Uncommon Common Sense

I can't speak for everyone, but I have been known, on occasion, to put off doing things that I find to be either uncomfortable, or downright painful, either emotionally or physically. I know...I AM a bit of a weenie in that regard. Some might call it "procrastination", but I think it's a bit different than that.  I think procrastination is a tendency to put off pretty much everything until the last second, then rush around like a crazy person to get it done. I used to do that with school stuff. I pretended that it "made me more creative" or whatever Baloney Slices I was trying to sell in that particular instance. But as I've gotten older, I tend to look at projects or tasks from a standpoint of "how much time do I have at the moment to devote to that", and "will I be able to start, finish and clean up in the time I have available". If I have a preference, I really tend toward wanting to jump into something, start it, work it, an...

Most folks that know me are aware that I tend to be an "outside of the box" kind of guy. I'm usually one of the first to volunteer to do something, I like new experiences, and truth be told, I readily admit to being a bit of a show-off. But on a deeper level, I have had a lot of experiences in my life, so I can usually correlate something that I've done before to whatever it is that I'm attempting to do that appears to be "new". So in reality, there's a bit of a safety net there. If something is vaguely familiar or relatively similar, then it's not really "new", is it? And this performance-driven person doesn't really run the risk of total and abject failure, does he? I know...I'm working on it. I need to keep reminding myself to be patient with myself, God's not done molding me yet. So last night, I stepped out into what I thought was going to be one of those "mostly outside the box but not really" place...

Hebrews 12, verse 11: " No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." We tend to equate the word "discipline" with "punishment". But if you look at the original translations, the word we translate into "discipline" is roughly the same word as what we translate into "training". So another way of reading this verse would be: "No TRAINING seems pleasant at he time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been TRAINED by it." Gumnasia and Paideia. One refers to the training of the body, and the other refers to the training or rearing of a student or child. Both refer to "training". Not "punishment". I hate to keep referring to my years as a martial artist, but to put a fine point on it, that's the only physically challenging t...

There you go, folks. This is your "big word" for Saturday morning. Discernment. Oh great...here we go. Larry is going to make us think on a Saturday morning. Wonderful. Way to go, Lar. Can't you just right some feel-good piece of fluff? I suppose I could...but not today. Besides, I'm hopeful that even talking about discernment can be "feel-good". Or at least make somebody stop and think. Get it? See what I did there? Discernment/think... I know! Sometimes I just crack me up! Alright, back to the topic. So, what is "discernment"? Well, a dictionary-esque definition would be the ability to obtain sharp perceptions or to judge well. For those of us that are Believers in Christ, that definition might be more tailored along these lines: " perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual direction and understanding." Interesting. The nutshell-version dictionary definition focuses on judgement. The Christian definit...

Two more of the Tenets of Taekwondo. Courtesty, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Spirit. In my opinion, teaching those five character traits are what we as Taekwondo instructors are committed to doing. The vehicle for teaching those life-lessons is simply the art and science of Taekwondo. If you ask a student (or even a senior black belt) to describe the Tenets, and give an example of each, most don't have a problem with the other three. But these two -- Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit -- sometimes give them pause. I've heard both of them described as a "can-do attitude", or a stick-to-it approach. Never give up. Never surrender. (Quick "Galaxy Quest" reference, for you movie nerds). But those explanations in and of themselves are both a bit vague and confusing. Because these two concepts are not the same, although they are similar. Let me see if I can take a stab at clarifying. Perseverance is that character trait we exhibit when...

So, I have a cold/flu thing. Not so bad that I'm down and out for the count, but bad enough that I feel lousy, have sinus congestion, that little tickle of a cough, and ache all over. It has seriously been over 2 years since I've been sick with anything like this. You'd think that what with working in a retail store, all those people in and out, plus the dearth of sick co-workers -- somebody was always sick...cold, flu, strep, bronchitis, malaria, bubonic plague...you would have thought I would have caught something there. Nope. I managed to dodge that bullet for over 2 years. But 4 weeks at my new job, in an office setting? Yup, I've caught something. And I most certainly blame my co-workers. But being sick has reminded me to appreciate the times I'm not sick. It has reminded me to be thankful for the good things that happen. Did you ever notice that we only remember the bad stuff and share that with others, rarely the good stuff? Think about it. If somebody men...

First day of Spring! Seriously, yesterday, last day of Winter, the temperature was in the mid-60's. It was a beautiful day. The lilac bushes are starting to shoot new leaves, the grass is getting green, you can see new leaves on the tops of trees, the neighbors have some sort of early spring flower shooting up from the ground...and the darned rabbits are still trying to dig holes in the yard and make places to leave their little offspring. But enough about those wascawwy wabbits. Spring. A time of rebirth, of newness, of fresh air. When the weather turns nice, I like to open the windows, let the fresh air into the house, blow some of the stale, boxed-up winter air out. It's invigorating. In all fairness, I only got the snowblower out once this past winter, but it will feel good to put it away in the shed, and drag the lawn mower out, and get it prepped for the grass-cutting season. Quick aside: is there anybody else out there, like me, who really likes to cut the grass...that ...

Some quick insight into how my mind works. (I know...be afraid...) I'm standing at the kitchen sink, filling the coffee pot with water. Out in the back yard, I see a rabbit, starting to do what rabbits seem prone to do in our back yard. Dig. Specifically, dig a burrow in which to birth baby bunnies. For some reason our back yard is the preferred neighborhood bunny nursery. Makes no sense to me. We have a dog, the neighbors to the west have a dog, the neighbor to the east does not. Why don't the bunnies have their baby burrows in the yard to the east? I don't know. So I'm standing at the sink, thinking, "I should go get Jazz and she can chase that bunny out of the yard." Except Jazz is still upstairs, sleeping on the bed with my wife. Then I got to thinking, "If Jake was still around, HE would be up with me, making coffee. He'd go out there and protect the yard from those evil bunnies." Then it hit me...Jake has been gone for over a year now. My...

I have absolutely no idea what to write about this morning. I mean, there are lots of things I suppose I could delve into. It's not like the world has suddenly either come to a screeching halt, or miraculously come to its collective senses. Maybe it's time for some "musician humor"? You know...jokes that only a musician will get. Like:  "What is the definition of a minor 2nd?" Answer: "Two 6th-grade oboists playing in unison." Follow-up question: "How do you get them to actually play in unison?" Answer: "Take the oboe away from one of them." One of the funniest things I ever saw was at a music contest. Two little beginning oboe players were going to play a duet. Of course, before you start playing, you need to tune your instruments so that you are in tune with each other, and with the piano (if you have accompaniment). Fortunately, there wasn't a piano accompaniment, or we might have been there all day. So these two li...

I started taking Taekwondo classes at the tender age of 23. Actually, it was July 21st, one week before my 24th birthday. There was a little TKD program at the local community center. I had always wanted to study martial arts, never really had the time/money/opportunity to do so as a kid, so I jumped in. I'm standing in the back row (which is where the brand-spankin' new white belts stand), and I distinctly remember watching the students in the front row. They were all green belts. One of them, Mike Reidhammer, had the most awesome side kicks. Clean, precise, powerful, targeted. And I told myself, "I don't care if I ever get a black belt, I want to be just like that green belt in the front row." Mike didn't know me from Adam at the time, but he was leading. He was leading by example. I watched Mike constantly. Probably even more than I watched my instructor. I mean, I had no aspirations at the time to actually be a black belt. I wanted to be like Mike Reidha...

Yesterday, I was writing about being "me". Authenticity. Not putting on a performance unless that's what I was really doing. As I think about that more, it brings me back to a foundational character trait:  Integrity. In Taekwondo, we talk about the 5 Tenets of Taekwondo. At least in our taekwondo family we do. Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Spirit. Courtesy (or respect) is the first thing we teach the brand new student. The first technique we teach them is how to bow properly. How to demonstrate respect. To themselves, to others, to the flag, to the room they work out in...everything and everybody in every place is worthy of respect. Simple courtesy. The other Tenets are taught along the path of the student in a variety of ways, usually through sweat and working out, in one way or another. Integrity is something that grows on the inside by making a series of choices. I've written before about "doing the next right thing"....

I'm a performer. I'm one of those crazy people that actually likes being on stage. I like performing for a crowd, be it 3 or 300. Seriously? 3?  Of course. Haven't you ever heard, "3's a crowd"? Sorry..couldn't resist. Do I ever get nervous? Yes, sometimes. I get a little nervous if I'm trying out new material, be it new music, or a new topic for a seminar. Or I will definitely be nervous if I don't feel like I'm totally prepared. I also get nervous if I forget why I'm there. For instance, as a musician, I'm there to entertain, to encourage people to come along for the ride, to engage the audience...it actually depends on the venue. If I'm playing in a dance band, the "goal" is for people to dance and participate in that way. If I'm playing with a rock band at a bar or nightclub, the "goal" is to fill the room with people, and for them to buy lots of food/drinks. That's the measure of "success...

I took a class once. OK, I've taken MANY classes. But this particular class was about "The Art of Email", or some such fancy title. It was a class teaching people in the corporate world how to properly structure and compose a professional email. I'm certain I don't remember all of it, but a few salient points have stuck with me. I think the first rule was "know your audience". On the surface, that may seem a tad obvious. An email between close friends would likely be a bit different than an email between, say, a job-seeker and the HR screener at a company where said job-seeker wants to be working. Had a thought (I know...that NEVER happens. Me, in the middle of a sentence, having my brain go off in a different direction). A good friend of mine, Mike Wickham, is big on letter writing. You know, pen, paper, envelope, stamp, the whole thing. It has a special meaning to him and his family. When I was growing up, it was a huge deal to get a letter from my ...

OK, so I'm a failure. Yes, that's right, a complete and total failure. Loser. Just can't seem to get it right, no matter how hard I try. Once again, I have proven that I am incapable of following through. What am I talking about? I'm talking about yesterday. What?  You didn't hear? You missed the huge announcement? I'm sure it was on CNN or Fox, or something. I was just too embarrassed to watch for it. Alright, if you didn't see it yesterday, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough, so I'll just tell you. I failed to write in my blog yesterday. I know! I am a complete and total failure, right? I was trying to be committed to writing in my blog for 46 straight days, so I could build this cool habit. But once again, I failed. Just like the time I was going to lose all that weight. And the time I was going to do 50 pushups and sit-ups every day for a year. And the time I was going to do all my forms every day for a month. And the time I was going t...

It's not my fault! "Officer, I know I was going 30 mph over the speed limit, but it's not my fault. I'm late for work, and there's a lot of traffic, and I can't be late for work again, or I might get my 6th occurrence this month, and that means I won't be eligible for an incentive payout." "I see, sir. And where do you work?" In West Des Moines, just off the University Ave exit." "I see, sir. And where do you live?" "In the middle of Ankeny." "And what time did you leave your house, and what time are you supposed to be at work?" "I left my house at 7:45, and I'm supposed to be at work at 8:00." "Sir, you DO realize that according to the laws of physics, it is simply not possible to drive from the middle of Ankeny to West Des Moines in 15 minutes without going over the speed limit? The distance is nearly 20 miles, only 8 of that is on the freeway. Even if all 20 miles were on the f...