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 ...