Monthly Archives: December 2009

Imagine

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It’s Christmas Eve and time to travel. Everyone is going somewhere for Christmas. There are some intrepid travelers who are going interstate for the holidays. And then there are some others not so adventurous who will remain at home and watch in amazement some of these travelers on television.

Right now I am looking at a passenger jet that has come to rest about ten feet from the Caribbean Sea in Kingston, Jamaica. The front part of the plane is parked at an odd angle and it is clear that the maintenance schedule will need to be moved up before it flies again.

Here’s the quote that I find interesting. Talking about the landing one passenger said “All of a sudden, when it hit the ground the plane was kind of bouncing.” It is reported that nobody was hurt too seriously although there was lots of pain and emotional suffering involved.

Amazing. These people were involved in a miracle! When your airplane crashes and you are able to talk about it the next day you have become a member of a very elite fraternity.

But let’s go back for a moment and examine this report by a passenger that the plane was “bouncing”. Clearly a passenger jet that is trying to stop on a runway needs to apply its brakes. And it is difficult to do this when the wheels are not making contact with the ground. There was another report that the flight crew gave up trying to serve drinks because of in-flight turbulence. Violent turbulence can actually cause an aircraft to crash when it is close to the ground.

Here is a brief explanation of wind shear.

There has also been a report in recent days about Amtrak passengers who were stranded along the NE corridor. And right here in Richmond at the bus terminal I recall a news report on the tube about a young woman who was stranded and ran out of her medication.

People are not getting where they want to go!!

What we really need to work on is the technology associated with the transporter. These were used in Star Trek to move people around because it would have taken too long to land the ship every time someone wanted to leave or come aboard.

Someday every home and business needs to have a transporter. Imagine being able to spend the evening on a great beach in the middle of the Pacific and be home in time to tuck the kids into bed. How great would it be to see your favorite team play their away games in person? And what would it be like to never again sit in a traffic jam and think ” I am a hostage to this transportation system”.

There is a downside to the idea of replacing our transportation system with transporters however. If someone pulls the plug while you are transporting you will probably endure a very painful death. No technology is ever going to be perfect. So the cat should be watched very carefully while it is being used.

But the upside far outweighs the downside. We could plant grass over highways and airports. We could develop communities that are not all bunched up around our cities. And they could be agrarian in nature. Local resources would be needed for electricity and water. It would be quite a challenge and there would doubtlessly be many debates over the way our new society should grow.

But let’s do ourselves a favor and use our imaginations to bring into focus some of these things. It will be tempting for some to cast a political skein over the whole idea and that means we will be shutting down much of what the future may have in store for us.

When you use your imagination you become a pioneer. And pioneers have no use for politicians.

Everything has its place and time in this world. If you have difficulty with your present situation there is always another one just over the horizon. You may not be able to imagine how you will get there. But it’s a lot like working out. Use your imagination. Strengthen it in any way you can.

Eventually you will wake up one day and find that things have changed in ways that you can appreciate. I have seen it happen. I promise you that it is so.

A Happy Holiday to everyone of you. And if you don’t have a holiday. . .

Imagine that you will have one.

God Bless Us Every One

 



Two Tales Of Christmas

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Well here we are! It’s Tuesday and Christmas Eve is just two days away. There’s snow on the ground and all the Christmas lights are burning fiercely throughout the neighborhood, the city and the world.

Maybe they are not burning throughout the world. There are places in the world without electricity after all. They are not burning throughout our neighborhood either now that I think of it. Not everyone celebrates Christmas.

I don’t celebrate it all of the time but the lights keep burning because my wife would toss me out in the snow if I started unscrewing the bulbs.

Why do I sometimes indulge in Scrooge-like thoughts during this wonderful season? Because my neurological circuits tend to overload rather quickly and a circuit-breaker in my brain suddenly snaps shut.

Or open. It can go either way I suppose. On the one hand I feel so much love for all these people who make up our family. They are all treasures and the grandchildren are the most delightful little jewels that decorate the treasure box.

But when things become loud and chaotic I want to head for the Citadel of Solitude. And that would be RIGHT HERE in this peaceful room which has recently been equipped with a stationary bicycle so I can exercise AND remain in this peaceful place awhile longer.

Christmas has a solitary side that attracts me a great deal. But it is much like life, in general, I suppose in this way. There is nothing like exchanging a hug with someone you haven’t seen for so long on Christmas Day. But there also is much joy in watching the snow fall outside the window in a peaceful moment when nothing much else is happening. How to combine the two?

It’s a continuing challenge. But one that is suffused with gratitude for both parts of a wonderful life. I could sit here and make a very long list of all the things I am grateful for this holiday season.

Working it all out into a giant, unified whole that resemble a crystal sphere full of light is perhaps not possible in this part of the galaxy. But I keep working on it. And someday, when the rocket up on the roof is ready, I plan to explore other parts of the universe. An important part of this scenario includes piloting an interstellar spacecraft. This particular notion first enlivened my job resume when I discovered Star Wars some thirty years ago.

This is what I want to do when I grow up! BE Han Solo’s co-pilot! So if you are on an interstellar flight someday heading towards a distant star please come forward and say hello to your flight crew. Things will be much more informal out there in the heavens and you won’t have to worry about locked doors or the buffeting of atmospheric conditions.

Because it’s not really going to be like Star Wars where we are going. It will be more like. . well. . ..

Look down at the floor and it’s gone. Try to find the windows and you will see only stars. Look at me and I will remind you that we had a conversation about this near Christmas in the year 2009.

Will you be able to see me? Yes! When all the exotic metals have fallen away YOU and I will still be here. We will travel beyond space and time and we will all be family. A much bigger family who are able to enjoy so much more together.

I may not even miss the Citadel of Solitude all that much. Happy Holidays!

 

Listen

Imagine a revolving sphere of light

Stand far above it and dive into it.

Reach the center of it as it explodes

And sends you in countless directions.

You become wheat in a field of grain

And the wind takes you towards a beautiful sunset

And a pool of water next to a waterfall

Made of rainbow colors of pure delight.

You can stay here as long as you wish.

Unencumbered by a body.

In love with the sound

Of the water and the wind.





Green Bay vs. Minnesota/ Who Is The Better Team In December 2009?/ NFL Football Ruminations

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It’s Monday morning and a great time to talk some football after watching all the action yesterday. So much drama on and off the field as teams battled for playoff spots, home field advantage, perfect seasons or just simple respect!

It came down to the last play in two interesting contests. You must try to cover the sidelines in the end zone when you are playing the Pittsburg Steelers and it comes down to the last play of the game.

They must spend hours practicing this one play because they definitely know how to execute it and score 6. It’s their biggest money play securing them a NFL World Championship last year as well as preserving their playoff hopes this year.

Let’s move on and think about the middle-aged miracle playing quarterback in Minnesota for a moment. I would expect that most football players in the NFL tend to wear down as we arrive at the end of the regular season. The human body takes awhile to heal especially when it is being thrown to the ground by very large defensive linemen.

Brett’s coach wanted to rest him in the fourth quarter of yesterday’s game. The playoff berth is secured and it makes a lot of sense to keep him out of harms way if possible.

That’s why he has large offensive linesmen protecting him. Unfortunately they were not doing such a great job yesterday. Maybe they are worn down too or maybe they were not as highly motivated as a team struggling to stay alive or save their jobs.

Whatever the case Brett was upset and talked about it to the press. He wants to play. Period. He starts having flashbacks of his last year in Green Bay if you suggest he should save himself for the next strategic battle.

But Brett needs to be very good in the playoffs. He needs to be Mr. October in January or February. To use another baseball analogy he needs to see himself more as the starting pitcher who may need to hand over the ball to a closer in the 8th inning.

And don’t complain about the coach. Your teammates need to know the coach is in charge of the team. The team cannot win without a coach even if he is not one of the great ones.

Brett has just screwed up his team’s chances in the playoffs and increased the possibility that he will not perform well or at all.

Both Green Bay and Minnesota lost yesterday. But the Packers played well in a great game and only lost in the last second when the Steelers went to their most favorite money play.

They lost to the World Champs by one point. The Vikings lost to a worse team by a lot more. I would say that means the Green Bay Packers are now the better team and their coaches and managers made the right decisions to bring them to this point.

Wanting A Sleigh Ride Song

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Well here we are the last Sunday before Christmas and there’s lots of snow outside. It is piled up on the limbs of the trees. And it’s covering the ground. It’s everywhere! And we are going to climb up and down the little hill that separates us from B’s parents so we can all watch the football game and have a little Christmas cheer. Together.

The car may not make it but we can walk or slide or fall down and get up.

We can chug along the roads that have been so recently scraped (thank you county workers!) and think about the cold and ice. We can wonder what happened to our Flexible Flyers and why don’t we sled anymore?

The world used to revolve around sledding on a day like this.

And fires built on the edge of a pond where skaters learned to walk on a couple of steel blades. It was not that long ago.

But we are older now and some of us do not even think about these things. I only remark upon it because there’s a snow covered hill in my immediate forecast. And then there will be a game on television where young men will run, jump and catch for several hours. They will risk serious injury as they attempt to win a football contest.

Thousands will cheer if they do something well. The noise will explode around their ears. And the adrenaline rush will make them feel like gods for a few minutes or an hour.

I can only try to imagine what that is like but I know what it is like. . .

Eventually. When they come back down to earth. When the cheering crowds are gone and they are alone with their thoughts, the bruises and the pain.

We all can join them here. We are all as one when it comes to our moments alone.

When another important contest begins.

When you can successfully and happily be alone you have won a battle with yourself. When you don’t need the affirmation and applause of a crowd you have won an important race.

But it would still be nice to go down the side of a hill on a fast sled before darkness falls. Wouldn’t it?