My good friend and brother-in-Christ Mat Parker recently shared with me an excellent video, located here.  I was showing it to Marria and Asher last night.  In one part, Mr. Wooden quotes a poem by Glennice Harmon "They Ask Me Why I Teach."  It goes like this:

They ask me why I teach
And I reply, "Where could I find more splendid company?"
There sits a statesman,
Strong, unbiased, wise,
Another later Webster
Silver-tongued.
And there a doctor
Whose quick, steady hand
Can mend a bone or stem the lifeblood's flow.
A builder sits beside him --
Upward rise the arches of that church he builds wherein
That minister will speak the word of God,
And lead a stumbling soul to touch the Christ.

And all about
A lesser gathering
Of farmers, merchants, teachers,
Laborers, men
Who work and vote and build
And plan and pray into a great tomorrow.
And, I say,
"I may not see the church,
Or hear the word,
Or eat the food their hands will grow."
And yet -- I may.
And later I may say,
"I knew the lad, and he was strong,
Or weak, or kind, or proud
Or bold or gay.
I knew him once,
But then he was a boy."
They ask my why I teach and I reply,
"Where could I find more splendid company?"

Marria made the comment that we should give it to Asher's teacher, Ms. Lovelace.  Without hesitation, Asher replied matter-of-factly, "but she is not in such splendid company."  I was and am astounded at the comprehension of my 9-year-old.  For Asher to pick up on the theme of the poem and apply it in its correct context, and at the same time make a little joke about his classmates indicates that the Big Boo is growing up quite fast!

I have been keeping a log of my travel for 7 years now, ever since starting at my most recent job.  Stats are below.

Year   Days at Home   Days Traveling Business   Days Traveling Pleasure

2002   210 (57.5%)    100 (27.4%)                    55 (15.1%)

2003   287 (78.6%)    47 (12.9%)                      31 (8.5%)

2004   263 (71.9%)    66 (18.0%)                      37 (10.1%)

2005   226 (61.9%)    103 (28.2%)                    36 (9.9%)

2006   235 (64.4%)    77 (21.1%)                      53 (14.5%)

2007   229 (62.7%)    83 (22.7%)                      53 (14.5%)

2008   281 (76.8%)    26 (7.1%)                        59 (16.1%)

The 2008 totals are forecast through the end of the year.

Career averages are:  247 (67.7%), 72 (19.6%), and 46 (12.7%). 

I'm not sure why I post that, except that I'm currently traveling, so it's on my mind.  Traveling for work is not good for my spiritual life.  It's not good for my physical health.  It is generally hard, despite all the comforts of life that I usually enjoy - nice hotel rooms, good food, etc.  Ironic.

Tips for survival: 

1. turn the TV off.  We do not have cable at home, and do not have a digitally-enabled TV.  We will be 100% without TV when the analog signals are switched off in February.  So I look forward to watching ESPN when I'm on the road.  What it inevitably leads to:  staying up all night, watching re-runs of SportsCenter.  Seeing ads that promote things I don't need or things I shouldn't be looking at.  My life is healthier at home, and less TV is a primary reason why.
2. turn the lights off.  I tend to stay up, which tends to be related to #1, and tends to catch up to me after a couple of days.
3. get a workout in, no matter what.  You will have stinky clothes to transport home.  You will need to bring something that dries relatively fast if you will be gone multiple days.  You will always feel better after a workout.
4. turn the computer off.

Good night!

After successfully campaigning for their preferred candidate and party in the recent elections, NPR has had to replace all of its election campaign rhetoric.  They have chosen to fill the void with more rhetoric in support of the next item on their agenda:  the advancement of homosexuality as an appropriate alternative lifestyle. 

Oh joy.

In other news, many people just went to work today, did not obsess over where they were (or whether or not they were) obtaining their personal sexual gratification, did not lament the way they were raised or blame others for their difficulties, lent a helping hand to others trying to make a positive difference in the world, and went to bed with a prayer on their lips thanking the Creator for pitying us in our state of mortal vanity and allowing us to live normal lives and a normal day.

I just realized that I almost forgot to post the lesson that I learned in 2007.  Good thing I remembered, or it might have been lost to oblivion.

It's fitting that I just now realized that I had forgotten to log it.  Because the lesson is that sometimes you're just going to mess up.  But the lesson is that sometimes, you're also going to do great things! 

My lesson in 2007 was:  Be Super-Human.

You see, this lesson came in two very distinct ways to me this year.  I guess to expound on the two-word-message theme, I'd say the lesson was to fully experience what it means to be human.  That includes all the mishaps and blind luck and hard work and rewards and risks and everything else. 

I messed up more in 2007.  I was a worse parent.  I yelled a lot.  I had my first DNF in a race.  Ever.  (Well, except for that triple-cheeseburger incident before a 5k in my senior cross-country season in high school...)  As a manager, I lost my final employee and now manage no one (and not even myself very well, sometimes).  I wrote my first bad opinion into the newspaper.

I succeeded more in 2007.  In some ways, I learned to be an even better parent.  I had the first annual Man Meeting with my son.  I finished my 3rd Ironman.  I qualified for the Boston Marathon with a PR of 3:09:52.  I rode my bike to Fayetteville from my house.  I climbed a huge tower.  I was a great manager who was told he was the lone reason that a certain employee stayed around at my company.  I brought in more work than ever before.  I wrote my first-ever opinion into the newspaper.  Sometimes just having an opinion is success?

So I was about as human as anyone else.  Highs and lows for a guy that usually keeps an even keel.  I will keep trying to be more of the 'super' kind of human, and less human.  But some days, I will just embrace being human, and try to gain from the experience.  And I'll try to be okay with that.