flows over you. Smothering honesty of this sort is burdensome to the listener.

The opposite is worse: unending exaltation of the wonderful things happening in your life. Too much appears too good to be true. It is also boastful and diminishes the humility factor! And affects trust.

So we have two extremes: too much bad news and too much good news. What’s the proper balance? That is the critical question of course.

Between the two extremes is a lot of space, space we need to form our statements, capture their meaning and properly articulate to them for others to consume. We need to understand how our message will be received as well. If we miscalculate our message will be surely refused. A deaf ear will make our effort useless.

The effort to hear what another person is saying takes more work than articulating ones own message. Both the sender and the receiver have work to do. They are of equal consequence as well.

If meaningful communication is to take place, both parties have to be open to the other and to work at understanding what is being meant and what is received. Then too, both parties have to intentionally work at communicating back and forth in a manner that actually creates understanding. Not agreement. That is not the point of the communication at this point!

The internet and all the rest of society’s banter does little work in this regard. That explains why there is so much banter and howling for recognition and time to be heard. A lot of noise in the world. A lot of noise. Most of it signifying very little.

Building trust in communications is hard work. Like anything in life worth doing, it is worth doing well. Just that intention alone, builds trust. People tend to listen more carefully to those people who have something to say and have demonstrated a willingness to understand you and your response. Both parties are thus engaged in helping to understand one another. That reality builds trust. Openness and humility are essential ingredients to the process.

Unlike the public’s view of political discourse, politicians say what they think you want to hear and avow statements are factual when indeed they are not. Their rhetoric is misleading and intentionally so. They are trying to win power and influence not truth. In its very essence American political communications have become debased. The sad reality of it is the politicians themselves do not understand this to be the current state of affairs. They are as delusional as their speech.

Not all elected officials are politicians, however. The sad fact is that most voters do not understand this fact. They assume all persons on the ballot are politicians. Perhaps they are safe to assume so!

But when does actual, needed communication for the common good get accomplished? We all need this to happen. We need to know and believe what it is we are deciding on with our vote. Maybe it happens when good people clearly demonstrate their willingness to understand complicated social issues and stick around to do the hard work of communicating the same.

As Peanuts’ creator Charles Schulz claims:

“When people walk away, let them. Your future is not about people who walk away. It’s about the people who stay in it for the ride.”

In doing so, we have saved time and energy to make good communications happen! And that’s good for everyone. And remember this anonymous message from the internet as well:

“Not interested in politics? Hate to break it to you, but politics is interested in you, whether you like it or not. Get involved in your life!”

March 12, 2014

Three Great Guides

Thinking. Piecing things together. Making sense of life.

It’s a search not an obsession. A gentle prodding of the mind to consider various ideas and how they fit with one another, whether there is a hidden connection that will revolutionize my thinking.

Do you do this sort of thing?  What are the thoughts that go through your mind when mindlessly driving hundreds of miles on a long distance road trip? When you are sitting in your favorite chair in the evening, relaxed, stomach full from dinner, no pressures immediately absorbing your attention. A time to relax. What do you think of in those quiet moments?

Wondering about life is something is a task I’ve never finished. It’s the nature of things. Stop wondering and you just might be dead!

Came up with three thoughts that seem to make basic sense to me.  See how they affect you:

First: 

“Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It’s not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make. Period.      ~Author Unknown

Second: 

“Never allow another to take the hopes from your heart, the dreams from your mind, or the goodness from your soul.”      ~Anthony Douglass Williams

Third: 

“When you try to control everything, you enjoy nothing. Sometimes you just need to relax, breathe, let go and just live in the moment.”`~rawforbeauty.com

Take responsibility for your own choices, your own actions. Circumstances may seem to force adaptations from you, and in many cases that is true. But basically life is lived by each one of us and we alone are responsible for how we react and adapt in every moment. Own that thought and make it an abiding principle in your life. Blame no one else. Adapt, ignore, or own. Each is ours to do.

Of similar values is not allowing others to take from you the most valuable elements of life, your life – hopes, dreams and goodness of soul. Those are uniquely yours. They are your ‘bank’ of good things to use, to savor, to build upon. No one else can take those from you unless you let them. Even a prisoner has these within the mind. No jailer or captor can get at these. He has your freedom of movement. You have freedom of the inner life. It moves in a much broader space than physical space.

It follows that if we don’t let another person control our life then we cannot control everything else, either.  To realize what’s important, to enjoy it and sense its fullness, we must let it be what it is. We can do that by resting, breathing in and out intentionally and sensing the moment. Ponder it. Taste it. Feel it. Let it be. The sunshine, the warmth, or cold. Snow and ice or green blades of grass. Birdsong. Fresh air. The view or vista. The components of the world are all around us. What do we do with them? Do we appreciate them and let them resonate with all of our senses?

Three guides in life to make it better. To make the best of whatever comes our way, good bad or pure ugly.

There are other words of wisdom to help us on our journey through life, but a lot of good begins with these three: take responsibility for your own choices and actions; do not allow others to strip you of your inner values; and likewise do not attempt to control other elements of life that are not yours.

Upon these building blocks much is possible.

March 11, 2014

Strength, Not War

He walks down the room with a swagger. He holds his head erect but a little loose. His eyes dart from side to side in a narrow arc. There is an imperial posture about his presence. Eyes are beady, however. Mouth is small and kept tight. His stature belies the contained rage somehow. Am I the only one sensing this?

The person is Vladimir Putin. The good fellow who cheerfully appeared throughout the Sochi Olympic Village displayed a steely personality soon thereafter. I might add this is the same steely persona displayed the last time Putin visited with President Obama.

There is a message here. There is a power struggle but among whom?

Not America. Not Obama. Not the American people.

I suspect it’s Putin being Putin for his own sake. Kindly recall the collapse of the Soviet Empire and Mother Russia laid low and humble, weak and broken, crumbling infrastructure, unpaid military, bankrupt banks, roads and bridges unable to carry common deliveries of food and basic supplies. Pensioners without benefits and starving. Hospitals in disarray, woefully inadequate as to size, cleanliness and technology.

Russia at that time was an embarrassment to the soul – their soul. And I think Putin.  I think he felt this excruciatingly. Very personal for him. He wanted to restore the Russian people’s pride, sense of worth and history. And his own.

And he has worked hard to make that happen. On the world stage, however, he is still weak. The vast empire’s army lay in ruins. Soviet bloc nations were once again free and independent. Those were rebuilding their lives, too, only this time for an eye to their own destiny, not Mother Russia.  Besides, Russia wasn’t their mother in any sense. Nor their father!

The Crimea is nearby Russian soil. It has long been a staging area for Russian military and naval forces. The world may be too near without the buffer of a broader Soviet territory. So Crimea is the present target, but a handy stepping stone to eastern Ukraine.

Once again we see history replayed by way of ancient animosities in the eastern European and Eurasian regions. Once again long held hatreds of power, influence and ‘religion’ rumble below the surface in hearts stone cold but warming for a fight.

How do Americans and other peace loving peoples relate to this?

Some rattle invisible sabers as though they know what to do with them. Others posture their political rants as usual. But others, those special others, calmly sit back and observe the drama unfolding on the world stage. Or pretending to?

The calm among us watch for motivation both long and short range. What is Putin really about? Is he a callous martinet strutting his stuff because he thinks himself special? Does he wish to reassemble the Soviet hegemony of the past in the region? Does he do this for himself or his people? And if the latter, does he really know what his people want and need?

Having lived through the Cold War I don’t want a return of it. Too much human capital was wasted. So too, standards of living, natural resources and national treasure. In recent decades we have turned our attention to peace and the long term future of mankind surviving with dignity and purpose. Why turn the clock back on that?

Yet politicians on the hustings and in their legislative roundhouses of power quickly assimilate the cry to battle. Senators McCain and Graham were Johnny on the spot! And with old, worn out phrases reminiscent of past political campaigns and losing ideology. 

Can’t they come up with something more worthwhile?  Can’t they see that Putin is not restarting a cold war with the USA? Can’t they see he is a weakened person striving to rattle cages and unsettle the world to prove he is not weak?  Just like a bully. Just like a puny thug. Boo! I’m not scared.

We need national unity so America can join world powers in maintaining the peace of the globe. This is not America’s fight. It is the World’s business to keep order. And we are a partner in that.

John McCain, don’t fall for the threats. Lindsay Graham, grow up and exercise your intellect. This is not a republican/democrat thing. This is the global community being asked to step up to the plate and collaborate to put down the playground bully.

Altogether now. No war. Don’t fall for it. And republicans, shush unless you have something nice to say for once!

March 10, 2014

Thought for the Day

We spend a lot of time on the internet. It has taken the place of newspapers in our home (except the one we write, publish and distribute!). We use the internet for education, communication and commerce. We shop on the internet. We buy on the internet.

The internet is an important part of our household and our lives. Enter Bernie Sanders, independent US Senator from Vermont, who said:

“The path to a free and open internet is to reclassify it as a telecommunications service so that we can ensure equal access to for all.”

Think about this over the weekend. The internet is changing the very fabric of our lives. How do we keep it open, free and accessible to all? And should we?

March 8, 2014

Getting it Right?

David Pakman has a website, radio, and pod cast show. He is a political analyst and commentator. He shared this thought recently on the internet:

“If the skilled orators of the religious right focused on developing real solutions to poverty, energy, income inequality, education, and reforming the political system … instead of on preaching about gay people, abortion, and passing laws based on the Bible --- the US would be light years ahead of where we are today.”

One of my ‘favorite’ orators/personalities he refers to is Pat Robertson. His views are often so loony that they are down right funny. The only reason they are not hilarious is because I know he means what he says.  He really doesn't know anything about the gay community but he speaks as though he does. If he used only a fraction of the empathy he learned as a pastor and minister he would recognize instantly how off base he is. But that’s not to be; Robertson is more comfortable stirring up controversy, sharing gossip and passing on rumor as fact. Theologically he appears to have forgotten about the love of God and Christ his religion espouses. Forgiveness of sin is the core of the Christian belief. He seems to have forgotten that.

Instead he pushes forward with what can only be referred to as hate speech. We get plenty of news from gay blogs so I know whereof I speak!

The other religious right orators included in David Pakman’s quote embrace a steady stream of political commentary based on what they feel are biblical roots. International affairs, rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, gun legislation, immigration reform, abortion restrictions, all of these and much more are the subject of choice words from the men of God. Trouble is they have forgotten the context of the Bill of Rights and the Bible. We won’t think of treading on their thoughts of the Koran or Torah. One can only imagine!

Sister Joan Chittister, the well known Benedictine nun from Erie, Pennsylvania, is an out spoken analyst of social issues. She has an enormous following as she attempts to translate current events and faith issues sensibly.  I share a small sliver of her thoughts here:

“I do not believe that just because you’re opposed to abortion that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don’t? Because you don’t want any tax money to go there. That’s not pro-life. That’s pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is.”

Solutions. Is abortion awful? Yes. Is it necessary? Yes it is, unfortunately. Rather that than another mouth to feed that is unloved, unhoused, uneducated and un-cared for. Abortion ought not be used as birth control, but then accidents happen, and consequences need to be properly cared for. Pro-life needs to consider quality of life in deep detail.

When I scan the horizon of social issues I am struck by how many problems need to focus on the complex yet basic fact of self esteem. A high school student who feels good about himself, has confidence that his ideas are of value, most likely will make something of his life going forward. On the other hand, a student who lacks self confidence and self-worth, is most likely to follow a path of least resistance, of taking, of bullying others, of getting his jollies at the expense of others. And those behaviors do not address underemployment, crime or other destructive lifestyles of drugs and alcohol.

Helping young people feel good about themselves and to sense and see possibilities that interest them, will go a long way in solving problems related to addictions, crime and wasted potential. Listening to them is the first step, I think. Providing a sympathetic ear helps them know that others care about them and what they think.

Listening is a major tool in helping anyone, actually. Listen to an unemployed person. Or even more tellingly, listen to an underemployed person. Understand what it is they do to make a living. Know what they want to do. Perhaps not the exact occupation, but rather the sense of self-knowledge, control of their dreams, and use of their skills and talents. How can they find work that will use these personal elements?  What kind of work opportunities might lead them to the ideal job? What educational tools might they need to get in order to succeed in a chosen arena? And then how to they gain access to that education?

Motivating people to take charge of their own lives is hard work. Helping them gain self confidence that they can take charge of their lives is very doable. It begins by listening.  Let them talk. Let them uncover what is important inside them. Help them articulate these things so they can focus on what to repair and strengthen.

In reality people solve their own problems. Others can help and nurture them in this process, but the hard work is done by the person with a problem. It is our job to lend an ear, provide for quiet thinking, and offering encouragement. The rest is up to them.

Not all will do well with their problems. But we can try to be there for them and give them a start in the right direction. So much better than oratory of condemnation.

March 7, 2014