Book-ending a Day with Two Guys Named "John"

Sunrise (from work) 2.15.24

    I started re-reading a Steinbeck book last night - Travels with Charley. Steinbeck's observations on people (and their motivations) always fascinate me, and those bits are definitely present in this particular book.  This will be my fourth or fifth time to read it.

    In the first few pages I had a revelation - I am reading it from a different set of eyes. Steinbeck lived the book in 1960 and wrote it in 1962. He died in December 1968. 

    Our timelines on earth overlapped only five months; however, I've been a fan of his writing for three and a half decades. As I've read his work, I've always envisioned him as a much older man than myself, but I can't do that this time.  In the opening pages of the book, he mentions that he's undertaking the journey across America at the age of fifty-eight - just three years older than I am now.

In the book, he talks about a wanderlust he's had his whole life.

    I drink coffee most days with another man named John, a man who always has that urge to get up and go. He reads Steinbeck too, and (like Steinbeck) has named his pickup truck Rocinante. John (not Steinbeck) has been having a rough time lately, rough enough that his wanderlust has faltered a bit. But we heard some encouraging news this morning. 

    Thank you, Lord, for these two men and their impacts on my life and the way they've helped me see the people and places of this world. Godspeed, John.

Sunset (from home) 2.15.24

 May you be blessed with good friends and mentors, and may you have the good fortune to be delighted with the world and the people around you!

A Different Climate Change: Friday - Move

It's Friday and you're still here? Thank you!

Kylie and Mattie are the two dogs that wandered up a while back  and eventually convinced my wife and I that we were there theirs. Most of the time, they bring a lot of joy to our home. Occasionally they bring a lot of destruction. They've even trained us to a point where we can choose joy or destruction.

They don't look much like Tasmanian devils...

If we take time to play fetch or take the girls for a walk, we choose joy. If we think we are too busy or too tired, we choose destruction (and sleeplessness).

Find it here

It's true with me too. Over the last few years, I have become an avid bicycle commuter. And life has been better. There is more joy and less self-destructive behavior when I ride often. There's also more stamina, more energy that I can use to stay caught up, to share with others. Movement gives me strength and resilience. Time on the bike gives me time to think and to solve problems rather than stew in them.

Find it here

This paragraph is where I will resist going on about metabolism, endorphins, and free radicals. There is a lot of research out there touting the health benefits of regular exercise. Just know that exercises helps you to be better prepared to face the world's problems.

Find it here

Move more. Turn off the screen for a little while  and get your blood pumping.  Work hard and tire   yourself out. Going to bed tired is so much better than going to bed wired. Let exercise be the first domino to fall in a very healthy chain reaction.

May you be healthy enough and strong enough to help others be strong enough and healthy enough.

[ To be fair, fetch and walks do make days better for humans too.]

Thursday's Topic: Be Quiet

Wednesday's Topic: Share

Tuesday's Topic: Appreciate

Monday's Topic: Smile

Sunday: Intro

A Different Climate Change: Thursday - Be Quiet

If you're just now joining us, this is number 4 in  5-part series. Unlike our normal focus on literal climate change, this series deals with ways to reverse the climate of fear and hopelessness that has been growing in our culture. Today's topic -  three times to be quiet

Be Quiet and Appreciate the World Around You

Mailbox guardian

 

4 o'clocks

Once in a while the yellow pops up.

 

You may see pics on this blog of bugs and flowers and lizards. If I had a longer lens you'd also see a lot more birds. If I had more patience, you'd see pics of the foxes in my neighborhood.) We have sparrows that nest in a cranny in a funny crook of our house. We have starlings nesting in a hole in one of our backyard elm trees. Few things feed my soul more than sitting on either porch with a cup of coffee and marveling at how much nature exists in our little slice of suburbia. No one ever says that Lubbock is a beautiful place, but it's pretty easy to find natural beauty here if you just sit quietly and watch.

Be Quiet and Work on You

The good life!

This one goes by many names: self-reflection, meditation, prayer. A rose by any other name... For me, it's reading, writing, and prayer. It's where I look at what I've been doing, what I need to do, and what I did stupidly and never need to do again. It's also where I refine the MIWB (Man I Want to Be) idea -a future ideal that I can strive for. It keeps me on track.

It helps me to be more empathetic and aware of those around me. Sometimes it helps me to be less of a moron. I have to be deliberate about it - to set aside a time and a place and to set aside other distractions that keep me from focusing. If you have no similar time in your life, try it. You may be surprised at what it does for you.

Hold Your Tongue Until It's Needed

 

This is a tough one, especially if you want to steer away from platitudes. Think before you speak. [SnagIt!] Ask yourself a simple question before you open your mouth: What effect will my words have? Will your words make the situation better, worse, or neutral? Is there a better way to get your message across? Will your words  produce positive change or just make a bad situation more volatile? Sometimes volatility is productive, but there are a lot of voices these days screaming hatred and doom. What are your words contributing to our cultural climate?

May you find some quiet and may we all benefit from that silence.

Tomorrow's Topic: Move

Wednesday's Topic: Share

Tuesday's Topic: Appreciate

Monday's Topic: Smile

Three Days Ago (Sunday): Intro

A Different Climate Change: Wednesday - Share

[Blogger note: please tune in next week if you are looking for bikes and electric cars. Thanks!]

 

This week's series is a little different from our normal Personal Carbon Reduction stuff. In light of living in interesting and often disturbing times, I decided to focus on our society's emotional climate. It's hard to watch the news or listen to co-worker conversations or log into your favorite form of social media without getting depressed. Rather than whimpering in a corner and hoping it'll go away, I thought it'd be more fun to become an everyday warrior and battle it. Today's episode deals with ways to share.

 

This looks interesting

Scenario 1: De-Clutter

Go home and check out all of your stuff. And really look at it. (Many of us no longer see the stuff that surrounds us.) Look with a specific thought - is there something there that you no longer use or appreciate, and do you know someone who would? Could it help someone get to a better place?

Find it here

Scenario 2: Surprise!

What unexpected thing can you do for someone around you? Who around you is down or hurting or struggling? What simple gesture can offer that person hope or relief or thankful surprise? What skill or talent do you have that can bless someone else? What resource do you have access to that they do not?

Here you go, SG!

Scenario 3: Time

I get it - you're busy. We are all busy. We choose busy-ness and then we lament our busy-ness. So, here's a tough question - who around you suffers because of your busy-ness? Whose life could benefit from a small amount of your time?

Here

Scenario 4: Mirrorizing

Let's turn it around a bit. What could someone do for you to help you through dark times? What would strengthen you, lift you up, and help you carry on? Now, who around you could benefit from the same?

Simplistic? Maybe. Ridiculous? Probably. Unrealistic? Definitely.

May you find your own ways to offer hope and resilience to those around you.

Tomorrow's Topic: Be Quiet

Yesterday's Topic: Appreciate

Monday's Topic: Smile

Three Days Ago (Sunday): Intro

A Different Climate Change: Tuesday - Appreciate

Now that's a pothole! (Find it here.)

Years ago I took a motorcycle safety class. One important lesson I learned there is how NOT to hit a pothole. (Potholes are bad enough for car drivers, but they can be downright deadly for motorcyclists.) The trick is simple - don't stare at it. Instead, you should direct your eyes to the path that will help you avoid the pothole. It's true - if you stare at an object on the road, your bike will head straight  for that sucker. It's amazing how valuable that simple lesson has been for me.

[Blogger sidebar - we still need to fix the pothole, but we have to make sure the pothole doesn't take us out first. More about that later this week.]

So, now it's time to answer a question: What are your potholes?

For most of us, the pothole list is easy -  the things that make us angry, scared, nervous, depressed, worried...

Now that you have your list - quit looking at it. Don't ignore it; don't act like it's not there. But don't make it your only focal point.

Instead, take a little time each day to focus on what you appreciate. Whether that means counting your blessings, spending time with good people, meditating, praying, or looking at the way light filters through willow leaves; be sure to temper dark times with uplifting moments. Consider it vitamin B for the brain.

May you keep the shiny side up and thrive to fight another day.

Tomorrow's Topic: Share (and de-clutter)

Yesterday's Topic: Smile

Two Days Ago (Sunday): Intro

A Different Climate Change: Monday-Smile

We have the ability to impact our environment greatly. For the usual topics of this blog, it's pretty simple. The more we pump nasty chemicals through our cars and factories and power plants, the more we create a nasty world in which it is harder and harder to survive and possibly thrive.
 
For this week's posts, the more we pump hatred, isolation, and nastiness into our society, the more we create a nasty world in which it is harder and harder to survive and possibly thrive. If we want the world to change, we need to change our behavior.

 
I drink coffee with a guy called Grizz. Grizz is magic when he smiles at strangers. Everywhere we go, he meets people. His smile makes people feel welcome. And he doesn't discriminate. There is one criteria for getting a smile from Grizz - you must be breathing. (I think he's prejudiced against the dead, but that's a topic for another time.) And life has been better since I have known him. We have grand adventures that usually begin with him smiling and offering a few kind words.

Unlike Grizz, I very seldom know what to say to people when I first meet them. But it really doesn't matter. Say hi and smile. Smiles change people. It's amazing. Most of them smile back. Some of them look at you like you're crazy. Some of them look at you with suspicion. Me, I like all three responses. Whatever it is, it takes that person out of their own thoughts for just a second. My hope is that they see some dorky guy acknowledging them as another human being who deserves a little respect and recognition. My hope is that they have a better day because I smiled at them.

So let's start this week simple - smile. Add to that simple acts that offer kindness, respect, and dignity to others. Be aware of others. (You may need to pay a little less attention to your phone.)  Make a conscious choice for better. Do not sit around (or jump online) and complain unless it is a precursor to positive action. Open a door for someone. Say "Bless you" to a stranger who sneezes. Wish a stranger a good day, especially when you see that they are not having a good day. Offer kindness with no strings and no expectations. If everyone is wandering around thinking that humanity is going to hell in a bucket, do something to prove everyone wrong. 

Need a more specific example? Buy someone an unexpected taco. I tried that a few nights ago - that $1.79 plus tax brought a lot of happiness for several people. Kindness has ripple effects.

The goal is not to change the world with a single smile. It is to start a wave of smiles that sweeps through a lot of darkness. You may not have the ability to solve everything, but a smile is a big step when so many people are lost and hurting.

May the little things make big differences.

Yesterday's Intro

Tomorrow's topic: Appreciate

A Man, A Dog, and a Pickup

I had a rough day yesterday. Around 8 pm I found myself shaking with anger. I went to a basketball game where I had a run-in with a man who explained to me that it was okay to yell obscenities in Spanish at teenage girls because we live in a free country. I am usually pretty easy-going, but modern sports fans and the behaviors that have become the norm at sporting events elevate my blood pressure to say the least.

So, I dealt with my anger by sticking my head in the sand.

The sand, in this case, is another Steinbeck book. Travels with Charley.

I have read it before, but I read it as a much younger man and as a much less environmentally aware man.

I read a few chapters, and my blood pressure went down. I found myself on a road trip with a couple of old friends, and it was a great place to be.

I do not think Steinbeck is the greatest author ever to live. But I have found him to be the most enjoyable writer I have read. It's seldom the broad sweep of his writing that gets me. It's a small passage or a small observation. Travels with Charley was written around 1960 and was published in 1962. I ran across this passage last night, and it gave me pause that it was written more than half a century ago.

Everything we use comes in boxes, cartons, bins, the so-called packaging we love so much. The mountains of things we throw away are much greater than the things we use. In this, if in no other way, we can see the wild and reckless exuberance of our production, and waste seems to be the index. Driving along I thought how in France or Italy every item of these thrown-out things would have been saved and used for something. This is not said in criticism of one system or the other but I do wonder whether there will come a time when we can no longer afford our wastefulness - chemical wastes in the rivers, metal wastes everywhere, and atomic wastes buried deep in the earth or sunk in the sea. When an Indian village became too deep in its own filth, the inhabitants moved. And we have no place to which to move.

May we not become too deep in our own filth.

Bonus link for the day:
Radiation Leak in New Mexico last week