Todd's tidbits

so long, farewell ... you've come a long way, baby ...

2011-07-27T10:39:00.001-07:00

Okay, so maybe Facebook was technically around when I started this blog in 2006, but I don't recall that it was as widespread, useful and many other attributes as it is today. This blog requires more deliberate interaction than my Facebook interaction. Just like my e-mail migrated from one address to another, the place where I post my thoughts will migrate from this venue to Facebook notes. Perhaps it will migrate again as technology continues to develop, but for now, this area will will not be used in the way it has in the past.

Until later,

we're all human, aren't we?

2011-07-20T08:06:00.001-07:00

I was at a meeting on Saturday that demonstrated once again that many perspectives on any particular issue aren't really interested in meaningful conversation to build more vibrant communities. Many people are only interested in convincing others that their way is the correct way and learning what information needs to be conveyed to those around them to convince those people of that.

What would happen if people truly gathered together to talk and learn from one another, open to the possibility that the learning will alter their perspective? What would happen if people gathered together, not knowing who was responsible for the gathering because that information will almost automatically preclude some people from attending the gathering?

Many of us pay lip service to community organizing and grassroots support and broad education and other things when what we actually mean is engaging those who are similar enough that they can be convinced to work with us to overcome the "other."

May we truly talk to our neighbor and learn that they're really as human as we are and that their opinions are as valuable as ours are. Only then can we begin to explore why we have our differences of opinion.

celebrations

2011-07-13T12:34:00.001-07:00

Some people commemorate things that aren't particularly important. Can anyone remember the one hundredth episode of whatever television show?

Some things may appear important, but only if they truly commemorate something. Some people celebrate their eightieth birthday and would be much happier if their life ended instead of being stuck in whatever situation they are in.

Other things are important, but seem to be overlooked in the activities of daily living. Nashville will soon be electing its local legislative body. Unfortunately, I believe the voter turnout will be low. These people will be making decisions that impact our daily living for the next four years and I doubt that thirty percent of the registered voters will participate in their selection. I don't even want to talk about the number of people who are eligible and are not currently registered.

May we influence the really important things so we don't have to engage in things to take our minds off the situation that we helped create with our apathy.

Falling apart

2011-07-08T07:09:00.001-07:00

I hear people lament that their friendship is falling apart. Or their employment situation is falling apart. Or their marriage is falling apart. Or their vacation plans are falling apart. What happens when things fall apart?

For some people, falling apart is a destructive experience. They focus on what they are losing and how things are changing in a negative way.

For other people, falling apart is a building experience. They see all the individual pieces of what used to be a whole. They dream new ways of using the pieces in different ways to create another whole that is even better than the one they had before.

For other people, falling apart just is. They don't learn from the destruction of the old. They can't envision the hopefulness of the new. They just meander on, putting one foot in front of the other through a new reality.

May we all recognize that all three are valuable and can play an important part in our lives if we recognize that each of them should only be a part of our lives.

Embrace where you are and move toward a different future.

who's number one?

2011-07-01T11:28:00.001-07:00

I've often been perplexed by people's perceptions of fun and enjoyment and related things.

Being out in the sweltering heat and humidity is not fun if it's mowing the grass. Doing a similar amount of activity in the same conditions becomes fun if it's canvassing for a favored political candidate. For some people, it's the other way around!

I believe most of this type of conversation goes back to something more basic that many people are not aware of nor willing to admit to when presented with the information suggesting it.

The core issue involved in many situations is our perception of where we position ourselves in the world. Too many people consider their needs and wants first and foremost. Some people consider solely their needs and wants.

What would happen if all of us considered the needs and wants of others (including non-human beings and inanimate objects) first and our own needs and wants second?

May we all realize that we do not exist in isolation and that what we do affects everything around us.

does it matter II

2011-06-24T11:14:00.001-07:00

Too many people are ignoring too many things are relevant to life and should be more involved in living out a more complete life.

I routinely hear people lament this or complain about that. When asked about what they are doing about those things, many of them offer little more than "well, you can't fight city hall" or "I can't change anything by myself."

Every good journey begins with a single step and every single step needs to be taken for the journey to be complete. Without ongoing activism and communication, the critical mass needed to make change won't happen.

I've been tilting at Quixotic windmills for much of my adult life. Some of them remain Quixotic windmills. Others have, through the passage of time and continued advancement of society, become normal and everyday items in our daily lives.

May we all continue to add our voice to society's conversation. Today's far-fetched idea may become tomorrow's everyday occurrence.

does it matter?

2011-06-21T07:21:00.001-07:00

Too many people are hung up on too many things that shouldn't be relevant to most of life.

If I put a set of characteristics in a box, many people would like the package. If I added one more characteristic, many people would intensely dislike the package. Yes, there are times when one characteristic should override everything else. Yes, that is each individual's choice to make. Yes, I believe that someone's choice should be able to be substantiated by more than "just because" or something similar.

If the added characteristic were freckles, most people would recognize that as ridiculous. If it was a height of 5'8", most people would recognize that as ridiculous. Why are gender, ethnicity, controlled mental health diagnosis, religion, gender identification, sexual orientation, age, physical health, and other things different?

May we all try to move beyond the "just because" feelings we have and articulate our deeper concerns that we may not yet be aware of.

Talk is cheap, or is it?

2011-06-15T13:22:00.001-07:00

Different people learn in different ways. Some people process things best by talking through them, regardless of the response or lack of response from those around them.

I've often been in situations where people ask for my input and then describe whatever situation they are going through. Many times, by the time they get to the point of asking me for my feedback, they have already basically resolved their own situation. My part of the conversation becomes one of reflective listening and confirmation of what they've already resolved in their minds.

I've also been in situations where people talk, hoping to convince me of their perspective. When I ask them to more thoroughly explain that perspective, they are often at a loss for words, other than some variation of "just because."

May we all utilize our skills and abilities to help move society forward.

bad vs. worse

2011-06-09T14:05:00.001-07:00

It's local election season in Nashville and that has me thinking about state and national elections and our political party primary system.

Many politicians spend part of the election campaign ripping each other apart in personal ways. After the party primary, the ones defeated then spend their time trying to convince people that their party's winner isn't nearly as bad as the primary made them out to be. Perhaps they'll claim that their party's winner is, bad as the person might be, is much better than the other party's winner.

I wonder what would happen if the entire cycle was spent talking about issues and why they should or should not be relevant to the job. A person's marriage is their personal business until the character trait of deception goes from personal business to public business. Even then, many would agree that deception is a positive trait in certain instances.

Life isn't black and white, folks! The sooner we realize that, the better off we'll be for the continued improvement of all of society.

for them or for you?

2011-06-08T13:53:00.001-07:00

I continue to learn that things that I supposedly do for others are actually done for myself.

I volunteer for organizations, and always get more than I put in.

I pray for others, and learn more about myself and my relationship with God when I pray.

I spend time with others, and feel refreshed and rejuvenated from having the relationship with them.

I forgive others, and have more joy in my life from letting go of the situation.

I take care of others, and learn better ways of taking care of myself.

I call and e-mail others, and am refreshed by responses that are returned to me.

May we remember the many implications of situations outside of the primary motivation for the situation.

same old, same old ... or is it?

2011-06-02T08:43:00.001-07:00

I've been hearing a lot lately in a variety of circles that old stuff is just getting rehashed. I've also been hearing from a smaller number of people that continued conversation is important as long as progress is being made toward more informed understandings.

It's been said that people require seven repetitions of something to actually learn it. Is the same old rehashing potentially contributing to someone's greater understanding because they haven't yet reached the number of repetitions necessary for them to see something different than what they have seen in the past?

Repeating oneself for the sake of repeating oneself may not be useful. Presenting information in slightly different ways so a greater number of people can learn something may be very useful for the receiver of the information, as well as the giver of the information, who had to think of a new and different way to present the information.

May we all contribute to the greater community, even if our contribution is silence while someone seemingly repeats him or herself.

getting away from it all

2011-05-27T07:12:00.001-07:00

Some people take long vacations and get away from it all. Other people can retreat within themselves with all sorts of activity going on around them and get away from it all. What you're trying to get away from should have a large impact on how you get away from it.

This week, I've been traveling for business. I certainly haven't been able to get away from work because I've been staying at a motel and have not returned home each evening as I normally do when I'm in town. I've been required to get away from my many typical nightly activities because I haven't been physically there to volunteer with a wide variety of things.

May we all get away from it all in the ways that are most beneficial to ourselves, those around us, and the situations that we find ourselves in as we live our daily lives.

distractions

2011-05-13T11:54:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, we really don't need "enemies" to tear us down because we tear ourselves down with only minimal intervention by our "enemies."

Divide and conquer is a viable strategy for some who divert attention from the real issue to some lesser issue that various parts of their opponent will argue amongst themselves about and temporarily (or permanently) forget about the larger issue that they had been united on.

It works in politics with the Tea Party breaking off from the Republican Party. It works in religion with the Protestants breaking off from the Catholics. It can work anyplace where people are more invested in their particular issues at a particular time rather than the overall good over the long-term.

May we always explore why we're arguing with others and whether it's actually being used as a strategy to distract us from the overall good that we had previously been seeking to achieve.

digging deeper II

2011-05-11T12:13:00.001-07:00

A recent series of events has me pondering the concept of digging deeper in the context of thorough communication.

When someone says something to me and I don't particularly like it, I believe it's important for me to employ my active listening skills and ensure that what I interpreted from the comments is what the person actually meant to convey to me.

If I'm offended by something, but the other person didn't intend for it to be offensive, it may be partially my responsibility. If someone intended to offend me, but I was not offended, it may be partially my responsibility. In each of those cases, the result is not what was intended by the person offering the communication. Active listening can help ensure thorough communication.

Occasionally, the person intends for me to be offended and I am offended. Again, active listening can help ensure that thorough communication.

May we all arrive at a mutual reality rather than relying on our, often mistaken, impressions of reality.

Digging deeper

2011-05-06T06:39:00.001-07:00

"How are you?" has a variety of meanings in a variety of contexts. Many people use it as a social nicety during conversations in passing and don't really want or expect a meaningful answer. Doctors use it as a diagnostic tool. Close friends use it to provide support to those around them.

Responding to others' questions is one relationship model. Another relationship model is to ask for what you need and allow others to respond to your question or comment. For those not accustomed to this, it may be easier to frame it as a question – "can you do _____ for me?" Assertive people can be more direct and allow people to respond – "I need ____ and would appreciate you doing it." Others appear to be more rude and selfish – "I need you to _____."

May we all recognize that no one can read our minds and we have to express ourselves to let others know what is happening in our lives.

why do you ask?

2011-04-28T13:02:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, people ask questions not to learn information, but to elicit some other response in the relationship. When those situations occur, it may be more important to continue digging past the ostensible question and move to addressing the hidden motivations of the question, even if the questioner is not consciously aware of those motivations.

Sometimes, people offer an invitation with the expectation of the recipient declining it. When those situations occur, it may be more important to continue digging past the initial invitation and move to addressing why the person assumed that the invitee would decline it.

Sometimes, people are apprehensive about silence and fill it with meaningless noise. When those situations occur, it may be important to let others know that you are comfortable with silence and their presence is all that is needed.

May we all recognize the sometimes situations in our life and process them in an open and honest way for the betterment of ourselves and those around us.

giving and taking

2011-04-20T15:25:00.001-07:00

I continue to be amazed at how people have one set of expectations for those around them and another set of significantly lower expectations for themselves.

I'm of the opinion that if it's good enough for those around you, it really should be good enough for you. I realize there are times that this doesn't hold true, and I also realize that those exceptions should be the exception and not the norm.

For me, my expectations of myself typically are higher than my expectations of those around me. I realize that model doesn't work for everyone and I try to realize that it's okay, but it grows increasingly difficult when some people take and take and take and never seem to get around to giving.

May we all strive for the balance of giving and taking in a relationship and not always be the giver or the taker.

who we are

2011-04-14T14:01:00.001-07:00

Some people are better at being reactive than proactive. They know what they don't like when they experience it, but can't articulate it ahead of time so that others around them can avoid the situation in the first place.

Some people are more proactive than reactive. They know their objectives and strive to achieve them, regardless of the obstacles (intentional or unintentional) placed before them.

Some people just go through life acquiescing to everyone all of the time, even if that means changing their stance from one person to the next.

Recognizing where you are on life's journey is one of the first steps in making that journey meaningful and productive for yourself.

appropriateness

2011-04-13T08:41:00.001-07:00

People gather for a variety of reasons and it's important to recognize the purpose of the gathering to determine how best to act at the event.

People gather at a funeral to mourn the loss of and celebrate the life of the deceased. Most people would consider it inappropriate to sing happy birthday, even if there was someone celebrating their birthday.

People gather at a political rally to advocate for certain things. Most people would consider it inappropriate to conduct a marriage ceremony, even if there was a couple getting married later in the day.

People gather at a professional athletic event to cheer their team on to victory. Most people would consider it inappropriate to cater a five course dinner in the stands, even if one of the attendees owned a catering business.

May we all be mindful of our various roles and not behave inappropriately simply because we have the access to do so.

celebrate the differences

2011-04-07T06:14:00.001-07:00

People are individuals. What motivates one person may be totally uninteresting to another. What one person views as rude may be totally acceptable and normal for another.

Continuing to talk and act from your perspective to encourage change in another person may not be the most effective way to encourage the change in the other person. Truly relating to the other person is an important part of the change process for both you and the other person.

Perhaps even less effective than talking from your perspective is not having your own perspective, but only talking from the talking points of other people in your life. Rush Limbaugh and Rachel Maddow may be great, but may not apply to your life.

May we all find our own voice and utilize it to add to the rich diversity of conversation that can talk place within a vibrant and healthy society.

one foot in front of the other

2011-03-30T07:03:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, it's just easiest to put one foot in front of the other and continue on with life without really thinking about it. I don't believe I'll ever get to that point in my life because I usually have some thoughts percolating in the back of my head about "what would happen if?" and similar things.

For me, the "one foot in front of the other" manifests itself as simply having those thoughts without actively pursuing any of those alternatives. I'm not exactly content with where things are and know where I would like to go, but don't necessarily do anything with that.

May we move beyond our current patterns and explore new things, wherever we are on life's journey. If we don't plan – start planning. If we plan, but don't act – start acting. If we act, but don't finish – don't quit. If we finish, but don't start the process over again – start planning!

speaking out

2011-03-23T15:30:00.001-07:00

First they came for the communists and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemoller

Who should we speak out for today?

Who should speak out for us today?

blind spots

2011-03-21T13:58:00.001-07:00

I really do try to be aware of my blind spots. I really do try to admit them when someone else points them out to me. I really do require something other than "just because" as the basis for someone trying to demonstrate that I have a blind spot.

I realize that not everyone is as good at articulating stuff as I might be. I attempt to be patient as they attempt to communicate. I really do require something other than "just because" as a motivation for me to change my behavior or beliefs.

Some things are very important to some people. They cannot articulate why. They also cannot diminish its importance because they just know that it's important to them.

May we all provide to others the same respect that we wish they would provide to us.

technology

2011-03-07T12:50:00.001-08:00

I continue my exploration into various technologies as my time and motivations allow.

This is being posted directly from e-mail rather than being posted from the blog website.

Who knows, maybe I'll even venture into posting pictures and graphics and other things!

Until later.

2011-03-02T10:38:00.001-08:00

Different environments often lead to different perspectives and different actions without much of a conscious choice.

I’m out doing fieldwork this week, which means that I’m away from my desk and my usual telephone distraction. It also means I’m without the bookbag that is in my desk with my calendar and other things that I putter around with throughout the day as small breaks in the work that I do. This is truly exacerbated if I’m physically out of town, which is not the case this week.

The small minutes throughout the day quickly add up to thirty minutes (two 15 minute breaks) or more (sixty minute lunch) of stuff that I either don’t do or have to make a more conscious decision to do when I return home or to the motel or similar.

May we all accomplish the things that are important and realize that the things that we choose to not accomplish are less important.

2011-02-28T10:15:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, people change their minds simply to irritate others around them. They believe that they are hurting those around them even though it’s just hurting themselves and the people around them aren’t as impacted as they are.

Cancelled plans may hurt the one who learns about their plans being cancelled by another. However, it might also be the case that the person will carry on with the plans as best they are able even without the person canceling the plans.

May we all recognize who is truly being hurt by our actions, including knowing that sometimes, we are the only one’s being hurt.

2011-02-25T09:59:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, people are surprised that what they say they want isn’t actually what they want. When they are given what they say they want, they claim that they really weren’t interested in what was given to them according to their request.

Some people take the time and effort to move beyond the initial request and dig deeper to find out what they want that wasn’t really on their mind when they made the original request. Others just drop it and move on to some other part of life.

May we all take the time and make the effort to address the issues as they are uncovered and discarded. Our efforts to live a truly meaningful life will be fruitful if we allow them to be fruitful.

2011-02-16T12:42:00.001-08:00

Nashville is garnering national attention. I’m not talking about the Nashville Symphony, winner of some number of Grammys. I’m not talking about the aftermath of our May 2010 flooding. I’m not talking about the Tennessee Titans and the latest update on their coaching situation. I’m talking about our contract accountability non-discrimination ordinance (CAN-DO).

Nearly fifty years ago there was significant conversation about the Civil Rights Act. Today, we take it relatively for granted and don’t have as much conversation about race.

Today, we have the CAN-DO and a conversation about sexual orientation and gender identity. I wonder if we’ll look back in fifty years and wonder what all the fuss is about?

May we all view our words and actions through the perspective of history without needing the passage of time to do the correct thing.

2011-02-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

What happens when one moves beyond one’s own group, whatever that might be, and stands with another group?

Does one become a part of the other group by virtue of that affiliation? Or is one merely an interested party to the other group? Or is one viewed as having, yet unknown, ulterior motives?

I believe the more important question is why any of that matters. Isn’t it enough to be able to work with certain people on certain issues and work with other people on other issues?

May we all accept people where they are and accept people as they change, for whatever reasons each of those occur.

2011-02-02T11:07:00.001-08:00

Much of life is self-selecting groups with little effort made to move beyond those groups.

In politics, there are Republicans and Democrats and many others with little realization on any side of the points of agreement among all people.

In religion, there are Christians and Jews and Muslims and many others with little realization on any side of the points of agreement among all people.

In race, there are blacks and whites and yellows and reds and browns with little realization on any side of the points of agreement among all people.

In economics, there are rich and poor and everything in between with little realization along the spectrum of the points of agreement among all people.

May we all seek first to understand the other and then to be understood by the other.

2011-01-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

There are some things that are perceived as fact when they are actually preferences.

Some people perceive democracy to be the best system of governance and view that as a fact. It becomes problematic when the majority of the population wish to be governed in some other way. So, is it democracy if the majority elect a non-democratic form of governance for the future? Or is it the form of governance that was freely elected?

Some people perceive capitalistic free market economic systems as the best and view that as a fact. So, is it free market capitalism if all the consumers choose actions for reasons other than economic reasons? Or can definitions change over time to accommodate other knowledge?

May we all be respectful of differences among ourselves and recognize that our facts may not actually be objective facts for all people everywhere.

2011-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

Change can be difficult, but it also can be managed to be less difficult than it would otherwise be without some planning.

Going from one extreme of something to the opposite extreme of something can be managed by making that transition in incremental steps. The pace of that transition can be managed by planning the implementation of those steps.

Many people encounter these type of changes in their employment when they go from an overbearing supervisor to one who barely supervises at all or the other way around.

I encounter that in my life through the nonprofits I’m involved with. Changes in board or committee leadership should not be detrimental to the organization, if they are handled appropriately.

May we all implement changes in our lives in ways that are beneficial not only to ourselves, but also to those around us.

2011-01-14T11:28:00.001-08:00

I remain very confused and perplexed by many of my family, friends, colleagues and others who believe that their bashing of the “other” side is somehow justified, but the “other” side’s bashing of them is somehow irresponsible, unwarranted or otherwise inappropriate.

I may not agree with someone about something, but that doesn’t mean that I have to demonize them or that I expect them to demonize me. Adults should be able to disagree about something. Adults should be able to recognize their differences. Adults should be able to determine how to mitigate those differences for their own betterment.

May we all learn how to communicate with one another, recognizing that communication may include “we disagree and there is no possible way we’ll ever agree.” May we all respect our differences, regardless if they are chosen differences or not. Would we demonize brunettes as we do Democrats?

2011-01-11T13:31:00.001-08:00

When we were growing up, we didn’t learn to do most things the first time. We took small steps, whether it was literally walking or talking or toileting or many other things.

When we’re relearning how to communicate, we should go through a similar “small step” process. We should strive to agree on the lowest common denominator stuff and work our way forward from there.

Regardless of whether it’s religion or politics or race relations or gender equality or numerous other issues, we should first strive to agree on something … anything … before moving along to the next communication.

May we all re-learn how to meaningfully communicate with one another for the betterment of ourselves and the world around us.

2011-01-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

It’s almost a week into the new year and many people have already broken their New Year’s Resolutions. The important question is how many of us have recommitted to the resolutions and are trying again?

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t learn to talk the first time around. I didn’t learn to walk the first time around. I didn’t learn how to ride a bicycle the first time around. I didn’t learn how to tie my shoes the first time around.

Most of us didn’t take that first failure as an indication to give up forever. Why do we take our first breaking of a New Year’s Resolution as an indication to give up on it for the entire year?

May we all realize that each day is the first day of the rest of our life.

2010-12-30T08:40:00.001-08:00

For many people, it’s getting to be that time of year to make New Year’s resolutions. I made a resolution a long time ago never to make New Year’s resolutions in the traditional sense. Instead, I strive to better myself, regardless of the time of year. I don’t discard my resolve when I break the intention the first time.

May we all view this new year with its endless potential as only the beginning of the endless potential. Even as some of the potential is lost through the passage of time or the temporary setbacks of words and actions that you don’t desire, the potential is still endless.

2010-12-29T08:08:00.001-08:00

I enjoy the holiday busyness with all its specialness. I’m kind with myself when that busyness leaves some regularness temporarily behind. I seem to be behind my usual schedule of writing here and that’s okay.

May we all treat ourselves with the kindness that many of us bestow upon others and often overlook extending to ourselves.

2010-12-16T09:46:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, determining the cause of something is important. Other times, just acknowledging the symptoms and doing something about them is important. Occasionally, you’ll spend too much time trying to determine the cause and realize that it’s not important and you’ll move on to addressing the symptoms.

May we all find the appropriate peace, especially if that peace is resting in the unknown.

2010-12-15T10:24:00.001-08:00

The right things will happen at the right time. Life is a series of adjustments from one situation to another.

I’m reminded of those things today related to a nonprofit that recently had a change of board leadership. I recently became chair of the board and have a substantially different leadership style than my predecessor. Both the board and the paid staff of the organization have an adjustment to make as we all transition from one leader to another.

Many established organizations tend to run themselves because everyone knows what they should be doing and does it. Supervision is typically only important to correct situations as they go astray.

Part of the adjustment is everyone finding their own new norm given the new leadership. There may be many ways to do something with none of them being more correct than the others.

May we all adjust productively to the many changes that happen in our everyday lives.

2010-12-07T14:13:00.001-08:00

Many people find it difficult to look at their current situation and not over-estimate the negativity or under-estimate positivity of it.

The negative stuff happening currently may seem like minor stuff when viewed from the future.

The positive stuff happening currently may seem like minor stuff when viewed from the future.

What would happen if you tried to view your current situation from the perspective of the future following a positive outcome to whatever is the current issue?

What would happen if you began to reflect on what a positive outcome might be?

Happy holidays and blessed journeys into the future.

2010-12-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

New month - December. New opportunities to do new things - stay caught up with this blog.

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. I typically try to hop back on the wagon as soon as I fall off - if it's an important wagon. This remains an important wagon, so here I am hoping back on and getting caught up.

Until later,

2010-11-30T13:49:00.001-08:00

I can tell when stuff is going on in my life because I don’t get around to crossing things off my to do list. Looking back over the past couple weeks, I apparently have stuff going on because this six day blog is a little behind my anticipated schedule. We’ll see how well I stay caught up after catching up this time.

I’ve already decided to let a few things go in the new year and that may help with this thing, which is currently important enough to continue.

Some people keep on keeping on, regardless of whether what they are keeping is still important in their lives. I’m glad to be able to recognize some of what is important and some of what has lost its importance through whatever circumstances.

May we all live our life as fully as we can for ourselves, regardless of what others may expect.

2010-11-17T12:16:00.000-08:00

What difference are you making in the world today?

There are lots of ways to measure your personal impact on the world around you today and into the future.

Some of us are parents and directly influence the future by how we raise our children.

Others of us are volunteers and directly influence the future by changing laws and influencing companies to be doing things in different ways.

Some of us minimize our consumption and leave more resources for future generations.

Others of us work for companies that are on the cutting edge of technological improvements that expand usable resources.

If you don’t know what impact you’re making in the world, take a day and analyze the many things that you say and do that affect people and things around you. You’ll be surprised at how much impact you already have.

Regardless of how much difference you currently make, strive to do more.

2010-11-08T09:19:00.001-08:00

We really do need to learn to disagree with one another. We can disagree with another without calling them all kinds of names and demonizing them and otherwise destroying the relationship that we need to have with them. There are even things that we may agree on despite disagreeing on many other issues.

Much of our problem is that we talk at each other rather than communicating with each other. If we put aside the labels and the emotions and do the really hard work of learning about one another, we could make progress about many issues that affect our society.

It’s easy to agree with those we agree with. It’s much more difficult, but much more worthwhile, to strive to reach agreement with those we don’t agree with.

2010-11-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

I believe I’m better than many people at looking in the long-term. Two steps forward and one step back may not be the optimal way to take a trip, but it’s a model that I can live with. Taking a detour to explore this potential path rather than taking what seems to be a more direct route may not be the optimal way to take a trip, but it’s a model I can live with.

The local, state and national elections yesterday may have told the politicians and pundits some things that they have articulated and will continue to articulate into the foreseeable future. It told me again that our system is broken and very few people are willing to do the work to fix it.

People are influenced by the thirty second soundbite and don’t dig deeper to learn the realities underlying the factoid. People are influenced by someone holding a candidate’s sign at the polling station instead of knowing before they arrive how they’ll vote.

If people would spend only a small percentage of the time they consume meaningless television on meaningfully participating in our democracy, our society would be much better off.

2010-11-02T13:58:00.001-07:00

I’m disappointed that people appear to congratulate themselves on something that they should be doing.

Hey, look at me, I breathed today. Yo, I went to work today. I stopped at the stop sign, did you? I’m commiting to use my turn signals – will you join me?

Many people trumpet that we’re a democracy and our proud of our democratic traditions. I believe we should be truly proud of not needing to pat ourselves on the back for the act of voting.

If we want something to be proud of, let’s truly engage our democracy outsdie of the election cycle. Let’s have the elected officials do the high volume events throughout their term of office. Let’s have the constituents attend these events to truly learn about the leadership of our elected officials.

Let’s have election day be every day. Let’s establish meaningful relationships with our elected officials instead of thirty second social niceties that pass for information.

2010-11-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

The victory or defeat of a sports team might be important for today, but it really doesn’t matter for most people in the long-term.

The victory or defeat of political candidates might not be considered important for today, but it really does matter because they will affect economic development, taxes, civil rights and many other things in the long-term.

I hope that most people know who was President in recent years. Only the most dedicated will know who won the Miss America pageant in that corresponding year.

Looking back through the perspective of history, what things are really important? If they are important when viewed historically, why aren’t they similarly important in the present?

2010-10-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

Too many things going on involving too many people in too many different parts of my life with too many implications that are too much to think about right now.

Until later …

2010-10-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

“VU offers path to independence: Special-needs students take Next Step to college” describes one college program that seeks to integrate those with intellectual disabilities into the “mainstream.”

I’m not sure who is learning more from whom because the integration also means that the “mainstream” is exposed to those with intellectual disabilities in new and different ways.

There are many different perspectives of any given situation. While many people focus on the outreach to the intellectually disabled, I tend to focus on the backside of the situation. Professors may be challenged to teach in new and different ways that will benefit all their students. Other students may be challenged to think in ways that those with intellectual disabilities think.

May we all be welcoming to others in our lives and be open to others welcoming us into their lives. We can each teach each other many things, if we choose to be open to the learning that may occur on many more levels than the strictly academic.

2010-10-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

“Bird costs Titans assistant $40,000” is the headline in today’s Tennessean. Nashville has the US Surgeon general visiting and it takes a back seat to one minor incident on a football field. Nashville is breaking ground on a major riverfront development and it takes a back seat to one minor incident on a football field. Middle Tennessee is experiencing an unusually early freeze and it takes a back seat to one minor incident on a football field. The US Supreme Court opened its session with several notable items, including three women, and it takes a back seat to one minor incident on a football field.

May we all be mindful of the important things in life and what should be making the news in our lives. A momentary childish act on the football field might generate interest, but it is not newsworthy.

2010-09-28T12:18:00.001-07:00

When did taxes become a bad thing? How do we change the attitude that taxes are a bad thing?

There is a significant mental disconnect for many people between what they say and what they act.

They complain about taxes and become furious when there aren’t enough motor vehicle clerks to process their driver’s license in the timely manner.

They lament the high cost of gas and become irritated when they run over the pothole in the road.

They stew about real estate transfer fees and get mad that their property tax bill isn’t sent to the mortgage company in time to get this year’s tax deduction.

May we all do a better job of connecting our many wants with the realization that those wants come with resources needed to accomplish them. May we also realize that our pork is someone else’s important project and livelihood.

2010-09-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

I continue to be pleased and amazed at the comments I hear about my various contributions to society in the many forms that they take.

Last night, I was at a nonprofit organization meeting and again accepted some unsolicited gratitude for my letters to the editor of the local newspaper and my daily contributions on my Facebook page.

Another part of the meeting of the same nonprofit focused on the importance of communicating with other people and overcoming harmful stereotypes and prejudices one person at a time. I like to view my letters to the editor and my Facebook contributions as two small ways of communicating with those around me.

May we all have the motivation to continue communicating with those around us, even when that is difficult for us. May we express our appreciation of others as they encounter difficulties when we find it easy to communicate.

2010-09-17T12:24:00.001-07:00

Leave work at work and home at home seems like easy advice, but most of us don’t compartmentalize our lives quite that easily in the practical world.

The fight you have with your spouse has residual effects at work. The desk full of work left on Friday impacts the weekend. Wouldn’t it be better if life could be an integrated whole and personal stuff can be processed at work and work stuff can be attended to at home?

May we all learn to let go of the unrealistic expectations we have of ourselves and the unrealistic expectations we impose on others and the unrealistic expectations that others impose on us.

2010-09-10T13:55:00.001-07:00

“A new state law may have unintended consequences …” Many things are done in response to other things. The intent may be to clean up the perceived mess, but the new mess might be as problematic or more problematic than the original situation.

There are times when time is important and things should be done quickly. There are many other times when time is not as important and things should be done as correctly as possible the first time.

The original quote comes from a story about homeless shelters and a well-intentioned law meant to address a perceived problem with halfway houses. The solution to the halfway house issue might adversely impact homeless shelters.

May we be careful about the unintended consequences of our actions on ourselves, those around us, the situations around us, and the worldwide community as we do our daily living.

2010-09-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

“Christian leaders call Quran burning cowardly” is one headline below the fold of the front page of today’s Tennessean.

Many of the people decrying the lack of sensitivity of the proposed Muslim mosque near Ground Zero are remaining strangely silent about the lack of sensitivity of this act. If the silence is due to a “they did it to us first” attitude, what does that say about our level of maturity? If it’s due to something else, I’m eager to learn more about the eerie silence.

I believe it was Jesus who taught something to the effect of “if someone asks for your cloak, give him your shoes too” and “if you’re forced to walk one mile, walk the second mile as well” and “if someone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other too.”

I don’t recall Jesus ever teaching anything along the lines of “if they do it to you first, you can do something similar to them.”

Are we Christians, or do we just play Christians in front of the media?

2010-08-31T14:40:00.001-07:00

“Nashville server challenges guns law” reads the headline from today’s Tennessean. It claims that allowing guns in bars creates an unsafe work environment. Based on the unsafe work environment, I wonder if other employees might file lawsuits to prevent smoking or other reasonable physical or mental health threats that are already well-documented in today’s society.

There clearly are varying degrees of workplace safety with bars presenting a different set of circumstances than a coal mine or deep sea fishing or other hazardous occupations. For some, loss of air conditioning with high temperatures and humidity might be unsafe. For others, the emotional discomfort of some water cooler conversations is unsafe for a variety of reasons.

May we all be open to the potential of defeating unwelcome activities with the wide range of potential solutions that are not limited to what we’ve always done or how we’ve always done it or the people we’ve always dealt with.

2010-08-24T10:54:00.001-07:00

“Accuser: MTSU star owes poker debt” is the headline in the sports section of The Tennessean. The MTSU star is under investigation, but little mention is made of investigation of the accuser, who is supposedly engaging in the illegal activity of gambling in Tennessee.

My wrong is less serious than your wrong, so we should only focus on your wrong appears to be a common attitude among many people in today’s society.

I’d prefer to focus on both wrongs and move toward resolving all of them to the satisfaction of everyone involved.

May we all be responsible enough to accept our own wrongdoing, which does not enhance or diminish other people’s wrongdoing. “Yes, but …” may be one response. “Yes, and …” is an equally valid and much more healthy response.

2010-08-20T10:44:00.001-07:00

“Bredesen team is winding down,” is the local section headline from today’s Tennessean. I continue to be amazed at the level of commitment, or lack thereof, for many employment positions.

Professional athletes routinely wish to renegotiate contracts following a good year, but not following a bad year. Brett Favre has another year on the two year contract he signed last year, yet there had been widespread talk about his potential retirement.

I wonder what would happen if contracts included buyout clauses for both sides of the transaction instead of just the buyer/owner? Would athletes be so willing to renegotiate if it required them to pay a contract buyout to void the prior contract?

But, I digress – back to the politicians. These people are in a better position to get employment after their current job ends than most rank and file employees, so why can’t they stay until the end and then quickly find something else?

May we all consider how we live up to our obligations, whether they are employment, family, faith community or the many other areas of each of our daily lives.

2010-08-18T12:11:00.001-07:00

“Politics cripple TVA board” reads the headline in August 18’s Tennessean. Reasonable should be able to reasonably disagree on issues. Manifesting that disagreement through inaction should not be considered a mature and appropriate response. Unfortunately, that is where we are with these and other nominations held up in various stages of the process of governing our nation and its resources.

Similar situations also occur at the state and local levels of government. Expenditures are obstructed because of disagreements about how to spend the money. Necessary projects are not funded while uncontroversial and unneeded projects are funded.

Similar situations also occur in the nonprofit and private sectors. Organizations cannot collaborate because of perceived turf wars. Clients are harmed from the inaction of people whose first priority should be the customers they ostensibly serve.

May we all look beyond our personal (individual or organizational) pettiness to the overall good of society as we strive to fulfill our mission.

2010-08-09T14:28:00.001-07:00

“Jobless retire early, strain Social Security” is the August 9 headline of The Tennessean. It’s only one small example of how society doesn’t necessarily have the proper incentives in place for what it says it wants to accomplish.

Social Security benefit payments are only one aspect of the situation. Another aspect, that is often overlooked, is that Social Security beneficiaries are taxed if they make too much in non-Social Security income. Once a recipient does find a job, the employee is more likely to stay below the threshold. This affects the employee, but also affects the Social Security system because of lost Social Security taxes that would have been paid by the employee and employer.

A similar situation exists in many welfare programs. It’s an all or nothing situation, which doesn’t promote gradual weaning from a system that should help people regain their independence.

May we all look beyond the superficial situations to the deeper issues so we can begin to address them.

2010-07-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

There are many opinions on immigration and they are exerting their influence in various ways as we struggle with the situation in Arizona.

I’m still perplexed by one aspect of the immigration debate that doesn’t seem to get mentioned much.

The United States passes laws to apply to people of the United States. The immigration debate seems to assume that everyone outside the United States knows of all laws pertaining to people of the United States, including those trying to enter the United States. That appears ridiculous on its face because if I were asked about the laws of Saudi Arabia, I wouldn’t know most of them.

I know that argument doesn’t carry through to its logical conclusion when considering if murder might be allowable in a home country and not allowable in the United States. And it doesn’t even begin to factor in religious freedom and how that interacts with civil law.

All of which is to say that the seemingly simple issues that many people want to paint as black and white are very rarely as simple and black and white as many people believe them to be.

2010-07-26T11:29:00.001-07:00

For many people things have a way of creeping up on them incrementally. One little step leads to another little step leads to another little step. If one isn’t careful, the actual journey is much different than the original plan. That isn’t a reflection on the original plan or the actual journey. It’s just a statement of fact.

For some people, this becomes a problem when one person notices the incrementalism and attempts to address it while another person doesn’t want to deal with it or believes it’s okay or any number of other situations.

It works in reverse too. Someone may know what they want, but don’t necessarily know how to get there, so they begin with a single step and follow that with the next step and follow that with a third step. Pretty soon, they are where they wanted to be without necessarily realizing how they got there.

May we be aware of where we are, where we’re going and how to get from the first to the second.

2010-07-21T14:06:00.001-07:00

Green power is supposedly the wave of the future. For the people that price the power, equitable pricing of green power also appears to be a distant dream for the future.

I subscribe to green power through a TVA program called Green Power Switch. I’m having a difficult time comprehending the program because I’m supposedly getting charged for all of my power to be green, but I’m also subject to the ever-increasing power rates for traditional power.

How can I possibly be on green power and also on traditional power for the same power that I’m using?

2010-07-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many people that vociferously object to something actually have anything more than a sound bite knowledge of the topic and the perspective to which they object?

The middle Tennessee area is currently discussing various mosque projects. Some people claim to know that Muslims are trying to kill us. Others claim to know that it’s a religion of violence. Some Christians cite Koranic verses as proof of these claims. Unfortunately, they don’t make the same claims, substantiated by Biblical verses, of the evil and violence of Christianity.

What’s interesting for me to watch is other people and groups with a similar history of being the minority or being the victim of discrimination or bearing the brunt of hate speech are the ones perpetuating that cycle on others during this conversation.

May we all know our present, appreciate our past and create a future together that will not perpetuate the past with the unhealthy views of the present.

2010-07-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Tennessean has an “Immigration could shape state races” headline, but the related article doesn’t really address one issue that most people in the general public conveniently ignore.

There appears to be little consensus about being outraged at the many employers that hire undocumented workers. It could be the neighbor who has his lawn mowed by an undocumented worker. It could be the restaurant dishwasher providing clean dishes for you to eat off of. It could be the large multi-national company employing fruit and vegetable pickers for their products.

It’s easy to shout platitudes. It’s much more difficult to back that up with the concrete action of reporting the neighbor, not patronizing the restaurant, leading the nationwide boycott of the national chain, and other things that will actually change the culture of our society.

Let’s look in the mirror at our own complicity as we cast aspersions on those who want to pursue the United States of America dream, whatever that might actually be.

2010-07-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

It's another holiday weekend and many people will be enjoying the extra time off work while not really caring about the meaning of the holiday that provided them with the time off work. This year, some won't have work to be off from and will continue to yearn for that opportunity to be off from work.

Independence Day can have a variety of meanings for people, depending on where each of them is on life's journey and how well they are in tune with connecting a seemingly unrelated national holiday to their own individual lives.

I'll be celebrating the United States' independence from the British Empire, which is the original meaning of the holiday. I'll also be celebrating my personal independence from health concerns that affect many of those around me, while also encouraging others through their health issues. I'll be celebrating my financial independence, precarious though it may be, while also remembering the many who continue to suffer from our current economy.

May we all enjoy the holiday weekend in ways that are appropriate for each of us.

2010-06-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

"Tennessee tips scales as 2nd fattest state" declared today's headline in The Tennessean. The full report is available online (http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2010/).

Change is difficult and every little bit counts. Park a little bit further away in the parking lot and get some extra exercise. Have a serving of fruit fro dessert instead of that bowl of ice cream. Bake the chicken instead of frying it. Walk during your lunch hour instead of grazing through too many calories.

Long-term healthy living habits aren’t as easy to televise as the scenes from “The Biggest Loser,” but they are equally important.

Start today and watch the difference. A good way to see the difference is journaling, statistics, and photographs. Help yourself now and help your future healthcare by moving toward your optimal weight today.

2010-06-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Many of us reasonably expect others to look out for us during our moments of difficulty. We want our neighbor to help bring in the mail when we’re on vacation. We want our co-worker to do some extra work when we’re overloaded.

This same helping others attitude seems to end for many people when it comes to certain areas of our lives. Christians don’t stand up for Muslims building a new mosque. “Straight” people don’t stand up for GLBT rights. Citizens don’t stand up for human treatment of immigrants.

May we all realize that people are people and the large things matter as much as the small things. Get involved, even if it doesn’t appear to affect you directly at the present time. You don’t know when you’ll be on the receiving end of something and appreciate the assistance of others.

2010-06-11T13:12:00.001-07:00

Everyone has their own set of priorities and I realized a long time ago that my priorities do not match the priorities of many people around me. If analyzed honestly, what we say and what we do are often in conflict.

Help Nashville’s flood recovery by coming and spending tourism money may make sense for some people. I wonder what would happen to Nashville’s flood recovery if all the time and money were spent in other ways?

I’m also confused about support local business combined with utilizing a buy one, get one free deal that will actually mean the local business is losing money on that transaction. If you’re so supportive, shouldn’t you be willing to pay full price for their maximum benefit?

May we all be mindful of the actual results of our actions and be gentle with our many resources for the betterment of all our future generations.

2010-06-08T12:44:00.001-07:00

I believe my eight month office renovation odyssey is coming to an end. I physically moved yesterday and began unpacking stuff. I acquired some additional furniture today and had to repack some things and unpack them in new locations after some furniture readjustment. My telephone was reconnected today. I have furniture, a telephone, a locked office, file space, and all the things that have been at home for eight months waiting on the office renovations to be completed.

I thought I was going to be in a quiet section that had been renovated and didn’t appear to be repopulated with people yet. Today hasn’t been quiet with the movers in and out and all around and the IS people in and out and all around. The conference room next door experienced lots of activity this afternoon.

I hope the agency’s odyssey ends soon too!

2010-06-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

“Rebuilding can boost energy efficiency” proclaimed the headline of the local newspaper today. It referred to rebuilding from the flood damage sustained by middle Tennessee last month. It should cause us to think beyond the appliances that will be replaced to all infrastructure.

Many projects cannot achieve the critical mass needed to bring them to fruition because they conflict with various parts already in place in our daily lives. Disasters like these should cause us to contemplate building what we truly want instead of simply replacing what we had, which we believed didn’t really work as we wanted it to.

Haiti, New Orleans, Detroit, and many other places are ready for us to implement our dreams rather than relying on the way we’ve always done things in the past.

May we all take the many opportunities to build our dreams in the clutter of our lives instead of replacing what we’ve always known.

2010-05-24T13:59:00.001-07:00

The world will never be a perfect place because, as you deal with each level of living, there will always be things that will increase in importance as other things are taken care of.

When you’re homeless, it may not matter whether you have hamburger or steak to eat. Eventually, as other needs are taken care of, the desire to have steak rather than hamburger can make itself known.

There will always be that one thing that is not quite within reach. Some people choose to live life always yearning for that one thing rather than being thankful for all the rest of the things they do have.

There will also always be the people who never aspire to anything greater than what they have because they are too content with their present situation.

May we all achieve our own balance of being content with where we are, yet motivated to strive for the more that we can have with additional action.

2010-05-21T13:29:00.001-07:00

It’s good to see that amidst the continuing aftermath of the Nashville flood, there is still the realization that the many other nonprofit agencies still have their needs that have not decreased in response to the potential donor fatigue.

It’s even better to see that people are actually stepping up and maintaining or increasing their donations to these other nonprofit agencies. “Nashville’s charitable ways go beyond the call” is one small example of it reported in today’s Tennessean.

I see it in my daily activities as I volunteer with a wide variety of agencies which are not directly involved with the floods, but have been affected by the floods. A performing arts grouped is temporarily without a home and the donations continue to roll in, in anticipation of the restoration costs.

May we all see the disasters behind the headline making disasters and offer our assistance as we are able.

2010-05-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

Society needs a good disaster every now and then to remind it that each of us has many more similarities than differences.

I wish we would remember that and not have to relearn the lesson every time the disaster of the moment fades.

The people you helped through the flood are the same people now that the flood is cleaned up and you can return to concentrating on the individual’s politics.

The people helping after your congregation was firebombed are the same people now that your place of worship has been rebuilt and you can return to concentrating on the volunteer’s faith background.

The people you helped through the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake are the same people now that the situation has faded from the headlines and you can return to concentrating on the family’s racial background.

Let’s celebrate our commonalities and respectfully educate each other about our less important differences.

2010-05-12T05:19:00.001-07:00

I left Nashville May 2 for Cedar Rapids, Iowa to help with their continuing rebuilding effort from the 2008 flooding. Nashville had experienced some rainfall and flooding on Saturday, but the worst came after I left for Cedar Rapids and quickly receded prior to my return to Nashville on May 7/8.

It was an interesting conversation throughout the week that there was a mission team from Nashville, Tennessee helping the Cedar Rapids flood recovery efforts while their hometown was experiencing its own flood that would need flood recovery efforts in the future.

The flood recovery effort in Cedar Rapids provided some flood relief supplies that they no longer needed. We happily stuffed our vehicle even fuller than the full that we thought it was on the drive up to Iowa. We came home a day early due to project postponement due to weather. Most of the mission team was out the following day helping with another aspect of flood recovery.

May we all do what we can, knowing that all efforts are meaningful in their own ways.

2010-05-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

Nashville and middle Tennessee is experiencing flooding of unseen proportions. I wonder if all the people who typically want to see limited government, no new taxes and everything else are going to patiently wait for the free market, non-government solutions they propose to work to rectify this situation?

Along the same lines, I wonder if, being the recipients of the government cleanup that will happen, they will pay their taxes that allow the government to do everything that it will do to ensure life returns to normal in a relatively orderly and productive way?

2010-04-28T10:23:00.001-07:00

Many legislators cite a variety of reasons for not wanting to spend money on special projects while also lamenting the lack of jobs in the economy. What’s wrong with spending the money for the needed projects, which will be done by employees of some company that wins the bid for the project.

Many legislators also don’t seem to be knowledgeable about changing demographics. An older population may require additional services that a younger population doesn’t. More people require more services than fewer people.

I’m tired of the legislators and the general public believing that every single issue operates in a vacuum with no impact on other issues. If you don’t repair roads, a natural consequence of that is higher unemployment among road workers. If you don’t hire additional workers to service more people, a natural consequence of that is increased waits in line at the driver’s license station.

May we all be mindful that our decisions or lack of decisions have impacts that we should consider as we are making the decisions.

2010-04-27T05:39:00.001-07:00

Daily posting on my Facebook account is beginning to catch up with me. This blog began as a personal journaling of sorts, which I had done offline for more than a decade. At the beginning of this year, I added a daily tweet-sized post to my Facebook account as another avenue of communication, in addition to my offline journaling and this blog. Four months into daily posting, it appears that my perceived lack of personal material is beginning to catch up with me. Rather than discontinue this almost four year old blog, I believe it will slowly transform itself into an events blog of commentary regarding whatever tickles my fancy that is happening in the world around me.

Stay tuned and let’s continue to grow together as we live together on this wonderful world called earth. Together, we can make a difference in our lives and the lives of those around us.

2010-04-14T08:28:00.001-07:00

May you all move beyond the silence with me to a meditation of a higher truth as I enjoy the meditation necessary to return some balance to my life at this time.

2010-04-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

May you all enjoy the silence with me as I enjoy the silence necessary to return some balance to my life at this time.

2010-03-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

Stress manifests itself in different ways for different people. Reacting to the stress of those around you should also manifest itself in different ways according to the different ways that the stress exhibits itself in those around you.

Part of the manifestation of stress may be what would be considered by many to be some form of delayed reaction. Appropriately dealing with stress should also include dealing with the appropriate stress. People may appear to be reacting to one situation when they are actually reacting to some other situation totally unrelated to their current reaction.

Be kind to others as you deal with their stress. Help those around you deal with your stress by communicating clearly in whatever ways are appropriate for you.

May we all travel through life secure in the knowledge that there are more similarities among us than differences, if we choose to focus on the similarities.

2010-03-25T11:46:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, life gets in the way of living life. Sometimes, you have to take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Sometimes, what appears to be is really much different than what actually is.

I’m going through various transitions right now and they are all interesting if you step outside the personal perspective and actually look at them “objectively,” whatever that might be.

Office renovations continue at work. Living out of boxes and being shuffled around multiple times during the past five months has provided a perspective that I haven’t had before.

Transitions in my home life continue. The next one is scheduled to happen next week and the changes to ongoing relationships should be interesting.

Things are approaching a critical point in my nonprofit world. How each impacts the other should resolve itself eventually.

May we all move forward, confident that standing still is actually moving backward as life continues to move forward – with or without us.

2010-03-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

Too many people are too invested in a particular outcome and not invested enough in ensuring a particular process.

Reasonable can reasonably disagree. As long as the process is followed, the outcome is less important than the results of the process.

I may not agree with the health care reform legislation or the convention center decision or the income tax debate, but I should be able to rest assured that the process for those decisions is followed reasonably and that those decisions can be changed over time as time changes the circumstances affecting the decision that was originally made.

People in the United States are much more assured of the process than many places around the world. We know what some of us perceive as negative. That isn’t necessarily the case around the world.

May we all continue to be involved in the process, even when we don’t get our way, because the process can change the results if we don’t get our way the first time around.

2010-03-15T05:46:00.001-07:00

People often like to compare apples to oranges, picking the best of various systems while disregarding all the surrounding situations that allow the systems to work in their entirety.

We believe we want European style healthcare while paying significantly lower USA tax rates. We want Canadian style healthcare while maintaining the private hospital rooms and almost immediate testing of the USA.

We want to follow the supposed biblical condemnation of homosexuality while ignoring the care for the poor. We want the “drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom” while ignoring the broad spectrum between responsible drinking and drunkenness.

We want the “lock’em up and throw away the key” without addressing the cost of that mentality. We want more drug and alcohol treatment centers, as long as they are not in our backyard.

May we all make informed decisions based on the totality of the situation rather than picking unrelated bits and pieces of multiple solutions that may not work to create a unified whole solution.

2010-03-08T11:10:00.001-08:00

There is never enough time in the day to be doing everything that should be done. There is never enough money in the bank account to be doing everything that should be done. It quickly becomes apparent what is important to a person or an organization when you look at how the spend their time, financial or other resources.

Many people espouse one set of beliefs with their talk, but quite a different set of beliefs with their actions.

When you meet someone that says one thing and does another, which do you believe – their words or their actions?

May we all be conscious of how we portray ourselves to the world and how we interpret others’ portrayal of themselves to us.

2010-03-02T13:01:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, the labels get in the way of the message. Sometimes, once the first impression is made with whatever label is applied to it, it is difficult for people to overcome what they believed their expectations were with the original label to move toward the progress that could be made if they weren’t fixated on their expectations from the original label.

Sometimes, it’s not even possible to start over again because the original impression has been made and will taint the original message until enough time has passed that people forget the original labels and original message and are ready to create something new.

Politically, it has happened with health care reform. In my locality, it has happened with a nonprofit which has ceased to exist.

May we all recognize our personal labels and messages and strive to overcome them without spending as much time as may have been necessary if we weren’t as aware of the issues.

2010-02-25T08:49:00.001-08:00

Some people simply haven’t been exposed to some things. They don’t do certain things or think certain ways simply because they haven’t made a conscious effort in those areas. Many times, they’ll readily agree that certain things would be beneficial, but they simply haven’t thought about doing them because they’ve only been doing what they’ve been told to do.

Depending on your perspective and outlook, most people will naturally believe that the above scenario is referring to a particular life circumstance. They’ll believe I was writing about work relationships or personal relationships or faith community relationships or political relationships or generational relationships or race relationships.

May we all act beyond our pre-conceptions and improve our lives by applying all of our knowledge to all of our life situations. Take the work training and bring it home to improve your personal relationships. Take the faith community peace and bring it to work to improve the work environment. Don’t limit yourself.

2010-02-19T07:05:00.001-08:00

Some people just really don’t get it. I continue to be amazed at the number of people and organizations that rant about certain things, but then do those very same things. The only difference is that they do those same things from their perspective, so, somehow, that apparently makes it right in their minds.

I was at a meeting earlier this week and heard people lament the closed nature of some process. They then exhorted everyone to invite those supporting their cause to a meeting. If they’re interested in an open process, shouldn’t that include hearing and considering the opinions of those different than themselves?

Like-minded people tend to hang out together so they aren’t really challenged by others around them to carefully consider what they are doing.

May we all be open to the possibility that there is a way better than ours and willing to hear others as they share their equally valid perspective.

2010-02-11T14:24:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, the quiet just sneaks up on you and you don’t realize it for a while. I’m so used to the noise and chaos of renovations at work that I didn’t notice the quiet that I experienced after an offsite meeting until I left work for the day.

Sometimes, kind gestures also have a way of sneaking up on you. You’re so used to some people treating you certain ways that you don’t notice that they have changed until well after the change has taken place. Sometimes, you even reject the change when it is called to your attention.

Sometimes, bad relationship also have a way of sneaking up on you. It starts off good and then one little annoyance is rationalized away. And another. And another. The bad soon outweighs the good, but you don’t realize it.

May we all experience things afresh as if for the first time and truly see what is happening.

2010-02-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Let there be peace on earth And let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth The peace that was meant to be. With God as our father Brothers all are we. Let me walk with my brother In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me Let this be the moment now. With every step i take Let this be my solemn vow. To take each moment And live each moment With peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me.

Let there be peace on earth And let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth The peace that was meant to be. With god as our father Brothers all are we. Let me walk with my brother In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me Let this be the moment now. With every step I take Let this be my solemn vow. To take each moment And live each moment In peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth And let it begin with me.

May we all find the peace that allows us to persevere through whatever trials we face on our daily journey.

2010-02-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Nashville ground to a virtual halt this weekend. It snowed on Friday and it snowed enough that it stayed around through the weekend. The roads were in good winter driving condition, but Nashvillians aren’t accustomed to winter driving conditions. Many places and activities were closed and cancelled. It was the first time that I’ve known church to cancel worship services.

State offices closed early on Friday, but I stayed until normal quitting time because I live a relatively short distance from work and know how to drive in the winter. I ventured out on Saturday because I wasn’t able to determine that the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site was closed due to the weather. They were and I returned home. I ventured out to the grocery store on Sunday and returned home with the regular weekly groceries.

Hopefully, this week’s warm temperatures will return Nashville to normal as the snow melts and the ice disappears from the roadways.

2010-01-26T06:33:00.001-08:00

It’s important to learn from the past. It’s also important to move beyond the past after you’ve learned from it. This week seems to be littered with people dwelling in the past and not allowing the past to recede after they’ve learned from it. I seem to be encountering many people who are lamenting various aspects of the past with some expectation that those situations will somehow turn out the way they want them to, regardless of the objective reality that is before them in the present.

Sometimes, it’s not even a matter of moving forward, but merely letting the past recede into its proper place. Sometimes, one has to simply wait for the future path to reveal itself. It’s a difficult place to let go of the past and not have anything to grab onto in the future.

May we all become more comfortable with the discomfort of simply waiting without holding onto anything.

2010-01-19T11:03:00.001-08:00

Holidays and other breaks in the usual and ordinary routine are good times to check in and see whether the ordinary and usual routine is what it should be or if it should be adjusted to better reflect a conscious choice of a life path that will allow the best life possible given the limited resources available to you.

Some people do not get holidays or other breaks in their usual and ordinary routine that is too busy to allow that time to assess what is happening in life. Scheduling that time is important, regardless of how long that time is. Fifteen minutes at the beginning of the day or end of the day or during a meal or something similar is achievable by everyone if they make it a priority.

May we all live our life in a conscious and deliberate way so we can achieve our best life and not simply allow life to happen to us.

2010-01-13T07:15:00.001-08:00

Many people have difficulty waiting for the proper path to reveal itself. Other people have difficulty getting started along a path when it does reveal itself. Other people have difficulty discerning which path is revealing itself.

I have at least two overarching beliefs that assist me greatly in living life and not being too concerned with how it unfolds.

First, I’ll receive as many opportunities to learn something as needed until I actually learn whatever is being taught. I’ll continue to have similar relationships until I learn whatever those relationships are trying to teach. Hopefully, one day, I’ll learn and move to some other lesson.

Second, the right things will happen at the right time. An observation related to this belief is that my time and the right time rarely coincide. Another observation related to this belief is that something that wasn’t right in the past might actually be right in the present because of changed circumstances.

May we all be patient, lifelong learners on this journey called life.

2010-01-06T07:14:00.001-08:00

I know many people who keep track of birthdays and anniversaries and similar dates on their calendar. I know fewer people who keep track of deaths on their calendar. After people die, it isn’t too many years before their birthdays and anniversaries are not celebrated and are even forgotten by many people. Death is a natural part of the lifecycle and should be celebrated as a way of marking the importance of the person in the lives of those still living and the world they interacted with while they were here.

I’m not much into any dates – birthdays, anniversaries, deaths, holidays.

For those that are date people, please consider keeping birthdays and anniversaries of the deceased on your calendar, or adding deaths to your calendar. It’ll help keep the lasting value of someone’s life with us as we continue to make our life’s journey.

May we all recognize the importance of those who went before us, in ways that are appropriate for us.

2010-01-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

I’m not a great believer in New Year’s resolutions for myself. I do realize they provide a wonderful motivation for many people to be doing many good things.

I have two primary issues with New Year’s resolutions.

First, I experience too many people who make resolutions, break resolutions shortly after the first of the year and discard the intent behind the resolution because it’s already been broken. If exercise is a good thing, it should remain a good thing even after you’ve inadvertently skipped a few days of it.

Second, life change can begin at times other than the beginning of the year. If you want to lose weight, why not start on December 1 rather than waiting until January 1?

May we all continue our life’s journey by striving to be the best we can be, regardless of the date on the calendar or our past history of failing to live up to our own expectations.

2009-12-29T07:29:00.001-08:00

My personal life is more important than my work life. I will always have certain aspects of my personal life, which is not necessarily the case about my work life. In my professional life, I may change careers or may be temporarily unemployed or my change employers or other things. In my personal life, I will always be a son and a brother and a volunteer and many other things.

Various areas of my personal life continually change in their priority in my overall personal life. It’s the balance among all those areas that provide the overall life satisfaction that many people around me seem to be missing. When things at home are not going well, I rely on my volunteering to provide more of my personal satisfaction. When things at one nonprofit are not going well, I rely on others to provide more of my personal satisfaction.

May we all find the balance that is important for us and recognize that our balance also affects those around us.

2009-12-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

My real world is much more important than my virtual world. I believe that explains why blogging doesn’t get done when I’m significantly outside my daily routine, which happens when I travel and at other times. I believe that also explains why I choose not to make time to more fully explore social networking sites. I’ve filled my Facebook life as full as it’s getting for the foreseeable future and I won’t become a Farmville farmer anytime soon.

My real world is important enough that I don’t retreat to a virtual world to avoid processing the various situations in the real world. Some people choose to spend time on the computer when real world people are wanting their attention. Like everything else, it’s a balancing act between the wants and needs of a variety of situations.

May we all find the life balance that is most appropriate not only for ourselves, but for the many people in our lives.

2009-12-14T10:58:00.001-08:00

A stranger popped into my life this week and prompted me to more deeply consider how important the doer of an action is. If the goal is adequate physical security for all, does it matter whether it’s a government police force or a private security firm? Many people would reasonably argue that government is better suited to handle that aspect of society.

If the goal is adequate health care for all, does it matter whether it’s a government program or a private company? For many people, the issue becomes very confused very quickly. If the private sector is so good, why don’t we dismantle Medicare and greatly expand the insurance pool? If the public sector is so good, why haven’t all those with Medicare, Veterans’ Administration and other public sector coverage been able to articulate that?

If many religions teach about caring for the least of these, why doesn’t that carry over into the political realm?

Life goes on … and so do we …

2009-12-08T09:53:00.001-08:00

Some people appear genuinely glad to connect with you when that happens, but also do not make any effort to have that happen.

On the one hand, it makes me wonder whether they truly want to see the person, or are merely very good at portraying a sense of genuine gladness.

On the other hand, it makes me wonder how long it would take them to make the time to contact a person who they seem genuinely glad to connect with, or whether they wouldn’t ever miss that person in their life.

This relationship model brings to mind some observations that I have received from numerous sources about people being in my life for a reason or a season or a lifetime.

I tend to believe that relationships can change and adapt over time to address changing circumstances, if that is desired. The question becomes one of how much give and take happens and whether the parties to the relationship can achieve that.