Everybody has a story

I have observed of late that everybody has a story.  I’m not talking about the novel they haven’t yet written, rather the thing that makes them special.  It is most evident on reality television. (I don’t watch a lot, just The Voice and Biggest Loser) I think, perhaps it is a tactic to create empathy for the contestant, thus swinging the popular vote.  Some of them are true examples of triumph over hardship.  Other stories are a stretch – “Your parents are so mean that they won’t pay for ALL of your private college tuition!  How ghastly!  You have to work a job? Incredible!”

When I complain that “Everyone has a story,” my son retorts, “Well, yeah.  Everyone does.” He is correct, but what bothers me is that we forget to value the regular guy that goes about his life doing his duty day-to-day without any sensationalism.  His story might read something like this:

Steady Eddy was born in a regular town to regular parents that made him go to school and taught him to work.  Eddy grew into a responsible adult, married his sweetheart and was faithful to her throughout his life.  They raised four regular children who in turn led regular lives.  Eddy held a steady job and made a modest yet dependable income.  He taught his children to fish and drive a standard transmission.  His wife and children were secure in his love for them and his devotion as he steadily provided for them.  He never won a race.  Eddy never wrote a best-seller, his name was never in the news or on MSN, nor did he ever blame his lack of fame or social status on anyone else.  Eddy didn’t care about fame.  He simply loved his family and went about his life caring for them.  As Bill Wilson might say, “To the world Eddy was just one person, but to those who depended on him he was the world.”

Let’s hear it for Steady Eddy!  He’s more valuable than you might know.  I’ll bet he knew this secret!

 

 

It's true.  Everybody does have a story.  Some of the best stories might be boring, but they are the ones that make the world go around. I think that's pretty special, don't you?

Happy Reading!

A dozen years

Time to clean off my desk! 

I am retiring.  No, not from my lab job (I don’t work very hard anyway) nor from my writing pursuits, rather from my responsibilities as School Board Trustee.  Twelve years just seems like the right time to transition. It wasn’t a goal that I set in the beginning of my service.  I didn’t say, “Sure, I think I will do that for a dozen years.” It just happened.  I have been pondering that number twelve.  What kinds of things do we do by the dozen?

We buy eggs by the dozen.

Years are divided by a dozen months and days by two dozen hours.

We attend public school for a dozen years, give or take a couple.

A dozen long stemmed roses is a significant gesture – and pricey!

Donuts.

Christ had twelve apostles.

Gandalf had twelve dwarves and a hobbit that represented innocence. (Think about it.)

 

During my years of service I participated in the following twelves to name a few:

 

Approved twelve School-year calendars.

Rehired teaching, coaching, food service, custodians, bus drivers, para-professionals, Superintendent and various district staff twelve times.

 

Approved twelve school district budgets.

Received twelve IHSAA passes.

Participated in Parma High School graduation ceremonies and presented diplomas twelve times.

Cleaned up Homecoming TP from my yard twelve times.

Attended twelve Regular school board meetings each year.  (Okay, I missed a couple, but I made up for those with Special school board meetings.)

 

And yet, twelve years has no true significance in my decision to step down.  It is just time.  I recall asking a fellow former trustee when he knew it was time to leave.  He said, “You just know.  The district was in good hands and I felt it was my time to go.”  I echo his sentiment.  It is just time.

 

I bid my school board responsibilities, “Adieu.”  I may still give my opinion and I can tell you who to contact with a concern, but as I reassured a favorite coach when he kindly said, “What are we going to do without you?” It’s all right.  I can just be more partial now!

 

It’s been fun – time to be done!

If you win, I lose. Really?

There is an idea being widespread that, in my opinion, is both false and disturbing.  Many in today’s world, especially in the USA, are under the impression that if one person is wealthy it will automatically make another person poor.  That is like saying, “If she loses weight, it will make me fat,” or, “If your house is clean, then my house must be dirty.”  It simply does not make sense.

In my world, those who have more money not only spend more money, thus contributing to economic health, they also give more to charity, thus helping those in need. 

Surely there are those enslaved in poverty from which they have very little hope of release.  They often had no hand in creating their circumstances. However, to blame their poverty on the wealthy is an incorrect assumption.  This is not intended to be a political post, rather an observation of a thinking trend that is handicapping all of us.  If we adopt this attitude, we deny our own accountability. Think about it.

“I am unhealthy because there are too many fitness fanatics around. It has nothing to do with my choices to hang out on the sofa and eat junk food.”

“I didn’t finish high school because there were too many smart kids in my class.  It had nothing to do with my failure to show up for class.”

 “If he has four cars, then there will not be enough cars for me to have one, because he bought all the cars.”

Have you got the picture yet?  Here is one more just to help you see …

“If he is happy, then I have to be sad.”

It just does not make any sense.  However, it is a very effective tool for those that would have us remain in a state of unhappiness and discontent.  Denying one’s accountability only fosters an attitude of disappointment and inevitable failure, because there will always be those who succeed and according to popular thought, if somebody succeeds others must fail.  Don't get caught in this thinking trap.

That is my opinion.  What is yours?

And So it Ends ...

Before Brazil

Two years ago I tracked a flight from Boise to Brazil.  I lost track of it as it passed over the equator.  My nineteen year-old son was on that flight.
Tonight I will begin tracking another flight from Brazil to Boise.  My twenty-one year-old son will be on that flight.
So much has happened since he left ...
His truck has nearly worn out.
Little brother is now bigger brother by about five inches.
His baby niece walks, talks, and does somersaults without her hands.
He has another niece on the way.
Navy Seals eliminated Bin Laden.
BSU Broncos won a whole bunch of football games.
His parents have added Road Biking to their list of recreational activities.
Lots of people got married.
He speaks Portuguese.
We built a new gymnasium.
His uncle passed away.
Many things stayed the same ...
The economy still stinks.
Gas prices are still high.
The lawn still gets mowed on a regular basis.
We still speak English.
The Greens still ski.
I still bake when I'm feeling nervous.
We still love football.
Life still moves on.
This chapter is over and another begins.

Good Works

Okay, I know everyone is talking about it, and I know I don't have a clue how many people have pitched in, and I know some have done so much more than others ... but when the delivery truck loaded with roofing supplies showed up this afternoon, I cried again!

You've seen it happen on TV in a matter of days ... with professionals and a Television network driving the project, but have you seen a small community rebuild a house for someone in need in just over a week?  That is what is happening in Parma this week, and it is inspiring.

Contractors who could be working on paying jobs are donating their time and resources.  Housewives are providing nourishment AND tearing up old tile!  Teenagers are tearing down, cleaning up, smoothing out, hauling off, and doing it all with a smile!  The best part is, most of these people have never met the recipient of all this good will! They just know he is a member of the community who is in need.

I once read a quote that said, "There isn't much to see in a small town, but what you hear makes up for it."  I'm here to tell you, there is much to see and hear in this small town!

I Remember Now ...

I have this little job that I do and sometimes I wonder why.  I am referring to my responsibility as school board trustee.  There are times when it seems tedious (policy revisions) and times when it seems hopeless (student expulsions) ... and then there is May!

Here is what happens in May:

• State Championships

 To borrow a quote from The Wide World of Sports, "The thrill of victory.  The agony of defeat."

• Music Concerts

Whether choir or band, one has to appreciate the number of students involved in music programs in our little district.  

• Academic Awards

That is what we are all about - academic achievement.

• Scholarships

Got a B average?  You can go to college, thanks to the philanthropists in our little town.

• Graduation

This is "Pay Day" for school board trustees.  It is why we put up with the tedium, the frustrations, and the disciplinary hearings.  It is why, when someone asks, "Are you still on the school board?" I answer, "Yes.  Yes, I am!"  Occasionally, a trustee gets a "Bonus" on "Pay Day."  Occasionally, a trustee has the opportunity to present a diploma to his or her own offspring!

I am grateful for May!

Impressions

There's nothing like a first impression … or a second, or third, or whatever it takes to make a good one!

I make retainers for peoples mouths. They need to fit. The problem is, no matter how talented I am or how meticulous I work, the quality of the final product cannot be better than the quality of the model provided. In other words, if someone else does inferior work, my work will inevitably be inferior and there is nothing I can do to fix it. Frustrating.

Okay, there are a few things that I can try to make the product a bit better, such as build a tooth where there wasn't one or whittle away a glob of plaster that doesn't belong, but I can only use my experience and imagination hoping that I am getting a “close” rendition of the actual mouth. It will, however, never be quite the same.

Here's what I think …

*First impressions might be poor, but it is worth the effort to try to rectify them.

*Others cannot fix our mistakes, however, they often pay for our errors and shortcomings.

*Even the best imitation is not as good as the original.

That's my sermon for today!

Power Gremlin Strikes Again!

Phone rings ... "So Carol, remember when you were having problems with your power last year?" Boy do I! Only, it wasn't just last year, it was last month as well.



"Well, some of my house has power and some of it doesn't." Sounds familiar.



"None of the breakers have tripped." Neither had mine.



"The part of my house without power is the part with all the major appliances - LIKE THE FURNACE." This through chattering teeth. It's 25 degress outside.



Of course it was the part with the major appliances. That's how this game works!



"You better call the power company," I counseled. "It sounds like my power problem a few weeks ago." (See October 28 Post - Power? No Power?)

Sure enough! The little power man had to climb a pole outside and fix a wire that apparently hadn't been tended to in, oh ... maybe FIFTY YEARS! But hey, he did it for free. After all, it is the power company's responsibility to maintain that line ... and it has been their responsibility for the past FIFTY YEARS!

Power? No Power?

Why is it that we never know how much we love something until it goes away? Like electricity, for instance? I am confident that I am prepared. I can handle a little inconvenience when necessary. What I don’t handle very well is unnecessary inconvenience.

A storm occurred. It knocked out power to 8500 homes in the area. It did not knock out power in my home, at least, not completely. Some lights worked. Some outlets worked. The refrigerator and water heaters worked sporadically. Some lights dimmed. None of the major appliances had enough power to run. Some power, just not enough. The furnace certainly did not work!

How can this be? Well, I assumed the problem was in the wiring in my home, so I called my electrician. He checked the work from his previous visit and quickly diagnosed the problem. One of the connections on the outside of my home was burnt through – a casualty of years of weather abuse. This explained the partial power. Some power was getting to my home, just not enough. It was a simple problem, easily repaired. It would take a matter of minutes.

Enter the unnecessary inconvenience. My electrician was able to repair the problem. He just wasn’t allowed to repair it. Huh? That’s right, because the problem was outside the house the problem was on the power company’s side. This meant the power company would have to repair the wires. Did I mention there had been a storm that knocked out power lines? I don’t think I mentioned that I was way down the list, or that my son was home with the flu. How about the fact that I have lived in my home for twenty years and the same power company responsible for maintaining outside lines has never attempted maintenance on said lines?

My electrician could have corrected the problem in a matter of minutes, but the power company would have none of that! Rather, I waited hours! When, after a second phone call requesting repair the service man showed up it took him exactly fifteen minutes to restore full power to my home.

What did I do first? I turned on the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, furnace, and stovetop. I reset four digital clocks - again. And then I listened. I listened to the sound of my house running. What a beautiful noise – a house doing what it was built to do! I love the convenience of electricity!