A Fresh Start
April 11th, 2010
A Fresh Start by Stan Weddle
With the hint of spring around the corner, I have the urge to begin cleaning and preparing for warm weather. It’s too wet and chilly to start serious yard work, so I’ve been straightening and cleaning indoors. I’ve been reviewing old files and notebooks to see what I can put in long term storage and what I can discard now. I found boxes of old notebooks and journals that I started years ago in which I faithfully wrote my thoughts and ideas and plans for a few weeks, or months, or days, and then abandoned. I suppose I got too busy to keep at the writing or some other reason. When I later decided to start again, instead of using an old book, I started in a fresh, new one. I suppose I didn’t want to see the reminder that I had failed to be persistent in the past. There is something about a new page that gives hope and excitement.
The beginning pages of several of the journals were very similar. I would lament my current feelings and status and list the things I planned to do to change my circumstances. Year after year I would list the same things because I had either failed to make the corrections in my life, or they were incomplete. Maybe the action I planned didn’t bring the result I expected. I never gave up in my desire for self improvement. I eventually made changes that have brought about a more satisfactory life. I began forgiving myself for being less than perfect. I allowed myself to have a fresh start.
I am still my harshest critic. I still expect a lot of myself. I truly am improving. The biggest change in my life came about when I became able to see that my own happiness and satisfaction came from within. Whatever others did, or didn’t do, was not responsible for my well-being. It is liberating for me, as well as others around me, that I can accept whatever happens as “just alright.” I’m still working on it, but I’m getting there.
I insist on keeping the commitments I make. I have overcome the old habit of being late for meetings and appointments. When I was younger, I scheduled far too many things every day. When I was running late from one appointment, I would call ahead and inform my next appointment that I would be late. Often I would have to cancel or reschedule. I was able to maintain a good relationship with my business associates, but it was stressful for everyone. I now have developed the habit of allowing plenty of time for driving. I usually arrive early enough that I can relax and prepare for whatever is on hand to do. I don’t see how I did it before.
Another important change is the acceptance that I have limitations. I can only work so many hours in a day. I accept that I can be happy with less. I don’t need to go everywhere and do everything or have everything. I try to do better with fewer activities. I have simplified my lifestyle and my activities. I have more satisfaction than when I was constantly busy. I plan to do even fewer things this year than last. I plan to enjoy it more. If that doesn’t keep me happy, I’ll make a fresh start. Of course, I’ll use a new notebook in which to write about it. I hope to continue to learn new ways to simplify and refine my habits so that I’m happier with myself and my life. I love spring. I love new beginnings. I love a fresh start.
Previously published in the Harper County Herald in my weekly column, I Wonder…, and published here with permission.
Filed under: Philosophy, Writing, personal responsibility, self-improvement | No Comments »
Bread or Beer?
April 10th, 2010
Bread or Beer? By Stan Weddle
I try to spend my time living in the present. I try to focus on the work at hand. The activities I’m currently working on include remodeling my house, running a real estate business, and writing. For the most part, I work alone on the remodeling work. I love the challenge of visualizing a completed project and performing all the varied tasks that bring it to the finished product. In the process of doing the work, I see ways of improving the end result by varying from the plans and adding special touches. It is all very satisfying.
The real estate business involves research; keeping familiar with market conditions, financing options, as well as developing new business opportunities. I spend time with real and potential clients. Especially now, with the many problems with the economy I have to think about daily changes and how they affect my clients and my business. I love the mix of duties. I find satisfaction in matching my clients housing needs with the right property.
Writing is my favorite activity. As a writer, I spend more time thinking about writing than actually writing. Although I write about real estate and construction, my favorite subjects are about what makes people who they are. In satisfying my curiosity for clues to how we got to the present, I read within a lot of different disciplines. Ancient history and archeology were among my favorite subjects in college. I am amazed with the advances that are being made in the study of early humans. More and more scientific specialties are involved in the quest to learn about our early ancestors.
I recently came across a couple of books by the author, Patrick McGovern: Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture and Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages. McGovern is a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Evidence shows that alcoholic beverages were produced and consumed at least as early as 9,000 years ago. This coincides with the timing of domestication of crops and building of civilizations. The author has developed the theory that the grain production and community building was no coincidence. He finds some reason to believe that alcohol played a big role in both. He suggests that beer, not bread was the major reason to grow and store grain. It is an interesting idea worth considering.
In any case, alcohol has played a significant role in the lives of people since that time. It was produced and consumed in almost all civilizations and cultures. Wine and other alcohol drinks were used recreationally, as well as in religious ceremonies and as medicine.
Archaeological studies of the earliest towns and cities reveal that religion and trade played major roles in daily life. The larger structures were used for religious ceremonies and functions and there are artifacts from far away regions. Labor became more specialized and cultures became more complex. People traded a simple lifestyle as hunter-gatherers for a complicated life with more and more goods were introduced. There is evidence that the majority of the goods produced and consumed were for the rulers and religious leaders, who were often the same people.
Much of what we know about ancient civilizations is from investigating the physical objects that were left behind by centuries of people, who lived and died without leaving a lasting record of their thoughts or activities. Their homes have long since become rubble, or decayed beyond recognition. Their activities are in evidence only from the discarded products of their labor. Writing developed and was limited to a few who learned the skill. Writing was most likely a specialty job for keeping business records. The lives of ordinary citizens weren’t a subject that seemed important to those who wrote or were directed to write.
The earliest forms of writing to survive were on hard surfaces of stone or clay. Later on, skins and paper were to writing surfaces that became common. Much of the world’s history has been lost because these records didn’t survive. Today, much of our writing is stored on electronic devices. With the widespread use of computers, millions of people are recording their daily thoughts and activities in journals and publishing their words on blogs and on online communities. People write about their everyday lives. They write about what they have for lunch. If these records survive, they can be studied by people whose lives are far removed from ours today.
I write for today and for the future. I hope that what I find important is important to others as well. My thoughts and daily activities may be similar to lots of other people, but are uniquely mine. It matters to me that I voice my thoughts and ideas.
Wouldn’t it be interesting to be able to read how an ancient ancestor selected a site for his home and the building methods he used? Wouldn’t you like to know how someone decided to move to a community so they could grow grain for bread or beer? I’d love to see the recipes for the ancient brews. I’d be very interested in knowing how a mother cared for her child in a distant time. I wonder…
This article was previously published in the Harper County Herald in my weekly column, I Wonder…, and reprinted with permission.
Filed under: History, Philosophy, Writing, civilization, culture | No Comments »
Making progress!
March 23rd, 2010
I have made significant progress this last week. I hung the drywall in the new room and taped and mudded most of it. I’ve worked on the electrical and data cable installation. I’m pleased with the way that the job is coming along. I’m pleased to be improving my skills as well.
I’m feeling stronger physical as well. Some shoulder pain from lifting the wall panels to the ceiling and from the deep push-ups I’m doing daily. I’m going for acupuncture tomorrow. That always helps relieve the pain and allows better flexibility. I was skeptical of it when I first started the therapy, but I feel like it has been effective.
I’ve gotten good feedback from my weekly articles in the Harper County Herald (Kansas). The column is titled, “I Wonder… .” It is a challenge to be having a deadline, but I’m getting the writing done earlier and not pushing the deadline. I’m very excited about the project. I plan to post the articles here in the future.
Small steps on a long journey. It’s happening.
Filed under: My Status, Writing | No Comments »