ten years from now

ten years from now
Do you remember who was President of the United States ten years ago? No fair Googling it. George W. Bush. It was the second year of his second term which was determined by a close race against John Kerry. His first term campaign ended with him winning, but not my popular vote. His trouble hinged on his brother's state of Florida...something about really crappy ballots. I’m wondering if we will remember any of the mayhem surrounding this election year. For both Bush campaigning tours, voters were exhausted from watching hopefuls promise everything that they could not deliver. Broadcasters tried countless gimmicks to interest Americans. We weren’t listening, buying, or participating. We just didn’t care. Some days I wish those moments were back.
today
Describing what is occurring today in our democracy is a different kind of “story” than any from the past. How do you convince someone uninterested in voting that their vote could make a difference when any crazy person can speak to millions and change their thinking? How can you argue that every vote counts when our legislature does not model that belief? Where in the world are the Jimmy Carters and the Bob Doles to give voters something to yawn about and accept the fact that democracy works?
what we need
Maybe this year is exactly what voters need…extremes. Conversation is the beginning point for the United States system of government. This year, above all else, people are talking. Wasn’t it conversation that led to a few people leaving their only known world to find a new world? Or folks to sneak unto a ship loaded with tea? When we do elect a new leader in November, I’ll bet those conversations will end. Like it or not, elections keep them going.

lining things up

lining things up
A kid I know often leaves a conversation by focusing his attention on something, or two somethings. He’ll lean his head to one side, close an eye and squint while looking in a direction that doesn’t seem logical to any observer. “What are you doing?” 
“Lining those two things up.,” and he’ll point to two different objects in the distance from where he stands. That is the only explanation he’ll give, but it’s enough. The more I think about “lining things up,” the more I desire to try his method. 
philosophy
If you like the idea of things being in a line, maybe you need a philosophy. Some mantra to live by. A belief set that guides actions. When objects align, my spirit is free. If we choose, all objects can be viewed in straight lines, and so can choices and decisions. Or perhaps something more metaphorical will work: All things connect in time and place for a reason.
just lining things up
Why a person forms a habit is an over-analyzed subject. But why some habits create a person…that begs for consideration. I’ve watched my young friend to know, dropping into using a gun sight mode isn't a decision he makes. It’s a necessary habit, one that makes his view of the world understandable.

cell phone adventure

phone life
Life without a phone. Life with a phone that has no life. Life that is measured by time on a phone. However a person considers that heading. most folks think, “yeah, I need my phone!” Most don't imagine life without one. Here’s my story. Wednesday night before laying my head on a pillow, I try to connect my phone to the charger cord. No luck. The cord popped out once, twice, three times. I gave up, very frustrated and a little anxious. What was I gonna do? The next day, I went to work 45 minutes away from any telephone store. I had a faculty meeting lasted until 5:30. Would my phone have juice until I got to the store? And what would happen if the store could not fix my phone on the spot?
take a deep breath
It is just a electronic device housed in a personalized cover with contact information stored within its casing, and it’s important because it has become an extension of me. Microprocessing genius that it is, my life does not depend on its dependability! Really? I NEED MY PHONE! 
that’s was it
I raced out of the faculty meeting, drove 30 minutes to the telephone store. “Sorry, we don’t work on those.” I rushed another 10 minutes to the Apple store. Finally, I got relief from my obsessionism. A tech repaired my phone. Walking out of the store smiling, high-fiving in my mind, the phone rang. It’s one of my sons. I’m validated!

junk mail?

environmental mail
I’ve spent the last half hour looking at mail that I did not ask to receive. I’m a push-over for dying polar bears, vanishing habitats, or the demise of the monarch’s milkweed. This junk mail war wears me out! When something enters my mailbox, it is treated with respect. Until I read “Urgent Message Inside” or “Do Not Wait To Open” or my favorite “Your Life Depends On This!” Truly, I am not a cynic, a bleeding heart, or any other cliche. I just want to live and let live. Can you tell the era from which I am?
keep on giving
I believe our world works because we live with givers and takers. Basically, most people are both…that makes us balanced. Sometimes I write that check and give; it depends on how I was treated by a bunch of elementary school kids. Often, I tear off my name, because I more afraid of identity theft than the end of this planet, recycle the propaganda, and make room for more mail.
nirvana
When I’m driving into the pinks, purples, and oranges of a sunset on my way home from work, I breathe deeply. I say a prayer of thanks, and I smile. Without junk mail and without anyone to tell me, I say “I love this planet!”