The Upside of Colds

It seems like everyone gets a little something this time of year. Sinus problems, cold, flu, virus...something. Except me, of course, because my immune system is super human. I don't get sick. Occasionally, I have a little drainage or sinus pressure but that is more a result of the weather than any weakness in my immune system. All of which brings me to an aside. Pride can be a very pervasive characteristic.

In any case, one thing that I have come to appreciate about having sinus issues, or what some might perceive as a "cold", is the resulting voice. Deep, gravelly, downright sultry, that's what comes to mind. Sometimes, in times of sinus discomfort, I will say to myself, "Hello Darlin". Honestly I get a little tingly. Singing with the sinus voice? Like Barry White and Johnny Cash are in the room singing a duet. I am really thankful its not my normal voice, the fame would be just too much.

So, like everything in life there is a silver lining. Even though the "sinus" problems might produce achiness, fever, limited breathing, and general malaise......they also produce some of the best renditions of "Ring of Fire" ever uttered this side of Nashville. That is payment plenty.

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.

Addicted to power

I have to admit that I am addicted to power. Not the kind of power you are thinking, but the kind of power generated by batteries and outlets. Power, as they say, is intoxicating. A flimsy ole knife to carve the turkey? No, a power knife. Tooth brush? Power. Screw driver? Power. Hand saw? Are you kidding? Chainsaw.

I was thinking the other day in the grocery store, "Want more men in here? Power carts. Even more men? Power carts that sound like Harleys. A male hangout? Custom built engines with personalized decals. Men in Heaven? Nightly power cart races, televised on ESPN with a trophy."

I think there is a cottage industry waiting to happen. PASCAR...Power and Sound Cart Aisle Racing. Sponsored by Betty Crocker?

Winning

I had an opportunity to meet a famous business philosopher today. He is a smart man, and in the world of business he is a famous man. In him, I found both a sermon and a word from God though I suspect he intended neither. I honestly don't even know if he is a Christian, but he spoke truth that was familiar and recognizable: all people are worthy of respect, this life is not all about us, raw ambition is sure destruction. My soul was touched and I wanted to shout Amen Brother! This fellow was true, he was authentic, he really believed what he was sharing; and it was truth. I was moved until the very end.

At the very end, I asked a very simple question, "Have you ever seen an American company do this successfully?" The answer was long, but boiled down to, "No." Then there was a bit of sadness in his eyes when he went on to say, "This is a lot harder than I originally thought." "I've been at this for 30 years and I honestly thought that if I showed people what I know...they would recognize the benefits, they would see its a better way, they would adopt and get better, there would be more civility in our organizations. But they haven't. They simply seem unable to see the truth."

What is it in us that drives that outcome? Why do we choose pain and suffering over freedom and joy? Why do we choose worry over confidence? Why do we choose victimization over empowerment? Why do we choose these things even when we can see a better way? In this situation, its not as if the guy is preaching a new found religion. He is simply passing on observations about what has made other companies great. It is tangible, it is visible, it is knowable yet it is disregarded for the status quo which breeds familiarity yet utter humiliation for all involved. I'll shout, "Why do we do this to ourselves?????????"

Its not new and its not specific to the secular world. Paul, in letters to the early church says over and over again, "Why do you keep selling out the Gospel to return to the bondage of the law?" (Paraphrased as a theme from several letters). Jesus says, "the truth shall set you free" but people crucified him. In our church today, we divide over music and decorations, and silly theological terms that have no real meaning. We add to the burden of the Gospel with a set of rules that people hold up as Biblical truths. We scratch and claw against each other to win best prayer, or most Christ like among our peers. We try our very best to win and be right but at what cost?

Most people I meet have no problem with God, they have a problem with the church. In some way or another they have been hurt, ignored, or discounted as people set about to do what was "right". If the result is pain, if the outcome is disdain can it really be? Is it possible that in our pursuit of the win, in our accumulation of righteousness we have failed to see the main point, we have lost the truth?