Stretch

I attended a funeral today. It was for one of the members of the church where I too am a member. It was actually a memorial service as the graveside was first and had already been completed. The folks who conducted the service did very well and I learned a lot about the deceased that I had not previously known. That’s not really unusual in a larger church. Many times we don’t know much about someone else in the church except for their name, and perhaps something of their family.
Funerals aren’t my favorite cup of tea (or is it coffee…). I normally don’t like to sit through them, and suspect that many people feel as I do. However, it is good to do from time to time, because funerals tend to make us think of our own mortality and the legacy we leave when we leave this life.
There are other things we don’t normally like to do that are actually good for us. One is to visit someone in a nursing or care facility. Another is to do something for someone who is “down and out” that involves direct contact of some kind. Still another would be to volunteer at some kind of service or charitable organization.
Now, I know that for some folks those things are not an issue. But for most of us, those kinds of things are things that we feel a little “uncomfortable” doing. And that’s really the good thing. It’s good for us to stretch our comfort zones and take on something that we are not used to doing.
So next time there is an opportunity to do something you don’t normally do or maybe don’t particularly like to do, remember that you can usually be of service to someone else in times like these, and stretch yourself a little. You’ll be glad you did.

An Answer?

Let’s see. Three people plunge to their deaths over a waterfall at Yosemite National Park. They went into the river above the falls to have, we think, their pictures taken. There are warning signs and barriers to warn people not to go into the river. However, when one person slipped on a rock in the river and began to be pulled away, another in the river tried to get him and a third then tried to rescue the second. All three perished. Their bodies have yet to be recovered because the river is flowing too swiftly for the safety of rescuers.
I have yet to develop the ability to fathom such a scenario as the above; yet it happened in just the last day or so. And it happens regularly, all too often. And people die. And people’s lives are changed forever.
It just saddens me to hear about such things. And yet I know that I’ve done boneheaded things in my life. I’ve just not been caught as these people were, and paid for my deeds with my life. I cannot cast stones at these folks because I’ve been there, done that.
What makes people like this? Why do we think we can get away with things like this? What are we thinking? Or are we thinking? Someone have an answer?

Economics 101

The specific information that follows is courtesy of the Wichita Eagle Sunday, July 17, 2011. The commentary is mine.

We Kansans as well as virtually everyone else on earth, think Kansas is an agricultural state, and so it is. However, there is a wide range of manufacturing that goes on here that is really unnoticed by most except those who work in those sectors.
The following is a sample of things manufactured in Kansas and the companies that have located here. I have omitted the obvious…aircraft plants and most agriculture.

Chance Manufacturing—world’s leading manufacturer of amusement rides.
Pioneer Balloon Co.—nation’s largest manufacturer of latex & foil balloons.
Celestaire—Leading exporter of sextants for air & sea navigation.
Russell Stover—Boxed chocolates and other products.
Miller’s Professional Color (film developing)—Largest professional lab in the U.S.
Siemens—Wind turbine nacelles.
Flint Hills Solutions—Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
Tramco, Inc. —Conveyor systems
Aerosol Co. —Original packager of aerosol products. Now makes aerosol cans.
Dessin Foumir—Top manufacturer of furniture.
Brookover Feed Yards—Has fed more cattle than any other yard in U.S.
Cobalt Boats—Leading manufacturer of luxury power boats.
Grasshopper Co. —First viable zero-turn-radius mower.
Moon Marble Co. —Marbles of all sizes and kinds.
Sonoco—Recycled paper products.
Krause Corp. —Top manufacturer of tillage equipment.
Titan Trailer Mfg. —Distinctive trailers.
Stafford Co. Flour Mills—One of the last independent flour mills in the nation.
Hospira—Leading pharmaceutical manufacturer of pain management medicines.
Ferguson Production—Hummingbird feeders (made 10 million in 2010)
Bradbery Co. —Roll-forming and steel coil processing machines.
Tony’s Pizza—What else…pizza.
Philips Lighting—Light bulbs.
ElDorado National—Largest manufacturer of small to midsize transit busses.

This isn’t a full list, but demonstrates the diversity of our economy and the resourcefulness of our residents. I hope this has been as enlightening for you as it has for me.

A Great Adventure

We got back last evening from a quick trip to Colorado Springs to see our niece retire after a great career with the Air Force. Stationed at the Academy these last several years, the ceremony was an appropriate and dignified way to close out her career. I am grateful we were able to go. The weather was, of course, cooler and nicer there than here. It was enjoyable to be able to take in some cooler temperatures and drier air.
On the trip out and back, we noticed that several areas that normally are very dry this time of the year (Northwest Kansas, Eastern Colorado) have had at least some good moisture. The grass is still green and the dryland crops seem to be doing OK (not great, but OK). Central Kansas, however, is very, very dry and in the midst of a severe drought, as are many other parts of the country right now.
We stopped to visit a friend in Oakley for a few minutes over lunch. The Colonial was about as it always has been, with pretty much the same menu on the buffet as always. For less than nine dollars, however, and just off the Interstate, it was a good deal. I am glad we were able to make that connection with Kathy. She has been, and continues to be a true friend and fellow servant of God.
On the way back, we stopped, as we usually do, at Vernie’s Hamburger House in Hays. Our relationship with that place goes way back to the 1970’s when Vernie himself would make the chili and cook the burgers. Having passed away several years ago, his widow and daughter now are at the helm and have kept things pretty much as Vernie had them many years ago. It was good to re-make that connection as well.
Things do change, however, even when they seem to stand still in time. People get older, buildings get creakier, and prices get higher. Businesses close, people move, and some folks just aren’t with us any more. I was reminded at the retirement ceremony that Angie’s Grandad would loved to have been there…a wounded WWII Marine vet; he would have been, no doubt, the guest of honor. He passed on awhile back.
Life goes on. And as we get back into the thick of it, I am filled with gratitude for the privilege I have of seeing life from my perspective and for those who are going through time and space with me. It’s a great adventure; one that is unique and awesome. Thank you, Lord, for your love.

Full Volume

Today as I was running errands, I had the radio in the pickup on PBS (as usual). The piece that came on when I turned on the ignition one time was obviously the 1812 Overture by Tchaicovsky, formally known as The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49. The overture does not celebrate the War of 1812; rather, it commemorates Russia defending Moscow against Napoleon’s advancing armies in 1812.
The music is familiar to most of us, even if we don’t know for sure what it is called or who wrote it. Some truly appreciate music like this; others tolerate it. It all depends upon one’s taste in the arts and music in particular.
When I heard what was playing on the radio, I immediately turned the volume up full. My speakers can handle that volume without distortion, and it isn’t loud enough to cause ear damage. However, one can more fully appreciate some of the more obscure runs and instrumentation that comes out more audibly when the total volume is high.
I know some who might ride with me might not appreciate the volume, but no one was with me today, except a fly that was clinging for dear life to a window. I truly enjoyed the performance, as I do many of the classics at that volume level, performed by those who are the ultimate professionals.
Thank you, PBS, for providing people like me with the music I like, and a variety that expands my horizons.

If You Haven't Done the Research...

If, for some reason, you doubt that there is any redeeming value in young people today, I urge you to check it out for yourself and not just take someone’s word for it. Check out an upper level, college prep class at the public school. Volunteer at a high school cross country meet this fall (or just attend one). Check out a JROTC program. Ask someone in scouting about the latest Eagle Scout and his project.
And check out this URL http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/fromthetop/pages/ sometime. PBS has a show called “From the Top at Carnegie Hall” that features young people performing a wide variety of music on a wide variety of instruments. Watch any episode and you’ll be amazed, gratified, and pleased with how these young people have ordered themselves with discipline, grace, and use of ability and talent. You may not appreciate music as some do, but you’ll certainly appreciate the message of the show.
My wife and I had the privilege of chaperoning a part of our youth group on two trips to help other churches conduct a vacation Bible school. There were fourteen or fifteen youth and several of us sponsors who traveled to Minnesota and also to Central Kansas for these projects. The young people overall behaved quite well and worked hard to see that the experience of those attending was as it should be and we reached our goal of providing good religious education to the kids.
No, not all youth are of this caliber. But then, not all adults are of a high caliber either. All too often we hear the bad news and haven’t a clue what is happening that is good and decent and right. And all too often it is due to our own laziness in accepting what someone else (FOX, MSNBC) wants us to know rather than finding out for ourselves. If you haven’t done the research (Listening to cable news is NOT doing research), don’t express the opinion.

Independence Day

Well, it’s Independence Day. Once a year we especially remember the beginnings of this nation and what it has meant for not only us, but for the human race. This year, comments on Facebook run the gamut from ours being the greatest nation on earth to ours being the last hurrah before the unwashed hordes overrun us and we drown in debt, immorality, and corruption.
I admit that I readily do not know which way we are headed. Nor does anyone else, for that matter. We are all entitled to our opinions; however, rather than being orators of doom or paradise, maybe it would behoove us to do the things in our corner of the world to make the world a better place for our having been here.
Even that sounds like something from a fairy tale fantasy at times. But the reality is that we all have ways that we can influence not only our environment, but also those we contact in our everyday lives. Whether family, friends, retail sales people, classmates, the taxi driver, or someone else, virtually all of us have some kind of contact with the environment and with other people on a daily basis. It’s what we do with those routine contacts and interaction that collectively make the difference.
Life is seldom glamorous and glitzy. Routine, boring, and ordinary are all good words to describe what most of us experience on a daily basis. Many times, life seems to be patently unfair. Yet it is the possibility of the future, including the hope of a life that is eternal, that makes it all worthwhile.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence, “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence”, made the decision to “mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” They saw the possibility of the future. Many of them also knew the hope of a life that is eternal. That, friend, is what made it worthwhile for them, and even today calls us to service and sacrifice.

Quite Inert

I started thinking today about a new Christian I had heard about via email. I began to wonder what this woman has already learned about the Christian faith and what traditions and dogmas she has been taught. Now, don’t misunderstand. A tradition or a dogma is not necessarily a bad thing. A dogma is simply a belief that a religion holds to be true. And without tradition, we often feel ungrounded and blown about in the sea of life.
There is, however, a tendency for us to allow tradition and dogma to take on roles not suited. And we sometimes mix up dogma and tradition, making dogma tradition and making tradition dogma. We should have at least some idea of the difference in the two and know within ourselves which we hold to be truth and which we merely practice as tradition. In the world of faith, tradition should never be held to the same standard that dogma should be held. We err greatly, I think, when we allow that to happen.
The higher reaches of the particular “brand” of religion we practice should also hold those two separate and truthfully tell its adherents which it believes to be what, and why. All too often, I fear, we who teach others fail to grasp the significance of failure to do this, and the effect it has on those who are being taught. For if we teach tradition as dogma, we then are at some point compelled to explain why. That tends to force us to use the standard by which we measure dogma (for most of Christendom, that is the Bible) to measure tradition and make the standard “fit” our argument that our tradition is really dogma. This, of course, necessitates either changing the standard (New World Translation of the Watchtower Society, for example), or interpreting the existing standard in such a way as to make it work with our teaching. Either way causes the standard to cease to be the true standard and become merely our tool to persuade, control, and manage those we teach.
The Christian faith should be a faith of child-like wonder and a never-ending curiosity that is never quite fulfilled; never quite satisfied. It doesn’t matter if I am 16 or 96, my faith should continue to spark new questions, new thoughts and ideas, and new notions about the God who created us all. If I ever become comfortable in my faith to the point that I ask no questions, think no new thoughts, or never re-examine what I believe and why, then my faith has died within me. I’ve become quite inert and probably odious to my God as well.

Glitz and Glamour

We talked some in class this morning of God working in us through the routine and mundane of our lives. In other words, most of the time God works in us as we go about our normal, ordinary routines of life, work, and relaxation. I’ve taught this before, but it’s always kind of an eye-opener to understand yet again that God often doesn’t come to His people in flashes of brilliance and extraordinary accomplishment (although that certainly happens, I think), but rather in the ordinary things of raising a family, working, going to school, and even more specific things like driving kids to a ball game, fixing lunch, or talking on the phone (that betrays my age…no one actually TALKS anymore).
We many times think of our lives as a boring monotony, broken by the only occasional laughter, fear, or apprehension. I think God may see our lives as anything but boring monotony. And we would do well to understand that as God opens doors for us to walk through, we can always have in the back of our minds the sense of adventure and the promise that our faith, in taking that step through the open door will somehow result in glory coming to the God of all gods.
God gave the promised land to Israel, but He didn’t do it in just a few days or even a few months. The text says that Israel fought “a long time,” and God himself said that it wouldn’t be a quick thing, but it would be a sure thing. I’m sure Israel grew tired of the “routine” of battle and the fact that they couldn’t settle down in the promised land for many years following the beginning of the conquest. Eventually, however, Joshua dismissed the tribes to the land that he apportioned to them and as the text says, “The land had rest from war.”
We want things done now, right away. We want things done in a flashy, almost magical time frame and with all the glitz and glamour that even Vegas would be proud of. Yes, God can be glitzy. God can do glamorous things. Most of the time, though, He does things in His own time and in His own way, with people whose lives are spent in the routine and ordinary…yet doing extraordinary things by the power of God.

Some Visiting

Yesterday, we went to Pratt, then to Hesston to visit relatives. Our first stop was in Pratt at the local care home where our first cousin, once removed, was living. Now, you might ask why we went all that way to see a cousin that is “once removed”. We do things a little differently in our family. Folks who are related to us are important to us. They are our connection with our ancestors, our heritage, and our upbringing, all of which we value very highly. We also know that she has no other close relatives besides a son who has not visited her in many years. And we know she provides a valuable link to a part of our family that we know very little about.
We then went to Hesston and saw several relatives…an uncle by marriage, a blood uncle and his wife (our aunt as certainly as if she was a blood relative), and a first cousin. We also happened upon a woman in the hall of the assisted living complex who was our first cousin once removed from the other side of our family. She was someone we previously had not known, and know very little about her parents…her mom being our great aunt. She was very willing to visit and invited us back for another visit and look through some of her old photos, etc.
We seldom go as far as third cousins or some such, as that gets rather far afield, although we certainly recognize them and their lineage as it relates to our common ancestor(s). We have a genealogy person in our family who likes this kind of thing, and we sometimes are able to gather bits of data for her. All in all, it was a good day and very satisfying for us. I trust it was for the folks we visited as well.
Each time we visit, I am struck yet again by the stories we tell of those relatives now gone. They lived good lives, but life was in many cases hard and sometimes seemingly cruel. Survival during the Great Depression often meant gathering berries from the roadside in order to have something to eat, or frying a flour and oil concoction in a pan and calling it a meal. Medicine was primitive by today’s standards and quarantines were not unusual. Nor were illnesses like scarlet fever, mumps, measles, or tetanus. Running water and indoor plumbing were not always available and starting over in life was an all-too-routine thing to do. Medicare and Medicaid were but a dream in a progressive’s eye.
These people lived, in good part, with reliance on and faith in Someone greater than themselves. They knew they were at the mercy of the elements, the depression, and the illnesses that plagued them. Yet they persisted, they persevered, they finished the course in this race called life. And for that example, we “moderns” owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.

Just A Short Time

Sometime soon, my sister and I will make a trip to Pratt to visit a cousin who is in the nursing home there. From there we’ll go to Hesston and visit a couple of uncles, an aunt, and cousin. I have somewhat mixed feelings about these visits and I’ll tell you why.
On the one hand, I am eager to see these folks. They have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. For them to honor me with their time is a blessing almost beyond words. But on the other hand, visits like this remind all of us of the inexorable march of time and the toll it takes on the creation and the created.
Our cousin in Pratt is from a branch of the family that we don’t have much contact with anymore, and I haven’t seen her for well over 10 years. Now, that’s my fault, not hers. She has always been in the Pratt area and I just haven’t taken the time to make the trip until now.
The family in Hesston we see more often. We last visited there just a few months ago, it seems, and we enjoy the time we have together, even if its just a short time with lunch thrown in.
Of course, on the way to and from, sis and I will talk of times gone by and reminisce about what we remember (or don’t remember) about these family members. I’m sure they do the same with us when we’re not there…conjuring up what now may be fuzzy images of times long ago gone.
Already, those younger ones in our family are starting to reminisce and remember things that happened with us…can it be that it will be just a short time until we too wait for the visits by the younger ones to brighten our days?

A Bad Day

I went in to my local doctor’s office today to pay a bill that has been outstanding for a month or so. When I went in, I went to the receptionist for my doctor. She was on the phone with someone, so I waited. She mouthed to me during the call that she would be “right with me”. The call took a couple of minutes, but it ended.
I said to her, “Ma’am, I’m John Plank (my legal name), and I’m wondering if I have a balance due on my account, and I know there is a balance on my wife’s account. I’d like to pay anything I owe.”
She starts digging in a drawer beside her that has file folders in it. I’m thinking the drawer contains account information, although I wonder about that since the office is modern and computerized. She can’t seem to find what she’s looking for, turns to me and says, “Do you have an appointment?”
Now I realize that the drawer had all of the day’s patient records in it and she was searching for mine. I said, “No, ma’am. I’m just here to pay my bill.” I’m just a little puzzled by now, thinking I may not be dealing with the brightest bulb on the shelf.
The phone rings again. She asks if the caller could hold. Evidently not, because she listened for a minute or so, then they talked some. During this call, the second line began ringing, but someone else answered it. She hung up her call, and started typing on her keyboard. The first line rang again and she again asked if the caller could hold. This time the caller held.
She punched the keyboard for a good period of time while trying to talk to another staffer about the prior call. She finally told me that I owed $20 on my account, and also told me that my wife owed $134.05. I reminded her of her caller on hold and told her she could go ahead and take the call since I wasn’t going anywhere. I figured that no faster than we were going anyway, it wouldn’t matter much. She looked at me quizzically, then at the phone, saw the blinking button, and answered the call.
Following the call, she went to the back and asked a woman how she should process the payment since I was paying on two bills at once. They wanted to know how I was paying. I held up my credit card and they talked some more. The woman told her to run the card for the total and note the separate numbers on the receipt that they would keep.
I gave her my card after she came back to the desk. She turned toward her calculator and started punching in numbers. I wondered what she was doing, since the two numbers were $134.05 and $20.00. That easily totals in one’s head to $154.05. I thought she might have found some other charges. No, she turns to me after at least 30 seconds at the calculator and says, “The total is $154.05.”
The rest of the interaction was relatively uneventful and I left, thanking God for the ability to add in my head and multi-task. I would never disparage or make fun of anyone who does not have those abilities (although I admit to having done so in the past), but I have to wonder why someone like that is working in a position that requires some proficiency in those areas. Hopefully, she was just having a bad day, and it got better…quickly.

We Go On

Wow! Has it really been since the fourth of June that I’ve written? Well, now that I’m retired and have nothing to do (cough cough), I should right every day, huh.
So much water under the bridge (so to speak) that I won’t bother to summarize, except to say that Minnesota was much, much cooler and more pleasant than the weather currently in effect in Southern Kansas. We even slept with the windows open, and were very comfortable there.
One would think that with retirement would come hours and days of nothing to do. Nothing could be further from the truth. Already my social and work calendar is being filled with this place to go, that thing to do, etc. The honey-do list has started (replacing the kitchen sink and faucet) and I am struggling to find time to do some of the things I wanted to get started on right away.
Of course, the heat outdoors is keeping some of the outdoor work and activity at bay. The mosquitoes are also bad now, with the big black ones attacking, not even circling, but zeroing in on exposed flesh like a dive bomber. Thankfully, they are large enough that I normally can feel them land and have a chance to swat at ‘em before they take a liquid meal. And they strike even in the heat of the day, to say nothing of early morning and evening.
So we go on. Mosquitoes and heat notwithstanding, we trundle on in life, only somewhat cognizant of what lies ahead, or what we’d like to lie ahead. We hurtle on into the great abyss of the future in faith that it will all work out OK; that things will make themselves known at the right time; that our faith will carry us through to the end.
To borrow a phrase from Linda Ellerbee, “And so it goes.”

I Know

I had opportunity today to think back over my work career. I don’t know if you’ve ever done something like that or not, but it might be worth the effort. I must say that my career has been varied, both in location and vocation, and I’ve had wonderful opportunities to do things and touch the lives of others in ways I would never have imagined at the start of my vocational endeavors.
I learned customer service early on through work with one of the corporate giants, the 3M Company. I learned that I had the capability to take on projects and be successful in what I did through my work at a radio and television station where I was responsible for the physical re-location of the studios of the radio station in an overnight move. I also had responsibility for all remote broadcasts (which were done frequently back then) and had that procedure down to a science.
Other jobs taught me that life wasn’t always fair; that superiors don’t always appreciate competence, and that people can be difficult to work with and are surely illogical and unpredictable. I also learned that I wasn’t perfect; that I didn’t have all the answers, and that I sometimes was just flat wrong in my assumptions about some thing or some one.
I learned the value of developing relationships with vendors, consultants, and people in other professions who could be helpful, and the knack of calling on those folks at the right time for the right reasons. And I learned that it can be a lonely experience at the top, and that “been there, done that” isn’t such a bad thing to say after all.
I know that I can do almost anything I set myself to do. I have the capability to learn on the fly, and can be quite successful when I decide to do so. I can also slough off and get by, and have managed to become quite good at that as well.
I am becoming aware that I have a life of experience and living that many people do not have, and am willing to share that wisdom with others who ask for it. I’ve learned that some people actually do ask that I share what I know, and seem to be grateful for the advice and counsel.
It’s been a great ride. Most of my experiences I wouldn’t trade for a hundred million dollars, but I have no desire to ever do them again. As I go into the next phase of life and living, I hold to the past in some ways, but look forward to what lies ahead in other ways. And whether that future is one day or one decade long, I know I have been blessed.

Just Take Me To the Home...

OK, P.J. Just take me to the home now. I don’t want to pass go. I don’t want to collect two hundred dollars.
I went to Wal Mart this morning to pick up an item or two before we went to central Kansas for a memorial weekend lunch with relatives. When I came out of the Wal, I couldn’t find my pickup anywhere. I knew where I had parked it, as I parked right next to a handicapped stall.
I went up and down the line and even over a line or two just to make sure. I then called Pat and told her. She said she’d come down my way to get me. Meanwhile, I called 911. The nice woman took my information, then transferred me to the place where those reports are taken. I must have been waiting for ten minutes or so for someone to pick up the phone to take my report, all the while thinking about my red pickup going off to God only knows where with God only knows who in it.
Having a vehicle stolen is not a good feeling. I can testify by firsthand experience.
While I was waiting for whoever to answer to take my report (only after I give the report will they broadcast the information to the beat officers…by now it could be in Newton), I looked one more time at the stall which now had another vehicle in it.
I glanced at the tag number of that vehicle and it seemed familiar to me. “Oh, it’s a silver car just like ours. It IS ours!” I had forgotten that I took the car instead of the pickup and had red pickup on the brain instead of silver car.
So I called the nice woman at 911 (after I called Pat and told her to not come…she already knew what had happened because when she went to the garage to come get me, lo and behold, there was the pickup) and just told her that I had found my vehicle. I did not tell her that I forgot which one I was driving.
So, just come visit me in the memory care section of the nursing home. I’ll be there watching reruns of “Rio Bravo”, cheering when the Duke blasts some bad guy because it’ll all be fresh…every time.

Shrimp on a Treadmill

A friend of mine suggested that I could comment on the “shrimp on a treadmill” video on YouTube. I dunno. Is that worth a comment? Let’s see. Even that shrimp on a treadmill has political overtones because it’s done by the National Science Foundation and is part of a research project costing half a million dollars. At least one Senator thinks it’s dumb.
I don’t know if it’s dumb or not. What I do know is that sometimes the unusual, or to us the very incongruous can reveal knowledge that is inestimable.
Now, I don’t know about this specific experiment, nor do I know anything about the research project. I’m not qualified to comment on any of this either yes or no. Besides, my opinion doesn’t matter in the great scheme of things anyhow.
But, the sight of a shrimp on a treadmill does bring a smile and a kind of “who would have thought” notion. I mean, come on. Have you ever in your life thought that you’d like to see a shrimp on a treadmill, or that such a thing could reveal some scientific fact that could benefit the human race? I’d guess not.
I also suspect that if you could look long enough on YouTube, you’d find just about anything you could (or could not) think of, including shrimp on a treadmill. I don’t pretend to know much about what’s on YouTube. I do confess to checking out some things, usually old television shows or entertainers now long gone. It’s a great part of the Internet, but like everything, it has its bad side as well as its good side.
So, shrimp on a treadmill? Bring it on. And while we’re at it, let’s see a fly on a ladder, a roach driving a snowmobile, and a mouse giving a cat a bath.

When They Handed Out Brains...

I dunno. This latest craziness going around is all the hullabaloo over the supposed end of the world that will happen tomorrow (if it really happens, you probably won't be reading this, but that's another story...) and all the things that go along with it. I could probably go into a long litany of why I think the guy's a freak show, but won't. What I am wondering is why anyone cares.
Think about it for a few seconds. If the end of everything comes, it'll truly all be over. You won't be able to do anything about the coming of the end; nor will you be able to change anything once it starts. Everything will be "scripted", so to speak. You don't have to know anything, do anything, or be anything...you will be given to know what to say, do, etc. as the need arises. And if the end never comes, you'll be dead and not able to change anything either.
YOU CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING. Why worry about it? Why even think about it? And for heaven's sake, why send money to some quack? Even if he's correct, for what does he need money? If the end is coming, why is he asking for donations?
The reason we're told to be ready at any time is so when it does happen, we will be ready. Seems to me that's a logical and fair way to live life. Make plans, buy and sell, have a family, etc. If the end comes at some time during that time, it won't matter anyway. What will matter is whether or not you are ready.
When they handed out brains, some people didn't get a full load. Either that or they put 'em some place besides in their heads. And sometimes I think modern journalism is short some neurons as well. What's the deal with covering this like it's the first manned Mars launch? Let the guy wallow in his own little group of followers. Don't encourage him. Geez.

No Man Is An Island

I don’t write in this venue as often as I used to write. I don’t know why not. Much is happening in life and living, and I often find myself as somewhat of an observer of my own life and reality, wondering why this is happening or marveling at that happening. I try, I think, to keep a “low profile” and not cause too much of a ruckus in the realities of other people (and myself), but I sometimes have to wonder how successful I am at that.
Have you ever thought just how much influence you have on the realities of others? In the course of everyday life and living, do you have any idea how many people you touch in some way? Do you know even a small part of the situations in which you have changed what someone else was about to say or do by virtue of some interaction you may have had with that person (either direct or indirect)?
Our existences are so intertwined, so co-mingled that it is very difficult to truly be an island. A guy by the name of John Donne, who lived long ago, is thought to have said it first and best: "All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
Of course, Simon and Garfunkel’s “I Am A Rock” says just the opposite; “I am a rock; I am an island, go the refrain.” However, the last two lines of that song are, “And a rock feels no pain; And an island never cries.” We might long and try to be closed off from everyone else, but we also close off our humanity.
The world is full of lonely people, even people who are in the midst of millions of others. We were created for meaningful interaction with both the creation and the humans who inhabit it. We are less than complete when we isolate ourselves, and we are less than human when we isolate others.

We'll Go Back

For Mother’s Day, we went to a Japanese restaurant in East Wichita. We had never been there before, and I wanted to go to a place that wasn’t crowded or noisy. We found this restaurant in a strip mall and went in.
We appeared to be their first customers (they opened at noon). They asked us if we wanted traditional dining or hibachi. I opted for the traditional. As we sat, we received menus. We looked over the menus and discovered that we had no clue what most of the items were. Pat looked at the first page of the menu, not knowing there was a second page, and wondered if she wanted anything at all.
Deciding that I didn’t want the eel entrée or one of the meals that I had not a clue what I was getting, I opted instead for the salmon teriyaki, which I did know, and Pat opted for the chicken teriyaki.
We were pleasantly surprised that the meal was great, the atmosphere was calming, and the presentation was in keeping with the restaurant theme. As garnish, among other things, I had a carrot slice that was carved to look like a crab. Pat had one on her plate that looked like a rooster. The soup was good as was the salad.
By the time we left, there were more people there, but the place was still virtually empty. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was whether there would be a fork available or not. The napkin had only chopsticks rolled up in it. The waiter asked if we wanted forks, however, and we readily agreed.
No hamburgers. No steaks. No baked potatoes. No green beans or corn. We’ll have to go back there again.

A Good Performance

We went out this evening and saw “To Kill A Mockingbird” at the Wichita Community Theater. I must say that I wasn’t really all that enthused about going, as I have trouble hearing in a theater setting. I can hear the noise of the dialog, but many times there is an echo or the actors speak too quickly, or for some other reason I cannot understand what is being said. I am pleased to say that is not the case at this venue.
The theater is housed in what appears to be an old church building in a residential neighborhood in East Wichita. The entire building is probably no more than 3,000 to 4,000 square feet. The stage is actually at and below audience level and is about 30 feet by 20 feet. The audience sits “in the round” and no seat is more than about 25 feet away from the stage.
The performers as well as the director, lighting, props, etc. are all volunteers. Cost is $12 per ticket. Seating is extremely limited. The theater can hold no more than about 110 people.
I was impressed with the acting, the props, the lighting, and in general the whole experience. I’m not a theater critic and don’t pretend to know the nuances of what constitutes a good performance. I do know what I like and I liked this performance.
Awhile back they did “Driving Miss Daisy”. I missed that and am not happy that I didn’t know about it, or would have seen it. There is a comedy playing in June. I’d like to go back.
If you have a chance, take in a performance at the Wichita Community Theater.