Greatest gift ever!
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I remember Christmas of 1988, my parents bought me the Garth Brooks “no Fences” cassette tape. (for younger readers cassettes tapes are the predecessor to CD’s which were the predecessor to digital music) I was so ecstatic, I could have peed myself and not cared. It felt as though I was literally walking on air. I remember jumping and seeming to never touch down. At that moment it seemed as though “it was the greatest gift ever.”
That cassette has long since disappeared and I rarely listen to the songs from that album (I could still quote many of them though). As I have grown older, my idea of the greatest gift has changed drastically from that cute little ten old rejoicing over a simple cassette tape.
My favorite gifts now have an intrinsic value far below that $10 cassette tape. They are:
- A collage my wife gave me for a birthday present
The Great Smoky Mountains
- It is my daughter saying “love you daddy”
- It is a shared meal with a good friend or even potential friend
- It is a word of advice from wise counsel
- They are the beauty of Tennessee Mountains
- It is the vastness of the stars
- It is friends around a warm campfire
- It is the quiet time talking with God
The greatest gifts aren’t things that rust or decay; they are relationships with people and quiet moments observing the beauty of the universe. The gift of eternal life, bought and paid for by the Son of God.
What is your greatest gift ever?
Are you taking the time to enjoy those gifts?
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8 things I learned from Monty Python “Quest for the Holy Grail”
- African Swallows are non-migratory birds.
- However if they weren’t it is theoretically possible they could bring coconuts to England.
- If you build a Trojan rabbit don’t forget to be inside when you gift the rabbit.
- The second stage of the plan is extremely difficult if you aren’t inside.
- If you build your castle in a swamp and it sinks, don’t build in the same place.
- Sometime when you try and fail you should not try in the exact same manner.
- “Camelot is a rather silly place.”
- Why waste time there?
- Do more than say “I feel happy, I want to go for a walk!”
- Get up and walk if what you are saying is true.
- Strange women lying in ponds, distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
- It does make for a great campfire story though.
- Let’s not bicker and argue about who killed who. This is supposed to be a happy occasion.
- Don’t let minor details get in the way of more important opportunities.
- A good religion has armaments that can defeat evil deities or rabbits.
- What is the point of a powerless religion?
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Dancing, Programing, and Failing
A tale of two classes
I spent about 6 and half years getting my undergraduate degree. When I started my goal was to learn and experience new things. Determining the things I enjoyed and those which were better left for someone else to accomplish. During these years, I used my electives as an opportunity to experiment with subjects I didn’t know much about in hope to broaden and define my interests. During my 2nd year I took two electives that have had a profound impact on the man I have become.
CPT 175 “Intro to Visual Basic”
I desired to get a basic understanding of computer programming. It was a great time to take this course as two friends of mine from church were also taking the course. Both of them had a talent for computer programming, so I had a built in tutors. I finished the first assignment with Caleb’s and Andrew’s help and was thoroughly amazed by the amount of work it took to get a computer to do a simple task. The course quickly became more complicated I felt overwhelmed and frustrated. It was a life changing realization that this field was not the place for me, after 6 weeks I was so far behind I quit the course and began to focus on other things. I would never again try to spend a minute on computer programming. Anything I ever need that requires those set of skills would be outsourced to Andrew, Caleb, or someone with similar skills.
DANC 101 “Intro to Modern Dance”
I had begun dancing some on my own and found it enjoyable. I wanted to enhance my technique and skill as they seemed to be lacking. I am not a natural when it comes to following dance steps; dance for me has always been more of an outward expression of feelings and emotion expressed through movement. My teacher was amazing she
worked with me to teach me how to properly move my body, she spent weeks undoing years of unnatural habits I had developed. While I was a slow learner she saw something in me that was not easily observed from my failings in talent. She saw the emotion and passion I had when I danced and encouraged me to join the Purdue Repertory Dance Company.
Over the last 3 years of my college life I would spend many hours dancing and performing. I was consistently once of the slowest learners and constantly struggled with complex choreography. However, the dance professors saw the skills of stage presence, improvisation, and ability to partner well with other dancers. They focused on using these talents in the dance pieces I performed in, while working with me to develop underlying technique and footwork. Those are some of my greatest memories from college and were by far the most enjoyable classes during my college career.
Both of these courses were vital to my development
I don’t believe one was more important than the other. One revealed the importance of developing and expressing my creative side. The other revealed my disdain for highly detailed tasks that didn’t have engagement with people. These courses help develop a more complete picture of who I was created to be. This happened because I got out of my comfort zone and took two unrequired and strange courses. In the process, it developed a greater understanding of my personality, strengths, and weaknesses.
Questions for thought and comment:
- What have you done to step out of your comfort zone and try something new?
- Is there something you want to try but have been afraid to because you are scared you will fail?
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