I had conversations with two very good friends tonight. I am thankful that I have these friends and that we can have these conversations.
What more is there to add.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Who Would Do This? And Why?
We were out kayaking tonight. It was a beautiful night. We went to the east or dam end of the lake, and on the dam, were probably 80 dead, rotting and fly covered fish. They were not long dead, and there was a place on the dam where water had splashed up, maybe from a net being dragged up on the dam.
This was very tragic and sad to see. Why would someone catch all those fish, and let them lie to rot? Who would do such a thing? I can guess. Not my favorite thing to think about.
This kind of disregard and disrespect for life is distressing to me. I do not understand it, and I find it very heartbreaking. This kind of action indicates that the perpetrator has no concept of stewardship of living things, of nature.
There was nothing we could do. The fish were dead. I am sorry.
This was very tragic and sad to see. Why would someone catch all those fish, and let them lie to rot? Who would do such a thing? I can guess. Not my favorite thing to think about.
This kind of disregard and disrespect for life is distressing to me. I do not understand it, and I find it very heartbreaking. This kind of action indicates that the perpetrator has no concept of stewardship of living things, of nature.
There was nothing we could do. The fish were dead. I am sorry.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Time Warp
I have thought, all day today, that it was Friday, the 30th of March. I have also thought it was the last day of the month, although I know quite well that the month has 31 days. I am not sure why I am in the time warp.
I have quite a bit of work to finish before the end of the month, and I keep having this sense of panic that it will not be done on time. But, then I realize I have two more days, and what I want to do will not take that long. I am just having trouble getting started. I think doing a little writing tonight has helped, however, and I look forward to getting some serious stuff done tomorrow night.
I have quite a bit of work to finish before the end of the month, and I keep having this sense of panic that it will not be done on time. But, then I realize I have two more days, and what I want to do will not take that long. I am just having trouble getting started. I think doing a little writing tonight has helped, however, and I look forward to getting some serious stuff done tomorrow night.
Mind Overload
Usually, I have a brain drain and can not think of topics about which to write. Currently, I have the opposite problem. I have several topics jotted down, but find when I am sitting down to write, my brain feels like it is on overload, and I can not write anything. I realize I need to approach this, as I approach many problems: break it down into smaller pieces and just do a little bit at a time, until I make the project more manageable.
Just writing a few shorts tonight has helped. They are not the most important things I wanted to write about, but getting the shorts out of the way, so I can concentrate on the more serious, longer pieces has freed up my brain, already.
When all else fails, use a plan that has worked in the past.
Just writing a few shorts tonight has helped. They are not the most important things I wanted to write about, but getting the shorts out of the way, so I can concentrate on the more serious, longer pieces has freed up my brain, already.
When all else fails, use a plan that has worked in the past.
Opening Day
I heard about a couple of home opening schedules for baseball teams a few days ago, so I went to the Major League Baseball site to find out when opening day occurred http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/#date=03/26/2012. I was really really confused when I read the schedule that indicated that there were regular season games on March 28 and 29, and April 4, but spring training continued until April 4. I decided I was somehow misreading the schedule, until I listened to a sports cast last night. And learned that I read the schedule correctly, and that the opening games were being played in Japan!
As a local sportscaster said today, why does opening day for America's pastime occur in Japan? I do not get it.
I do not usually pay attention to opening day except for the Yankees or the Red Sox, so much to my chagrin, as I researched this, I learned that this is not the first time that opening day has not happened on the home front http://espn.go.com/mlb/topics/_/page/mlb-opening-day. So, now I am wondering if this is the first year that opening day occurred before spring training was completed?
Did I miss something somewhere? Isn't opening day when the new season begins, after spring training is finished? Did I get something wrong? Can you explain this to me?
As a local sportscaster said today, why does opening day for America's pastime occur in Japan? I do not get it.
I do not usually pay attention to opening day except for the Yankees or the Red Sox, so much to my chagrin, as I researched this, I learned that this is not the first time that opening day has not happened on the home front http://espn.go.com/mlb/topics/_/page/mlb-opening-day. So, now I am wondering if this is the first year that opening day occurred before spring training was completed?
Did I miss something somewhere? Isn't opening day when the new season begins, after spring training is finished? Did I get something wrong? Can you explain this to me?
Posthumous Recognition
I recently attended an event during which someone was posthumously recognized for the kind and socially correct acts in which he engaged during his life. It was a nice ceremony, and very meaningful to his family. I did not know the individual, but he sounds like the sort of person I would like to have known.
I regret that he was not recognized during his lifetime by this group honoring him. I am not sure why that did not occur, but it is what it is. It made me start to think how many of us wait until someone has died to acknowledge how important they are, how much we appreciate their efforts, and how much they mean to us.
It is sad that these tributes will not be heard by the one about whom they are offered. Why is it that it is often only at death that we take pause to pay tribute. Are we really that busy? Or just too self centered?
Is there someone in your world, maybe a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, a community figure, a mentor, an almost stranger whom you admire? Is it time for you to inform that person how much they and their efforts, beliefs, values, principals, mean to you?
I regret that he was not recognized during his lifetime by this group honoring him. I am not sure why that did not occur, but it is what it is. It made me start to think how many of us wait until someone has died to acknowledge how important they are, how much we appreciate their efforts, and how much they mean to us.
It is sad that these tributes will not be heard by the one about whom they are offered. Why is it that it is often only at death that we take pause to pay tribute. Are we really that busy? Or just too self centered?
Is there someone in your world, maybe a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, a community figure, a mentor, an almost stranger whom you admire? Is it time for you to inform that person how much they and their efforts, beliefs, values, principals, mean to you?
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The Butterfly Effect
I had heard something like this before, but never as graphically as when I read it in a novel a while back. The butterfly effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect. And, since reading it once, I have heard it alluded to many times.
The butterfly effect alludes to the fact that one butterfly flapping its wings may alter an air current that may alter the path of a storm, such as a tornado, and therefore, influence what impact the storm has It has been more eloquently stated that my succinct version.
The point is, we do no know what effect in the future some small act we may take today will have. We do not know what seeds we plant. How a thoughtless act, good or bad, may impact someone to change what they do, with a resulting ripple or domino effect.
For some of us, the concept of "pay it forward" takes this into consideration: someone does a kind deed for us. We can not pay that person back, due to whatever circumstances, including maybe the deed was truly a random act by a stranger whom we will never meet again, so will not have the opportunity to repay. But, when faced with the option in the future, we do a kind deed for someone else, possibly a stranger, also maybe randomly, not expecting any pay back, but hoping this person, too, will "pay it forward."
Another example or version of this is the nursery rhyme, "For Want of a Nail" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail_(proverb) . This is an excellent example of the progression that can occur from a small act or omission.
When we go about our lives, maybe we need to spend more time thinking about the consequence of our small actions.
The butterfly effect alludes to the fact that one butterfly flapping its wings may alter an air current that may alter the path of a storm, such as a tornado, and therefore, influence what impact the storm has It has been more eloquently stated that my succinct version.
The point is, we do no know what effect in the future some small act we may take today will have. We do not know what seeds we plant. How a thoughtless act, good or bad, may impact someone to change what they do, with a resulting ripple or domino effect.
For some of us, the concept of "pay it forward" takes this into consideration: someone does a kind deed for us. We can not pay that person back, due to whatever circumstances, including maybe the deed was truly a random act by a stranger whom we will never meet again, so will not have the opportunity to repay. But, when faced with the option in the future, we do a kind deed for someone else, possibly a stranger, also maybe randomly, not expecting any pay back, but hoping this person, too, will "pay it forward."
Another example or version of this is the nursery rhyme, "For Want of a Nail" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail_(proverb) . This is an excellent example of the progression that can occur from a small act or omission.
When we go about our lives, maybe we need to spend more time thinking about the consequence of our small actions.
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