Monday, April 25, 2016

A little dull

Kind of felt boring this weekend. I did not accomplish much nor have any substantial goals. Wrote a few emails, thought through the future, ran several miles, read a book, watched a couple of shows, a little yard work, took a Udemy course, and in general did not do much. Maybe this is okay every once in a while, but it also makes me feel unproductive.

Reading: as I have mentioned in earlier blogs, I enjoy reading and have read about two books per week for most of my life since I was about 7 years old I believe. My wonderful parents instilled in me a love of reading and I still feel the quickening of my pulse when I am around books of all types. My fiction reading generally leans on crime dramas or detective mysteries while my non-fiction preferences are for money management or history. I do occasionally dive into spiritual books or self-improvement ideas and am not afraid to read various ideas for different types of development. But I do tend to read crime fiction quickly but to read history slowly.

Finishing up the latest David Baldacci book while being halfway through the latest Jonathan Kellerman book, I am ready to read something a little more substantive. I did enjoy The Nightingale quite a bit and found The Lake House to be well-written and meaningful. I continue to enjoy books about the economy and money although some of those are hard to get all the way through. I am enjoying Cold Case Christianity and find it to be a fascinating approach to apologetics. Yet I do not really need convincing and am a flawed but devout believer. Still it is well-written and provides some tools for dealing with the occasional detractor. The recent Baldacci book has a fun and engaging plot but the dialog seems rather 4th grade and simplistic at times. He writes a good story but seems to water it down to reach a broader audience. I am not critical of this...after all he has a right to try to sell more copies, but it makes me want to read Dickens or Hardy and seek after depth of characterization. One can read an entire Baldacci book and not really know the emotional depth or complexities of the people in the book. It makes for a little too much detachment toward the people.

I did enjoy running this weekend and did a crazy thing on Sunday. I ran nearly 3 miles Sunday morning and felt good about it. Took a nice nap Sunday afternoon and went for another 3 mile run. But this time it turned into a half walk as I struggled with the hot sun and wind. This morning I am very sore from the extra miles and may need to take a day off from running.

It was fun playing my horn in church and I am playing well once again. I have been in a three year slump due to the earlier hospitalization, surgery on my thumb, and teeth reconstruction. But now I am moving around the horn better and almost have the tone I am seeking. Mainly I am rediscovering my old horn confidence and am ready to play in public again. Feels good. Keep in mind that musicians, horn players in particular, are a neurotic bunch who tend to allow their performance skills to govern their emotional state. It makes for a complicated and inconsistent emotional roller coaster at times. When playing or singing well, we are happy. When things are not working, sad. Kind of a mess I know.

My brother's recent article on Prince, David Bowie, and musical snobbery really intrigued me. He is such an amazing writer with perceptions about the world rarely encountered in our segmented society. https://fee.org/articles/prince-bowie-and-how-not-to-be-a-snob-about-pop-music/ is certainly worth a read. Jeff has written thousands of articles and each one contains a nice balance of opinion, data, and philosophy. This one reminds us of the pitfalls of snobbery and the problems of not taking a comprehensive and knowledgeable position when it comes to music. Too many trained musicians reject the popular, believing erroneously that it must be cheap or worthless to be popular. I really have little regard for snobbery and prefer to live in an eclectic world, embracing multiple styles and approaches to art.

Anyway, I apologize for this dull entry of various thoughts. I'll try to improve my excitement level in the future.


Sunday, April 17, 2016

Lost Art but still needed

Meetings are generally a waste of time and energy, often resulting in a verbal onslaught of opinions that may or may not be germane to the topic. I run meetings in a style that is similar to my personality, a little controlling while valuing others, informal, and informational. I prefer short meetings to the point that are productive and beneficial. But my style is not working. Time to change. This is a difficult acknowledgement however, in that I have spent a career in public school and higher education in various leadership capacities. I suppose success is debatable but I have achieved a modicum of success as a leader. Why is my system not longer effective?

There comes a time when a person can no longer be completely dependent on his or her own personality for success. Willpower, charisma, and personality can carry the day for only so long before they begin to crumble without a foundation. Recognizing that I and I alone cannot make a perfect meeting, I have decided it is time to use an established and effective system: Parliamentary Procedure. Not being a Thomas Jefferson fan (read earlier blog), I will admit that he did have some good ideas for meetings and wrote one of the first books on how to run a meeting, A Manual of Parliamentary Practice. The informal meeting approach works well when surrounded by supportive friends all working for the same goals, but a formal procedure is necessary for accomplishing the serious business and the goals of the group or institution. Granted that a strict procedure can be inhibiting of creative thought and may prevent some new idea from rising to the top. Yet given that imagination rarely flows effectively in group settings, it makes sense to formalize larger gatherings and focus attention on the broader needs.

Having completed training for parliamentary procedure, I am ready to run a meeting according to the rules. I believe this will prevent the verbal excess that tends to erupt in meetings and refocus attention on the goals at hand. Fearing that parliamentary procedure is a lost art, I intend to bring it back and use it to its finest and I further believe we will see growth in group dynamics and new ideas flourish through a system designed for effectiveness and productivity. Like great music, parliamentary procedure deserves to live and is as vital today as it was in Colonial times. Such is the way of a leader, recognize when it is time to change a system and do what needs to be done.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

5K in the Rain

For many years I have wondered why these collective runs for different reasons exist. Why should I pay $25 to run 3.1 miles when I can run 3.1 miles every morning for free? Plus if I like a certain charitable cause, why not just give to the cause directly rather than have to run as a consequence of giving? There is a cost to running anyway--sore body, tired, sweat, shaky legs, smelly clothes, and wear and tear on shoes. Does it make any sense to add to the cost by adding to the cost? Also I have always enjoyed the solitude of quiet morning runs with nobody near me. A time to listen to audio books, sing songs in my head, reflect on life, pray, listen to the sounds around me. All these and more remind me of the wonderful world in which we reside.

Yet last November some dear friends paid my way to participate in a Turkey Trot. Hesitating at first, I decided to give it whirl and run the Turkey Trot. At that time I was in pretty good shape but had no illusions about winning or beating a time or even thinking about speed. I simply wanted to run the whole way and not have to stop to use a facility. Probably seems a trite goal to most people but for me it is a serious one. Probably due to being on certain medicine for my tendency toward blood clots, I have to keep facilities nearby for frequent use. Running 3.1 miles without needing to stop sounds a little crazy to me and almost not possible without a good plan. Can it be done? Perhaps. Is it normal for me? Not at all.

Then there is the problem of people. Will I look funny to others? Will they get in the way? Are they rude or mean? Weird? Loud? Remember that I normally run in solitude not in groups. But I do enjoy the occasional "risk" of something new and running in a Turkey Trot was something new. I jumped in the water so to speak and ran the race. I did not win anything, did not make any effort to win, but generally had a good time. Saw some friends along the way, passed many people, was passed by many people, and finished. We all received a trophy and there were cheers upon arrival. All in all a good experience, but not something to replicate. Still...not as terrible as I expected. I noticed a wide variety of people--large and small, older and younger, friendly and quiet, just people. Nobody was mean, loud, obnoxious, rude and nobody got in anybody's way. Just runners out for some exercise. Some walked, some sprinted, some seemed competitive, most just seemed to have a good time.

Assessing the Turkey Trot, I decided to try again. Picking up my packet at the run center, I was intrigued with how many people were about to run on Saturday. It was for a good educational purpose and they provided a shirt, water bottle, and some energy gel. Not big on energy things, other than a good cup of coffee, I decided to avoid the gel. Saturday morning arrived and I walked to the starting line with the other several hundred people and got ready to run. Once again I noticed children, adults, elderly, young, babies in strollers, and all sizes of people.

The race began and I once again had very little sense of competitiveness in me. My goals remained the same, get through it without needing a facility! Plus it was cold and raining pretty hard.The first two miles seemed difficult and my breathing felt erratic and labored. My legs hurt and I felt generally grouchy about it all. I only knew a couple of other people among the crowds and children kept passing me by. But the 3rd mile started feeling good so I upped my speed and began to run smoother. I kept the pace and saw the end in sight. Faster still, I felt my body respond well to the push and suddenly I felt strong. Keeping it strong to the end, I knew I had actually done fairly well. Unfortunately I was soaked from head to toe in a mixture of rain and sweat. I was still cold and a little grouchy but the euphoria of the event was affecting my emotions as well. I wanted to cheer but that seemed a little self aggrandizing.

Time to walk home. A friend stopped me and said, "don't you want to stay for the awards?" "Of course not," I answered. After all, my goal had been met! Received a text later. Turns out that I won 3rd place in my age division. Having never won any kind of athletic event before, it now feels good. Maybe there is something to this group running idea. The event held me accountable, it pushed me to a new level, and I was rewarded with a ribbon. Good stuff!

Now it is the next day and I am sore from the experience. Legs hurt, hips sore, body tight. But for some reason, it feels good. May try the group run thing again.