Not much to say . . . but I'm sayin' it.

 It's that time.




The second year of college has fewer parental requirements, of us.  We went shopping for a reload of perishables, washed the last load of clothes, watched while he packed the car and waved as he drove away.

Admittedly, it was okay to let him drive away, an option that would not have been considered Freshman year.  The quiet, emptiness of the house is still difficult to get reaccustomed to.
I did shed a few tears cleaning his room.

 

The sewing room is intact and the machines will be humming before the weekend is up.  We'll be camping over the holiday, like last year, and expect to enjoy it more (due to less concern for him).

I'm thrilled he wants to continue as a guest blogger for our series "Inside the Uni, Outside the Classroom".  As the summer wanned he was anxious to return and I realize we will quickly embrace the enjoyment of returning to our own schedules.

From where we're standing it looks like it's going to be a great year.

 

Best wishes to all those starting a new year of school, work, retirement, adventure or just regular life.  God bless us, every one.

Five Senses of Summer

There are few people who, when asked, cannot recall specific memories of summer related to the five senses. 

The smell of grilling food is among the strongest for me.  We often will grill a large variety of meats that will be available for meals throughout the week.  Charcoal smoldering to the proper mound of ash brings and creates good memories.The smell of roasting meat is a favorite (even when it is not coming from my backyard). 

The color of the flowers I patiently plant each year are a favorite sight.

Crickets, preferably not in my house, are a true and pleasant sound of summer.

A feeling I don't mind so much as I get older is the heat of the summer sun.  It  could be as much from the artic blast of cold that gets cranked up on the inside of buildings but I enjoy walking out and absorbing the heat of summer.

The sweet taste of summer resides in the kernels of roasted corn on the cob.  Soak the corn, still in their husks, in water then place them on the grill.  Twenty three minutes later peel back the husk, slather on some butter, sprinkle over some salt and WOW!

What about summer tickles your senses?

pictures from: 



davidkrutpublishing.com
enchantedlearning.com
bbc.co.uk
tsgcookin.com

The Robust Pursuit of Happiness

Welcome L. as guest blogger speaking Inside the Uni Outside the Classroom.

There are days I fear for my profit driven generation.

Since the blossoming of American prosperity in the 1960s children have been fed the idea that they have a right to a quality of life that supersedes their parents.

 For a time this was correct. Where my grandparents were allowed the luxury of a dishwasher, microwave, and answering machine my parents have established a household with a flat screen television, DVR, laptop computer, cell phones and a number of amenities that extend beyond the necessities of life but rate as staples of the American household.

When I consider my future family home it looks very similar to that of my parent's. This can be a tough pill for some college graduates to swallow.

This is not solely our fault: many were brought up on the adage that a college degree would allow one to skip the “burger-flipping” stage of employment. Unfortunately, we are then chastised for not wanting to take the burger-flipping opportunity.

The solution, and reality, is we cannot continue with this business as usual. While a Philosophy degree may make for an interesting four years of study it does not provide an edge in a highly competitive job market where the need to drive the profit margin pushes for downsizing and outsourcing.

Having a college degree does not guarantee a “good” job or a better life. We need to accept that business driven initiatives do not protect our job market nor encourage companies to hire Americans.

This blunt reality hits at graduation. Times are hard, and will likely get harder.  Our economy is in a slump that cannot be remedied by either government party.  Government debt has little to do with how our economy runs but government expenditure does, which causes the job market to suffer.

Still, I fear for my classmates who dream of McMansions earned with their Business degree. We, as a nation, must make a paradigm shift and realize a more robust economy similar to Germany, who is an island of stability in the European Union. 
This robustness requires a brutal sense of self-honesty. We are not unique in the world, we are not God’s chosen people. If you are one in a million there are 1,354 copies of you in China plus an additional 1,214 in India.

A good life is not guaranteed. John Locke believed every human had a right to "life, liberty and property."  Jefferson saw the right to property as a delusion and changed the words in the Declaration of Independence to read "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." 
Shifting away from this entitlement thinking will change the way we deal, psychologically, with our economic prospects. If we accept that hardship is part of the cards we are dealt, at this time; realizing there is no right to a better path, will provide perspective.

As well, this might lead us to be thankful for the roof over our heads, the food in our bellies and the knowledge we live in a country where clean water is readily available.

pictures from: 
heartsandmindsbooks.com
newhopeag.com
nowpublic.com
lifehacker.com

Summer's End . . . Sophomore Begins

August ushers in school prep.  Teachers prepare their classrooms, Back to School commercials are in every time slot and box stores fill their aisles with school supplies. 

Here, at the end of the parade of summer months we are all ready to go back to school.The excitement of free days and endless summer activities has worn off or melted in the heat. 

This parade is familiar to me but I do not join in. . . not this year.

This is our first college summer; so much different than the 'at home' years.  Colleges release weeks earlier, summer terms have their own schedule and prepping for the next year includes a road trip, hauling a full room of belongings and another good-bye.

The wisdom of Empty Nest veterans was realized by March.  As a couple, by Spring Break, we found a new rhythm; as did our student.  He enjoys the freedom of his own space and schedule as do we.  He came home for half the summer, for me, and I appreciate that more than he will know (until he experiences it with his own children.)

I have friends experiencing the Freshman firsts and although sharing is an attempt to alleviate their fears and anxieties it is a road they must travel in order to claim their own peace; their personal assurances. 

The August prep days are slipping from my periphery as my life changes stations and my concerns and efforts move elsewhere.  The next three years I expect to look similar to this other than summers spent on internships, away from home which is as it should be.  I have been prepared; I am being prepared; I will look forward to the opportunities D. and I will have on those hot, sultry, summer days to come.

We are not yet Empty Nest veterans but I can definately see the road ahead.


Pictures from:
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uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com

Inside the Uni, Outside the Classroom: Soap Box

 The perspective of a college student is interesting and enlightening.  My son, home from college for the summer, graciously accepted my request to be a guest blogger.  I hope you find his point of view thought provoking.

        

I would like to start my blog series with an issue that is very close to my heart and is poorly handled on campus; in general ‘soap boxing’ in specific ‘spreading the faith’. 

There are a variety of groups with a point of view on campus and many employ poor contact strategies.  This is evident as the results do not positively correlate to the effort input.  To illustrate this, I would like to recall two specific incidents this past year. 

The first involved an elderly Presbyterian group handing out fliers at a high traffic corner on campus.  The fliers included scripture verses warning of the dangers of hell and attesting to the love of Christ. 

An important issue to consider when 'soap boxing'; does your efforts Positively Stand Out. UT students, on average, are handed 4-5 fliers everyday announcing some theatre group or new student politics initiative.  I could have plastered my dorm walls with all these handouts and still had enough to build a paper airplane armada that could put the Luftwaffe to shame. 

A second issue to consider is Know Your Audience:  I’m on my way to class and suddenly some older fellow is jumping in my path forcing a flier in my hand and warning of the dangers of hell; I’m tired, running a bit late, and it’s 98 degrees outside with high humidity.  This isn’t the message I’m looking to hear, nor respond to positively.

The Second incident was of a Protestant pastor who began a soap box sermon in front of the UT tower, which serves as the nexus of campus and has a preponderance of foot traffic.  I did not draw near enough to hear what he was preaching.  I was close enough to see the student in a clown’s costume reading Moby Dick right next to him though.  I seldom agree with lampooning an issue, but in all honesty, the pastor was in the wrong place.

Watching this pastor brought up a concern from some of my Christian friends and appears common in the Christian community.  They seem to have a fear of “militant atheism".  Militant in that if they are recognized as a Christian they expect there will be an immediate drive to bring about counter conversion. 

This fear appears to generate from individuals found on mass media outlets or forum boards, rolling out massive diatribes to the “archaic” nature of the faith or the purported ignorance that it follows.  I personally do not agree with the former statement but do believe there is some evidence to support the latter. 

The question I pose to these friends and communities is this: how is this militant atheism different from our evangelical efforts?  Could it be possible that people find us as annoying as we do these atheists?  In my experience, these militant atheists never appear unless the militant evangelicals are nearby.

I see the campus culture in this way; where once the political boundaries were drawn along the lines of “liberal” versus “conservative” UT seems to express a greater divide between Libertarians and Autocrats (for those unfamiliar, the Libertarian platform stresses personal rights and VERY limited government.  Their principle candidate is Ron Paul).  I believe this shift fundamentally changes the way evangelism should be carried out. 

My generation values personal space and detests the invasion of such therefore instead of pushing into people’s lives ‘do something' and let them ask the questions.  Rather than push pamphlets, perform acts of service.  Don’t bring up Christ, show them Christ to such a degree that they ask what you are doing and why.  Let them see we are Christians by our love.

Pictures from:godsownamycolleen.blogspot.comindybay.orghoax-slayer.comvimeo.com
thesituationist.wordpress.com

Dating & Mating: Your Love Language

When Gary Chapman published his book The 5 Love Languages in 1992 it was a big hit in many of my circles.  There seemed to always be a class available somewhere in town, and likely still is.

 From this initial volume there are over eight additional editions specifically for children, men, singles, teens etc.  In a world populated with personality tests, self-help tomes, relationship guides and happiness solutions Chapman offers sound advice in simple terms.

Everyone has a language of love ;"a primary way of expressing and interpreting love", the actions that fill their love tank. Chapman makes five categories:
Quality Time
Physical Touch
Words of Affirmation
Acts of Service
Receiving Gifts 

You may have shades of some but one is generally strongest.  Relationally, you will often perform your strongest language but when those actions are performed FOR you, your love tank is filled.  When you do not receive these actions, from family members, friends, people in your life, your love tank diminishes and problems will develop in those relationships.

For personal growth I encourage people to take the personality test from David Keirsey's Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types in order to understand themselves and then Gary Chapman's The 5 Love Languages in order to develop, understand and enjoy their relationships.

As with most things, doing what we enjoy or what comes easily to us requires minimal effort and maintains our character but doing what is difficult or unnatural takes maximum effort and builds our character.  Speaking a love language opposite to our own builds solid relationships, deepens ties and says, "I love you" louder than words.

Speaking a love language takes conscious effort and selflessness.  Becoming fluent in your partner's love language is a gift beyond measure. . . to you both.



Pictures from:
followthebible.com
niclucas.com
sherriejohnson.blogspot.com

Inside the Uni, Outside the Classroom

The first year of our empty nest is past. I cannot adequately express my appreciation to all those who have encouraged me through this personal growth period.

 After successfully completing his first year, L. spent June in a university lab on an internship.   He is now home and busy with two summer courses as well as working to fill his depleted coffers.  What a perfect time to have him guest post here on Live/Learn. 

 L., I appreciate your taking time to visit with my readers.  Why don't you introduce yourself.

Hey Everyone!  I am Sally’s 19 year old son, currently attending the University of Texas at Austin (Rated #30 in the World!).  I’m a double major; Chemistry and Computer Science with expectation to one day have my own lab at a research university.     

The readers are familiar with my struggles, what were your struggles in the first year of college?

I’ve always been a shy person so that made getting outside of the dorm particularly difficult. I found my balance in the second semester when I joined an Honors fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi, which helped me meet many other like-minded people.  There were still bumps along the road but my suite mates where a great help.   

How would you characterize the college culture?  What did you discover in order to maneuver successfully through it?

 I would describe college as a petri dish covered in augur (basic growth agent for bacteria).  The close proximity to people of your own age pushes the assimilation of the culture of the generation at an alarming rate.  News is widely talked about and opinions fly quickly through the campus (often driven by individuals who major in the issues of concern).  You learn so much in a very short time; the knowledge can be so dense that the experience is overwhelming.  What worked best for me was to set some down time aside for myself.  Whether it was reading, playing harmonica, or playing online I found it was wise to schedule time for relaxation.

Share a glimpse of the topics and ideas you’ll share with us through the remainder of the summer.

I like math . . . a lot, so expect to see some of the more interesting facets of math pop up.  Furthermore, given this opportunity I would like to dispel common misconceptions about science.  It will be nerdy but I'll make it palatable.

I am over the moon having L. home and thrilled he's taking the time to share on Live/Learn.  I hope you enjoy this side trip. 

Pictures from:

google.com

collegesportsnation.com