I never did get this post out when i planned . In the midst of almost a week of intravenous antibiotics, thoughts of blogging just fell by the wayside.
But it's certainly eyeopening loosing the use of one foot for some time. I thought alot about what it would mean if i only had one foot left, and as strange as it sounds i didn't think i would miss it much, at least not as much as other things. Friendship, fellowship, love and caring people are worth so much more in life than a foot or arm or some other body part.
They say we don't take any of it with us when we die, and we all think it's referring to money, wealth, houses and land. An though it does refer to that, it also means we won't be taking our body parts either. So what if we loose one or more body parts, that doesn't change who we are. Have you thought about that? Does what you do (or are capable of) define who you are? And if you can no longer do what you do, does it change who you are?
Imagine if we could define ourselves by something other than by what we do. Then we wouldn't be swayed if we loose our capibility in an area of life. If we realize who we are outside of what we do, we can stand with both feet planted firmly on the ground, even when we don't have any feet.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
in finite wisdom...
With the finite wisdom God's given me, I recently made a decision to replace my old trusty Subaru with a newer Subaru. After a few weeks of looking, i stumbled across a 9 year old Subaru Outback a used car dealer was selling. Now i don't know how much i trust used car dealers as they have an image of being somewhat shady characters, but this car seemed to be great deal for only $2000. That's what my logic said, though I was looking that 'gut feeling' or 'divine guidance' to confim my decision, but all i sensed was my own logic at work.
Jim the dealer, seemed to be a nice enough guy. I tried to bargain with him about the price, but he said the ad was a mistake and should have been $2995. I'm not sure if i believed him, but he promised honor the listed price if i want the car. 'you're stealing it from me' he said, though i knew he was still making money on it.
I still felt a little bit leary, but since he included a three month powertrain warranty it helped me feel more at ease about any unexpected major mechanical repairs. He knocked off another $200 off the price if i'd take the car with marginal tires, but that $200 was slapped right back on the contact as the dealer's 'administration fee'. So he got what he asked anyways...
Sold my old car over the weekend, so with cash in hand i headed down to pick up my new car early yesterday morning. I had just paid the balance and when we hit our first obstacle. Jim didn't have the registration for the car. He said 'No problem', he'll send his 'gopher' down to the registration office with me to get a new registration issued. Jim seemed to be an expert juggler. While closing the deal with me, he was giving assignments to workers in the shop, doing paperwork for another car sale, and answering several phone calls at once. One guy called and asked directions to the dealership, he bluntly told the guy to read the ad, hung up and mussed 'Stupid imports, why don't they ever read the ad properly?!' Jim was clearly getting a bit edgy for monday morning...
He then asked me to follow this cute 20some year old redhead down to the registration office. Turns out she was a juggler too, working at three part time jobs! At the registration desk we found out the car was never registered in the dealer's name! Oops, what had i gotten into? 'No problem' the readhead said, 'I've never had problem like this before, but don't worry we'll get it sorted out'. A couple of phone calls and a fax, and 'voila', the registration could be transferred to me. How she juggled all this i don't understand, but at least the car was now free and clear in my name.
Back at the dealership we put the plates on the car, and i drove off with a sense of pride and relief. Mission accomplished, i now have a great new car! What could go wrong with my new(er) Subaru? Barely two hours later parked at the mall, i tried to start the car.... Silence! The car was dead. I try again, and again, and again, and finally the car starts up. Hmm, maybe there's a loose wire somewhere..
Drove to my next stop. Same problem again, this time it took a bit longer for the car to come to life. Then the third stop. This time i tried for 3-4 minutes with no results, and then called Jim. 'I have a little problem with the car you just sold me'. Jim told me to call the Autoclub and have it towed down if i can't start it. Thirty seconds later the car sparked to life again, and i drove straight back to Jim's garage.
Jim wasn't terribly pleased to see me. 'You know, I don't have to fix this' he blurted out with a tinge of anger, 'I just want the car fixed and you out of here' he quickly corrected himself. Then tried to reassure me, 'We'll look after you'. The mechanic looked at my car, who first thought it was a bad connection with the starter but discovered that the starter was overheating. They ordered a new starter, and Jim gave me a rusty old pick-up truck to drive while my new car gets fixed.
Returning to the shop at 5pm as agreed, the mechanic had some bad news. The starter they ordered was the wrong part, and the new part will come in the morning. So this morning back to the dealer i went wondering if this starter problem is a minor problem or have i just replaced my trusty old car with a lemon?...
Well, this morning they got another wrong part, but finally the right part and got my car back at 1pm. I drove off wondering if anything else might go wrong. I decided to take it to another garage for an independent inspection. I feared they might find something else seriously wrong with it, but they reported that the car's in excellent shape. It certainly lifted that burden from me! :)
During the past 24 hours my finite wisdom seemed to go though infinite emotions. For a while i was sure i made the right decision, then i wondered if i'd been taken for a ride by the dealer, then if i had bought a lemon. They say all's well that ends well, and at this point i must say it's all ended well.
But what did i learn from this experience? Unexpected events shook the confidence I had in my wise decision. In retrospect, the events did no more than ruffle my feathers, since they were eventually resolved. So i guess unless i'm clearly led by infinite wisdom, i should learn to trust the finite wisdom God's given me..
Jim the dealer, seemed to be a nice enough guy. I tried to bargain with him about the price, but he said the ad was a mistake and should have been $2995. I'm not sure if i believed him, but he promised honor the listed price if i want the car. 'you're stealing it from me' he said, though i knew he was still making money on it.
I still felt a little bit leary, but since he included a three month powertrain warranty it helped me feel more at ease about any unexpected major mechanical repairs. He knocked off another $200 off the price if i'd take the car with marginal tires, but that $200 was slapped right back on the contact as the dealer's 'administration fee'. So he got what he asked anyways...
Sold my old car over the weekend, so with cash in hand i headed down to pick up my new car early yesterday morning. I had just paid the balance and when we hit our first obstacle. Jim didn't have the registration for the car. He said 'No problem', he'll send his 'gopher' down to the registration office with me to get a new registration issued. Jim seemed to be an expert juggler. While closing the deal with me, he was giving assignments to workers in the shop, doing paperwork for another car sale, and answering several phone calls at once. One guy called and asked directions to the dealership, he bluntly told the guy to read the ad, hung up and mussed 'Stupid imports, why don't they ever read the ad properly?!' Jim was clearly getting a bit edgy for monday morning...
He then asked me to follow this cute 20some year old redhead down to the registration office. Turns out she was a juggler too, working at three part time jobs! At the registration desk we found out the car was never registered in the dealer's name! Oops, what had i gotten into? 'No problem' the readhead said, 'I've never had problem like this before, but don't worry we'll get it sorted out'. A couple of phone calls and a fax, and 'voila', the registration could be transferred to me. How she juggled all this i don't understand, but at least the car was now free and clear in my name.
Back at the dealership we put the plates on the car, and i drove off with a sense of pride and relief. Mission accomplished, i now have a great new car! What could go wrong with my new(er) Subaru? Barely two hours later parked at the mall, i tried to start the car.... Silence! The car was dead. I try again, and again, and again, and finally the car starts up. Hmm, maybe there's a loose wire somewhere..
Drove to my next stop. Same problem again, this time it took a bit longer for the car to come to life. Then the third stop. This time i tried for 3-4 minutes with no results, and then called Jim. 'I have a little problem with the car you just sold me'. Jim told me to call the Autoclub and have it towed down if i can't start it. Thirty seconds later the car sparked to life again, and i drove straight back to Jim's garage.
Jim wasn't terribly pleased to see me. 'You know, I don't have to fix this' he blurted out with a tinge of anger, 'I just want the car fixed and you out of here' he quickly corrected himself. Then tried to reassure me, 'We'll look after you'. The mechanic looked at my car, who first thought it was a bad connection with the starter but discovered that the starter was overheating. They ordered a new starter, and Jim gave me a rusty old pick-up truck to drive while my new car gets fixed.
Returning to the shop at 5pm as agreed, the mechanic had some bad news. The starter they ordered was the wrong part, and the new part will come in the morning. So this morning back to the dealer i went wondering if this starter problem is a minor problem or have i just replaced my trusty old car with a lemon?...
Well, this morning they got another wrong part, but finally the right part and got my car back at 1pm. I drove off wondering if anything else might go wrong. I decided to take it to another garage for an independent inspection. I feared they might find something else seriously wrong with it, but they reported that the car's in excellent shape. It certainly lifted that burden from me! :)
During the past 24 hours my finite wisdom seemed to go though infinite emotions. For a while i was sure i made the right decision, then i wondered if i'd been taken for a ride by the dealer, then if i had bought a lemon. They say all's well that ends well, and at this point i must say it's all ended well.
But what did i learn from this experience? Unexpected events shook the confidence I had in my wise decision. In retrospect, the events did no more than ruffle my feathers, since they were eventually resolved. So i guess unless i'm clearly led by infinite wisdom, i should learn to trust the finite wisdom God's given me..
Monday, November 1, 2010
Romantic or Pragmatic
Last night at my sister's place we watched a movie called 'Letters to Juliet' (actually second time i've seen it). As most people would call it more of a 'chick flick', i usually try to stay away from watching films of this nature. A simple story line, predictable ending, yet this film had an ingredient that somehow moved me.
I'm not sure if it was how well i could identify with this story, or perhaps more how i could not identify with this story. The story begins with a journey of 'true love' interupted by fear, and pressures of others (in this case parents). I'm sure many of us can relate to this. The story also reveals that both characters had moved on from this relationship to what many might consider a happy and productive life.
Years had passed since this girl had run away from her 'true love', yet 'fate' would bring her back through a letter she had written 50 ago. For a film, it's about as 'romantic' a story line you could get. The story being what it is, I started wondering about those 50 years as this woman got married, had kids and then grandkids, seemingly living a content and happy life. Clearly at some point a choice was made to move on and love another. Was this a pragmatic choice or a romantic choice, the story never reveals.
Perhaps it depends on the emotional make up of an individual, and the values he/she considers more important. There's little question that to have balance there needs to be pragmatic side to a romantic relationship, and a romantic side to a relationship initiated by pragmatic decisions. I've seen very happy couples who's love has grown from seemingly pragmatic decisions, as well as relationships crumble which began from a whirlwind of romance. And vica versa...
The underlying question: Is love given or is it grown? Naturally there needs to be growth, and we should do things to nurture our love for another, but what is actually in the initial seed of true love? Is it's main component romantic or pragmatic? And is the answer that simple?
Back to the story. Here was a romance and 'true love' overcome by fear. In the interim she married, was the love pragmatic or romantic we don't know. Yet, when she found her lost 'true love' after 50 years, her first reaction was to run away. Why did she want to run? Isn't 'true love' supposed to drive away all fear?
Pragmatic decisions can also be driven by fear. Fear of being alone, fear of not starting a family at the 'right age', or a fear of never finding 'true love' again may drive us to make pragmatic choices, which if unwisely made can lead to disaster.
Yet this 'true love' brought her back after 50 years. She needed to overcome a fear to make this journey and only when that fear had been adressed could love can grow and be 'perfected' in her life. It is not 'true love which drives away fear, but 'perfect love' which drives away all fear. And perfecting love takes work, time and definately courage.
So, is the seed of 'true love' more pragmatic or romantic? Though i tend to be more of a romantic, perhaps it's best i leave this question unaswered for now. What i do know is that we need to live, learn, and love wherever our journey takes us. And as we live and learn, i pray we would have the courage to find love and not be driven to or from it by fear.
I'm not sure if it was how well i could identify with this story, or perhaps more how i could not identify with this story. The story begins with a journey of 'true love' interupted by fear, and pressures of others (in this case parents). I'm sure many of us can relate to this. The story also reveals that both characters had moved on from this relationship to what many might consider a happy and productive life.
Years had passed since this girl had run away from her 'true love', yet 'fate' would bring her back through a letter she had written 50 ago. For a film, it's about as 'romantic' a story line you could get. The story being what it is, I started wondering about those 50 years as this woman got married, had kids and then grandkids, seemingly living a content and happy life. Clearly at some point a choice was made to move on and love another. Was this a pragmatic choice or a romantic choice, the story never reveals.
Perhaps it depends on the emotional make up of an individual, and the values he/she considers more important. There's little question that to have balance there needs to be pragmatic side to a romantic relationship, and a romantic side to a relationship initiated by pragmatic decisions. I've seen very happy couples who's love has grown from seemingly pragmatic decisions, as well as relationships crumble which began from a whirlwind of romance. And vica versa...
The underlying question: Is love given or is it grown? Naturally there needs to be growth, and we should do things to nurture our love for another, but what is actually in the initial seed of true love? Is it's main component romantic or pragmatic? And is the answer that simple?
Back to the story. Here was a romance and 'true love' overcome by fear. In the interim she married, was the love pragmatic or romantic we don't know. Yet, when she found her lost 'true love' after 50 years, her first reaction was to run away. Why did she want to run? Isn't 'true love' supposed to drive away all fear?
Pragmatic decisions can also be driven by fear. Fear of being alone, fear of not starting a family at the 'right age', or a fear of never finding 'true love' again may drive us to make pragmatic choices, which if unwisely made can lead to disaster.
Yet this 'true love' brought her back after 50 years. She needed to overcome a fear to make this journey and only when that fear had been adressed could love can grow and be 'perfected' in her life. It is not 'true love which drives away fear, but 'perfect love' which drives away all fear. And perfecting love takes work, time and definately courage.
So, is the seed of 'true love' more pragmatic or romantic? Though i tend to be more of a romantic, perhaps it's best i leave this question unaswered for now. What i do know is that we need to live, learn, and love wherever our journey takes us. And as we live and learn, i pray we would have the courage to find love and not be driven to or from it by fear.
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