Lessons in Luck

I went to a funeral today.

I had learned a very valuable lesson from this man years before and wanted to say thanks and pay my respects. Back when I was younger and more aggressive I read quite a few books on self-improvement and charting your destiny. I had begun to believe that we make our own luck, that we controlled our circumstances by attracting into our lives people and events according to our attitudes and habits.

Then my friend Walt lost his daughter. She was the light of his life, young and beautiful with everything to live for. She was killed by a drunk driver while parked at a stoplight. A short while after that the company he worked for laid off their entire workforce. All of this happening to one of the most honest and friendly folks I ever met. A dedicated family man, a veteran who served his country, worked hard and never had a bad word to say about anyone.

It was a great lesson for me, I threw away the motivational books I had been reading and witnessed a real person work their way back from some of life’s toughest blows. The thought that this man had made his own luck was an absurdity. He took a job that I had just left and we spoke often for a few years afterwards. I watched him work his way back from despair slowly over time. Eventually he found other reasons to be happy and lived well for another couple of decades.

I will always think about him anytime I hear about someone making their own luck, I just don’t buy it. He made the best of his life, but luck did not have much to do with it.

Doing the Right Thing... Hopefully

It’s taken me a long time to write this article, mostly because I was just not sure where to start or even what to write. It has to do with doing, or rather not doing the right thing. I was at lunch with a friend last week, minding my own business when a very disturbed young lady sat down in the booth next to me. At first she just sat by herself and mumbled, but over time her mumbles grew into sobbing out loud and then laughing hysterically.

As I ate and tried to hold a conversation with my friend I grew more and more uncomfortable. Sometimes I was fearful thinking to myself; “What is wrong with this person?” Other times I was angry, wondering why this person had to act like an idiot while I was trying to enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

But mostly I was in turmoil, what should I do…should I help or should I run? In the end I left the restaurant upset at myself for leaving and disturbed that I didn’t do something, but believing I was probably correct. Although not totally sure I did the right thing, because here I am a week later, still writing about it.

The picture above is of a veteran who hangs out at a local shopping center and asks for money on a regular basis. He is another source of inner turmoil. I am certain that he truly is homeless, really is a veteran and definitely has issues which prevent him from having a regular job.

On the other hand he is there virtually every day, refuses to go into a shelter and won’t change the life he leads regardless of how much money I give him. I sometimes feel compelled to give, but don’t because it does no good.

There is no better feeling than helping someone and knowing that you have made a difference, but sometimes that feeling is missing. Which means then I have to decide based upon a set of guidelines I have established for myself over the years. We should try to do what is right, not what feels good. The problem is deciding between right and wrong. Sometimes it’s easy and I want to roll down the window and shout, “get a job.” Sometimes I am humbled and wish I had more to give, knowing that you are truly doing the right and noble thing. But most of the time it’s a struggle between giving up something you have to someone you’re not sure about.

And so I have decided to share this with all of you. Normally I wouldn’t because no one likes to read an article without an ending, or even a decent conclusion, which I don’t have in this case. But that is the point. Sometimes you just have to muddle through. And I am certain that many of you have experienced the same thing but no one likes to talk about it. So let me encourage you, if all you did this day, or week, or month is muddle through, you are not alone.

I once sat on a beach many thousands of miles from here, speaking to a man who had never seen a big city or even a large town for that matter. They had electricity for a couple hours a day and lived on a pittance of what would be normal in America. We had no problem talking, he cared about the exact same things I did. His wife, his kids, his home, family, church and making it through the winter to the next spring when work would start up again. The longer I live the more I am convinced that there are no original thoughts, we just forget things and then think of them again.

Sure, sometimes we have flashes of brilliance -- and they are wonderful, inspirational even. But most of the time I think our job is to just keep moving forward. So muddle on my friends, keep moving forward between your flashes of brilliance, and enjoy them when they come. They are a like the feeling of new clean sheets on a night when you are bone tired, they are a moment to be savored.

Don't Argue, Testify....

A couple of years ago I had lunch with a friend who is a part time preacher; he is a great guy and has very firm beliefs -- as one would expect of a leader. He loved to argue scripture and could quote chapter and verse at death defying speed. This man is still preaching today and leading a church in our area, he devotes his free time to service and for him what he is doing is a great, but it is not and never will be for me.

Faith is a deeply personal thing and true faith is not something anyone can be talked into. If someone can be talked into believing in a deity by clever arguments then a better orator can talk that same person out of that belief. That is not faith, that is logic, or at least a poor attempt at logic, and faith is not logical. Faith is a deeply held certainty that something is true regardless of any visible, logical or provable factors.

As humans we love to argue, to hear our own voices and to “prove” to ourselves and anyone who will listen that we are right. I am doing that right now, but I try to hide it by cleverly denying that I like to argue. Arguing that I don’t argue, so to speak.

Anyway my point is, if you want to talk to someone about your faith don’t argue with them over who is right and who is wrong. Just tell them how you feel and what your faith has done for you.

Testify.

There used to be a guy on TV selling an herbal diet drink that understood this concept better than anyone else I have ever heard. When people would ask him an overly technical question he would answer something like, “ I’m not sure about that, but let me tell you how it affected me.” And from there he would tell them truthfully of his experience. People can and will argue over minute and meaningless details, but how can they argue over your experiences? They may be asking for an argument but you will answer them with a living example from your own life.

The next time someone asks you an argumentative question like "How can a loving god allow war?" don’t fight with them or defend your beliefs. Don’t try and prove to them or yourself that your are right, or smart, or clever. Instead be sincere, be honest, be vulnerable, and tell them how your faith has helped you in this life.

Testify.

The Search for Fall Colors

On the second day of our trip we came across this church, which has been going continously since 1890, looking at the old cross leaning on the tree under the incredible colors of fall was one of the nicest things I have ever seen. Faith is a very personal thing and I try not to preach, there are enough good preachers in this world that no one should ever have to listen to me try, but if seeing God's creation at this time of year doesn't stir something in your soul then you need to go out and take a second look.

God doesn't live in a church, or a temple made by the hand of man, he is everywhere. He certainly is here, as witnessed this by month of Ocotber 2009. What a sight to behold.

We desperately wanted to camp this trip after the great time we had on the last adventure, but all the campgrounds in the area are closed due to the threat of an early freeze. Since deer hunting season opened this weekend I didn't want to just dry camp in the middle of the forest. Not that I fear or think poorly of hunters, I do not in any way, it's just the dust that will be kicked up by all the traffic on opening weekend. When it's dry like this the dust gets so thick you can taste it. So, we roughed it at the Best Western. It is awfully nice to have a warm bed between trips out to see the fall colors. We were treated to a pretty spectacular set of golds as soon as we hit the mountains. This shot is from a spot near Mill Creek, CA named Childs Meadow.

Right before dinner on the first night I looked out the window and the sunset was going crazy, I jumped up and started throwing gear into a bag trying to get to the lake before it went totally dark. My poor wife was trying to help and I asked her to set up the tripod. She was so excited she extended all 4 legs out to seven feet tall and locked them down with Godzilla like strength. If I were tall enough to reach up there and attach my camera I could never have seen through the viewfinder. Anyone who knows me can testify that I am not seven feet tall, and my vertical leap is around 4 inches. I briefly considered getting a step stool since the legs were locked down so tight I could not budge them. After our comedy of errors we managed to get this shot setup with a series exposures ranging from about 4 to 30 seconds before it went black. It was well worth the effort, this was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen, and to spend it with my best friend while producing art made it that much better.

Thanks for coming along and if you got this far, thanks for reading!

JP

Nobody Beats the Weather

It's been a wonderful six days but it is time to pull the chocks and go, there is a big storm coming in for the next couple of days and my kids are going to be home this weekend, hopefully both of them.

No camping trip on earth is better than a dinner at home with my family. It is so rare that we get together anymore. Everyone has their own lives and issues to deal with and scheduling conflicts make together time a special thing.

So it's goodbye seafood and hello ranch country.

I am going to miss the clam chowder, it just doesn't taste the same when you are 200 miles from the  ocean. The journey home is a long one, but expectations grow with every mile. There is nothing as good as going home after an abscence, even a slight one.

Goodbye Brookings, we will see you again in June!

Whaleshead State Beach

whaleshead 72_1080_web, originally uploaded by plattj1.

So far it's another incredibly sunny day... We braved the dirt road to Whaleshead Beach State Park, what a great little spot. We have been here before with my kids about 18 years ago. It looks exactly the same. No graffiti, everything in working order and a nice people enjoying the Pacific Ocean.

Why is it that Oregon can maintain their state parks and beaches and California cannot? Virtually everywhere we stop the facilities are clean and in working condition. There are park employees out working and the infrastructure is not crumbling and destroyed. I know it is not due to lack of use, you have to make reservations at some of these campgrounds up to 9 months in advance, they are full every night.

It is embarrassing to compare the way California treats the parks and public spaces they are responsible for, our stewardship is horrible. All of the people I know who camp, hunt or fish feel the same way I do, we pay our taxes and the demanded fees to use the parks but find they are falling apart around us. I just want to know where the money is going. Obviously it is possible to have a great park system, the drive from Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad, CA to Harris Beach State Park in Brookings, OR only takes 2 hours. They are both geographically spectacular, however only one is cared for properly.

Stewardship says a lot about the inner life of the steward in charge, in this case  what is being looked after is not the public spaces for future generations. By all appearances those we have entrusted with our facilities are choosing to devour the park funds for some other area. Our California parks and public spaces need a new steward, one who cares for them first.

A Day at The Beach

Sunny and warm with a breeze out of the north.

After a nice shower (free hot water - Yay!) in the campground we ran down to the beach to see what the day was like.

It was perfect.

The Pelicans were pounding the shore and practicing their close formation flying manuvers to the delight of the crowds. They fly inches apart and dive from 100' like a precision flying team. What a show.

Since it was time for lunch we headed to the harbor where the Pelicans go to rest and relax, that seemed like a good idea so we had lunch and hung around for a couple of hours. After a nice meal it was back to the campground for a quick Photoshop session and some afternoon reading.

Thanks for looking, I hope you like Pelicans.