Memorial Day

Never give up; you never know until you try.

Next Monday is Memorial Day in the U.S.  http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

As I like to do every year, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank every serviceperson and his or her family for making life as I know it possible.  God bless you.

Challenging But Not Overwhelming: A Reminder

Never give up; you never know until you try.

I hope you won't think me a nag if I write again about something most of us need periodic reminders of--setting manageable goals, broken into several steps instead of one giant leap.  We've all done it: decided to do something then tried to do it all at once. We wanted to "get in shape," so we tried to run 5 miles the first exercise session; we found that even if we did manage to run that much the first time out, we couldn't walk the next day.  We set the bar too high, ignoring the basic scientific fact that we can't do everything at once. 

This week, a couple of my students set nearly impossible goals for themselves for what they wanted to accomplish in class.  I told both of them that while I was glad they set the bar high for themselves, I wanted them to reach their goals without killing themselves in the process.  I shared a story from my life, acknowledging that I, too, sometimes fall into the trap of wanting and even trying to do too much at once.  I hope they (and I) will take that lesson to heart.  We need to challenge ourselves, but if we try to do too much at once, we get overwhelmed and nothing gets done, or what does get done isn't done well.  Then we end up taking longer to do something than we would've taken if we'd gone at it slowly and steadily. 

Don't overwhelm yourself.  Slow down.  Take one step at a time.

Lessons With Edward

Never give up; you never know until you try.

The air smells just like laundry straight off the clothesline and feels just like laundry straight from the dryer. Edward can't help himself; he just has to escape and feel the wind in his face as he runs as fast as his legs will carry him. The day beckons, and he must obey. Rules are made to be broken, so he ignores the firm but gentle command of "Don't cross," bolting forward. The leash jerks from his parent's hand, and Edward rushes out of his parent’s grasp and into the arms of freedom.

Poor Edward quickly learns that freedom has a price. In his case, the price is the nasty gash he sustains on one of his legs. The one that will undoubtedly leave a permanent scar as a reminder that rules are there to make his life safer and better.

Edward is my parents' dog, and the other day he was M. I. A. for an hour before he finally returned home. My folks still have no idea what the little guy got into, but he obviously got more than he bargained for.

I've thought a lot this week about little Edward's latest escapade. As I've written before, I'm in the process of making some big changes in my life, and they're not happening as fast as I'd like them to. I know that God has a reason for the supposed slowness of the process, but I still find myself wanting to try to hurry things along. At those times, I try to remind myself that everything has a season and that my job is to live in each one as God would have me to live. If it were time for a different season, then it would be a different season.  As much as I may sometimes hate them, the Lord’s rules are there to make my life safer and better.  His timetable is there to make my life safer and better.  Thanks to Edward, I’ll now have an extra reminder of that every time I look at the scar on his leg.

(Did you notice the homage to "Travels With Charley?"  If you haven't read the book by John Steinbeck, I highly recommend it.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travels_With_Charley

The Test

Never give up; you never know until you try.

I found this jewel on brainyquote.com

Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't. (Richard Bach)

Hurry Sickness

Never give up; you never know until you try.

Those of you who know me are probably laughing at the very idea of me advising someone to slow down.   I often say that I was born early and haven't slowed down since.  I've written about this phenomenon sometimes called "Hurry Sickness."  When I want something to happen, I never want it to happen later, whether later during the current day or later in an unforeseen time period.  I always want things yesterday.

I see the same thing in my students, and I'm forever trying to convince them to slow down and take their time when taking a test.  To wait for things to happen in their natural course.  To do the work necessary to facilitate hoped-for outcomes, sure, but to avoid losing patience or hope when the outcomes seem "slow" in coming.  I've discovered, and I advise them, that hurrying through something makes careless mistakes more likely to happen.  Most of us aren't convinced yet.  I wish we'd hurry up and get the message!

Fear and Negotiation

Never give up; you never know until you try.

As we near the end of another semester, my mind turns once again to beginnings and endings and the fear that can come with them.  Students are graduating.  People everywhere are searching for jobs, moving to new locales for opportunities, or planning moves for better opportunities.  The whole process involves careful research and planning and, hopefully, prayer.  If someone receives a job offer, he or she has to decide whether to negotiate for a better salary.  It can be a wonderful time, and it can be extremely stressful, crazy-making, and scary.

I've written before about fear, quoting the line from "Who Moved My Cheese?" (by Spencer Johnson) that asks the reader what he or she would do if he or she weren't afraid.  When I feel fearful about something, that's the question I ask myself. 

President Kennedy said, "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate." (http://www.brainyquote.com/)  Dictionary.com lists several definitions for "negotiate."  One is "to manage, transact, or conduct," and one is "to arrange for or bring about by discussion and settlement of terms."  I think that covers what someone may encounter in a job search/salary negotiation/relocation scenario.  As you go through the process, don't do it in fear, and don't let fear stop you from doing it.

Happy Easter

Never give up; you never know until you try.

The message of Easter--forgiveness, resurrected dreams, is there for everyone.

Happy Easter!