Confidence Is Compelling
Do you ever feel not good enough? Are the times that you are certain that you are not up to the task? Have you ever arrived at a crossroads in your life and you know that you have forgotten the map and the GPS?
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I recall, vividly, the many times that I have been called on to speak publicly. Not only did I not feel up to the task I was certain that I would be an abject failure! Now this was not because that I had not prepared. In fact I have never spoken publicly that I did not prepare ad nauseum. Yet, the fear of public speaking, which is said to be a greater fear that people have…than death, gripped my soul and produced not only butterflies in my stomach but butterflies with the flu!
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Yet after the first few words a strange calmness takes over my wretched being. All of a sudden I feel that I have prepared and this is the big show….and that I am doing the best that I know how…and I know that God will assist me.
In another life I preached or assisted in 25 – 30 funerals. Talk about preparation…I read the Biblical texts so many times that I probably could have quoted them without the aid of the Bible. I ran through the scriptures in my mind and I practiced my delivery. Yet when the moment came to utter the words…I thought that I might be dieing!
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Life is much like public speaking. We are summoned to do many things that are out of our comfort zone and our expertise to that date. When I was hired as a Building Service Worker I at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale my wife told me that God had told her that there would be a day that I would be in charge of the department. As Sara did when the angel told her that she would bear a son at her advance age…I laughed! My carer goals at the time of my hiring were to be a professional BSWI…and to perhaps attain the position of Building Custodian which was a crew leader. To intimate that any further level of responsibility would be bestowed on me was incredible in my mind and the subject of fairy tales!
When I became the assistant superintendent of Building Services, over 30 years ago…I was 29 years old and feared that I was not qualified for the massive level of responsibility that had been given to me. But, I was confident in how I wanted my colleagues to be treated. I had a bedrock understanding that I wanted to be different that what I had witnessed in my experiences interacting with managers and administrators and leaders of organizations. I was confident in my plan to treat others as I wanted to be treated! I wanted those who worked with me to be comfortable and secure and happy! I desired that they understood that I was not going to hurt them but rather that I was going to help them advance in their carers and to have a satisfying experience working for SIUC.
I had unwavering faith that a successful manager leads by being a member of the team that cares about every member. I understood that I had always wanted a boss that took an interest in me and for whom I was not more that a face in the crowd!
Once you have prepared and know that you are working hard to succeed…take hold of what God has given you to do!
Calm confidence is not arrogant or self important but rather an understanding that presidents of the United States and chancellors of Universities and ministers with thousands in the congregations…all learn on the job!
Almost The Announcer At the Homecoming Game!
Billy Bump loved Mrs. Bramlet! His Speech teacher had an active interest in him since the day that he signed up for her class. Mrs. Bramlet was from Tennessee and she love to regale the class with stories of her youth! She often told the story of her first day at college where the advisor, snidely, commented the he had never seen a student from Tennessee with shoes on her feet. Betty’s retort was that she explained the the shoes that she was wearing was the first pair of summer shoes that she had ever worn. She went on to explain that the shoes were for the purpose of making a good first impression!
Betty was a large woman with a personality that far eclipsed her physical size. She was a kind person and she was extremely supportive of Billy! She loved his speeches…especially his impromptu ones. Billy was the…
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We Are More Alike…Than We Are Different!
As I sat in our church service this morning I reflected on the fact that we are more alike than we are different. Politicians and media and, sadly, churches endeavor to separate the members of the human family. We all love our children…we all seek love and acceptance…and we are all mortal and have a limited engagement on this planet!
I have witnessed faith communities that portray their god as hating all of the same people that they hate. All to often religious doctrine and dogma is claustrophobic and suffocating! We are taught that God likes people that are like us! We are taught that God approves of people that our minister approves of! We are taught that if you do not understand the mystical mysteries of Jesus Christ…that you are dammed to the fires of Hell!
Is this hypothesis really true? Did the Jewish Jesus really have in mind as his select followers. only, people from the Bible Belt?
When Jesus said, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ that he was speaking, exclusively, of white anglo saxon people?
Every time that I observe people I notice that they are a whole lot like me. We have many of the same struggles and challenges and joys!
During my career at the Southern Illinois University at Carbondale I was struck with the similarities between myself and the international students that I was around and worked with. I saw how much they loved their families and their God and desired a better life for their children!
I witnessed the the perfect paradigm for peaceful living on the Earth in recognizing the perfect value of all of the members of the human family.
‘Your greatness is not what you have but what you give.’ Don’t Forget to Breath
I have witnessed the ugliness of racism and the marginalization of bias and the hatred of xenophobia!
To regularly and systematically repudiate and denegrate and demean the homes and towns and cities and countries of African Americans or Africans is is a shanda and a shame and a rebuke to the principles on which our country was founded!
I have heard the backroom sneers and low comments regarding African Americans. I have witnessed prejudice towards a dignified and proud people and it sickened me! I have watched abject ignorance touted as wisdom and intelligence and God’s law…when it was putrid and vile and disgusting and the furthest possible from the principles of Christ!
When will political leaders stand up and cry out against the vile cynicism and blatant racism of their colleague and stand on the principle of representing the people that sent them to Washington D.C…..rather than the principle of political expediency and the winning of the next election?
Premier Kruscheve of The Soviet Union told America that he would capture us without firing a shot! We are well on the way, and perhaps are already there, when our president jokes and laughs with his buddy Putin and tells him to not interfere with the elections of the U.S…..while Vladimir Putin….laughs!
Note: Photos of Putin are courtesy of Google.
Halloween in El Dorado
School had began, once again, in the little town of El Dorado, Illinois. During the last days of August and the first few of September the classrooms were hot and the days dragged by as if they were suspended in slow motion. Tommy was especially sleepy and required nudging several times per day. Daryl had began the third grade in the Southern Illinois town and he had a distinct English accent. He was an outgoing friendly person with a razor sharp brain and the ability to communicate his ideas at a level that Billy Bump had not witnessed for his age group.
Another friendly classmate was Jeff who’s parents owned a hardware store in town. He walked up to Billy one day and announced that he wanted to be friends. Billy had not experienced such an open and genuine desire to be friends on a regular basis, was very pleased…
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Joy On The Job!
As I look back over my career of over 32 years at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale I can say without reservation that I enjoyed almost every day of my time there.
When I began in October of 1978 I was hired under the job title of Building Service Worker I…which is a janitor. I immediately doubled my pay and for the first time in my working life I had benefits. It was difficult for me to get my mind around the newfound fact that if I became ill that I could take a paid sick day! Until I took one…I thought that the University might be pulling my leg.
I was so happy to discover that my supervisor and my foreman were both nice people and that if I did my work they were very pleased. In fact the leadership of Building Services were for the most part easy to work for and they reflected the calm and considerate demeanor of their superintendent, George O’Hara, who I never saw loose his temper or even display a hint of anger.
To Mr. O’Hara I was Jay Bradley and I thought that was just fine. Early in my service to SIUC I began to be encouraged by the night supervisor, Harold Young, and many of the foreman to take the Building Custodian exam to attempt to have my name on the test register for temporary upgrade purposes as well as to be in line for future promotions.
I recall never being nervous or apprehensive or in fear of being harassed by a overbearing supervisor. I accomplished my work and did not goof off and management praised my efforts and encouraged me to begin climbing the promotional ladder.
I experienced much of the same understanding leadership when I became a Building Custodian, which is a crew leader, in 1980. Although the supervisory work was demanding I understood that if I continued to work hard and treat my colleagues fairly and with genuine concern for them as human beings…I would have a satisfying experience as a member of the housekeeping team.
Later in the management portion of my career I found what it was like to be treated shabbily and to be made fun of and belittled for working hard…and I subsequently almost left the University. It was disheartening and disillusioning to be made the ‘goat’ or the butt of jokes or the victim of a hidden agenda that is not in the University’s handbook or a copy being made available for my education.
‘A sign you have a positive workplace culture is laughter. Just listen to how much laughter there is where you work. Laughter is a very good sign of positivity. You can work hard and still laugh and enjoy your workday more.’ Sam Glenn
An old saying that I heard a minister say 45 years ago is an excellent way to live your life in the workplace; ‘Be friendly but not familiar and be good but not gullible.’
The more honest and open and accessible that leadership and management are the more content and peaceful and joyful the staff will be that works with them.
I learned early in my management career that micromanaging is not my style. We all respond in a positive manner when we are allowed discretional flexibility in our operational procedures to accomplish the end goal that our supervisor has laid out for us.
Simply put…if you want your colleagues to conduct themselves as professionals…you must treat them as professionals! For instance; you may be a manager with many people that you are responsible for and you enter a building to find your Building Service Worker sitting in the hall and it is not break. Now the paramount question should be how many times have you observed this member of your staff working hard and often through their prescribed break periods? The question is do you want an automaton or do you want a skilled technician?
A manager or leader that is confident in their abilities and their vision for success subsequently treats all whom they encounter with a graciousness and civility that is contagious to the entire department!
Peace In A Storm
We live in an anxious world. It seems that the loudest voices or the most theatrical performance by our politicians or religious leaders are the ones that we gravitate towards. All to often when we listen closely to what the person is saying there is no substance to their verbal salad!
Politicians, of both political parties, are adept at fiery rhetoric and sparking strong emotional responses from their listeners. But, when you look back on their speeches and attempt to find the ‘concrete’ proposals within them…you are left empty handed.
I grew up in the 1960’s. I watched Walter Cronkite on CBS Nightly News each evening, yes I enjoyed the news even as a youngster, and the program lasted fifteen minutes. The news was not flashy. The news was not a panel discussions of what the meaning of it was. The news was straightforward and succinct and the purpose of it was to not achieve high ratings on the Neilson Scale. The purpose of it was to inform the viewer.
I watched Robert Muller III testify before the House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee. Director Muller was not flashy nor given to histrionics but rather presented a taciturn and sober presence and testimony before the two august bodies. Criticism ensued that he seemed to be ineffective or not dynamic or that he did not present the bombshell or revelation that would cause the citizenry of our country to rise up and demand that the House of Representative begin impeachment proceedings of the president.
It has been my experience of almost 62 years that life is not successfully lived by awaiting the next thrill or tickle down your spine. I watched a Netflix documentary entitled the Charisma of Adolf Hitler. Although I have read extensively regarding Hitler and watched numerous movies and documentaries concerning his life and the devastating destruction that he wrought on the world…I have never seen quite so interesting a piece on the charisma dynamic that existed between him and the people of Germany. The insightful study illustrated that charisma is a two party connection in that Hitler said the right things to touch the emotions and minds and hearts of the German populous!
To be a Christian is a daily walk attempting to follow Christ’s teachings. It is not about snappy music or becoming wealthy if you follow Jesus’ teachings. Christianity, certainly is not an elitist doctrine of faith! I have witnessed ministers manipulate their congregations to enrich themselves and their families. I have seen ministers who are control freaks! These wolves in sheep clothing will tell their congregations that God is speaking to them directly and that in turn the parishioners must listen to them since they are ‘God’s Man!’
The reality of a a life following Jesus is much more sedate and simple and satisfying. It is a life where the poor and the needy and the immigrant and the stranger is of paramount importance. It is a life of being a servant to all. It can be, dare I say it, a life of suffering and danger and deprivation in the pursuit of helping the poor among us.
Life brings us sunshine and storms. The quiet peace of faith and a reliance on the principles of truth… that can easily be determined if we will research the lies that we are being told and discover that the best arbiter of what is wrong and what is right is not someone in politics or religion or popular culture telling us what to think…but our own eyes and ears and brains and a secure belief that God will talk to all members of his creation…if we will simply listen.
A Love Of Books!
‘So many books, so little time.’ Frank Zappa
‘A room without books is like a body without a soul.’ Marcus Tulles Cicero
‘Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this it the ideal life.’ Mark Twain
‘Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.’ Neil Gaiman, Coraline
‘I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.’ Jorge Luis Borges
‘Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.’ Lemony Snicket, Horseradish
‘There is no friend as loyal as a book.’ Ernest Hemingway
‘What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much, though.’ J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye.
Jonathan and I were shopping at Honest Abe’s book shelves this morning at Morris Library. We found, to our great delight, two Phillip K. Dick novels and subsequently purchased them for fifty cents each. I have not done a hard count of the books that we own but I am certain that it runs in the hundreds!
I have loved books…all of my life! Through the vehicle of books you can travel to anywhere that the authors imagination will take you. This includes any country on the face to the earth and any planet in the cosmos! Books have introduced me to people and cultures and times and places that I had never dreamed of.
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I read Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt when I was in the sixth grade and I was transported to the time of the civil war. I read Sherlock Holmes and wanted to be the brilliant detective. Of course there was Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson or The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and the Call of the Wild by Jack London. Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelly captivated my young mind!
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Recently I have read; Siege: Trump Under Fire by Michael Wolff and the Muller Report as well as The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth and Leadership by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Books have always caused me to feel secure and safe and surrounded by wisdom! I like the feel of books and the look of books and collecting books!
As a young man I began reading the Bible. I was mesmerized by both the Old and New Testaments! I so enjoy the Bible that I began collecting Bibles and have several today.
Life is insecure and iffy and a freight train…or a rainbow may be awaiting you around the next bend in the road! Books are solid and there for you in the both the good times and the bad! They do not vacillate or pander to popular interests or religious and political whims of the moment!
Books provide solace and a balm in a, sometimes, frightening world. The more that we read history and literature and philosophy and government and poetry and physics and the Bible…the more we understand God’s creation and our part in it!
Roots
Soon will be the beginning of another school year at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. All that I hear sounds promising with our recruiters working overtime and our campus community placing the last minute touches on our preparations for our wonderful students!
Civil Service staff such as the Grounds workers have been lovingly caring for the resplendent outdoors of SIUC.
As I walk the Campus on a daily basis I see Plant and Service Operations workers busily at their tasks of maintaining and enriching and beautifying the place that they are so dedicated to!
Accountants and clerks and Building Service Workers and Plumbers and Electricians and Carpenters and Locksmiths and Customer Service Representatives and Food Service staff are anxiously awaiting the return of our students and the coming of our new class!
Many civil service staff are working two and three and more jobs created by vacancies that have occurred do to budget constraints. They not only deserve their colleagues respect, they merit recognition by university administration and acknowledgment that without their efforts…there would not be a Campus for our students to come back to!
There are many well thought out theorys regarding how a university looses students and how they retain and gain them. Modalities have changed and the young people of today are not looking for the same college experience that their parents were. It has been postulated that our students are looking for a ‘turn key’ university experience and the bells and whistles of modern life are a requirement and a must have for the recruitment and retention of them.
All of these components have value and have their place…but they are not the answer at the soul of the question. At the heart of the matter students are looking for two primary needs in a comprehensive university experience. One would be excellent disciplines and professors to teach those courses in a caring and cutting edge manner. Second would be a university community and a regional community that cares about them and that welcomes them and that makes them feel at home!
We humans are social animals…we crave love and family and acceptance! Many of our students have left homes that provided them with less than what they needed of all of the above elements!
My friends can tell me anything…my enemies can keep their opinions to theirselves!
‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.’ Proverbs 27:6 KJV
Television On Three Channels!
A Jazzman blog for your enjoyment!
Billy Bump enjoyed TV! He began most of his mornings in the Chicago Heights watching Bozo the Clown which was a live production from Chicago. Billy considered Bozo the funniest clown that he had ever seen! Bozo had giant feet and a red nose and his face was white with clown makeup. Bozo was such a regular in Billy’s suburban home that he thought that all kids must be enjoying Bozo at the same time that he was.
Billy sat upon a sectional couch that had four separate sections. It was black and white and was the epitome of early 1960’s sheik! He enjoyed his oatmeal while wearing his pajamas with feet in them. Billy assumed that all PJ’s had feet in them and he enjoyed the warmth of them…especially in the winter. In fact Jane, Billy’s mom, required that he wear his socks to bed, if he did not…
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My Buddy And Brother…Ron!
It is my buddy’s birthday! Happy Birthday, Ron!
Ron has been much more than my brother-in-law for the past over 41 years…he has been my brother!
From the evening of March 24, 1978 when I met Ron…I liked him and felt an affinity for him! If you would like to meet a good hearted and kind person…you should meet Ron!
I have spoken with my buddy for countless hours about the vagaries of life and the mystery of our existence. We have commiserated over politics and religion and family and the roller coaster ride of life.
We have traveled together and have been privileged to stay with him and his lovely wife Ira…on several occasions. These are always pleasant and memorable experiences with both of our hosts going extremely out of their way to make Mary Jane and I and Aaron and Jonathon welcome and comfortable and maximizing our vacation pleasure!
This fine man loves his family and it is a bedrock of his existence! He knows how to have fun better than I did when I was in my twenty’s!
Ron has made my retirement extremely enjoyable and complete! We have set plans to travel with he and Ira Kaye for the next two years and I could not be happier!
Ron is a man that even when we disagree he respects my opinion! I would call him a blue collar scholar only because he is adept in all of the manual arts and yet is extremely well read and educated and can talk on any subject that he is presented with!
We visited Jamaica just after I retired and he suggested our traversing a waterfall called Dunn’ s River Falls. I struggled for every step and foot hold and relied constantly on the kind Jamaican people to help me up the dangerously moss covered and, ice, slick falls! While fearing for Mary Jane and my life…I watched Ron run up the falls and prance about like an antelope!
Ron joined Mary Jane and I on a Caribbean Cruise in January, 2012. He was so enthusiastic and in to the gifts of a cruise that he renewed my love for cruising! His comment for most of the meals was, ‘this is to die for!’
Ron is fun! He is in the moment and he is interested in enjoying every minute of life that God has bestowed upon him! He is an inspiration to me and I wish him Happy Birthday and another 50 more!
