Food for Thought

Check this out. The statistics are staggering.

Sick Saturday

I've caught a horrible cold. I have been spending the day recuperating, reading, listening to some podcasts, and sleeping. It's funny how the body lets you know what it needs. Yuck. I'm over this already. The upside is that I get to catch up on some media consumption.

I saw a fantastic movie last night with Betsy. It's called The Illusionist. I highly recommend it. It's quite a unique film in my opinion. It got me. Tonight we're going to see Hollywoodland.

I just found out that Brad Delp, the amazing-voiced singer for Boston, was found dead in his home yesterday afternoon. R.I.P. Brad.

The private pain we all possess.

We laugh

We cry

We’re scared to death

Throwaway Treasures

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly."
Thomas Paine
US patriot & political philosopher (1737 - 1809)

The things we get too easily are seldom cherished as the things which we work hard or struggle to obtain. The thing, apparently, is in the doing. The becoming is in the being. They are intertwined. The road less traveled is the pathway to where we want to be. It is indeed the narrow gate. It is indeed the eye of the needle. It is apparently designed that way for a reason. That reason is growth of the person; development of the soul. Becoming, in so many ways, whom we wish to become, and accomplishing the things closest to our hearts. I have been thinking on such things lately. I have been thinking about what may be my throwaway treasures, and what things have lasting value. Treasures at the very core of my heart. Treasures that will last. At the end of the day, what will not be chaff? What will not be burned away? It behooves me to consider these things in this Lenten season.

I often think (fantasize) about winning the Lotto. Quite a life-changer, no doubt. But at what cost? We all know of the benefits of such a windfall, but when you get in to super-large numbers, the mind rebels at considering the drawbacks (the rich young ruler sadly walking away from the Lord).

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to be the guinea pig in that experiment. I'm just contemplating this stuff. I wonder how something like that would change my heart. It would be a lie for me to say that things would not change in many ways. But I am talking about the fundamental part of me. How would that be impacted? Would winning the lotto feel different than earning a fortune by the sweat of one's brow? No doubt. But would the results be the same? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

It's good for me to think on these things.