We all are stirred or stirrers

“Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir men’s souls.” Daniel Burnam

I believe it is our natural nature to stir, as men.  Our breath, movement, & thoughts; all inherent, are surely for something greater than that moments limited understanding and minimal evident effects.    

Pet Peeve: Friends & PHON(iES)

With the advancement of communication through technology (such as texting) you would think the substance of our interpersonal relationships would be gaining traction all the more.  Taking into account that body language is proposed to be 60-85% of all communication though, this so called "advancement" can quite quickly work to our disadvantage. 

Case in point, lets examine the last time my job and I decided to part ways.  It was an interesting transition, kind of mutual, kind of a work in progress, definitely expedited because of crappy communication with a 3rd party friend though.  A good friend of mine, who also knew my boss, being the unique 3rd party he was, was the first person I called when I found out my job may be coming to a transition.  It was a surreal moment for me; a big deal.  I called on him because I needed a friend to share in the surreality with... 
Has this ever happened to you though?:  You call a friend to talk, and they don't answer their phone, but text you back: "What's up?".  Well I fell for the bait, briefly explaining the ensuing situation, thinking it would warrant a call back.  Did they call me back?  NO!  Instead, they text my boss, WHAT!  My boss was blown away that I was already out there spreading rumors making light of the situation, and do you think she reacted to that?  Of coarse!  And do you think I reacted to her reaction?  Of coarse!!
Damn our human nature & crappy communication.  Next time you want to make light of a heavy situation through crappy communication, I hope that guy up there blows his bad breath right through his phone into your face, even if you don't answer; friend.
Who knows, maybe someday this crazy world will evolve into a place where we have little buttons on the front of our homes that our friends can walk up and push and it will make a little bell chime in our house and we can speak to one another face to face.  Someday... maybe we'll get there.  Until then, don't be a phoney homey and answer your phone homey. 

How To Control Time

In the midst of a reconnection with an old school mate the other day, I was reminded of the quickening of time.  "I can't believe High School was already 10 years ago!", she said.  "I can't believe it has gone by so fast, where did the time go?"

The flight of time seems sensible when I really take the time to think about what feels timely to me: new sights, sounds, symbols, lessons, tasks, thoughts, challenges, places, people.  Newness.  All of these things challenge us, force us, to slow down & smell the roses.  Rose smelling is no longer an option but a necessity when we encounter unknown territory.

As children, we are engulfed with newness daily, the entire world is full of wonder and awe.  As aging adults, we typically settle into more and more routine that growing up often brings, and we see less and less newness everyday.  We often smell the roses less and less the older we get, because, well, lets face it- who has time to smell the roses when time is moving this fast? Before we know it we've been out of High School for 10 years and we don't know what happened.  We got into a routine, we studied the same subect at school for 4 years and drove the same way to work every morning.  To thrive at life, we made things simple, and once life becomes simple, it just simply passes us by.  Surely the key to a full and slow life is to simply keep smelling the roses.  In this simple act, wonder may be reinstilled, and we can re-learn how to let the simplicity of life be a thrill.

Change

If you read a life changing book, see a life changing movie, or have a life changing moment; you should be different.  I have always associated growth and new direction in ones life to typically be a good thing.  Yet, I hear so much nay saying when someone sees someone who has changed.  "Oh, that's not the same old Billy Bob I used to know, what happened to Billy Bob!?".

Maybe Billy Bob read a book, or saw a crack on the sidewalk one day, and realized something he had not yet realized, and he let that moment fundamentally change him.  Isn't that what we do in counseling?  Are we not looking for a fundamental lens shift?  A deeper understanding, that will hopefully stay with us, heal us, and lead us to new heights?  If we are all the same this year as we were 5 years ago,then I have to wonder if we are living life the way it is meant to be lived.