Giving Thanks

This is not about Thanksgiving although it is less than two weeks away.  This has nothing to do with table grace although if you are reading this at a meal I hope you have already said thank you. ( But please read last Tuesday's blog and put down the phone)

No, this is all about what we have been given.  I have been extremely fortunate over the last 10 days to vacation with my wife on Maui. This is said not to boast but to make a point.

There are millions of people, perhaps more accurately, billions of people on the planet who will never get too  experience what I have during the last ten days.  Millions don't even know where their next meal is coming from and millions are trying to survive on less than two dollars a day.

Yet I come to a vacation destination and read on line about people complaining about the pool, less than impeccable service and an assundry other complaints which in the grand scheme of things amount to nothing more than pettiness.  Especially when consideration is given to the challenges in the world (most recently France ) and the blessings some of us have been given, the least of which is 10 days on Maui.

I gave thanks on the beach as the sun rose the morning after my wife and I arrived.  And I gave thanks as it set Monday afternoon the day before we headed home.  And I have often found myself giving thanks for home because at least I have one.

Remember to be thankful for what you have and thanks for reading this.

Be well

We're Having a Lot of Fun and We're Not Even Drunk!

Fridays are fun days for many people. A day when the atmosphere is a little less tense as we head into the weekend.  It seems the appropriate day to share an of observation of this past week that speaks volumes

As many of you know I am a recovering alcoholic.  (Currently 14 years plus this side of my last drink) So the title takes on even added significance but not for the reason you think.

I was sitting on the beach earlier this week and off to my right were two women and a man having the time of their life.  The tide was coming in off the west shore of Maui and some of the waves were getting higher than they normally do.  The three were body surfing and it became obvious they were doing it for the first time.  Each time a wave would roll in sending them toward shore only to pull them back as the undertow pulled them away from shore, there was this loud unadulterated laughter coming from the group.

I decided to get in the water  myself and one of the women said, "You should try this. We're having a lot of fun and we're not even drunk.  I replied, "Thank you for the title of my next blog post."

There are so many things in life that will give us pleasure if we just let nature work.  Waves producing laughter, smiles as a child accomplishes something, a feeling of contentment by just being aware of our surroundings.  I submit this as proof from the Pools of  Oheo at the Haleakala National Park on the southeast coast of  Maui

We can do so much, enjoy so much and experience so much without  chemical enhancement.

This is not a poster blog for abstinence.  Once of the things I miss the most is a glass of wine at dinner with my wife.  If you have no problem with it, go for it.  But don't go to excess with the idea of having fun.  You'll regret it later that night and the following day. And the fun won't nearly be as long lasting and meaningful as it is when we have full command of our senses.

It's Friday fun day.  Enjoy it,  maybe with the blog title in mind.

Be well

Take a Break and Pass the Potatoes

Take a Break and Please Pass the Potatoes

Many of you probably have a memory that goes something like this.  You would get up on a Sunday morning and go to church.  And after a sometimes invigorating sermon from the preacher (and sometimes not) it was time for Sunday dinner.  This was the only day of the week we would gather around the dining room table for a big meal that my grandmother had started cooking before she left for church.  But it was a time when the family came e together and set aside time to visit.  The family time was practically sacred and it’s why national companies like Hobby Lobby and Iowa based Fareway Food Stores still remain closed on Sunday so employees can spend time with their families. And there were several opportunities during the week at the normal dinner hour in which the family got together for a meal.

 Maybe the memories should be brought back in the 21^st Century.

The fact that fewer and fewer families spend time at the family table may be one of the reasons we find ourselves with many more dysfunctional family unit. There is relatively fresh research indicating the family unit is more cohesive if time is taken several times a week to “break bread together.”

This suggestion may make some shy away from trying and I hope not.

The dinner table should be an electronics free zone.  I concur wholeheartedly with lifestyle columnist Leanne Ely  who argues for conversation without screen time and getting some help with preparing the meal.  Social status email and texts can all wait for half an hour while we reconnect with each other after the day.  This will take work because like anything else you will have to schedule the time which competes with all the activities. The question then becomes what is more important; connecting with your mom, dad, or children  or running four different places after school or work, grabbing a granola bar, and living a post-it-note/text existence  with the family?

Are dining rooms becoming obsolete?  A recent news story we did at WHO referenced a recent survey that indicated forty five percent of the respondents said there were. We need to reduce that percentage, period.  Otherwise we will continue to head down the wrong path and we cannot afford to do that.

Would you please pass the green bean casserole.

Be well.

Confidence 101

There used to be a relatively little known saying that went something like, “When Jim picks up and a hammer and nail local building officials declare a disaster area before he takes the first swing.”

A knack for being a handyman around the house was not something I was good at.  Everything I tried seemed to end up looking terrible or not quite the way it was supposed to be, or in such a manner that even a good calking gun couldn’t save the day.  It was a sorry state of affairs.

Many years ago my church was conducting a cabin building mission effort at the Riverside Bible Camp north of Story City in central Iowa.  I volunteered, not so much because my construction expertise but  because maybe I could help in another way.  But what happened over those two summers was the novice at construction actually turned into someone who did not create a disaster on the first swing of the hammer.  It also instilled a level of confidence not available prior to the mission experience and a sense of being able to look at a situation and figure out a direction to take.  (Of course when I’m stymied I call on my youngest son Nick who is much more handyman savvy than his step dad) My confidence level is much higher these days when it come to the hammer and even a few other tools.

Confidence is “the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust:” (Oxford  Dictionary)

 I had confidence in my son to help when I would get stuck.  I contend we only have to practice doing something  in order to gain confidence.  If you are not too confident in the kitchen, start with simple recipes and master them.  Then go on to more complicated dishes.   If you lack confidence in public speaking, it will be bolstered the more you do it.  (Getting a few tips along the way from an accomplished public speaker won’t hurt.) 

I have confidence when I hire a professional in an area where I lack expertise.

I believe attaining a level of confidence will increase the more you work at the activity and it is  usually true for most activities.  

If for some other reason you find yourself still falling short, then there is nothing damaging to self-confidence if you call for reinforcements like a son, daughter, wife or a professional.