Usually if someone asks me how my flight was, I have something to say. Weather
delayed things, some plane troubles delayed things, whatever. But this time I actually got to my destination on time. Nothing unusual happened, which is maybe why I was more attuned to the things that were usual.
I assume because I don't assign myself a seat when I buy my plane tickets, I am always in the last group to board the plane, which gives me no incentive to change now. Who wants to board first? I like boarding last. I can take more time to get my suitcase in the overhead compartment without people waiting behind me. I don't have to deal with people crawling over me to get in their seats. And nobody wants to sit on that plane any longer than they have to, right? I think that's evident when everyone immediately stands as soon as the plane arrives. If I was in first class, I would still board last. I don't care how comfortable those seats are.
Soon after I am the last to board, the flight attendants begin their safety instructions. I always feel bad at this point. No one is paying attention to them, but I feel like I should pay attention just to be polite, even though I've heard it plenty of times. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how to fasten the seat belt after all. But then they start talking about how slides will inflight on the sides of the plane in case we need to evacuate. Pull on the straps to tighten your air masks. You can use your seat as a flotation device. Can we all just stop for a moment to imagine the situation we'd be in if we actually needed to know this? Instead everyone's playing Fruit Ninja and reading those flight magazines. What if something happened and we actually went down? I wouldn't want to be the panicking fool who, while the plane is diving into the ocean, yells, "Did they say we have a flotation device? Where?!" Wouldn't it be frustrating to be a flight attendant in a situation like that? You'd want to save your own life, but you wouldn't want all these people who seemed to know everything an hour ago while you were giving instruction to suffocate because they can't figure out how to tighten their air masks. Why don't you consult your ipad for the answer now, pal?
But of course, nothing like that happened. We landed safely and our pilot says, "I hope you enjoyed your flight." Does anyone ever enjoy a flight? I mean, maybe the first time you fly it can be kind of exciting. But I still don't hear anyone complaining, "Awww, we're down already? Let's do it again!" I think a more realistic phrase to say would be, "I hope you tolerated your flight today. I hope you didn't throw up or lock yourself in the bathroom. I hope your neighbors were friendly and the free orange juice met your standards. I hope you will tolerate us again in the future."
Not like I have much of a choice. To this day, every airline I've taken for national flights is exactly the same. There's not much space. The food is really expensive. Meh. I flew on Sun Country this time for a change (because it was the cheapest) and they had these cool ipad things with movies and games you could borrow. I thought they were free for a second, but of course they weren't. Dang it Sun Country, you almost beat the competition. Honestly, I don't think it would be that hard to one-up your competition in this field. You offer real free food, I'm sold. Hand out FREE cool ipad things, I'm there. I probably wouldn't pay extra for a ticket, but that's just me. I would definitely pick you over whoever else if two flights were the same price though.
In the end, I made it back in Minnesota! It sure is nice to have people agree with me that it's hot and bright outside. I guess by people I mean my sister Cindy. These last two days I have been constantly amused that what she says out-loud coincides with what I'm thinking most of the time. We both are equally excited about her giant colorful caterpillar named Leonerd and her quacking duck named Howie. We go to Kohls and have the same sense of what's nice and what's ugly. Being with family makes me feel normal again. It's quite refreshing.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
I Want to be a Superhero
No, seriously, I do. And don't lie. You do too.
This past Halloween I saw a lot of little boys dressed up as superheros (especially Captain America. Dang is he cool). And I'm jealous; seriously I am. I've always wanted to be a superhero, though sometimes I was convinced that this desire is the product of watching too many superhero movies, playing too many video games, and reading the 56 book series of Animorphs (actually its more like 66 with all the side stories). But even though those influences aren't as strong in my life as they used to be, I still really want to be a superhero. More now than when I was a kid. I have four reasons why.
1. Cool superpowers or technology
Wouldn't this fun? How cool would it be to fly, turn into animals, have super strength... talk about handy. Can't reach that nasty top shelf on top of the fridge? Fly on up there. Dropped your phone between your bed and the wall and can't fit your hand in between? Turn in a mouse and retrieve it. Need to move your furniture? Done. I imagine after a while, it would be very isolating to have some kind of power no one else had. People might be all impressed at first, but eventually jealously would set in, not to mention it would be very difficult to stay humble. I'm sure once people knew what you could do, they would ask for you assistance in everything too. Some would probably considered you a freak. That is providing you tell people what you can do. So hiding is an option, I guess, but that would be so isolating. Okay, so scratch the cool superpowers thing. I actually only have three reasons.
2. Life is so much more exciting as a superhero
The majority of my life so far has involved class, homework, work on a farm or other job, hanging out with friends, family, watching movies, reading, writing whatever. I feel like I have prided myself in proclaiming that I am never bored. Which is true; I never am bored on an earthly level. I always find a book to read or a nap to take. But occasionally an overwhelming sense of boredom will hit me. My thoughts will be something like, "God, I do not care about school. I do not care about getting a job. That pattern of life is so lame. I want to travel around the world! I want to go save lives! I want to DO stuff! Settle down? Bah!" Then again, what kind of security is that? I think of Spiderman sneaking out at night to fight crime. I think that would be cool twice. The first time because of the rush you get. The second time because of the feeling of accomplishment. But after the third time, exhaustion would kick in and so would bitterness. Like the quote from The Incredibles, "I just cleaned up this mess. Can you keep it clean for ten minutes?" Yeah, so just kidding. I like sleep way too much. Scratch point number two.
3. Secret Identity
Oh yeah, talk about the wild side of life. Can you imagine? Living a double life as a secret agent? No one knowing your true self? Knowing that if anyone found out who you were (especially those closest to you), they would be in danger? Uh, talk about miserable. I'm not even going to try to make that sound appealing. I think I have enough stress in my life already, thank you. And let's be real, I would still have to live a normal life on top of my midnight rescues. I would just have to pretend I was getting sleep at night. Talk about terrible.
4. Self-sacrifice
So as much as it would utterly suck to be a superhero, I would love to be LIKE a superhero. Because they will give up anything. Their jobs, their time to themselves and family, their lives. The limits to their sacrifice seem extended beyond anything I would be asked to do. And if I was asked to give up my job or my house or whatever... shoot, could I do it? I like to think I would, I like to think everyone on this planet would, but the truth is, I don't know if we're ready for that yet. How often do we claim things for ourselves, calling for "shotgun" and grabbing the first piece of cake instead of offering those things first? How often do we know our presence is desired but because no one asked, we conveniently don't enter the room? How well do we know just how to form our words to get what we want without anyone knowing that we're being manipulative (not even ourselves sometimes)?
We all have limits as human beings, but what if each of us sacrificed just one more little thing in our day for the sake of someone else? An extra five minutes at meal time to spend with our family? Doing a chore that is normally not your job to do? A friendly hello to someone new at church, or someone you see everyday but have never spoken to?
Because the truth is, we're all already superheroes. We just have to choose that path. And the best thing about it are that we can choose how we serve. If we could fly, that would be the service people would ask from you, forgetting everything else about you that makes you you. In our normal lives, we can develop any skills we want and offer our services in anyway we want. And for the most part, we can serve within the comfort of our own lives and our own identity! Talk about convenient! So long as we serve. Where would this world be without it? Where could this world be with more?
If it helps, there is nothing wrong with wearing a mask or a weird hat as you do what you do. Yes, I am wearing a weird hat right as I write this. Actually, it's not a hat, but it could be.
This past Halloween I saw a lot of little boys dressed up as superheros (especially Captain America. Dang is he cool). And I'm jealous; seriously I am. I've always wanted to be a superhero, though sometimes I was convinced that this desire is the product of watching too many superhero movies, playing too many video games, and reading the 56 book series of Animorphs (actually its more like 66 with all the side stories). But even though those influences aren't as strong in my life as they used to be, I still really want to be a superhero. More now than when I was a kid. I have four reasons why.
1. Cool superpowers or technology
Wouldn't this fun? How cool would it be to fly, turn into animals, have super strength... talk about handy. Can't reach that nasty top shelf on top of the fridge? Fly on up there. Dropped your phone between your bed and the wall and can't fit your hand in between? Turn in a mouse and retrieve it. Need to move your furniture? Done. I imagine after a while, it would be very isolating to have some kind of power no one else had. People might be all impressed at first, but eventually jealously would set in, not to mention it would be very difficult to stay humble. I'm sure once people knew what you could do, they would ask for you assistance in everything too. Some would probably considered you a freak. That is providing you tell people what you can do. So hiding is an option, I guess, but that would be so isolating. Okay, so scratch the cool superpowers thing. I actually only have three reasons.
2. Life is so much more exciting as a superhero
The majority of my life so far has involved class, homework, work on a farm or other job, hanging out with friends, family, watching movies, reading, writing whatever. I feel like I have prided myself in proclaiming that I am never bored. Which is true; I never am bored on an earthly level. I always find a book to read or a nap to take. But occasionally an overwhelming sense of boredom will hit me. My thoughts will be something like, "God, I do not care about school. I do not care about getting a job. That pattern of life is so lame. I want to travel around the world! I want to go save lives! I want to DO stuff! Settle down? Bah!" Then again, what kind of security is that? I think of Spiderman sneaking out at night to fight crime. I think that would be cool twice. The first time because of the rush you get. The second time because of the feeling of accomplishment. But after the third time, exhaustion would kick in and so would bitterness. Like the quote from The Incredibles, "I just cleaned up this mess. Can you keep it clean for ten minutes?" Yeah, so just kidding. I like sleep way too much. Scratch point number two.
3. Secret Identity
Oh yeah, talk about the wild side of life. Can you imagine? Living a double life as a secret agent? No one knowing your true self? Knowing that if anyone found out who you were (especially those closest to you), they would be in danger? Uh, talk about miserable. I'm not even going to try to make that sound appealing. I think I have enough stress in my life already, thank you. And let's be real, I would still have to live a normal life on top of my midnight rescues. I would just have to pretend I was getting sleep at night. Talk about terrible.
4. Self-sacrifice
So as much as it would utterly suck to be a superhero, I would love to be LIKE a superhero. Because they will give up anything. Their jobs, their time to themselves and family, their lives. The limits to their sacrifice seem extended beyond anything I would be asked to do. And if I was asked to give up my job or my house or whatever... shoot, could I do it? I like to think I would, I like to think everyone on this planet would, but the truth is, I don't know if we're ready for that yet. How often do we claim things for ourselves, calling for "shotgun" and grabbing the first piece of cake instead of offering those things first? How often do we know our presence is desired but because no one asked, we conveniently don't enter the room? How well do we know just how to form our words to get what we want without anyone knowing that we're being manipulative (not even ourselves sometimes)?
We all have limits as human beings, but what if each of us sacrificed just one more little thing in our day for the sake of someone else? An extra five minutes at meal time to spend with our family? Doing a chore that is normally not your job to do? A friendly hello to someone new at church, or someone you see everyday but have never spoken to?
Because the truth is, we're all already superheroes. We just have to choose that path. And the best thing about it are that we can choose how we serve. If we could fly, that would be the service people would ask from you, forgetting everything else about you that makes you you. In our normal lives, we can develop any skills we want and offer our services in anyway we want. And for the most part, we can serve within the comfort of our own lives and our own identity! Talk about convenient! So long as we serve. Where would this world be without it? Where could this world be with more?
If it helps, there is nothing wrong with wearing a mask or a weird hat as you do what you do. Yes, I am wearing a weird hat right as I write this. Actually, it's not a hat, but it could be.
God the Navigator
The material of this post probably isn't a new idea. Actually I know it isn't. After I developed my idea I googled, "God is like a GPS" and found lots of pages. But I like to think my explanation is better. :)
Life is like driving, and God is like the GPS. Most of the time, we know the path we need to go, to work, school, church... we remember the path. But it wasn't always this way. Somebody had to show us the first time we went to these places. And no matter how we live our life, there will always come days where we need to find a place we've never been to before.
If we've kept the GPS on our dashboard as we were learning to drive, we'll have no problem using it when these situations arise. If we have never used the GPS system up to this point, we might not know what to do with it at first. We might get impatient as it acquires satellites or lose trust in it all together as it directs us into a lake.
Tossing the GPS to the backseat, we believe we can find our own way or perhaps we reach for that atlas from 1997 back there somewhere. It's shoved so deeply into the driver's back seat pocket that chewed pencils, halves of combs, and a broken umbrella erupt from the pocket as we tug hard for this saving grace. So relived having found something actually reliable, we tear off the old sucker stuck to the back of it and begin peeling each individual page free of the mysterious sticky substance residing in between each page. All while still driving. Who has time to stop when we're already late? Besides, there's a chance we're already going in the right direction.
It might not be until our gas light comes on that we even realize how unreliable this old atlas is. We've lost track of how long we've been driving around lost in a false sense of security, convinced everything would work itself out all right. It might only be then that we finally stop, reach for the GPS again, and force ourselves to be patient enough for it to load the maps. Once the GPS points the way, the destination may seem far from reach, especially with the little gas and time we have. We may even despair and think we might as well have driven into that lake.
But the GPS can lead us anywhere, even a gas station. Even if we take a wrong turn, the GPS will always recalculate a new path for us. How we get to our destination is up to us, but God will always be there to navigate for us when we are lost.
I realize this metaphor is not without its flaws. Sometimes the GPS never acquires satellites or tells us to go in a direction that is clearly a lake. God doesn't lead us to our doom. But maybe there is a lesson here too. Maybe we're not supposed to go where we're driving right now. Maybe we're not ready for it yet. God could be taking care of us in a way we don't fully understand. But when the time is right, He will lead us, just as a GPS, so long as we don't toss Him in the backseat.
Life is like driving, and God is like the GPS. Most of the time, we know the path we need to go, to work, school, church... we remember the path. But it wasn't always this way. Somebody had to show us the first time we went to these places. And no matter how we live our life, there will always come days where we need to find a place we've never been to before.
If we've kept the GPS on our dashboard as we were learning to drive, we'll have no problem using it when these situations arise. If we have never used the GPS system up to this point, we might not know what to do with it at first. We might get impatient as it acquires satellites or lose trust in it all together as it directs us into a lake.
Tossing the GPS to the backseat, we believe we can find our own way or perhaps we reach for that atlas from 1997 back there somewhere. It's shoved so deeply into the driver's back seat pocket that chewed pencils, halves of combs, and a broken umbrella erupt from the pocket as we tug hard for this saving grace. So relived having found something actually reliable, we tear off the old sucker stuck to the back of it and begin peeling each individual page free of the mysterious sticky substance residing in between each page. All while still driving. Who has time to stop when we're already late? Besides, there's a chance we're already going in the right direction.
It might not be until our gas light comes on that we even realize how unreliable this old atlas is. We've lost track of how long we've been driving around lost in a false sense of security, convinced everything would work itself out all right. It might only be then that we finally stop, reach for the GPS again, and force ourselves to be patient enough for it to load the maps. Once the GPS points the way, the destination may seem far from reach, especially with the little gas and time we have. We may even despair and think we might as well have driven into that lake.
But the GPS can lead us anywhere, even a gas station. Even if we take a wrong turn, the GPS will always recalculate a new path for us. How we get to our destination is up to us, but God will always be there to navigate for us when we are lost.
I realize this metaphor is not without its flaws. Sometimes the GPS never acquires satellites or tells us to go in a direction that is clearly a lake. God doesn't lead us to our doom. But maybe there is a lesson here too. Maybe we're not supposed to go where we're driving right now. Maybe we're not ready for it yet. God could be taking care of us in a way we don't fully understand. But when the time is right, He will lead us, just as a GPS, so long as we don't toss Him in the backseat.
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