Settling In

We have moved.  From the dry, sunny climate of the Texas Panhandle, we have moved to the woods and lakes of East Texas.  It is cooler and it is humid. 

We have trees and green and blooming flowers all around us.  This might take a little getting used to!  It's gonna be tough though, my eyes are assaulted by the colors every time I look outside.

Our backyard is very inviting.  We have a nice patio with a planter that we have turned into a miniature garden.  We have tomatoes and jalapeno peppers planted and they are almost ready to set on blooms.

We also have a huge tree.  I will post a photo of it at the bottom of this post.  I have rarely seen trees this large.  We had some friends stop   by on Saturday as they passed through and when they got out of their pickup truck the first remark was about the size of the tree in the back yard.

In the early morning our backyard is a great place to watch the squirrels and birds.  Not much better than to sip a cup of coffee and watch the critters.  We can even see a squirrel nest up in the tree.  Occasional you will see a head stick out momentarily.

But, there are still many things yet to find a place in our new home.  Some are still in boxes and others sitting in temporary places.  There are also many pictures yet to find a place.  We won't mention the garage.

We are making progress though.  The people here have been great so far.  We met many of them at church yesterday.  We even met a couple that were originally from my home town.  It's definitely a small world.....

Chris

Earth Day 2012

I'm not a treehugger.  I don't worship Gaia.  I don't believe in preservation of the natural state at the expense of humanity.

I do consider myself to be environmentally conscious.  I believe in God who the Bible tells us created this earth and then gave us the responsibility for it and everything in it.  I believe that implies conservation which is the wise utilization of resources, not preservation which implies non-use of resources.

So what.

We live in a world gone crazy where a minnow is considered more important than a human.  We abort human babies and spend millions of dollars to study the decline of an insect.  We build country estates on prime farm and ranch land, force agriculture overseas to countries who do not have the technological know-how to produce as much from their land as we do and don't have the infrastructure to get their products to market and then watch as people starve in other countries because of corrupt governments, lack of agricultural infrastructure and shortage of food because of perverse political motives.

We see rhinos killed for their horns so that wealthy Asians can grind them into powder and make a magic cure-all.  We see elephants destroyed for their tusks for who-knows what purpose.  We see other wildlife poached to extinction -- and it's all for the sake of the almighty dollar.  Then, in a misguided attempt to save an animal, we protect feral horses running on public lands until they over-populate and die of starvation.

There's a balance somewhere.

Common sense no longer is common.

Instead of the extremism of opposing views on these issues, there is an answer somewhere in the middle.  To achieve that will require reasoned dialogue driven by statesmen, not ideologues.  Ah, but therein is the real problem.  I sometimes wonder if we have allowed statesmen to become extinct.  They have been replaced by an invading species driven by greed and motivated purely by self-interest.  It's time to cultivate a few statesmen.  Hmmm.....that brings up an interesting thought; cultivation is part of conservation, not preservation.  If left in its natural state, the desired species are often crowded out by the weeds.  It's time to do a little cultivating......(Bet you didn't realize this was going to be a political statement did you?)

Kutcher and Country Music

I love the uproar surrounding the appearance of Ashton Kutcher on the Academy of Country Music Awards program to present Female Vocalist of the Year.  It is refreshing in a way.  Whether he was spoofing the genre or perhaps providing a subtle reminder that country music has strayed from its roots is immaterial.  He had one of the most authentic hats that I saw all night.

Country music is many things.  Like other genres, it is constantly evolving and spinning off other musical styles.  What we call country music today is much like the rock-and-roll of some years back.  It really doesn't matter.  It has evolved until today it appeals to a much wider audience than ever before.

I have seen stories in the media talking about people like Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash and Hank Williams being "real" country.  The writers must be young because those guys were all outlaws in their time.  They were far outside the mainstream of country music. 

I have also seen similar stories about how country music is about drinking beer and raising hell and tractors and pickup trucks.  One line even listed "corn bales" as being country.  Ummm.....if you are clueless about country life, don't comment on it.  It would be "cotton bales" not "corn bales."

Country music is about values common to rural folk.  Well, guess what.  Those values are changing.  God and country are still at the heart of most people in rural America, but, popular culture has seeped into its very pores.  What it boils down to is that the "country" -- or rural America -- of the 50's and 60's isn't the country of today.

Country music isn't just about agriculture.  It isn't just about rural living.  It is about the heart of the people.  I think the greatest measure of a people's heart is what appeals to it.  Bottom line, country music appeals to more hearts today than ever before.  That appeal translates to money.  That's why Mercedes Benz and BMW cars are more common in Nashville than the Toyota Pickup trucks that are manufactured on the Murphreesboro Pike just southeast of the city.  Hmmm......maybe that's the key right there.  Perhaps they should move all the country musicians to Amarillo.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/04/05/some-country-music-fans-say-ashton-kutcher-not-offensive-popular-country-music/?intcmp=features

Transitions

What can I write when my mind is abuzz
With all that is going on?

My thoughts ricochet around in my head
And won't rest on one subject too long!

I think about this and I think about that
And I think about how it should be.

But the thoughts aren't connected in any real sense;
At least not so it's easy to see.

So, I step out on faith that all will be right
While telling myself not to fret.

It will all come together in spite of my worry
With only a minimum of sweat.

I have to accept that God's in control
And will overcome all my mistakes.

Thinking that everything hinges on me
Is just like applying the brakes.

The Father knows best what I need in my life
And works all ways for my good

'Cause he knows that I love Him and trust in His ways
That I never have quite understood.

___________________________

³¹ “As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
³² For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?

2 Samuel 22:31-32

Rain vs. Dirt

I understand there is a typical March dust storm howling at home today.  This is the time of year for such.  Many, especially the younger people, don't realize that such storms are fairly typical.  When I was a kid they were common occurrence, but it seems that for the past ten or twenty years that have not been frequent -- until last year when they presaged the devastating drought conditions that prevailed throughout the summer.

I'm in Kentucky today.  It is cool and raining.  The fescue grass is green and growing and the buds on the trees are swelling.  Some of the flowering trees have started to bloom but many more are on the verge and the next few weeks will be filled with an explosion of color on the hills and byways of this part of the country.

I am fortunate.  Although there is a dust storm at home, I am able to enjoy a rainy early Spring day in Kentucky.  I'd better not get too used to it.  Tomorrow I will be headed back to the land of raging winds and dusty skies.

Chris

Impatiently Indecisive

Sometimes the things we do hinge on other things that we do or that we wait on others to do.  I guess I should be used to that after all these years, but it seems that now is one of those times when the number of things that I am waiting on others to do has created something of a logjam in my scheduling.  I know it probably sounds a little crazy but my to-do list is filled with items contingent on other things occurring first.

It makes me feel indecisive -- although that isn't really the case.  It's as if I don't know what to do next because some of the big stuff is on temporary hold waiting on others to perform their part.  (Hmmm....I think I've said the same thing about three times here....)

I'm not very good at waiting on other people.  My impatience begins to show.  When you are in an anticipatory mode and what you are expecting is delayed, it can make for frustration.  I am left with the desire and need to do something but am somewhat unsure just what it is that I need to be doing.  So, here I am, impatiently indecisive.....

Chris

Dusty Boxes and Shipping Tags

Over the last few weeks I have spent quite a bit of time cleaning out and going through "stuff" that we don't use on a regular basis.  Being located in the wonderful arid Panhandle of Texas, there is dust.  It is amazing how the super-fine dust can get in places where water can't.  It is even inside some of the boxes.

We've been in this house since 2003.  Why do some of the things I'm finding still have the little green labels from the moving company?  Let me rephrase that.  Why do we have "stuff" that we don't use frequently enough to have removed the little green stickers put on it by the moving company almost nine years ago?

Something is definitely wrong with this picture.  If we needed it we would use it.  The Amarillo Association for the Blind will get a nice pile of "stuff" that we apparently don't need.  Sadly, this first step in simplification is still insufficient.  There's still too much "stuff" left.

Chris

Doing the Wave

Driving is something that takes up a large part of my time.  It is one of the hazards of my profession.  It goes along with the flying.  It seems that I am constantly flying or driving somewhere.

The advantage of so much travel is the chance to see many different things.  I have been from coast to coast and border to border of this great country and have even had the opportunity to go to other countries a few times.  Unless you've experienced the type of business travel that I do, it is difficult to imagine that after awhile it gets pretty tiresome.  Motels and airports look alike no matter where you are.

When I travel I try to keep it as interesting as possible.  If time permits, I really enjoy stopping at historical sites along the way.  I have posted a number of times about places that I have visited.  The other thing that I am constantly watching for is wildlife.

I guess some people really don't pay attention to the wildlife that can be seen along the highways and byways of the U.S., but I do.  I find myself counting the number of antelope I see or the number of coyotes or deer.  I see flocks of ducks and geese crossing the sky.  I see mourning dove and songbirds.  I see raptors of many shapes and sizes from the Kestrel to the Bald Eagle.  I even took note this morning of two crows which seemed to be on a mission to somewhere.

I have always been intrigued by the behavior of large flocks of birds.  Other than ducks and geese, such flocks are not as common as they once were.  I'm not certain of the reason, but many would blame the demise of such large flocks on poisoning.  After all, those flocks can devastate a field in a very short period of time due to the sheer numbers.  This morning I saw three different large flocks of starlings.

Starlings often look like a smudge in the sky when seen at a distance.  There can be many thousand individuals in a flock of starlings.  They move in a way that makes them seem to flow across the sky.  The entire flock turns or rises or dives as one organism.  I don't know what makes them move in that manner, but I suspect air currents have something to do with it.

This morning, each of the three giant flocks although separated by many miles, was doing the wave.  They would rise and fall in a rippling pattern as they made their inevitable headway against a brisk breeze.  I know it was due to the breeze, but in my mind the thought occurred that they were celebrating the morning.  After all, it was a clear sky with the sun just cresting the horizon in the east.  It was almost as if they were cheering it on saying, "here comes the sun, here comes the sun...."

Sometimes it's the little things.

Chris

New Glasses

Aging is the pits.  I must admit that I've declared all-out war on what the ravages of time are attempting to do to me, but nonetheless, aging is the pits.

It has been a number of years since my eyes went through the inevitable phase where my arms were no longer long enough to hold reading material at the appropriate distance.  For several years it seemed the shape of the ocular organs in my head changed continually so that I needed a different prescription on a regular basis.  The rate of change has since decelerated and when I had them checked a couple of weeks ago there was very little change from the previous exam in 2008.

I have worn no-line progressive lenses since that appointment in 2008 and chose to stick with the same in my new glasses.  I recall quite clearly how difficult it was to adjust to them and how they made my eyes and head hurt until I had done so.  It is rather disorienting to have the vision suddenly blur with each minor movement of the eye.  I anticipated that there would be little such adjustment with this new pair which I picked up yesterday because there was such a minor change in prescription.  I was partly correct in my assumption.

What I am trying to say is that my eyes hurt.  Perhaps it could be blamed on too much time in front of this LCD screen, but I suspect the glasses have something to do with it.  I haven't experienced the sudden loss of balance due to the images being projected into my brain dancing in and out of focus, but my eyes are hurting nonetheless.  Surely it will get better in a few days.

Just my complaint for the day.....

Chris

Wet Grass

There is a dampness on the lawn this morning that brings back lots of memories.  Some of those memories go all the way back to Junior High and even before that.  They are memories of close encounters with wet grass.

I'm sure most people will think I have totally lost my mind talking about wet grass.  But, for whatever reason, those thoughts are stuck in my head just like the wet grass sticks to my boots when I walk across the yard. 

As a youngster I treasured the opportunities to go to Muleshoe with my Grandpa to help him at the ranch.  He had improved bermuda grass pastures that were irrigated first by side-rolling sprinklers and then later by a pivot system.  When he had the side-rolls we would drive along and make sure that all the sprinkler heads were working properly.  Sometimes they would be plugged by debris such as grass or sand or even the occasional frog.  We would take a piece of baling wire and try to free the debris by poking the wire into the nozzles.  Sometimes, if it was a frog, it would come out in stringy pieces, but always, my jeans would be soaked to the knees from walking in the wet, freshly watered grass.

Later, when I played football, I remember the early morning practices on wet grass.  We would get soaked.  We would have wet grass clinging all over us.  Then, if you were tackled, or were doing the tackling, you would sometimes find your facemask plowing into the wet grass and it would get in your face and in your nose and mouth and cling to the facemask.

In a small school, everyone is expected to do a little of everything so, I was also in the marching band.  We often had marching practice early in the morning before school started.  We kept special shoes in the band hall just for marching in the wet grass.  They were always wet so they rotted fairly quickly.  By the end of the marching season they were pretty much worthless.  They were the source of many stinking feet.

Then, there was mowing the lawn when it was wet.  I didn't mind mowing when it was wet for the reason that it wasn't quite as hard on my hay fever as dry grass, however, it was a pain because it constantly would stop up the discharge on the lawnmower.  Of course, it was never good to clean that discharge with your hand and then later to inadvertently rub your watering, itchy, hay-fevered eye.  It would cause my eyes to swell shut from the irritation.

Wet grass.  I laugh at this post because of the memories that it elicits from me. 

Chris

Nothing Really Matters Until it Matters

One of the things that is frustrating to me is to warn someone about an issue that appears to be developing and for them to ignore it because they don't see the potential impact.  In some ways it is part of the same phenomenon as the "unintended consequences" that sometimes append to good intentions.

There are many times the words "it won't matter" have been used for things that ultimately do matter.  It is symptomatic of those who tend to focus on the present and don't think about much beyond tomorrow.  The trouble is, almost everything we do today affects in some manner what happens in the future.  Sometimes the impact is a long way off and that is when it is most frequently ignored.

When those things do impact at a later date, it becomes a "disaster" to the person you warned in the first place.  They often think the sky is falling and the end has come.  "How could this happen?" is frequently the response.

It is tempting to say, "I told you so," but it is never productive.  First, they deny that you told them.  Or, if they admit you told them they blame you for not warning them in strong enough terms.  Second, it doesn't help to fix the problem.

Some people learn from their mistakes while others merely repeat them over and over again.  They may not be exactly the same, but are close enough the lessons of the past should have been clear. 

With some people it just doesn't do much good to warn them of the consequence of their actions.  To them it doesn't really matter until it matters.

Chris

Clear Skies

It is nice to get out early in the morning when the sky is clear and the stars are bright and watch the light slowly begin to spread from the Eastern horizon.  This time of year it is usually crisp and cold with only a gentle breeze if any. 

I am in Nebraska this morning.  The Platte River runs just a short distance from my motel and the noise of the geese starting their day makes for a pleasant sound in opposition to the roar of trucks passing on the Interstate.  Where I am staying is on the edge of where the great flyways merge and the number of geese is astounding.  Over the past few days I have seen waves of snow geese in both the white and blue phase and even larger waves of both greater and lesser Canada geese. 

Some years ago we lived in Nebraska and I recall there were times that the great flocks of geese looked like smoke on the horizon they were so numerous.  I have not seen them in those kind of numbers this year but I also am not at the center of the great migratory path in the sky.

I guess that here the skies are not truly clear.  They are filled with birds slowly working their way back to the north after their winter vacation in warmer climes.  With that in mind I must say that I hope our skies are never truly clear. 

Chris

Fishing in Unproductive Waters

Sometimes sales can be very frustrating.  You invest a significant amount of time and money in reaching out to potential customers so you need to always be aware of the return on that investment.  Some people refer to it as customer acquisition cost -- how many dollars are invested for each new customer gained.

When you look at the expense of travel -- motel, car and airfare, meals, time -- you can invest a lot of money in a short period of time.  Often, there are also booth rental fees and other expenses associated with Trade Shows and events.  You must constantly be aware of not only the potential volume of your target audience but the amount of business that they represent.  In my business, we don't just look at the number of cattlemen that may be present, we also look at what segment of the business they are in (cow/calf, stocker, order buyer, feedlot) and the number of cattle they represent.  If you are doing a Trade Show in an area where the average herd size is 15 animals but the number of producers in attendace is high -- say 1,000 -- then you are looking at about 15,000 animals represented.  In my business, each of those animals is a potential sale.  In a different setting you might be in front of 10 producers who represent 10,000 animals each -- that's 100,000 potential sales.  Which is the better environment?

That's a lot of words to say that this past week has been frustrating.  I've been fishing, but either the fish have been scared off or there just aren't any here.  I think the event that I've been attending this week will not be one I attend next year.....

Chris

Remaining Calm

It seems that periodically everything goes a little crazy.  There is a cycle to life that applies to the pace of activity just as it does to life itself.  Each day is cyclical with sleep to waking to active to slowing down and then sleep again.  The years are cyclical with the various seasons.  Everything is cyclical.

Right now it seems that I am in one of those periods of frenzied activity with many "big" things occurring at once.  I will share more detail in coming days but for now, suffice it to say that it is crazy busy.  During times like this it is sometimes difficult to remain calm and objective.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." __ John 14:27

I am fortunate that there is a source of peace that is unaffected by the cyclical tides of this world.  His peace is everlasting but the price is high.  It cost a perfect life and it demands surrender of my own.  It is amazing how peaceful life becomes once I surrender to Him and His will for my life.

Chris

Striving for Perfection

Somewhere deep inside each of us is the desire to be the very best that we can be at something.  What that something is can be known only to the individual.  For many children and adolescents that something is to be a superstar athlete.  For adults that desire may center around a job or career choice.  Whatever it might be, for most of us at least, there is a point in our life where we have a desire or vision of being the very best.

Then, life happens.  We get beat up and kicked around by the events that shape us.  We find that we don't possess the talent or skills to be the very best and we begin to reach accommodation with that fact.  We settle for something less than our ideal.  We achieve the rank of mediocrity.

What we see in this process that results in settling for mediocrity is the result of an internal battle between opposing forces.  The desire to be the best runs headlong into the "world."  Most of us don't know what to do about it, but the Bible gives us the answer.

The desire for the best is the desire for God.  It is a seed planted deep inside of us that impels us toward what we were made to do.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” __ Jeremiah 1:5

The forces of the "world" is the dominion of Satan which is arrayed in opposition to God.  He has been given control over the systems and forces of this world.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." __ Ephesians 6:12

When we seek by our own power to overcome the forces arrayed against us, we fail.  We settle for less than the best.  It is only by the power of God within us that we can achieve perfection.

I have been known to say, "perfection is not in me" when I managed to flub something up.  That is not true.  I have inside me the One who is perfect.  It is only when I fail to acknowledge Him and allow Him to lead me that I truly fail.

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." __ Philippians 4:13

'But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.' __ 2 Corinthians 12:9

A Confusing Mix

I am looking around my highly cluttered desk and realizing the inconsistencies which lie thereon.  I see there a mix of proper utilization of technology and dependency on old ways of doing things.  Already you should detect the issue -- my desk wouldn't be cluttered if I used the electronic technology that is available to me in the way it was designed.

I am working on a laptop.  Beside it is a yellow legal pad and pen.  There is a small stack of "snail mail" that needs tending to.  There are manila folders with various labels on them.  There are paper copies of "customer information forms" that are part of an ongoing project.  There is an "outbox" with various items to be passed to someone else.  There is an "inbox" with the things I haven't gotten to yet or have just put off until later.  There are the obvious utensils such as stapler, business card holder, etc. and an old-style Rolodex.  There also is both a cellphone and a land line telephone.

I should be able to do away with most of this paper and definitely should be able to junk the Rolodex.  However, I find comfort in the fact that when electronics fail I have a backup system.  Is that a symptom of my age?  Or, is it simply a distrust of depending solely on electrons?  Maybe the two issues are one and the same.....

Just thinking.

Chris

Disagreeable

I once worked for an individual who surrounded himself with people who were afraid to disagree with him.  They were what are often called "yes men."  They were always telling him what he wanted to hear and were never willing to risk his "wrath" by holding opposing views.

That company no longer exists.  Long before it failed however, they decided they no longer needed me.  I voiced my opposition at least once too many times and lost my job as a result.  Blessings are often disguised quite thoroughly.

I've had people work for me that would never voice opposing views.  They would get me coffee (even when I didn't really want it) and say "yes, sir" and jump if I asked them anything.  They drove me crazy.  I ask questions in the hope of obtaining an answer, not in getting the response of a lap dog.  The fastest way to gain favor with me is to tell me when I'm wrong (hopefully in a polite way) and then explain to me why.  I can't learn from someone who always agrees with me and we can never get better if we blindly go down the wrong path.

I ran across the following quote:

"I never learned from a man who agreed with me." __ Robert A. Heinlein

What can I do with such a quote?  I certainly can't learn anything from it; he agreed with me!

Chris

That's What Food Eats

There's rarely much of a debate about what will compose the main course of a meal at our house.  Other than for breakfast, we eat a lot of beef.

I have always liked beef.  I think I was "burned out" on chicken before I graduated from High School.  It was always fried chicken for Sunday Dinner (most of you would call it lunch).  For whatever reason, it became something that wasn't at the top of my desired list of foods.

When I was a kid my grandfather usually kept a calf that he was fattening to butcher.  They had chickens too, but it was the beef that fed his eight kids and later their spouses and the grand kids that came around.

Ranching was something that always interested me.  Grandpa always had cattle and I enjoyed spending time working cattle with him.  That's what ultimately led me to a career in service to the cattle industry.  Even my years spent as a lender were years of serving agriculture. 

I've always liked cattle men and women and have a tremendous respect for their stewardship of the land and other resources in their care.  They capture sunlight with the grass and other plants growing on the land and then convert it into something usable by the human species through the amazing machine we call a cow.  It is that industry which has supplied me with a living for the past thirty years and for that reason I continue to be loyal to them by eating lots of beef.

In my travels I come into contact with people from all walks of life.  I am quite frankly shocked at the number who think beef is bad for you and that ranchers are ruining the land.  It's just not true.  When I see Vegetarian or Vegan items on menus in a restaurant I am saddened because the people that typically order those dishes just don't look healthy.  If they have a specific health problem that affects their ability to digest red meat, that is one thing, but when it is a conscious lifestyle choice based on misinformation, I am saddened -- not because it is against my business and my customers, but because they are missing something good.

That giant salad with bean sprouts and cauliflower and other marginally identifiable plant parts is not especially appealing to me.  Yes, I do eat some vegetables as part of a balanced diet, but I feel that protein is critical to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

A few years ago I heard a friend use the line when turning down a salad, "No, thank you, that's what food eats."  I felt that his sentiment summed up my feelings on the subject quite succinctly.  So, I adopted his words and have been heard to use them quite frequently ever since.

Don't get me wrong, a small dinner salad goes well with my steak and baked potato, just don't offer me the green stuff as the main course.  I might tell you, "No thanks, that's what food eats."

Chris

Profoundly Unmotivated

The third definition of profound in the Merriam Webster Dictionary is something "characterized by intensity of feeling or quality."  It fits.  I am absolutely and completely unmotivated today.

Most weekends I have something planned.  There is something that I either need or want to accomplish.  Not today.  I want to do nothing.  Yet, here I am writing a blog entry about it.  I suppose that seems a little self-defeating.  If I want to do nothing yet I am willfully doing something, then I must not truly want to do nothing!

OK, that's a bit convoluted.  In reality I do want to do something.  I want to write something profound.  But, I don't want to do the normal Saturday chores.  So, I sit here at the computer composing a profoundly ordinary post while sipping coffee from a Starbucks coffee mug that was a gift to me delivered to my hotel room at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville a couple of weeks ago.

The Starbucks mug is an important symbol in my quest for the profound.  I am looking at their symbol of the young woman with a crown and wondering what in the world it means.  So, I looked it up.  It is of the "twin-tailed siren" Melusine.  Here is a link so you can read about it yourself.  I'm not certain I know much more than I did before I looked it up, but it's interesting.

Now let's dig a little deeper.  What is the importance of Melusine?  I looked up Melusine.  It appears that for the Starbucks logo it must be used in the context of alchemy.  It symbolizes the union of "of earth and water, body and soul- and the vision of Universal Mercury, the all-pervading anima mundi that calls out and makes the philosopher yearn to her."  I can see that.  Coffee is grown in earth and water, is a stimulus due to the caffeine content and therefore addictive.  Coffee drinkers develop a craving for coffee.  The siren song -- come to me.....

Now that I've satisfied my addiction to coffee and to knowledge, I can go back to being unmotivated.  Is it too early for a nap?

Chris

Lucky

I have mentioned in previous posts that I am not a believer in luck.  Chance, yes.  Luck, no.

I went through a stage years ago when I was envious of those whom I considered more successful than me.  They drove nice cars, lived in big houses and went on vacations to places about which I could only dream.  I was known to make comments about how lucky they were.

While it is true that some of them inherited their good fortune and others just happened to be in the right spot at the right time (chance), the majority of them were successful due to hard work.  Very rarely were those who had lots of money the employee of someone else.  They were almost all self-employed.

Through the years I have had the privilege to meet many very successful people.  Some are multi-millionaires and others are just at the top of their field of endeavor.  I have found some characteristics common to them all.  Self-confidence, thorough knowledge of their field and a willingness to work hard.

I guess the reason for today's post is a line that I found in the book I was reading over lunch.

'He shook his head.  "I don't believe in luck, Sam.  Luck is a tag given by the mediocre to account for the accomplishments of genius."' __ The Old Man in "The Puppet Masters," a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein

Well said.

Chris