Small difference, big difference

 A song that is currently getting consistent airplay in country music circle is Luke Combs cover of the Tracey Chapman song 'Fast Car'.  While the cover remains true to the original in many ways, there is one small change to the lyrics.  

Luke Combs version of the refrains goe like this:

You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so we can fly away?
Still gotta make a decision
Leave tonight, or live and die this way

In Tracy Chapman's original version, the first two refrains goes like this:

You got a fast car

Is it fast enough so we can fly away?

We gotta make a decision

Leave tonight or live and die this way

The third refrain goes like this:

You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so you can fly away?
You gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way

See the difference?  

Luke Combs version suggests that the it is 'we' that have to make the decision to stay or leave.  Tracey Chapman's version starts with 'we', but ends with 'you'.  The suggestion is that the singer has decided they are stuck, cannot leave, and are giving their other the option to leave them behind and head to a better life because the can.  

There is harsh reality there that people experience every day.  'I love you so much I am telling you to leave without me'.  Puts a lump in my throat just thinking about being in that situation.

Small difference, big difference.

What did we do before (_______)?

Someone very close to me recently posed the question 'What did we do before (_______)?'  Humans seem to be wired to constantly strive to build better tools, going from sharpened stones and petroglyphs on cave walls, to lasers and smart phones in the matter of a few thousand years.  Barely enough time for the universe to blink. 

What we did before (_______) was that we had realistic expectations based on the world as it was at that moment.  Waiting for letters to come in the mail because this was the only way to send written messages person to person.  If you were not home when someone called, they had to keep trying until you were home because mobile phones and voicemail did not exist.  Examples too numerous to list if you look at the whole of human history.

What did we do?

The more pressing question is what would we do if these things ever went away? 


    

A short talk with the New Year.

Welcome 2013, I hope that you did not have any issues finding us?  The year you are replacing just left in a huff because he was told he had worn out his welcome.  Some ground rules if you are going to stick around for a time:

1. Be gentle with us, we all had a challenging time with 2012 and while it could have been much worse, it was not as good as we had hoped.
2. Understand that this is a temp job - no one gets to stay longer than 366 days (most stay less).
3. We take the 'to every thing there is a season' thing seriously so try to keep them timely and orderly.
4. Lastly, know that we will not be intimidated by your unknown and together we will find a way through whatever you bring with love as our sword, reason as our shield and common sense as our armour.

Sincerely,
Humanity

Let the little things lie.

We all can easily get hung up on the little things that do not go right in our lives, as if we could see 'perfect' while we are standing smack dab in the middle of 'above average' or 'excellent'.  Today is Christmas and my day has been relaxing, fun and filled with love and family togetherness.  As I sit and ponder the day, my mind wants to rewind to the worst part of my day - having my thumb viciously attacked by the hood on my wife's vehicle while I was attempting to refill the windshield washer fluid.  It appears that the hydraulic pistons that are supposed to keep the hood up when it is opened are only there for show at this point and they allowed gravity to have its way with the hood as soon as I let it go.  Thus, hood+gravity+thumb in the path of hood=bruised and in pain.  Truth be known, I spoke to the hood (and indirectly to those who designed this particular automobile) with some words that were quite the opposite of the holiday spirit.  Now, every time I use this thumb (for example, when I am typing), it hurts some and reminds me that the folks in Detroit should have received some coal today.  Of course it does not take a genius to realize that letting this small and ultimately inconsequential event sour my whole day would be the epitome of foolishness.  Yet, we all have this the ability to allow this to happen.  If today were not Christmas, there is a good chance that I would make sure that this is topic number one when asked 'how was your day?'  But, having thought about it enough to write this blog, I will resist, and focus on the many ways that this was a great day. 

Not perfect, but good enough to let the little things lie.

Open letter to my grandparents

I wish you could have been here the last few weeks.  The kids were very into the holidays, believing, as children should, in the power of miracles. As I looked at the light in their eyes, I felt you smile over my shoulder.  It is moments like this that make the time away from work the most valuable time I have.

They are growing up so fast, yet they are still little and we had some quiet moments as well just sitting on the couch together watching sports on TV.  They are loving, caring, playful, mischievous, and fun little boys who make me proud daily.   

I just wish that I could see your face again, give you a hug and share the joy of their childhood with you in person.

Love always.

Resolution

Coming down the stretch toward the end of 2011. This past year has been a challenge and a blessing in so many ways. It is easy to focus on the negative - the family and friends lost (some way too soon), the challenges with keeping sane in an increasingly disfunctional world, and the everyday stresses of family and work. It is not always as easy to focus on the positive - watching my sons grow and learn, the weeklong family vacation with perfect weather, the quiet moments that present themselves if you let them.

This time of year many people will try to close out 2011 and start anew with 2012.  They want to compartmentalize each year, evaluate it seperately and make a clean break on things that they do not like or should change.

'Ah-hah!' you say, 'now is the part where we talk about resolutions and the like!'.

Those who know me will most likely have heard me say that the only resolution I have ever made is to never make another one. The modern New Years Resolution is an attempt to make a change in our lives or how we live them in one fell swoop by simply stating or writing down what you will now do and/or will never do again. They have become cliche', hollow and rarely are followed through. This line of thinking treats our lives like this year was one project that is ending and that next year is another project that is about to begin (compartmentalization).

Better to use another definition of resolution - quality of detail in image. While this definition is about photo or video images rather than life experience, I find that it fits well in describing what I do. I do my best to self evaluate - give myself some constructive critisism, some praise (we all at least some things right) and determine what I need to work on more moving forward. Trying to reconcile the quality of detail in the image I have of myself and my life with what is actually going on outside my head.  To put it another way, I wish to bring my life more into focus. 

We are all travelers on a journey that ends the with the same result. Taking time every so often, say, every 365 days or so, to check how we are doing and make adjustments just might mean that our trip is more enjoyable and lasts longer.

Here's to all of us striving to be better people every day until our time on this earth ends - no matter the date on the calendar. 

Thankful

Another Thanksgiving come and gone. This year was extra special because we hosted both sides of the family in our home for Thanksgiving. We were not certain that we could fit that many in the house, but as our forefathers did, we made it work and everyone had a wonderful meal. Food and drink were plentiful, the kids played nicely, football on the TV. Typical realy.

When it came time to say grace I was ready. I had picked out a prayer by Emerson that I thought was good and it was non-denomenational (mixed religions in the room means that grace can become a point of contention if not handled with deference to all). Then someting happened that I did not expect. I bowed my head to read the words and got all choked up, almost to the point where I could not finish. I was not even sure why I felt the way I did. No one said anything and i have no idea what the rest of the family thought. So, the only one I needed to explain this to was me. Once everyone was gone and it was on to the long holiday weekend (and the honey-do list) I started to mull it over in my head. When the answer came to me I almost smacked myself in the forehead.

Something so simple.

It had been a Perfect Moment.

The fact that we were all there, together, breaking bread as a family on a beautiful fall day, happy, healthy, not thinking about our troubles or issues.

A Perfect Moment.

In this world, in the age that we live, these moments are rare.

We gather to be thankful for many things. Children, Spouse, family, health (of ourselves and the aforementioned), roof over our heads, job (especially these days), food on the table, etc. This list goes on. The one thing that goes unsaid but is (hopefully) felt by all is that thanks for that moment in time.

It comes and goes in an instant and we never know when (or if) the next one will come.