Vacating the premises

I think God wants me to take a vacation.  Yesterday all the blogs I read were about vacations.  Of course it is summer, so one can take that into account.  It could be also the effect when a particular thought is in the mind, confirmation of that thought is all a person sees.  Wendy and I had been talking about a getaway a few days ago.  Wendy has a desire to go  to the beach.  I am not sure the last thing we have gone.

Growing up my family never really took vacations.  If we went anywhere it was to visit family.  So the taking time to go somewhere is foreign to me.  However, Wendy is trying to train me.

I did hear an interesting exchange on a website I visited.  Michael Hyatt, author and speaker on leadership, talked about people who never took vacations.  Maybe they thought they were too valuable to be gone.  I know I am not too valuable to be missed.  His thought is that people need vacations.  He also said that if one never takes a vacations it shows how that person cannot manage time to get the work done.  I think that is an interesting point.

A vacation does not have to be elaborate.  All it is a time of getaway and renewal.

Where are you going to go?

I wish I were cool

Not just because of the heat.

It seems that there is a flurry of activity all around me.  People are doing this amazing things.  They seem to have great careers, but look like they are not out of their twenties.  Or they talk about going to this place.

I seem to only go to work and come home.

I look in the mirror and go bleegh.

Does anybody say the word cool anymore?

Driving me crazy

Yesterday we were coming  back from visiting Wendy's parents.  It was after 6 o'clock in the evening.  So we thought traffic would not be that bad.  We left in pouring down rain, but it did stop after a few minutes.  All was well until we hit exit 309 on 40.  It was a stand still.  We could not figure out what was happen.  further down the road we see they want everyone to get in the left lane.  The weird thing was once that happened traffic moved a little more smooth.  After 30 minutes we venture two miles and see that an exit has been closed.  After that traffic returned to normal.  The thing I do not understand is how road repair on an entirely separate road effected our traffic.

Wendy and I seem to always pick the wrong shopping lane as well.  Over the weekend one guy was had one item so we stood behind him.  However, it took 15 minutes for the cashier to help him.  We saw several people move forward in the lines around us.  I think we did end up moving lines, but still had a delay.

Where is these life in the fast lane everyone is talking about?

No know

I heard a clip from an interesting individual the other day.  A guy named Bob Goff, who recently wrote a  book called Love Does.  I do not know too much about the book.  Bob was pretty interesting to watch and very energetic.  Two statements he made interested me.

One was talking about that he knew facts about Jesus.  He called it "stalking Jesus".  Bob had the specifics down and focused on the what.  Sort of like the social media of your choice.  People can know all about you, but not know you.

The next story related to a men's Bible study Bob attends.  He wanted to something other than just look at a passage and talk about.  He gave the example of Lazarus and the leader asking, "When was the last time you were dead?'  "Right now."  thought Bob.  He was to see how it could be applied into action.

There might be something in the Bible about that.

Communication is one key to a lock

I am reading about book by a relationship expert who says that communication can be talked about too much.  In his opinion, communication is not the only thing to keep a marriage successful.  Sure it is important, but there are other things. 

The book is The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman.  Gottman put a lot of effort into studying couples.  Now he can tell which couples will make it and which will not.  He stresses that couples have to like each other and be able to diffuse the relationships.  Tension will come.  It is the couples that are able to break that tension that will survive.  That brings up his point about communication.  If the couple is communicating, but it is only escalating then what good was the talk.  So the relationship is the key.  Most of the excuses people use for divorce are not the true cause, but only symptoms from a broken relationship.

In case you are interested the seven principles Gottman has are:
1)  Enhance your love maps-  Get to know your partner.

2) Nurture your fondness and admiration-  Your partner has good qualities.  Tell that person1

3)  Turn toward each other instead of away- Your partner is your partner.

4) Let your partner influence you-  Everyone can use advice.

5)  Solve your solvable problems-     Work through to find a solution

6)  Overcome gridlock-  A back up gets no one where he wants to go.  Sometimes a temporary compromise must be met.

7)  Create shared meaning-  I have not finished that chapter yet.  I would think it would be create memories as a couple.  Find the common ground to ease the tension.

Of course I am no relationship expert.  I am not even sure if these are the right meanings.  Marriage is meant to last.  It is one of the important relationships.  Why not put in a little effort for the one you love?

Father's Day Fallout

People always ask "How was (insert choice)?"  I never really know what to say.  I am not that big on introspection.  As long as it was okay, it is good.

This past Father's Day was pretty good.  A friend from church and two of her children came over and babysat.  Wendy and I had a lunch date and ran some errands.  Sunday was the normal church activities.  I did receive some Father Day gifts.  Two polo shirts.  Which is good because I do not buy clothes on my own.  I only wear what people give me.

I guess celebrations are for people who like to have fun.  People seem to have very active lifestyles.  At least hearing about it motivates my thinking about doing something.

So, how was your day?

Pa's to remember

Today is Father's Day.  Which means there has been a run on a random assortment of things.  Do people still get ties?

A little aside.  Why do the people who seem the most driven have the most children?  How do they have the time?  Also a lot of people involved in ministry leadership seem to have a lot of children.  Is that so they can fill up the church wherever they go?

Men like to be noticed.  That is a good thing because children notice them.  Nothing taken from moms, but one hears about family struggle with no father in the house.  A father is supposed to be an example.  To a son, teach the boy to be a man.  To a daughter, show her the type of man she needs.

There is probably some saying out there about how it takes only a second to become a father, but it takes a lifetime to be a father.  If not, then I will take credit for it.  I think it is true.  Fatherhood is a responsibility.  Think of it like duty.  A father signed up because it is a cause he believes in.

The good news is that fathers do not have to perfect.  I know I am far from being a perfect father.  As fathers, we need to show perfect love.  From what I am reading, if the father makes a lot of mistakes, but still loves the child then an award winning  book will be written.  Joy and Ava, how about 60/40?

So fathers, dads, pops, paters, baby daddies, the old men, we can stand a little straighter and know that we have those who love us.  That is half the battle.  The other half is showing them we love them.

The music is going to get you

I know nothing about music.  I cannot sing nor dance.  However, there is something about hearing music that does make me want to move.  While working out I am one of the few who does not have some form of earbuds.  Sometimes when I attend the gym there are workout classes going on.  The trainer usually has some upbeat music as accompaniment.  It does help to get the body going.  I know that I can move my legs a little faster. 

Music does get the imagination flowing.  Think of all the musicals where the actors burst into what seems like random song.  Everyone wants their own intro music.  Sometimes music makes me want to do those high flying acrobatic moves, which I cannot do.  That is probably more a guy thing.

I love those reunion type songs.  Where one starts singing and the other partner comes out to finish as a duet.  Or the upbeat choir.  I think I would like that at my funeral.  So it will be fun for the audience.

On another note, that is the end.  Music to your ears I know.

Come fly with me

Last night we heard the buzzing of an unwanted creature.  We were eating dinner and kept hearing the buzzing of roaming fly.  This thing was massive.  You would think that its immense size would make it easy to kill.  Not quite.  I would come close, but could never hit it.

Well one time I did.  I smacked my hands and it fell.  I should have gone with my gut instinct and crushed its guts extinct.  However, as it lay on the floor, I looked for something to pick it up with to dispose of our guest.  Right when I reached down with the napkin, the fly took flight.  It buzzed around a little more disrupting our evening.  Then disappeared or at least I could never find it again.

I guess the fly-ght plan included not getting killed.

The check is in the mail

I had an interesting experience Friday afternoon.  It always happens Friday an hour or so before the end of the day.  I think sometimes Friday is the new Monday.

One of the accounting team members tracks me down and says remember that check you sent Express Mail?  The people did not get it.  Uuuuuggghhh!  Of course I do not have the tracking number.  It did not come off on the paper and I thought I should write it down.  Did I?  Naaa.  So I try to track down the tracking number.  First plan, check the unused Express mail forms.  Problem, not in sequential order.  I have no way of knowing the number.  Second plan, call our local post office.  Problem, they the need to tracking number to do anything.  Dead end.  Third, find the paper.  Problem, in the trash from two days ago.  So I dumpster dive.  After two attempts, I find the paper.  Still blank.

By this time it is time to go.  I think I will go by the post office and maybe a face to face chat will help.  Problem, close to their closing time and the line is out the door.  Plus, I have no information.  So I turn around and go home.

Monday comes.  I get the address to place it was sent. The person in Accounting says it was meant to be sent somewhere else, but in the haste to get it ready for next day did not.  So it went to the place addressed on the check.  So I call the main post office.  The guy says there is nothing he can do, but he gives me the phone number of the post office where it was to be delivered.  I call and talk to the nice person who says....here is the envelope right here.  Apparently the carrier could not get anyone at the business to sign for the Express mail package!  Hmm.  So I say I will see what the people want to do, whether put it out for delivery or have someone pick it up.  The guy in accounting calls his contact and she will have someone from the place it was intended to go pick it up.  So I call back the post office and say someone will pick it up.  I do get the tracking number this time, just in case.

I check the tracking online.  So sign of anything.  Then later I check.  I see the noticed of failed delivery.  Finally check back and see someone signed for it.  I guess it takes awhile for the system to update.

Anyway crisis averted.  The check was truly in the mail.  Somewhere.

Parking a lot

Wendy's parents came into town for a few hours on Saturday.  Wendy's dad wanted to do a picnic lunch at Pullen Park. So we grab lunch at Bojangles'.  Side note...have a senior citizen order the food.  So we grab the food and head to the park.  As we get closer Wendy notices all the cars on the side of street.  Spirits sink lower as we pass each car.  We pull into the parking lot.  No spaces available.  Some event was happening.  That is the second time we have gone on the same day as an event.  The first was some kind of shindig happening in the afternoon, so when we went most of the park was closed.

So after no place to park at the park, we decide to venture to another park.  This one is not that crowded.  Except the cover picnic area.  A group is having a party.  Fortunately, we find a picnic table and enjoy our lunch.  Joy was ready to wander around.

Joy does love being outside.  She seems to enjoy the park.  I am not quite what she enjoys most about park.  She will swing enough to get the phrase, "Out, out" out.  She slides a few times.  Mostly she enjoys walking from here to there.  And pointing out the babies and dogs.

So even though the day did not turn out like we had planned we still had our picnic in the park.

Storms a brewin' the drink of your choice

Even though we have not officially hit summer.  Shh!  Don't tell the temperatures.  We have had the effects of the summer storms.  It seems according to the handy weather icons that clouds have taken over.  Most of the days have rain.  Some days more than others.

I think water is one of those things people like, until it ruins their plans.

To the left of me is alright with me

There is something about leftovers that makes them just as good, if not better, than the first time.  Timing does have a lot to do with this.  I do not imagine it works with anything too old.  It is a good feeling knowing that I do not have to cook and still have decent food available.  It could just be that I do not have to worry about what to eat.  The food is ready to be consumed.

The write stuff

Everything I read has been written down.  So that does show how important writing is.  Just think about contracts.  Most, if not all, are now in written form.

Same with goals apparently.  I have a hard time even coming up with goals.  The experts say write down the goal.  It is one step closer to achieving it.  I guess it makes it more real.  Or someone finds it and says I will help you do this.  So in that case be careful what you write down.

Burying talent in the sand

I do not really understand the show "America's Got Talent."  It seems that show draws everyone out of somewhere.  An aside note, why are all the major competitions going to win a trip to Vegas?  Is Vegas that hard up for people to visit or is it just so people can bet?  Anyway, the people that audition for the Talent show do bizarre things.  One point is that how is that an act?  It might be cool, but I would not pay money to see it on a regular basis.  Most often the acts are disappointing, which I think most people like.

A show that came on after was one that was on a cable network for a few years and I guess is revamped for primetime.  "America's Next Great Ninja Warrior" or something like that.  It had nothing to do with fighting, but people doing extreme obstacle courses.  Of course the winner goes to Vegas.  As strange as it looked these guys are athletes.  They were doing flips off walls.  It was pretty amazing to watch.  Strange, but cool.

It is good that people are using their talents. If a talent is not used then it is only wasted.  Which will then be given to the person with more.  The Bible talks about investing your time and personal responsibility.  Too often we want a quick route to success.  This is probably way off base, but we bury our talent in one place.  Now I will be the first to admit I want everything handed to me.  I am not patient.  I know that I do not use my talent like I should.  I am one to try and let it glide, waiting for the master to return.

I think using talent and using it well is a series of investment.  Be good to your family and work hard.  Then your family will tell your friends.  Your friends will tell your boss.  Then your boss will tell your bank account.

Eeny Meeny Miney Moe

No, those are not the new stooges.  I do wonder how the movie did.  I think I have heard not well.  Yesterday at church was about choice.  The Sunday school lesson, graduation Sunday, and the sermon in some way.

Choice always happen.  Most people say they have no choice.  This means they do not have the choice they want.  The bizarre thing is that choice happens even when you do nothing.  You are still making a choice.  I admit I have a hard time choosing between things.  Some things are a given, of course.  The ready example is food.  I prefer places where I have choice, as long as it is under one price.  That way I do not have to narrow my options.

The majority of my choice seems to involve inaction.  I tend to wait and see what will be given to me.  Or I defer to another judgment.

I think that great people are able to make a choice, even when it is difficult.  Of course it helps to have guidance all along and when a difficult choice comes up, it does not have to be a difficult decision.

The choice is yours.  The question is what are you going to do with it?

Open and shut case

My previous post was about my woes in opening various packaging.  Now it seems that I cannot open lids.  It sounds simple.  Turn and twist.  For some reason my hands do not grasp the concept.  Or the lid is hanging on for dear life.  Or I exhibit superhuman strength when closing something.

I will loosen it for next time.