How is That Working Out?

Three weeks ago we welcomed a new year. We welcomed it in hope. We welcomed it believing "This year, things will be better. This year, I will be different. This year, I will do different things. This year, I will do better things."

Some of us set goals. Some of us even considered actions to reach those goals. 

A lot of us purchased apps, notebooks, journals, day planners, goal planners and task lists to help us track progress to our goals. Some of us took the time to set them up. Some of us use and carry them every day. Some of us don't. And some of us have forgotten the purchase and leave our planners, journals, and lists lying neglected on a shelf or in a drawer.

So, how is all that working out for you? 

Where are you on the path to achieving your goals?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Have you considered what the first step will be? For example, if you intend to get in shape, have you considered how to do it? You could, for example, join a gym, hire a personal trainer or design your own exercise routine.

Having identified a first action, have you taken it? Have you made the phone call, visited the gym or trainer, or done the research to design your own routine?

Having taken the first step, have you identified the next one? Have you allotted time to do it? If I were to look at your calendar, would I find time scheduled to do the research, visit the gym or trainer or perform your exercise routine?

Do your schedule and your actions support your intent? 

How are you doing keeping these appointments?

If so, you're moving toward your goal. Keep it up!

Or is your goal stuck in the realm of "things I intend to do"?

Intentions are great, but attaining a goal requires action.  It's easy to say "I want to lose weight", but losing weight takes actions like limiting food intake and increasing activity to make the loss happen.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions; the road to success is paved with actions, and therein lies the difficulty. Actions are not always easy. Actions can be be repetitious and boring. Taking action requires an act of will and altogether too often, it's easier to not act that than to act.

By not acting, we are saying in effect "Our goal is not worth achieving." We say to ourself "It would be nice to achieve this, but it's not worth the effort." And with that admission,  achieving our goal becomes as likely as winning the lottery.

Without action, we will continue doing what we've been doing and getting the results we've always gotten.

It is written "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." You've had the intention. You've set the goal. You've mapped out the actions you need to take to get there.

Are you tough enough to get get going and get there?

If you've taken the first step, are you tough enough to keep to the next step and the one after that all the way to the goal?

If you take action, you will move toward achievement. If you don't take action, it is certain you will not.

Are you tough enough to take action?

If you're taking action, how's that working out for you?

Inspiration and Guidance from Dr. King

Today, we celebrate the life and remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader and soul of the civil rights movement in mid twentieth century America. More than a leader, Dr. King was a minister of the Gospel, an orator and inspiring speaker. He is probably best remembered for his "I Have a Dream" speech delivered on August 28 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. 

Even today, we are lifted up and inspired by the strength of Dr. King's dream, excerpts of which are below:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood. 

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. 

I have a dream that little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character... 

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places plains, the crooked places straight, and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

It was, arguably, the most significant speech of his career, but to my mind, his most useful speech was made not to crowds in Washington, DC in 1963, but to the students of Barrett Junior High School in Philadelphia, PA on October 26, 1967, practical words of advice to all who have ears to hear them.

"What I'm saying to you this morning, my friends, even if it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures! 

Sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music. 

Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. 

Sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, "Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well!"  

If you can't be a pine on the top of a hill, be a scrub in the valley, but be the best little scrub on the side of the rill.  

Be a bush if you can't be a tree.  

If you can't be a highway, just be a trail.  

If you can't be a sun, be a star.  

It isn't by size that you win or you fail; be the best at whatever that you are!"

In my life, my mother urged me to "Be the best you possible."

The Army challenged me to "Be all that you can be!"

My church preaches "Whatever you do in word and deed, do it with a whole heart, as to The Lord."

We are to seek excellence, to over deliver, to do above and beyond the minimum.

Aristotle is quoted as saying "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

Follow the words of Dr. King. In whatever it falls for you to do, be excellent.

Are you the best you can be?

Is excellence your habit?

Tree, scrub, highway, trail, sun or star, are you the best at whatever you are?

Why or why not?

2016: Looking Forward

"We know not of the future and cannot plan for it much."

          -- Josiah Chamberlain

Happy New Year! 

I wish you the best year ever! 

I love New Years wishes. I want them to come true. I want to end 2016 healthier, wealthier, and wiser than I ended 2015. 

I want to be a better husband, father, grandfather, and friend than I am now. I want to become a better and more consistent writer. I want to grow a more productive garden both at home and for others. I want to visit new places and have adventures with family and friends.  

Having goals is necessary but having a goal does nothing to get me where I want to be unless I take actions to make the goal happen. If I keep doing what I did 2015, I will keep getting the results I got in 2015. If I want 2016 to be my best year ever, I need to either do things differently, or do different things.  

• If I am to be healthier, I need to make it a habit to exercise regularly and watch what I eat and I need to put specific actions on my daily class list to make sure these actions get done every day. 

• If I am to be wealthier, I need plan actions to track spending and encourage savings and frugality.

• If I am to be wiser, I must dedicate time to reading and study.

• If I am to be a better friend, I need to do more things a friend would do.

• If I am to become a better and more consistent writer, I need to make writing and publishing a habit. I set aside time to write every day, and I need to publish on a schedule. 

• If I want a productive garden, I must prepare the soil, plant at appropriate times, water and weed. If so, I should be rewarded with a harvest.

• If I want to travel and enjoy adventures with family and friends, I need to do the research and make the arrangements. 

And I need to track my progress in accomplishing each task. 

Situations may change. Circumstances will almost certainly change. Goals established early in the year may become untenable. If so, I can and will adjust. But, if I translate my goals into every day doable actions, and track my progress doing of those actions, then 2016 can very well be the best year ever.

How about you?

What are your goals for the New Year?

What actions do you need to take, what habits do you need to establish to make your goals for 2016 happen?

2015: A Retrospective

“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

-- Omar Kayyam

The Moving Finger has written. 2015 passes from us. 2016 takes its place. Tomorrow morning, we start learning to write 2016 on all of our checks.

Some will rejoice the passing of the old year. Others will rejoice at the coming of the new. Some will awaken and wonder what happened. Some will make resolutions to be thinner, better, or happier in the new year. Others will mourn the non-accomplishments of resolutions made in 2015. And for some, the change of year will make no difference.

For me, the passing of the old year is a time of reflection and assessment. The Moving Finger has written. The old year becomes part of the unchangeable past. What was accomplished? What events made it memorable? What do I want to do again and what is best left behind?

In 2015 I settled farther into retired life and decided retirement works for me. Since retiring, I have touched nothing about my former profession, but maintain contact with the people. Sometimes I miss the work. Always I miss the people. I never miss the commute. 

In 2015 I continued to learn to live within physical limitations imposed by pulmonary fibrosis. I am still learning. I'm learning I can still do most of the things I enjoy, only not as fast. I've learned that rather than blithely charging ahead, sometimes I need to stop, catch my breath, and enjoy the moment. I learned that sometimes I really do need supplemental oxygen, and to use it when needed.

I also learned the absolute necessity of maintaining aerobic fitness to slow progression of my disease and to maintain lung capacity. I walk a lot. Walking is pleasant. I enjoy watching changes of weather and season in the neighborhood. And I'm finding the enjoyable part of the walk is not necessarily the walk itself, but the things I see and the people and dogs I meet while walking.

2015 was a great year for gardening. The eggplants and peppers produced prolifically, as did the bush and pole beans. White potatoes were a disappointment, sweet potatoes a pleasant surprise. The charity garden also did well. I may be slow, but I will plant a garden when spring comes. Gardening is therapeutic, and you get vegetables.

2015 was not a good year for writing. I neglected this blog and made faint progress on my Vietnam memoir. Both remain goals. I hope to do better in 2016.

But mostly 2015 was about family, friends, and church, all of which are dear to me. It was about going places and doing things. It was about enjoying kids and grandkids and grand dogs. It was about eating together and laughing together and working together. It was about sharing a pizza, eating ice cream and celebrating a grand daughter's first birthday. It was about watching a grandson play baseball and remembering why I loved the game so much. It was about seeing all four kids and all but two grandkids over the recent holidays. And it was about so much more.

2015 was mostly good. 2016 promises to be better.

How was your 2015? What did the moving finger write for you?

What Kind of Christmas?

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,

Just like the ones I used to know..."

Irving Berlin

The words above from the song by Bing Crosby are familiar to us. For many, these words set expectations for ideal Christmas weather. In areas that get snow fall, Meteorologists start predicting the likelihood of a "white Christmas" as early as October.

We like the idea of a white Christmas. Greeting card manufacturers stoke our expectations with pictures of snow, horses and sleighs, and warm and cozy farmsteads populated by cheery people. It's all very romantic, nostalgic and beautiful. 

I love those images. They take me back to memories of Christmas Dinner with Grandma, Grandpop, my two aunts, my uncles, Mom, Dad, my sisters and me all seated around Grandma's table enjoying the meal and the time together.

Even with all seven leaves and the table expanded to maximum capacity, there was seldom room for all the food. There was turkey with mashed potatoes, inside and outside dressing, sweet potatoes, corn, and corn pudding, spoon bread, sauerkraut, cranberry sauce and lots of giblet gravy. For dessert, there were pies, apple  and pumpkin, and mincemeat "with liquor in it" the idea of which which made my aunts giggle. There was applesauce fruit cake and cookies and candies. And there was joy. 

The one thing there was not was snow.

In rural Maryland where I grew up, December is a mixed bag. Some years, Christmas was gray, some years sunny. Other years, it rained. Temperatures ranged from chilly to bitter cold to almost springlike. One year -- the year I got engaged -- we had nearly sixty degrees and a short thunder snowstorm followed by driving rain. 

And yet, as the song prompts, we dream of a white Christmas, but not really. What we really dream of is the warmth and fellowship of family and friends, of seeing the joy in someone's eyes as they open that special present, of the joy of singing carols and hearing the Christmas Story. Our wish is to rekindle that joy and excitement and hold it close to our heart, to make merry and be glad whether the day be warm or cold, white with snow, or wet with mud.

This year, there will be no white Christmas for me. Instead, we will enjoy rain and temperatures borrowed from April. The appropriate song would be

"I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas,

With raindrops falling all around!
Puddles glisten, and people listen 
To raindrops falling on the ground.

I'm dreaming of a warm Christmas,
With temperatures like early spring,
Trees are budding above the mudding,
And dampness covers everything.

I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas,
Where rain will never dim the lights,
Nor silence singing of people bringing
Gifts to celebrate this night.

I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas.
We'll celebrate the Holy Birth.
Our God is with us to love and bless us
And will bring us peace on earth."

With sincere apologies to Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby.

Are you having a white Christmas?

What kind of Christmas are you having?

What makes Christmas special to you?

A Time to Give Thanks

To everything, there is a season,

And a time for every purpose under heaven.

     -- Ellesiastes

It is time to give thanks.


Next to Independence Day, Thanksgiving is the most American of holidays. The first Thanksgiving celebrations in the English Speaking Colonies were held in 1619 in Virginia and in 1621 at Plymouth in Massachusetts. Twenty or so years earlier, there are records of Thanksgiving Services in the Spanish Colony of Florida and in Texas. In the new American Republic, Presidents George Washington and James Madison both issued thanksgiving proclamations, however it was President Abraham Lincoln "in the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity" to in 1863 establish Thanksgiving Day as a formal and regular holiday.

To our forefathers, it was important in all circumstances to give thanks to the Creator for His Divine Providence and blessings. Today, between family, the feast, and football, we lose sight of this purpose. Too often, we give more thought to ensuring our gravy has no lumps than to thanking the Creator of the Universe.

This should not be.

This year, somewhere between the feast and the football, I urge you slip away, take pencil and paper in hand, and list the five things, people, or circumstances for which you are most grateful. 

I bet you will be unable to limit your list to five things. That's okay. Make your list as long or as short as it needs to be, but name at least five things.

Write your top five or seven or ten things on a small piece of paper and tuck it away in your wallet where you can refer to it every day and be thankful. Then, I urge you, whenever you feel low, pull out your list, read you top five, and be grateful. If my experience is an indication, it will boost your attitude. 

My top five are

• My wife, who has put up with me through four years of dating, forty-nine years of marriage, one war, four children, and nineteen addresses.

• My four children, each one unique, each one different, each enriching my life in his or her own wonderful way.

• My grandchildren. Had I known how wonderful grand kids were, I'd have had them first.

• Myriad friends, neighbors and acquaintances, recently met or long time known. My life is infinitely richer for knowing each of you.

My list could go on, and it will, but not here. 

Now, it's your turn. For what five things are you most thankful?

Commencement Address

This June, I realize I will likely never have the opportunity to address a graduating class. Should such an opportunity present itself, this is what I'd say:

"Superintendent Bulgebottom, Principal Grindstone, Faculty, Honored Guests, Parents, Families, and Friends: Thank you for inviting me and thank you for all you have done to make this moment possible. I know it has not been easy. Your efforts need to be recognized.

That said, I am not here to speak to you but to the graduating class of 2015.

Class of 2015, Congratulations!

You did it! You are about to graduate. You may be justifiably proud of your accomplishment.

With the conferring of diplomas you pass from school life to real life.

Tonight you begin the transition from student to adult. From this night forward, you are expected more and more to act as responsible and productive adult members of society.

You have every right to be excited and a little bit frightened over what comes next.

Fifty-two years ago, I was you. Fifty-two years ago, I was sitting in the uncomfortable chair, blowing the tassel on my cap to and fro, enduring the speeches, waiting for the the diploma to be conferred and impatiently anticipating the all-night party. I know you are too.

Fear not. I'll not keep you long.

This evening, once you receive your diplomas, you will all be equal. From the valedictorian at the top of the class to the anchor person at the bottom, you will each be entitled to exercise the responsibilities and reap the rewards of being a high school graduate.

This evening you will all be equal. From this evening forward you will become more and more different. From this evening forward, what you make of your life will more and more be up to you. You have been given a foundation. It is up to you to decide what you will build on it.

At this moment, each of you carries within yourself a dream, a picture of a hoped-for future according to you. For some, the dream involves further study, for others trade school, military service, or immediate employment. Some of you aren't sure and will take time to decide what comes next. Some of you will plan your life some of you will drift into and through it.

However you choose to proceed, I urge you, always have a dream. Always carry in your mind a clear vision of the future according to you. Always act to achieve that vision and make your dream a reality.

I urge you, make it a dream worthy of your efforts! Dream a great dream. Dream a magnificent dream, and then, set out to live it.

Know that as you go through life, your dream may change. What is important now may become less important or totally unimportant in the future. Life is like that.

Know that you will almost certainly experience setbacks and disappointments. When that happens, remember setbacks and changes keep life from becoming boring. Without them life would be a colorless existence. With them, life is a never ending adventure. Great dreams are worthy of great efforts. When faced with setbacks, great people regroup, alter course and move on.

On your way to living your dream I want you to remember four words.

The first two words are "Marketable Skills".

I know. "Marketable skills"

BORING!

But, even if you are independently wealthy, the day will come when you will be forced to pay your own way. That day may come immediately. It may come later, but it will come. When it comes, you will need to be able to do something that someone is willing to pay you for doing. Whether it be making things, repairing things, selling things, writing things, inventing things, testing things, or performing some act of service, you need to do something to pay the freight.

Skills are developed by practice. Practice takes time. You will not be perfect when you start. Neither will you start at the top. Your parents did not start at the top either. But, if you persist, you can become world class. If exercising a skill is part of your dream, so much the better. And if not, your skills will at least provide a way finance the journey.

The second two words I want you to remember are "Work Ethic".

Work Ethic.

Again, BORING, but necessary.

Work Ethic combines dedication, commitment, and diligence.

Work ethic means not just showing up and putting in your time, it means committing yourself to showing up on time or early, to working all day every day. Work ethic means dedicating yourself to doing your tasks to the highest standards of excellence. Work ethic means working diligently until your tasks are completed not matter how dirty, disgusting, or boring they are. From experience, I can tell you being dirty won't kill you. Being hot and sweaty won't kill you. Being disgusted won't kill you. Being bored won't kill you.

Work ethic means working through the dirt, disgust and boredom to accomplish something. Work ethic means taking pride in doing your job well, no matter how dirty, disgusting, and boring it may be. Work ethic means seeking and striving to always do a little bit better. Work ethic means expending the time and effort to become a world class performer on your field of dreams.

A wiser man than I once sought the secret to success. Because he looked, for it, he found it. I want to share it with you.

The secret to success is this:

Successful people make it a habit to do things that failures don't like to do.

Work Ethic makes it a habit to do things that unsuccessful people don't like to do in order to be world class.

Say it with me.

Successful people make it a habit to do things that failures don't like to do.

Failures don't like to get up in the morning. Neither do successful people, but they do it anyway.

Failures don't like to show up every day. Successful people don't like it either, but they do it with enthusiasm.

Failures don't like to get started. Successful people realize that you can't finish what you don't start and start whether they want to or not.

Failures don't like spending hours to learn and practice their skills. Successful people take the time, put in the practice, and hone their skills every day. Successful people may not like the hours of practice any better than those who will fail, but they do it anyway.

Failures settle for good enough. Successful people seek to become world class. In a lot of things, it takes as little as 25 hours of practice to be "good enough". We are told it takes about 10,000 hours, roughly five years of work at 40 hours a week, to become world class.

Be world class.

Finally learn to recognize and take advantage of every opportunity you get to learn and do things that move you forward to achieve your dream, things that are new, different and exciting.

In my experience, the greatest opportunities began with the words "By the way" and ended with the words "Is that something you might be interested in?".

"By the way, I was talking to a lady from such and such a company. They have a program that will train you to be a scientific instrument maker and pay for 30 hours of college credit. Would you be interested in something like that?"

"By the way, we have a flight program. You can get your private pilot's license and the Army will send you to flight school. Does that sound like something you'd like to do?"

 Remember, opportunity most often arrives dressed in overalls and looks a lot like work. I did a lot of very good work, very interesting work, and very exciting work taking advantage of my opportunities. None of them were exactly what I wanted but each one pointed in the direction of my dreams. Today, they are part of what I am.

As you leave here tonight to begin your life-long adventure, I urge you to have a magnificent dream, to develop a set of marketable skills, to become known for your work ethic, for your commitment, dedication, and diligence to doing the best job possible what ever that job may be. I urge you to make it a habit and practice doing the things that that make for success, the things that failures don't like to do. Finally, I urge you to learn to recognize and take advantage of every opportunity to move your dream along.

You will not be disappointed.

My hope and wish for each of you is that you become the world-class person you are intended to be.

Welcome to life.

Go forth and do great and wonderful things.

Go out and live your dream.

To infinity, and beyond!"