Tagged

I don't usually play these, but here goes...

I was tagged by Bob Cornwall:

• The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.


• Each player answers the questions about himself or herself.


• At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. Ten years ago I was doing . . .

• I was working for a small software company and moonlighting in a Christian rock and roll band (FYI.. I hate Christian rock now!). I had just sold my house, bought a van, and informed my boss that I would be leaving my career behind to “follow God’s calling”. People who know me now are laughing because I retired my guitar, I now run that software company, and I would never use the phrase “God’s calling” for anything.

2. Five Things on Today's To Do List

• Prepare a project proposal for a local non-profit


• Requirements definition meeting w/ customer


• Weekly staff meeting


• Finalize rules for employee “Green Initiative” ($75 subsidy for each employee to buy energy efficient light bulbs)


• Bi-weekly client billing

3. Things I'd do if I were a billionare

• Live somewhere else for a couple of years (maybe san Francisco).


• Buy a beach resort and reserve the whole place for my friends and family year round


• Pay somebody to build me an electric car built.

4. Three Bad Habits

• I don’t clean


• Late night snacking


• I’m too critical

5. Five Places I've lived

• Athens, Ga


• Braselton, GA


• Augusta, GA


• TBA


• TBA

6. Five Jobs I've had in life:

• Farm Hand
• T-shirt Printer


• Yard maintenance


• Computer Programmer


• It manager

7. Tagged Ones

• Daniel


• John


• Chris


• Veronica


• Andrew
  

Foster Parenting

Veronica and I are attending foster parent training at the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). The class is a product of a bureaucracy that wanted 20 hours of training but only had 1 hour of material. Oh well, we have to do it. We are 6 hours into the brain numbing nightmare. I’m taking a book next time.

The silver lining is that it gives us 4 weeks to decide if this is the right thing to do. It isn’t an easy decision. Many people in the class are struggling with the temporary nature of foster parenting. However, the most difficult part for me is imagining the ambiguity of the assignment. I like that the job is temporary and that the goal is to reunite the child with their birth parents, but I'm not wild about the uncertainty of my commitment. I like to know what to expect when I start something. I'm a planner. I won't know if I'm signing up for 10 days, 10 weeks, or 10 years. This will be tough for me.

I See Dead People

There is no way to deny the fact that our jobs shape us. For the last twenty years, my job has been finding problems in complex systems. Technically, I build software, but most programmers will tell you that the bulk of our job is finding the dead bodies, or “bugs”, that are buried inside the systems. People come to me with a business problems, I draw out a solution on a board in detail highlighting all the issues they neglected to think about. Then I shoot holes in the design. Then I redesign it. Then I shoot holes in that design. This keeps going until we end up with a bulletproof solution that solves all the problems and magically fits in their budget. If we can’t make the theory work on the whiteboard, then it certainly won’t work after a thousand man-hours of programming. I’m trained to think out loud, diagnose, and fix. I look for problems, not just shallow problems, but I look for the root causes. I see dead bodies everywhere. My brain is now wired to look at the most beautiful things in the world and point out the one small potential flaw. This really sucks! Just ask my beautiful wife.

Don’t confuse me with a perfectionist. I’m far from that. I like the imperfections I find. My favorite people have colorful personalities. The more quirky and flawed the more I like them. I’ve been in music studios many times as both a musician and an engineer. One thing I learned from recording music is that flaws are what make people great. My favorite singers are people with horrible voices. What we call “character” is usually a deviated septum, a bad accent, or a lack of technical training. Singers like Neil Young, Tom Petty and even Kurt Cobain have always inspired me with their technically flawed voices and the guts to sing anyway. Thank God that Jimi Hendrix never took classical guitar lessons and that he could rarely find a guitar that stayed in tune. Those imperfections are what make for magical moments.

If I’m in a heated debate with you, or make a comment on your blog, or if I review your book and point out a few small flaws, then just remember I’m the crazy guy who actually took the time to count all the bad notes in my favorite Jimi Hendrix performance. But, I’m also the guy who bought all his albums, hung his poster on my wall and stayed up all night trying to figure out how the hell you turn a sour note into a legendary moment that transcends words. So remember, our difference of opinion may be exactly why I like you, but I probably got lost in the analysis and then buried the lead.

Big Change for the Buckeyes

A completely different SEC team beat up on Ohio State this year. I guess Ohio State can begin getting ready to lose to Georgia next year. Congratulations to LSU. I wish Georgia had gotten a chance to play them, but it will be fun next year. The SEC is amazing.

Resolutions For Change - 2008

I have a few resolutions for my blogging habits in this new year:

• I resolve to spend more time talking about my present views instead of complaining about my past. The last couple of years have been a time for critique of where I had been. I was angry at my past. I’m not any more. It is time to move on.


• I resolve to spend more time listening and understanding. Working out my thoughts alone was good for me, but it is not healthy to stay there.


• I resolve to ask more questions. When I read back through my posts from last year I realized it looked like I was more confident than I really am. That comes more from my poor writing skills. I'm really not that confident. It takes a great writer to be transparent. Unfortunately, I’m a math geek. Writing is new to me, but I hope asking more questions will soften the false confidence in my posts.


• I resolve to be more careful and tactful in my comments on other sites. I've learned that you can’t easily correct or retract comments. I've also been guilty of saying too much in places I had no business speaking.

Big Easy

We are back from New Orleans. The game was TOO easy. UGA destroyed Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl as expected and it seems obvious now that we should have been in the Rose Bowl. I'm sure the weather was warmer in southern California. We did get to stop in Biloxi long enough for me to win a poker tournament and pay for the whole trip. My wife is probably getting tired of planning every trip around a stay over at a casino. The upside is that she always gets to spend the day in the spa and my poker hobby pays for it.

I hate brands!

In her well written book "No Logo", Naomi Klein highlights the impact of globalization through the financial rise and ethical demise of multi-national corporations. I've been enjoying the book, but my reason for hating brands is less about the implications of labor abuse in third world nations and more about the sickness of "image" that is embedded in our society.

I absolutely hate brands and branding and I do my best to avoid buying anything that is sold based heavily on its branding. There are no pictures of fruit on my computers and I will not wear a shirt with a visible logo. If you want to sell me a product then don't push it at me with a naked woman or lay it on the hood of a sports car or try to make me think I'll be cool if I own it. If I do happen to end up with a branded product (by gift or by accident) I remove and/or mutilate the brand logo. I thought I was alone in my mission so you can imagine I was hooked when I saw the nologo logo on this book.

Pop culture and fashion are so foreign to me that I once thought New Balance was an "off-brand" of shoes because I happened to buy mine for $15 on clearance. I never shop so I had no idea it was a recognized brand. Two weeks ago, a friend informed me that I was in fact wearing a trendy fashion item that normally sells for 3 or 4 times that price and is coveted by college students. I was upset so the next day I removed the logos with a razor blade. I'm sorry that I bought them, but the damage is done. At least now I'm no longer giving them free advertising and you'll be happy to know that the shoes look 100% better without the big N.

I run a business and I do advertise but there is a big difference between advertising to find customers that need my products and services versus creating a need by implying that consumers will become rich, famous, and sexually appealing if they will slap my logo on their ass. If you are selling shoes then advertise the damn pair of shoes not the promise of a better lifestyle! My solution to this problem is that every commercial using image to pimp their product should be required to add a disclaimer at the end. This disclaimer should read like the side effect disclaimer at the end of an ad for a new drug. Maybe something like...

"The lifestyle depicted in this ad will destroy your marriage, friendships, and values and leave you a shell of human being. The probability of drug addiction, promiscuity, jail time, and suicide will be increased by 72%. You will be just as lonely after you buy this product and the only thing that will change is your credit card bill."

Faux News...

This picture will only make sense to those readers that were at the beach with me last weekend playing trivial pursuit while it rained. For everyone else I'll leave you with a story about how my father-in-law once sat in front of a TV watching Fox News and said to me with a straight face... "we should destroy the al jazeera network because it is misleading all those Islamic terrorist".

What happens in Vegas...

I had a good time in Las Vegas. I don't have any secrets to hide, so I'll let out a few details from my trip.

1. The World Series of Poker is a media frenzy
2. Two million in cash makes a big stack of bills
3. Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow are nicer guys than they appear on TV
4. I played poker with Phil Gordon
5. I won some money
6. I didn't become rich or famous and I'm glad

I enjoy poker and I play well enough to win a little money on these trips, but being around so much vanity and materialism for a weekend really left me with a sick feeling. I've always enjoyed the game for its social aspects and emphasis on logical decision-making but watching people in Vegas really left me feeling sad and unfortunately, you have to wade through the layer of slime that comes with the casinos to get to the poker room. I feel bad for people that are caught up in the love of money and the quest for beauty. It is good to be home.

Is Chruch Really Worth It?

It has been difficult over the last 10 years to stay plugged into a faith community. I was a board member in a church plant for several years, I have been on several different worship teams, numerous small groups, and spent time in 2 other new churches for very short periods in lesser roles. I've read more about church growth, planning, and finance than I'd care to admit.

The last 3 years have been a time of transition to something different, learning and investigation faith on a more broad scope. Most of my religious life has been one of compromise as I’ve sought to practice progressive faith in one of the most conservative areas in the world. The reason for the difficult transition is because I finally put a stake in the ground and decided that I would no longer bottle up my thoughts and feelings. I decided to “come out” theologically and place a few more demands on my faith community rather than always accommodating myself to my community. Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe I should just shut up, sing the silly songs, say the awkward words, and not rock the boat. I’m not sure anymore. Maybe it isn't worth it. Football season will be here before you know it and Sunday will once again be a day filled with excitement and emotion.

I may have made my journey sound as if it was more painful than it really was. Actually, I had a blast along the way. My faith journey has enriched my life immensely. I learned so much about faith and collected a beautiful cast of very diverse friendships. It has been a strain at times and I lost some relationships that turned out to more shallow than I once thought, but I would hate to imagine life without these diverse people in my life. Going to new places and meeting new people has always been very hard for me, so a side benefit of this whole process has been I have become more open to these awkward social situations. I can't tell you how many times I have smiled and shook a person's hand while thinking to myself "Damn, that was the most painful hour of my life. I am getting the hell out of here right now!"

I never thought I would consider an Episcopal church, but we have visited two (they really freak me out, so I don't see that as permanent). I can't do the charasmatic thing again because it always makes me feel like any minute Benny Hinn is going to come out and start slapping people in the head. One of the most interesting experiences has been visiting a Unitarian Universalist church. My wife and I both now attend a UU Buddhist class (the first of its kind in our city) and have even been to a few of the UU services. It has its drawbacks just like all the other churches along with a few new problems. I could be comfortable there, but my wife can’t do it. She does connect with the progressive issues and has made most of the theological shifts necessary, but her problems are: (A) She isn’t ready to “come out” to her fundamentalists friends yet so she wants to tell them the name of her church ends with some well know denomination (B) She really likes to sing about God. I can’t blame her. She has friends that would literally try to cast demons out of her if she mentioned UU or Buddhism or maybe even Episcopal! Just like Pavlov’s dog, our Evangelical and Charismatic experiences have forever linked our experience of God with certain types of music and particular words. I understand her issue. I guess an ex-Catholic or ex-Episcopal would feel lost without a sip of wine at every service.

I’m not sure where that leaves us. Soon we will adopt our little girl from China and I want to make some decisions about our faith community in the next couple of years. I don’t want to let my selfish desire to have my cake and eat it too cause problems for my family. I may have to suck it up and take one for the team, but I also don’t want my little girl to learn a bunch of crap that she will have to unlearn when she becomes an adult as I did. Maybe I can sprinkle in enough multi-faith, tolerance, peace and justice based experiences that it won’t be a problem for her. Does anybody out there with kids have any advice for me? Is a consistent faith experience with good kids programs worth the cost of a heavy dose of bad theology and a lifetime of fake smiles? It looks more and more like I'm going to have to choose. Does picking a church have to be like voting for the least undesirable politician?

Critics

I've had many comments here and in person over the last year since I've been more open about sharing my affinity for Buddhism and my very Generous Orthodoxy. Most critics are Christians that have a misconception about what Buddhism really is about. I once thought that Buddhism was "something that could carry people away from Christ". Maybe even something demonic or evil. That seems so silly now that I understand. Since I've studied it in more detail and also studied the Bible in much more detail (not the literalistic approach I was taught as a child), I've realized that Buddhism is NOT something counter to Christ. It uses different language, metaphors, and cultural references but it isn't another way. It is the same way. It isn't a different path leading to the same point. It is a different set of metaphors describing the same path.

Jesus and Paul used different metaphors to describe the same path. Jesus used the metaphor of birth (being born again). Paul used the metaphor of death (dying to self). The Gospel authors often used the metaphor of resurrection. All of those metaphors are pointing to the same thing which is transformation out of selfishness toward otherness/Godness/Christness - moving from a life of pride and individualism to a life of sacrifice and community.

The key in Emergent Christianity is to stop worshiping the particular metaphors which feel like home and start living out the transformation. That is how we learn to see each other as valuable in our own traditions. One thing I've learned in my journey is that you shouldn't let the critics of a group define that group. For example, I wouldn't ask Rush Limbaugh to define liberalism and expect him to capture its essence because the very reason he isn't a liberal is because he doesn't understand liberalism. If he could somehow understand liberalism then he would likely become a liberal.

If you are concerned with my exploration of faith, then please don't express your concern by trying to define something you don't know. If you are really concerned, then dig deep enough to have a conversation by doing some research on your own. But most importantly, don't expect a Baptist Preacher to give you a good summary of Buddhism or Progressive Christianity and I'll try to return the same type of respect for a healthy dialogue.

Hell frozen over part 2...

I made it through another Episcopal service. The big problem that I'm struggling with is that every creed, song, prayer, gold and silver ornament, and every action seems like a call for allegience to the beliefs of imperialized religion. I feel like the entire service is centered around this notion of gathering up the community and pledging unanimous support for doctrines created during the domestication of the gospel by the Roman Empire. Every prayer has the word trinity or virgin birth nestled in its language. I've been told to cross my fingers behind my back or think only on the metaphorical nature of the language, but this is just too much. I don't want to be constantly reminded about what I've grown to dislike about Christianity. I'm tired of being mad at church and this just forces me to stare the most ugly aspects of Christianity in the face every Sunday. I went there looking for freedom from these system of beliefs and instead they seem to throw those very beliefs up in my face with every word.

I'm completely baffled by this paradox. The Christian churches that have the most open theological views have tied their worship to the most blatant use of closed theological language and ritual. On the other hand, the protestant churches that worked so hard to strip away the creeds and formalized pledges to doctrines are now strictly enforcing their conservative doctrines on their members behind the scenes. What the hell is going on? Somebody explain this to me. One group is celebrating the language they don't believe and the other group is going to great lengths to not publicly say what they do believe. Is this some big cosmic joke designed to drive me to the point of saying "screw you guys, I'm going home"?

Hell has frozen over!

I did the unthinkable this weekend. I went to an Episcopal church service! It was amazing…...ly bad. Actually I was interested to see what it is like and it was not much worse than any other church service I have suffered through. I was interested in reading all the things I was suppose to say but I didn’t really believe and could never actually say. The whole experience was bizarre but I think you have to grow up in that type of environment to “get it”. I don’t really understand how people could be so progressive in their views and so tied to tradition even when the traditional words are often in opposition to their progressive views. I couldn’t help but feel bad because this church, like the mainline churches at large, looked to be dying out. The people are wonderful but they are older and I wonder if anyone will listen anymore. Whatever they have said to themselves to allow them to appreciate the tradition just isn’t applicable to most people today. The brief sermon was very good but was lost in the muck of laborious ritual.

Old or not, and even with the tradition, the people were very nice. You may ask why I was there and the answer is that last week I meet some Episcopalians at a conference and had some wonderful conversations. Their theological and political views created a great deal of common ground. I struck up a conversation with an Episcopal Priest and found that we both have enjoyed many of the same books over the last few years. Holy Shit! Did I just say that I talked to a priest? Yes I actually did talk to a priest. I agreed to visit his church so my wife and I actually did that this Sunday.

All kidding aside, I had a great conversation him and his wife and found a whole group of people that I want to spend some time getting to know. It gave me a new level of excitement, mystery, and adventure to my journey. They have a group meeting every Wednesday night to discuss religion and politics and for the first time in my life I found a church group in my own town that is on the right (I mean….left) side of that conversation and welcomes the discussion in church. I don’t think I’ll try the Sunday torture chamber thing again, but I’m looking forward to the conversations. Somewhere in this mix of tradition and progress is a gem that I want to unearth and I think I’m willing to invest a little time in that task. I’ll keep you posted on the pain and progress.

January Adventure...

I'm back from my second annual trip to the January Adventure in St. Simons Island. This year showcased two lectures by two wonderful authors:

"Beyond Literalism: The Bible and the Church Today" by Marcus Borg

"Reclaiming the Language of Faith" by Barbara Brown Taylor

I enjoyed the them both. It was the first time I had heard Barbara speak and she didn't disappoint. Marcus Borg was solid and informative as always. He always seems to give me the words I need to express my own sense of faith. One of the most interesting things to see at this conference was the wide range of Christian denominations that were represented. It was fun to spend 3 days in conversation with a wide variety of people from around the nation as we discussed both our desire to hang onto the language of faith and our need to look past the common literalistic views of scripture that seem to be the norm in popular Christianity.

An unexpected surprise was that we were treated to a bonus lecture by Dominic Crossan. I had read his books and seen him on many TV specials, but never heard him speak in person. It was fascinating. He holds a wealth of knowledge about the historical Jesus and the culture that surrounded him in the 1st century.

2006 – My year in review…

1. Religion was important in 2006. God in one form or another seemed to be at the forefront of so many news stories and conversations. For me this year was the year that I made a vow to be more vocal about my faith with friends, family, and co-workers. This blog has been one way I’ve been able to work through some things I’ve felt for a long time and I’ve finally been able to put some language around my thoughts so that I can express them better. It has been interesting to see the many different reactions to my more vocal faith. I’ve made connections with many people that seemed to have been holding many of the same views but had not yet come to grips with what they were feeling. I’ve pissed a few people off as well as created some confusion as people wrestled to reconcile new ideas that contrast their neat little boxed in view of God.

2. In 2004 I gave up playing and listening to music and I’ve never felt such relief. In 2005 I gave up a profitable hobby of online poker (my vacation fund has suffered as a result). In 2006 I gave up another old hobby… golf. I didn’t really miss it. In many ways I’m glad this expensive and time-consuming preoccupation is behind me. I am an “all or nothing” kind of person, so when I don’t have a commitment to do something 100%, I tend to give it up completely. I don’t like being mediocre at things so the idea of occasionally doing something doesn’t really appeal to me.

3. Thanks to item #2, I read more books in 2006 than I have in my life.

4. We started our adoption process in 2006. I guess that had a big impact on me emotionally and probably accounts for why my focus has shifted from pursuing hobbies to pursuing hope.

5. I’m getting more exercise and eating better than I have in a few years. It still isn’t enough but I feel better as a result.

6. 2006 was the most financially rewarding year in my life. All my business ventures went better than expected. Most people start a family then figure out how to pay for it and then regret never following their dreams. I’m excited to enter a new phase in my life knowing that our patience, discipline, and hard work will free us from the usual stress associated with finance problems and regrets.

Christmas At Home…

This year all the trips to family were over before Christmas began. Saturday was a day at the in-laws and Sunday was a trip to my parents. The person I was when I lived with these people is dead and for me Christmas is a fresh reconnection with loved ones laced with a heavy dose of reminders that I’ve changed so much.

Today is Christmas and for a change I’m at my own home on Christmas with my wife, a good cup of coffee, and the comfort of being what I have come to call “me”.

Now that I’m home I can focus a bit on what Christmas really means. The most important things that I take from the beautiful metaphorical stories of Jesus birth are the following 3 points that the 1st and 2nd century Christians weave into the stories as they are told and retold over the centuries of their creation.

1. Jesus was a peasant and the humble nature of his birth in these stories is a critical clue to what early Christians saw as his primary role as a protestor of the empire and a spokesman of the people. Jesus’ life and message was one of stark contrast to the Roman ideals of empire and his birth in a humble stable was an important contrasting image to the lavish lifestyle of imperial luxury.

2. Jesus was seen as the savior of Jews and they saw in him the hope to restore justice just as the OT prophets had hoped. He was their messiah and the story of Christmas is carefully filled with references to the Jewish prophetic writings including his linage to king David and a “change of venue” of his place of birth. For these storytellers and for many of us today, Jesus is the messiah and should rightly be linked to the OT writings of hope for restoration.

3. A miraculous birth was key to the story and was intentionally borrowed from Roman Imperial theology where emperors were always sons of gods like Julius Caesar son of Venus or Augustus Caesar son of Apollo. Viewed as either accurate history or as narrative metaphor, the main truth is the same. The story claims loud and clear that Jesus’ path of nonviolence, justice, and peace is our final hope and Caesar's path of war, luxury, and injustice is NOT.

Christmas is about more than the birth of a child. It is a birth of the hope for justice and peace on earth. Christmas is the celebration of the moment that divine wisdom and reason (“logos” or “the word” as described by the gospel of John) became flesh and dwelt among us. Christmas is not about closing our minds by holding onto strict doctrines, it is about opening our minds to divine reason.

I blew it!

It was one of those conversations that were destined to end in disaster. I should have seen it coming, stopped what I was doing, and taken a moment to breath. Instead I just let it happen. I took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. I feel like crap today because despite all the progress I’ve made and my desire to pay attention to the people around me, yesterday I let my own will to drive home the right decision overshadow what needed to be said in order to create harmony in an important relationship. I had the right intentions initially. I could see the perfect solution right there so plainly, but instead of letting it go and listening, I let myself spend 30 minutes trying to get another person to see it too. I should have known it wouldn't work and once you get past that line there is no turning back. It snowballs and before you know it, the conversation isn’t even about finding the right answer anymore. It is all about pride. Some problems don’t need a solution; they just need to be expressed and left to breath.

I realize in hindsight that how you arrive at a decision is often more important than making the right decision. I’m sorry.

Home alone....

My wife is in Japan for another 2 weeks. So far I haven't been too lonely. I've had more time to lounge around the house, watch football, and read. She seems to be having fun. I was able to speak with her via instant messenger for a bit this morning (it was 11pm in japan).

She has been blogging and you can follow her adventures here...

http://leaptrott.edublogs.org

Yes! It is football season!

It feels so good to finally have football season in full swing. In the last couple of years I've pretty much given up all my hobbies. I sold the recording studio, completely stopped playing or even listening to any music other than background music, hung up the golf clubs, and gave up trying to find or start a church. I've been a little bored in my spare time but really there hasn't been much spare time. Work has kept me pretty busy which has been a blessing since next year we will be adding a baby to the mix and I did these things intentionally to get my life ready for that change. Anyway, I've really needed a little fun back in my life and football is just the guilty pleasure I needed.

So far so good...

Georgia just had an easy win last night against a horrible South Carolina team. It is always nice to play bad and still win and SC usually provides that for us each year. Seeing the painful looks on Steve Spurrier's face all night was about as pleasing a sight as I've seen in a while. Talk about Karma, that man has a lot more of those painful weekends in his future. Matt Stafford got his first serious playing time and gave us a glimpse of his talent. He will be a star and It looks like that will happen sooner rather than later.

Today all the pro teams I've been pulling for have won too. Falcons and Eagles won and losses by the Broncos and Cheifs leave my beloved Raiders with a shot at sole possession of 1st place in the AFC West if they can somehow manage to win their opener against San Diego. I'm not holding my breath, but I do feel like the Raiders will be a step closer to respectability this year. This is the one week in the year when all my teams are in first place. Lets see if that lasts through 2 weekends.

Back home…

We had a great time on our trip to Niagara Falls and New York City, but I am really glad to be home.

Things I really enjoyed on vacation…

• The wonder of Niagara Falls (specifically the view from right at the top of the falls where the water is so clear and peaceful just before it falls over the edge)
• Perfect 76 degree weather for an entire week
• The huge Nacho Libre sign in Times Square
• The view from the observation deck at the top of the Empire State building at night
• A beer from the Brooklyn Brewery
• Winning a huge pot from a Yankee who was sure that a person with a southern accent couldn’t possibly know how to play poker better than him
• The view of New York City from Ellis Island and wondering what it must have felt like for immigrants as they saw America for the first time.
• The Charles Darwin Exhibit at the Museum of Natural History
• Visiting a Buddhist Temple
• The feeling that my life is so small and the world is so big and wonderful

Things I really enjoyned when I got home…

• The peace and quiet of a small town
• A cup of coffee on my deck first thing in the morning
• The little pub across the street from my office where the bartender knows exactly what I want to drink without asking
• Fresh Air that doesn’t smell like exhaust fumes
• A day without an airport or a taxi cab
• Friends that have become closer than family
• The feeling that the world is so small and my life is so big and wonderful