Musings

My writings & reflections

Monday Musings: Habit-forming

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They say it takes weeks
to form a new good habit,
so, let’s start today!

I have been in the market for a treadmill since before the holidays, but they are so darned expensive, I didn’t break down and purchase one. Then, I realized that a friend had one for sale, which was a good bargain and still worked great!

Part of my rationale excuse for not exercising much lately is that it is dark when I wake up, nearly dark by the time I get home, and besides, who wants to bicycle or walk/jog in the cold? O.o

I picked up the treadmill on Saturday (loading it into the car should count as a workout, in and of itself, LOL!) and walked about a half-mile to “test” it out when I got home. On Sunday morning, I walked for 0.1 mi to warm up, then jogged for 0.5 mi, then walked another 0.4 mi to cool down. That night, I walked/jogged another mile, switching every 2/10ths of a mile or so. I’m pleased to report that this morning, I got up early and walked a mile! (I opted not to jog b/c I didn’t want to burn out too quickly.) I will aim to do at least another mile this evening. Tuesdays are my early morning ladies’ group, so I won’t walk tomorrow morning, but I’ll be sure to do something in the evening.

I’m determined to keep it up, so I’m sharing it with you for accountability. Now that I’ve said it “out loud,” then I ought to be more compelled to continue doing it. Plus, the same ol’ excuses don’t work so well when the treadmill is conveniently located in my living room! 😉

Monday Musings: Favorite verses

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Yesterday morning at church, we talked about the choice to be intimate with or distant from Christ. As part of the sermon, the pastor asked about a particular song that we would want played at our funerals — something that is meaningful to our faith/life. I chose Midnight Cry by Clay Crosse. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to sing that song without tears coming to my eyes. Tears of joy, tears of anticipation, tears of longing …

Last night, I played the song for Nos. 1 & 2 as we stayed up to chat & read together after the younger three went to bed, as is our custom. I told them that although I hope to live a nice, long life, I wanted to let them know now that I definitely want that song played at my funeral, because I want my funeral to be a celebration of my life and of the faith & joy that we share in Christ.

That led to talking about our favorite verses, which brings me to today’s topic. I usually write a poem for Mondays, but today, I thought I would share the three verses that we identified as favorites.

No. 2’s favorite verse is John 3:16, since it is the first verse he ever memorized.

Mine is Psalm 45:11, because it reminds me that God’s opinion is ultimately the only one that matters.

No. 1’s favorite was Genesis 1:3, the day that God created light. He added that since God created light that day, then it must have also been the day that he created color. Color is simply light, is it not? I was astounded by his insight. What a beautiful reflection of the creation story. Schooled by my 12yo … wow.

Wednesday Words: What not to do as a manager

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This week in my Human Resources Management course, we are discussing four management theories. We’re talking about how the various supervisory styles fall into a chart from one of our textbooks by Mainiero. The chart divvies up employee behavior based on whether they perform above or below expectations and whether they get along well with others or not. (The so-called ideal subordinate, then, would be someone who gets along well with others and performs above expectations.)

Here are some of my thoughts on the four theories:

My first job out of college was with a Theory F manager, and it was largely the reason for my decision to leave the field of journalism. I worked as a reporter for a small-town newspaper. After being called out during a staff meeting and verbally abused for submitting photos that he deemed to be sub-par for the upcoming edition, I knew that nothing I did would ever be good enough. I believe that fear is a motivating factor, but it is appropriate in truly do-or-die situations, such as Basic Training for the military. In an office setting, Theory F management is dehumanizing and belittling. Because of that manager, I made a commitment to myself—and I have honored it, all these years since—to never criticize an employee publicly.

I think that Theory X goes hand-in-hand with Theory F, in that being a micro-manager is a mere step or two away from becoming a fear-mongering overlord. Assertive personalities under this type of management could fall into the “talented but abrasive” quadrant of Mainiero’s chart, but they will likely butt heads with the boss. Workers who perform beneath expectations may coddle the boss and tread water in the “charming but unreliable” quadrant, but others will ignore the abrasive boss and fall into the “plateaued but indifferent” quadrant or – like me, in the above example – simply leave the job. I can only imagine that the “ideal subordinate” employee to a Theory F manager would be a Yes Man.

On a related note, I see how Theories Y and Z are closely related. An employee who is properly trained, given reasonable autonomy to do their job (Theory Y) and is treated as part of the “family” because they grasp the mission and vision of the organization (Theory Z) is well suited for productive business. A combination of Theory Y and Z seems to lend itself to a work environment where people build careers, not just hold down jobs.

Monday Musings: 3 years later

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Sometimes I break out
in a cold sweat, rememb’ring
that horrible day.

Today is the third anniversary of my brother’s accidental death. I don’t like the word anniversary in this case, since it seems to insinuate a happy occasion, but I don’t know of another word to use. Last week, two close friends made a comment on different occasions about the phone call I made on that fateful evening to tell them that something terrible had happened, and I had to drive to Houston right away. I was amazed that it stuck in their minds so vividly, because I don’t remember making those phone calls. I remember bits and pieces about that evening but not much in the way of specific conversations.

Three years later, and it feels like a different lifetime. I live in a different house; my family dynamic is completely different; I’ve finished one more degree and working on another. We still attend the same church, though it has moved locations and grown tremendously since then. About the only thing that hasn’t changed is that I’m still in the same position at work, but really, even that has changed significantly internally — my team has been reassigned, and I just relocated offices on Friday. Things change even when they stay the same.

Perhaps I’ll make it through the day without crying. Perhaps not. I didn’t make it through church yesterday dry-eyed. We sang a worship song that I’ve heard dozens of times before, but it struck me that he might be singing something similar right then in Glory, which made me think about spending forever with him, praising God – in person! – together. They were bittersweet tears, indeed. I miss him terribly, but how could I feel sorry for him? It’s the rest of us here who are to be pitied. What a glorious reunion we’ll have someday!

Wednesday Words: The Art of War

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A textbook for one of my classes this semester is The Art of War for Managers, a spin on Sun Tzu’s classic work, The Art of War (which, by the way, is available as a free e-book on Kindle, nook, etc.). The professor for this course is the same one I had last semester, when we discussed Dune as a case study for organizational management. Since it became necessary to familiarize myself with the entire Dune series–beyond just the first book that we were assigned, I thought it would be wise to read the original Art of War text (well, not the original original, because I don’t read Mandarin, but at least the English translation) before the class began.

The book is brief and is a fairly easy read. It is broken down into poetic segments, much like the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Here is one of the statements that resonated with me:

“To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.”

The quote was written in the context of preparing for military battle, but I can see how there are applications toward other aspects of life. Put another way, I think the statement means that we should not define success based on everyone else’s definition. We aren’t cookie-cutter human beings. We have different gifts and skills, and we each have a purpose in life. 🙂

Monday Musings: “Free food”

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“Free food,” said the note.
Coupon for his restaurant —
Chef’s Special for Mom!

One of my 7yos handed me a slip of paper yesterday on which he’d written: “Free food.” He leaned over and whispered, “You can keep it. It’s for free food at my restaurant that I’m going to build when I grow up.”

 

Wednesday Words: Downtime

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In addition to reading some background material for the spring term (more on that next week — it’s not totally dull, I promise!), I have enjoyed some non-scholastic reading time during the Christmas & New Year break. While the kids played video games, jumped on the trampoline, created “squirrel homes” out of the firewood pile (essentially turning the pile into a big mess in the driveway, but they didn’t hurt anything & it kept them occupied for a couple of hours) and bicycled miles of laps around the neighborhood, I curled up in my pjs & socks and read by the fire.

At our annual office book exchange in mid-December, I got the first novel in Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander Series, Beyond the Highland Mist. I previously read her Fever Series, and although I didn’t care for some of the explicit language (one character, in particular, used the F-word frequently), she is an excellent writer and creative storyteller, and I wanted to see how the other series compared.

Suffice it to say that I started book one the week before Christmas … and now, I’m almost finished with book five! The tales are a combination of romance and adventure that unfold within a fantastical – yet uncannily realistic – Scottish setting. Her descriptions of castles and terrain make me want to travel to Europe (Drustan & Daegus can come along, too)! 😉

My classes start back next week, though, so it’s nearly time to put away the novels and focus on the must-reads. I will plan to reward myself during Spring Break with some more lighthearted reading … perhaps books six & seven! 😉

Monday Musings: Sleepy haze

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Woke up with a poem
milling around in my head –
but now, it is gone.

Good morning, everyone! I really did wake up the other morning with a perfect haiku on my mind, but before I could come out of the sleepy haze and write it down, it flitted away. So, you get this one, instead. 🙂

I’m trying my darndest (<<yes, that’s a word, for those of you not from the South) to have a positive attitude today. There are so many changes swirling around my life right now. I don’t dislike change; my curious imagination bores easily, so I enjoy newness. I think it’s mainly abrupt change – or change that is forced upon me, without my input – that throws me off-kilter. There’s a lot of those types of changes going on, and it’s very easy to lapse into an attitude of frustration instead of gratitude.

P.S. Speaking of sleepy haze, today totally feels like Monday, since I’m going back to work from the holidays, so pardon the belated post! :p

Wednesday Words: A letter to the wind

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I visited my brother’s grave as I was on my way home from spending a couple of days with a dear friend–some much-needed “me” time. I just sat on the ground and wrote him a note. To be honest, I don’t usually like going to cemeteries. They make me sad and remind me of loss and decay. I was by myself on this trip, though, and I wasn’t on a tight travel schedule, like we usually are on road trips, so I decided to stop and sit for a while. This is what I wrote:

I came here to talk to you–well, not converse with you, I suppose–just to get some thoughts out of my heavy heart and burdened mind–

and place them upon the wind.

I think about you often.

I set up your stocking again this year–off to the side in a place of honor–

just to remember.

I wish I could remember every Christmas we spent together–from your first one in Germany (I’m sure there was snow, but I wouldn’t know) to the last one three winters ago. I wish I could remember every gift we exchanged. I remember the year I gave you a pocket knife and whetting stone; you really seemed to like it. Of course, I remember the year we got out much-coveted Cabbage Patch Dolls … and the few years later when you put it away because big boys don’t play with dolls. 🙂  I remember the can of Fix-a-flat that you gave me when I had so many car problems. And the jewelry box that I still use to this day.

I was going to write a poem for you, but really, I just want to talk.

Sometimes, I just need to hear your voice.

Monday Musings: Insanity

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It’s insanity!
Kids before the Christmas break:
What’s a mom to do?!?

Oh, dear – what a week we have in store. The kids’ schools let out on Wednesday and Thursday, but you’d think the break had already started, as off-the-walls as the boys have been. This morning, No. 4 had a full-on, toddleresque, knock-down-drag-out temper tantrum … over a pair of shoes. Oi vey. It is moments like these that make me want to hug their teachers, kiss their feet and tell them how terrific they are. I could not spend most of the day, five days a week, with a roomful of kids. It would drive me nuts. I love my kiddos; don’t get me wrong, but whew – teachers are heroes!

Merry Christmas to all my teacher friends … and THANK YOU for all you do each and every day!!!