Back in the old country my family heritage was agricultural scientists…. ie.farmers. I must admit I am not a farmer today and proven time and time again that I do not have a green thumb. I am even competition for Roundup (the famous weed killer brand). I can kill any plant or flower with ease.
I have learned the equation, the correlation between what you sow and what you get. Sow. Reap. Sow. Harvest. I even find that lesson in the Bible.
Recently a colleague of mine was commiserating about his luck….bad luck. I listened and then asked a simple question. “What are you doing, sowing to receive such a bad deal, a marginal harvest in your life?”
He was taken back by the question’s truth….the hidden answer he possessed and maybe even knew well just wasn’t being honest with himself. He soon realized that he was sowing poorly, spotty, inconsistent, and ill-advised. His bad luck really shouldn’t have been a surprise.
If you want genuine joy in life; if you would like healthy relationships; if you need to turn your career around; if you are dizzy from life’s imbalance; if you sense your ROI of time and money isn’t positive – then assess what you are sowing (spending time on, thinking about) and change your harvest.
Rollerblading recently I noted a lost dog sign tacked to a utility pole. It was for a cute dog that was lost. The lost dog sign had a reward connected to it. I must admit I was hoping to find the dog on the trail I was inline skating and return it for the reward. This person who lost their dog wanted that dog back and the loss had value. Hence a reward was offered.
Wouldn’t it be satisfying and settling if everything we lost had a reward, a reason, a purpose?
When we lose weight there is a reward. What if we lose something important or impossible to replace? Here is a short representative list of difficult losses:
- loss of one’s virginity
- loss of one’s mind
- loss of one’s retirement
- loss of a loved one
- loss of a job
- loss of one’s reputation
- loss of one’s home
Just this week a friend of mine lost a pregnancy. That is the kind of lose which is heart-wrenching. Not replaceable. My wife and I went through four pregnancy losses. Devastating.
We focused on the loss for a while, but then we prayed that we could move on, that there would be a lesson for our loss, a purpose to our pain. This helped us through our loss valley.
Finding what you lost is great. Finding a reward for a loss can be great too.
Near the end of every school year you can drive around most neighborhoods and see picnic tents up, balloons tied to mailboxes, and cars lining the streets. At these open house parties, food is served, gifts or cards with money contained given to the grad, family and friends honor the accomplishment of finishing high school and of course interesting and funny stories are shared.
How did this tradition begin and who started it? Was it Hallmark or Santa Claus’ cousin from the South Pole?
This year my family and I were invited to nine open houses. Sure the open houses are fun, and you get to visit with family and friends that life’s busyness prevents you from staying in better contact with. But who needs all of the potato chips and sheet cake? Not my Sansabelt expanding waistline.
In all seriousness, the bottom line for an open house is to celebrate a young person (an emerging leader in the making) and their completion of an academic season, an educational experience in their life. Not the end of their academic journey just the high school level. For some students high school was easy and fun. For others it was very stressful and challenging.
It is more than academics though. High school is about making decisions, getting your drivers license, homecoming and prom festivities, learning how to study, having a curfew, trying out for the school play or a sports team, battling pimples, living with or without cliques, interviewing for your first job, and visiting the principal’s office on a regular basis (you can deduct my high school experience can’t you?).
An open house has photos or video footage of the graduate from birth to present. These pictures illustrate how the graduate has grown, improved, changed, and accomplished in 18 years.
For those of us who had our open house some time ago, we can not stop growing (except waistlines), making improvement, changing and accomplishing. We can’t coast, sit back, or pretend to be retired.
What are you quitting? What are you changing? What are you reading? What are you shooting for? What are you learning?
My teenage daughter just completed the first training leg of three required to get her official state drivers license. You know the drivers license with the photograph of you looking so ever charming like a mug shot in a police lineup.
Most states have added training elements and stages to make certain a young driver has been educated, informed and even warned about driving responsibilities and situations.
My daughter took it serious and did very well. For this I am grateful. I was chewing on the cuticles of my left hand and was ready to change to the cuticles on my right until I received word that she had passed and was allowed to get her permit and drive her parents around for 50 test hours. Not sure who is being testing during those 50 hours yet. Maybe I will start on the cuticles of my right hand now.
From her training, my daughter quizzed me on her learnings, the new driving law changes, driving etiquette, bad driving habits, etc. I was surprised on a few things I did not know or remember. I confessed to her that maybe the drivers training had changed since I took my training through the Sears driving school during the Korean War era….
The relationship I have with my oldest daughter is very special. We easily connect. Laugh uncontrollably. Can read each other well. Encourage each other to be excellent. Share deeply. And enjoy many thrills in life.
Her drivers training experience made me wonder what my driving habits say to others on the road. I will admit I drive a lot, have much going on and need to get places, often exceed the posted speed limit and roll through stop signs on occasion.
Being transparent here, when I see a vehicle being driven poorly and they have a Christian fish sign on their vehicle I wonder why their driving habits do not match their faith fish.
Then I had to eat humble pie. Just because I don’t have a faith fish on my gas guzzling Suburban, doesn’t mean my driving should match my heart since I am attempting to follow Jesus too.
What do your driving habits tell others about you and your heart?
Eddie Albert has been the pitchman for Beltone Hearing Aids, a hearing improvement device. For those of you unaware of Mr Albert, he is most well known for his starring role on Green Acres with Eva Gabor back in the 1960′s. He has since passed away.
While attending a seminar this past week, I thought of Eddie. I attended a human resources training seminar for nonprofits. Throughout the seminar there was one person who continually was talking during the presentations to her seated neighbors and constantly raised her hand not to ask a question of the presenter who was an expert. No, she would make statements about how she was handling HR at her organization.
What struck me was her agenda wasn’t to learn but to convince others and possibly herself how much she knew and how good she was. Her deficiency in hearing/listening resulted in unanimous annoyance all of her fellow HR associates from across the state on her knowledge and execution.
Most in the crowd after the 13th interruption in the first 3 hours of the seminar would tune her out. Some even crossed their arms and rolled or closed their eyes when she opened her mouth as her hand went up in the air. If they were wearing a Beltone Hearing Aid, they would have turned the amplification down or completely off.
Introspectively, I did a self check like the sound system folks do at concert venues to see if I was like the lady from my seminar. If I interrupt. If I speak to be heard. If I try to impress. If I would rather talk then learn.
Listening is a lost art, a lost discipline. Today, it isn’t a key ingredient of people’s manners or makeup. Maybe Eddie Albert’s Beltone Hearing Aids would help people realize the value of listening more intently, more thoroughly, for the respect of others, and the gain of knowledge.
While I am ordering my Beltone Hearing Aid via the internet, do you want one too?
I am not fluent in Spanish. In fact, I can barely count to 10 in Spanish. Now better than ever I realize the real interpretation of Cinco de Mayo. It literally is the 5th of May but really means freedom.
This is not any ordinary holiday where people need an excuse to party. This is a freedom holiday. Seems many of the important holidays around the globe commemorate freedom.
May 5 is Mexico’s Independence Day from the French (1861) similar to the America’s 4th of July from Britain. There are many Independence Day holidays worldwide. Here is a small collection:
July 7, 1822 Brazil freedom from Portugual
November 9, 1953 Cambodia from France
February 12, 1818 Chile from Spain
September 15, 1821 Guatemala from Spain
June 26, 1960 Madagascar from France
May 5, 1945 Netherlands from Germany
April 27, 1960 Togo from France
September 2, 1945 Vietnam from Japan and France
The list is over 40 countries where they celebrate independence from someone and something. Most of these celebrations involve a dignitary speech, a parade, food, adult beverages and of course dancing.
I contemplated my freedom to be who I am today. Freedom to vote, to choose what I wear, what I read, say and think. Where I eat lunch today. Free to worship in the church of my choice. On and on. How do I celebrate my freedom? Free enough to dance?
Additionally, what about my hinderances, dependencies, and personal challenges? What if I kicked a bad habit, turned the corner, became a better person? That new found freedom would really be worth celebrating.
Recently driving and listening to 80s on channel 8 (XM Radio), I heard The Boss (not Donald Trump from The Apprentice or Steve Carell from The Office); but the original Boss – Bruce Springstein. One of his many hit songs was “Glory Days”. Here is a link to The Boss performing “Glory Days”. Listen closely to the lyrics. Fortunately on this blog you don’t have to listen to me sing Glory Days song to you.
When I was a kid, my grandpa would freely share stories of his good ol’ days. You may be able to finish these sentences easily: “Back when I was a kid…. or “I remember….
At high school reunions across America, if you could eavesdrop you would hear people exchanging stories of good times past. Seems the stories are like wine because they get better, bigger with age.
From the popular yet corny movie “Napolean Dynamite”, there are numerous scenes and lines of Uncle Rico reliving his “glory days” of high school football.
I am not of retirement age or mindset, nor limping down memory lane. But, I started to assess are my past days viewed better than my future days. Maybe…..
So, I must change my outlook and my actions if my future days hold more promise than my “glory days” of earlier.
How about you? Is your future looking better than your past? Are your glory days in the horizon?
My family and I spent spring break in Orlando at Disney World and on a Disney cruise. Each of us gained 2.6 or more pounds and had so much fun. There was something for everyone. Even the Florida weather cooperated.
Whether you own a business, sell for a living, educate, perform, count beans or pick beans; Walt Disney was a wise entrepreneur, and we all can learn from him. Not to be confused with Walt’s Crawlers (fishing bait, nightcrawlers), here are Walt’s Wisdom Wows to catch success no matter what your profession:
Smiles – people who smile are better to be around, when people smile and laugh, they spend more money. Smiling is an indicator of having fun and a deep down child-like joy.
Make it convenient – for people to do business with you, enjoy what you offer, and return as a customer.
Fun for all – you increase your probabilities when you offer something for everyone.
The more the merrier – a family of 4 spends more than 4 individuals spend.
Curb appeal – cleanliness is appealing. You won’t find any trash on the ground, overflowing trash bins or smelly bathrooms with Disney.
Environment – lots of electricity, energy and eye catching décor.
Serve it up – Disney workers are friendly enough to serve. They care, and it shows when they are available at every corner, ask you if they can help, and then do it.
Multi – Disney attracts multi-everything. Multi-cultural. Multi-ethic. Multi-age. Multi-gender/generational. Multi-classism. Very refreshing. Very global.
Can you repeat? – Disney has been around for 50 years and still has repeat business.
What next? – Walt Disney invited creativity, ideas, and was open to new frontiers. Each visitor/customer arrives with anticipation.
Innocent until… – Disney offers innocent fun. The experience is consistent and trustworthy.
Hire well – their professional staff show initiative and are cross trained. They are others-focused. Well trained staff is an investment but the ROI is big big big. Just like Magic Kingdom.
Mickey Mouse may have big ears and a high squeaky voice, but Walt Disney had vision, guts and was magically successful.
My mother-in-law loves old movies. She has a collection of old movies that would make an entertainment museum jealous. One of her favorite movies of all time is the above movie staring many mega stars from 1963 such as Sid Caesar, Jim Backus, Buddy Hackett, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, Jonathan Winters, Peter Falk, Don Knots, Carl Reiner, Jimmy Durante, Ethel Merman, Selma Diamond. Every time she watches this movie, which she has viewed at least 159 times, she laughs hysterically.
The all star cast chase on a crazy, mad hunt after big prize money. They try everything. They look everywhere. They are ultra competitive against each other. They are compulsively focused on the prize.
It’s mad mad mad mad NCAA March Madness time. The 64 schools, their coaches and basketball players pour their hearts out to chase the prize. They travel everywhere. They compete to the point of tears and exhaustion.
There is much mad mad mad madness from the fans too. Workplaces all over America run NCAA brackets picking their favorite team against all odds to reach the Final Four. They watch the tournament games on their computers at work. They stay up past their bedtime to take in a tournament game of interest. When watching their team compete on TV, a mad mad mad mad fan can be observed wearing their college colors and yelling at the TV, helping the referee call fouls, and encouraging their player to make game clinching free throws.
Other than NCAA March Madness, there are many people crazy mad about other things. The term mad used in this context means passionate. It is natural for humans to be passionate about a sport, a cause, a hobby?
I am contemplating what I should be passionate about that really matters, that makes a difference; the list that qualifies for my madness is very short.
Here is my short list of mad mad mad madness for me: Attempting to follow Jesus, loving my wife and kids, being excellent as I serve others.
No, I am not writing about the colors of my favorite college basketball team. Nor am I discussing recycling or the environment friendly movement of using green products.
It’s all about St. Patrick, a change agent missionary for the Catholic church back in 400 AD who evangelized the pagan Irish to Catholicism.
St. Patrick was captured by the Irish as a boy and made a slave. He escaped at 22 and returned to Britain to study. He became passionate about God and reaching the unsaved, unbelieving world. He focused on returning to Ireland to preach and teach Christianity to the pagan country of Ireland. He had to forgive the Irish for his enslavement and also allow God to fill him with compassion for the Irish.
St. Patrick was largely successful converting the Irish. He established many churches, schools, and charities while preaching the gospel of Christianity in Ireland.
His heart had to change toward the Irish. Their hearts had to change from their pagan ways. His life illustrated purpose, courage, forgiveness, grace & mercy, and commitment.
I am asking myself what does my life illustrate? How about you: what does your life represent?
Seems this March 17 green beer is the most common way to commemorate St. Patrick and his accomplishments. Not sure why green or beer. While you celebrate St. Patrick and contemplate your life’s purpose, let’s give thanks for St. Patrick and his Christianity accomplishments by raising our glass (green beer, Mtn Dew or another favorite beverage).
