Hanging Up

Scanning a mixed batch of stuff with iPhone before recycling, I reviewed an old book on time management which applied to my business.  Sometime after 2010, I had tagged a page for my blog.  Challenges in life are different now, and with texting as my preference over phone calls, this applies even more:

“You can be efficient in handling your phone calls without being deficient in courtesy. Remember the ancient proverb: ‘Talk on the phone unto others as you would have them talk on the phone unto you.’ ... [Assume] we’re all very busy.”  I’d say, “Keep it short and succinct.”  (NOA Dictionary defines as “briefly and clearly expressed”.)

(... Time to Do It Right ... c.1990 by Jeffrey J. Mayer — apologies to the author for abbreviating his super-long title, and thanks for the helpful book.)

My wife Kay, “Wonder Woman” on (and off) the phone, learned it well at age 14 on a three-year mission in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  (Recall my “Talking to Strangers” 3/31/2014.)  Confession in contrast: at age 16, I was scared to death of phoning a girl for a date.  I’m sure my calls were painfully short, and my parents never counseled me to spend less time on our limited landline.

Hanging up on a fast mix of management advice and family history.

Razor Scooter a Kick

Upgrading from walking and longboard transportation to kick scooter this month, I received a Razor (ordered online) and got permission to park it at our senior activity center.  (Those electric scooters that nearly ran into me in Ogden are not for old men.  What’s the rush, anyway?)  Uphill rides are exercise.  Life on the downhill side is fun with gravity as a friend. 

What’s your favorite mode of transportation?  Get your kicks on a bike combined with FrontRunner?

Real Pictures?

A little girl walking with her dad in the church hall today stopped to look at a picture of a New Testament scene — a woman kneeling at the feet of Jesus.  She asked her dad, “Is this real?”  He replied, “No, it’s a painting.”  Her next question piqued my (language) interest: “But did it really happen?”  Realizing the different meaning of “real”, her dad clarified, “Yes, it happened when Jesus was helping a woman.”  The picture and others in the meetinghouse portray actual scenes and true events we read about in the Bible — for real. 

Having raised five children and 23 grandchildren, and taught Primary children for years, my wife Kay knows how smart the littlest ones are ... not far removed from Heaven.  As real children of God, we should be more like them in good ways ... with love.

Forward and Backward

A couple of chuckles helped me relax for a root canal treatment yesterday.  It was my choice to pay for the ordeal instead of a cheaper extraction.  I was privileged to save a tooth in a high-tech, first-class office close to home in Bountiful.  (One may Google for definition of endodontics.)

First challenge was the ubiquitous paperwork I was invited to go ahead and fill out.  The second stop was 3D imaging — impressive.  After the young woman unlocked my head, she said, “Go ahead and step back.”  That made me smile and kid her about inconsistency.  Next was the lounge chair we all love for dental work, where she said, hoping I’d hold the chuckles and smart remarks, “Go ahead and lean back.”

I give Wasatch five stars for rescuing my tooth, which helps me go forward with weight gain.  However, the warning to go ahead and not chew for two weeks until permanent filling, is a step backward in my case.  My wife Kay’s famous smoothies are the fast food I need now!  As the French say (translated), “Such is life.”  

Atmospheric Post

Some days I stop in wonder as enormous clouds dominate the sky over our Wasatch Mountains.  Storm clouds are most welcome in the current drought.  Some other days the wildfire haze is so bad the mountains disappear, and we are advised to stay indoors if we can’t stay healthy when breathing toxic air.  I have marveled as the sun turns bright orange in mid-day.

Last Monday, Classical 89 (BYU) radio described “an atmospheric piece” to be played.  I forget the title, but remember it created a mood that was nostalgic and romantic, matching the second definition of the word.  (Language of love hits home with Kay & me.)

What’s in your Cloud?

Rich writing re. Pioneer Trek

My 2nd-great-grandmother, Mary Ann Phelps Rich, recalled “the western trek”:

My husband [Charles C. Rich] fitted up his wagons and teams and we left Winter Quarters in June, 1847; he having been placed in charge of a company of one hundred wagons. We traveled to the Elkhorn River, here we had to wait until all had crossed the river, as we crossed on rafts, and Mr. Rich had to wait until they all got over so he could tie the raft and bring the rope with him. There was one young man by the name of Weatherby, who was killed by the Indians while we were here, he died in our tent.

We traveled two abreast the whole distance of the Platt[e] River, for greater safety. There were thousands of buffalo on every side, which the men would kill, so we had plenty of meat. There were also hundreds of Indians to be seen at frequent intervals all the time we were traveling up the Platt[e] River.

— Autobiography of Mary Ann Phelps Rich

found on history.churchofjesuschrist.org

Great-grandfather George Q. Cannon and siblings were also in that 2nd company led by Charles C. Rich.  My family and I are grateful for our pioneer heritage.  We honor the women, men, and children who endured the trek west “with faith in every footstep”.

Profound Effect of Time

Having finished scanning (digitizing) my sweetheart Kay’s Treasures of Truth (both heavy albums thru summer of 1970), I pause to ponder ... what it all means to our five children and me.

In her book Writing Your Life, Lou Stanek teaches, “Time has a profound effect on our emotions, understanding, and writing style.”  For example, she suggests a look back after seven years allows greater perspective than writing your feelings immediately after a car accident or family death.  (Nevertheless, my journal writing around the time of Kay’s passing is a precious link to remind me of God’s mercy and miracles since then.)

Encouraging the reader to find ideas for creating a memoir or novel, Stanek hits home with, “If you haven’t noticed the stories lurking in the family photograph album, you haven’t been paying attention.”  In my race to scan pictures, programs, and letters, I take short breaks to read and share, but fail to notice many lurking stories.  However, it is fun to see photos and names of Kay’s many boyfriends (and girlfriends, of course).  Oh, how love and time affect us both.  I could write a book!