Everybody's Gotta Be Somewhere

As of right now:
-I am in Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America, Earth, Milky Way galaxy...
-I am in my home, in the living room, lounging on the couch...
-I am with my wife, Elizabeth and step-daughter, Katie...
-It is about 11:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time...
Everybody's gotta be somewhere, and this is where I am. As of now.

Where are you?
Take all the time you need to answer...I'll be here when you get back.

Taking stock of where one is from time to time is probably wise. Am I on track to be where I want to be five years from now? Am I where I want to be education-wise, profession/job/employment-wise, health-wise?
Do I need to make some course-corrections? Is my next move forward, backward, upward, onward, or would I do well to hunker down for a spell?
Back in 2009, Samir Bharadwa suggested posing the following questions to help get a fix on where one is at any given time:
-Where was I back then?
-Where did I want to go?
-Am I getting there?
-Do I still want to go there?
-What stopped me from getting there?
-Did I overreach?
-Did I under perform?
-Did I just not know clearly where I was going?
-What held me back? What distracted me?
-What pushed me in the right direction?
-How does where I wanted to go back then gel with what I now know, to change my path forward?

Well, everybody's gotta be somewhere. I'm good with where I am right now.
And you?

The End of the Line

Who knows when any of us will reach the end of the line? No one, that's who? The big "end of the line," I mean. You know: That's all there is, there ain't no more...Its all over, but the shoutin'...No more tomorrows.
I am 66...fast headed toward 67, and I don't expect to reach the end of the line anytime soon. But I don't know that for sure. Nobody knows that for sure, about me or about anyone else.

So, since I have an unknown amount of time left, it would seem wise that I use that time in ways that move me forward, not backward; that move me in constructive ways, not destructive ways; that lead upward and not downward.
I've run into some dead-ends in my time, haven't you? Sure you have! But dead-ends aren't the end of the line...dead ends are simply invitations to try new directions.
I've failed in my time. Many, many times. Everyone has. But failures aren't the end of the line...failures are simply (even if they really hurt at the time) evidence that you have made attempts and learned from them.
I've lost my way once or twice in my time. I am tempted to think I am not alone in this. But being lost is not the end of the line...being lost may mean setting a new destination, it may mean asking some one or some power to light the path for you, or it may mean retracing your steps until you come to a previous location that is familiar and trustworthy.
And so, since I have not yet reached the end of the line, I want to point out the wisdom of the "word art" picture that is a part of the blog-post: There is always (so long as I am on this side of whatever comes after this life) a way forward. Always. A. Way. Forward. Of course, I will have to seek out that Way and then determine to follow it, as best I can.
And, sometimes I may have to blaze that way forward by myself. Being afraid of going it alone, will not work. Setting off on the way forward can be a solo effort.
But, hey, its not the end of the line! So, there is that.

TRADITION

There aren't a whole lot of traditions in my family. Used to be that Christmas presents only got opened on Christmas morning...but some of the family now opens one (or maybe more) on Christmas Eve. Used to be that my sons and I played Sunday afternoon basketball games in the driveway...those days are long gone. There are some food traditions: Pasquales Pizza will draw anybody within driving range to whatever family unit has purchased it. Hungarian goulash gets everybody around the table...the occasion becomes a special one just because that dish is being served. In recent years, most family get-togethers include games of euchre. Since the sons are grown and have their own families and homes we no longer fight over which Christmas tree ornament gets hung in the more prominent place on the tree: Notre Dame or Purdue. Tradition does dictate that when we do all gather to open presents for whatever celebration, the youngest goes first and the oldest goes last.

And then there is the above twist on the word "tradition" that gives it a negative slant.
Its true, of course, we do sometimes keep doing it the way we have always done it just to keep our comfort-level in check, and ward-off any change. That's too bad, I think.
Don't get me wrong, I do like things to run smoothly and predictably. And, truth is, the older I get the more I am not as excited about change as I once was. I don't think I am at the old-and-crotchety stage yet, but I can probably see it from here.
In writing this blog-post I want to remind myself that always doing it the way I have always done it insures that real life will pass me by...surely and quickly.
So, let's celebrate traditions that keep us grounded in where we have come from and allow us to recall heritage and home, but let's not refuse to greet each new day as one in which new possibilities abound! And maybe new traditions begin.

Speaking of the Truth...

Can you remember the first lie you ever told? If you want me to soften it: Can you remember the first time you enhanced the truth a little?
Here's another one: Can you remember the most recent lie you told?
One more: Can you remember the most recent lie someone told you?
Honks you off when someone does that, doesn't it? Me, too.

The truth will honk me off! Really?
Remember the famous movie scene where Tom Cruse tells Jack Nicholson, "You can't handle the truth!!!" Sure you do. If you don't remember that scene then you need to stop reading this blog-post right now and go rent "A Few Good Men" and watch it!
OK, now that we all are familiar with that line, we need to think about how true the line is in the picture I posted above. There are plenty of times that the truth has the power to really honk me off! Probably you, too.
The trick is to not stay mad only, but to do something about the maddening truth you have just learned.
If you need to apologize to someone, go do it.
If you need to change some behavior, do it.
If you need to let folks know you are changing some aspect of your life based on this new truth you have learned, do it.
If you need to go march, or demonstrate, or rage against the machine, do it.
Be very careful, however, that you get the truth straight...it would be a real shame to fall for another lie.
Its probably a good thing to remember that the whole truth is not always found in one big clump somewhere, more often it is found spread around in several locations and must be pieced together very carefully.

Follow...

I follow the New York Yankees' scores. I follow the Notre Dame football and basketball team scores.
I follow about a half-dozen bloggers' posts.
I follow traffic laws...mostly; that speed-limit thing on the open road not so much sometimes.
I follow several TV shows..."Hawaii 5-0", "Breaking Bad", and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" are the current biggies for me.
If I am reduced to having to read them, I follow written instructions as best I can.

I do not folow anyone on Twitter, although I do follow the posts of many friends and family members on FaceBook.
Sometimes actually following...not merely virtually following...is kinda tricky. Tricky in the sense that to really follow someone (like the picture above suggests) means knowing and understanding (as best one can) the person you are following; tricky in the sense that to really follow someone may just get you to places and positions you would never have thought possible; tricky in the sense that to really follow someone may call forth more humility than you thought you could exercise.
Well, happy following! Make sure, of course, that who you choose to follow is worthy of your time, and trust, and energy.

Lessons From the Game of Euchre

When the family gathers it is not unusual for a euchre game, or two, or more to break out. We are Indiana people...and I am pretty sure that right after basketball, euchre is the state game.
Now of course, in the game of euchre card suits are played against each other and using a card from the suit that is "trump" on a pile of played cards in a hand that are of a different suit means you have "trumped" that trick (a card hand in this game is called a trick), and that you win that hand/trick. Win three of the five tricks in a hand and you score a point (that is, if you or your partner named trump that hand; if the other team named trump, you would get two points...for euchering them); win all five tricks in a hand and you get two points; go alone (play the other two-person team by yourself, not using your partner's cards) and take all five tricks and you score four points. That's all clear, right?

Well, as we approach the weekend that marks 10 years since the events of September 11, 2001...and especially since it is on a Sunday and I am a pastor in a Christian Church...it is important for me to on-purpose direct our attention to some lessons learned from euchre...
Lesson: Peace trumps war!
Lesson: Forgiveness trumps retaliation!
Lesson: Universal Community trumps nation or tribe!
Lesson: Love trumps hate!

As the picture shows, some journeys take great courage! I hope we have enough courage to put those four lessons-learned-from-euchre to practice as we observe the solemnity of this weekend.

It Is Hot!

Central Indiana, along with other places in our country, is setting records this summer for high temperatures, and strings-of-days with high temperatures. Its been in the 90s for a very long stretch of days where I live. It is hot!

Temperature extremes don't sit well with me. I do not like bone-chilling cold. I also do not like sweating-the-minute-you-walk-out-the-door heat. I prefer my temperature range to be, oh say 60 - 80 degrees. Yes, that would work well for me.
Having lived my entire life in either Indiana or southern California, I have never enjoyed my optimal temperature range (my OTR). And of course, beyond the temperature being what it is these days there is the humidity to complain about. And the heat-index (I don't remember having that measurement of discomfort back in the day). And no-zone action day alerts. And what sun-screen number I should apply before going outside during daylight hours.
Here's what I would propose for weather-reporting types: No matter what the temperature really is, report it as being between 60 and 80 degrees. Do NOT report the dew-point, the heat-index, the humidity, the wind-chill factor...nor any of the other fancy ways you have of making me feel miserable. Just keep it simple and let's see if I can adjust better to my surroundings.
Please. It is very imprtant to me to live within my OTR!
And, if you knew me well, it would be important to you, too!