Seize The Day

    

In the journey of life, fear does not make a good co-pilot.
 

If seizing the day is such a great idea then why are we, like Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, all so afraid?

Let’s be honest, we all have invisible lists in our heads.  Thoughts of things we would rather avoid that confront. Here is a list of some that come to mind….

*Will I ever be good enough?

*What if I lose my job?

*What if those I care about stop loving me?

*What if those I love die or leave me?

*If people really knew me, would they accept me or run?

*What if people found out I really didn’t know what I was doing?

*Will I ever really achieve something worthwhile?

*Will I ever get my act together?

*What if I can’t keep up with life?

*Fear of the unknown

*What if I lose control?

Instead of compiling such lists, I think we should rather compose a letter to fear dismissing it.  Such as the following:

Dear Fear,

We are so through.  Go away and don’t EVER come back.   I am so done with you.

Sincerely, Me

 

We tend to focus on the wrong, and more times than not, is the death of us. Too many of us live in constant fear and this is not a healthy or wise way to live.  Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” 

The attitude to have rather that following fear is that of seizing the day or carpe diem to be precise.  This Latin phrase was originally used by the Roman poet, Horace, approximately two thousand years ago.  It is a no nonsense statement that says get out of my way.  

So, with that said, we should live intentionally and never plan to give into fear.  Simply tell fear adios and then leave no return address.

When faced with fear, seize the day, rather than seize up.

Swavel

Please Wait

The person who said that patience was a virtue, must have been delusional.
 

I promise this will be brief.

Due to life being so busy, this was not the article I planned to write.  However, we all must wait sometimes in life for what we really want.

Here are some personal occurrences where I recently had to wait:

*I had to wait at traffic lights for the red to turn to green, so I could get to work on time.

*I had to wait for the coffee maker to brew the coffee, so I could run out the door to go to work.

*I had to watch the PLEASE WAIT sign on my handheld computer, for minutes on end, while my work schedule synchronized itself.

*I had to wait on the phone when I called a company to see why they didn’t do what they promised to do.

*I had to wait to order meat at the deli counter, which I rarely do anymore because it takes so long.

So, what is it about waiting in life that most of us hate so much?

Maybe, it is the perceived rejection that if we have to wait we have failed. Or just the plain fact that we think doing something is an accomplishment.

 

The Bible says we should wait on the Lord.  Which makes sense, because as I get older I am realizing that often it is what we learn in the waiting that enables us to be successful. 

Please wait is just a common occurrence that allows us to ease up on micromanaging life so much.

Swavel

Throw Strikes

Especially in life, the best advice is to always get ahead in the count.

Never tell a pitcher:  just throw it down the middle. 

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me this advice, as an amateur fast pitch softball pitcher, I would be a millionaire.  Take it from me, it doesn’t help.  Better, if you must say anything, encourage the hurler to throw strikes. 

 

Now you might think, what’s the difference.  Just getting it over the plate often means those pitches are far too easy to hit and will mean that eventually the hitters will dominate you.  Throwing strikes means throwing pitches your opponent can’t hit solid and gives you a better chance to get them out. 

Here are some other random baseball phrases that coaches, teammates and players shout out to pitchers:

-Throw the dark one.               - Throw something funny here.           - Pull the string. 

  

All three of these sayings mean you want the pitcher to throw an off speed pitch.  Remember, as soon as someone yells these secret code words, the hitter hears it too.  So, I would refrain from helping the opponent. 

-Paint the corner. This is great advice. When you keep the pitch on the corners of the plate it makes it harder on the hitter.  If the pitcher has the ability to do this, he can be quite effective, however if he misses he will walk everyone and their brother.

-Keep it down in the strike zone.  More good advice because this usually causes the hitter to hit ground balls, and if your defense is any good you will throw less pitches.  Less pitches means you can go longer in the game and potentially win the game.

-Hit the mitt.  This is some of the best advice.  When you hit the catcher’s mitt often the umpire will call this a strike, if the catcher is set up in the strike zone.  Take it from me, sometimes when you just throw and stop thinking about it you make out a lot better.

-Let your fielders help you out.  It is always good to let the pitcher know he is not alone and does not have to win the game himself. 

-Some days you get the bear and some days the bear gets you.  This excellent advice came from a fellow pitcher who told me this after I pitched miserably and my team lost by over ten runs.  He simply put into words that sometimes you just don’t have your best stuff, shrug it off and try again next time. How true.

I guess where I am going here is, that like in baseball, the best advice we should give to people is the encouraging kind.  Sometimes, I think a hand on the shoulder, a hang in there, or I’ll be praying for you, is all that is needed.  It is the equivalent of just throwing strikes, when we say just keep doing your best, accompanied with  a simple smile.

To throw strikes in life really just means to work smarter, along with working harder.

Swavel

Fade To Black

Be still and know that I am God- Psalm 46:10

This will be short, due to the fact that I am experiencing concussion-like symptoms. 

With that being said, I am trying to spend a lot of time without visual stimulation. These are some of the things I have been hearing and noticing lately when I fade to black….

1) DOGS BARKING.  My dog and others seem to do this incessantly when they want to be heard.  It may be annoying, but often is highly effective in getting our attention.

2) BIRDS SINGING.  This is my personal belief that in heaven there will be sounds like birds singing. It is quite relaxing and is an unspoken language of beauty.

3) THE WIND BLOWING.  Now, I know I can’t see the wind, but I see its effects. However, it has a unique sound, especially at night when it is quite soothing.

4) SILENCE.  Too often I just like to hear noise.  It is far better to be alone with God and hear Him speak and then be alone to mull over what He has spoken to me.

5) MOTORCYCLES AND VEHICLES.  Since I was a young boy, the sound of motorcycles and vehicles passing by fascinated me. From inside my house with the windows open, you can hear them coming and then going. It is just a surreal, calm sound of people going about life. 

6) TRAIN WHISTLES.  There is nothing like this sound because it commands your attention.  Not to mention, if the train is coming, it demands you to stop and wait for it to pass. 

So, that’s it. Simply listening is a skill set we all should invest much more time in than we do.

Every now and then, just close your eyes, fade to black, and just listen.

Swavel

Be A Gentleman

 

Why is it we try so hard to be someone, instead of just trying harder to be more helpful.

  

Back in November, after having been laid off, I found myself back in the bug killing business.  In search of good advice, I sought out a former colleague of mine, who I esteemed greatly from my first term as an exterminator.  The question, as best as I can remember, was this : what should I strive most to do as a pest control tech?  The answer was simple - BE A GENTLEMAN.

So, what exactly does being a gentleman involve?  Here are my favorite definitions of a gentleman, from various sources.  A GENTLEMAN is a man with very good manners; chivalrous, polite, courteous, or honorable.  In a day and age when this is not always easy, it certainly seemed appropriate for my vocation.

Before we go any further, I must make a confession.  Sadly, I am still a work in progress when it comes to being a gentleman. Far too often, I allow my feelings to get in the way.  Instead of acting properly, I sometimes still overreact when faced with difficulty. 

For example, the other day I was suffering from a severe sinus headache and acted grumpy toward the staff at my doctor’s office.  A gentleman, at all times, would have risen above his adverse conditions, while seeking to be more polite and less abrasive.  To be a true gentleman requires consistency, not just holding the occasional door open for someone else.

This reminds me of a drawing my son gave me about twelve years ago, during my first stint as a bug guy.  My son was eleven or so at the time, and drew the note like a cartoon, which he suitably wrote in red magic marker. 

The first frame: Spray, spray, spray, (was accompanied by a picture of me spraying for bugs). 

 

The second frame: Eat, eat, eat, (had a picture of me sitting behind a steering wheel eating a sandwich).

The third frame: Complain, complain, complain, (was accompanied by a woman chasing me out of her garden because she didn’t want me spraying in it).

The fourth and final frame: Drive, drive, drive, (had a picture of me sitting behind the driver’s wheel, this time minus the sandwich). 

 

The point is all four activities, though mundane, when handled like a gentleman allows one to maintain a certain dignity.  So, I guess the point is simple, no matter what we are faced with we should seek to be pleasant about it.  Well, at the very least, attempt to be a gentleman about it.

Often my circumstances in life will change, but my commitment to be a gentleman must never.

Swavel