Give More in 2015. More Time, More Effort. * * * Weve all been walking around Cedar Rapids with that my face is half frozen grimace. It is our common greeting as we open doors for strangers, as we nod at someone while getting into our cars. Yet three days in the warmth of Arizona - as I was fortunate enough to take in last weekend - will not only thaw out the limbs but also thaw out a frozen mind, only focused on getting through each hour in the cold. Tomorrow brings my Monday and I cannot wait for it. Ill be following the Presidents visit to Cedar Falls as he talks about broadband Internet throughout Iowa -- something that didnt pass the state legislature in 2014. Sure, Wednesday will be cold. Itll be a 12-hour day. Yet I also recognize that Im incredibly blessed and fortunate that my Wednesday will be this. Somewhere as the cars zoomed past me on Bell Road in Surprise, Arizona, the sweat of a run also ignited a challenge for myself in 2015. Give more. For me, thats more time -- the most precious commodity of all. As I get older, my time comes with a little more wisdom, a little more efficiency, or so I think. We all live in a world where time is tight for so many of us. Yet, with technology and abundance, it really shouldnt be as tight. Especially here in Eastern Iowa where we dont have the killer commutes of Chicago or Los Angeles. We should have the time to give, right? To volunteer on a weekend, to put yourself out there to mentor -- whether for an organization or, more informally, at your workplace for a recent hire trying to find his or her way in the world. But were all so busy. Are we? Unless we are getting license plates or standing in line to buy stamps, almost every other point of contact is easier now than it was 20 years ago. We can shop online, whether for the merchandise to arrive at our door or, for local receipts, to pick up at one of our stores. We dont even have to go inside a gas station. Pay and be on your way. Bank online. Click. Click. Click. Bills paid. Thank you to my better half. Order your Jimmy Johns with three taps on your phone. (#11 for me, please.) Learn Spanish or Norwegian or Swahili on your phone. For FREE. Even in the big picture. If you miss, say, worship on Sunday, three clicks and you can probably even find the message sermon. No getting up to stagger into the cold, no parking, no frozen walk from the parking lot. Right to the spiritual meat of the sandwich. Can do it in your hoodie. Were busy but is it on something that matters? I confess that I am writing so nobly at this moment but Im also hoping our son has his Kindle fully charged so I can make a run for 10 million points on Subway Surfers in a few minutes. (Hey, some people down an Old Fashioned while listening to Frank Sinatra. I like Subway Surfers.) Yet, in the larger scope, we can all make a little more time to make something thats important to us a little better. It could be ourselves -- this is January, after all, when were all wincing when on the scale. It could be our kids -- maybe ask them to tell you the two funniest things that happened at school. Maybe its that crazy neighbor who is merely a victim of poor decorum, such as operating a chainsaw before 8 am on Saturday. I think of a Tuesday that I had about six weeks ago. It was beyond bonkers, shuttling children and my wife all over the city, a daughter off to dance class, a son to a robotics tournament with a basketball game before it. Even with all of this, I still had time. Not much of it. Not enough to really accomplish anyone noble but I still had enough time. When I think of a ragged day like this, I think of the people Ive met in recent weeks and months. People Ive done stories on who would give anything - ANYTHING - for one of the more stressful days I have at work where it feels like there just isnt enough time to complete all the tasks at the level of proficiency that I demand from myself. Today, I ran myself semi-ragged all over the city, running errands that needed to be done. Yet I also encountered at least 20 people who brightened my day. Just today by chance. The man at Theisens who saw my Minnesota-Duluth hoodie and we talked about Duluth for 20 minutes... while I waited for Oil Change #1 to be complete. Ed at Hy-Vee who smiles and chats as I slowly destroy a handful of my cells with my Diet Dew off the fountain :) The piano player at Von Maur who nods at me while I am incredibly envious of his musical talent. Even the older couple whispering at the mall. Hes from KCRG... the wife told the husband as I walk past. (I can always hear this but Ill play it off like I dont until I whip around and say, yeah, its me, in a deadpan. Always shocks them and they laugh.) The guy who took 15 minutes to show me jackets and ties on sale at a mens clothing shop while I waited for Oil Change #2 (yes, both cars today) to finish up. As for Oil Change #2, also the person who was going to charge $47 to replace the wipers on my wifes car. Why am I thankful? That led to me YouTube, a refresher on replacing my own wipers, which led to... ...the older lady at the auto parts store saying, I see you on TV! as I tell her I need a 26 and a 18 blade. As an accomplishment junkie, the windshield wiper solution made my day. (I can write a newscast but the only complex thing I can usually fix well is my anchor hair.) Everybody has time. Even in their busiest days. We just dont think we do and we shut the outside world out because were so busy. I think of tomorrow where Ill probably have nothing but time - at times. Covering the President means going through Secret Service hours before the event, hurrying up to wait but it also means talking with people who follow the President every day. It may mean helping guide a younger colleague or even a competitor on how the process will work. Perhaps helping a stranger with their microphone cables or setting up a camera. Its a little thing but imagine if we could all take that spirit into our 2015. Sure, well try and hold to those annual New Years Resolutions but why not try and add more value in everything we do? Give more. Expect less. This is winter in Iowa. Its been remarkably harsh the last couple of weeks but there is growth and potential at all times. What will you try and make better for 2015? Something that not only requires an inner push of initiative but also the self-discipline to actually finish and see through. To everything, there is a season. Lets make this year one where, 352 days from now, well look back and beam from what we accomplished.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 03:35:48 +0000
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