Experimental Update

As you know, I’ve been pondering the use of antiperspirants and deodorants lately and so I have conducted the first experiment.  I can summarize the results for you.

Epic fail.

It could have been worse.   But not much.

I used a product called CRYSTAL Body Deodorant.  It is advertised as a natural deodorant stick.  So to be clear it is not an antiperspirant.  This became quite clear in the 2:00 p.m. meeting I was leading when sweat had saturated my shirt to about the mid-point between my under arms and my waist.  I was saved in that the meeting was a small so it was not necessary for me to stand in the front of the room and point at anything.  That would have fallen into the “worse” category I mentioned above.  But since it wasn’t advertised as an antiperspirant the fact that I sweat like a race horse on game day does not constitute an epic fail.  It was, you guessed it, the odor.  It was better than if I simply hadn’t used anything at all.  For that I am grateful.  Still, no one accused me of bathing in rose petals.

And so I went back to my old master, Mitchum.  I’ll try another product soon.  When I get up the nerve.  I’ll keep you posted. 

Update – I found that the stick is made entirely of alum and is good as an aftershave treatment.  More about that in a future post. 

Of Texas and Texans

Recent travels have brought me into frequent contact with Texas and Texans. I've always loved the mystique surrounding the Lone Star State. As a boy I watched Westerns religiously and still do today. I've read the history of the Westward expansion and studied the history of raising cattle in America. Texas, of course, plays a significant role in all of those topics. But it is only recently that I have had so much exposure to the real Texas.

I've got to say...I'm impressed.

I like living in Michigan. Don't mis-understand. I like the weather (most of the time) and I love the lush woodlands, the marshes, and the Great Lakes. What strikes me about Texas, though, is the attitude. 

I was recently talking to some business associates. I made the suggestion that perhaps we utilize some government resources available to us. The room got quiet and the group squirmed in their seats. Finally someone tactfully spoke up and said "Well, I know what the owner of our company will say. He'll say 'I'll close this shop permanently before I'll let the government run my business.'"

I laughed heartily at that.

I think that very statement encapsulates what endears me to the people of Texas. How much better off we would be if the people of the United States thought (to use JFK's popular phrase) not of what their country could do for them, but of what they could do for their country. And how satisfying to think of a government that empowered its people to lead and not pay politicians to live a life of extravagance. Unfortunately our country is in a state of decline. I believe much of that decline is a direct result of a lack of accountability. It has become our expectation that someone else is responsible for taking care of us. Yet deep in the heart of Texas I find much of the opposite viewpoint.

Take their gun laws for instance.  The laws are much less restrictive than what we have in Michigan. In an informal poll I've been taking I have found that at least 75% of those I spoke to carry a fire arm. 75%!  Each one believed that it was not only his or her right to bear arms, it was their responsibility. In the minds of those I talked to it is their responsibility to care for themselves and those they love. I have watched videos shot in other states where the elderly were brutally beaten, by standers gawking at the scene, and not a hand raised to help the victim. I somehow cannot see that scene unfolding in a state where most folks carry firearms and aren't afraid to use them.

Our forefathers sought to create a county that was united in the Independence of their respective states.  Although in no way anarchists, they sought to limit the strength and over-arching dominance of a national government.  Sadly, today we beg for the intervention of the Federal Government.  If only we had listened to those who have gone before us.  Instead we have recreated the intrusive government entity that they fled from so many years to go.  Selfishly I look around and feel hemmed in.  Unlike the founding fathers I don't know where else to go.  Is there any undiscovered habitat in the world?    I'm fiercely proud of our American heritage and I am profoundly disappointed in what we are fast becoming. My heritage is comprised of European immigrants and Native Americans.  The need for freedom somehow flows in my blood.  The continued growth and dominance of a central government strikes fear in my heart.  Yet there is a glimmer of hope.  Texas has talked of seceding the union.  Hmmmm...there's something to think about.

Really, from the Austin music scene, the Dallas oil refineries, to the cattle ranches that dot the Texas landscape, the state has made a name for itself as being an example of "State's Rights" in the 21st century.  Heck, if they do end up seceding from the union, they may find the population grow by one family.

Oh, and by the way, did I mention that Chuck Norris lives somewhere near Houston?

Shackled by Must

I went to the Greenfield Village again over the Memorial Day holiday.  It was the Civil War Remembrance weekend.  I can't miss that!  As usual I got lost in thought and a yearning to finally understand simplicity.  This might be the real reason I like to go to Greenfield Village.  Maybe I really just like to get lost in the pre industrial age ponderings. 

As I was watching the re-enactors cooking their dinners over an open fire in the spring rain, I thought again that I am a man born out of time.  My joy would overflow if only I lived in a simpler time.  Yet as I allow that train of thought to take shape, I realize that being born into another time period would not give me the opportunity to appreciate that period.  Knowing me, no matter what period I was born into I would likely be looking to a time before that and longing for an even simpler way of life.

In fact, I realized that simple living starts with simple thinking.  It starts with a determination, a will, to live more simply.

But that's not so simple.

Here is the scene.  A man is rekindling a now damp fire in the rain.  His wife is stirring the pot and wiping the rain from her face with her apron.  Now, for just a moment forget about the fact that they are wearing civil war era clothing.  What are they doing that I could not do?  Notice I say "could" because, in fact, I would not stand in the rain....but I could.  And yet standing in the rain and cooking over an open fire, as much as it appeals to me, is in itself not simple living. 

Still, as I looked at the scene I have just described, I think it does point to something that feels a bit simpler.  The couple standing at the fire has given up a need to control their environment.  They have ceased dwell on the inclement weather.  Instead they have chosen to embrace the uncontrollable.  I wonder how often my complicated life has become complicated because I am trying to maintain control of everything.  It gets hot and humid so I retreat into the air conditioning, therefore I must have central air.  My stomach growls and I instantly reach for a snack therefore I must always have a snack close at hand.  I seek to be as comfortable as possible therefore I must maintain a good job and a high standard of living.  And with each "must" I shackle myself with complexity.

I know the scripture calls us to take dominion over the whole earth, to provide for our families, and God promises to meet our needs.  Still, I wonder what would happen if I made a list of "must's" and started letting go.  Maybe I'd begin to learn what real needs look like...and maybe life would be a little simpler.

Village People

It was another successful “Opening Day” at Greenfield Village.  For those who don’t live in this area, the Village was started by Henry Ford.  He brought in all sorts of historic buildings and created a living museum.  Click here to see more about it. 

It’s always hard for me when we go to opening day.  I take the day off work and we go, rain or shine.  Today it was wind…lots of it.  My favorite part is the Firestone Farm.  Yup, you recognized the name alright.  It’s the farm that Harvey Firestone, the tire magnet, grew up on.  Men in period dress use horses to plow fields.  They herd sheep, milk cows, feed chickens, and tend fields.  The women, again in period dress, make meals over a wood burning stove, wash clothes in a tub, plant gardens and preserve food of all sorts. 

It’s beautiful.

I walk away every year deep in somber thought.  It’s as though the entire scene is yelling to me that we, as a society, have moved in a direction that is not sustainable.  It’s funny that I would use that word.  Everything we read about today focuses on “sustainability” and yet, in the light of history, it is not actually sustainable.  Case in point:  there is a building near the front of the Village that reflects on the changes in farm equipment starting in the 18^th century.  We went from using horses to using horse powered machinery.  Then we moved into steam powered machinery and migrated to gas and electric powered machinery. 

Compare this to watching the gentlemen of the Village working the farm today.  They used draft horses to plow and harrow one of the fields.  The horses, being horses, spread fresh manure on the field.  A man walks behind them getting in his exercise for the day.  The horses do eat a lot of food, but then they also work to grow the food they will eat.  An added benefit is that, if you choose, they can breed their own progeny who will in due time take over the duties of the “older model”.

So where are we today?  Today we use dwindling fossil fuels to spread chemical fertilizers on our fields.  The farmer must then also take out a gym membership because he no longer walks anywhere…he rides.  And he must be sure to separate out a percentage of his income to set aside for the maintenance of the tractors.  I should also mention that he must also take out a percentage of that income to buy a new tractor once he wears out the “older model”.

I submit to you the two models.  Which is actually sustainable?

Purposeful Parenting

I had an opportunity to take my family to the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, OH.  It's an expensive weekend, but we had family give us money as a gift and my wife, whose spiritual gift if discount shopping, found a discount package on-line.  We had a blast!

If you don't know what the GWL is, it's an indoor waterpark resort.  They have restaurants, a spa, pool side bars, an arcade, etc. It's all available for an outrageous price.  But if you're like us, you take your own food and try not to spend a dime while you're there. 

In the water park, there are places that each family member will like.  Slow floating down a canal, high speeding up a roller coaster, and everything in between.  As we walked from section to section it struck me how many people were sitting on the pool side chairs, lounging, reading, drinking beer and such.  They were adults without any kids.

Or were they?

Further observation lead me to realize that they did in fact have children in the park...but the kids were playing by themselves.

How odd...

It never occurred to me to sit on the sidelines while the kids have fun.  I kept wondering what their kids would remember when they got older.  Would the kids remember a weekend away where they entertained themselves?  Would they remember a mom and/or dad who was present, but not engaged in the vacation?  In either case, what you have is two separate individuals entertaining themselves separately.  In many cases that I watched, the only interaction between parent and child was when the kids came up to "shore" to eat.  That was it.

As I thought about my own kids, screaming, splashing, laughing, and having the time of their lives, I knew right then that I would not be a sideline parent.  I made it my personal goal to ride every ride, swim in every pool, float in every canal, and do all of these with someone at my side.  And I did.  And then passed out after putting the kids to bed that night.

I think we've built into our culture the perceived need of having "me" time.  I'm sure you've heard that term, and maybe even used it.  But what is "me" time?  Is there a time when we should care for our needs to the exclusion of others?  Oh, I know (believe me, I know) you need some quiet time to yourself.  I know you need to relax every now and again.  I'm the same way.  Yet as I journey down this path of parenthood, I realize that if I am not purposeful in my parenting my children will be out of the house before I can blink.  Then it will be too late.

I have no idea who you are or what your circumstances are, but I know that you can be purposeful parent.  I know that you make choices that will impact your children in a positive way.  Don't just sit on the sidelines and let other people guide your children.  Don't be content to let your children experience life without you.  Purpose now that you will live life with them, not in spite of them. 

Make a plan.  If you haven't already done so, sit down and find the time in your schedule that can devote to engaging your children.  Find their interests and get them involved.  Give them opportunity to experience those things you want them to experience...just do it with them. 

Your time with your children it like the morning mist.  Soon it will be gone.  What can you do to let them know they are loved?