A small thing...

Many years ago while on a flight to Columbus, Ohio, I noticed a man in my row reading the Bible. As I used to travel quite a bit, I would always find it encouraging to see others reading Christian literature - especially the Bible. Many times, I would try to strike up a conversation with these individuals. However, I remember that 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.

The experience made me ponder about how others see me. Granted, we all have those days when things are not going well - but it's 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. My thought for the day..."put on a smile, and see what happens."

My theory of time...and the introduction to LRPs

I wrote this blog post originally back in 2008, but I thought I would re-post. I have often thought about writing a book about this idea - and in fact last year I started one (intro and beginning of chapter 1), but I don't know that I have the patience or fortitude to complete an entire book...we'll see. So, for the moment, enjoy this blog re-post:

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 phenomenon, 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 intrinsic 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...

I posted this quite a few years ago, but it still rings true today.

A former co-worker and I had met up for lunch and 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. That day, however, we decided to eat in. Because we were taking a little time, I also ordered a salad and drink. When asked what size of drink, I immediately answered "medium" - as 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 sitting in the restaurant sipping on that beverage. If I can offer a bit of wisdom - order the small.

Coffee for dummies...

Normally, you will notice that these blogs to be more reflective in nature. However, in this particular installment, I thought I'd take a little sabbatical from that type of post to provide a bit of an 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. For this reason, I am offering 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 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. However, if this post has managed to bore you to sleep - may I suggest a large mug of coffee (light roast, of course).