Lost Weekends

Sometimes it feels like I am cramming three days of activity into a two day weekend.

Looking at my calendar, this will apparently be the norm for the next couple of weekends. Short trips to here or there coupled by intense activity around the house.

Weekends have become an extension of my too busy life and not a respite from the 5-day "rat race" that I usually look forward to enjoying. The time of rest, recreation, and recuperation that used to embody weekends has been overtaken by continuous activity and appointments.

It is sad that my weekends have been so transformed--although I do get to sleep in until 6 am, the around the house maintenance projects are not going away and the increased darkness associated with the season makes it harder to schedule completion of the outside projects. Take, for instance, the ornamental grasses surrounding the swimming pool perimeter. They are still there.

And then, on Monday the Christmas lights go up. I celebrate Veteran's Day by preparing for the day after Thanksgiving when the Christmas season arrives to light up the landscape. Turkeys to Santas! Sounds like a Rockefeller Center show of some kind.

Just another extension of the too busy weekend.

And "that" season is lurking right around the calendar preparing to suck all available time into shopping and preparations. I hope I can do all of my shopping via computer and Amazon this year.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rainbow in my Mind

Driving to work the other morning, in the cold dawn light beneath a dark, gray storm cloud filled sky I realized that at least it was morning.

I could see--thanks to the ending of daylight savings time.

But now it is dark earlier--and one day this week I have already both departed the house and returned in darkness.

Ugh!

I need a rainbow to remind me that even when everything seems gray and drab, there can still be bright colors to brighten up the scenery.

Rainbows, it seems, most often appear against the backdrop of gray skies.

So with all of the developing darkness--sunset occurring before 5pm and all, I really needed a fond memory and went into my picture file and found this one--from September, to remind me that even the darkest clouds give way to lightness.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Election reflections

Yes, it is over--or is it just beginning? At least the robo-phone calls and commercials have stopped.

During the course of yesterday, I talked to a few people about the election and the results and I found a couple of interesting themes.

The electorate voted for no change.

We continue to desire a dysfunctional congress, high unemployment. sporadic economic growth, a split congress, and a non-existent foreign policy.

The loser had flaws that he could not overcome, not the least of which were his loose tongue and out of touch with the voters demeanor.

Some memorable things that hurt the challenger: talking about buying a horse for his wife after the Olympics because she liked the equestrian events, talking about being friends with NASCAR team owners and selecting a running mate that "strengthened" the ticket by scaring the older voters which may have resulted in the loss of Wisconsin, Florida, and Ohio.

So now we get to watch both sides appear to be bipartisan while not giving an inch as the economy continues to sputter and the U.S. loses more ground overseas.

We did it. We voted for more of the same.

The reality TV show that is the our political leadership has been renewed for at least two more years.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

And the Winner is . . .

The every four year race for leading the greatest nation on Earth has ended.

The people have spoken. The results are surely mixed, but the viability of our way of government and electing leaders has been reaffirmed.

That is most the important thing to remember, whether your candidate won or lost.

I watched CNN last evening as the polls were closing and they were covering the election much like a sporting event--almost like Monday Night Football. They even had a catchy title: "Election Night in America."

I'm not sure electing a president should be covered like a football game.

There were lines at our polling place for the first time ever! And I have voted in every election--not just presidential elections, since we moved here. It was awesome to see so many people committed to exercising their rights to vote.

But now, at least the robo-calls and election ads will end. I won't be getting five or six calls per night anymore. I wonder who I am going to talk to or what I am going to do with my time now that I don't have to answer the phone anymore at odd hours while I am either eating or doing projects around the house.

On one issue I do feel that voters in Maryland sold their souls--and that was the referendum on expanding gambling. The promise of more $$'s has clouded good judgement. Just saying! Welcome to the new Nevada. Legalized prostitution will be next, I'm sure.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Living for no Tomorrow

Does it matter?

Yeah--it does.

Driving yesterday, I heard a song on the radio. I have heard the song many times before and I usually sing along with it a that mindless way that I do while driving.

The song is Good to be Alive and it is performed by Jason Gray.

Yesterday was different. One part of the lyrics (as it usually does) really hit me yesterday--

I wanna live like there's no tomorrow

Love like I'm on borrowed time

It's good to be alive

I won’t take it for granted

I won’t waste another second

All I want is to give you

A life well lived, to say “thank you”

And I questioned myself for a long time in the heavy Maryland rush hour traffic.

Can I do that? How would things be different if I lived like that?

I have heard it said the "No one is promised tomorrow." By the way--that is not a bible verse although many would have you believe that it is--the concept may be there but the exact words are not. But, recognizing that tomorrow may be very different.

This brought me to another song--a country song by Tim McGraw called Live Like You Were Dying and a series of lyrics in the refrain of that song--

I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,

I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.

And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,

And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying.

An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,

"To live like you were dyin'.

And I wonder, 

I know a people who are there right now. Facing the "no tomorrow" who are trying to come to live like it is not going to be there. These songs suggest that it is a freeing experience. I see the hurt and the conflict in their lives and relationships. It is clearly not the fantasy land that the song writer's suggest.

But even with that in mind, and since I still have the belief that tomorrow is going to be there and be better, what is it going to take for me to crawl out from behind appointment filled schedule that I'm living and truly begin living?  Because, I think I will not only be a better person to be around--but I'll enjoy watching the sunrise over the ocean.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - November 5, 2012

1. We had a true frost on the tops cars Sunday morning as the temperature dipped below 32 degrees. At ground level, though, it did not seem to be quite so cold, yet!

2. Saturday night, I saw stars and the moon in the sky for the first time since Sunday last week when the hurricane was approaching.

3. Election day is tomorrow--I wonder how our decisions in the voting booth will affect the future.

4. Do the commercials end after tomorrow?  And the stream of worthless, mind-numbing phone calls made by faceless computers?

5. What did I do with my extra hour yesterday?  I forgot.

6. The Dreamliner, Boeing's 787, made its first commercial flight for United Airlines yesterday.

7. Did I mention that it is cold outside in the morning when I take Makayla out for her morning walk?

8. I found out in church on Saturday night that I am part of the Justice League--well, sort of.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cold Saturday Morning

Where would you rather be on a 45 degree morning with a stiff wind making it seem more like 35 degrees.

Jax's Last Soccer Game of 2012 

1. At home, wrapped in a blanket drinking a hot cup of coffee while watching a good movie, or

Ethan and Makayla

2. On a soccer field watching Jax's final game of the season.

I chose correctly--on the soccer field.

It was a cold morning--and I was cold even with a coat, sweatshirt and shirt working together to maintain my body temperature. Makayla, however, enjoyed the morning on the soccer field with Ethan. She seemed especially renewed by the cooler temperatures. Or maybe she was cold and trying to keep warm herself?

The soccer game was exciting and Jax worked hard--but was not able to score a goal. He made some stunning saving kicks however.

Over all, the game was just--COLD!

It was so cold--how cold was it? It was so cold that the clock froze and the game lasted (it seemed) forever.

Not really, it just seemed that way.

I did get some nice pictures of Jax working the game to his advantage.

A fun way to spend part of Saturday.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Moments to Remember

I was at a local watering hole last evening with my nine best friends and I had an "aha" moment.

We were around a table celebrating the retirement of one of the group-and it hit me, it doesn't get any better than this.

The day had been a particularly rough day at both work and in the circumstances of life outside of work with bad news seeming to be the best that I could hope for. And it was sitting around that table, discussing life, retirement, travel, plans for the future, and Orioles baseball that it really hit me--these are moments to savor and remember.

A group of friends gathered for a time to escape the troubles of life and revel in just being together.

We were talking about the hurricane and the relatively minor damage, thankfully, we received especially compared to the people living in New Jersey and NYC who have been reduced to living like they were in the Middle Ages. Our thoughts and prayers went out to them.

We cheered when we realized that the NYC Marathon was canceled--because it was a recognition of the terrible conditions in the area and would keep thousands from sojourning there to make the situation even worse. But we also recognized that thousands of people had been diligently training for this event and they would not be happy that the goal of their training would be unrealized.

Sitting at the table we were able to discuss both sides of politically charged issues without the emotion that so often enters into such discussions.

Did we solve the problems of the world? No. No one seems to be able to do that.

But for a time, we escaped the problems in our own worlds and made them seem a bit more managable.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Craziness and Phones

It happened with a few rings of the telephone.

A quiet evening, relaxing with a glass of wine became a mad fury of planning and preparation for the crisis which has just come through the phone lines and landed into our laps.

Off to NYC--to the hospital for another round of emergency care in the continuing battle against the foe that seemingly will not be beaten.

As rapidly as the ringer on the phone called us to action, we responded completely changing the plans and surging into action to support those on the frontline of the battle.

With every twist and turn--the foe is there goading us, probing for a weakness. Hoping that we have become weak and are willing to stop fighting and succumb to its control.

But no--the heroes in this battle are fueled by strong wills and supported by incredible love and prayer warriors.

There will be no surrender--only victory! Join the fight!

Victory will be sweet!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

November Arrives

And so, after the fanfare associated with Halloween, November has arrived to grace us with its 30 days of fun and preparation as the first of the final two months of 2012.

Makayla at Halloween

Halloween is the effective end of the active part of the year and the hibernation season, the season of darkness begins with the arrival of November and the end of daylight savings time. Unless of course I were living in the southern hemisphere or the tropics.

But alas, I am residing in neither geographic region.

I am stuck in the north--and too far north at that. Although I am only about 39 and a quarter degrees north longitude--sometimes it feels more like 60 degrees. I'm not even half way between the equator and the pole! But still at least 15 degrees to far north. I always joke that I will know I am far enough south when I see palm trees growing in the wild.

But back to Halloween, Makayla was a trooper last evening as she trick or treated with the kids in her costume.  I think that she actually likes her costume--realizing that it is something special and makes her look like the lady she is. I was happy that she just accepted it and did not try to get it off. I also like the compliments from the people we meet about her festive attire.

But it is, as they say, all history now. And it is on to November and all that it has in store.

Can you spell Turkey?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD