This is a story about a man who was in need of some "me" time, where he could get away from everything and everybody and just spend some time alone with his thoughts. I was listening to my Sirius radio in my car when I heard him telling about his experience, but I can't remember his name, so I guess, for now at least, he will have to remain anonymous. He said things had not been going his way, and he just needed some solitude where he could gather his thoughts and maybe have some one on one communication with God, and apparently, he got his wish. He drove out to the base of the mountain, parked his car, and found a place where he could lay back and observe the beauty of God's creation. It was a gorgeous day...you know the kind of day I'm talking about...the temperature was perfect, there were a few big white fluffy clouds floating around in the sky, topped off with a soft, pleasant southerly breeze. He said as he lay there, just soaking up all the magnificence of his surroundings, he spotted a large eagle with its wings spread as it lazily glided around in the autumn sky, adding that final touch of perfection to an already flawless day. He felt that if there was ever an ideal time to hear from God, this would be it. He was about to hear from God alright, but what he didn't realize was that in order for him to receive the message that God had for him, those perfect conditions he was experiencing would have to be altered.
The change was sudden. One minute he was enjoying the soft breeze whispering in from the south, and the next minute it shifted, adopting a new identity as a hard, steady north wind. With the shift of the wind, his attitude made a similar adjustment, and he then realized that he was apparently not alone in his frustration as he heard what he described as angry squawks from the eagle overhead. Or maybe it was God speaking through the voice of the eagle, directing his attention toward the sky so that he could witness a demonstration that would provide for him the message that he had come to receive. He thought about how if the shifting wind had had such a dramatic effect on him on the ground, how much more of an impact it must be having on that eagle above his head; but it was the eagle's next move that drove home the point that he so desperately needed. Instead of ducking for cover, that giant bird simply adjusted his wings and turned to face the raging wind, causing it to begin to gain altitude. He said that although he was becoming uncomfortably cold with the new chill factor that was now in effect, he just couldn't take his eyes off of that eagle as it soared higher and higher into the heavens. Soon it was nothing more than a tiny speck in the sky. Message received. He then walked back to his car with a brand new attitude and a brand new determination: "I will turn and face that which has come against me and use it to lift me higher and higher."
As we welcome the dawning hours of 2011, I've decided that instead of making a page full of resolutions that are unlikely to be kept, I'm going to make just one big one and do my dead level best to see it to fruition. If you would like to know what it is, just go back and reread the last sentence in the previous paragraph. In fact, I'm going to state it one more time, if for no other reason, to re-enforce it in my own mind: "I will turn and face that which has come against me and use it to lift me higher and higher." If you stop and think about some of the greatest names in the history of our nation, and determine what it was that made each one of them great, you will find that in each situation, the one thing that made each one of those men and women become models of our inspiration, it is how they reacted to adversity. That's easy for us to say, but ladies and gentlemen, the problems those heroes faced were real and obviously weighed heavy on each of their minds. It's impossible for me to reach my full potential without facing head on and overcoming difficult situations in my life. I've never heard of a book called "Great Wimps of American History." I must admit that I detest adversity with all of my heart, but if that's what it takes to make me become the man that I need to be, then I'll turn and look it straight in the eye and say, "Bring it on."
Happy New Year!
Preston
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hate feeling guilty. I hate it so much that I've been searching for ways to avoid it. Feelings of guilt cause me to feel uncomfortable, so I've decided to do everything I can to keep from having those feelings, and I've made some interesting discoveries in the process. For example, do you know what causes a person to feel guilty? It's guilt. Usually, a person will FEEL guilty because he IS guilty. I've come up with two ways of avoiding feelings of guilt, and that's what I want to discuss with you now. As an example, we'll pretend that we're having these feelings because we see someone who is hurting and in desperate need of assistance from someone, and we feel bad because we know we should be doing something, but, for whatever reason, we're not doing it...hence, feelings of guilt.
Sometimes guilty people LOOK guilty. Barney Fife could always tell if someone was guilty by their eyes. Either they had "beady" eyes, or they had "shifty" eyes. Defense attorneys have figured that out as well, so when they bring their client into court, they will give him a good shave and haircut, and put him in a really nice fitting suit and tie so that it will make him appear to be an exemplary citizen. But judges are aware of this also, and they are trained to look beyond appearance and social status and only focus on the letter of the law and how it applies when weighed against the facts of the case. Therefore, he or she can pronounce judgment and go home that night with the satisfaction of a job well done, knowing that justice was served based on solid facts, and the ones on trial were getting their just reward. With that in mind, I can now relay to you the first way to avoid feeling guilty when we don't help someone who is in need.
Point 1 on how to avoid feeling guilty for not helping a person in need: Become that person's judge. All you have to do is look at a person who is struggling and then look back at his life, making note of all the mistakes he has made in the past. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to justify your lack of action when you can make the determination that he is getting exactly what he deserves. I can even give you some lines to use as you pronounce his sentence: How about this one? "Well, he had it coming. It serves him right." Here's a good one: "He made his bed, now he can lie in it." The best one is: "Well, now maybe he'll think twice before he pulls that kind of stunt again." I promise you that if you try this method, it will definitely help you wash those guilty feelings right on down the drain. However, there is one little side effect you may want to consider if you use this method. If you try this on someone, then someone else will do the same thing to you. "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive." (Matthew 7:1-2 New English Translation) It seems like I also saw something in there that says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Hmmmm....maybe we should take a look at point two.
Point 2 on how to avoid feeling guilty for not helping a person in need: Help that person. Even if you know his past and everything he's done to bring on the suffering he is facing, if you will stop and consider your own transgressions, it will be easier to overlook his. That way, his past actions will not become a part of the equation. One of my good friends once told me a story about how he had to forgive someone for one of the most inexcusable acts you can imagine. I hope to get him to write his story for all of us one day and I'll post it on this blog, but for now, just take my word, if he could forgive in his situation, none of the rest of us have any excuses.
I wouldn't be qualified to write about this if I hadn't tested both ways, but I will admit, I've tried points one and two, and I'm now ready to make my recommendation. I found that the consequences for using Point one were a little bit more than what I'm willing to accept; yet I do have to mention that there is also a side effect for using Point two. The feeling of satisfaction you will experience for knowing that you have made a positive difference in someone's life will give you a high that no drug could ever match, and it has the potential to start your life down a whole new path where you've never been before. I think the choice is obvious.
That's my Christmas sermon.
Merry Christmas!
Preston
I hate feeling guilty. I hate it so much that I've been searching for ways to avoid it. Feelings of guilt cause me to feel uncomfortable, so I've decided to do everything I can to keep from having those feelings, and I've made some interesting discoveries in the process. For example, do you know what causes a person to feel guilty? It's guilt. Usually, a person will FEEL guilty because he IS guilty. I've come up with two ways of avoiding feelings of guilt, and that's what I want to discuss with you now. As an example, we'll pretend that we're having these feelings because we see someone who is hurting and in desperate need of assistance from someone, and we feel bad because we know we should be doing something, but, for whatever reason, we're not doing it...hence, feelings of guilt.
Sometimes guilty people LOOK guilty. Barney Fife could always tell if someone was guilty by their eyes. Either they had "beady" eyes, or they had "shifty" eyes. Defense attorneys have figured that out as well, so when they bring their client into court, they will give him a good shave and haircut, and put him in a really nice fitting suit and tie so that it will make him appear to be an exemplary citizen. But judges are aware of this also, and they are trained to look beyond appearance and social status and only focus on the letter of the law and how it applies when weighed against the facts of the case. Therefore, he or she can pronounce judgment and go home that night with the satisfaction of a job well done, knowing that justice was served based on solid facts, and the ones on trial were getting their just reward. With that in mind, I can now relay to you the first way to avoid feeling guilty when we don't help someone who is in need.
Point 1 on how to avoid feeling guilty for not helping a person in need: Become that person's judge. All you have to do is look at a person who is struggling and then look back at his life, making note of all the mistakes he has made in the past. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to justify your lack of action when you can make the determination that he is getting exactly what he deserves. I can even give you some lines to use as you pronounce his sentence: How about this one? "Well, he had it coming. It serves him right." Here's a good one: "He made his bed, now he can lie in it." The best one is: "Well, now maybe he'll think twice before he pulls that kind of stunt again." I promise you that if you try this method, it will definitely help you wash those guilty feelings right on down the drain. However, there is one little side effect you may want to consider if you use this method. If you try this on someone, then someone else will do the same thing to you. "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive." (Matthew 7:1-2 New English Translation) It seems like I also saw something in there that says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Hmmmm....maybe we should take a look at point two.
Point 2 on how to avoid feeling guilty for not helping a person in need: Help that person. Even if you know his past and everything he's done to bring on the suffering he is facing, if you will stop and consider your own transgressions, it will be easier to overlook his. That way, his past actions will not become a part of the equation. One of my good friends once told me a story about how he had to forgive someone for one of the most inexcusable acts you can imagine. I hope to get him to write his story for all of us one day and I'll post it on this blog, but for now, just take my word, if he could forgive in his situation, none of the rest of us have any excuses.
I wouldn't be qualified to write about this if I hadn't tested both ways, but I will admit, I've tried points one and two, and I'm now ready to make my recommendation. I found that the consequences for using Point one were a little bit more than what I'm willing to accept; yet I do have to mention that there is also a side effect for using Point two. The feeling of satisfaction you will experience for knowing that you have made a positive difference in someone's life will give you a high that no drug could ever match, and it has the potential to start your life down a whole new path where you've never been before. I think the choice is obvious.
That's my Christmas sermon.
Merry Christmas!
Preston
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXLIX
Whenever I say what I have to tell you today, regardless of what it is, I'll be exercising one of the liberties that our nation provides and that everyone on earth deserves...the freedom of speech. It is my right to express my opinion, and I do it often. I'm sure you do the same. If I don't like the way you fix your hair, although it may be unwise for me say it, I have a legal right to let the whole world know how I feel. There's just something about letting other people know how we feel about whatever is on our minds that gives us a feeling of satisfaction...like we've released a pressure valve that allows us to blow off some steam.
Now I'm not an argumentive type of person, so if you express your opinion to me, and I disagree with you, chances are I'll exercise the right that I have to remain silent. (That's a right we don't take advantage of often enough.) So if it's an argument you're looking for, you should probably express your opinion to someone else. That leads me to this question: What is our real purpose for letting our views be known? Are we looking for someone to agree with us so it will give us a confirmation that our opinions are not ours alone? Are we trying to convince others that our way is correct and if they have a different opinion, they need to change it so that it will be more in line with our view? Here's the truth of the matter: I really want to express my opinion more than I want to hear yours. I'm not saying that I have no interest in what you have to say; in fact, the exact opposite is true. I do want to know how you feel, and obviously, you also want to know how I feel, or you wouldn't be reading this article. However, what I really want to know, far more than anything else, is the truth. I've often heard it said that there are three ways to do everything--your way, my way, and the right way. None of our opinions are worth a hill of beans if they don't line up with the truth.
The two topics where people in general are the most vocal with their views and where they can usually get other people stirred up the quickest are politics and religion. In politics, we normally have opposite opinions between the liberals and conservatives, or the Democrats and Republicans. I know that neither side is right 100% of the time, and I also know that people on both sides are very passionate about their views, but somewhere in there is a way that's best, and that's what I'm looking for. One thing I've learned, however, is that I'll never know which way is right unless I approach the subject with an open mind. I'm afraid that all too often, we form our views, and then go searching for facts to back them up. That's even true on the topic of religion. I'm convinced that sometimes we form our beliefs and then go to the Bible to find scriptures to help us prove our point, and, believe it or not, it's not that hard to do if we take isolated scriptures out of context and interpret them to match up with our pre-conceived notions. What we should do is go to the Bible first and study it with a completely open mind, reading each verse within its context and accepting the intent of the writer when he penned those words. I was still a fairly young man when my dad passed away, and one day, not long after that, I was thinking about him as I was alone in my vehicle, and it dawned on me that I believed the way I did because he and my mom had brought me up that way. I said to myself out loud, "That's not good enough." I do believe that my parents raised me right, but it was something I had to find out for myself. I had to base my beliefs on truth and not on my heritage. My entire attitude changed at that moment.
Have you ever stopped to think about truth? Truth is pure. There are no imperfections found in truth. Truth doesn't have degrees. A statement is either true, or it's false. It's incorrect to say that something is 98% true, because a statement that is 98% true is 100% false. So, feel free to express your opinions to me, and I'll listen to them, if you'll listen to mine. Please understand, however, that my ultimate quest is not for anyone's opinion, just truth. Because, you see, one thing that I've learned in this search for what is real and pure is that my freedom comes from knowing the truth. Therefore, the absence of truth equals the absence of freedom. Nothing else matters.
Preston
Now I'm not an argumentive type of person, so if you express your opinion to me, and I disagree with you, chances are I'll exercise the right that I have to remain silent. (That's a right we don't take advantage of often enough.) So if it's an argument you're looking for, you should probably express your opinion to someone else. That leads me to this question: What is our real purpose for letting our views be known? Are we looking for someone to agree with us so it will give us a confirmation that our opinions are not ours alone? Are we trying to convince others that our way is correct and if they have a different opinion, they need to change it so that it will be more in line with our view? Here's the truth of the matter: I really want to express my opinion more than I want to hear yours. I'm not saying that I have no interest in what you have to say; in fact, the exact opposite is true. I do want to know how you feel, and obviously, you also want to know how I feel, or you wouldn't be reading this article. However, what I really want to know, far more than anything else, is the truth. I've often heard it said that there are three ways to do everything--your way, my way, and the right way. None of our opinions are worth a hill of beans if they don't line up with the truth.
The two topics where people in general are the most vocal with their views and where they can usually get other people stirred up the quickest are politics and religion. In politics, we normally have opposite opinions between the liberals and conservatives, or the Democrats and Republicans. I know that neither side is right 100% of the time, and I also know that people on both sides are very passionate about their views, but somewhere in there is a way that's best, and that's what I'm looking for. One thing I've learned, however, is that I'll never know which way is right unless I approach the subject with an open mind. I'm afraid that all too often, we form our views, and then go searching for facts to back them up. That's even true on the topic of religion. I'm convinced that sometimes we form our beliefs and then go to the Bible to find scriptures to help us prove our point, and, believe it or not, it's not that hard to do if we take isolated scriptures out of context and interpret them to match up with our pre-conceived notions. What we should do is go to the Bible first and study it with a completely open mind, reading each verse within its context and accepting the intent of the writer when he penned those words. I was still a fairly young man when my dad passed away, and one day, not long after that, I was thinking about him as I was alone in my vehicle, and it dawned on me that I believed the way I did because he and my mom had brought me up that way. I said to myself out loud, "That's not good enough." I do believe that my parents raised me right, but it was something I had to find out for myself. I had to base my beliefs on truth and not on my heritage. My entire attitude changed at that moment.
Have you ever stopped to think about truth? Truth is pure. There are no imperfections found in truth. Truth doesn't have degrees. A statement is either true, or it's false. It's incorrect to say that something is 98% true, because a statement that is 98% true is 100% false. So, feel free to express your opinions to me, and I'll listen to them, if you'll listen to mine. Please understand, however, that my ultimate quest is not for anyone's opinion, just truth. Because, you see, one thing that I've learned in this search for what is real and pure is that my freedom comes from knowing the truth. Therefore, the absence of truth equals the absence of freedom. Nothing else matters.
Preston
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXLVIII
I remember being called a monkey. It's a faint memory, but I can recall my dad calling me a little monkey due to some hi-jinx I had played on them many years ago when I was a small child. So.....I guess that proves evolution is real, huh? Yes, I am serious. If I was a monkey then and I'm not now, that means that some kind of change has taken place over the past few decades. Now I know that you are probably wondering if I have ever considered the possibility that maybe my dad might have been joking when he called me a monkey. No, I've never wondered about that at all, because I know without a doubt that he was joking. He joked like that a lot, but it doesn't disprove my theory of evolution.
What is evolution anyway? I'll give you my definition. Evolution: Slow, gradual changes or adaptations that take place over long periods of time. The root word is "evolve." I use that term quite a bit when people ask me about my livelihood and how I got started doing what I do. You see, I'm an independent sales agent, specializing in licensed products with collegiate logos. I began this business in 1986, but when I first started, I had no collegiate products whatsoever, and now, that's almost all I do. The change didn't take place overnight, but over the course of a couple of decades, my business slowly "evolved" into what it is today.
So now let me get back to being called a monkey by my dad. He called me a monkey because I had been acting like one. That was at least a half-century ago, and I don't recall ever being called a monkey since that time. Now I don't deny that I was acting like a monkey back then, and although, technically, I'm still the same person I was then, in a lot of ways, I'm a totally different individual. My basic personality, which I inherited from my dad, has pretty much stayed the same as it's always been, although certain aspects of it have "evolved" down through the years. My self confidence, for example, which, on a scale of one to ten, would barely have registered back then; and now it has climbed to a level of somewhere close to a five. The things that made me laugh in those days may barely get a chuckle out of me today. Another bit of evolution that has taken place has to do with my level of vulneralability. When I was a child, I would take anything that practically any adult said as the absolute gospel. As gullible as I was then, that's how skeptical I am now. When someone tells me something, they need to be able to back up what they say. (I'll be talking in depth about that subject next week.) Here's another change that has taken place: Up until just a few years ago, when it was mealtime at one our big family get-togethers, I felt like I needed to gorge myself until I was absolutely miserable; now I've learned that one plate of food is all I need, and I can have just as good a time and feel better about myself in the process. I've also seen an evolution in the way I feel about celebrities such as singers & musicians, actors, or athletes. It used to thrill me to see or meet anyone famous, but I now view them as regular people, and I'm definitely not influenced by their political opinions, regardless of how good an actor they are. I'm much more even tempered today than I was a few years ago, yet I am less likely now to tolerate sub-standard service from any type of business. Yes, I'm a changed man.
If I were to list all the ways I've evolved down through the years, it would take way too much space and time, and you wouldn't want to read it all anyway, but I think you get the message. In fact, you can probably identify with much of what I'm saying. So, does evolution mean the same thing as maturity? In this case, it probably does.
Preston
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXLVII
I was laughing so hard that my side was hurting, I had tears in my eyes, and I was having some mildly violent coughing spells...all brought about by my laughter. I was on one of my many business trips to Las Vegas, and someone had given me some tickets to a Jay Leno performance while I was there, and it was during his show that I was getting so tickled. But it wasn't just me. It was a sell-out crowd, and everyone in the building was reacting the same way I was. For an hour and forty-five minutes, he stood up there and told joke after joke, and the response he was getting was overwhelming. After it was over and I was back in my hotel room, I started thinking about the evening, and I began wondering what it would have been like if I had been the only one to show up at his performance. What if it was just me sitting there on the front row of the auditorium, and he put on the exact same show? Would I have laughed as much and as hard as I did when the place was packed? I don't think so. What if I was alone in my hotel room and I watched him put on the same show on television? I would have enjoyed it, and I may have even chuckled a few times, but there's something about being a part of the crowd that makes us open up our emotions a little more.
Here's something else I've noticed: I've been sitting in church when the preacher says something funny and everyone in the building will laugh at what he says, but we don't just laugh...we look around at each other while we're laughing. Have you ever noticed that? Why do we do that? I'm sure there have been numerous studies on that subject, so maybe I should look into it and find out. I'm not sure why we do it, I just know that we do. Do we become more emotional when we're with other people?
Let me give you another example from the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I was in a hotel room in Texarkana, Arkansas when my cell phone rang shortly after four in the morning. It was my brother, Stan, and he was calling to tell me that our brother, Roland, had just passed away. I was devastated. I got up and showered, ate a quick bite of breakfast, and headed home. Sometime in mid-afternoon, I sat down at my computer and began writing a "Thinking Out Loud" blog about him. Up to that point, I had spent the entire day alone, and although my heart was crushed, I had not yet shed a single tear. I was sitting at the computer, staring at the screen, almost done with my writing, when Angie arrived home from work. When she walked into my office where I was, I broke down and began to sob. There was just something about having her there with me that made me open up and release the emotions that were bottled up inside me. Have you ever attended a wake, and when you approach a member of the family of the deceased, they will begin to cry when you greet them? You shouldn't feel bad about that, because that person has just demonstrated that you're someone that can help them express their grief in their time of emotional distress.
One other observation: I've also noticed when someone snaps and starts shooting people for no apparent reason, let's say at a school, one thing that we usually hear about that person is that he was a loner. I'm not a psychologist, but I have to wonder if people who don't have other people in their lives with whom they can release their emotions may be more likely to lose it and start doing crazy things that most people would never dream of doing. It sounds logical and entirely possible.
I am so blessed. I have so many friends and family members to share life with...to laugh with, to cry with...people who, when I'm around them, I can let go and just be myself. Not only can I be myself in their presence, but they're also the people who help to make me what I am and what I desire to become. So, just who are these people? Well, one of them is you! Because you're who you are, I can be who I am. Yes, I thank God for you!!
Preston
Here's something else I've noticed: I've been sitting in church when the preacher says something funny and everyone in the building will laugh at what he says, but we don't just laugh...we look around at each other while we're laughing. Have you ever noticed that? Why do we do that? I'm sure there have been numerous studies on that subject, so maybe I should look into it and find out. I'm not sure why we do it, I just know that we do. Do we become more emotional when we're with other people?
Let me give you another example from the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I was in a hotel room in Texarkana, Arkansas when my cell phone rang shortly after four in the morning. It was my brother, Stan, and he was calling to tell me that our brother, Roland, had just passed away. I was devastated. I got up and showered, ate a quick bite of breakfast, and headed home. Sometime in mid-afternoon, I sat down at my computer and began writing a "Thinking Out Loud" blog about him. Up to that point, I had spent the entire day alone, and although my heart was crushed, I had not yet shed a single tear. I was sitting at the computer, staring at the screen, almost done with my writing, when Angie arrived home from work. When she walked into my office where I was, I broke down and began to sob. There was just something about having her there with me that made me open up and release the emotions that were bottled up inside me. Have you ever attended a wake, and when you approach a member of the family of the deceased, they will begin to cry when you greet them? You shouldn't feel bad about that, because that person has just demonstrated that you're someone that can help them express their grief in their time of emotional distress.
One other observation: I've also noticed when someone snaps and starts shooting people for no apparent reason, let's say at a school, one thing that we usually hear about that person is that he was a loner. I'm not a psychologist, but I have to wonder if people who don't have other people in their lives with whom they can release their emotions may be more likely to lose it and start doing crazy things that most people would never dream of doing. It sounds logical and entirely possible.
I am so blessed. I have so many friends and family members to share life with...to laugh with, to cry with...people who, when I'm around them, I can let go and just be myself. Not only can I be myself in their presence, but they're also the people who help to make me what I am and what I desire to become. So, just who are these people? Well, one of them is you! Because you're who you are, I can be who I am. Yes, I thank God for you!!
Preston
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXLVI
I was reading an extremely interesting book, and since we were visiting relatives in central Oklahoma, I decided to go find a place outdoors where I could find some much needed relaxation and do some reading. I found it on a park bench high on a hill overlooking beautiful Lake Eufaula. I would read a while, and then I would put my book down and just gaze out over the horizon at the beautiful countryside that surrounded me. It makes me want to read that book again, if for no other reason, just to bring back the pleasant memories of the two hours I spent up there with my book and my gorgeous surroundings. If you've never been to Lake Eufaula, you should plan a trip up there soon. If you like to fish, there's great fishing...if you like water sports, there's no better place...or if you just like sit back and relax like I did, this is the place for you. I can't wait 'til my next trip up there.
Now, let me tell you about another body of water, but I'm not recommending a trip to this one. I've never actually seen it, but I've read about it, and to be honest with you, there are so many beautiful places in the world that I've never seen, that I would not want to waste my time going to this place, which, according to what I've read, is anything but beautiful. It's found in Israel and Jordan, and it's called The Dead Sea. It is the saltiest body of water on earth, several times more salty than the oceans. It contains no fish, and you'll never see birds flying over. I even read where it emits a very unpleasant odor. It's just not the kind of place I want to visit. Even its name is depressing.
So, if we compare The Dead Sea to Lake Eufaula, why is it that one of them is such a pleasant place while the other is so detestable? I had never even thought to compare the two until I heard a statement from my friend, Jimmy Douglas, but now that I think about it, what he had to say makes a lot of sense. Lake Eufaula is fed by the Canadian River and then, below the dam, the river is fed by the lake. The lake takes the water that it needs and sends the rest on down stream to benefit other communities along its path. Yes, the lake receives, but it also gives back. As for The Dead Sea, there are several streams that flow into it, primarily the Jordan River, but nothing flows out. The statement that my friend made was: "The Dead Sea is such an unpleasant place because it doesn't give...it only receives." Wow! That's it. That's the difference between the two bodies of water. One is a receiver and a giver, while the other is only a receiver, and no one wants to be around the one that is a receiver only.
One thing I've learned is that the same principle that governs those bodies of water also holds true with people. Angie and I were talking just a couple days ago about some friends that we just love to be around, and the one thing that stood out about them is how they are so gracious to those around them. This is the time of year that we celebrate Thanksgiving, and I'm so thankful for my family and friends who fit the description of the ones that I just told you about, but while I'm giving thanks, I also want to add a prayer that I can become that same kind of friend. Lord, don't let me be the kind of person who accepts everything that others have to offer and then moves on to pursue my own interests. Lord, don't allow me to become so full from receiving that I become detestable to those around me. Lord, help me make my decisions based on what's best for society as a whole, and not just my own selfish desires.
As we move out of the Thanksgiving season, we move directly into the season of giving and receiving. This is where my determination to be a giver is tested. How will I do? Will I be like The Dead Sea or Lake Eufaula? We shall see.
Preston
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXLV
Have you ever heard of the Broken Windows Theory? I first learned about it when I read a book called "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. Let me give you a little bit of background information that will help me describe what I'm talking about. In the early 1980's, a crime epidemic hit New York City that was the worst in the city's history, and there didn't seem to be an end in sight. One area where it had really gotten out of hand was in the public transportation system, especially the subways; and it was an incident on the subway that brought it national attention. In 1984, a young man named Bernie Goetz stepped onto a subway car, where he was approached by four thugs who demanded money and threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't meet their demands. Goetz put his hand in his pocket, but instead of producing money, he pulled out a revolver and shot all four of them, although I think they all survived. That incident created a national sensation, and it was the final straw that finally convinced city leaders that something had to be done. The gentlemen who were hired to make the subways a safe place again decided to apply the Broken Windows Theory.
An extremely condensed description of that theory is that if there are homes in a neighborhood who have broken windows, and they are left unrepaired, it is then also easier to overlook other problems that need attention, and then criminals will begin to feel that crimes committed there won't receive as much attention from the public or from law enforcement officials. That was the basic condition of the subway system. The cars were in severe need of repair, and the walls, both inside and out, were covered with graffiti. Many of the turnstiles had been purposely gummed up by the bad guys, and it was estimated that there were at least 175,000 passengers per day who were riding without paying the $1.25 fare. Those areas were what they decided to tackle first. They repaired the broken turnstiles and posted security guards at each station to make sure that all passengers paid their fares. They then replaced many of the cars, and repainted and repaired the rest. If someone painted graffiti on one of the cars, it was taken out of service until it could be repainted. What they found out, almost immediately, was that just those small steps that they had taken brought about a drastic reduction in the crime rate, and the additional revenue that came in from all those who had previously been skipping out on their fares paid for the improvements that were made.
That makes me wonder if I could apply the Broken Windows Theory to my own life. What if I dressed just a little bit better for work every day? Would that make me have a little more positive attitude about myself, which would in turn make me a more positive individual overall, resulting in more successes in my business? What if husbands and wives would make a point to hand out just a couple more compliments each day to their spouses? Or what if parents would vow to speak to their kids with a little more positive attitude each day? Or maybe we could make sure we smile and say "good morning" to our co-workers when we first get to work. What if I would resolve to perform just one random act of kindness for a stranger every day? Here's an idea: We could each determine that we're going to think about what we say before we speak, and, at least once a day, instead of speaking our negative thoughts to those around us, we would keep our mouths shut? Just once a day. Would that make a difference?
I may not be able to change the world all by myself, but if I follow those principles that I just mentioned, I can sure make my own little world a much better place to live. I think I may be surprised by how many people will be affected just by the changes I make in myself. It's definitely easier for me to make improvements on myself than it is for me to improve others...but then, when I make myself a better person, it's bound to rub off on someone else...creating a chain reaction. Hey! Maybe we can change the world after all!
Preston
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXLIV
If I ever decide that I want to apply for a new job, maybe I should include the word "actor" on my resume'. Then, when the interviewer asks me about it, I will explain it like this: "Sometimes when I'm playing basketball and I make a three point shot, I act like it was no big deal--like it's something I do all the time. And when I win second place in my age group in a race I've run, I am the coolest dude around when I walk up there to receive my trophy." I'm actually quite good at it (acting, that is), even if I have to say so myself.
In a blog that I wrote about a year ago, I talked about the difference between over-reactors and under-reactors, and I placed myself firmly in the center of the under-reactor category. I'm just not one to express a lot of emotion, whether I'm happy, sad, angry or hurt. That doesn't mean that I don't feel any of those emotions, it's just that I hold them inside without letting those around me know exactly what I'm feeling. So, since I'm not one to wear my feelings on my sleeve, I guess I should come right out and tell you about some emotions that I've been trying so hard to hold inside for the last seven months or so. The only reason I'm talking about it now is because I truly feel that I'm starting to make some progress on getting it resolved, and I can point to a short, three hour picnic in the park that had a lot to do with getting me back on track.
Although I don't think I could put a name on the emotions that I felt, I can still remember clearly the feeling that came over me when I learned that my new little baby granddaughter had been born with Down Syndrome. Of course, those who were with me at the time probably said that I took it well...like it didn't even bother me that much. If they only knew! The one thought that has been replayed over and over in my mind is, "It's just not fair! This is her one and only chance at life, and this had to happen. It's not fair! It's just not fair!" Those are my moments of anger, but then the feelings of guilt start to move in as I begin to low-rate myself for having thoughts like that. I must say, though, that there are two different people who are clients of mine who have gone through similar circumstances, and they have really helped me learn to cope as they tell me of their experiences. (I must remember to thank them for encouraging me the way they have.) Through all of my varying emotions that I've been describing, however, there is one that has remained steadfast and unshakable; there are no words that can describe how much I love "my little lady." If you've never had the chance to meet her, I sure hope you get the opportunity really soon. I am one proud "Poppa."
Let me get back to that picnic, because that's what I wanted to tell you about to start with. It was called the "Buddy Walk" and it took place at Kiroli Park in West Monroe. The "Buddy Walk" is an annual event that is designed to raise awareness of Down Syndrome. I'm not sure how many people were there, but it was in the hundreds, and yes, we did walk...one mile. But the walk is a minor part of what takes place. There's a band playing, we have a big picnic, and we basically just mingle and get to know each other. All of the people who came to support our Lennon wore red and black, and we were thrilled beyond measure to see just how many of our friends and family showed up to be a part of "Team Lennon." Everything I've just been describing played a big part in helping me get my attitude pointed back in the right direction, but the biggest factor of all...the one that really "changed" me, was the big group of Down Syndrome kids who were there. One of them said the opening prayer, and another led us all in The Pledge. Then, after we had walked and everyone had eaten their fill, several of them wanted to dance...and dance they did, until the band stopped playing. Yes, there were emotions on exhibit there, but they didn't even resemble the ones that I had been trying so hard to conceal. The one emotion that I saw more than any other was "happiness." That's what turned me around.
I can't sit here and tell you that I'm now totally "out of the woods," but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm heading in that direction as fast as I can go. Though Lennon is still too young to fully understand, I love her more than life itself, and she's gonna be the luckiest girl alive...just because I'm her Poppa...I'm gonna see to it.
Preston
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXLIII
I heard a little story that I thought was somewhat amusing, but it also started my wheels turning as I got to thinking about what it really means. There was a particular Indian tribe that had developed quite a reputation because of their success with the rain dance. Word had traveled far and wide about how, if you need rain, you should call on this tribe, because, when they dance, it rains. Finally, one newspaper reporter got lucky enough to land an interview with the chief, and the first thing he said to the old leader was, "I've heard so much about what good rain dancers you have in your tribe, and what everyone all around the country wants to know is, how do you do it? Are there some secrets about how you dance that make you more successful?" The old chief thought a minute, then replied, "No...no secrets. We just dance 'til it rains." There's one little phrase that comes to my mind as I think about that story: "Perception is reality."
Those of you who know me or have read several of my blogs will know by now that I'm a marathoner. Running 26.2 miles is quite a challenge, and it requires weeks and weeks of intense training, which we do four mornings a week, every week. Our most common starting time is 5:30 AM...which means that we're out running before the sun comes up. We know that if there are going to be some hills in the marathon, then it is much better for us if we do some of our training on hilly terrain. One thing that we've talked about that seems to make our training a little easier is if we can hit the worst hills before daylight, we can't see them as well, and they're easier to climb. Those hills are just as high and just as steep at night as they are in the daytime, but there's just something about seeing them that puts these negative thoughts in our minds that this is going to be tough...and when we think it's going to be tough, it is.
Now, with that in mind, I just had a whole new revelation concerning the hill training. When we're actually running in the marathon, we never run while it's still dark...it's always broad daylight, and we can see those hills clearly. Too clearly. And they're scary. That leads me to ask this question, "Would a blind runner have an easier time in the hills?" Probably. Fortunately, none of the runners in our group are blind, so we need to come up with another solution. Here's what I've come up with: During our training, we need to see the hills. We need to prove to ourselves that we have what it takes to conquer them, then when we face the hills during the actual run, we won't feel so intimidated. I'm willing to try anything that makes us believe that those hills are easier to climb.
Maybe we should do a hill dance. The first time we try it, we may not be able to notice much of a difference, but I'll bet if we dance every day before we do the hill training, and do it four days a week, those hills will eventually become easier to climb. That should work with just about any area of our lives. One man was telling me about some over the counter medication he would take when he got the flu. He said it was guaranteed to have him well in just seven days, but when he didn't take it, he sometimes had the flu for a whole week. I used to sell some titanium filled necklaces that were supposed to give additional energy to athletes, so I tried one of them during one of my long runs. The next week, I ran without it. I couldn't tell any difference, but, I have to admit, I was skeptical before I ever tried them. I understand that some of my friends who believed in them from the start received a lot more benefit from them than I did. I did look pretty cool while I was wearing it though...at least that's what I believed, and, after all, perception is reality.
Preston
Those of you who know me or have read several of my blogs will know by now that I'm a marathoner. Running 26.2 miles is quite a challenge, and it requires weeks and weeks of intense training, which we do four mornings a week, every week. Our most common starting time is 5:30 AM...which means that we're out running before the sun comes up. We know that if there are going to be some hills in the marathon, then it is much better for us if we do some of our training on hilly terrain. One thing that we've talked about that seems to make our training a little easier is if we can hit the worst hills before daylight, we can't see them as well, and they're easier to climb. Those hills are just as high and just as steep at night as they are in the daytime, but there's just something about seeing them that puts these negative thoughts in our minds that this is going to be tough...and when we think it's going to be tough, it is.
Now, with that in mind, I just had a whole new revelation concerning the hill training. When we're actually running in the marathon, we never run while it's still dark...it's always broad daylight, and we can see those hills clearly. Too clearly. And they're scary. That leads me to ask this question, "Would a blind runner have an easier time in the hills?" Probably. Fortunately, none of the runners in our group are blind, so we need to come up with another solution. Here's what I've come up with: During our training, we need to see the hills. We need to prove to ourselves that we have what it takes to conquer them, then when we face the hills during the actual run, we won't feel so intimidated. I'm willing to try anything that makes us believe that those hills are easier to climb.
Maybe we should do a hill dance. The first time we try it, we may not be able to notice much of a difference, but I'll bet if we dance every day before we do the hill training, and do it four days a week, those hills will eventually become easier to climb. That should work with just about any area of our lives. One man was telling me about some over the counter medication he would take when he got the flu. He said it was guaranteed to have him well in just seven days, but when he didn't take it, he sometimes had the flu for a whole week. I used to sell some titanium filled necklaces that were supposed to give additional energy to athletes, so I tried one of them during one of my long runs. The next week, I ran without it. I couldn't tell any difference, but, I have to admit, I was skeptical before I ever tried them. I understand that some of my friends who believed in them from the start received a lot more benefit from them than I did. I did look pretty cool while I was wearing it though...at least that's what I believed, and, after all, perception is reality.
Preston
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXLll
Okay, stop, close your eyes, and think about....no wait! Don't close your eyes, because I want you to read the rest of what I have to say. Just leave your eyes open and think about someone you know who is always late for wherever they are going. Can you think of someone? Yes, I can too. I made a determination a long time ago that I did not want that to be a part of my reputation. I can remember so many times when I was a kid, hearing my grandpa saying, "They wait until it's time to get there before they leave the house." I'm now following in his shoes, because I've said the same thing many times myself.
I can think of people that I've been around for many years who can be counted on to be fifteen minutes late every time. At least they're consistent. It just seems to me that after about five years of being fifteen minutes late, they would figure out that if they would get up fifteen minutes earlier, they could make it on time. That leads me to ask this question: Do they care if they're late? The answer is obviously, "No." That's the part that I have a hard time understanding.
I've been helping teach a class at church on Wednesday nights on "Parenting," and the one subject where we've spent the most amount of time is on "discipline." Naturally, when we think of discipline, we automatically compare it to the word "punishment," but there's much more to discipline than that. Discipline is setting boundaries and living within those boundaries. One thing we've learned is that if we expect our kids to live a disciplined life, we as parents must do the same. Our kids will be much more prone to do what they see us doing than what they hear us saying. The reason I'm saying all of this is because being on time is part of a disciplined lifestyle, and we can tell our kids how they need to be on time until we're blue in the face, but if they see us being consistently late for the things that we're trying to teach them are the important things in life, we can only expect them to follow the same pattern when they grow up and get out on their own.
I can also close my eyes and think about people I know who are consistently either on time or early for every event. And it's always the same people, either way. If you were to attend an event where you were meeting everyone there for the first time, and some of them were on time, and others came in late, what would be your first impression of each of them? I believe, maybe without even realizing why, you would automatically have a more positive first impression of the people who made it on time. There's just something about promptness that gives the indication of someone who "has it together." I know there are times when someone's car won't start, or they have a flat...those unexpected events can be expected. But I don't know anyone who has that type of problem ninety per cent of the time. I think the real difference is that the ones who are always on time put a priority on being prompt. It's a part of their reputation that they care about. It's a part of their lifestyle.
None of us ever know exactly what other people think about us, but I'm making an effort to be known as being dependable. And being dependable means being consistently on time.
Preston
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXLI
I obtained my first part time job when I was a teenager in high school, working at a little country store/gas station. My uncle owned and operated what we now know as a convenience store that was located right next door to our house, and I worked there in the afternoons when I got home from school. The first thing I had to do when I got to work was to take all the empty soft drink bottles, organize them by brand and size, and get them ready for when the delivery man made his weekly trip to the store. There probably aren't very many people under the age of thirty-five who even know what I'm talking about, but when you would buy a Coke, you would pay a deposit on the bottle, which was made of glass, and when you came back to buy another one, you were exempt from the deposit if you returned your bottle that you had already paid for.
At about that same period of time, there was a company called "Shasta" that came out with a drink that could be purchased in a metal can that could be thrown away after use, thus eliminating the need for a deposit. That idea was slow to catch on, but over time, other companies began to migrate toward that idea, and in the process, they made the glass bottles start moving toward extinction. Next came the plastic bottles with the slogan, "No deposit...no return." Then came another revolutionary idea that made many people say that its originator had to be an idiot...selling water in plastic bottles. I wish I would have been the one who came up with that crazy idea. Now, when you walk into a convenience store, you will have a choice of at least a half dozen brands of drinking water...all in plastic bottles.
Here's what I find ironic about this whole process: Back when we were strictly using glass bottles for our soft drinks, no one ever gave a moment's consideration about conservation or the environment. Now we rarely go a whole day without hearing someone using a new term, "being green," which has almost nothing to do with color. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a "tree hugging" radical, but I do have to say that I too am concerned with the amount of plastic that we are simply throwing away. And the thing about it is, if two hundred years from now, someone digs into one of our landfills, they will find those bottles almost as intact as they are when we put them there. In addition to the plastic bottles are all the diapers that are also being deposited into the landfills by the hundreds of thousands every day. During the time when we were drinking our Pop from returnable glass bottles, we were also clothing our babies with reusable cloth diapers. Not many people do that any more. I recently heard one young mother say, "I decided I wanted to go green and start using cloth diapers, and it worked okay until my baby pooped in one of them. You can't reuse that!"
Now, on a daily basis, innovators are coming up with all kinds of revolutionary ideas about how to recycle many of the products that we carelessly toss into our trash cans without even thinking about it. My son, who works for a uniform company, was telling me about some suits that they have made for the employees of a large hotel chain that they service, and those suits are made totally from recycled plastic bottles. That's just one of thousands of ways that we can help to care for the natural resources with which God has provided us . The biggest obstacle that we face today is persuading the general public to think "green." It seems like the area of the country where I live is much slower at catching on to this new way of thinking than some of the other areas I have visited, but part of that may be due to the difficulty in finding ways to recycle. The grocery store where we shop now has bins in front of their stores for plastic bottles and bags, and it appears that more and more people are beginning to use them. I'm glad to see that, and I'm determined to do my part. But to quote Kermit the Frog: "It's not easy being green."
Preston
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXL
Some days I just feel like being lazy. After all, when God created us, he provided us with an example of how we're suppose to carry out our week when he rested on the seventh day, and who am I to try to improve on God's plan. I know there are some people who like to take this "rest day thing" to extremes by making several days out of every week into rest days, but I've been giving it some thought lately and I've come to the conclusion that that's not such a good idea either. There again, God worked six days and rested just one, and then instructed us to do the same.
Just a couple weeks ago I was working a trade show in Jackson, MS, and the first day of the show was extremely slow, so I basically sat in my booth that entire day with practically nothing to do. The next day was the exact opposite...I barely had time to even go to the restroom. Here's the part that puzzles me: On that first day when I had nothing to do, when I got to my hotel room that night, I was totally exhausted; but on the second night after a very busy day, I felt more refreshed than I had the night before. Why is that? I don't have a definite answer, but, like I said, I've been thinking about it and I do have some possible theories. Maybe on that first day I was stressing because I knew I needed to be busy and business just wasn't coming. Another theory could be that there is a calming effect on a person when he knows that he is actually getting some things accomplished. Or maybe it's a combination of the two. Whatever the truth is, I'll take a busy day any time over a slow day.
One other theory I've come up with is that our bodies and our minds may get into a slothful mode, making us not want to get out of our restful state, therefore the tired feeling at the end of the day. And then the opposite could be true when we're in a productive mode, making us have the desire to keep producing. I'm obviously not an expert on the human mind or body, so really all I'm doing now is just surmising as to what causes us to react to certain situations the way we do. I guess that just brings us back to the first paragraph...we're better off if we follow the example and instructions that God provided for us.
My rest day is Sunday. First I get up and head to Sunday School and Morning Worship, which is actually a form of rest in itself, and it takes up my entire morning. After that, we have a nice meal, and then we crash for the rest of the day. We'll take a short nap, and then it's time for relaxing with the family. I love my Sundays. Thank you Lord for showing us how to do it. There's no telling what we would have come up with if we would have had to figure it out on our own.
Preston
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXXIX
The noise in the stadium was deafening as thousands of fans were chanting my name after I had just scored the winning touchdown, giving our championship team a perfect season. I guess you could call that a "virtual" event since in actuality it didn't really happen. The only place that event ever occurred was inside of my own imagination. That's just one of the places that my ten year old mind took me. The next day I was elected President of the United States, marking the first time in history that a world renowned rock star had achieved that honor. The neat thing about it was that, even with all of the wealth I had accumulated and the fame that had found its way to my door, I remained the same good old down-home boy that I had always been, staying in close contact with all of my good friends back home.
Surely I'm not the only kid who ever had those kinds of dreams, am I? I feel quite certain that practically every person reading this article right now can identify with what I'm talking about. But then reality sets in and we come back down to earth to the realization that fame and stardom have evaded us as we settle into our lives that are pretty much the same as everyone else around us. Then, however, the dream re-emerges, only this time it is for our kids instead of us. Maybe this is just a never ending cycle, and I don't have a problem with it as long as it just remains a dream. Dreams are what lead people to bigger and better things. The more I think about it though, the more I'm convinced that we're better off when the dreams of becoming a major celebrity remain just that--a dream.
Both of my kids are grown and married now, and I'm happy with the way both of them turned out. I'm thankful every day that I'm not the father of a Brittney Spears or a Lindsay Lohan. I'll take my kids just the way they are. I just finished reading an autobiography of Ronald Reagan, a poor kid from Dixon, Illinois, who achieved the goals of becoming a movie star and President of the United States. He said that although he did enjoy being President, he sometimes felt like he was trapped inside a prison called the White House. After he had reached the place in life where he no doubt had the most recognized face in the world, he dreamed of just being a normal guy so that he could walk into a drug store and buy his wife a Valentine card without attracting large throngs of people, some of whom wanted to do him harm. One day he decided he would do just that, and he told his staff that he was going to a small gift shop near the White House to buy Nancy a card. He said it created such a stir, and so much preliminary work had to be done by the Secret Service, that he decided that he would never put another merchant through that kind of trouble again.
So I guess you could say that I've had some unfulfilled dreams, but I'm reminded of a song by Garth Brooks that says, "I'm thankful for unanswered prayers." Actually, when I stop to think about it, maybe I achieved my dreams after all, because I'm as much of a star right now as I ever hope to be. My kids are stars as well when we consider the fact that they are idolized by the people who really matter. I'll never see my name in lights or hear thousands of adoring fans chanting my name in unison. I'm glad. This is just the way I want it.
Preston
Surely I'm not the only kid who ever had those kinds of dreams, am I? I feel quite certain that practically every person reading this article right now can identify with what I'm talking about. But then reality sets in and we come back down to earth to the realization that fame and stardom have evaded us as we settle into our lives that are pretty much the same as everyone else around us. Then, however, the dream re-emerges, only this time it is for our kids instead of us. Maybe this is just a never ending cycle, and I don't have a problem with it as long as it just remains a dream. Dreams are what lead people to bigger and better things. The more I think about it though, the more I'm convinced that we're better off when the dreams of becoming a major celebrity remain just that--a dream.
Both of my kids are grown and married now, and I'm happy with the way both of them turned out. I'm thankful every day that I'm not the father of a Brittney Spears or a Lindsay Lohan. I'll take my kids just the way they are. I just finished reading an autobiography of Ronald Reagan, a poor kid from Dixon, Illinois, who achieved the goals of becoming a movie star and President of the United States. He said that although he did enjoy being President, he sometimes felt like he was trapped inside a prison called the White House. After he had reached the place in life where he no doubt had the most recognized face in the world, he dreamed of just being a normal guy so that he could walk into a drug store and buy his wife a Valentine card without attracting large throngs of people, some of whom wanted to do him harm. One day he decided he would do just that, and he told his staff that he was going to a small gift shop near the White House to buy Nancy a card. He said it created such a stir, and so much preliminary work had to be done by the Secret Service, that he decided that he would never put another merchant through that kind of trouble again.
So I guess you could say that I've had some unfulfilled dreams, but I'm reminded of a song by Garth Brooks that says, "I'm thankful for unanswered prayers." Actually, when I stop to think about it, maybe I achieved my dreams after all, because I'm as much of a star right now as I ever hope to be. My kids are stars as well when we consider the fact that they are idolized by the people who really matter. I'll never see my name in lights or hear thousands of adoring fans chanting my name in unison. I'm glad. This is just the way I want it.
Preston
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXXVIII
How old is too old? It obviously depends on what we're talking about. Is it fair for the government to set an arbitrary age limit on issuing drivers license? It depends on the individual. Some people have passed the point of being a safe driver while they're in their early seventies, while others may still do okay at age one hundred. I guess the best scenario would be for each person to realize on their own accord that he or she has reached that stage of life, although I believe it will be a sad day for me if I ever have to come to that conclusion about myself. There are countless other areas where age becomes a factor in how well an individual can perform, and sometimes it's a decision that the person can decide for himself, and other times that decision has to be made by others.
It's hard for me to get my arms around the fact that I will be turning sixty years old next summer, and as bad as I hate to admit it, I can feel the effects of aging on many of my activities. One of those activities that seems to become more of a challenge with each passing year is the ability to run a marathon (26.2 miles). But, just for the record, I'm not giving up yet. In fact, by the time that many of you read this, Angie and I, along with several of our good friends, will be on board a Southwest Airlines flight en route to Minneapolis to try it one more time. If I can complete this one, it will be my tenth time to achieve that goal.
I remember so well after I had completed my first one that I said, "I ran this marathon because for a long time I've wondered if I could do it. Now I don't have to wonder any more...I did it!" Eventually, there will come a time when I'll have to face the fact that I've passed the stage of my life where I can run 26.2 miles, but even then I just can't see me stopping. More than likely what will happen is I will just lose that desire. Now that I think about it, I think that may be the way elderly people make the decision to discontinue many of the things that used to get their blood pumping. Hopefully, when that time comes for me, I'll just pull back slowly and begin to run half-marathons instead.
As of right now, I still have the desire...if for no other reason than to just prove that I can still do it. I have no illusions that my completion time will be anywhere near as fast as it was eight years ago in Chicago when I ran my first one, but it will be my fastest time since I've turned fifty-nine,whatever it is. Believe me, ladies and gentlemen, this is a challenge, but it's one that I believe I'm ready for. So this Sunday, October 3, at 8:15 AM CDT, please think about my friends and me and say a little prayer as we begin this journey one more time.
Oh, and let me add one more thing...regardless of how I do on this attempt, I don't expect it to be my last.
Preston
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXXVII
This is not the first time I've talked about this, and without a doubt, it will not be my last. It all goes back to a statement that I've heard from so many people, but it's one that I've also said that I have a hard time believing. Now that I think about it, however, it's becoming more and more believable. That statement is, "I don't care what other people think about me." Since I do care what they think about me, I always found that statement a little hard to accept. I think my opinion really began to change when I first got on facebook, and I starting reading what everyone posted as their status. I was not prepared for the number of misspelled words and grammatical errors that were showing up on post after post and, I must admit, I was a little surprised at just who some of them were coming from. Now I have no doubt that there are many people who will be reading this article that can point out a number of mistakes I've made in this one writing alone, but I think the difference is, I do care and I want to do it right. None of us will get it perfect every time, yet I'm convinced that the ones who are concerned about how it makes them look will have much fewer errors in their writing.
Several weeks ago in one of my "Thinking Out Loud" columns, I made the statement that we will reap what we "sew." Then one of my really good friends pointed out that, when used in that context, the word should have been "sow." I knew the instant that I saw it that she was right, and I had to resist the temptation to send out a correction. When we speak or write, our words, and how we use them, will automatically give an impression of us and our level of intelligence, whether we like it or not. I don't know about you, but that concerns me.
Probably the most common error that I see on facebook is the misuse of the word "your." For example, someone will say "Thank you" and the response will be "Your welcome." The correct way to say it is, "You're welcome." "Your" shows ownership, while "you're" means "you are." That example is just the most common error, but it is not the only one by a long shot. Coming in at a close second place is the failure to separate sentences with periods. I have a hard time figuring out what a person is trying to say when all their sentences run together. Now, let me mention just one more thing before I get off of my soap box: Speaking with a southern accent does not make a person seem dumb, but butchering the English language does.
I just thought I'd mention a few of the things that "jump up" at me, because when I mess up, I want someone to point out my error so I'll be less likely to make the same mistake twice. But, of course, none of what I've been talking about really matters unless we care.
Okay, so now I'm worried that maybe I sound angry...but I promise I'm not. See, I told you that I care about what other people think.
Preston
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXXVI
It's a question I've been asked many times, and it's easy to answer. However, I have to admit that I feel a little awkward when I do have to answer it, because it's difficult to do without sounding a little like an elitist, or maybe like I think I'm better than everyone else, but believe me, this is not about me. Since Labor Day Weekend, when we had somewhat of a family gathering for my niece's wedding, it's been on my mind, so I've decided to just hit it head-on, get it out in the open, and let everyone know how I feel.
Here's the question that I was talking about: "What kind of family do you have?" It's not about just my wife and I and our offspring and their spouses, I'm also talking about siblings,aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. I guess the best way to start out is by saying that I feel like I'm extremely lucky to have been born into the family that I was. We can all name some very wealthy people who are rich simply because they were born into a wealthy family...rich people have kids, therefore some kids are just lucky enough to be born into wealth. Monetarily speaking, our family is just like any average ordinary family; we earn enough to get by and that's about it. But in other areas, we are wealthy beyond even our own dreams. So that I can give you an example of what I'm trying to say, let me tell you what you would experience if you were to tag along to one of our reunions.
You're going to laugh...a lot...because you will be around some of the funniest, wittiest people on the planet. I'm not talking about people who act stupid and silly...you won't see anyone wearing a lamp shade on their head...they are simply people who can make some of the funniest statements you've ever heard. Maybe after we've laughed a while, someone may come up with an idea for us to sing a while. Prepare to hear a surprising number of accomplished musicians and singers who will blow your socks off; playing and singing a variety of styles of music. Then a big group will start singing together in perfect harmony. (I've heard it said that family harmony has a quality that is hard to match.) You will be around a number of people who have been in recording studios numerous times in their lives. Then it will be time to eat. (Actually, we'll probably do that first.) Again, prepare to be impressed with not only the quality, but the quantity of food that you will experience.
I just told you some of the things that you will see and hear at our reunions. Now let me tell you what you will not see nor hear: There won't be any fussing, fighting, arguing, or profanity anywhere around. Maybe if we all lived closer together and saw each other more often, there would be some of that (profanity excluded), but it's something I've never experienced at any of our get-togethers.
I wanted to list both the positives and negatives, but I have to be honest and say that I just can't think of any negatives, unless you count the massive quantity of food that we consume as a negative.
I personally have so many flaws and imperfections in my life that are too numerous to mention, as is the case with practically every individual that you would see at one of our family reunions, but when you look at us as a unit, we're a great bunch of people, all with our own unique talents that we can offer to the group as a whole, that makes one of our gatherings a memorable experience.
If I sound like I'm boasting, well, maybe I am, but I haven't said anything that's untrue. Here's the good thing about it: our family is not the only one like this...we're just one of millions. But I'm sure happy to be connected to the one I'm with.
Preston
Here's the question that I was talking about: "What kind of family do you have?" It's not about just my wife and I and our offspring and their spouses, I'm also talking about siblings,aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. I guess the best way to start out is by saying that I feel like I'm extremely lucky to have been born into the family that I was. We can all name some very wealthy people who are rich simply because they were born into a wealthy family...rich people have kids, therefore some kids are just lucky enough to be born into wealth. Monetarily speaking, our family is just like any average ordinary family; we earn enough to get by and that's about it. But in other areas, we are wealthy beyond even our own dreams. So that I can give you an example of what I'm trying to say, let me tell you what you would experience if you were to tag along to one of our reunions.
You're going to laugh...a lot...because you will be around some of the funniest, wittiest people on the planet. I'm not talking about people who act stupid and silly...you won't see anyone wearing a lamp shade on their head...they are simply people who can make some of the funniest statements you've ever heard. Maybe after we've laughed a while, someone may come up with an idea for us to sing a while. Prepare to hear a surprising number of accomplished musicians and singers who will blow your socks off; playing and singing a variety of styles of music. Then a big group will start singing together in perfect harmony. (I've heard it said that family harmony has a quality that is hard to match.) You will be around a number of people who have been in recording studios numerous times in their lives. Then it will be time to eat. (Actually, we'll probably do that first.) Again, prepare to be impressed with not only the quality, but the quantity of food that you will experience.
I just told you some of the things that you will see and hear at our reunions. Now let me tell you what you will not see nor hear: There won't be any fussing, fighting, arguing, or profanity anywhere around. Maybe if we all lived closer together and saw each other more often, there would be some of that (profanity excluded), but it's something I've never experienced at any of our get-togethers.
I wanted to list both the positives and negatives, but I have to be honest and say that I just can't think of any negatives, unless you count the massive quantity of food that we consume as a negative.
I personally have so many flaws and imperfections in my life that are too numerous to mention, as is the case with practically every individual that you would see at one of our family reunions, but when you look at us as a unit, we're a great bunch of people, all with our own unique talents that we can offer to the group as a whole, that makes one of our gatherings a memorable experience.
If I sound like I'm boasting, well, maybe I am, but I haven't said anything that's untrue. Here's the good thing about it: our family is not the only one like this...we're just one of millions. But I'm sure happy to be connected to the one I'm with.
Preston
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXXV
My brother and I have reached an agreement. Since we both write articles on a regular basis, we sometimes take each others' ideas and use them for our own articles, but we compensate each other when we do that; we pay fifteen per cent of our net profit from each article. When I told him that I would be using one of his thoughts today, he wanted to negotiate for sixteen per cent, and I agreed after I made some quick mathematical calculations in my head. So far, we've both earned exactly the same amount of money, and if you're interested in knowing how much it is, just figure fifteen per cent of zero. Anyway, thank you, Stan, for the idea for today's article.
Let's take a quick look at how the human body was designed. My eyes are in the front of my head, which makes it easier and more convenient to look forward. Next we'll examine the way my arms are attached at my shoulders. I can swing my arms backward for a short distance, but they swing farther the other way. Now, with that in mind, when I consider how my arms bend at my elbows, it's obvious that I was also designed to reach forward. What about my legs? There again, my legs are attached at the hips so that I can swing them much farther forward than I can swing them backward. The way my legs bend at the knees is also part of a design to move forward. In fact, when you get right down to it, even the way my legs attach at the back part of my feet, with my feet and toes on the front side of my ankles and heels, it is much easier for me to move forward.
Now if we are to believe the Bible, which I do with every fiber of my being, we find that we were created in the image of God; which means He made us the same way that He is designed. It's possible for me to look back, but I have to turn my head around to the point that it's uncomfortable. I can reach back, but only for a very short distance; and if you think I run slow, you should see me when I try to run backwards. Even our cars are made so that we can move in reverse for only a short distance at a very slow rate of speed, and when we do back up, it's very inconvenient. Many years ago, humans invented mirrors so that we can see behind us, but when you stop to think about, even the reflections we see in the mirrors are backwards...the reverse of the way things really are. Here's the point: Even though it's inconvenient, it is possible for us to look behind us, reach backward, or move in reverse, but when we do, we're never going to be what God wants us to be, because we're going against His grand design. The placement and function of our eyes, arms, legs and feet are like they are for a single purpose: So that we can look, reach and move FORWARD!
Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that every time we back up, we are going back over ground where we've already been, and if we want to make progress, we'll have to go back over it again. Let me give you an example that many of you can identify with: If I'm on a weight loss program, every time I gain an unwanted pound, that is a pound that I will have to lose again. Every inch of territory that I surrender is territory that I'll have to re-conquer.
We all have the option to back up if that's what we insist on doing, but if we want to efficiently reach our goals and the plans God has for our lives, we must follow our grand design to look, reach and move forward. The less we back up, the faster we'll reach our destination.
Preston
Let's take a quick look at how the human body was designed. My eyes are in the front of my head, which makes it easier and more convenient to look forward. Next we'll examine the way my arms are attached at my shoulders. I can swing my arms backward for a short distance, but they swing farther the other way. Now, with that in mind, when I consider how my arms bend at my elbows, it's obvious that I was also designed to reach forward. What about my legs? There again, my legs are attached at the hips so that I can swing them much farther forward than I can swing them backward. The way my legs bend at the knees is also part of a design to move forward. In fact, when you get right down to it, even the way my legs attach at the back part of my feet, with my feet and toes on the front side of my ankles and heels, it is much easier for me to move forward.
Now if we are to believe the Bible, which I do with every fiber of my being, we find that we were created in the image of God; which means He made us the same way that He is designed. It's possible for me to look back, but I have to turn my head around to the point that it's uncomfortable. I can reach back, but only for a very short distance; and if you think I run slow, you should see me when I try to run backwards. Even our cars are made so that we can move in reverse for only a short distance at a very slow rate of speed, and when we do back up, it's very inconvenient. Many years ago, humans invented mirrors so that we can see behind us, but when you stop to think about, even the reflections we see in the mirrors are backwards...the reverse of the way things really are. Here's the point: Even though it's inconvenient, it is possible for us to look behind us, reach backward, or move in reverse, but when we do, we're never going to be what God wants us to be, because we're going against His grand design. The placement and function of our eyes, arms, legs and feet are like they are for a single purpose: So that we can look, reach and move FORWARD!
Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that every time we back up, we are going back over ground where we've already been, and if we want to make progress, we'll have to go back over it again. Let me give you an example that many of you can identify with: If I'm on a weight loss program, every time I gain an unwanted pound, that is a pound that I will have to lose again. Every inch of territory that I surrender is territory that I'll have to re-conquer.
We all have the option to back up if that's what we insist on doing, but if we want to efficiently reach our goals and the plans God has for our lives, we must follow our grand design to look, reach and move forward. The less we back up, the faster we'll reach our destination.
Preston
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXXIV
One of my favorite quotes of all time is something John Wayne said in one of his movies, "Courage is when you're scared out of your mind, but you saddle up and ride anyway." I guess the reason I like that so much is because I've had to apply it to my own life quite a number of times. For example, as a result of being the oldest and heaviest member of our running group, I am also now the slowest, especially during the summer months. Therefore, when we are going to be running eight miles or more, I sometime will start out 15-30 minutes ahead of the main group, so that we can all finish closer to the same time. That means that I may be starting out as early as 4:00 AM, running alone down some dark, desolate roads. Although it has never happened when I'm totally alone, there have been times when we've seen some unsavory looking characters walking down the road at that time of the morning; and there have been times when we've come across some vicious acting dogs that are out running loose. I shouldn't really say that I'm "scared out of my mind" when I'm out there alone, but there is a feeling of uneasiness sometimes when I'm alone on the darkest, most desolate parts of the route. Here's the good news: Most of the time, I have a friend with me, and that makes all the difference in the world. There is comfort when I'm not alone.
Sometimes all it takes is having someone beside you to make you feel more secure when you're traveling on uncertain terrain. Other times a little more may be required. I'll give you an example of this and it also has to do with running. There is a phobia that runs in our family that I inherited, passed on to my kids, and now I can also see it in my grandson: a fear of heights. The Louisville Bridge crosses the Ouachita River and connects Monroe to West Monroe, and up until just a few years ago, it was a regular part of our Saturday running route. Although most people would never notice it in a car, if you're on foot, you realize just how far above the water you are at the highest part of the bridge. At that part of the bridge, there is a rail, but there is nothing beside your feet...it just drops off into thin air. I can remember my daughter getting to that part of the bridge, and she would just freeze up. I tried words of encouragement, but they were to no avail. So I said, "Let me try running beside you, and I'll get between you and the rail." It didn't work. Finally I said, "Let me run beside you, between you and the rail, and I'll hold your hand." Success! I'm sure the people driving across the bridge at that time were wondering what was going on with a fifty-something year old man running across the bridge holding the hand of a twenty-something year old woman...but it worked and we did it.
Like most people, I enjoy times when I can be alone, but as humans, we are social creatures and there are some roads we have to travel when we need someone else beside us, encouraging us, or maybe even being there for us to hold on to. And that makes me wonder how many times someone else has needed me to walk beside them, and I wasn't there. Most of us, when we get to those places, just go ahead and "saddle up and ride," but it sure does help when someone is riding with us. I don't mind when I have to run down those dark roads alone, I really don't. If I did I wouldn't do it. I'm just saying that I feel braver when someone is with me. But there are some roads that we have to travel that are a little more serious than going for a morning run, and I want to do my part to be there for others so they don't have to go it alone, because I know there are those who will do it for me.
Lord, please help me be sensitive to the needs of others, so I can be there for them when they need me.
Preston
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXXIII
I need some help here. There are some things I can understand and some things I can't, so maybe someone can bring me up to date in the areas where I'm confused. Just let me warn you however, I'm not gonna be an easy sell. One of the things that I think I do understand is about addictions and how they come about. And let me pause here long enough to say that I'm not going to condemn or convict anyone because of their addictions, and here's why: I believe addictions are the result of people who make some mistakes in judgment for a whole variety of reasons, those mistakes become habits, and then the habits eventually turn into addictions. Another thing I feel pretty sure about is that when that person smoked their first cigarette, took that first sip of alcohol, clicked on that first porn site, or put that first coin in the slot machine, it certainly was not their intention to become hooked. The reason I can't be too critical is because of the number of mistakes in judgment I've made in my own past...it's just that I was lucky enough to overcome them before they took control of my life. (It's possible that I may be addicted to coffee...I've never tried to give it up, so I don't know for sure.) If I was without sin, then maybe it would be okay for me to cast a few stones.
I am of the opinion that some vices are prone to become addictions, and then there are others that become habits and don't have an addictive nature. And when they're merely habits, it's much easier to successfully make a mental determination to walk away from them. I also know for a fact that addictions can be conquered, but if they can be caught while they're still just habits, it's a much easier victory to win. In fact, I believe that we all have the power within us to break bad habits if we have the desire to do so.
One of the vices that I believe does not have an addictive nature, and this is bringing me to my main point, is the use of profanity. I'm aware that it's a habit, but for the life of me, I just can't see where it's addictive. These people with their so called "colorful vocabulary" can be interviewed on radio or television, or may be in the presence of children or preachers, and their language will be as clean as any nun you could meet. So why then can't they talk like that all the time? Profanity has to be one of the most unnecessary "bad habits" around. Here's what I don't understand: Why do people curse? I accept the explanation that it can be one of those "errors in judgment" that I was talking about earlier that maybe a juvenile will make in an effort to be cool, but hopefully when he or she reaches maturity, they will realize just how "uncool" it really is. I've heard people say, "I can't stand to talk to a woman with a foul mouth." I agree. But I also find a potty-mouthed man to be just as repulsive. If it's bad for one gender, it's bad for both. I firmly believe that if anyone wanted to clean up their language, it could be done without too much effort. And that leads me to believe that when people curse, it's because they WANT to. But why? I'll tell you how I feel, and I know without a doubt that there are countless others who feel the same way I do: When I hear anyone, male or female, issuing a string of profanity, my opinion of that person immediately takes a drastic drop.
It is not my intention to offend anyone today, and I certainly hope that all of you can understand where I'm coming from. I just have one small request that I think could be easily delivered: Please clean up your #@^*~#* language!
Preston
I am of the opinion that some vices are prone to become addictions, and then there are others that become habits and don't have an addictive nature. And when they're merely habits, it's much easier to successfully make a mental determination to walk away from them. I also know for a fact that addictions can be conquered, but if they can be caught while they're still just habits, it's a much easier victory to win. In fact, I believe that we all have the power within us to break bad habits if we have the desire to do so.
One of the vices that I believe does not have an addictive nature, and this is bringing me to my main point, is the use of profanity. I'm aware that it's a habit, but for the life of me, I just can't see where it's addictive. These people with their so called "colorful vocabulary" can be interviewed on radio or television, or may be in the presence of children or preachers, and their language will be as clean as any nun you could meet. So why then can't they talk like that all the time? Profanity has to be one of the most unnecessary "bad habits" around. Here's what I don't understand: Why do people curse? I accept the explanation that it can be one of those "errors in judgment" that I was talking about earlier that maybe a juvenile will make in an effort to be cool, but hopefully when he or she reaches maturity, they will realize just how "uncool" it really is. I've heard people say, "I can't stand to talk to a woman with a foul mouth." I agree. But I also find a potty-mouthed man to be just as repulsive. If it's bad for one gender, it's bad for both. I firmly believe that if anyone wanted to clean up their language, it could be done without too much effort. And that leads me to believe that when people curse, it's because they WANT to. But why? I'll tell you how I feel, and I know without a doubt that there are countless others who feel the same way I do: When I hear anyone, male or female, issuing a string of profanity, my opinion of that person immediately takes a drastic drop.
It is not my intention to offend anyone today, and I certainly hope that all of you can understand where I'm coming from. I just have one small request that I think could be easily delivered: Please clean up your #@^*~#* language!
Preston
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXXII
Coke had a problem and they weren't quite sure what to do about it. It's easy for us to look back in hindsight now and know the correct plan of action for them, but I'm sure glad that it wasn't me that had to make that decision for them at that time. We know they made a bad decision, but given the set of facts that they had to look at, how many of us can say that we wouldn't have made the same mistake they made?
Those of you who are old enough to remember the mid-seventies will probably remember when this event took place, but you may not know the whole story. Coca-Cola was the king of cola, but second place Pepsi was fighting hard to take as much of that market share as they could; and that's when they decided to offer what they called "The Pepsi Challenge." They would set up a table in a place where there was a lot of foot traffic and invite random people to a "blind folded taste test." They would then give the volunteer a sip of either Coke or Pepsi, and then they would let them taste the other. Then that person would tell them which taste they preferred, and consistently people were picking Pepsi over Coke by a substantial margin. Coca-Cola didn't really believe those results, so they start giving the same "sip" tests, and sure enough, the majority of the people tested preferred the taste of Pepsi. That's when Coke made the big blunder...they changed their formula and introduced "New Coke." Pepsi tastes a little sweeter and is not quite as strong as Coke. So basically what Coca-Cola did was change their formula so it would taste like Pepsi. The backlash over that decision came from all parts of the globe.
By now, the people at Coke were extremely puzzled, not knowing really what to do. They thought they were giving the people what they wanted, but there was one small fact that they were overlooking. That's when one man at coke had an idea...he would offer that challenge again, but this time, instead of the volunteers taking a sip, they would drink an entire bottle. This time the results were entirely different and the world was re-introduced to "Coke Classic." They learned the hard way that there's a vast difference in taking a "sip" of Coke and drinking a whole bottle, and the consumers couldn't really tell what they liked best until they had the whole thing.
Is there a lesson in that story? I think there is. Hopefully none of us would make a decision whether or not we wanted to marry a young man or woman after only a single date. Anything taken out of context of the entire picture fails to give an accurate reading of what you're actually looking at. You can't take any random scripture from the Bible and choose to base your life on what it says without looking at the entire context in which it was written. My job requires a lot of travel, and I've learned that if I'm staying in a particular hotel for the first time, I don't make my reservations for the next trip to that city until I've checked out and can make my judgment on the entire stay. If you're moving to a new city and you're looking for a church home, it's probably a good idea to visit each potential church several times before making your decision. On my first trip to a Thai restaurant, I tried the coconut soup and made an ugly face after the first sip, but before I was done with that bowl, I was practically drinking it. The first time you meet someone new, you can't tell if you and that person will become good friends or not...it takes time.
So if I decide to sing for you, don't turn me off after just two or three lines. You need to listen to the whole song...then turn me off.
Preston
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXXI
The act of being a gentleman brought me good luck. The same could not be said of the two ladies who were the beneficiaries of my gentlemanly act. I arrived at the door of the pancake restaurant at the same time they did, so I opened the door for them, which allowed them to enter ahead of me. The hostess seated them in a booth that was being serviced by a waitress named Dot. The waitress at my table was Tranisha. When we arrived, Dot and Tranisha where busy rolling silverware into napkins. Within seconds, Tranisha had greeted me, filled my cup with coffee, and was generally making me feel like a king, while Dot continued rolling up her silverware. Finally the two ladies asked for some service. Dot grudgingly got up, walked over to them and asked them what they wanted to order. For the length of time that I was there, I didn't see Dot smile a single time. I'm not sure what the rest of the dining experience for those two ladies was like, because I had finished eating before they ever got their food.
I have no reason to believe that Dot is not a nice lady, and since she stayed busy the whole time I was there, she is apparently not a lazy person. But she certainly gave me the impression that she does not enjoy being a waitress. If I'm your customer, I want to see some enthusiasm! I want your face to tell me that taking care of my needs is exactly what you want to be doing at that moment. If you're performing a service for others, whatever it may be, the ones being served need to feel that you're doing that service because that's what you WANT to be doing.
Nothing can take the place of delivering a quality product or service that fills the needs of the consumer, but whether or not we want to admit it, there are other people out there besides us who can do that; so I have to make sure that my enthusiasm in performing my service is what puts me over the top. A couple years ago, I was walking through the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and I passed a stage where a band was performing. There's no denying the fact that they were good, but I've heard plenty of good bands in my time; yet there was something about them that stopped me in my tracks. I was so captivated by the combination of the quality of their music and the expressions on their faces that said "I love what I'm doing," that I told the two guys that were with me, "You two can do what you want, but I'm staying here a while."
I've been in sales for most of my life, and during that time, I've learned that if I want to be successful, there are two things my customers have to be sold on: I have to sell them on my product, and I have to sell them on me. They could go somewhere else and buy a quality product, but there's one small problem...if they did that, they wouldn't have me to sell it to them.
I wish Dot the best and I hope she lives a long happy life, but the next time I'm back at that pancake house, I'm asking for Tranisha.
Preston
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXX
I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and there is one group of people that really helps to make the world go 'round, yet they never get any recognition; so today I want to personally thank them for their contribution. First of all, however, I would like to build a foundation that will help you to understand why I believe this particular group deserves our gratitude.
Have you ever heard of the concept called "survival of the fittest?" Here's how it works: Let's say there is a herd of gazelles out grazing on one of the plains of Africa, and there is a lion crouching down in the tall grass watching and waiting for the right moment to attack. Suddenly, without warning, she makes her move, and when she does, the gazelles also spring into action as they flee for their lives. One of those gazelles is about to become that lion's dinner, but which one will it be? Chances are, it will be the slowest, weakest member of the herd. If it had not been for that slow, weak gazelle, the lion would have had a much harder time getting her meal. Just as in nature where the creatures of prey feed off of the weak, the same holds true in our human society.
Throughout her life, that lion has watched and studied gazelles, so she knows their habits and how they are likely to react to a certain situation. Businesses study the habits of consumers for the same reason. Have you ever been to Las Vegas? Or Atlantic City? Or even Biloxi? Do you think the owners of those gigantic casinos can build such huge operations off of what their customers win while they're there? Would Wal-Mart have as many stores as they do if people only bought what they need? Of course not! There is a sizeable segment of the population who would be much better off financially today if they weren't so gullible when it comes to the big "Blowout" sales, outlet malls and impulse items. If people were more careful with their money, we wouldn't see nearly as many garage sales as we do, for two reasons: Buyers would not be as willing to spend their money on junk that they don't need just because it's cheap; and we wouldn't have that stuff to sell in the first place if we had really needed it when we bought it. If I buy an expensive item that I can't afford just so I can impress those around me, I have wasted my money. If I buy an item I don't need just because it's half price, I have foolishly wasted my money. I know about the group of people that I'm talking about because for too many years I was numbered among them. For example, I remember one time, many years ago, when I bought an entire set of four tires at an auction for only $9.00 (one regular tire and three mudgrips). Fortunately I was able to find someone to buy the three mudgrips for $5.00, but I was still out $4.00 for a tire that stayed in my storage building giving a home to spiders and other creatures for about six years until I finally threw it away. I decided that the spiders could find their own home without me spending money to provide one for them.
Maybe I should go back and re-word some of what I had to say in that last paragraph, because I'm making it sound like I'm being critical; when actually the purpose of this entire article is to express my gratitude. Just recently I heard the President urging citizens to spend their money instead of opening savings accounts, and without a doubt there are multiplied millions who will heed his request. I certainly hope so, because they help my business tremendously, and I need that money so I can get ME one of those savings accounts.
I've heard it said that if you took all the money in our country and divided it up equally among every person, within five years that money would be back in the same hands it came from. I believe that, only because of the group of people I've been talking about. So to all the weak-willed shoppers and impulse buyers, our nation applauds you. We appreciate you more than you'll ever know.
Preston
Have you ever heard of the concept called "survival of the fittest?" Here's how it works: Let's say there is a herd of gazelles out grazing on one of the plains of Africa, and there is a lion crouching down in the tall grass watching and waiting for the right moment to attack. Suddenly, without warning, she makes her move, and when she does, the gazelles also spring into action as they flee for their lives. One of those gazelles is about to become that lion's dinner, but which one will it be? Chances are, it will be the slowest, weakest member of the herd. If it had not been for that slow, weak gazelle, the lion would have had a much harder time getting her meal. Just as in nature where the creatures of prey feed off of the weak, the same holds true in our human society.
Throughout her life, that lion has watched and studied gazelles, so she knows their habits and how they are likely to react to a certain situation. Businesses study the habits of consumers for the same reason. Have you ever been to Las Vegas? Or Atlantic City? Or even Biloxi? Do you think the owners of those gigantic casinos can build such huge operations off of what their customers win while they're there? Would Wal-Mart have as many stores as they do if people only bought what they need? Of course not! There is a sizeable segment of the population who would be much better off financially today if they weren't so gullible when it comes to the big "Blowout" sales, outlet malls and impulse items. If people were more careful with their money, we wouldn't see nearly as many garage sales as we do, for two reasons: Buyers would not be as willing to spend their money on junk that they don't need just because it's cheap; and we wouldn't have that stuff to sell in the first place if we had really needed it when we bought it. If I buy an expensive item that I can't afford just so I can impress those around me, I have wasted my money. If I buy an item I don't need just because it's half price, I have foolishly wasted my money. I know about the group of people that I'm talking about because for too many years I was numbered among them. For example, I remember one time, many years ago, when I bought an entire set of four tires at an auction for only $9.00 (one regular tire and three mudgrips). Fortunately I was able to find someone to buy the three mudgrips for $5.00, but I was still out $4.00 for a tire that stayed in my storage building giving a home to spiders and other creatures for about six years until I finally threw it away. I decided that the spiders could find their own home without me spending money to provide one for them.
Maybe I should go back and re-word some of what I had to say in that last paragraph, because I'm making it sound like I'm being critical; when actually the purpose of this entire article is to express my gratitude. Just recently I heard the President urging citizens to spend their money instead of opening savings accounts, and without a doubt there are multiplied millions who will heed his request. I certainly hope so, because they help my business tremendously, and I need that money so I can get ME one of those savings accounts.
I've heard it said that if you took all the money in our country and divided it up equally among every person, within five years that money would be back in the same hands it came from. I believe that, only because of the group of people I've been talking about. So to all the weak-willed shoppers and impulse buyers, our nation applauds you. We appreciate you more than you'll ever know.
Preston
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXIX
This was a different kind of scream. Even as a small child, I could tell the difference between the sound that another child could make when he didn't get his way or was "pitching a fit" (the kind of tantrum that would get us into trouble) or the sound that came from a mixture of pain and sheer terror. What I heard that day was the latter. I was inside the house and the scream came from outside. In a heartbeat, my mother had run out of the door in a panic to see what had happened, and I'll never forget the chills that ran over my body as I heard my little brother, Roland, screaming "A snake bit me!!" Fortunately, my uncle just happened to be at our house and he removed his shoe lace and tied it around Roland's ankle before they hurriedly gathered the rest of us kids into the car and we raced to the hospital. After about a day and a half in the hospital, Roland was released to recuperate at home.
That childhood memory of my little brother is just one of scores that have been flooding my mind the last couple days. Like the time when our family went with the Fauss Family on a camping trip in the Colorado Rockies, and one night we were all sitting around the campfire listening to the conversation that the adults were having. When someone mentioned that there were bears in the area, Roland, who was about seven at the time, was sitting there wearing a long-billed baseball cap and he said, "I'm ready to go home." The only time I ever got into a fight on the school bus was because another kid was beating up on Roland. I could sit here and make a book out of all those childhood memories of my brother, but as time passes, children become adults, and the memories continue.
After Roland had married and moved to the hills of Northeast Alabama, he continued to make frequent trips to his beloved Louisiana. It really became a joke as one of us siblings would ask him, "What time are you leaving in the morning?" We would hear the same answer every time: "Four o'clock." Any time he would take a trip, no matter where he was going, his standard time of departure was four o'clock. I've always considered myself to be punctual, but Roland would put me to shame in that area. When he said he was leaving at four o'clock, that didn't mean 4:05...it meant four o'clock, and if you were going with him, you'd better be ready at four o'clock.
I feel like there's a big part of me that's missing now that he's gone, and I can't imagine what life is going to be like without him. The big family get-together at his house on July 4th has become a tradition. Those random calls from him on my cell phone at practically any time of the day or night would give my spirits a big boost. Sitting on his front porch talking about old times was something I could do for hours. But those days are gone now, because this past Tuesday morning, July 27, 2010, Roland made that last trip....at four o'clock.
So....to Roland, my little brother....there's just one more thing that I want to tell you that I didn't say nearly enough: I love you. I'm gonna miss you more than you'll ever know.
Preston
That childhood memory of my little brother is just one of scores that have been flooding my mind the last couple days. Like the time when our family went with the Fauss Family on a camping trip in the Colorado Rockies, and one night we were all sitting around the campfire listening to the conversation that the adults were having. When someone mentioned that there were bears in the area, Roland, who was about seven at the time, was sitting there wearing a long-billed baseball cap and he said, "I'm ready to go home." The only time I ever got into a fight on the school bus was because another kid was beating up on Roland. I could sit here and make a book out of all those childhood memories of my brother, but as time passes, children become adults, and the memories continue.
After Roland had married and moved to the hills of Northeast Alabama, he continued to make frequent trips to his beloved Louisiana. It really became a joke as one of us siblings would ask him, "What time are you leaving in the morning?" We would hear the same answer every time: "Four o'clock." Any time he would take a trip, no matter where he was going, his standard time of departure was four o'clock. I've always considered myself to be punctual, but Roland would put me to shame in that area. When he said he was leaving at four o'clock, that didn't mean 4:05...it meant four o'clock, and if you were going with him, you'd better be ready at four o'clock.
I feel like there's a big part of me that's missing now that he's gone, and I can't imagine what life is going to be like without him. The big family get-together at his house on July 4th has become a tradition. Those random calls from him on my cell phone at practically any time of the day or night would give my spirits a big boost. Sitting on his front porch talking about old times was something I could do for hours. But those days are gone now, because this past Tuesday morning, July 27, 2010, Roland made that last trip....at four o'clock.
So....to Roland, my little brother....there's just one more thing that I want to tell you that I didn't say nearly enough: I love you. I'm gonna miss you more than you'll ever know.
Preston
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXVIII
If the plane I'm on goes down, I will do everything I can to save my baby, even if it means that I have to lose my life in the process. I don't think any parent or grandparent reading this would feel otherwise. As a matter of fact, if I have my kids on the flight with me, I will more than likely be much more attentive as the flight attendant goes through her little demonstration of what to do in case of an emergency, but as I listen to her presentation, I am going to hear some instructions that I think would go against the natural tendency of any parent. She will be saying something like, "In the unlikely event of a loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will automatically drop down from over your head. If you are traveling with a small child, you should put your mask on first, and then put the mask on the child." Now I will admit here that the video that they show on some planes is a little bit ridiculous when you see a calm, smiling mother putting on her mask, and then putting the mask on a calm, smiling child. In a real life situation, I cannot imagine calmness being on display anywhere on that entire plane. But I can also visualize many parents making sure their kids are wearing their masks before they even attempt to put theirs on. It's that natural parental instinct that we all have of protecting the lives of our kids before even considering our own safety. They give us those instructions for a reason, and when you stop to think about it, wouldn't your child have a much better chance of survival if you are here to take care of him?
For one thing, I think the child would be more willing to wear a mask if they saw Mom or Dad wearing one. A child may hear what you tell him to do, but he will be much more likely to do what he sees you doing than what he hears you saying. Sometimes we place ourselves into the "teach mode" as we give instructions to our children on how they should live their lives, but whether we realize it or not, we are teaching all the time, even when the "teach mode" is turned off. If I want my kids to refrain from using tobacco and alcohol, just telling them will not get the job done...I must also show them. If I want my kids to go to church, I can't send them...I have to go with them. If I want my son to love and respect his wife, he has to see me doing the same thing. If a child grows up in an environment where there is constant fighting and bickering, there are overwhelming odds that his household will be the same when he becomes an adult.
If I ever find myself in the unfortunate situation that it's either my life or the life of my child, I will, without hesitation, sacrifice my own. However, I must never forget that my child's chances are much better when I'm there with him, so please don't be critical of me when you see me obeying the instructions and putting my mask on first. If I want my child to be saved, I must first save myself.
Preston
For one thing, I think the child would be more willing to wear a mask if they saw Mom or Dad wearing one. A child may hear what you tell him to do, but he will be much more likely to do what he sees you doing than what he hears you saying. Sometimes we place ourselves into the "teach mode" as we give instructions to our children on how they should live their lives, but whether we realize it or not, we are teaching all the time, even when the "teach mode" is turned off. If I want my kids to refrain from using tobacco and alcohol, just telling them will not get the job done...I must also show them. If I want my kids to go to church, I can't send them...I have to go with them. If I want my son to love and respect his wife, he has to see me doing the same thing. If a child grows up in an environment where there is constant fighting and bickering, there are overwhelming odds that his household will be the same when he becomes an adult.
If I ever find myself in the unfortunate situation that it's either my life or the life of my child, I will, without hesitation, sacrifice my own. However, I must never forget that my child's chances are much better when I'm there with him, so please don't be critical of me when you see me obeying the instructions and putting my mask on first. If I want my child to be saved, I must first save myself.
Preston
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXVII
I've gotta tell you what happened in Vegas! Okay, I know that "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," so I won't tell everything, but this happened so long ago and it's not "that kind" of information anyway. It's a lesson I learned the hard way. Usually when people go to Las Vegas, they are going primarily to feed the slot machines, but that's not the type of gambler that I am. I spent a considerable amount of money for airline fares, hotels, and food to go work a trade show, betting that I would write enough business while I was out there that I would receive a healthy return on my investment. But it was not to be. I ended up just like the majority of the "conventional" gamblers who go to Las Vegas...I went out there with my pockets full and returned empty-handed. However, this story has a happy ending because on that particular trip, I figured out where I had erred and also how to correct it. It was an expensive lesson, but it was one that I never forgot, and the knowledge that I acquired on that trip has been invaluable since then.
Without going into too much boring detail, let me just tell you that I went there without a well thought out plan of action, and I allowed myself to become too easily distracted from my real focus. So I fell on my face. Have you ever known someone who has big plans and big ideas until they feel a breeze blowing from another direction, and then they just discard all their previous plans and turn in the direction of the wind? That's what I was allowing to happen to me, until I realized the error of my ways and made up my mind that from now on, I'm following the way I know is right regardless of which way the wind starts blowing. I've decided that if I'm the hound chasing a deer, I'm gonna stay on that deer's trail regardless of how many rabbits run across my path. I WILL STAY FOCUSED!
I wish I had kept track of how many times I've had people come to me and say, "I've got some big plans and I want you to be a part of those plans." But if I turn aside and start chasing that rabbit, there will be another rabbit that will run across my path and distract me from that goal; and before I know it, the deer that I was chasing has gotten away for good. And it has nothing to do with how hard I work. On that trip to Vegas, I worked hard every day I was there, and at night I was exhausted from my days' labors, but I had accomplished nothing...all because I didn't stay focused on my primary objective. I learned one of my most important life lessons on that trip: Just because a person is not getting anything done, it doesn't necessarily mean that person is lazy. If he works hard without working smart, the results may be the same as if he hadn't worked at all.
If I'm going to make a success of my life, I must stay focused on what I know without a doubt is the right way, and not allow myself to be swayed by either the violent storms or the gentle breezes. I'm reminded of a song that we used to sing when I was little called "I Shall Not Be Moved." I like the last line that says, "Just like a tree that's planted by the water, I shall not be moved." The hound that chases every rabbit that crosses his path will catch neither the rabbit nor the deer.
Preston
Without going into too much boring detail, let me just tell you that I went there without a well thought out plan of action, and I allowed myself to become too easily distracted from my real focus. So I fell on my face. Have you ever known someone who has big plans and big ideas until they feel a breeze blowing from another direction, and then they just discard all their previous plans and turn in the direction of the wind? That's what I was allowing to happen to me, until I realized the error of my ways and made up my mind that from now on, I'm following the way I know is right regardless of which way the wind starts blowing. I've decided that if I'm the hound chasing a deer, I'm gonna stay on that deer's trail regardless of how many rabbits run across my path. I WILL STAY FOCUSED!
I wish I had kept track of how many times I've had people come to me and say, "I've got some big plans and I want you to be a part of those plans." But if I turn aside and start chasing that rabbit, there will be another rabbit that will run across my path and distract me from that goal; and before I know it, the deer that I was chasing has gotten away for good. And it has nothing to do with how hard I work. On that trip to Vegas, I worked hard every day I was there, and at night I was exhausted from my days' labors, but I had accomplished nothing...all because I didn't stay focused on my primary objective. I learned one of my most important life lessons on that trip: Just because a person is not getting anything done, it doesn't necessarily mean that person is lazy. If he works hard without working smart, the results may be the same as if he hadn't worked at all.
If I'm going to make a success of my life, I must stay focused on what I know without a doubt is the right way, and not allow myself to be swayed by either the violent storms or the gentle breezes. I'm reminded of a song that we used to sing when I was little called "I Shall Not Be Moved." I like the last line that says, "Just like a tree that's planted by the water, I shall not be moved." The hound that chases every rabbit that crosses his path will catch neither the rabbit nor the deer.
Preston
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXVI
I can remember that the crowd was much larger than what I had been expecting, but I can't recall that much about who all was in that crowd, except for the fact that it was made up of mostly young people in their mid to late teens with a few adults scattered around. I can't even tell you where I was, although it was a large complex that held a fairly good size audience. I guess the strangest part about this entire dream is that most of it is so foggy in my mind, yet I can remember in vivid detail much of what I said as I spoke that evening. There have been times when I've dreamed that I was singing songs that I had written, but when I awoke the next morning I couldn't sing even one line of any of them. That's why I find it so unusual that I can remember much of the speech that I made in that dream last night. Now before I go any farther, let me say that I'm not the type of person that likes to hear every little detail of someone else's dream, so I'm reluctant to tell you about mine. It's just that I like what I had to say in this particular dream. I can also remember that I was very passionate about what I said to that young audience.
Here it is: "Wow! Where did you all come from? I wasn't expecting nearly this many people, but I must also say that I'm glad you're here. Believe me, I've been where you are, and I know what you're probably thinking right about now...you're dreading this part of the evening because you're about to have to sit through a long, boring speech. Well, let me put your mind at ease. Just look at me. I have no podium, and the only thing I have in my hand is a microphone. No notes. So trust me...this won't take long. Like I just told you, I've been where you are, and I can still remember a promise I made to myself those many years ago. Yes, I was talking to myself, and here's what I said: 'I will not allow myself to become just a common, average, run-of-the-mill kind of guy. I refuse to be ordinary!' When I made myself that promise, I didn't mean that I wanted to be odd or weird...I meant that I wanted to be more than average...above the ordinary. However much time the average kid spent studying, I was gonna study just a little bit longer. No matter how hard the average guy worked, I would work just a little bit harder. I was well aware that I could get by without putting forth that extra effort, and I also knew that our government would not let anyone starve. But I had also figured out that if I decided to just live off the system, I would never amount to much of anything. After growing up in a home where my parents always made sure I had a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and an education in my brain, I found it difficult to face the fact that if I was going to make a success of my life, I was going to have to do it all on my own. That was something Mom and Dad could not do for me. Whatever you may think about Sarah Palin (I happen to admire the lady), you should take note of a post she placed on her facebook page just last night. She was telling about a time last year when it was time for the salmon to be headed up stream in the Alaska rivers, so she went with her family to watch as the brown bears headed to the river to rake in their harvest. She said that one thing that really stood out to her was how the mother bears would catch fish for themselves and their cubs, but if any of the other grizzlies in the area wanted to eat, they had to catch their own fish. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we are all just like those bears. If there's gold buried in your back yard, and you decide to sit and wait until someone brings you a shovel so you can dig, you may be waiting a very long time. I hope you understand the point I'm trying to make. I'm smart enough to know that not all of you will heed what I have to say this evening, so I'm mainly directing my words to those of you who will get the message. There are some words of wisdom that I've heard all my life that say, 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.' Right now some of you are probably making the same promise to yourselves that I made to myself those many years ago, but don't ever forget that it takes more than just a promise...it must be a promise fulfilled. And that takes action. Now go do it! Thank you!"
Those words may not be verbatim to the way they were in my dream, but that's the basic speech I gave. I'm not sure what qualified me to make that kind of speech, but I wouldn't have minded hearing something like that when I was a teenager.
Okay, I promise that next week I won't be going into detail about one of my dreams. I just felt like that one was one I wanted to share.
Preston
Here it is: "Wow! Where did you all come from? I wasn't expecting nearly this many people, but I must also say that I'm glad you're here. Believe me, I've been where you are, and I know what you're probably thinking right about now...you're dreading this part of the evening because you're about to have to sit through a long, boring speech. Well, let me put your mind at ease. Just look at me. I have no podium, and the only thing I have in my hand is a microphone. No notes. So trust me...this won't take long. Like I just told you, I've been where you are, and I can still remember a promise I made to myself those many years ago. Yes, I was talking to myself, and here's what I said: 'I will not allow myself to become just a common, average, run-of-the-mill kind of guy. I refuse to be ordinary!' When I made myself that promise, I didn't mean that I wanted to be odd or weird...I meant that I wanted to be more than average...above the ordinary. However much time the average kid spent studying, I was gonna study just a little bit longer. No matter how hard the average guy worked, I would work just a little bit harder. I was well aware that I could get by without putting forth that extra effort, and I also knew that our government would not let anyone starve. But I had also figured out that if I decided to just live off the system, I would never amount to much of anything. After growing up in a home where my parents always made sure I had a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and an education in my brain, I found it difficult to face the fact that if I was going to make a success of my life, I was going to have to do it all on my own. That was something Mom and Dad could not do for me. Whatever you may think about Sarah Palin (I happen to admire the lady), you should take note of a post she placed on her facebook page just last night. She was telling about a time last year when it was time for the salmon to be headed up stream in the Alaska rivers, so she went with her family to watch as the brown bears headed to the river to rake in their harvest. She said that one thing that really stood out to her was how the mother bears would catch fish for themselves and their cubs, but if any of the other grizzlies in the area wanted to eat, they had to catch their own fish. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we are all just like those bears. If there's gold buried in your back yard, and you decide to sit and wait until someone brings you a shovel so you can dig, you may be waiting a very long time. I hope you understand the point I'm trying to make. I'm smart enough to know that not all of you will heed what I have to say this evening, so I'm mainly directing my words to those of you who will get the message. There are some words of wisdom that I've heard all my life that say, 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.' Right now some of you are probably making the same promise to yourselves that I made to myself those many years ago, but don't ever forget that it takes more than just a promise...it must be a promise fulfilled. And that takes action. Now go do it! Thank you!"
Those words may not be verbatim to the way they were in my dream, but that's the basic speech I gave. I'm not sure what qualified me to make that kind of speech, but I wouldn't have minded hearing something like that when I was a teenager.
Okay, I promise that next week I won't be going into detail about one of my dreams. I just felt like that one was one I wanted to share.
Preston
Friday, July 2, 2010
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCXXV
Are we ready for a female president? Actually, I feel quite confident in saying, "Yes, we are." I think I could ask that question, and the majority of the population of our country, regardless of party affiliation, would agree. Would you feel equally as comfortable with a female doctor as you would a male? Once again, I believe most people would have a positive answer to that question as well. It hasn't always been that way, you know. Just in my lifetime there has been a one eighty shift of opinion in that regard.
I can remember when practically all of the professional positions were held by men, and that included doctors, attorneys, sales people, airline pilots, politicians, etc., but what I don't understand is how we ever got to the frame of mind that women couldn't handle those types of positions as well as men. As late as the early 1970's when I first went to work for a department store chain, even the sales representatives that were calling on us with products such as women's underwear or cosmetics were male. Was it that women didn't apply for those jobs as often; or did the companies feel that men were more knowledgeable about those intimate female products; or maybe that although women may know more about them, they felt that men were just better salesmen? I've also thought about the possibility that it may have been, in part, a confidence issue with the general public. I feel quite certain that even today that when some people step on an airplane and notice that one of the pilots is a woman, there is probably a sense of uneasiness that will come over them. Another area where public confidence may have been an issue is in the medical profession, although I feel those attitudes are rapidly changing. In the past, and even to some extent today, it was okay, and even expected, for a nurse to be female, but people wanted their surgeon to be a man.
What people didn't realize back in those days was that there was a lot of good talent that was going to waste. There's no denying that men and women are different. We have different ways at looking at the same situations...that's just a part of our natural physical makeup, but I've never seen any type of study that indicated that one sex has more brain power than the other. Here's my attitude: If I'm having surgery, I want the best doctor; if I'm flying, I want the best pilot; if I'm looking to buy a new product, I want the person who is most knowledgeable about that product; whether or not that person is male, female, black, white, Hispanic, or Asian is not an issue.
If you're the type of person who still believes that men are superior in the professional world, I can give you a prescription that I think will help you to have a change of heart. All you need is an intelligent daughter who has a lot of potential. That will give you a whole new attitude.
Preston
I can remember when practically all of the professional positions were held by men, and that included doctors, attorneys, sales people, airline pilots, politicians, etc., but what I don't understand is how we ever got to the frame of mind that women couldn't handle those types of positions as well as men. As late as the early 1970's when I first went to work for a department store chain, even the sales representatives that were calling on us with products such as women's underwear or cosmetics were male. Was it that women didn't apply for those jobs as often; or did the companies feel that men were more knowledgeable about those intimate female products; or maybe that although women may know more about them, they felt that men were just better salesmen? I've also thought about the possibility that it may have been, in part, a confidence issue with the general public. I feel quite certain that even today that when some people step on an airplane and notice that one of the pilots is a woman, there is probably a sense of uneasiness that will come over them. Another area where public confidence may have been an issue is in the medical profession, although I feel those attitudes are rapidly changing. In the past, and even to some extent today, it was okay, and even expected, for a nurse to be female, but people wanted their surgeon to be a man.
What people didn't realize back in those days was that there was a lot of good talent that was going to waste. There's no denying that men and women are different. We have different ways at looking at the same situations...that's just a part of our natural physical makeup, but I've never seen any type of study that indicated that one sex has more brain power than the other. Here's my attitude: If I'm having surgery, I want the best doctor; if I'm flying, I want the best pilot; if I'm looking to buy a new product, I want the person who is most knowledgeable about that product; whether or not that person is male, female, black, white, Hispanic, or Asian is not an issue.
If you're the type of person who still believes that men are superior in the professional world, I can give you a prescription that I think will help you to have a change of heart. All you need is an intelligent daughter who has a lot of potential. That will give you a whole new attitude.
Preston
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
