The amazing human brain

Believe it or not, I am just now beginning to appreciate the capacity of the human brain.  How many times have we been told over the years - "we only use about 10% of our brain" or something like that.  And you just nod and say, "yeah, I can believe that" and then move on to the next thought ... never really considering what that really means.

Oh sure, you think, "Well, what on earth would we use that other 90% for anyway?"  Maybe we are meant to use it to levitate things or conceive of wild theories of space travel or spiritual healing.  That's just our brain, slacking off.

Yep, our brains are slackers.  That's why we only use a fraction of them.  If we really worked those puppies out like they need to be exercised, you can only imagine the wonderful things, powerful things, that it would be able to do. 

Some of the greatest thinkers of the modern era, including Albert Einstein, studied and theorized about some very interesting and revolutionary things that involve the mind.  I think that we get the impression that scientists just deal with theoretical and science application - you know, splitting atoms and the like.  However, the quantum mechanics have a very relevant relationship with our everyday lives and how we perceive and function in the world.

Like I mentioned before, I am just know beginning to get a glimpse of this truly out-of-the-box thinking.  These kinds of theories and applications are far beyond what we would study in traditional school and in my experience, not a lot of people really consider thinking differently when it comes to self-discipline and achievement.  And most people don't even know about these principles.

I will share more in time.  This topic deserves more than just a 10 minute exercise.  Additionally, I have much more to learn and I would like to actually put into practice what I'm learning in order to give it a real fair assessment before telling others about it.

So more later....

If I've never properly thanked you ...

... please accept my apology.  Not to dwell on my shortcomings, but I've been known to take things for granted. 

If there is anyone on this earth who is more blessed and fortunate than myself, I am hard-pressed to find them.  I have incredible parents and grew up in a wonderful place, happily isolated from the really icky things in the world.  I've got some terrific extended family and friends of the family that have been solid and supportive to this day. 

I owe that to my great parents, for whom people would do just about anything.  It's a testament to their loyalty and faithfulness as friends to others.  If you think that I'm generous and willing to serve, then you can say that I'm merely a reflection of the generosity and willingness to serve that were modeled by my parents and many others who were influential during my formative years.

If I were determined to spend the time to seek out and properly thank all of those who have been supportive and great examples to me, I'd have to take at least a year sabbatical.  "The Year of Thankfulness" doesn't sound like a bad idea.

In the meantime, perhaps I can just turn over a new leaf and make a better effort to show my gratitude in the here and now.  Send notes and gifts, perhaps?  Be quick to express it and be sincere, certainly.  Be mindful and make a concentrated effort to not take anything for granted.

So thank you for being a good example, for listening, for not judging, for being generous with your time and treasure, for being there.  Please know that it is appreciated.

Faffing

It wasn't until I worked with a Brit before I knew the definition or even heard the word, for that matter.  It could've easily been mistaken for a more vulgar "F" word.  And as Americans are prone to do, one could think the worst - it MUST mean something bad.

In a certain sense, "f-ing around" does have a similar meaning to "faffing about."  Just for the sake of accuracy (or as much accuracy as one could find by researching using the internet), I found numerous definitions and even an etymology of "faff."

The best that I found was this:
"Faffing – The art of doing something without achieving anything”

 Credit to Steven Aitchison from an article on Lifehack.org.  It's a good one - check it out:

5 Ways to get out of faffing mode

Apparently it's one that I need.  I am a veteran faffer.  I actually have to put on my "to do" list to NOT faff.  Or at least budget less time dedicated to faffing.  (For example, two hours or less.)

It seems that the "faff trap" occurs when there is something that is more daunting than I'm willing to undertake.  Thus, I while away my time in "faff mode" because I don't want to face what is perceived to be an enormous/impossible/drudgery-filled/tedious/grueling (you name the adjective) task.  And once I click off the faff, and set out to accomplish what I SHOULD be doing in the first place, it turns out that the task wasn't so bad after all. 

So in a way, the faffing is just warm up for the main event.  As long as I resist the urge to let the faffing take over and dominate my daily schedule and overrule the action items that I must complete, then a little faffing may be permissible. 

At least I won't waste any time worrying about it.

Back in the saddle

I fell off a horse once.  Lucky for me I landed on my sister.  Not so lucky for her though.  Without the extreme pain, it wasn't so bad to get back on the horse again and continue to ride. 

I've fallen off a bicycle too.  A few times, actually.  And the pain again wasn't so bad that I couldn't get back on the bike and ride.  The memory of the pain faded much more quickly and did not override the pleasure of riding. 

So I've fallen off of the progress wagon over the past week.  I was doing fairly well with the commitment to spend ten minutes or more writing.  As you may have noticed, the content is not so important.  It's more about the habit and conditioning that muscle. 

For someone who used to write daily, that is one muscle that has long been dormant.  So I'm not expecting miracles - that I'll instantly be the consummate writer, with creativity and inspiration flowing from every pore.  Ha. I would just like to reignite that passion for writing again.  I miss being able to express myself in that way and doing it with ease. 

Since that time, so much has changed.  For one, I am no longer the whiny young person whose so-called love life was a disaster ... at least in my eyes.  The whiny girl who acted as if the world revolved around the calamity of love lost and BFF betrayal.  (Actually, I really didn't have a BFF back then, which is probably why I turned to writing to a journal - "whoever" was whom I addressed at the time.)

So now I have a husband - of twenty-five years, I am proud to say - and I've accomplished a few things and spent some time learning about the world around me over the thirty-odd years since the journaling days.  I'm sure that the tone of the writing will have changed in that time.  At least the content is not so "emo" anymore. 

So maybe I'll spend some time drawing on the experiences I've had.  Or I can share insights that I've acquired through that experience.  Or maybe just humorous observations.  If anyone can find some value from it, that will make me happy.  I just want to help.

Some things that are worthy of praise

Just to reflect on a positive note this evening... here are some things that I think are just swell.  If you're unfamiliar or haven't considered any of these, then I would highly recommend that you check into them right away because you don't know what you're missing.

- Flan (or any custard, for that matter)  No need for explanation here.

- A swimming pool with a water temp of around 85 F - cool enough to be refreshing, warm enough to jump right in without having to "get used to it."

-  Rottweiler dogs - pretty smart, protective, strong, loyal, total clowns.  (I think dogs in general are pretty cool.  Even the little yappy ones.)

- The Georgian sky - there is nothing like looking up on a clear, bright day and noticing how absolutely blue and beautiful the sky is.  Set against the dark green of the countless pine trees, the sky in Georgia never ceases to take my breath away.

- Mountains - speaking of breathtaking beauty, I just love mountains.  You know how you are either a beach person or a mountain person? (sure, you can love both, but everyone loves one just a LITTLE BIT more than the other...)  Well, I am a mountain person, especially vistas and views.  Nothing like it.  You really get a glimpse of how grand and beautiful this earth really is and come to a much greater appreciation for God's creation.  As a friend once put it, being on the top of a mountain helps you feel closer to God.  I couldn't agree more.

- Anything fried - aside from the fact that I love food in general, fried food is my guilty pleasure.  If it can withstand hot oil, it should be fried.  Coated, batter-dipped and fried is a totally under-appreciated art form.

That is just to name a few.  There are many more and I will explore this thread at some other time.  I'd love to hear what others may wish to laud for whatever reason.  The world is too full of wonderful things to not take a moment to show appreciation by telling others about our likes and loves.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to camp I go...

Well, tomorrow at the 'butt crack' of dawn, I am heading to girls' camp.  This will be my fourth year in my adult years.  I went for about six years when I was 12 to 18 years old.  There were good times and some not so good times, but overall, I have good memories of girls' camp.

Now as a leader, I get to put my stamp on the experience for younger girls.  I'd like for them to learn some really important skills that they may find useful at the most unexpected moment.  I would also like for the girls to appreciate the beauty and majesty of God's grand creation called Earth.  Nature is simple and complex, awesome and inspiring.  Sometimes we just don't take the time to notice it.

Okay, yes the spiritual side of it is important too.  My big beef as a kid was that it was a little too "in your face" and that it was not an opportunity to discover our own spirituality.  Too rote, too pat.  That's just not me and it took me a while to come to grips with my resentment.  I hope that I can be a positive influence without being pushy or over-the-top. 

Lastly, I just hope that the girls have fun.  Singing, cracking jokes, playing games, doing skits and being just plain silly.  This is the place for just that ... no make up, no pretenses, no putting on airs.  At least, not in theory.  Sometimes it takes a minute to get that point across.  Along those lines, I also hope that there is no drama.  Get over yourself, get along with one another and just chillax.

So off to camp I go.  See you at the end of the week.  After a hot shower and a nap, of course.

Extolling the virtues of Western civilization

I just happened to catch a program on PBS this evening that outlined the six "killer apps" of Western civilization. 

1. Political competition
2. Democracy
3. Science
4. Medicine
5. Consumerism
6. Work ethic
(I think that Rule of Law and Private Property Rights were somewhere in there too, just not sure how they were included.)

So this may not be exactly what was explained, because I caught the tail end of the program and I might have missed something in there. 

What caught my attention was how China is quickly adopting many of those apps, although it is still controlled by communist rule.  They even pointed out how China is anticipated to become over 30 percent Christian in the next X number of years.

Which led to the film maker's next point - how we have lost faith.  The narrator said that we don't even have faith in ourselves, much less, God.  He then went on to point out how the rest of the world has adopted OUR killer apps - democracy in Peru, science in Arabia, medicine in Africa, consumerism in Turkey, and so on. 

However, the last point he made, as he stood overlooking the smog-enshrouded Shanghai, was that the West still had all of the apps.  And while the West wasn't perfect, it was still the best, primarily because he had the freedom to think that and say that.

I am thankful every day for where and when I was born.  I am truly blessed.  It was good to have a reminder.