Thursday, December 2, 2010
Phone Company
There used to be an easy way to beat the phone company. If you were going out of state, somewhere overseas, or anywhere that involved a long-distance phone call, you could create a code with your loved ones at home to communicate. Say you were driving to Maine and you wanted to call when you arrived but didn't want to pay the long-distance phone bill at the hotel. You would tell your family before leaving roughly what time you'd arrive, then you'd tell them that you'd call once, let it ring three times before hanging up, and then you'd call again and let it ring twice before hanging up. Sure, you couldn't share the news that you'd hit a deer on the drive, but you could at least let them know you'd arrived safely. The downsides to this mode of communication are many, including that your family had to wait until the fourth ring to answer any call just in case it was you calling early. The only time this mode of communication might be useful these days is when you travel internationally, but it turns out that cell phone companies begin charging you the moment you turn your phone on. That's just one more thing cell phones have robbed from us.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Pear roulette
For every one good pear you get, you have to eat about 10 bad ones. No other food is so consistently inconsistent. The bananas you find in the grocery store all taste pretty much the same. You'll get an occasionally mushy peach, but you should know better than to buy those out of season. The problem with pears is that sometimes the best ones look the most abused, and sometimes the best looking ones turn out to be as hard as a cinder block once you bite into them. You think I'd give up and stop buying pears, move onto a new pulpy fruit that has a gritty texture, but that one rare pear that gives you a hit of perfection keeps me coming back. It's like a really low stakes game of Russian roulette.
Neva Johnson (1930-2010)
I've been Neva's grandson for nearly 29 years. Many of you have known her longer, some of you have been closer, and all of you have been touched by her kindness and generosity. She was a friend to all of us regardless of our connection to her as family, student, coworker, acquaintance or neighbor. It's that friendship with her that brings us all together today. Instead of mourning a loss, I'd prefer to consider what she has done to enrich each one of our lives. While I summarize her life and its effect on mine I ask that each one of you reflects on what your life has gained from having her in it. We all have a chance to enhance our lives through what she has directly or indirectly taught us.
Grandma Johnson would always brag that she came into this world on the same day as Mickey Mouse. She grew up in the midst of the Great Depression and coupled with the fact that she was the youngest in the family, this helped shape her personality later on in life. While I occasionally heard stories about the nature of her childhood, there was never a complaint. These stories of overcoming hardship were only meant to prove that we all find ourselves in situations where one can't control circumstances but you can always change your perspective to make the most of it. It was this existentialistic type of thinking that taught me one can find fulfillment in any situation. Grandma most certainly did.
She knew how to make friends in nearly any condition and in large number. It was a common joke within our family that no matter where we went with her, she would inevitably know someone and be familiar with their entire life story. Even the mere mention of a last name would invoke memories of someone she knew by the same name. I can only aspire to enjoy the company of a similar quantity with the same quality. Her generosity towards others was to be commended. Her philanthropy wasn’t monetary but emotional. She was always there to help a friend, son, daughter, neighbor, coworker or student. I’ve never seen a calendar as full of appointments with friends as Grandma’s. In fact, while many of us carry around pocket calendars to keep track of our lives, hers was a large calendar placed on her desk. But you always knew that if you made a date to hang out with her, she would be there. It’s that attention to dependability that is easy to dismiss in this day in age where you can cancel an appointment with just a push of a button.
Enjoyment of life was something she excelled at. This involved anything from a good laugh to a good movie to good food. In fact my enjoyment of ice cream may have originated in her house. Her rational for giving my brother Jeff and I the treat on a regular basis was that it’s just “frozen milk”. She also knew how to take pleasure in the company of others. She could make anyone laugh with her dry humor. Actually, sarcastic wit would be a better description. “Just hold your breath for 20 minutes and your hiccups will go away” was one of my favorite sayings. When asked what she’s up to, she would respond without fail, “About 5 feet 2 inches!” She’d strike up a long conversation with the postman, a cashier, her doctor and anybody else she came across each day. Inevitably she’d always crack some satirical gem and get a good chuckle out of her partner in conversation. It was never above her to poke fun at herself. Her lighthearted nature affected many.
Grandma may very well be the best Jeopardy player that has never been on the show. Countless times I would watch her outscore the eventual winner of the night. She was not only intelligent, but had a unique knack for retaining knowledge in all subjects. She was always perceptive and as I suspect many of you know this quality made her an excellent sister, mother, teacher and mentor. She not only knew when you were doing something wrong, but she was acutely aware of when something was troubling you. This also made her an excellent and quick judge of character. The fact that you are here today says a lot about yours.
Perhaps her most prominent attribute of all was her strength. She only missed a couple of days of work in 29 years as a teacher. She endured chemo treatment without much complaint. She rarely portrayed signs of weakness and that was evident from day one to day 29,185. This strength has rubbed off on me as I know it has on many of you.
29,185 days. That’s an eternity to some, but when you break it down to a day at a time and realize what Neva, Mom, Grandma, Mrs. Johnson achieved each one of those days, it adds up to something incredible. My hope is that each of you here will remember Neva as YOU saw her. I hope that you will tuck that memory in your heart and let it touch you a little bit each day. If you saw her wit, I hope that she continues to make you laugh. I suspect that her independence will encourage you to live each moment of your life to the fullest. I hope her strength encourages you to keep moving forward.
I never had the chance until now to officially say goodbye. I don’t regret it. Instead I’m extremely grateful that she didn’t have to suffer long. This gives me more peace of mind than a chance to say the words “goodbye” in person. Goodbye Grandma, thank you and I love you.
Grandma Johnson would always brag that she came into this world on the same day as Mickey Mouse. She grew up in the midst of the Great Depression and coupled with the fact that she was the youngest in the family, this helped shape her personality later on in life. While I occasionally heard stories about the nature of her childhood, there was never a complaint. These stories of overcoming hardship were only meant to prove that we all find ourselves in situations where one can't control circumstances but you can always change your perspective to make the most of it. It was this existentialistic type of thinking that taught me one can find fulfillment in any situation. Grandma most certainly did.
She knew how to make friends in nearly any condition and in large number. It was a common joke within our family that no matter where we went with her, she would inevitably know someone and be familiar with their entire life story. Even the mere mention of a last name would invoke memories of someone she knew by the same name. I can only aspire to enjoy the company of a similar quantity with the same quality. Her generosity towards others was to be commended. Her philanthropy wasn’t monetary but emotional. She was always there to help a friend, son, daughter, neighbor, coworker or student. I’ve never seen a calendar as full of appointments with friends as Grandma’s. In fact, while many of us carry around pocket calendars to keep track of our lives, hers was a large calendar placed on her desk. But you always knew that if you made a date to hang out with her, she would be there. It’s that attention to dependability that is easy to dismiss in this day in age where you can cancel an appointment with just a push of a button.
Enjoyment of life was something she excelled at. This involved anything from a good laugh to a good movie to good food. In fact my enjoyment of ice cream may have originated in her house. Her rational for giving my brother Jeff and I the treat on a regular basis was that it’s just “frozen milk”. She also knew how to take pleasure in the company of others. She could make anyone laugh with her dry humor. Actually, sarcastic wit would be a better description. “Just hold your breath for 20 minutes and your hiccups will go away” was one of my favorite sayings. When asked what she’s up to, she would respond without fail, “About 5 feet 2 inches!” She’d strike up a long conversation with the postman, a cashier, her doctor and anybody else she came across each day. Inevitably she’d always crack some satirical gem and get a good chuckle out of her partner in conversation. It was never above her to poke fun at herself. Her lighthearted nature affected many.
Grandma may very well be the best Jeopardy player that has never been on the show. Countless times I would watch her outscore the eventual winner of the night. She was not only intelligent, but had a unique knack for retaining knowledge in all subjects. She was always perceptive and as I suspect many of you know this quality made her an excellent sister, mother, teacher and mentor. She not only knew when you were doing something wrong, but she was acutely aware of when something was troubling you. This also made her an excellent and quick judge of character. The fact that you are here today says a lot about yours.
Perhaps her most prominent attribute of all was her strength. She only missed a couple of days of work in 29 years as a teacher. She endured chemo treatment without much complaint. She rarely portrayed signs of weakness and that was evident from day one to day 29,185. This strength has rubbed off on me as I know it has on many of you.
29,185 days. That’s an eternity to some, but when you break it down to a day at a time and realize what Neva, Mom, Grandma, Mrs. Johnson achieved each one of those days, it adds up to something incredible. My hope is that each of you here will remember Neva as YOU saw her. I hope that you will tuck that memory in your heart and let it touch you a little bit each day. If you saw her wit, I hope that she continues to make you laugh. I suspect that her independence will encourage you to live each moment of your life to the fullest. I hope her strength encourages you to keep moving forward.
I never had the chance until now to officially say goodbye. I don’t regret it. Instead I’m extremely grateful that she didn’t have to suffer long. This gives me more peace of mind than a chance to say the words “goodbye” in person. Goodbye Grandma, thank you and I love you.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Money != Happiness
"Well if you think money won't buy you happiness, hell, you ain't ever been to Reno" ~Stumpy in the movie Out Cold.
"Oh they say I come with less
Than I should rightfully possess
I say the more I buy the more I'm bought
And the more I'm bought the less I cost" ~Joe Pug
Money is this funny double-edged sword. You need it to survive in modern day society, yet it is so coveted by many it often becomes addicting to hoard as much as possible. Months ago I had a conversation with a friend while running about this very topic. We agreed that the amount of money you have or material items you own only affects happiness until a certain point. Where exactly that tipping point is, who knows, but we believed it to be not that far above the poverty line. All I know is that attitude and appreciation of life outside of work and money is probably the biggest factor of happiness in my opinion. With the average person, it's a humanistic instinct to consume. In this era, the more money you have, the more you can consume. Sure, some of this added consumption with higher income may be beneficial to your general healthiness and well-being. You may buy healthier food, fix your dilapidated house, buy proper footwear to go hiking, donate to a charity you align with. Often you'll find that people will just buy things to fill their budget. I am close with many upper-middle class folks in their 20s and 30s. A couple of them live as if they make a fraction of what they really bring home, but the majority find things to spend their extra cashflow on. To be honest, and for the sake of making my point, those couple people who live simply despite their income level are two of the most satisfied, fulfilled individuals I know. The difference here is attitude. Others that live off of very little by necessity, but certainly enough to live, are also generally fulfilled. Sure, nobody is a cheerful cupcake 100% of the time, but the overall demeanor is generally on the positive side. Others have the attitude that they could always use just a little bit more money, no matter what they make currently. It's like a drug addiction in a way, and is a classic way to lead yourself down the golden road of dissatisfaction. Getting money and material items may get you a short high, but will always leave you wanting more. Trim the fat and use what you have left wisely. Simplifying will make you rich in other ways.
"Oh they say I come with less
Than I should rightfully possess
I say the more I buy the more I'm bought
And the more I'm bought the less I cost" ~Joe Pug
Money is this funny double-edged sword. You need it to survive in modern day society, yet it is so coveted by many it often becomes addicting to hoard as much as possible. Months ago I had a conversation with a friend while running about this very topic. We agreed that the amount of money you have or material items you own only affects happiness until a certain point. Where exactly that tipping point is, who knows, but we believed it to be not that far above the poverty line. All I know is that attitude and appreciation of life outside of work and money is probably the biggest factor of happiness in my opinion. With the average person, it's a humanistic instinct to consume. In this era, the more money you have, the more you can consume. Sure, some of this added consumption with higher income may be beneficial to your general healthiness and well-being. You may buy healthier food, fix your dilapidated house, buy proper footwear to go hiking, donate to a charity you align with. Often you'll find that people will just buy things to fill their budget. I am close with many upper-middle class folks in their 20s and 30s. A couple of them live as if they make a fraction of what they really bring home, but the majority find things to spend their extra cashflow on. To be honest, and for the sake of making my point, those couple people who live simply despite their income level are two of the most satisfied, fulfilled individuals I know. The difference here is attitude. Others that live off of very little by necessity, but certainly enough to live, are also generally fulfilled. Sure, nobody is a cheerful cupcake 100% of the time, but the overall demeanor is generally on the positive side. Others have the attitude that they could always use just a little bit more money, no matter what they make currently. It's like a drug addiction in a way, and is a classic way to lead yourself down the golden road of dissatisfaction. Getting money and material items may get you a short high, but will always leave you wanting more. Trim the fat and use what you have left wisely. Simplifying will make you rich in other ways.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Who am I?
I'm not entirely certain that I've ever answered the question: Who am I? I rarely reflect, particularly on myself but below is a stream of consciousness - without much filter - of how I perceive myself.
I am a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew and a cousin. I'm a friend to some, but an acquaintance to many more. I'm a boyfriend and a lover. I'm a coworker. I'm an energetic, passionate 28 year-old male who strives to be genuine to those around him with the hopes that this attribute will be reflected in others. Being fit is a big part of my life but having fun staying fit is bigger. I love to play. I love to show others little known places to experience nature. I'm a maven of sorts. I love sharing little jewels in life whether it be a good deal, a great shortcut, a hidden waterfall or a great view. I'm absolutely in love. I'm thrifty, but money isn't important to my happiness. I'm a big fan of simplifying my life to what's truly important to me. I'm a big planner. I love planning trips, events, adventures, but I've learned to be flexible because letting life take you on some side streets you didn't expect to be on is way more fun than always knowing what's going to happen. I'm hairy. I'm a fan of music but I know nothing about how it's made. I enjoy a good microbrew or a glass of Spanish Rioja wine. I love random crazy ideas and acting on them. I'm a doer. I love to take action on something and can organize how the vision is going to be acted out. I love having fun with friends but am sometimes still socially awkward with large groups of new people. I have trouble communicating and expressing myself occasionally. I tell really long stories. I have a distinctively deep voice. I always love learning, many times it's what keeps me going. I love the outdoors and try to spend as much time possible outside. I'm a thinker. I can be quiet and sometimes enjoy being reclusive. I love and cherish life. I'm learning to love and cherish those around me more. I'm very perceptive of people, objects, mannerisms and feelings but rarely voice my perceptions. I appreciate honesty more than anything. I get very excited about new ideas. I'm sometimes too practical for my own good. I'm open minded, but know what I stand for and what I want. I'm getting much better at extracting what others want (from me, life, to eat, etc), but still have a little ways to go. I sometimes like bragging about achievements whether they be mine or others close to me, but sometimes it comes out after feigned modesty. I love efficiency. I'm learning to relax. I can be very even-keel in a crisis, but that doesn't mean I don't care. I often show up casually late, but others causing me to be late is a big pet-peeve. I'm a utilitarian cyclist. I do like to dance even though I'm a novice at body shaking. I often whistle a lot when I'm happy. I sing while I'm alone on my bike. I can be selfish, but recently have come to learn the appropriate time to do that and embrace selflessness more. I like giving to those who deserve it and have a hard time giving to those who don't. I like proof and am skeptical of faith. I am capable of resisting temptation to just about anything, but am able to distinguish when a temptation will improve my quality of life. I like taking photographs with unique perspectives. My level of insecurity fluctuates, but I'm decent at portraying confidence. I like giving people the benefit of the doubt that I've never met. I have trouble trusting people will do what they say, but prefer trusting action rather than words. I advocate utilitarianism and transcendentalism. I am rebellious. I don't take kindly to controlling personalities. I like making people smile. I have abnormally long eyelashes for a male. I'm fairly open. I am a liberal. I don't like being sedentary. I have trouble pronouncing the word "wolf". I often judge people after five minutes of meeting them. Food is important in my life, but I don't love spending a long time cooking, though I'm learning to. I have a big heart for those close to me. I love life. I like to think I have a unique knack for knowing when someone I meet is special and keeping them in my life if possible. I enjoy overcoming fears. I like taking risks, but am careful that they are calculated risks. I am a young man who enjoys being.
I am a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew and a cousin. I'm a friend to some, but an acquaintance to many more. I'm a boyfriend and a lover. I'm a coworker. I'm an energetic, passionate 28 year-old male who strives to be genuine to those around him with the hopes that this attribute will be reflected in others. Being fit is a big part of my life but having fun staying fit is bigger. I love to play. I love to show others little known places to experience nature. I'm a maven of sorts. I love sharing little jewels in life whether it be a good deal, a great shortcut, a hidden waterfall or a great view. I'm absolutely in love. I'm thrifty, but money isn't important to my happiness. I'm a big fan of simplifying my life to what's truly important to me. I'm a big planner. I love planning trips, events, adventures, but I've learned to be flexible because letting life take you on some side streets you didn't expect to be on is way more fun than always knowing what's going to happen. I'm hairy. I'm a fan of music but I know nothing about how it's made. I enjoy a good microbrew or a glass of Spanish Rioja wine. I love random crazy ideas and acting on them. I'm a doer. I love to take action on something and can organize how the vision is going to be acted out. I love having fun with friends but am sometimes still socially awkward with large groups of new people. I have trouble communicating and expressing myself occasionally. I tell really long stories. I have a distinctively deep voice. I always love learning, many times it's what keeps me going. I love the outdoors and try to spend as much time possible outside. I'm a thinker. I can be quiet and sometimes enjoy being reclusive. I love and cherish life. I'm learning to love and cherish those around me more. I'm very perceptive of people, objects, mannerisms and feelings but rarely voice my perceptions. I appreciate honesty more than anything. I get very excited about new ideas. I'm sometimes too practical for my own good. I'm open minded, but know what I stand for and what I want. I'm getting much better at extracting what others want (from me, life, to eat, etc), but still have a little ways to go. I sometimes like bragging about achievements whether they be mine or others close to me, but sometimes it comes out after feigned modesty. I love efficiency. I'm learning to relax. I can be very even-keel in a crisis, but that doesn't mean I don't care. I often show up casually late, but others causing me to be late is a big pet-peeve. I'm a utilitarian cyclist. I do like to dance even though I'm a novice at body shaking. I often whistle a lot when I'm happy. I sing while I'm alone on my bike. I can be selfish, but recently have come to learn the appropriate time to do that and embrace selflessness more. I like giving to those who deserve it and have a hard time giving to those who don't. I like proof and am skeptical of faith. I am capable of resisting temptation to just about anything, but am able to distinguish when a temptation will improve my quality of life. I like taking photographs with unique perspectives. My level of insecurity fluctuates, but I'm decent at portraying confidence. I like giving people the benefit of the doubt that I've never met. I have trouble trusting people will do what they say, but prefer trusting action rather than words. I advocate utilitarianism and transcendentalism. I am rebellious. I don't take kindly to controlling personalities. I like making people smile. I have abnormally long eyelashes for a male. I'm fairly open. I am a liberal. I don't like being sedentary. I have trouble pronouncing the word "wolf". I often judge people after five minutes of meeting them. Food is important in my life, but I don't love spending a long time cooking, though I'm learning to. I have a big heart for those close to me. I love life. I like to think I have a unique knack for knowing when someone I meet is special and keeping them in my life if possible. I enjoy overcoming fears. I like taking risks, but am careful that they are calculated risks. I am a young man who enjoys being.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Change
Change. So many people are afraid of it, yet it is the driving force behind progression in this world. We change as people. We change as a country. We change as a society. Portraying change is sometimes harder than one would think. A person, country or society must be perceptive in order to notice. Some people go on living without much change at all. Therefore they don't notice that others are changing around them as easily. A perfect example are the people who you haven't kept up with regularly and see occasionally. Many times their view of you is representative of the period of time in which you were closest. Many of us hope to develop as human beings and strive to progress forward as better people, friends, lovers and family members. Thus the perspective they have may contain a negative connotation to you and while it's a big part of who you are, it's not a complete representation of who you are currently.
Change is also something many people fear. It's takes a conscious effort to be active in your life. It takes a lot of politics, games and a bit of good luck to change as a country. Societal change is a more natural progression as groups of people change the way they live, communicate, dress, etc; often times as a means to simplify or take the path of least resistance. Regardless, we maintain an innate ability as humans to fear change. The corrupt and intelligent (::cough:: Fox News as one example ::cough::) know how to take advantage of this fear. Change in personal life is tough. I've watched many friends sweat profusely during their wedding, listened to many people routinely complain about their job and take no action, and have spoken to many strangers about the fear of death. To some it's the fear of the unknown. Let's face it, life's easier when we know what's going to happen everyday. It's also gets boring and monotonous. Figuring out what makes you happy and what doesn't make you happy is the first step towards change. Taking action on it is the toughest part sometimes. It can also be the most rewarding.
Change is also something many people fear. It's takes a conscious effort to be active in your life. It takes a lot of politics, games and a bit of good luck to change as a country. Societal change is a more natural progression as groups of people change the way they live, communicate, dress, etc; often times as a means to simplify or take the path of least resistance. Regardless, we maintain an innate ability as humans to fear change. The corrupt and intelligent (::cough:: Fox News as one example ::cough::) know how to take advantage of this fear. Change in personal life is tough. I've watched many friends sweat profusely during their wedding, listened to many people routinely complain about their job and take no action, and have spoken to many strangers about the fear of death. To some it's the fear of the unknown. Let's face it, life's easier when we know what's going to happen everyday. It's also gets boring and monotonous. Figuring out what makes you happy and what doesn't make you happy is the first step towards change. Taking action on it is the toughest part sometimes. It can also be the most rewarding.
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