I am looking out at the most significant snow that we have experienced in a number of years in Southern Illinois. Several inches are on the ground, 71/2 inches, and some fantastic snow drifts. Along with the snow…and before that ice that has not had the opportunity to melt…we have bone chilling temperatures. It is […]

One Of A Kind — The Jazz Man

The snow is falling…and I am not referring to the lyric from the well known song. Our forecast is for 6 – 12 inches of snow. Thats is a lot for Southern Illinois. It is 9 degrees above 0 with a 14 mile per hour wind which gives us a ‘feels like’ temperature of -9. Forty-two years ago this past weekend Little Egypt had a major blizzard. I had yet to begin working at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. Forty-two years sounds like a lifetime…but it is only a significant portion of mine at the age of 63. I am thinking of the unsung heroes of SIUC. The Grounds staff is, no doubt working non-stop to endeavor to get ahead of the most significant snowfall that we have experienced in several years. I have personally witnessed the herculean labor of this wonderful and often forgotten group of dedicated people who love their University! The chill factor is 9 below zero…step outside for just a minute…which is probably all that you need to expose yourself to… before the danger of frostbite sets in…and see what the outstanding Grounds Staff are undergoing to attempt to clear the roadways and sidewalks and steps and entrances to the university buildings…that we all enjoy using.

I spent my career in Building Services at the University. Most of the custodial staff works either the second or third shift. Their tremendous efforts at keeping our school’s buildings safe for our precious students and staff and faculty are constant and often not seen by the University Community. The continual mopping of snow melt and the drying of slick spots is never ending. The supreme dedication of the housekeeping staff is vital to the ongoing operations of Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale and all to often is taken for granted by the University Community. When I consider the physical danger that our dedicated Grounds and Building Services staff have undergone through the past 42 years…I am overwhelmed with their unwavering dedication to our University!

I vividly recall 42 years ago as MJ and I were dating and soon to be engaged. She lived in a house trailer and her Maverick, Ford was snowed in with 18 inches of snow. I proceeded over to her dwelling to shovel her car out of the drifts that occurred due to the blizzard of 1978! I shoveled for an hour and there was at least another hour to go. I looked up from time to time to ensure that MJ was watching my labors… I weighed 169 pounds. Perhaps you think that is a lot of weight…I was very thin at 6 foot and 3 and 1/2 inches tall. The thinnest of my adult life. The first year that we were married I gained 50 pounds… I had not been eating much.

Our short life experience tend to repeat themselves. I remember my thoughts at 21 years of age and my current reflections at 63 years old. They do not vary much. I have been privileged to be married and united with MJ for the past nearly 43 years. Our 43rd anniversary is March 24th. I recall what a treasure I considered her nearly 43 years ago…and I feel the same today… I recall the snow and blizzard of 1978…and my young adulthood and my excitement at believing that I was going to secure the hand of my beloved… I remember the cold winter and what I perceive to be our long life ahead…and I look out the window of my Loft Office in my home at 108 Ash Wood Lane in Carbondale…and I am amazed at the rapid journey that has transported me from 1978…to 2021.

Eldorado had a great atmosphere for a childhood in Southern Illinois. It was full of kind people and safe environments for children. I grew up in Southern Illinois although I had been born in Chicago, Illinois. I probably would have been a different adult if I had been reared in Chicago. Not worse…just different… I was born in the land of southern influence and country thinking. Much of it is beautiful and pleasant and to be desired. Other beliefs and convictions I have brought from my time in the city and an urban environment. My feelings have been formed by my christian convictions and my career at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. I am convinced that we all have value in God’s eyes. I know that he is not a respecter her persons or positions. I know that, ‘Jesus loves the little children…all the little children of the world. Red yellow, black or white…they are precious in his sight…Jesus loves the little children of the world.’

Baby it is cold outside. The roads are relatively clear while the parking lots are ice covered with little or no relief from the ice coverage accept for narrow paths to the door of the business. Nevertheless I felt compelled to venture out as I had not purchased MJ’s Valentine Day card. Her gift is […]

Venturing Out — The Jazz Man

When I began in my life as an adult I was assured that the more money that your could make and acquire and the houses and lands that have your imprimatur on…are a physical sign of how successful that I had become. In fact, although it seems impossible now, I heard the doctrine of prosperity and silver and gold and stocks and bonds as a sure sign of God’s favor for my life. My fellow congregants were primarily poor and living on Social Security and of limited and humble means. I understood, as a lad, the impossibility of many of the elderly folks that were my blessed fellow church members of their becoming rich due to their christian walk. The chance of wealth might be attainable for a young person, as I was at the time, but to believe that the senior citizens of my little church would become rich because they kept the law of the Old Testament…was a fools errand… When ministers promise riches for a walk with Christ they are misdirecting their listeners from the humility of Jesus and his ministry. The christian walk is not about the obtaining of a McMansion.

Life is resplendent with the daily beauty of the little things. Our society implores us to be great. From an early age we are pushed to be the best and the brightest and the most successful and that success is measured primarily by how much money we have accrued. Hitler and Stalin and Mao accrued a lot of money and earthly riches…did this make them christians in good standing? Mother Theresa ministered to the lepors and the desperately poor of Calcutt, India…shouldn’t she have been wealthy for her humble christian service?

Lifes beauty is contained in it’s minutiae. We are programmed to look for the big bang and the marching band and the 4th of July Fireworks. We seek the praise of our colleagues and the bank account…of the Joneses… We hope that our position in our church will redound to a recognition of our christian maturing and our profound wisdom. We hunger for awards and recognition and newspaper articles that are written about our exploits and the smiling approval of those whom we meet as a sign of our community service.

Unsung and unrecognized and often members of the Great Unwashed are the people that have discovered the Secret. Those human beings that seek no ones praise or approval and who prefer that their good deeds are never known by anyone…have discovered the,’ peace that passes all understanding.’

It is very slick outside. Everything is covered with a sheet of ice. Our Black Lab slipped and slides across the front yard looking for a proper place for a morning constitutional. Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale has closed for the day due to the inclement weather. This is something that rarely occurs. Since I […]

A Light Bulb Victory — The Jazz Man

Life changes. It is changing all around us and we often are oblivious to the disruption. Have you ever observed an old man flirting with a young woman? His life has changed and he is not aware of the alteration that is obvious to everyone who is watching his sophomoric antics! We grow older without effort…we do not grow wiser without concerted effort… When I left Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale over 10 years ago…I knew that the University would change…I just did not realize how much. A decade is a long period of time in a human life. While physical changes are transpiring daily and cultural norms are morphing into something new…we often stay rooted in what we learned 40 years ago. Change is hard! When we embrace change we depart our comfort zone. We admit that although we are old…we do not know it all. In fact in the long history of humanity our knowledge and understating is but a blip on the radar of time.

I have always been fascinated by paths and roads and train tracks and, as the great poet Robert Frost wrote, ‘The path less traveled.’ ‘Two roads diverged in a wood and I – took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’ Robert Frost

So, we are all seeking our new path for our new normal. Perhaps you have not been walking for your health like you did 20 years ago…why not take the new/old path? Could it be that you used to rely on the help of your friends and neighbors…why not humble yourself again and receive the love of those who are concerned about your health and welfare?

As we seek the path that is most appropriate of us at the stage of life that we are currently occupying…we must be willing to change and alter our lifestyle to accommodate God’s will for the stage of life that we are in. Perhaps we need to walk or exercise more for our optimal life? It could be that we need to be less judgmental and more accepting of others that are different than we are? The path may begin as a winter path…and transform to a spring path as we follow the turns and twists and valleys and hills of our journey…

Our path changes and sometimes we are not aware of the change. Sometimes we are walking the path and we encounter brambles and thorns and steep ruts and holes that you could hide a car in…and we do not realize what has gone wrong. We need to have ears for the still small voice of the turtle dove and whisper in the wind. We need to listen to those who like us…simply for us and not for our money or what we can do for them. We need to seek the path that the deer frequent and the squirrels and the cardinal and the blue jay. The path that is sought by God’s beautiful creation…

The sleet is falling heavily and steadily. It is 25 degrees and it feels like 16 degrees. Driving is treacherous. Southern Illinois has decided to experience some winter…which does not always happen in our Global Warming climate. Needless to say my 10 thousand steps…today… will be taken in what I call the House Walk. I thoroughly like the House Walk as I enter rooms that I seldom visit. I see art and statues that I almost forgot that we had. It is a bit like a new world. Although I believe that all of us have become more acquainted with our homes over the past year. One of my Facebook friend’s birthday is today. When I wished her a happy birthday she mentioned, ‘What a wild year the past ride has been!’ I could not agree more. The past year has given us a new normal. Our thought patterns have changed in an attempt to adjust to the fear and restrictions of our 2020/2021 Pandemic. Each sworay into the fellowship of other human beings is a calculated risk.

I had the nicest visit with my Doctor, Jeff Parks, yesterday. He and I attended the same church in the 1990’s. He recounted to me some history that he had read that illustrated the similarities with our present condition and what was happening in 1917. We laughed heartily regarding the circle of history and our participation in it. We spoke by video conference…that I truly like. During our Pandemic…the video visit to a physician is a wonderful safety precaution.

An ice storm is a restrictive affair. Such has been our lives over the past year. Rachel Marie Martin said, ‘Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought it would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living.’

We can become so enthralled with what our political leaders are doing that we forget to focus on our real and actual needs. Presidents and Senators and Congressmen/Congresswomen focus on the big picture while it is up to each of us to emerse ourselves in the vocation of living our lives to their fullest. A terrible Ice Storm has engulfed us and captivated our attention and changed our direction. Perhaps we will be able to enjoy the beauty of the winter landscape while thinking outside the box of our past life construct and seeing to expand our horizons for our new future…

I have been walking for improved health for over 40 years. I never played basketball or football or baseball…but I am a natural walker. Thus ensues my daily walk on the campus of Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. Both on the campus proper and in campus woods…I am a regular. One of my 3 primary goals at the outset of my retirement from SIUC was to; walk, write, and read. Walking was number 1. Of late, the last 3 or 4 years, I have been happy with 3 or 4 thousand steps per day. I have stepped up my game! I am seeking to hit the recognized step goal of 10 thousand steps per day. It takes some time to walk 10 thousand steps in a day…but the benefits are many for the effort.

Priorities are the measure of a day well spent. Our bodies are machines of flesh and blood and bone. We were designed for movement…we were not manufactured to be sedentary. Walking reduces stress and is good for cognition. Walking reduces high blood pressure and aids in weight loss. Walking is considered the best medicine possible for Venus Reflux/Venus Insufficiency. Walking aids in a good nights sleep. Walking improves your attitude and sense of well being.

Many of my ideas for up-coming blogs that I am planning on writing occur while I am walking. In fact walking is so much a part of my daily routine I feel incomplete and somewhat let down when I am unable to engage in my favorite activity. I wonder if we would all walk 10 thousand steps a day if we would be so angry with each other and seek to argue and feud and fight? Steady movement is a great leveler of emotions. Joining the much enjoyable activity of walking with the splendor of nature…is a wining combination. After I have had the opportunity to spend quality time with the blue sky and ancient trees…along with the peaceful rhythms of a flock of geese and the earnest stares of foraging deer…I am happy to be alive!

We live in a society that seeks a pill for each of our aliments. Our television commercials are full of advertisements for a pharmaceutical for each and every one of our problems. We live in front of our screens. One in three Americans are obese. We often feel depressed and hopeless and afraid of what life has in store for us…and we take another pill…for a Balm of Gilead for our sick bodies and our sad souls… Fresh air and moderate consistent exercise is often the answer to our improved quality of life…and our enlightened outlook on the horizon that is before us.