A small thing...

On Monday of this past week, I was on a flight to Columbus, Ohio, when I noticed a man in my row reading the Bible. As I travel quite a bit, I always find it encouraging to see others reading Christian literature - especially the Bible. Many times, I will try to strike up a conversation with these individuals. However, as I watched this particular person, it struck me that he seemed very distant and almost unapproachable. His body language and the permanent scoul on his face made me wonder about my own demeanor.

I never did manage to speak with the gentleman, so I do not know context of his situation. Perhaps he was going through a very tough ordeal and looking for encouragement or comfort in his reading. However, the experience made me ponder about how others see me.

Granted, we all have those days when things are not going well - but its tough to be a "light in the darkness" if we can't show a bit of joy in even the mundane. It may seem like a small thing...but I for one believe that a smile can be very powerful. It has the ability to welcome others into conversation, and it can even help lift one's own spirits.

Thus, my thought for the day..."put on a smile, and see what happens."

My theory of time...

Growing up, I always remember hearing my parents talk about how quickly time went by. But as a kid, time seemed endless to me. Days and weeks would pass by slowly and years felt like an eternity.

As an adult, I've quickly come to realize what my parents were talking about those many years ago. It feels like only yesterday that my wife and I were beginning our life together and starting a family. But the reality is that we have a daughter about to enter her teen years, and our baby is almost 8. Why is it that time seems to accelerate with age?

I'm sure many of you have pondered this same question. And sure, there are probably countless simple answers as to why this occurs. However, I have come up with my own theory to explain this phenomenom, which I will do my best to try to elaborate.

The premise of my theory revolves around something that I've termed as "Life Reference Points" or LRPs for short. Life Reference Points are defined as significant events that take place in ones life. As such, these LRPs become a time stamp or point of reference for your mind, allowing you to recall specific memories and relate them to a specific time. As children, we had the luxury of built-in LRPs in the form of schooling. We could reference almost everything that happened to us by what grade we were in during that particular time. However, as we get older, Life Reference Points are few and far between. Sure, there are weddings, graduations, births, etc., but it seems that the day-in and day-out of everyday living seems to all meld together. I believe its this "blurring" of time that causes us to feel as though time is passing ever so quickly.Thus, it is my conclusion that if we want to slow our perception of time, we must create new Life Reference Points in regular intervals. By doing so, this will effectively provide our minds a chronological perspective of time.

One of the best methods that I've found for creating LRPs as an adult is to plan yearly vacations as a family. Besides the intrinsinc value of spending time together as a family, I've found that these vacations can help segregate the years and create reference points for the other events in my life.

Obviously, this is just one person's theory, but I believe there is some validity to these thoughts. If you feel like time is moving too fast, maybe you need to create some LRPs.

Large is the new small...

A former co-worker and I met up for lunch today. As most days, I wanted to keep it fast and simple, so we opted for Wendy's (I must admit, I'm addicted to their chili). Usually, when I eat at these places, I go through the drive-thru and only get a sandwich or chili and bring it back to work. However, today we decided to eat in, so I also ordered a salad and drink. When asked what size of drink, I immediately answered medium - as I did not want to over indulge and I thought a small would be....well, not enough fizzy beverage to satisfy my thirst.

To my utter astonishment, the woman behind the counter proceeded to dispense about a half gallon of diet pepsi into a cup about the size of a barrel and put it on my tray. I could barely lift the tray. Equally amazing was the fact that my friend, who ordered a small drink, received what appeared to be a large, in my opinion. At least that's the size I remember it being when I was younger.

I can't help but wonder when America made the decision that a medium soft drink at a fast food restaurant needed to be the size of a super big gulp (remember those from the 7-eleven days). I believe they were called Super Big Gulps for a reason.....nobody could finish them without feeling bloated.

Needless to say, I finished the soft drink, but you can bet I'll be previewing the cup sizes before I order next time. I cringe to think what would have happened had I ordered the large.....I'd probably still be drinking my soft drink while typing this post.

Coffee for dummies...

I thought I'd take a little sabbatical from my normal reflective type posts to provide a bit of education. It occurs to me that many of you may not be versed in the finer points of coffee, which happens to be a passion of mine. Thus, I thought I would offer up a short course to the novices out there who may be confused over the wide array of drinks available at your local coffee shop.

Coffee 101
Let us start with coffee. Most of us know that coffee comes from beans that are harvested and roasted to varying degrees. It used to be that you only had to choose between regular and decaffeinated. However, today there are also choices dealing with roast - such as dark roast or light roast, and region - such as sumatra or columbian. In many ways, a coffee bean is to coffee as a grape is to wine. Even the descriptions of some coffee flavors (a smokey, robust flavor with hints of cherry) almost sound like something you would find on a wine list. Suffice it to say, if you're a coffee drinker and you've only tried Folgers, you need to expand your horizons. One last little note on coffee. Contrary to what many people believe, if you are looking for a stronger "pick-me-up" in the morning - get the light roast. Light roast coffee contains more caffeine than dark roast coffee. This is due to the fact that the roasting process actually extracts the caffeine out of the bean. Thus, the lighter the roast - the more caffeine (in most cases).

Espresso 101
Espresso is the term given to a "highly concentrated" coffee. It is produced by expressing (or quickly passing) water through a finer grind of coffee bean. Espresso is also the base to many of the other popular coffee drinks available today. When I started serving as a barista in the cafe' at our church, an explanation of the espresso drinks was given to me that I think is very helpful. Basically, all of the specialty drinks start with 1/3 espresso. Its what you add to the espresso that determines the drink. I've outlined a few of the most popular ones below:

• Espresso - Nothing added
• Latte - 1/3 espresso, 2/3 steamed milk
• Cappuccino - 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 frothed milk
• Breve - 1/3 espresso, 2/3 steamed half-and-half
• Americano - 1/3 espresso, 2/3 water

There are obviously many variations on these drinks including mochas, macchiatos, flavored lattes, etc., but this is probably enough information for Espresso 101.

I hope this little foray into one of my passions provided a bit of knowledge and fun facts (if not, I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of anything else to write about today). However, if this post has managed to bore you to sleep - may I suggest a large mug of coffee (light roast, of course).

The power of music...

On my way into work this morning, a familiar song came on the radio and..*poof*...just like that, I was transported back in time to a day this past October. It was a sunny, yet brisk, Autumn day and my wife and I were celebrating our 16 year wedding annivesary in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin. As I listened to the song, all of the fond memories of that October day flooded my mind. Thank goodness God created us to multi-task or I may have needed to pull over....

The experience made me ponder the overwhelming power that God created in the seemingly simple art of music. Think about it with me for a moment, if you will. Music has the ability to do, or be, so many different things. A song can be a prayer offered or a means of praise and worship. Music can also have the ability to motivate one during a work-out (especially if it has driving beat). Certain songs can comfort, encourage and even speak to the soul, while others are simply good for relaxing or meditating. And, as I have eluded to earlier, specific songs have the uncanny ability to draw the mind back in time to a specific place or event. What a treat we have been given by our Creator.

I think this is why I have such a strong draw to all different types of music. I've been told many times that with all the 'noise' in today's world - we need to sometimes separate ourselves and plan for silence. I still believe this is probably a good practice, but more often than not, you will find me with some sort of background music playing. Maybe its because on some sort of subconscious level my mind is trying to create 'virtual time stamps' so that I can experience moments like one I had on my way into work this morning.

Regardless, I'm thankful for the power of music.

Starting off slow...

Well, I've finally made the leap. The peer pressure was getting unbearable. My friends, my wife, my co-workers...seems like everyone is blogging these days. So, here is my foray into the world of the bloggers. I can't promise anything profound or earth shattering, but I will try to at least be somewhat entertaining in the coming posts.

As my lame description reads, this blog will be dedicated to my ramblings. Currently, I don't have a specific outline or even a plan on what will be written in the coming days or months, suffice it to say, you will get a little glimpse into my world, thoughts and ideas. I've often shared with my wife that I would like to write a book someday...(like that will ever happen)...but as she has so eloquently pointed out, I probably don't have enough material. Thus, many of my future blog entries may prove to be 'mini chapters' of a book that will never be written.

So, for those of you who choose to follow me on this journey (i.e. read my blog), I welcome you.