The Downside of Blinking

Blinking must be important or we wouldn't do it automatically.  If it were less vital, I suppose our body would leave it to our conscious mind - sort of like saying, "Blink when you get around to it."  But it's not up to us.  Automatic responses are our body's way of saying, "I don't trust you to do the right thing."

So we blink.

However, there is a downside to this phenomena; in spite of the high priority our body gives to it.

When we blink, there is always a chance that we will miss something important.

This seemingly ridiculous topic occurred to me this morning as I considered how rapidly the world is changing and how that rapid change is affecting me directly.

I have been doing the same job for the last 20 years.  I have been married for the last five years but with the same woman, under the same circumstances for the last 14 years.  She lives in Hungary and I live in California.  We are next door neighbors really, if you are measuring distances in light years.

Anyway, in the last 3 months, our company has started offering Webinars.  The idea is that instead of traveling, I get to sit behind my desk.  I like this idea, although it has yet to catch on with our clients.  There are some growing pains and when they are ready, I will be ready.

We are also starting to offer software.  This is software that helps companies manage their workforce using SMS, emails, telephones and social networks.  People say when they want to work and the company looks at what they need.  The software does the rest.  Pretty cool.

Back to the wife.  We video conference for about 45 minutes every day on Skype.  When I get a haircut, she knows about it.  I also talk to her at work from my computer to her desk.  For the privilege of calling any land line in the world from my computer for 12 months, I pay $132.  Here is the deal - the quality is better than if I were using a land line or cell phone.  I can also call cell phones but that costs $.17 a minute (to anywhere in the world).  So, when I call cell phones, I use my own cell phone.  This saves me about $1,500 a year in telephone charges.

I get frustrated with things like politics so what can I do?  I set up a blog, this blog.  It is part of my daily to-do list to write something here.  I call it my "rant and rave" blog.  Although, I seem to be ranting and raving less lately.

I want to publish a book that is just about finished.  Do I need to go find an agent and get a publisher?  I suppose I could if I were completely clueless.  No, I can self publish and self promote over the internet with very little financial risk.  An agent/publisher is just a middleman that no longer offers any benefit unless you consider sharing your pie with them a benefit.

I am going to coach freestyle wrestling this summer.  This is a style of wrestling I am not overly familiar with.  What do I do?  I go to Youtube and start watching instructional videos.

Speaking of Youtube, I got pissed at Sears for failing to give me a promised rebate.  What did I do?  I made a youtube video and sent a link to Sears.

Northwest wasn't going to give me an $1,800 refund.  What did I do?  I bought the domain name www.Northworst.net and told Northwest I would tell the world.  I gave them 4 hours to reconsider and I got my money in 20 minutes.

Things are changing so fast, if you blink, you may miss something.  How we work, communicate, play and complain are all in a state of flux.  I love it.

I have not yet joined the world of Apps.  I must have blinked.

Try www.worldgratitudelist.com  Leave a list.  Read a list.  Be happy.

j

A Tale of Two Boys

Bobby and Jerry were both eleven years old.  They were great students and very popular with the other kids at school.  Both of their parents were very proud of their sons.  Whenever they looked at them, they saw only the best.  When anyone looked at them, they saw two kids that loved life and were infectiously fun to be around.

Then one day, the school decided to hold an election.  By the time the nominations were over, Bobby and Jerry were both up for the job.  No one was surprised.  Everyone was pleased by the choice for the final run off.  After all, no matter which one won, everyone knew their elected leader would do a great job.

Both boys were excited about the election.

A few days before the election, the school newspaper interviewed each boy.  Bobby said he would extend recess if elected.  Jerry promised better food in the cafeteria.  Their positions were published and the students began to discuss the merits of better food vs. longer recesses.

It quickly became apparent that recess was a bigger issue.  While Jerry agreed with Bobby, he couldn't let anyone know because that would be like supporting Bobby.  So Jerry made a poster that said "Bobby wants longer recesses and thinks desert at lunch should be taken away."  Bobby quickly made another poster that said, "Jerry wants more vegetables at lunch and thinks we should have mandatory study hall during breaks instead of recess."

Jerry's next poster said, "Bobby picks his nose."

Bobby responded with, "Jerry kissed a girl last summer."

Jerry -> "Bobby throws a ball like a girl"

Bobby -> "Jerry likes math."

This went on for a while.  In the mean time, a new kid came to school.  His family had just moved in from out of town.  When he saw what was going on, this 10-year-old asked, "Why are they arguing? Why are they putting each other down.  Why don't they tell us why they are a better choice than the other rather than why the other is a worse choice than themselves."

The response was, "Because that is what the adults taught us to do when we want win."

I recommend www.worldgratitudelist.com.  Leave a list.  Read a list.  Be happy.