The Enemy of Good is Better

It's true.

Sometimes I spend so much time trying to achieve perfection that I become wasteful--can I make it just a little bit better?

How much time do I spend trying to make something good, perfect? Or a little bit better?

Is it an act of pride?

Is it productive?

No, sometimes it is not productive at all. I can spend 90 percent of my time striving for a modest improvement--and I could have spent the additional time doing something really important.

An acquaintance of mine is publishing a new book of his poetry titled The Enemy of Good is Better.

Chris and I sit in front of him and his wife at Orioles baseball games as we have the same 13-game plan package. Over the years we have gotten to know them and look forward to chatting with them during the games. Catching up on life and talking about friends and family and the rhythm of life.

Only within the past year did I realize that he is a published poet--with his own book and a number of very prestigious awards. I purchased his first book--The Clock Made of Confetti. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and the poems--they are complex reading poems full of images and history and emotions.

So it was the title of his new book in pre-publication which really stirred me thinking about the use of time trying to make thing just a little bit better--when they were really good.

Nothing good, it seems, survives. It must be better or it decays into chaos.

The Trees at the End of the Parking Lot

Walking out of the gym on Monday afternoon, I was confronted with an awesome sight--the stand of trees at the end of the parking lot were in full autumn color.

In a word--they were magnificent in their seasonal garb.

I snapped a quick picture with my phone camera. I was a little unsteady after playing four hard fought racquetball games--but I was still able to appreciate the color and the beauty there at the end of the lot.

The trees were standing in front of gray, dark clouds--which even without the sunlight to illuminate them made them seem all the more beautiful.

This is the season to notice the changes happening around me. It is much the reverse of springtime--where I notice the new green growth on the trees and then the flowers begin to show themselves. Now, it is the trees as they morph from green to reds and oranges, and yellows that cause me to pause for a moment and appreciate their transformation.

Although like the springtime, the color is only temporary, now is definitely the time to enjoy it.

Take a moment--

It will soon pass if you miss it.

Flu Shots

They say we should get them.

And I did--yesterday, but secretly I wish I hadn't.

My arm hurts where I got the shot. The health care professional told me it would and it was because of the shot, not the person giving it. Some gallows humor I guess.

The price was right--free, and I got to get some time away from my desk to get the shot.

Still, I feel like a Guinea pig. Test driving the shot for millions of others who have yet to get it or decide they need one.

This year they have included the swine flu shot we received separately last year. I'm sure there will be some new flu they haven't thought about which will require a second stick.

I hate needles. I just can't look at them as they penetrate my skin. I'm afraid I'll tense up or something and then bad things will happen.

But I lived through it.

So I guess I recommend the experience.

Monday Musings - October 25, 2010

1. Well, the teams are all set. Isn't it great we are going to have a World Series without the Yankees, Red Sox, or the Phillies? Actually 2006 was the last time this happened with the Cardinals beating the Tigers 4 games to 1.

2. Sports-wise, yesterday was a good day for the family with the Ravens, Steelers, and Redskins all winning. Tonight, however, will be a disaster as either the Giants or the Cowboys will have to lose and there are family members rooting for each team. It is tough when the teams play each other.

3. Eight days until the election--I wonder if there is any hope the news media will run out of gas or things to say before then.

4. Chinese (Brown Marmorated) stink bugs are a real problem. They are everywhere.

5. Isn't it interesting the difference in perspective? The French are on strike because the government wants to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. Here in the U.S. we are yawning as the government is making plans to raise it from 66 to 70. Hmmm.

6. I heard an interesting statement regarding differences between people as it related to the bus scene in Forrest Gump: "we all, deep inside, are hoping that someone will say, 'you can sit here.'"

7. Here is a scary thought. Christmas is just two months away.

8. Today in Elkridge, the sun rises at 7:27 am and sets tonight at 6:14 pm. Total: 10:47. Tomorrow, the total sun time will be two minutes shorter. I hope the Australians are enjoying our sunshine!

9. Mondays are the dividing line between what we want to do and what we need to do to keep enjoying what we want to do.

Late October Reality

The cool wind, almost cold, that blew me through the breezeway at work was a real shock the other day at lunch.

I had not felt a wind that cold in many months--and I was immediately transported back to last winter when the frigid winds blew unchecked across the landscape bringing with them record amounts of snowfall.

I can still see the whiteouts associated with the Snowpocalypse. And feel the chill all the way to my bones.

But have no fear, the NOAA is reporting that this winter should be a more normal 18 inches of snowfall variety, with temperatures a bit warmer.

That will sure be a welcome relief to my beleagured budget when confronted by the astronomic electric bills associated with too much cold and its associated snow.

The cool wind chilled me.

And I stood straighter and squared my shoulders into the wind so that it would not get the best of me.

But I know what is coming.

As Darkness Falls

I was outside the other evening.

It had been a beautiful afternoon. Chris and Makayla and I had taken a long walk to enjoy the afternoon and the clear blue skies as well as the touch of autumn which is beginning to adorn the trees in the neighborhood.

I decided to walk the yards--something that I all too infrequently do just to see how things are doing. I often do small tasks like removing fallen branches and I also determine whether it is time to mow again--which it is by the way.

As I was completing my tour of the yards, I noticed the setting sun was delineating a clear line of light and dark on the trees in the back yard.

It was eerie.

There is was--the dividiing line between day and night, it seemed, clearly drawn on the trees behind my house.

Now I know this was not the famous terminator line. But I could imagine it was, for a minute. The difference between the light and dark was very stark.

Above, in the tree tops it was bright as day and cheerful. Below, it was night. Hard to see and full of unseen unknowns.

The trees are mostly green but the colors of the autumn are creeping into their canopies.

Soon, after the leaves are fallen, the trees will cast ghostly shadows on the lawn instead of providing their ubiquitous shade.

But that is still to come as the seasons continue their inevitable cycling which spawns new life and sees it through to maturity and then starts over again.

For now though--I glimpsed, or I could imagine I glimpsed, the line separating light and darkness as it crept across my lawn and night fell.

The Passion Factor

Passion.

It is a driving force behind success.

When I was younger, I would play games passionately--and I would win. Now, it seems I do not really care if I win or lose--and the passion is gone. I lose a lot more. Which certainly makes one of my grandchildren happy.

A Wikipedia definition of passion:

Passion ( from Latin verb patior meaning to suffer or to endure) is an emotion applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something. The term is also often applied to a lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity or love. Passion can be expressed as a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion towards a subject, idea, person, or object. A person is said to have a passion for something when he has a strong positive affinity for it. A love for something and a passion for something are often used synonymously.

Passion is the feeling in my gut that tells me I really care about what is happening. That could be something with my family, church, recreation or job.

I am a passionate person.

Sometimes I get blinded by my passion--but

I do best when I am working on that passion because I find that when there is no passion "burning in my belly" I really don't care about the outcome. I become apathetic.

I love working with other passionate people. It makes life fun, even if we disagree because it tells me that they care as much as I do about getting something right.

What am I passionate about?

Well, I'm not going to share--but you can probably guess by reading some of my blog entries.

Mailboxes

Mailboxes are part of life and I suspect that most of us check them six days a week.

Why? Because mail is delivered six days per week and we don't want to miss anything important.

I have noticed lately though, that I am recycling more and more of the items that the USPS mail carriers so diligently deliver.

Lots of junk.

I have started stopping by the recycling bin to drop off the unwanted items before even going back inside the house.

It is amazing how a stack of mail can be reduced to two items in about 30 seconds.

I wonder what it is that triggers me to open some of the items? Some go into the bin unopened, while others at least get a peak inside before being recycled. There is something about the ones that get opened that call to me. Is it the promise that there may be something of value inside? I don't know--more it is the fear that I'm discarding something important disguised as junk mail.

Think of the waste in productivity and resources associated with all of the junk mail. It boggles my mind.

Most all of the stuff is not only unwanted it was unrequested. And, unless I take action it will continue to arrive daily in my mailbox.

I'm not sure I want to stop it--think about it. I hate empty mailboxes almost as much as I dislike ones full of junk mail.

It is perplexing. At least if there is mail in the box there is hope that something exciting or important will reside within--in addition to the periodic bills which come interspersed throughout the month.

And so, I will continue my afternoon trek to the mailbox full of the realization that most of what I receive is going to be discarded, but that there is mail in the mailbox is more important that reducing the junk.

I'm not sure that is the best answer--but it's where I am.

Jack-O-Lantern Season

They are appearing everywhere.

Pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns.

At stores, on doorsteps, almost everywhere imaginable.

We even have one on our doorstep to welcome people to the house. Or is it guarding the place to keep intruders and evil away? It is hard to know.

While we think of Halloween and its relationship to Jack-o-lantern pumpkins as uniquely American, sadly, it is not so. Jack-o-lanterns originally began in Ireland and turnips or potatoes were used the carve the scary faces. After the pumpkin was discovered in America, that became the vegetable of choice for obvious reasons.

If you have never heard of story of Stingy Jack, click the link above and read it--it is fascinating. Apparently, according to tradition, Jack went toe-to-toe with the Devil and won--or so it seemed.

Probably most people have no idea where the Jack-o-lantern tradition originated--in an Irish turnip.

But now, pumpkins are everywhere to keep Stingy Jack's wandering spirit as well as other evil spirits away.

Our Jack-o-lantern is fabricated. I'm not sure it is endowed with the same protection powers. But it is part of the seasonal tradition. And it makes me smile. And we can reuse it annually--which I like.

And they are everywhere it seems.

So, if you see Stingy Jack's spirit wandering on your front lawn, make sure you light your Jack-o-lantern to keep him and his evil friends away from your doorstep.

Autumn Smells

Autumn has a unique smell.

It is probably the smell of leaf mold on the wind--which at the same time is familiar and makes me sneeze.

That, coupled with the cooler crisper air is one of those dead ringer "it's autumm" signals for me.

Smells are very powerful. I think they are being over used now though. Everytime I turn around there is a new candle or spray object in the house putting out seemingly pleasant odors that mostly make me sneeze.

I noticed the autumn smell this afternoon while going to the cafeteria for lunch. I just caught me and made me realize that it really is autumn here in Maryland.

I also know that there is a very clean, almost odorless smell associated with snow as it lays new fallen on the ground. I don't particularly enjoy it, but I have noticed it.

I looked at the pool cover the yesterday and thought about the water underneath, waiting for springtime.

And it reminded me of the smell of water being splashed upon hot concrete. It has a particular odor to it was well--one that calls for me to jump in the pool and enjoy the day.

So smells are a part of our overall experience that sometimes we do not take time to catalog. They can't be stored slike so many digital images--but we do remember them and can quickly be transported back in time in our minds to a different place.

Some smells make us think of home--like pumpkin pie or baking bread.

Some smells tell us there is a problem, like the smell of burnt hair or hot brake fluid.

Some smells are for information like the smell of radiator fluid leaking on the ground (I hate that).

But the smell of autumn is unique--it is just, autumn. Refreshing and complex.

So I will enjoy it as I watch the sun set too early and the flowers dim and wither knowing that springtime is one day closer.