My last blog post said that I was going to get all kinds of projects done. I was so positive and had all sorts of ideas on what to do during this pandemic. I have to admit that I have pretty much failed to do anything. I’ve done a couple of small projects, but nothing monumental. I see all of the things that a lot of you are doing and I am impressed. For me, it is as if I have put my life on hold. I wake up in the morning like a child who is wishing for snow. I run to the window to see if there is snow on the ground; well I don’t actually run to the window to look for snow. I simply look at the subject lines of emails in my inbox without opening them up to see if a vaccine is ready to be administered to the general public so that we can all go back to our pre-pandemic lives.
Shelter in Place
I have been doing this every day since the ‘Shelter in Place’ order came out in our state. Our governor has extended non-essential businesses to remain closed until May 8th and for the ‘Shelter in Place’ order to remain until June 10th. That is over 2 months away! No amount of running to the window is going to change this unless they come up with a vaccine before that time. You see, it’s as if I do not want to swallow this ‘Shelter in Place’ medicine. I feel like a child who is refusing to take that spoonful of medicine. Right now, there is no amount of sugar that is going to make the medicine go down.
I’m not one who is good at accepting things nor adapting to something that I just don’t want to do. I will admit that it is not an emotionally healthy attitude and it is past time to take my medicine. I know that it is good for me, but I don’t have to like it as I know that you do not as well.
Time for Projects
Now onto ‘Projects’. As I work remotely anyway, I don’t have all of this extra time that many people speak of. I still work 8 hours per day. It’s just the nights and weekends where I have fewer choices on what I can do and this is where projects are supposed to fit in right? Why am I putting off starting any of these projects? It’s as if because I know that I have extra time after hours, I choose not to start them. If I had more choices, then I would probably start them. Does that make any sense? It’s sort of the human condition; we want what we can’t have and don’t want what we do have. I do have this extra time on the weekends, but I DON”T want to start a project because that would be saying yes to the medicine.
For those of you that are totally enjoying this time of isolation and the ability to get to all of those things that you have been putting off done, I applaud you. I tip my hat and hope to attain some of your traits, but for now, I see my mother coming down the hall with that big silver spoon, twice the size of my little mouth and there is some sort of chalky medicine that isn’t suitable for an adult much less a child.
Here I go, I’m holding my nose and closing my eyes. It smells yucky!!
There is no reason to legislate against a few bad apples
As Americans, we are known to be people of action. We are creators, inventors, writers and adventurers. It was that sense of adventure that caused us to travel to the moon. When we formed that first settlement in Virginia, we weren’t happy to just stay in Virginia. We wanted to see what was beyond. Thus, we headed west to see what was beyond the Appalachian mountains.
When it came to mobilizing America during the WW2 war effort, we turned factories into military arsenal production assembly lines in order to defend our country. Even with the pandemic that we are facing, private industries are churning out face masks, ventilators and other devices to combat this new enemy. America has always been willing to get behind a cause worth fighting.
One bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch
Americans are people of action
What America is NOT good at is doing nothing. We are not good at staying at home hiding from this evil virus. We are doing everything in our power to come up with a vaccine as well as a treatment for those that are unfortunate enough to catch this virus. Isolation is just not in our DNA. Unfortunately, there are those that ruin it for all of us. It’s sort of like the one kid in school that misbehaves during class and then the entire class doesn’t get to go out for recess. As we all know, you can’t legislate against stupidity.
We have been told that we need to sanitize, wash our hands for 20 seconds, practice social distancing and that those that have any type of cough need to wear a mask to keep their germs to themselves. That is a call to action. We can do that as Americans, but if 99% of us are doing that and only a percentage or two are refusing to do so, should we then legislate that the majority of America can no longer be open for business while practicing these necessary habits?
Let’s hold those that ruin it for the rest of us accountable
Why not hold those that ignore these necessary practices accountable, but allow the rest of America to try and have some sense of normalcy? Don’t shut down the entire country due to a few idiots. Go find the idiots who are not abiding by these standards, name them, shame them and fine them, but for the rest of us, let our people go! We can be responsible. We can meet the challenge. Don’t treat us as if we are all back in grade school.
This is just my opinion, but if we can’t come up with some sort of compromise at the end of April, I don’t think things will go well for any of us. Let’s not cause a few bad apples to ruin it for us all.
You heard me right. I can’t handle any more negative news.
Even only checking news in the morning is way too much. This pandemic isn’t going to change overnight. The “authorities” say it’s going to take weeks, maybe even months for this to ease it’s grip on our nation. If that is the case, I’m going to live my life as I have recently learned to do along with the rest of you I’m sure. No going out except for essentials and exercise. Social distancing when we do go out. Ok, I get it.
I have taken up new hobbies. I will practice my cello, maybe learn a new language and work on my new Imagineers project. I refuse to expose myself to all of the bad news. Knowing about every single statistic isn’t going to really change anything for me. If they do find a vaccine or there is a news flash, don’t you think someone will tell me? Hey, I don’t live under a rock. I have friends and family. Those of you that are glued to your phone, computer, Ipad or newspaper, you can tell me to go get the new vaccine. At least I will be in a good mood when I get my vaccine instead of near the point of slitting my wrists due to depression from all of these apocalyptic reports.
“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24
Have you had a chance to watch ‘The Imagineering Story‘ on Disney + directed and produced by Leslie Iwerks? I don’t know about you, but I love how Leslie has tapped into the mind and heart of the Disney Imagineers. At Unlimited Ideas, we are taking the stories of the Disney creatives and building something that while you are in the parks, will bring you the details of what they have created in the past, present and future. Stay tuned!
What is a flywheel anyway? Per Wikipedia, A flywheel is a mechanical device specifically designed to efficiently store rotational energy (kinetic energy). Flywheels resist changes in rotational speed by their moment of inertia.
Flywheel on Trevithick Locomotive
The large round thing in the image above is an example of a very large flywheel. Basically, they keep the piece of machinery in motion. It’s not very easy to stop all of that momentum once it gets started. That being said, it’s not easy to stop our minds once they get going either. Shifting mental gears is quite a feat. To be creative, I find that it doesn’t come naturally. My mind is quite content to keep on spinning, keeping my thoughts going on what my routine expects.
Find a different place to think, a new location
Mark Batterson says that a change of pace + a change of place = a change of perspective. To slow down the flywheel of our mind, sometimes a change of place is required. I do my best creative thinking when I am not in familiar surroundings. This change of place, automatically changes the pace of our life, allowing our minds to slow down enough to start the creative process. New sights and sounds stimulate that part of our brain that help get our creative juices flowing. I do my best thinking away from my office.
Take a walk, get your blood flowing
It’s not enough to just go find a new place to think, I find it best to also be doing something while in new surroundings. I have a favorite spot where I go to think. I go to my local zoo in the morning when nobody else is around. I’ve tried to pick a spot to sit and think, but I find that I do my best thinking when I walk around the zoo taking in the sites and sounds.
A zoo is one place out of your routine
The key is to change up the routines of your day. Routine is comfortable, it is safe, it is …..well…..routine. Get out of your comfort zone. Routine produces routine results. If you are happy with the results, don’t change, but if not, why not shake things up a bit and see what your flywheel, headed in the other direction can produce?
To sit on one’s hands per the Cambridge Dictionary means “to do nothing about a problem or a situation that needs dealing with.” What if you are uncertain as to what needs to be done? Would this be considered sitting on your hands? I know that for the last couple of years, I have tried every which way to get some momentum going to go in a new direction vocationally. It seems that every option that I look into, the door is sealed shut. If you know me, you know that I do not like to sit around and do nothing. I love new ideas, especially when I am the one to come up with them! It feels like I am in a straight jacket.
Not that I have ever been in one, but I would imagine that after a while, you just give up and sit on your hands or rather lean on your hands as they are wrapped around your back. Fighting a straight jacket is rather pointless, unless you are Houdini.
If all of your doors close, what are you to do in the meantime?
I mean, if after trying unsuccessfully to move in a positive direction, what is one to do in the meantime? I have found myself cleaning my garage, washing my car, washing the windows of my house and doing anything else that I can do just to NOT sit on my hands. Now some of you are probably saying, “Well, God probably wants you to just rest in Him.” Thanks, I’ve been doing that for 22 months. I have rested in my God created straight jacket and just prayed, read the bible and meditated for hours some days. I get up at 6AM every day just to do this. For a long time I felt that God was going to reveal His plan to me, that it was just around the corner, but now I’m not so sure. Is this a God created straight jacket or have I created my own straight jacket, stitch by stitch? Either way, I don’t like it.
In the pit of my stomach there is a churning
Have you ever told a child to sit in the corner and they obediently obey, only to hide the kinetic energy that is within them? They go to their corner, sit there and all seems well, but inside, there is a spring wound tightly that is ready to spring into action.
Hank Ketchum
The old cartoon series by Hank Ketchum about Dennis the Menace often showed Dennis in the corner for some act of neighborhood terrorism. You knew that there was still a lot of energy in Dennis, even though he was being obedient to go to his corner of punishment.
It’s not that I feel that I am being punished. I just feel lost, without a purpose. I’m a project guy. I like to be creating something new. I feel that I have had pretty good patience for almost two years, but geez, how long can a kid wait? All of the potential projects that I have thought of or been presented with have ended up being closed doors and I don’t mean doors closed politely, I mean doors slammed shut!
My last post was about the dream collapsing. When a dream collapses, you eventually wake up, if not, then you have what is called a nightmare. Enough of this nightmare, I want to wake up! I’m tired of the straight jacket and I’m tired of sitting in the corner. I have to do something different so that I will not end up with the same results. 2020 HAS to be different, if not, I will NEED to be put in a straight jacket! Until then, you will see a house with shining clean windows, not a speck of dust on the floor and absolutely no leaves in my yard. I’m running out of chores. Let me know if you need your house cleaned. I’ll run right over!
Have you ever dreamed that you were dreaming while having a dream? Now, how about dreaming about the dream where you were dreaming within a dream? That is a whole lot to wrap your mind around. Are you living within a dream right now? Do your dreams seem real to you? Does your life seem real to you? Science has proven that our minds do not know the difference between “reality” and simply imagining something. This blurs the edge between reality and your imagination.
Inception
It feels more like an implosion
This is going to be one of those transparent posts, not the encouraging post that I typically write. If you want to stay encouraged this Christmas season, then please skip this post and go find a funny meme that someone else has posted.
If you have watched the movie Inceptionand watched a building imploded, you will understand my analogies below.
Currently, my life feels as though it is imploding. I have personally witnessed a tall skyscraper being imploded. It was a strange sight. One moment it was there, and the next, it was a pile of rubble. Many of us who were alive remember seeing the twin towers imploding after the 911 attack.
In my life as in a tall building, the foundation was solid, no reason to believe that anything would change, but slowly, the weight of the top stories of my life began to grow heavier and heavier to where the walls of my life could not stand the pressure of all of that weight. The foundation, which for me is my faith in Christ was still solid, but the weight that was being added to the top stories of my life was growing. First, it was realizing that not living the purpose for which I was born, added an emotional weight to daily living. Next, it was our family business. We had moved to Colorado to open a new branch, but within a year, employee issues back in VA started to draw us back to VA. We were spending more and more time flying back and forth to VA than building our business in CO. The dream to open a new branch in CO was starting to fade. After four years, we sold our mountain home in CO and moved back to VA with our proverbial tail between our legs. We were having multiple employee issues; people leaving with no notice, unable to rehire people to replace them. We were operating on a skeleton crew. The market started to change and our sales started to drop. The walls were now starting to bulge in our “building”. I experienced my first anxiety attack after back to back losses in sales. This anxiety manifested itself as muscle twitches. For 2 months, due to my PCP mentioning the letters, ALS, I was put on anxiety and anti-depressants. The “building” took a direct hit, exploding with the force that shook my entire soul.
My entire shipping department less one person slowly quit and we couldn’t find anyone to ship our products except our shipping supervisor. The glass windows in this “building” were now starting to break. We decided to begin letting our staff, other than the warehouse work remotely from home. Maybe this would help us retain employees if they were able to work from home. The offices were now empty and quiet. I would go to work, only to find an empty building except a few people on the first floor. Due to not having warehouse staff, we decided to close our offices and warehouse and move the shipping operation to a fulfillment center in Denver. That move cost us a month of sales which affected cash flow. In the midst of all of this, we found a vendor in Taiwan that would manufacture a few of our products, thus reducing our cost of goods. We were now starting to make money again after 3 months of losing money due to the move to a fulfillment center. The dream was becoming clearer, the dust was starting to settle, but in November, this vendor’s email account was hacked. We thought we were wiring funds to them, but in fact, we were wiring funds to an unknown account in the UK, a fraudulent account. We lost the entire amount of the purchase order, for us a large dollar amount. Realizing that our sales were dwindling and that fulfillment centers were not cheap, we decided to put our house on the market to reduce expenses. We were shoring up the collapsing “building”. We had a contract on our home in 22 days. The dream was becoming clearer and we thought that it was not collapsing. We felt as though we knew what we were supposed to do. Maybe we can save this “building”. A few days before Christmas, our agent called to tell us, while we were at a Christmas party that the buyers were canceling the sales contract due to a small issue that was really of no consequence, but in this day and age of residential real estate, buyers can walk away from a contract for almost any reason. The dream was starting to get fuzzy, was it collapsing once again?
The dream is imploding
As of today, our sales are down 20% compared to last year. This, combined with losing a boatload of money in wire fraud is causing the dream to implode. The potential buyers renigging on the contract, (the 2nd house which they have done the same thing on) plus the money issues at work are causing this dream to collapse.
My lovely wife had her knee replaced at the end of August. The surgery went well, but the surgeon failed to tell us or schedule physical therapy for two weeks after the surgery. This has caused scar tissue to build up on her knee and she does not have the range of motion that she should. This is also causing her pain. She is currently walking with a cane. Her dream is collapsing, the dream of walking without pain, being able to start doing some of the things that her bad knee would not let her do seems like a dream unfulfilled.
Can you stop a dream from collapsing?
Now the question is, how does one keep a dream or “building” from collapsing or can you? During the beginning of a collapsing dream, everything seems to go in slow motion, but once it gains momentum, all one can do is to hold on to something and ride it down. For me, it’s my faith. I have to know that neither death nor life, nor powers or principalities can separate me from my foundation. I may end up in a rubble or awake from this dream. The inception of every dream has to have an end, and it appears that the time is now. The top has stopped spinning, but one day……..it will start to spin, yet again.
I’m one to live large. I do not believe in simply existing and going with the status quo. If I want to do something in life it’s going to be on a grand scale. I was born for a reason, for a purpose that is larger than myself. If I were to live small, just trying to eek out a living, being a cog in the big wheel of life, I would be denying the very reason that I was created. I’ve tried to ignore it; I’ve asked for it to be taken away, but it can’t be removed. It’s like your height, you can’t make yourself taller or shorter, you are who you are.
I don’t want to work just to earn money, I have to have a purpose for living. I don’t want to have just a great business idea. I have tried that. The money satisfies for a very short time. As George Bailey told Mary in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, “Now, you listen to me! I don’t want any plastics, and I don’t want any ground floors, and I don’t want to get married – ever – to anyone! You understand that? I want to do what I want to do.”
It’s a Wonderful Life
I believe in doing things only one way, big and dazzling, compared to doing things small and just to get by.
We only have one life to live. You can make it a wonderful life or you can be satisfied with what life gives you. The choice is yours. What’s the opposite of a wonderful life to you?
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who is wishing for snow. I run to the window to see if there is snow on the ground; well I don’t actually run to the window to look for snow. I simply look at the subject lines of emails in my inbox without opening them up to see if a vaccine is ready to be administered to the general public so that we can all go back to our pre-pandemic lives.
hope to attain some of your traits, but for now, I see my mother coming down the hall with that big silver spoon, twice the size of my little mouth and there is some sort of chalky medicine that isn’t suitable for an adult much less a child.
