Jul 19, 2011

It's been six hours!

"It's been six hours since I had a cigarette!"
I have been commuting to work on my bicycle this summer. It's good for my health. I am rolling into the airport where I work when I overhear this comment. "It's been six hours since I had a cigarette!" The woman is sitting on the ground and leaning against her luggage while lighting her cigarette. She may have been informing her friend that she hasn't smoked in six hours or, more likely, she was calming her nerves by venting. Appreciative that she is no longer restricted to the harsh environment that "non-smokers" live in every day.
As silly as I thought she was I dismissed her as an unusual character. Later that day I was eating my lunch and talking on the phone with my girlfriend. I sat at the picnic table in front of my office under the "no-smoking" sign. Sitting next to me was my colleague - smoking his cigarette. I ended my call and put away my lunch to eat later, in clearer air. That night I had an unusual wryness to my breathing. I blame the smokey air.
I have a parting thought. Is it really that bad to go without a cigarette for six whole hours while you travel? Try taking a day off from smoking.
The good news is I inhaled no smoke today and my breathing is free and clear of any discomfort!
Disclaimer: I smoked for two years while commuting to community college. I quit cold-turkey. I wish I had those two years back to re-do.

Jul 7, 2011

Reflections in an airplane window



I thought to myself while looking around the cabin that we were all flying the same direction. This of course was true in the literal sense. In a more abstract but general sense I think that most peoples lives are in fact flying in the same direction. One person is following another. As I watched the older woman in front of me eat I grew frustrated in the way she held her single remaining bite of poppy seed miffing just inches from her mouth for a long period of time. It is there now. It is there when I look back moments later. She talks to her husband about something related to their trip. When she, seemingly, has nothing further to do but to take a bite it waits patiently in front of her mouth. And then it's gone.


My first thought was that I am very different from this poppy seed eating woman. But on second thought, perhaps not. At Starbucks you will not be surprised to find me order the same drink fifteen times in a row. "I'd like a Venti Chi Tea Latte, non-fat milk sugar free vinalla sweetener please", that's what I always say. My Gold Rewards card is evidence of that. I sit with my drink, holding it like a soldier may hold their rifle, sipping it to the last drop. I savor it like that woman savored her poppy seed muffin.

While thinking about all the similarities that people have I continue to return to the thought of differences. I know I have met numerous people who are outliers from the norm. They see and react to their environment in a different and commendable way. One person I think of as an example of this out-of-the-box behavior is Mike Yankoski . He is an alumni from my alma mater, Westmont College. He made the decision to take a year off from attending classes and live across America homeless. My first thought is that "I wouldn't do that". An I won't attitude will certainly stifle personal growth. So I challenged myself to ask a different question. Could I do that? When I let my mind explore if I could be homeless the answer is remarkably yes. Do I have plans to pre sue this further, no. I currently have other goals that would be impeded by taking on this task. The thought however is very empowering. As a result I have made plans to read Mike Yankoski's book entitled Under the Overpass.

What I have taken away from this reflection is a complex idea. If a person postpones the word "no" and instead says "what if" then remarkable things are potentially available. The principal can be applied to your daily life. I had an experience in the past that was a result of "what if" thinking. My brother said he wanted to summit Mt Whitney that towers above the Majovie desert. Rather than say no I decided to look into the details. We went on some smaller hikes and planed our climb. As a team we accomplished this goal in 2009 and went home proud. Climbing a mountain may not be on everyone's to do list, it wasn't even really on mine. I came home with a patch and photos and the memory of climbing a mountain with my brother.  All because I allowed myself to think "what if" and then apply myself to the task at hand to accomplish the goal.

What will make you stand out today?

Jul 4, 2011

Things are not always as they appear.

Observed on a regional flight.
 
kid- Can I have more apple juice please?

flight attendant- No, were not doing any more service because of the turbulence.
The flight attendant pushes the cart back to the galley.

Moments later the kid spills what is left of his drink. He walks to the galley.

kid- can I have a towel?

flight attendant- go back to your seat because the seatbelt sign is illuminated.

kid- I spilled my drink

The flight attendand decides it's easier to hand him napkins foom the beverage cart that her and fa#2 are feverishly preparing to stow in the aft gally.

I feel bad as I see the man I thought was a jerk return toward his seat to clean the spill that was caused by his shakey arms, not the turbulance.

His red T-shirt reads "I have huntington's disease, what's your problem?"

Fast Food

As I was looking at the McDonalds menu and woman slides in front of me. She asks if there are any fries that are cooked? I have never heard that question so I started listening. McDonalds says no, they can be ready in 2-3 minutes. The woman says that's fast, I am on a break so I don't have much time. She then orders a shake. She received received everything in about two minutes. I guess she didn't know that McDonalds is a Fast Food chain. Fast is what get do and sometimes you even get food there.

Gambling

An observation: A mother has 1 dollar bill. The son wants to use the massage chair for a three minute massage. The mother says no, we are not throwing away our dollar. Mom walks to the slot machine and presses the spin button once. The dollar is gone. The son tells mom she threw away the dollar. With mom's million dollar dream dashed she concedes to say that that's why it's called gambling.