A 31-Cent Gift

I'm kinda embarrassed. And kinda not.

I was in line at the grocery store today, when one of the employees came up to buy a simple bag of chips ("crisps" to you in the UK; I like that). It turns out that she didn't have any money with her, so she told the checker that she'd have to put it on her debit card. I was packing my groceries into the large, gray, plastic tub I use in place of plastic grocery bags (hate 'em) and overheard the conversation.

After insisting on paying the 31-cent cost of the chips, the employee insisted that she pay me back. "Not to mind," I told her. No problem. No worries. Consider it a Christmas gift. A New Years present. Pay it forward. "When's your birthday?" I asked. "Consider it an early present."

I don't know if I was more embarrassed to have her insist on paying me back - I hope she doesn't, actually - or if I was more sad that she didn't have even 31 cents in her pocket. A simple kindness, which was surpassed by tens of thousands or "larger" kindnesses around the world today, no doubt.

My wife and I have been there - one year after Christmas we had all of $47.00 to our name. To be sure, we also had a house - with its mortgage, property taxes and utility bills; two cars - with their insurance, gas and repair costs; and four kids - with their clothing, schooling, doctor and dental bills. And we were working, which solves a lot of monetary ills. So I understand.

Or am I getting too far away from life-as-it-is for many: living week-to-week, paycheck-to-paycheck?

Quotation: Preparation

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

I love this quote! I find it attributed to many different people, but one of the oldest is Seneca (the Younger), a Roman philosopher, politician and dramatist.

I've spent my life getting education on various things, especially things surrounding my job as a computer programmer and analyst. I learned COBOL, IMS DB/DC, CICS, DB2 & SQL, LotusScript, Java, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, C++, XML, XSL, SAP's Java Web Dynpro, project management techniques, structured analysis and structured design. And I was ready for the "next assignment".

The way I think about it, if you want to make yourself valuable to your employer, educate yourself. And stay on top of your education needs.

Oh, and Another Thing

It may be that there are one or more new hips in my future. Doctor visit this month will tell the tale . . .

2010 : A Poor Year for Blog Posts

Lookit that - four posts last year. Don't I have more to say than that? Let's see what this year will bring. Potential posts include (cue the preview music):

• A 30th wedding anniversary
• Dad's 90th birthday
• Two 55th birthdays
• A new niece (due in February)
• A neat vacation (more detail on that later)
• The trips to open and close our friends' cabin in northern Wisconsin
• Implementation of SAP NetWeaver Portal at work, replacing our current Intranet (something about which I don't normally post)
• New quotations
• Chicago sports failures (and successes, I hope)
• Notes on plays we're going to see
• A new car (perhaps)
• Some writing (poems, lyrics)
• Some songs (if I can get them recorded)

So . . . let's see where we go with this!

Hello 2011!

"Just think of what it's gonna be like when we're 25!"

I said that back in 1974, when sitting with a bunch of friends in front of a house in Mount Prospect, Illinois, the year many of us graduated from high school.

We turned 25 in 1981, just about 30 years ago.

Seems that everyone tells you, around the time your kids are born, should you have any, "Pay attention, because before you know it, they're going to be all grown up." Now that my kids are grown, I can echo that sentiment to everyone else.

Let me write a corollary: Pay attention, because, before you know it, you're going to be (what used to be called) middle-aged.

What does 55 feel like? In my mind, I don't feel "old". I do recognize that both my hips need to be replaced, and that I'm way-overweight, that I couldn't play a quarter of a touch-football game even if I wanted to, but that doesn't mean I don't feel the same as I did back in '74.

Time sure does fly.

Now it seems that I've got that "yearning deep within me, telling me there's more to come", to paraphrase one of my favorite singer/songwriters. so, perhaps, it's time to take inventory of the good and the bad, work on making the good even better and making the bad good.

Hello 2011! Thanks for making me sit up and take notice.