Musing

Hey Mark, Today's musing caught me preparing curriculum for the upcoming school year...almost time to go back. My teaching motto: Be prepared...but remain effectively opportunistic., Cheers, LR, Irvine

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Hi Mark, the thought I had from being prepared is from a situation point of view. we as individuals have our own reality, situation, life with the various quarks, idiosyncrasies, uniqueness and that dictates what being prepared means; ie. a lady has 15 different bags (she gave a speech on being a bag lady) each of which helps her be prepared, MC, ?

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Ah, but a duck only has to prepare for one basic thing - survival. It merely has to eat, avoid predation, fly south and reproduce. In the process of taking our lives beyond basic survival, we have complicated them to the extent that we battle priorities against a back drop of distractions. I too seem to be trying to keep up with what needs doing and consequently am not sure I am prepared for everything. Periodically I think I should simplify my life; purge things that aren't necessary. Unfortunately I like most of the things I do and I am unwilling to give them up. The things I don't like tend to fall into the category of things that have to be done whether I like them or not. The people I know who are most successful at handling the multitude of things they have to do are the ones who can totally focus on each task as they are doing it. They do one thing at a time and do it to completion….not sure we all have the ability or the luxury to be able to do this but it seems to be effective. Regarding your previous post; maybe its time we did..., it seems to tie in with this one. With so many personal level things to do who has the time or energy to devote to helping to solve world level issues. Also, as you pointed out the bigger issues are also extremely complex leaving the average individual unsure of what to do even if they have the resources. If I donate money to an African country to help Aids orphans, how can I be sure that my money isn't instead going to keep some corrupt political leader in power? While I might be appalled at logging in old growth forests in B.C. and protest in some form will this stop me from purchasing cedar when I need to build a fence? In other words my intention might be to be part of the solution but I may end up part of the problem either directly through my own choices or indirectly because of other's choices, BB, Calgary

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Mark - This mornings musing was particularly personal to me as we drive to our sons wedding in BC. Being prepared - for aging and passing of parents (mom passed away in april, she was 93); for the opportunity to make the most of family experiences and to contribute in the best way we can to our community. I don't often take the reflective time and it is difficult to keep thinking time. Your musings help with that thoughtful reflective process which helps me better handle the "just in time" process which often dominates life. Thank you, DH, Edmonton

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Good picture! Hey, I know I’ll see you for many hours on Saturday, but wanted to arrange a breakfast or coffee, need to pick your brain (and such a good brain it is!) Thank you for remembering my Special Day. You know I didn’t do much, went golfing 9 holes, was tired and cranky, did some shopping for groceries etc. and waited for my sweetie to come home from Vegas. Didn’t seem to take the time to contemplate life except to cherish my health and the reality of just how D____ed Lucky I am! Anyhoo, give me a call, KK, Calgary

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Hi Mark, Any chance you could change the phrase “skin the cat” to something else? You probably can guess that I am a “cat lover” and hate it when people use phrases about being abusive to animals, and especially when it is referring to my favorite feline friends. I hope you don’t mind the input, just some food for thought, RB, Calgary

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NO doubt about the importance of preparation, but remember that the universe will always put obstacles in our path to challenge us. Sometimes entering a room unprepared takes us to a new level as we scramble not to let others down and we discover just how clever and adept we are at sidestepping the fall from the pedestal on which others hold us. You might walk way thinking "whew, that was a close one" or impressing yourself with your savvy. Being too prepared may not allow us enough time to be open to the serendipity in life that can divert us down a new and interesting pathway. Me, hmmm, well I tried to be prepared, but if not, well, I will certainly give my best shot at winging it, SB, Calgary