Train of Thought

Sometimes I wonder where a train of thought comes from. Some simple thing happens or some innocent observation occurs and a few seconds later it turns into an internal conversation on world hunger or some internal pondering of how gravity actually works. I am not sure if everyone experiences the same thing, so I don't often share these internal trains of thought. Does the same thing happen to you?

In any case, I had one of these occurrences last night. I was eating pasta, a little piece went down the wrong way. My first thought: why do you suppose God put two very different openings so close together? My second thought: I haven't felt the little piece cough up yet. I wonder if its gotten down into my lung. If it gets down into my lung, what happens? Does it disintegrate? Do my lungs continue to force coughing for days until it finally comes out? Do you suppose everyone has lungs littered with little pieces of food? What if it does get down in there and start rotting, does that cause bad breath? Is it possible that simple recurring halitosis is really just rotting food down in our lungs? Are we really fighting bad breath correctly? Instead of mouth wash should we be using lung cleaner? Is there such a thing as lung cleaner? Should I invent lung cleaner? How much money could a person make off lung cleaner? What would I do with the money if it was a lot? I really like houses on water...especially near golf courses?

"Huh, whats that?" "Oh, no I'm OK Honey, I just got a little piece of pasta down the wrong pipe."

Function over Form or Mon-chi-chi

Some times function is way more important than form. But, do you ever wonder exactly what you look like in those situations? I saw a picture of my nephew today. He was dressed to get bad guys and hunt bears. Clearly in such a case function trumps form.

This weekend, I cut up leaves in our yard and it was cold. Not just cold by southern standards, but cold for a November day anywhere. The ground was frozen, the lawn mower was sliding around, my hands got numb. Much like hunting bears and getting bad guys, function is way more important than form in such cases. So, I had layer upon layer including earphones, golf gloves and a big heavy brown sweat shirt. I had the top of the sweat shirt pulled over my head so that I could barely see out of it. For two hours, I had nothing to do but listen to an assortment of Christian, rap, country and southern rock...and wonder exactly what I looked like to people passing by.

I have to believe I looked like a Mon-chi-chi. Remember those? Oh so soft and cuddly? But, it must not have been a happy Mon-chi-chi. The mail lady stopped by with a package. As she set up at the mail box, I waived at her letting her know I would come and get it. She ignored me, or perhaps with the golf gloves she thought I was playing through. But then she drove by me, and I flagged her again. She uncomfortably avoided eye contact. She drove all the way down our driveway and dropped the package at our door (its a long driveway). When she started backing up, I wanted to let her know she could turn around in our yard. As I drove toward her she sped up, even catching a little wheel on the way out. Oh well, such is the cost on such occasions that function is indeed more important than form.

Some Days

Some days are infinitely better than others, but it always pays to laugh. This morning, when I went out to get in my car, I realized I didn't have my keys.

"I must have left them in my other pants pocket," I thought. Checked there...nope. "Maybe they fell out into the laundry basket". Checked there....nope. Hmmmmmm.

Then I remembered laying them in my wife's car the night before. Oh, but she just left for a play group that is 30 or 45 minutes away. I called her cell phone..it rang in the other room. Hmmmmm. Spare keys? Locked inside the console which is locked inside the car for which I have no key. Hmmmm. Note to self: do not store spare key inside of said car.

I have a meeting in 45 minutes with the head of the organization I work for. Hmmmm. I call a cab company. "No problem," says the voice on the other line, "We'll get you there in time." "I'll wait outside for the cab to come," I said, "Do you want my cell phone number in case he gets confused on the way in?" "No, we know exactly where you are," He says.

Outside, I pick up trash while I wait. In the night, some kind of critter had gotten into the garbage and spread it all over our yard. Hmmmm. Note to self: Don't overfill the trash can with good smelling stuff because animals seem to dig that.

25 minutes pass, no cab...hmmmmmm. Finally he shows up, I get in. Legally blind he must be; dodging curves, revving the engine, and missing trees. "Sorry sir," he says after rolling through the stop, "Is that your building?" "Yes it is." I say as I jump out with a "bye and thank you."

I stroll in the office, up to the 4th floor. A cup of water, a warm "hello", and 4 minutes to spare. Hmmmmm, sometimes you just have to laugh.

I wept yesterday morning; tears of joy. Did you? We have an African American man as President Elect of the United States of America. The fabric of this nation is forever changed. The color of a man's skin is no longer the barometer of his heart nor the measure of his aptitude. Anything is possible, "yes we can!"

When I was growing up, I remember people joking about the impossibility of having a black President. Oh, what sweet irony that Barak Obama will walk across the threshold of the White house as our President. We have come so far and we have changed so much.

I can't pretend to understand or know what it feels like to be a minority in the U.S., but I have seen first hand the evil, destructive force of racism. That force suffered a major blow yesterday. Thank you God for delivering us.