Calendars can be a funny thing. They can also turn the world on it's ear.
Just a little while back we endured the year of the ultimate, world-wide hype since…well I can't remember one like that. Y2K. The end of civilization as we know it. People sold their homes, moved to the mountains, set up communes. We all bought just a little extra, just in case.
I got up early. I missed the very first location to see the magic 2000 roll into view. Such a little island, I thought it didn't have any real significance to the question at hand. Then came Sydney, Australia. They knew they'd be the first major city to roll into the new numbers and were they ready. Spectacular. Dazzling. Magnificent. And all without a single Y2K hitch.
It was a lot of fun watching the rest of the world roll across my TV screen that December day in 1999. As soon as I saw Italy survive the celebration with all the lights on, I knew the United States wouldn’t have any problems. Why Italy, you ask? I have no idea. I just thought if any European country would bite the Y2K dust it would be Italy. But they survived, I relaxed.
Then people started having all kinds of fun with the dates. The first one was 9/9/99. That was supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the 1/1/00. Seems that computer programmers used a series of 9's to shut down the computer and the fear was that the date alone would crash computers all over the world. Didn't happen.
But what about the others. When you used all the numbers of the year, such as 11/19/1999, you had the last all odd numbered date until 1/1/3111. Now there's a thought. Not to be ignored, what about the even side? Well, the last all even date was 8/28/888. The next one will be 2/2/2222. I might not be around for that one. I might not be around. Now there's a thought!
If I'm not going to be around for any of these dates, what difference does it make.
All the difference in the world.
The realization of my eventual demise should startle me. It should offend me. It should rattle my cage and motivate me! How will I spend the time between now and then? How can all these funny dates remind me to do better.
Rolling into the year 2000 was a big deal. Was it really different from any other New Year? Apart from it's numerical significance, certainly not. Advertisers and merchandisers certainly used it to their advantage. There was even a clothing line, I think, 01-01-00.
We can use these to our advantage as well. Dates are benchmarks. Little notches along the timeline of our lives that remind us that it's passing.
Here's one to try. Look at the dates coming up in the first twelve years of this new century where all three components will be the same. Like the first one: 01/01/01, or this year: 09/09/09, and on through to 12/12/12. They happen almost thirteen months apart each time.
Take advantage of them! The next series won't be start until 01/01/3001. Longer than I'd like to wait.
Each time one of these dates roll around ask yourself: How am I doing? How am I growing? How is my faith? My fitness? My example? How is my relationship my spouse? Friends? Children? How are my goals? What are my plans? What am I learning? What am I teaching others? How can I do better?
Dates. Just numbers on a calendar. Numbering our days.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
09/09/09
Monday, July 28, 2008
Enrich Your Life with Wider Margins
I remember in High School the lines and the margins were smaller. There was so much more to do: I had to cram a lot of information on each page. College was even worse: Huge term papers with smaller margins and it all had to be typed just so. Double spaced. No spelling errors and NO ROOM FOR PRETTY PICTURES.
SOMETIMES MY LIFE SEEMS LIKE THAT -- Cramming all I can into a single day, no room for mistakes, and certainly no room for pretty pictures.
Whenever I feel myself running so hard that I don't have time for the people around me I ADJUST THE MARGINS on my day.
All of this comes from a book I read a few years back. Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson.
He takes a whole book to sell you on a simple concept. It's very well written and fun to read. The concept is a simple one...
Build more MARGIN into your day.
WHY: To allow for time to breathe, to stop for a slurpee, so listen to your client, to take a friend a milkshake because you just heard they were sick, to decide to stop for a minute at the amazing view you blaze past everyday, to catch a 10 minute nap in the shade of an oak tree, to take a minute to call the love of your life and tell them how important they are to you, to have an extra 20 minutes for lunch so you can get a healthy meal instead of fast food, to do whatever the hell you want to do.
HOW: Don't cram too much into your schedule. Put 30 minutes instead of 10 between appointments. Schedule a 90 minute lunch instead of 12 minutes. Plan to knock off everyday at 3 or 4. (I know you'll probably work longer, but if you plan to stop then, you'll end up stopping a little earlier than usual)
Sometimes we get to crammed full and life is so hectic that we're not enjoying ANY OF IT. If that sounds like you, let me encourage you to read:
Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives
It's a Good Life !
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Sunday, April 27, 2008
Dad's Workbench - My Most Memorable Person
It's been nearly 28 years since my father passed away -- rather quickly -- and completely unexpectedly. Sometime after he died, I went to my computer and began to write. Several people read what I wrote and suggested I submit it to READERS DIGEST.
I did and spent nearly 6 months working with one of their editors to polish this into something that would work in their MY MOST MEMORABLE PERSON series. I didn't make the cut to get into the magazine, but the process of remembering, reflecting, and working to find just the right words and phrases that would tell the story helped me through one of the most difficult times of my life.
I hope you enjoy...
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DAD'S WORKBENCH
"Let me show you a little trick."
Mom's phone call startled me from the evening paper. After the exchange of routine pleasantries, she told me Dad had been to the doctor's for a physical. A chest X‑ray had revealed a small spot on his right lung. He'd be going to the hospital in a few days for more tests.
"I don't think it's anything to worry about," she said. But I knew differently. I asked to talk to Dad, but she said he was out puttering in the garage.
After I hung up, I mechanically picked up the paper again, but thoughts of my father kept intruding. We had a special relationship. He was always there for me -- whether it was showing me a "little trick" for fixing a broken toy or waiting in a three-hour gasoline line for me when I was home from college so I could have time to visit my girlfriend. Now, I couldn't help wondering what might be in store for him and remembering what he had meant to me over the years.
Dad, 61, was a retired Marine captain. Born Fritz Volz to poor German immigrants, he grew up on a Colorado farm and
had to rely on ingenuity for things that his parents couldn't provide. He made his own toys out of old wheels, tin cans and sticks. Like many people in small towns, he fantasized about traveling the world. When he was 17, he saw a poster for the U.S. Marines that became his ticket to a better life. He worked his way up from private to officer and won a Purple Heart at Iwo Jima. Mom and he were married right after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Marines moved us every few years, and each house required our own style of customization. But before work could begin, Dad first would have to build his workbench in the garage or basement. He needed a central place for carpentry and repairs. Some were just an open table, and others were more elaborate with cupboards and peg boards, but each was unique and stayed with the house when we moved.
D
ad had tools for every occasion and was tremendously well-stocked in hand and trick tools such as a special drill attachment that would put a hole exactly in the center of any circle. He used a set of discarded dental drill bits to shape and customize repair parts. He had every kind of screwdriver, hammer and pliers imaginable. He was a master at the impossible repair.
One of my favorite gadgets at the workbench was the "clip monster." It looked like a softball-sized spider with an alligator clip at the end of each leg. The clip monster could hold an object in any position for work, repair, or just to let the glue dry.
Another was the "glue box" -- actually an old shoe box. Aside from containing every kind of glue ever made since the dawn of time, The lid served a special purpose. Dad had taught me that you never apply the glue directly from the tube to an item. That's too sloppy. Instead, you put a little dab on the lid of the box and then apply the glue with a toothpick. Years of this practice had produced the most intriguing collection of dried glue on the lid.
There was always a large peg board...
Copyright c 1991 by Dennis Volz
It's a Good Life !
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Musings from CaliforniaMonday, March 31, 2008
Think I'll Build My Own Website... WHAT WAS I THINKING?
OK. So I must have too much time on my hands or something. But I really don't. But I did it anyway. WHOA. Let me list a couple of reasons this made sense to me.
1. I'd like to have a website. How tough can it be?
2. OK. So I'll just make it myself. I can get a copy of Dreamweaver from my son -- Can't be THAT TOUGH of a program to learn.
3. I don't really want to get a web person to do it all for me cuz then I can't get in there and tweak and adjust as I want to. (I'd have to call him, explain what I want, have him maybe get it right and then send me a bill.)
REALITY CHECK...
- Dreamweaver is a HUGE and VERY sophisticated program.
- I didn't know a single thing about web design.
- I had not a clue about the difference between HTML and XHTML
- I wouldn't have known a SPRYWIDGETMENU if it walked up and slapped me in the face.
- I didn't know what an FTP Upload was.
- I didn't know a thing about web browser compatability.
- AND... I really didn't have any idea just what it took just to keep track of what page is going where and linking to what other pages. JEEEEEEEEEEEESH !
ok... I think I'm ok now.... Breathe deeply. Pant, blow, pant, blow (no wait, that was 30 years ago in Lamaze Class)
Well as of this writing, I just finished my 3rd web page. (well, it's really a little more than that cuz I uploaded a bunch of copies of one page optimized for certain cities and zip codes in my area.)(I don't think I even know what that means....) AND....with the use of the SPRYtabbedPANELSgroup tool in Dreamweaver, those 3 pages have a LOT OF CONTENT.
I'm just about out of gas from correcting the same page of links for the 8th time, 26 links on each page. Well maybe I'm exagerating, BUT NOT MUCH.
Really though, it's a very rewarding and challenging experience. I wouldn't wish it on anyone... :)
cheers...
Oh by the way, take a look if you'd like. I'd appreciate your ideas, comments or words of consolation.
It's a Good Life !
Email: Dennis@DennisVolz.com
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Musings from CaliforniaSunday, March 16, 2008
Oh my Aching Body and my Soaring Soul
The last couple of days I helped my daughter and son-in-law (Wendy and Nathan) install some Pergo flooring in their condo -- the ENTIRE downstairs (except for the kitchen and bathroom)
I'm thinking, this will be a long couple of days, but what the heck. I love to hang out with them, love to help them, love the challenge of doing something new so it can't get better than this.
We started Friday morning about 9 moving out the furniture... ALL OF IT! Some to the garage, some to the lawn, some to the patio outside which doubled as the TABLE SAW area.
We finally got the floor cleared, ripped up the Berber carpeting, scraped the pad off, scraped of some left over linoleum, and pains-takingly removed all the tack strips that had been nailed into the concrete for the carpeting.
I'm 57 remember.... In pretty good shape.
Well then we started to plan the first row of flooring. VERY IMPORTANT because you can't come out with any strip less than 2 inches way on the other end of the project. Of course there are about 7 different lengths from the start wall to the differing points on the far side of the room. We work through 3-4 pieces of paper, several different kinds of measurements and calculations before we're reasonably sure that cutting 3 inches off the first row will keep us above the deadly 2 inches territory. Then, of course, being the meticulous workers we are, we do it all over again just to check our math and measurements once again. THEN....one more check just because....well, because we've NEVER done this before and don't really know what the hell we're doing. Nearly an hour into this, we're ready to make the first cut and lay the first plank.
Finally we start to rip the lengths of the flooring (8 of them) for the critical FIRST ROW. We decide on which side (the tongue side or the groove side) gets the 4-5/8 inches removed (each plank is 7-5/8 inches wide. (Why would they pick such a WEIRD measurement?????) Just after I finish cutting board #8 I hear, "STOP CUTTING!" I walk inside and there is Wendy, my daughter, reading the directions. I'm NOT having a good feeling about this right now. She says, "Dad...."
I say, "Yes...."
"I'm not sure we cut off the right side."
"How NOT SURE are you?"
"Well, not really sure at all."
Well, they had watched the video and I was sure they knew which side went against the wall and which didn't.
Turns out that we did cut these 8 boards backward (there's 8 boards in a box at $40 per box). We agonized over wasting $40 on their pastor (him) and part-time teacher (her) salaries. Well, cheaper than hiring someone who DOESN'T make mistakes we reasoned.
Laying the rest of the floor went smoothly. But all that up and down and kneeling and measuring and cutting and hammering the grooves together. By the end of the first day, we're about halfway along the floor and probably 2/3 done with the job. Remember we spent nearly an hour just figuring the first row. We're still hoping to use some of those MISTAKE BOARDS along the way or in the very last row.
I'm on my way home in my car and can hardly move. Hurting in places I didn't know I had. Too tired to even eat dinner I shower, sip a couple of Bud Lights and hit the hay. I'm not COMPLETELY sure I'll be able to get out of bed the next morning.
Saturday morning rolls around and I'm out of bed at 4. Just done sleeping, I guess. I decide that a nice long walk is what I need so I get my walkin' clothes on and head to the local lake. Forty-five minutes into my walk I'm thinking THIS was the perfect idea. I'm looser and feeling ready for another day. By 830 I'm walking to the door of their house ready to go.
The day goes smoothly with the rest of the job. Wendy and Nathan are the most wonderful couple to be around. They have given my wife and me our first grandson (Noah) about 9 months earlier. They are hard workers, kind to everyone around them, thankful for our presence there to help. My wife helped by watching Noah all day thus allowing Wendy to work right along with Nathan and me.
We ended up ONE BOARD SHORT.
There were 5 boards in the corner cut in half (remember those 8 from the beginning) that we couldn't use. We had to break into one box (they'll try to return it today for some kind of credit) and finally the job was done. I'll help Wendy over the next week or 2 do the molding and door jams, etc. But this job really had nothing to do with the boards and the floor and the work and MY ACHING BODY.
I knew going into the event that it was going to be all about about spending time with this wonderful family.
We raised Wendy. Spent 24 some years of her daily life with her until we passed her hand to Nathan. We've come to know and love Nathan as our own son. And then Noah came along. We are sometimes overwhelmed by the pride and love and empathy and compassion and
shared-joy we feel when we're around them. We lead and help them in many ways. Nathan needs help with housey stuff. Sometimes they need a little financial help. Wendy needs some help and guidance occasionally with Noah. But they teach us so much too. They are so kind and patient and loving to Noah. They are always kind and thoughtful to each other. My wife and are like that most of the time but I don't think we were this mature when we had Wendy (our first).It's just a wonderful story playing out before our eyes and we relish every minute of it.
Yes, I'm still SORE ALL OVER as I write this to you. My hands hurt, I cringe a little every time I get up and down from the chair I'm sitting in, my back just hurts all over and the back of my knees hurt from the binding that held the knee pads I was foresightful enough to wear (less the FRONT of my knees feel like hamburger today.)
I am also feeling some kind of high from the experience of engaging, struggling, and enjoying that 'completion' feeling with this family -- this small piece of me that will live on long after I'm gone. I love that vision and the sense of the possibility that my wife and I may have made a small investment in the future of the world and made it a better place because of Wendy, Nathan and Noah.
THESE are the good old days.....
It's a Good Life !
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Tuesday, March 4, 2008
My First Concert
I grew up in Los Angeles. Very cool. Hip. It was all happening there: The Oscars, Graumans Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Blvd with the WALK OF FAME. It was all there.
Had occasion so see lots of very hip, cool and in groups (this hip and cool theme is leading somewhere....I promise)
Managed to get to see Neil Diamond, The Turtles, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Joe Cocker w/ Mad Dogs and Englishmen, and John Denver (a most magical night by the way @ The Universal Amphitheater).
But none of these were my FIRST CONCERT.
My first concert experience was Liberace. OK... I'll say it again. My first concert experience was Mr Sequin and Candelabra himself: Liberace. This was probably 1963. I was 12 or 13. Went with my mom and some of her friends. I think my dad was home working on the car or watching a football game or some other manly endeavor of the 60's
Now, please don't misunderstand me. I liked music. I LOVED music at that point in my life. My parents had a respectable collection of LP's (The Mills Brothers, Dean Martin, Bobby Darrin, lots of musicals like Sound of Music, Student Prince, etc.) and I could sing along with most of them. I was just building my collection: The Beatles, Chad & Jeremy, CCR, etc.
The concert was at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
This is a MAGNIFICENT theatre. Complete with GINORMOUS Chandeliers, velvet curtains, private boxes that line the sides of the theatre and at least 16 levels of seats rising up from the stage to the cieling. Yep, I sat way at the top.
Of all the concerts I've seen since this first one, I can honestly say, I've NEVER enjoyed a concert more.
Liberace was a 
phenomenal showman. By the end of the concert all 93 million of us sitting in that grand and cavernous theater felt like we were just hangin' around in his living room.
For all his eccentricities and his dozens of costume changes, Liberace was, on stage at least, a very kind and gracious performer who loved his music as much as his audience. Always smiling and laughing WITH us as he offered up classical, popular, oldies and contemporary pieces that were familiar to us all.
I remember (imagine I REMEMBER after some 45 years) he broke into LET ME CALL YOU SWEETHEART complete with glissandos, crescendos, and grace notes while a smattering of the crowd began to sing along. While he continued with the song he said with his classic LIBERACE SMILE, "Of course, you all can sing this one." And we did.
I'll never forget that near the end of his concert while he was playing some BEAUTIFUL something with his hands dancing and running up and down the keyboard he said,
"You know, ladies and gentlemen, you have been such a WONDERFUL audience, I don't know when I've EVER had this much fun! I've had so much fun in fact.... I'm almost embarrassed to take the money...." then with a big smile and a sparkle in his eye he said... "but I will."
Not one of us questioned that he deserved every penny. None of us had ever had more fun either.
It's a Good Life !
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Saturday, March 1, 2008
All I Really Need to Know I Learned From The Bible
Life can get complicated. Very complicated.
The overload of information available to us is staggering. I simply typed wisdom into my search engine for the World Wide Web. There are 108,000,000 sites where I can go to learn more about wisdom.
I used to think an encyclopedia was overwhelming. Thought it was the standard of what any educated person needed to know. Mine has twenty-one volumes and an index. It all fits on one shelf.
I once read about a man who read the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica. A to Z. It was his hobby. I thought now here’s a worthy endeavor. I’ll read through the series. No rush. Might take me several years, but think of what a hit I’d be at pot lucks!
“Gee, I don’t know, but let’s go ask Dennis. You know, he’s read the whole encyclopedia.”
I got through about a third of the A’s. As my middle child says when confronted of the idea of learning for fun. “Too much information.” It was interesting, certainly that was true. But just how much does a person really need to know? Let me tell you. Not that much!
Information can come from a variety of sources. Text books contain a lot of information. The World Wide Web holds all of the information. There are sources that have more wisdom than information. The great writings of Walt Whitman, Saint Francis of Assisi, Socrates, and Peanuts are rich in wisdom.
The Bible has wisdom. Lots of it. It’s somewhat unique in it’s construction. Took over 1600 years to write it, over forty different authors, written in three different languages, over three continents, by people from every kind of occupation you could imagine. There were a couple of kings, a few slaves, a shepherd, a fishermen, a doctor, an IRS agent, and even a tent maker. Yet they all sing the same song. Amazing.
I’ve read most of it by now. Some parts of it over and over and over.
I’m saving Leviticus until they make it into a movie. Don’t laugh, they’ve done Exodus, Judges, John, Mark, Luke, parts of Acts. They even made musicals about Joseph and the Gospel of Matthew. Trust me, Leviticus is coming.
The Bible; aka The Good Book is simple, you know. Practical. Something you can use everyday of your life. It seems to be unaffected by changing fashion, the stock market, Star Wars, or opinions. It’s full of stories that teach us how to live simply in a complicated world. Simple stories and ideas that tell us all we really need to know about living. About happiness. About giving. About joy. About getting along. About making a difference.
They’re all there. I know. I made a list.
Adam – Obey the rules. Someone might be watching.
Cain and Abel – Learn to play nice with your brothers and sisters.Noah – Check the weather. Be prepared if it looks like rain
Moses – Be careful not to lose your temper. Speak softly and carry a big stick.
Nebuchadnezzar – Take care not to ignore your dreams.
Joseph (the one with the coat) – Always do your very best, wherever you are.
David – God is always there with you, even when the odds don’t look so good
Daniel – Always keep the courage of your convictions.
The Psalms – Take time to be alone and reflect.
Mary – Sometimes the things we don’t understand can turn out in the most wonderful way.
John and Andrew – Fishing is okay, but the hearts and souls of people is where it’s at.
Martha – Don’t work too much or you’ll miss too many special moments.
Peter – Failure is never final.
Paul – Follow your dreams, travel a little bit, and write letters to people you love.
Judas – Don’t betray your friends.
Jesus – When all else fails, show love and give all that you have.
The Bible. That old, wonderful, timeless collection of truth. Kind of your One Stop for Wisdom kind of book.
Not 108,000,000 sources.
Just one.
It's a Good Life !
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