Being Asked

I’m in a recovery program, one of those 12-step ones. It has been very successful for me. I wanted sobriety and peace and got it by following directions. Like a good little boy. At the time I might have acted like a kid, but I was 62 years old. Nine years later I’m doing good without any missteps. A critical factor in this success story, however, is a very difficult element. I’m thinking (I don’t really know this) this element is ‘humility’.

Humility is defined as a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness. Some synonyms would include modesty or lack of vanity. An action that would test humility is a simple one: asking for help. This action clearly requires a person to admit he cannot do something by himself and thus needs to ask another person for help.

That is not easy if you are not humble. Need a ride because your car is disabled or you don’t have the money to buy gas but really do need to get to the doctor? What to do? Ask for help. Or walk. The latter action may be a demonstration of determination but it is not one of humility. The person would find it hard to find sobriety if he couldn't ask for help.

Now, I’m not perfectly humble. What a surprise! I really work at being self sustaining and self reliant. If I can’t afford something I do without it. I still assert myself in ways many people wouldn’t think of doing. But assertiveness alone is not a lack of humility. Standing up for oneself is a good thing. It means a person has enough self value to work through the tough times in life and learn from them.

For instance, I love to sing. But singing in front of a group of people – or any one person – scares me to death. I learned to sing in choirs at church and school. Doing that I learned I had a decent singing voice; I just didn’t know how to fully use it. So I didn’t. Oh I sang in the shower and in the car. Loudly and with gusto! Little by little, however, the church asked for some help with the music and I just did it – sang liturgy. Most of the time I did it at the back of the church so no one could see me. Still do! The little boy inside remains with me!

Over time I became able to sing in front of people in little bits and pieces. It helped me control my fear, and develop enough courage to work through it all. Same with public speaking. That was a horrific chore for me but then I realized I had something to say that others needed to know if they were to grow. Slowly I gained enough courage to speak.

And then write for public consumption. It was a struggle but well worth it. Like most people I was nervous about writing for others to read. I felt exposed to ridicule, shame and the boogeyman. Or whatever is taken for the latter. Most likely the boogeyman is really a shadow or doubt about the self, but it is very real just the same. I didn't want to expose myself.

Over time I realized that I knew something that others needed to know or consider in their thought process. Thus I came to write reports for trade journals, then speeches for a few executives. Slowly but surely trade newsletters asked for more information on specific topics and I began to feed that information machine. I became published in a very small way.

When our community needed a paper I began to report on the doings at City Hall because I had been on the city council and knew the background on a lot of issues that others didn’t. So I became the de facto city hall reporter for the paper. From that we formed a new paper, I was named managing editor so I could help draw in a broad array of ‘news’ from the community and fill out the paper with lots of information and civic opinion. In that role I wrote obituaries and other interest articles. Rather than writing editorials, however, I formed a column in which opinions could be freely shared with the public, opinions and feelings that would help nurture and grow the spirit of community. That was my role.

That role required my courage to perform, to put ideas and thoughts out on the stage of public opinion where anyone could shoot me down. I felt very vulnerable. Frightened even. But feedback taught me that most people are kind and supportive. The experience helped me develop more courage and to stretch my writing capability. I got more feedback, mostly pleasant and confidence building. A trust was building.

So now I had courage to do things I hadn't done before. On a weekly and monthly basis as well. The paper built its own story as well and is now 7 years old. All volunteer. All non-profit. Built by and for the community. It is an interesting story of a small town newspaper in an electronic information age.

That story, however, was built day by day by people who cared and took the risk to put their ideas and writing on the stage of public opinion. Each of them had to overcome their nagging doubts about ability, grammar, syntax and facts. Each had to weather anonymous judgments and attacks from the public. Each had to push through to a different level to perform a service to their community. All those stories existed side by side unspoken and unshared. Through it the newspaper matured and survived.

It began by asking people for help – their writing, their organizing, their efforts and labor. We asked them to perform tasks they had never done before. We learned how to manage by team and without pay. We put in long hours and personal risks. Some even loaned money to the enterprise to get it going, to keep it going, and to overcome obstacles. The paper survived all of this because of all of them.

Talk about humility. None of us could have done this alone. Only in concert with fellow volunteers was any of this possible.

Like sobriety, losing oneself in a selfless enterprise teaches invaluable lessons about the self. Sticking with the program yields even more results previously unknown.

Now, the newspaper has some needs and is humble enough to ask for help. Here’s what it needs:

1. A Bookkeeper/Accountant willing to keep track of expenses and ad revenues while paying bills and balancing the cash flow to maintain operations
2. An Ad Sales Manager willing to develop a continuous flow of ad revenues from the community sufficient to pay the newspaper’s operating costs
3. An Information Technology manager to supervise, acquire and maintain the necessary technology platform to keep the paper operating in an electronic age
4. A Web Developer to upgrade our website so it mimics the newspaper’s printed edition but becomes a 24/7 hub of information flow within the community
5. A Webmaster to supervise the 24/7 functioning of the website and keep the information current and organized; and clean of foul insertions!
6. Calendar coordinator: seek, organize and arrange copy for the community calendar
7. Reporters willing to follow story assignments and write cogently about them; our editorial staff will make it look pretty and correct grammar and whatnot to help you look good! But we still need writers:
1. School sports – events, developing talents, photos, achievements, etc.
2. PTA and school news throughout the community
3. Rumor Central to receive, research and report on gossip and rumors that may or may not be true
4. Business news from within the community or affecting the community
5. City Hall reporting; county, too
6. Current events writing as they happen; unfolding news stories with impact
8. Donations to pay for upgrades to the paper.
9. Feedback from the community so it becomes the voice of the community.

The Village Chronicles could be a much better paper than it is with the support outlined above. Is there something you could do to help?

You are being asked to help. We are humble enough to ask. Are you courageous enough to lend your hand?

March 9, 2015

Thought for the Day

Ralph Waldo Emerson shared this thought with readers long ago:

“If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.”

Kind of hits the heart of a great thought, huh?

What books are you reading these days? And your friends?

March 7, 2015

Solving Problems

Well that’s a big topic! I began writing today’s blog with this one anonymous quote found on the internet:

“Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in the problem.”

I admit scratching my head over this quote. We all know it is intrinsically true. But how do we provide good examples of it? We need those examples to help us live up to the quote. How do we solve problems by avoiding participating in them in the first place?

Well, one simple problem comes to mind. Public discourse is rife with foul language and cheapens the discussion. One way to solve that problem is to speak with clear and clean language. Others will follow in time. And with that a return to non-foul language discourse will happen.

Another example: understand there is a shortage of volunteers locally? Contact a few people in town and let them know you are available. Be sure to tell them your interests and skill sets.

The Warrenville Arts Council grew out of an idea in the early days of the Tourism and Arts Commission. The TAC is a funding agency. What it needed was a programming agency to partner with in meeting the objectives of the Hotel/Motel Fund. WAC came into being 3 years later. It worked well for 7 seasons but closed down because not enough new volunteers were coming in to spread the work load of the existing volunteers. Spread too thin, those volunteers shut it down and donated its excess cash to non-profit entities consistent with WAC’s original objectives. At the time of shut down we needed an bookkeeper/accountant for 5 hours per month, a marketing specialist for 5 hours per month, and extra hands available for event production duties (about 3 hours per month per person).

Problem: biased news reporting. Solution: make your opinions know in writing or over the phone; email is probably the best bet. If you feel no change is imminent, turn your attention to another news media outlet. I long ago dropped newspaper subscriptions. Same with news magazines and their spotty analysis. I finally turned off the television news outlets with the exception of reporting on actually breaking news. I don’t need their analysis anymore. I can do that myself or find more trusted academics who know what they are talking about. To this point I give you this quote:

“Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.”  ~ Mandy Hale

This strategy comes in handy when someone wants to debate an issue with you. If they are opened minded, then talk with them. If not, listen and then walk away.

Another thought on news media is this quote I picked up on the internet the other day:

            “Illusion of Choice:

There are 1500 newspapers, 1100 magazines, 9000 radio stations, 1500 TV stations and 2400 publishers.  These are all owned by 6 corporations and 272 executives that control 90% of what 277 million Americans see, hear and read.”

~Mint Press News

Just think about that quote for a few minutes. When someone talks about the ‘free press’ I’m fairly certain they are speaking of this situation without realizing how controlled and un-free it actually is. The solution of course is to do your own thinking and researching the news on the internet or in books and research sites sponsored by universities. The context of the facts is the single most important feature of any news bite. Getting that context is damned near impossible from public media. So do the legwork yourself. The public media will soon learn they have competition and may very well change their course.

Well, that’s enough for one day. I’ll revisit this topic another time and focus more on our local newspaper, Village Chronicles, with a view toward understanding its volunteer needs and why filling that need is so important.

Meanwhile, enjoy the day and the weekend ahead!

March 6, 2015

Netanyahu and the GOP

Actually today’s topic is foreign affairs in the age of congressional dysfunction.

President Obama took the reins at the White House in 2009. This was after eight years of cowboy foreign affairs – shoot first, stare down the enemy, then talk!  This was not the manner of American international relations for many decades. In fact, George W’s dad spent his entire adult life noodling, ca-doodling and inventing effective foreign policy that worked. When those policies were left hanging, at least we had peace and calm until a new equilibrium was fashioned.  George H W Bush was a master at this. He lived his entire career in government quarters. He served his nation well and only faltered in his bid for re-election when he refused to denounce Christian right-wing republicans. Because of that Americans didn't want him back in the White House, and the republicans went on for decades destroying its brand with obtuse rhetoric and misguided policy.

With that backdrop and a colossal failing economy (due to huge tax cuts while fighting two wars and recovering from 9/11) Obama had to rebuild a number of things. First was saving the economy from a free fall crash. There were a few thuds heard, but no crash. We escaped that by the very skin of our teeth!

With the economy hopefully placed on a recovery track, Obama then focused on foreign policy. How do get out of Iraq, then wind down Afghanistan ground actions and remove troops, and then settle military quarters onto a road to peace. Couldn't do all of this at once, but steps were taken regularly until a clearer path was acquired.

All the while Obama was rebuilding communications and relations with the entire world community – both our allies and those not counted as such. Ticklish business. Especially so because George W had worked hard at dismantling the American foreign affairs apparatus. Between 500 and 1000 career foreign affairs senior staff resigned due to policy differences with the White House during Bush’s presidency.

Attempting to get something done while key staff positions were vacant or filled with junior careerists made a difficult job much more so. But Obama has persevered. The result is an American government much more respected today than it was 6 years ago.

Cowboy foreign policy places our military men and women in peril. Carrying the big stick is one thing. Using it without thinking it through is another. In these matters might does not make right. Cool heads do make for right. Most of the time that is true. Only in rare times does might enter the picture and then used.

I say these things today because yesterday the head elected official of Israel spoke to a joint session of our Congress. This was arranged by a republican as a rebuke to a sitting Democrat President. This was a political move. And Netanyahu understood this well. He is a master politician. His goal is being elected and saving his nation for the future.

That is not the goal of America. We are a partner with Israel but such partnerships must survive the political realities of whoever sits in the seats of power – in both nations.

In our case Obama is an internationalist seeking a peaceful global community. It is his vision that this objective will build lasting peace for generations to come.

In Israel’s case Netanyahu is yet another political leader speaking of the narrow interests of Israel – a small sect-nation cast as the outcast in the middle eastern pot boiling chaos. Two religions warring with each other for 3000 years or more. America has attempted, paid for, and fought for Israel’s right to exist. And it was right that we did this. But to allow Israel to conflate its needs as America’s same needs is shameful. And not accurate.

Both John ‘boner’ and Netanyahu should be held accountable for a serious breach of professional political action. Congress should seriously review its financial commitment to Israel as a political interest group rather than a foreign nation. It increasingly belittles its own credibility by playing into the hands of narrow political interests in our own nation.

Obama has demonstrated enormous restraint while in office in order to build integrity and credibility for our nation in the eyes of the global community. He does this work while many other American political leaders work to destroy his every effort.

In the end how the world community views America and is willing or not to work with her, is destined to be determined how well America organizes its own protocols from within. For now the leader is doing well. Too bad his back-up team in Congress is a disgrace.

March 5, 2015

One of those Days

It’s one of those days when too many things are on my mind and yet not one of them seems to have my full, or core, attention! My focus is diffuse.  Among the issues in mind are these:

-Long, dreary winter!

-Spring is 2 weeks away; good weather is 2 months away

-Car is dirty; weather forecast denies probable date for car wash

-I’m still overweight, clothes don’t fit; no interest in buying new duds

-Doctor appointments in last 30 days say good things; now what?

-Stepping back from activity level; build stronger focus

-Concern for community and its long term vision, leadership

-Rebuilding the music program at our church

-Writing today’s blog (howsoever it’s taking shape as we…)

-Cleaning the apartment

-State of Illinois’ financial condition; dumb politicians who made it that way!

-Incredibly dysfunctional Congress; dumb politicians who make it that way!!

-Amazement for my community which is in fantastic financial shape and on track with its

 Long term strategic plans

-Decluttering the house; still too much stuff in the way

-Ache to go on a road trip we can’t afford; to the Southwest – Yes!

-Cataloging all the things the community could do if it got its thinking cap on straight

-Wondering how any community can muster and nurture its volunteers; they are the soul 

 of the community and the horsepower, too

-Balancing my checkbook

-Not eating out although that’s what I want to do

-Don’t like soup for dinner; prefer meat and potatoes

-and other desiderata…

Note the lack of prioritization of the list. Or maybe the stream of consciousness embedded the priority? At any rate this grouping is a hodge podge of items each deserving attention and effort.

Today, however, I have not the focus or energy to process the list. That’s because we still have to rent the van to deliver the local newspaper, organize the van’s contents to support tomorrow’s effort, pick up the postal trays (36) into which the Warrenville portion of the print run will be sorted for delivery to the PO tomorrow; labeling all trays by postal route; making sure all the paperwork and checks are ready for the day’s itinerary. Then Thursday the delivery route is waged in Warrenville and Winfield and West Chicago. The paper will be in the mailboxes on Friday, March 6. A busy edition, too, as the political season heats up for the April municipal elections.

Once today’s basics are cared for, I intend to nap and lounge while reading. Preparing for my reading assignments with my granddaughters. Been doing this for 4 years now. Working our way through early childhood literature, and now into middle school genre material. Huck Finn has been completed and now Upton Sinclair's The Jungle is underway. Gad that is a dark book! Wonder if we will actually finish it.

So my heart isn't into writing this blog today. I’m just surviving until I know the paper is safely on its way to people’s homes and businesses. Then a weekend to relax and pull my energy and focus together for another week of writing.

Wish me well. I’ll need your extra oomph!

March 4, 2015

Cleaning out Files

Alright, so I can’t find something. A little nitty gritty slip of paper with a phone number on it. I know how to replace the number with a look-up on-line or in the phone directory, but I know I have this little piece of paper with what I’m looking for. Why look things up when the data is right there? On that little bit of paper. That I can’t find at the moment.

Yeah, sure. Can’t find it. So, of course, it’s time to clean out some paper stacks littering the office. To the right of my keyboard is the hot spot – the location that all things to do within the next 15 minutes are placed. Nothing there. Nothing to clean up or clear out.

To the left of my keyboard are the files that are to be worked on every day. These tend to be weekly and not of critical timeliness. Only when they aren't done on a timely basis, they become critical. And they are too big to move to the right hand side of the keyboard because that spot is not large enough to house files. So…I plow through the stacks on the left. I know I won’t find the bit I’m looking for but the discipline is look at everything now.

Whoa! There’s stuff in here I've forgotten. Wonder if it still needs to be worked on? Yep, it does. Better get to that in the next couple of days. Leave the stacks alone with the exception of tossing the really old material that truly is too old to do anything about. Ever. Oh well!

Left of the computer desk is the printer cart and on top of that is a perch I place work files that can wait. Only some of them have been waiting for…let’s see, 2 months now. Hmm. I think these can quietly slip into the waste basket unknown to mankind. No one will ever know. So, that stack is now cleared out. Forever.

The basket on the window sill to the right of the computer desk…ah yes, there is my storage hideyho that retains address book, coupons, sugar shaker (for my morning coffee), various cables for recharging various electronic gadgets, an extra eye glass case, and sundry bits of paper with names and phone numbers now long forgotten. I wonder if what I’m looking for is in here. Well, let’s take a look. Good grief these are old. Time to toss some of the debris. Ah yes, there’s the ticket stub to a community concert held 2 years ago; nice event, but no need to keep the stub; wonder why I kept it? And look at the old coupons now expired. Dump those. A calendar for 2013 can be dumped. And the one for 2014, too. Well the collection is now less crammed, much neater, and sure enough, what I needed I just found.

Well, that’s good. But, as long as I’m at it, I might as well complete the clearing out task.

Now on to the stack of boxes on the floor to the right of my computer chair. Two boxes with a dandy top of the stack handy for placing even more work files. Oh yes, I know what these are about. And I really must get to them, maybe by the weekend?  Surely must!

Now on to the swivel stool to the left of my computer chair. The stool was placed there 2 weeks ago to neaten up the living room. No need for the stool there. So of course it is stashed in the office. But what a handy surface to place still more work files on. Let’s see what’s in that mess: a reminder to consider ComEd’s new rate saving offer that requires me to shut off power-using appliances to save on my utility bill; notes on an old IRS request for information (I complied back then, but now something else has come up that needs me to call them; I've put this off too long, still need to do it; maybe next week); oh yes, and another file on a SCORE project coming due at the end of the month; better make sure I've done everything I need to for that.

Now on to the file drawer in the closet; found some interesting doodads I can use in my daily work; found some other files out of place but now re-filed. All is looking good there.

Now the final resting place to check: the secretary. So many nooks and crannies. And drawers! But the surface holds three stacks: one for continuing files to work on; another for what’s on tap for today; and the third are bits and pieces of what I need to do next time I go down to the garage and run some errands.

As I settle at the keyboard to get re-started on work, my eyes fall on a messy pile of business cards. And doctor appointment cards. I am reminded of still more small bits of work to do. OK, so I will slot that into my afternoon today. By evening my work surfaces will be clean and relatively cleared.

I wonder how long that will last. Why do we let life get so complex?

March 3, 2015

Following Your Path

Was treated to an interesting and engaging sermon yesterday. It was all about following your cross, or bearing your burden. Each of us have themes in our lives that capture much of our inner focus. For some it is social justice: women’s rights, voting rights, civil rights, and other worthy topics. Still others pursue dreams in art and the unique expression art affords an artist. Other people are enraptured with business issues and making a name and fortune for themselves. Many remain rooted in academic pursuits and research.

Many interests. An interesting array of them, all requiring a discipline and effort to pursue. These are themes or agendas that require people to follow. Not you and I following someone else’s theme, but that person is impelled to follow his/her own theme. For them it is a must.

Yet social norms do not always make this easy. Think of the ‘nerds’ among us who have gone against the grain of their friends and family to follow their interests. Think where this work got them. Some have whittled out a special nook in which to live and prosper. They are happy. They followed their mind and found happiness in spite of external pressures that wanted conformity from them.

In a way every artist – musician, sculptor, potter, weaver, seamstress, chef, painter, et.al. – is a non-conformist. They struggle to find meaning in their life. They work at tasks the rest of us usually don’t understand. They learn small rewards from their effort. They gain knowledge and confidence over time and eventually arrive at their place of happiness and achievement. They don’t need our accolades to prove a point. They supply their own recognition of success.

The same is true for technology nerds. They find joy in making electrons do something you and I only wonder about. I’m still amazed that both radio and TV travel invisibly through air and space to be perceived as music, sound and images on our radios and televisions. I have dreaded a kid asking me how that works! I really don’t know. But I do get that it is about physics.  Just ask my kids. “It’s basic physics, kids.” That was my standard answer. And it was correct then and now.

The nerds, however, learned how physics worked and made it work for us in many ways. It got us to the moon and back. It has transformed medical technology for all of us. It has turned education on its ear and helped us teach and learn concepts unimaginable in the ‘old days’. Silently and at their desks buried in bedrooms around the nation, nerds follow a quiet pursuit on their own. And they, like Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates burst forth on the public scene with amazing products. Their efforts continue to amaze as their organizations build new models of new technologies expanding science to every nook and cranny of our lives.

There are other themes and agendas to pursue. Being a person of minority status is such a theme. In our society women are often viewed as a minority. They aren't of course. Still a lot of people have trouble seeing women as equals. We know that is ridiculous but you also know women’s rights is still a major movement in our world today, even in America.

Of course minorities of ethnic origins abound. Immigration, too. They suffer but they also excel at many things. They have much to be proud of and it is for the rest of us to make them feel welcome and whole. Meanwhile they will continue to be themselves and follow their own dreams and mindsets with or without us. We must wish them well. Their success is also ours. The opposite demeans our human community. We all lose in that case.

Crosses to bear include people who are handicapped in some way, or are set apart. Maybe it is a gay person. Perhaps it is an intellectual who thinks very differently than the rest of us. Maybe it is a person we often see but don’t understand who they really are. They are just a part of our landscape. Maybe it is the homeless man we encounter nearly every morning on our commute to work. Or the seedy looking street musician. Or the elderly lady slowly making her rounds to where we can only imagine; but she does it every morning. Without fail.

Each of us has a specific point of reference to the rest of the world. That shapes how we see ourselves, too. How we allow others into our lives has some dependence on this point of reference. Most importantly, it also shapes how we see ourselves and what it is we pursue as important in our life. It is this silent ‘birthright’ of individuality that forms our journey’s pathway. Following the path makes us who we are today and tomorrow. Not following the path diminishes who we are and what we can become.

Bear your personal burden or dream wherever it takes you. It will expand your world. It will let you be. Uniquely you. It is your job to do.

How exciting!

March 2, 2015