Musings at Altitude

Lots of things on my mind tonight – purely random:

(1) I ran my “musings” blog through www.typealyzer.com to see how my writing is rated.  Here’s what it says:

The gentle and compassionate type.  They are especially attuned to their inner values and what other people need.  They are not friends of many words and tend to take the worries of the world on their shoulders.  They tend to follow the path of least resistance and have to look out not to be taken advantage of.  They often prefer working quietly, behind the scene as a part of a team.  They tend to value their friends and family above what they do for a living.

I kind of like this, and I see me and my writing as something very much like what this says.  Some would argue the “not friends of many words” is a flat out lie!  But I certainly prefer being part of a team and I’m often accused of working behind the scenes to get things moving in a direction I sense and see as appropriate.  And I really do take the weight of the world on my shoulders…I’m still learning how and when to ask for help…I’m also still learning to prioritize so that through focus I can make an impact somewhere or on someone.

(2) I’m reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “Outliers”.  Awesome!  I’m completely engrossed in this book, and I’m amazed at how well researched it is and how fascinating the reach back to the root cause of success can be.  In a world where everyone seems to assess and assign blame, I’m grateful to Gladwell and this book for assessing and assigning the root cause of success.

(3) My little girl who is now a mom decided to up and leave town with her husband and our little granddaughter.  It’s been smile city having them around, but it’s great to see them now heading out as a family as he pursues his career and they both pursue being the awesome parents that its so easy to see they will be.  With today’s technology, we can still get our daily pictures and our near instant updates.  But it’s not the same.  There’s something magical about your little baby having her own little baby and having them both nearby, and something even more magical about watching that little baby change daily as she becomes her own confident little self.  For now, we’ll smile through pictures:

 (4) My other little girl finished her 5th final today, wearing jammies to school so she could “party with her 1st graders”.  It’s pretty cool that in my 14 year old’s high school, they can take an elective that allows them to be teacher’s assistants in the elementary school.  I think my 14 year old has found her calling, and I’m pretty sure she’ll find a way to work with small children as she pursues her passions now.

(5) My beautiful bride of 26 years got quite anxious a few days ago when the checking account balance got precariously close to zero.  It’s amazing how fast the cash leaves when you have grandchildren, grandnephews, grandnieces, your own children, their new family members and soon to be family members, all that need Christmas presents.  AND, when you use your debit card to fulfill this rapidly expanding Christmas wish list.  AND, you only check your account balance “every now and then” because it’s declining faster than you’ve ever seen it decline before.  My Mississippi math tells me that the pace towards “card refused” because of taking more out than I can possibly put back in, very well should cause just a bit of anxiety.  Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, the checking account got replenished by my every two week paycheck today, so she now has a new pile of cash to rapidly burn through.  Thank goodness there are only 5 shopping days left till Christmas and two of those days we’ll be driving to the homestead.

(6) We’re heading down to Mississippi tomorrow, and we’ll be following the same path that presented us with one weather challenge after another a couple years ago.  Back then, we left in a near blizzard and made it through the mountain pass in Raton, NM, immediately after the road was cleared.  On the way home though, we didn’t get nearly as lucky and spent New Year’s even in the 1st Baptist Church of Dumas, TX, which had opened their recreation center for those of us stranded in yet another major snow storm.  As I think back on that trip today, it was at first a bit unsettling and then kind of cool to welcome in the new year in that shelter.  Even today, I realize how blessed we were to even find shelter (we were planning to bundle up in the car), how blessed we are today to have a home and a job, and how much we need to be a blessing to others who may be facing adversity today.  We got caught in a blizzard and sought shelter and found shelter.  Many today seek shelter and can’t find it.  That’s something we all need to care tremendously about.  If we care, maybe we can find something that we can do to make a difference.  The need is certainly there, and with one week to go till we celebrate the birth of our Savior who was also born in a shelter of sorts, maybe the lesson we’ve been taught by His birth will energize us towards seeing that need in others and finding that way to help.

I’m looking forward to the 1,200 mile drive tomorrow.  We’ve been blessed this time with incredibly low gas prices.  That’s giving me a smile even before we start to drive!