Season of the sick

Wow, flu season has struck us hard this year. It seems everyone is sick with something or another. Be it stomach upsets, actual flu, the horrid blahs, or full out toilet worship, people are getting sick a lot. At my work, I don't think anyone has managed to dodge this stuff. It's incredible. Kinda makes it feel like the end of days, doesn't it?

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Getting sick is never fun, and usually pretty awful really. I wonder if we'll ever completely cure diseases? It makes for great science fiction, but it doesn't seem likely. For a kid, though, it's fun to miss school and sit and watch cartoons all day. Ah, to be a kid again ... Anyway, for adults sickness is more of an annoyance because it prevents us from working and earning a living. Fortunately, modern medicine has enabled us to weather these illnesses without too much trouble.

I think we take our health for granted quite a bit. It's unusual to be unhealthy in modern society, and actually a bit of a stigma. We don't like being around the sick, even if they're close family and friends. My wife has a special gift to care for the sick, and I'm constantly dazzled by her ability. There's a special place in Heaven for anyone who is able to comfort and aid the weakest among us. Plus, I think the rest of us also are very grateful for the care you provide, because when we're sick we'll happily accept help and kindness.

- M

I like hats. Especially work hats.

For some reason, hats have an important place in my life. I love seeing my wife wear baseball caps--she looks so cute in them--and I have a habit of wearing a cowboy hat as I write--showing my children that daddy is working and shouldn't be disturbed. I had a nifty hat that I wore at the camp where I met my wife. And, hats keep the sun off my face, so I don't get sunburned. I don't personally wear a hat a work, but there are many professions requiring them, such as construction. The phrase, "I wear many hats," describes someone who performs many varied jobs or tasks. Although, the phrase does usually get used to say the person is overworked and stressed. Well, phrases come and go.

When I was little, I loved the official firefighter hats and construction helmets. They had a kind of flair to them, and hinted at glorious adventure. As an adult, I don't see things the same way, but the hats are still interesting. What's really incredible is the amount of technology and money spent to create the hats! Particularly sports helmets are unbelievably pricey. What incredible inventions they are.

But, I think what catches my fancy about hats are how unique many are. Everyone wears hats in a different way, decorate them uniquely, and adjust them with their own flair. Like socks, hats are a statement of who you are deep inside. Or, I'm just being poetic and simply love hats ... you decide.

- M

Fail your way to success.

How often do you fail? A lot? Some? Hardly ever? If you can't remember the last time you messed up, then I kindly suggest you haven't been trying hard enough. It's a maxim of life that you will fail far more than you will succeed. Watch a young child learning to walk. They will face plant over and over and over and over, then somehow balance on their legs ... and fall on their back. But, once they learn the tricks of motion, they are running all over the place. Do they remember the falls? Maybe, but it's far beneath the joys of getting where they want to go.

Thomas Edison famously reported 10,000 failures before inventing the light bulb. It's incredible the things he tried, yet each attempt brought him closer to understanding how the system worked and what he eventually needed to make it work. If he'd given up, then someone else surely would have completed the invention and gotten the credit. "Failure is success in progress," Albert Einstein. Oliver Goldsmith added, "Success consists of getting up one more time than you fall."

Failure is good for you. Failure teaches fortitude, honesty toward yourself, and determination. Do you want to succeed? Then, push through the feelings of despair and get moving! Don't let yourself wallow in the mire. Square your shoulders, bite back your curses, lift your eyes and focus on your goal. If it's easy, then the reward matters very little. Struggle, press forward, and win your prize. Don't worry about failing. Focus on the goal line and don't sweat the small stuff.

- M

Too many projects to choose from ... Which one gets the pick?

My wife quilts, and it's fun to watch her jump between projects. As a writer, I remain focused on what I'm working on (I've found I really can't do more than one at a time, without deleterious effect). But, with quilting, my wife loves to do whatever happens to interest her at the time. She has a dozen projects to choose from, all with points she loves. It's hard to decide, and actually somewhat frustrating to her, because she began every project because she enjoys them. How do you choose between all the things you enjoy? Sometimes, it's really tough.

Our cats like getting in on the quilting action too ...

Why do we take on so many happy tasks? At some level we realize we cannot possibly do them all at once. Actually, I think we do it so we have fun choices, no matter what we pick. It'd be a complete bummer to be choosing amongst lousy and unpleasant drudgery, wouldn't it? What happens is we discover a new pleasure, and add it to our list, then something else comes along and we add that too. Before long, we've piled on quite a few and now are forced to decide what to focus upon. There are worse tragedies in life.

The human experience is one of endless change and adaptation. We go from childish things to adult responsibilities. We move from simple hunting, to complex inter-city life. There's plenty to enjoy, and a world of possibilities. For most of life, we do things for others (be it a job, or your own company, or by being told what to do), so when we find ourselves picking our own projects it's fun and challenging all at once. Don't worry too much about it. Just choose, and if you decide you want something else, then switch. Nobody is forcing you. Enjoy yourself!

- M

Ah, vacation ... followed by, uh, work ...

It's always difficult to leave something fun for anything less amusing. That's how it feels when you come back from a vacation and step back into your less-comfortable shoes and go to work. Not that work is a bad thing by any means--I like having money to pay my bills and put food in the refrigerator. Yet, it's always a bit of a culture shock to return to work after a wonderful vacation. One aspect about our personalities that makes me giggle is how if our "vacation" was actually our "work" then it would cease being fun and turn into a job. Curious isn't it?

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The trick, of course, is to change the way you view working. It's been said that if you enjoy what you do, then you won't work a day in your life. Work shouldn't be torture and pain. I wish we could enjoy toil and labor with all our hearts. We've been built to work hard, designed as great machines of production, and feel best when we exert ourselves. We tend to focus on hardships, pain, and difficulty. Change to focus on the joy and pleasure of successful work and it will become an easier thing.

So, with that settled, I'm still stunned at the transition from vacation to work. It's like being hit by a water balloon, then falling down into a mud puddle, followed by a quick crawl through thorns. However you look at it, the process is a tiny bit uncomfortable. Maybe we should just punch ourselves in the face instead? Nah. It's tempting though.

- M

Hanging shelves ... I think this activity belongs in Dante's "Inferno."

My body keeps me humble, especially since I'm actually quite strong. But, my knees and my back won't take much strain. Sigh. So, it was with a bit of trepidation that I took on the duty of putting up shelving (the sort where there's a board with brackets, not a kit which free-stands). My youngest daughter helped, as it was for her room anyway, and she was fantastic! We levelled the board, then marked where the screws should go. I drilled holes in the board and set the brackets first, then we went to work on the wall. Everything was perfect, with three studs exactly spaced to match the boards ... what luck!

Yeah, like this but with brackets holding it up--rather than magic.

Somewhere along the line, it was like hearing a boxing announcer saying, "Boom, baby!" Yup, one screw hole was off. Hey, it happens to the best of us, right? Okay, so drill it again. Whoops, the screw skipped into the old hole. Eh, it'll be hidden behind the bracket, yes? Well, now the wall is bent. Huh? How did that happen? Was it always bent inward? Wait, just that spot? Did I do that? Why did we put the shelf there then? Oh, good grief. Um, ah, well, there'll be a gap at the back of that particular shelf. Don't worry about it, honey. It'll be hidden, right?

 

So ... we put up one shelf. The next will go up tomorrow. Hey, perfection takes time and a clear mind. Tomorrow is a new day, and I'm sure the wall will behave at that point. Maybe it's just having a bad day and needs a good long nap? So, I did the brave and honorable thing and let the wall sleep it off. I'm sure tomorrow it will stop fiddling with me and be good. After all, walls have feeling too, don't they?

 

- M

Mortal combat!

Sorry I missed last night, but I was embroiled in a fight for my life!

This isn't it, but it looks evil enough

 

Let me ask you, have you ever assembled a wardrobe?
 

I've got slivers and bumps and scratches and claw and tooth and burn marks! I swear this piece of furniture was possessed. I think there's something to that, since the instructions made me put it together upside down. Have you ever tried using a hammer while on your head? It's not easy. And, don't even get me started on turning in screws and lining up nails. Yeowch! Then, when I put it mostly together, I needed to hang the doors. That's an awfully violent process, and my feet didn't take well to it--well, I did have to lift the doors to hang them.
 

But, that wasn't everything. Once it was all together, I still had to fasten it to the wall, so it wouldn't tip over and crush me. I think the wall and the wardrobe were in on it together, because that drywall refused to open up a hole for the screw! It was uncanny. I used a spike to put a neat hole in, then tried putting in the drywall screw, and it melted and snapped in half. Hmm, no worry, I got another and the same thing happened. I pulled out a plastic sleeve and tapped it in place ... rather, tried to because the thing wouldn't slide in. Finally, I got an all metal screw with expanding sides. Hammering in that sucker took nearly everything out of me, but it worked!

 

I am victorious!

 

... except, I didn't quite put it in the correct place ... sorry, honey!

 

- M

Pleasure in being totally worn out

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Have you ever worked so hard that by the end of the day you are too exhausted to crawl into bed? Or, how about exercising so vigorously that all you want to do is collapse on your bed and sleep--without changing into pajamas? And, don't forget playing so much that when you finally stop you get slammed by the tired truck and zonk out somewhere. It's all good, and it feels great knowing you've worn out your body in a good way.

 

Moving furniture is both pleasure and pain. On the fun side, it's great having the house looking like a house rather a yard sale. On the less pleasurable side, I'm sore, tired, and feeling a bit grouchy. Still, I'm glad it's done and my daughter now has a new desk--actually, I'm not sure it's a desk but instead some chuckling wood creature laughing at the cumbersomeness of the design and the impossible weight of it all. Yeah, her desk is a monster. Hallelujah for thrift stores! You can really find amazing deals there. (Just a tip for those looking)

 

So, now I'm slowing down, discovering what hurts after a very refreshing shower, and thinking about what else needs doing to get our house into shape. I'm thinking a good coat of "letting someone else do things for a while" sounds good. But, I know myself and I won't sit still for long. It's just not in my nature to let stuff sit around (yes, dad, I did say that finally). My kids will catch on eventually ... probably when I'm old and senile and every new move is a completely fresh adventure.

 

- M