Just Charlie

A digital commonplace for a Regular Guy called Charlie Pharis

Category: Thoughts (page 5 of 15)

August 13, 2014 / 0 Comments

I Thought About…

"thinking" by Riccardo Cereser https://flic.kr/p/bT2t4

“thinking” by Riccardo Cereser https://flic.kr/p/bT2t4

I thought about Robin Williams, and how all of us could be him. I could see how the pressures and difficulties of life – especially a very public life – could get the best of someone. I don’t think I could or would kill myself, but I can see it.

I thought about Hemingway and pencils, about a kid named Paco. I remembered the great opening sentence of “The Capital of the World,” and the hundreds of Pacos who showed up in Madrid to find forgiveness from their fathers. I remembered how John Maxwell telling that story made an impression on me.

But I had forgotten the second sentence:

But this Paco, who waited on table at the Pension Luarco, had no father to forgive him, nor anything for the father to forgive.

And that sentence made an impression, too. In fact, it left a mark for some reason. It made an impression because it seems in my limited experience, to be the epitome of a Hemingway sentence, true, direct, and to the point.

I thought about Barbara Brown Taylor. And I listened to part of her recent sermon at Second-Ponce. Again, I had the thought that while we probably wouldn’t see eye to eye theologically, she takes seriously the text of the Scripture. She doesn’t bring her outline into the pulpit, she talks the Word. She’s having a conversation, telling a story, engaging the text and the congregation. Her preaching probably wouldn’t pass the muster of most SBC preachers today. And it might not fit neatly with the therapeutic, life-event, felt-need teaching we have assumed to emulate.

I thought about Mt. Everest, and photography, and typefaces.

I thought about Anna and Andrew, and Mark and Alison.

I thought about extension cords and projector kits, color palettes and iPad connectors.

I thought about money, and the lack of it, and I thought about life and the brevity of it.

I thought about joy and how it seems to have long since left and is determined to stay away.

I thought about cursive handwriting and why mine is so illegible. I thought about sentences and words, and how I wouldn’t be able to decipher what I wrote in my notebook the day after I wrote it.

And I thought about quitting while I’m ahead, quitting while I’m behind, and dropping out of the race altogether.

I thought about a bunch of other things, but that’s enough for today.

July 29, 2014 / 0 Comments

Two Years Ago…

"Reflection," by Richo.Fan https://flic.kr/p/7v6eEk

“Reflection,” by Richo.Fan https://flic.kr/p/7v6eEk

Two years ago…

We were getting our financial heads above water for the first time in a long time. We had just refinanced our mortgage at a great rate. The only debt we had was our mortgage and our son’s truck (college graduation gift). We were giving generously, saving regularly, and spending wisely.

My family had just said goodbye to my mom, and we were helping Dad and each other adjust to her being gone.

The lovely and gracious MrsCharphar had just started at yet another school, having been transferred again. It was the closest to our home she had ever been.

Many in our nation were hoping for a new season of liberty and prosperity, as we looked forward to a presidential election.

All in all, things were looking pretty good.

But what a difference two years makes…

February 13, 2014 / 0 Comments

Snowed In: Day 3 (I Think)…

Fabulös & Korthuggen - Produkt Linus Ekenstam via Compfight

This is the third day (I think!) of our second major winter weather shutdown in three weeks (I think!).

It’s all running together. But I digress…

I’m not a fan of winter. I’m especially not a fan of winter weather shutdowns.  However, this winter weather shutdown has reminded me to be grateful for some things I usually take for granted.

Today, on Day 3, I’m grateful that we cooked on the grill on Monday, because we have dinner to last all week.

I’m grateful for free time. Even though I haven’t accomplished anything significant – and at times, felt guilty about it – a few days without any pressing obligations has been therapeutic. OK, maybe not really therapeutic, but it sounds good, and it has been good to be lazy.

I’m grateful for heat. I’m grateful for plenty of food and other assorted necessities.  I’m grateful for coffee, even though it’s on a rationed status now. I’m grateful for hot water. I’m grateful for this computer and that iPhone.

Most of all, I’m grateful that we have not lost power. I mentioned I’m not a fan of winter. I’m really glad and grateful we haven’t had to be holed up with no power,  no heat, no TV, no food, no coffee, and no Internet!

Power gives us something to do. It keeps us from going stir-crazy. It lets us keep up with the weather conditions and the condition of our friends and family in the weather.

I can deal with being stuck inside. I can appreciate not having to drive on icy streets. I can do all that a lot better with electricity.

Craig Ballantyne wrote a piece about the five steps to using a gratitude journal, and he lists Step One as listing your gratitude for “one big thing in your life.”

Today, on Day 3, my one big thing is uninterrupted power in the middle of a brutal winter.

What’s yours?

January 20, 2014 / 0 Comments

2014 Intentions…

On the Camino againCreative Commons License José Antonio Gil Martínez via Compfight 

Three weeks in, and I’m just getting around to my intentions for 2014. I quipped on Facebook that #1 would be  “Stop Procrastinating.”

Please note I didn’t say “resolutions.” I discovered a long time ago that “resolutions” don’t really work so well. You make unrealistic ones, and then when you fail early on, you pile guilt on top of the necessary changes. So let’s just say I’ve thought about some “intentions” for this year and leave it at that, shall we?

Anyway, these are not the only things I need to do/stop doing/change, but here’s a start…

  • Read the books currently on my Kindle. I love books. I consider myself a reader. It’s important! I love to find new books and have others recommend them. But I have plenty of books already on my shelves and my Kindle that are in various stages of unread. I need to finish them. I intend to start with the “almost-finished” ones currently on my Kindle as a launching pad for my reading plan in 2014.
  • Learn Adobe Photoshop. I don’t expect to become an expert. I just want to become proficient enough to use this powerful tool for improving our church media, my class materials, and any other digital imagery needs I have.
  • Learn Adobe Illustrator. See above.
  • Learn Adobe InDesign. See above again.
  • Write 300 words every day. I keep talking about wanting to write. And I keep coming up with excuses why I don’t. I know it has to become a habit. The only way it becomes a habit is to do it. Daily. I’m not sure how to estimate 300 words. (This post is currently at 277.) Jeff Goins, Guy Kawasaki, and many others say you have to be brutal about developing the habit. Starting today, I’m putting on my writer’s mask, and going for it! Some of those words will be in the old Moleskine. Others may be here in this space. I hope some will be compelling enough to end up on your must-read list!
  • Cultivate my LinkedIn account. I did a workshop on using it and other social media at a university career event last summer. I set up my own account but since then it has languished in disuse. I see the value. I need to take advantage of that and other tools.

That’s about it, so far. I wrote in my Moleskine that I intended to “use my daily time wisely.” I scratched through that line, because I knew it wasn’t specific enough to motivate me toward action. I need to make better use of the days, but I’m not sure how I’m going approach that task yet.

There are other areas I need to take intentional steps toward improvement. I see this year as a pilgrimage of sorts. The journey begins today. Let’s see where we end up! Buen camino!

January 11, 2014 / 0 Comments

Random Thoughts from a Rainy Morning Run…

bigstock-Single-Runner-Running-In-Rain-53652316

The lovely and gracious MrsCharphar and I head out for a run/walk every morning before daylight. She runs the whole way, while I do more interval training. At any rate, we end up running by ourselves together. It offers a great opportunity to listen to some great music, engaging podcasts, and random thoughts from my own mind and heart. Here are a few that were bouncing around in the rain this morning.

  • Fitness after 50? Funny, from where I stand, fitness after 50 is the same as fitness at any age: consistent healthy nutrition, an active lifestyle, regular intense training, and a positive mental attitude should do the trick. At  25 or 75. Or beyond.
  • Miles Davis, “All Blues.” When I played in the high school jazz band, I was afraid of improvisation. I thought great improvisation had to be ornate, complicated, and busy. But Miles’s solos (the others, too, but especially Miles) are spare, sparse, economical, and elegant. I like that, and I think that may be what makes Kind of Blue my favorite jazz album of all.
  • Like it or not, it seems our culture is being influenced by Buddhism and other Eastern thought. In some of my moments, I wonder exactly what is the fascination. At other times, though, I wonder what principles can translate to make what we do better. What frightens me is that we may diluting the very thing that makes Jesus-apprentices “Followers of The Way.” Maybe it’s not Buddhism per se. Maybe it’s the hodgepodge, cafeteria-style approach to spirituality that seems to be all the rage these days. This is indeed a different world in which we live.
  • What I like about Alton Brown, I think, is that he comes across as a regular person. I know his public persona may be a lot different from who he really is. But at least on the podcast, he seems ordinary. And he also seems like the guy who wants to learn a lot about a lot of things. He even shows his guests to be the kind of folks you’d like to have dinner or coffee with. Or a beer, if you’re into such things. Even Valerie Bertinelli!

 

February 9, 2013 / 0 Comments

Seems Like a Good Time to Work on That List…

(Image via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparkypics/1411327389/)

(Image via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparkypics/1411327389/)

The Bucket List, I mean.

In light of this morning’s random thoughts, all day long I’ve been thinking about what would go on that list. Fact is, I’ve thought about it along and along, but never really thought about it.

So far today, that list includes trains, baseball, and a symphony orchestra.

I’ll let you know how it turns out…

« Older posts Newer posts »

Archives