GJ Day 5: Podcasts

Everyone talks about them; lots of people can't stand them, but me?  I'm a fan.  A big fan.

What started as an attempt to build communities, educate others, and for some, get their name more well known has become a massive market, filled with highly-produced, polished, and informative sessions that we listen to in the car, on a run, or while working in the garage.

Back in the day, it was radio, but that was a 'listen or miss it' scenario; podcasts give us the ability to transcend time, to listen to content that we are interested in on our own schedule.  Right now, one podcast i'm listening to is a few years old, but it's about the Constitution, so all still relevant.  Another is just a few months old, and the way they talk about Coronavirus almost seems quaint, like it's just a cold that everyone's getting.  

But the other benefit is also the ability to select your topic and your attention span.   I get the 10 minute headlines in the morning, but also the 45 minute indepth look at politics, or science, or the Supreme Court, along with my shows about endurance running, and of course, Wait, Wait, Dont Tell Me, and Car Talk (even if only in repeats)

My favorites are still the original types - lone podcasters or a couple of friends, who just want to get together and talk, share what they know, and hope that others want the same.  They don't (usually) carry ads, they don't worry about the size of their audience, and they don't over-produce.  For me on my runs, those are like carrying on a conversation with someone, when I'm too winded to talk much. 

Gratitude journal - Day 4 (GJ4): Boy Scouts

These days may not be the best time to discuss Scouting in a positive light.  This has been a rough year for Scouting given the number of negative headlines in the press, lawsuits (legitimate and otherwise) and the bankruptcy of the National Unit.   

But I'm still a believer, and I'm still a fan.  Scouting had enormous impacts on me and my sons, and continues to be a phenomenal program for building character, discipline, honor, and skills within our children.  I say children, not just boys, because Scouting evolves, and in my town, the first female Eagle Scouts will be celebrated in just a few months, having completed the same courses as the boys who precede them.

Through my involvement, I have seen Scouting's effects on teenagers, helping them to mature, accept responsibility, become leaders, and become better citizens.  There have been several Scouts whose lives I have seen turned in such a positive direction, largely due to the positive male role models that they encounter through the program.  

I sincerely hope that Scouting will emerge from it's current troubles, that the safety protocols put in place years ago will continue to function to protect our scouts, and that the Scouting program continues to grow and, filling the voids in some teens' lives, and enriching many of them.

GJ Day 3: Going the extra mile

It's two days after Thanksgiving and today we put up our Christmas tree. This is always a time of memories, as most of our ornaments have some connection to our past and our travels. 

This year, I was reminded of our years in Spain, especially those first days when we didn't know anything, didn't have anything, didn't speak the language, and were having a terrible time getting anything done.

To wit: In our first week in Spain, we were at the local hypermarket (imagine a supermarket and an entire department store combined in one building), trying to buy some of the necessities for our new house, including a bed and mattress.  We had two young children (3 and 5) and spent what felt like an hour looking at beds and wondering how the process worked.  No one was coming to ask if we needed help, and we had no idea how to communicate that we wanted to buy one (would you carry a mattress up to the cash register?)

So we went to the cash register and asked (in horribly broken Spanish, we now realize) how to purchase a bed and mattress, knowing only the word for bed, and not mattress.  The poor cashier who had to deal with us had no idea what we wanted, as she spoke no Engish, and we were not even functionally illiterate in Spanish.

Enter the stranger.  A Spaniard, who overheard our troubles, and stepped in to help.  He didn't work there, he was just another customer, there with his wife to shop for something, who saw people in distress and didn't walk away.  He offered himself to act as translator, not only of the language, but of the process.  His English wasn't perfect, but it was but it was a godsend, and through trial and error, he was able to tell us that we ordered now, and EVERYTHING was delivered.  He stayed and worked through the whole process with us and the cashier, and didn't leave until he was sure everything was taken care of.

Just as in the story of the Good Samaritan, this man could have kept going, ignored our plight, and forgotten about us in no time.  But rather than do that, he sacrificed his time and energy to help complete strangers, who hadn't even respected his country enough to learn how to communicate.  It was an honorable and noble thing to do, and I've not forgotten it.

These people are everywhere.  They don't get the attention that the "Karens" of our culture do; they're not the troublemakers, they're the trouble-stoppers.  The people who, through small gestures, make a difference in the lives of the people they meet.  It could be holding the door open for someone, helping carry a big package to someone's car, stopping by a car on the side of the road to see if someone needs help, or even just smiling and asking a sincere "How are you?", especially in these times of communal discomfort.

They're hard to see - so few of us call out attention to these people, their small acts of kindness get lost in the noise of our environments, sometimes not even recognized by the people they benefit.  Such people aren't after recognition, though; they do these small things just because they're the right thing to do.  That's where nobility is truly seen.

Gratitude Journal (GJ) Day 2: My job

 No, before you ask, these are in no particular order, other than what comes to mind when I sit down to write.

I'm not sure how many people would list their job as something they are grateful for, except for maybe those for whom their job is their lifeline.  Mine has always been more than that, even though at times (like now) I wonder whether it is what I am supposed to be doing.

But my job and my career have been good to me.  They helped solidify my relationship with my wife, took me around the world (literally, to six of the continents!) and gave me the financial stability that I desired for many years.  I have also learned a lot about myself and about other people, other perspectives, other cultures and other ways of thinking about issues, in a way that I would never have done before.

That said, it's not always pleasant, it's not always easy, and it's frequently frustrating.  I deal with issues of ambition, disappointment, frustration, and uncertainty all the time.  But even those create learning experiences, including learning about myself and my own motivations.  

There's no telling how long I have left in this career, but I'm hoping that I can take what I have learned, and apply it in new ways, to new organizations, or even to go into teaching the next generation (or so), but in looking back, I have to appreciate where a summer internship has taken me.

Gratitude Journal (GJ) - Day 1: I'm alive!

 I'm no good at keeping a journal.  I recognize that now.

So for the next 30 days, Thanksgiving through Christmas 2020, I'm going to try to keep a journal with a purpose.  While Gratitude is becoming the new 'in' thing, it's a relative stranger to me, so I'm taking the next 30 days to reflect daily on something I am grateful for in the world, in a year where so many people have so many reasons to focus on their troubles, not on their happiness. We'll see how consistent I'll be.

Today, I've been thinking about just being grateful that I'm alive, when and where I am.  I've made it to middle age (some would say past that), and I'm still basically in one piece.  There are many people I've known through the years who didn't make it this far, due to car accidents, overdoses, cancer, and most recently, COVID.  

But it's more than that - I'm grateful for the time I'm living in, where science has progressed to the point where we can defend against pandemics and prevent diseases from overwhelming us.  In a time where people can learn almost anything, and become what they want to be, rather than just what tradition and culture requires us to be.  In a society where we are free to complain about almost anything, including our leaders and our own society and culture, without fear of institutional retribution (even though society can respond negatively about the thoughts we express).  

And in a time where communication can be instant and 'personal' in that we can see each other and talk to each other in real time, rather than only by e-mail, telephone, or letter.  It's still not the same as being able to see people in person, but when I am talking to people online when they are on the other side of the planet, or even just a few (hundred) miles away, and can see their faces and their body language, and hear the nuances in their voices, it's a pretty close second to being there.

So I'm glad I'm here, and I'm glad that 'here' is what it is, even if we're a bit gloomy right now.  And if anyone is reading this, I'm glad you're here too, but more on that in a later post.