Even the Donkey Knows

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“Behold, your king is coming to you…humble and mounted on a donkey.” – Zech. 9.9

As the commemoration of Holy Week concluded (representing the span between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday), I reflected on a sermon I once heard wherein the preacher used details of the triumphal entry that first Palm Sunday to illustrate his lesson on humility: despite all the cheering and hullabaloo, the gentle and lowly king Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a simple and humble beast of burden. (Matt 21.1-11, Mark 11.1-11, Luke 19.28-40, John 12.12-19)

As humans, we desire affirmation and often envy the kind of attention given to Jesus that day. Yet sometimes it’s not about us. The preacher joked that even the donkey understood the fanfare wasn’t for him, but for the one on his back.

Animals are remarkably perceptive, so it’s not a stretch to believe that.

Humans are also perceptive. But we’re likewise careless, impetuous, fickle, and consumed with our own self-interests. You probably know well what happened in the week following that donkey ride. By week’s end, many of those celebrating Jesus’ arrival were silent, hiding, or even among those calling for his death.

Not much has changed in 2000 years. Animals, despite having no capacity for reason, remain extraordinarily perceptive. Humans, despite having great capacity to reason, remain extraordinarily self-absorbed and persist in a perpetual rebellion-repentance-restoration relationship with God. And all those points were on full display during a recent monthlong decampment blending business with pleasure, highlighted by a week in Costa Rica with friends.

Surely everyone traveling to Costa Rica has heard about the wildlife. Even the least amount of research into the area we stayed confirms the prevalence of monkeys (and other exotic animals) running amok around the property; including the possibility these little safe-cracking simians might help themselves to your belongings if the doors aren’t secured. We couldn’t wait to see for ourselves if the stories were true!

There are likewise ample warnings directing guests NOT to feed the animals. You see where this is going?

Many reasons exist not to feed wild animals, including much of what we eat is bad for them. Not to mention doing so only entices them to return for more. More often, and more aggressively.

Consider these firsthand examples.

While I certainly don’t care to snuggle with any, my experience is that iguanas typically mind their own business. In fact, they usually just ignore people or scurry away when we clumsily try to get as close as possible to take their photo. I don’t blame people for wanting to take photos…iguanas are beautiful, fascinating creatures. But sometimes it’s like watching a search warrant execution, except everyone’s wearing sunscreen and flip-flops. Just use the zoom feature, already!

Worse yet, occasionally there’s that one dude to whom the rules don’t apply and common sense persistently eludes. It happened this time to be the same dude who foolishly thought perhaps the friendly poolside iguana, just trying to mind his own business, would instead like a French fry. In pure poetic irony, everyone nearby was treated to several minutes of lively entertainment as Captain Ketchup scrambled off his palapa, squealing like a teenage girl, while the iguana quite aggressively came back for seconds. And thirds. You’ll be happy to know the iguana was fine, and that good old Crinkle Fry there was later heard to say “I guess that’s why we’re not supposed to feed the animals.”

Don’t be that guy.

Then there’s what Alfred Hitchcock tried to warn us about. Loud, obnoxious, and known to suddenly perch on heads of unsuspecting diners or snatch food right off their plate, the birds were perhaps most annoying. Yet giggling guests continue feeding them.

And of course, the monkeys.

It wasn’t uncommon to encounter them in trees throughout the resort. But the sight of dozens scampering across railings on every level of main lodge balconies each morning was like something straight out of Jungle Book. King Louie had nothing on these primates.

In fact, one morning from the sidewalk below, several of us were caught between curiosity and incredulousness as we watched a young lady precariously suspended from her balcony. Holding on with one hand, she dangled part of her breakfast in the other as she stretched toward a monkey on an adjacent railing.

At least two thoughts crossed my mind in that moment: 1) she’s probably someone to whom things like using turn signals, returning shopping carts to the corral, not texting and driving, waiting their turn to exit the aircraft, or not feeding the animals are merely suggestions not to be taken seriously; and 2) I wonder which one of us is going to call the ambulance?

Fortunately, the girl didn’t plummet to her death, wasn’t bitten, and the monkey didn’t eat from her hand.

But our proclivity toward stupidity and the problem of feeding animals persists.

We hadn’t seen monkeys on our own balcony until our last morning, so it was as if they’d read the daily departures log and came to bid us farewell. It was fun watching them drink from the jacuzzi spout and search the veranda for scraps we may have left behind. We personally confirmed they do, in fact, know how to operate the sliding doors. While ours was latched making for an unsuccessful break-in, one did slip in through our neighbor’s door long enough to swipe some sugar packets off their table. Shortly thereafter, I saw his buddy grasping a bag of peanut M&Ms lifted from another room.

Amusing as it was to watch their antics, I was irritated and grew even more concerned for their wellbeing as I watched one on the patio tentatively, yet persistently, trying to eat something unrecognizable, disgusting, and probably not from nature. The impact of careless, self-absorbed humans consumed only with their own amusement continues contributing to the problem. We should instead be part of the solution.

There is hope.

The monkeys there are skittish and reluctant to accept food from people; and the iguanas just want to be left alone. Like the donkey knew the fanfare wasn’t his, these animals know our food isn’t theirs.

Unlike wild animals, humans should know better; we have the capacity to think and reason. Perhaps over time, if we stop feeding them, they’ll be reconditioned (and stop telling their friends where all the loot is). The least we can do is leave them alone and just appreciate their beauty and unique place in nature.

Not everything needs to be about us.

Get Strong. Be Strong. Stay Strong.

Special thanks to Cupine Farm and the McCarthys for the cover photo of Jarvis setting the horses straight, and for another memorable trip.

“Please Don’t Feed the Animals” – The Management

*If you’d like to know more about Jesus or the meaning of Palm Sunday and Easter, please contact me. Or consider reading the New Testament Gospel According to John.

Transformation Tuesday: The Heart

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This week we’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day, now a largely romantic holiday of debatable history widely thought to have originated from a martyred Christian named Saint Valentine.  Certainly well-meaning in its modern adaptation – I mean, who couldn’t use a little more love, romance, and heart-shaped chocolates in their life? – it’s the human heart that is the focus of this Transformation Tuesday.  

In the figurative sense, hearts get broken, and like other holidays this can be a tough one for many.  In the literal sense hearts can also be broken due to congenital disease. They can also become broken, or defective, as a result of infection, high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, simple age-related degeneration, obesity, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity.  Some heartbreak and some heart problems are unavoidable.  However, as poor decisions and bad relationships can lead to broken hearts, many physical heart problems are likewise preventable; the result of simple abuse or neglect.  

What: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4.23)

How: Be physically active, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, eat healthy while adhering to reasonable portion control. Or as my friends over at On Target Living say: Rest | Eat | Move. It is perhaps equally as important to avoid those foods, activities, and people that aren’t good for you. 

Why: The heart is at the center of our being: physically and emotionally. From attitude to energy to relationships, everything else is impacted when our heart isn’t working like it should.

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6.45)

Make sure yours is healthy, happy, and full of the right stuff.

Get Strong. Be Strong. Stay Strong.  

5th Annual Year in Review

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As each year transitions to the next I find myself looking back as I look forward. Is it just me, or does it seem like the world continues drifting farther off the rails every year? There’s a future article in there somewhere, but I’m well overdue for what’s in front of me here.

Unless you’re new to following along, you know January is when I recap the articles, activities, and exploits of the previous year. While I’m grateful for some new opportunities, there were also added responsibilities, challenges, and the unexpected loss of loved ones early in the year that drove engagement here down. But I hope what I did share was meaningful, encouraging, inspiring, or entertaining to you in some way. It’s certainly enjoyable to me! So in continuance of this tradition of questionable value, please enjoy my fifth such year-in-review.   

Little Things Parts One (and Two)

After buying time with the previous year’s review, I promptly began 2023 talking about the important business of doing your business. Well, only in part. Resurrecting memories of the White Cloud toilet paper jingle ‘little things mean a lot’ helped introduce the subject of how little things in our lives can have a large impact. Consider the spark as to a wildfire or the rudder as to a ship. Consider that despite its small size, the human tongue has unrivaled power to equally uplift or destroy. Or how ostensibly insignificant words, incidents, decisions, choices, or (apparent) coincidences of the past are written seamlessly into the script of your life today…a phenomenon I dubbed incidental interconnectedness. The smallest act of kindness provides big comfort in the midst of pain. Getting out of bed and showing up every day; a positive attitude; giving compliments; gratefulness; treating people with dignity and respect; asking people how their day is going; saying “please”, “thank you”, “I love you”, and “how can I help” more often; holding hands; or sending handwritten notes and thank-you cards are other little things of enormity. A simple hug or touch can instantly reduce stress; words that may seem insignificant when given or received often have lasting impact, for better or worse; faithfulness in little things leads to faithfulness in much; and the smallest light can be seen in the thickest darkness. The real issue isn’t how much we have, but what we do with it. 

Be that light.

Unlikely Heroes: When Ordinary People Do Extraordinary Things 

It’s difficult to summarize this article or convey in brief the emotion contained within. While I recommend linking back to all of 2023’a articles, this one is especially best read in full. Two quotes from it will have to provide its summary here.

“There comes a special moment in everyone’s life, a moment for which that person was born. That special opportunity, when he seizes it, will fulfill his mission – a mission for which he is uniquely qualified. In that moment, he finds greatness. It is his finest hour.” – Winston Churchill

“True heroism is remarkably sober…It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” – Arthur Ashe

You Are Enough Part One (and Two) 

“God often spends years preparing us for what he wants us to do….don’t be impatient with yourself.” – David Jeremiah

These two are likewise hard to condense. I did little compulsory introspection into the impact my past may have had on preferences, behavior, life and career choices, and responses to other situations in an effort to answer those and other ‘whys’; the most obvious of which is having spent most of my life believing I’m not handsome enough, good enough, desirable, or strong enough. And trying in some way, every step of the way, to prove that I am. 

In addition to examining the potential source of some of these long-term hangups, I also lamented time I wasted not being the man God intended me to be. I then found myself wondering whether it really was all wasted time, or part of a some master plan to prepare me for where I am today. The answer appears to be “yes”.

Part Two examined why many of the steps I took along the way to make myself feel better about myself were completely unnecessary. Instead of worrying what people think of me, I now try hard (not always successfully) to use the good, bad, and ugly of my life, career, and experience to bring me closer to God, help others, and make the world a better place. The key to this two part self-examination was this: Stop stumbling over things already behind you. You are enough. Be confident in who you are and to whom you belong.

“I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I wish to be. I am not what I one day will be. But, by the grace of God, I am not what I once was.“ – John Newton

Make Time to Train 

Things had been pretty heavy the last few articles, so a rail trip I took to Oklahoma City provided inspiration for something a little less weighty. This brief foray into lighter fare gave merely a glimpse into why I love traveling by train whenever possible. The chance to use this timely double entendre was just bonus: “When you say you don’t have time to train, what you are really saying is that you’ve chosen not to train.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

I encourage you to get on-board and see for yourself.

Those Who Can

As someone who has historically done a lot of speaking and teaching, the pejorative statement “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” has always been offensive to me. This article serves as a rebuttal directed at those who carelessly spew that sentiment, and a defense of those it’s typically directed toward. Because those who can do both!

A Full Cast of Characters

Humans are interdependent. From the beginning God said it’s not good for man to be alone.  Life and leadership are about helping others be successful. Others help us to be our best and prevent loneliness and isolation. Perhaps this statement sums it up best: the strength of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. “The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” – John Wooden

Fitness remains an important facet of this motivational ministry and my life. On top of my ongoing daily commitment to doing my age in squats and pushups, regular strength, flexibility, and cardio workouts continue. I’ll use an upcoming article to chronicle that and inspire you to the importance of continued wellness.

The year ended with a significant health scare and emergency surgery for my father, and a skin cancer diagnosis requiring surgery of my own. Still, there’s much to be grateful for, not the least of which is your continued interest, support, and encouragement. I’m looking forward to another great year working together with you to make the world a better place.

Let’s do more in 2024!

Get Strong. Be Strong. Stay Strong.

Transformation Tuesday: The Mind

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I was recently involved in a local production of Pilgrim, a dramatic musical based on the John Bunyan book The Pilgrim’s Progress.  It is a powerful allegory that tracks a believer’s life along the path to Heaven; a transformational journey of sanctification on the road to glory.  Many of the pilgrim’s struggles, like my own, are thinking problems: defective thinking, overthinking, not thinking, or thinking about the wrong things.

Improving and maintaining mental wellness starts with transforming the mind.  

What: Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12.2) 

How: Read, pray, relax, meditate, limit screen time, rest, escape.  What are some others that work for you?  

Why: Less stress, better sleep, more creativity, greater productivity, higher energy, healthier relationships. What are some other benefits?  

This is the first in a series of short Tuesday reminders about the importance of mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness.

And look for the annual Beyond Strength Year In Review coming soon!

Get Strong. Be Strong. Stay Strong.

A Full Cast of Characters

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“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” – John Wooden

Listen to the audio version here.

During a recent service, my pastor quoted Charles Spurgeon: “Scripture frequently sums up a man’s life in a single verse.” I’ve thought a lot about what single verse might sum up my life. While many could easily apply, like Ephesians 3.8 (I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people), one perhaps fits best: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” (1 Tim 1.15)

Look, it’s not a competition; no one wins at sin. But I fall short a lot, and the closer I get to God the more obvious and uncomfortable my unworthiness is. So I place myself at the top of the list. And like anyone in uncomfortable situations, I have a couple of choices: distance myself or draw closer. While the tendency for most is to disconnect, for the person of faith it should be to draw near to God and surround ourselves with others who make us better people.

Life and leadership are about helping others be successful.

“Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.” (John Donne) While there’s something to be said for independence and alone time once in a while, no man is an island. Humans are interdependent. From the beginning, God said it’s not good for man to be alone. Pets are great, but we need companionship with others like us…with intellect, ethics, emotions, spirituality. Besides, pretty much everything in life requires some level of teamwork: leadership, business, sports, relationships. A widely shared passage in Ecclesiastes (4.9-12) reminds us that two are better than one and a cord of three strands is not easily broken. Not only can they help us be our best, other people help prevent loneliness and isolation. One only need consider the devastating emotional effects many experienced during the pandemic lockdowns to understand this truth.

But not every friend is a good one, nor every team a winner. A friend loves at all times, not just when you’re with them or have something to offer. And even teams with the greatest all-stars lose. The symbolism of that simple threefold cord helps us understand it’s better to have a few of the right players than an abundance of the wrong. A friends list or team roster stacked with the wrong people can lead to all sorts of trouble, but a GOOD team player and the RIGHT kind of helper is essential to success.

“It is not important what role you play, as long as you play your role.” – Don Denyes

Have you ever watched the credits roll at the end of a show? They seem to run forever and list literally hundreds of cast and crew. Few are the ‘stars’. As I write this article, final rehearsals are taking place for a stage production I’m involved with. Like most, I play a very small role. Yet having experienced a fair amount of theater (and a couple of film productions), I can tell you that it takes the entire cast and crew to be successful. Contrary to pop news, it’s the collective excellence of the set, sound, and stage crews, minor characters, and company performers that make or break a show. Of course the right leads are important, but even a momentary loss of character or focus by a supporting role upstage is immediately noticeable and often what keeps an average production from being exceptional. Every member of the cast and crew must be bought in, committed, support one another, and work seamlessly together throughout – keeping always the best interest of the show and team at the forefront; even if that means not being the center of attention.

For me, home projects are another example of my need for others. I take pride in being good at a number of things, but certain handiwork is not generally among them. Sure, given enough time and do-overs I can generally muddle through, but the results are more akin to ‘That’ll work.’ than ‘Wow, that looks amazing.’ And while I have no trouble running a saw, tape, or hammer, it did once take me two tries to install a cat door. The result was convenient floor and ceiling access for what I thereafter referred to as our circus cat. Note: when you remove a door for such projects, remember which end is which (that’s just one of many examples from life in the unskilled trades). Had I just asked for a little help…

Disposition is everything when it comes to teamwork.

There are many more examples of our need for relationships and teamwork in life. We simply can’t do life alone, so the virtues of humility, respect, and the ability to relate to others are invaluable.

John Maxwell points out in his book The 360 Degree Leader, “Leadership is more disposition than position.” The same is true of teamwork. Leading, following, asking for help, and helping others all require an unpretentious disposition. Humility is the antithesis of pride and self-service, which in turn are contradictory to being a great leader, teammate, and friend. It’s a small man who neither offers nor asks for help, and who runs down others to boost his own fragile ego. Yet ironically, it is the same man’s inflated ego and self-serving disposition by which humility and vulnerability escape him. While people with these traits make poor leaders, teammates, and friends, it may simply be that they lack emotional intelligence; particularly empathy and self-awareness.

So what does this have to do with the rest?

The strength of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

We all have issues. Humans are imperfect. Teams are a collection of individuals, therefore likewise imperfect. In his book The Ideal Team Player, Patrick Lencioni focuses on team members individually improving on “…the virtues that make him or her more likely to overcome the dysfunctions that derail teams.” This not only applies to the pretentious egotist mentioned above, it translates to all areas of life. Looking within and without, individually and collectively, we can make the world a better place by making each other better. It’s ok to be broken, but we’re still better together than apart!

Nicky Gumbel shared this from Desmond Tutu recently: ‘The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms…[W]e are made for complementarity. We are created for a delicate network of relationships, of interdependence with our fellow human beings…’ Adds Gumbel, “God does not intend for you to be lonely and isolated.”

We were created with an enduring need for others and a relationship with God. He gave us an important and obvious example in sending his son to share in our humanity, without whom salvation is impossible.

The show must go on…work hard to live at peace and encourage one another.

Get Strong. Be Strong. Stay Strong.

John Donne prose retrieved from: https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/no-man-is-an-island/

Lencioni, P. (2016). The ideal team player. Josey-Bass. 

Maxwell, J. C. (2011). The 360-degree leader. Thomas Nelson. 

Those Who Can

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Do good. Be rich in good deeds. Be generous and willing to share. (1 Tim 6.18)

As I began writing this a few days ago, I was retuning from Bogota, Colombia, where for the second time in three months I had the privilege of helping deliver training to investigators from Central and South America as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP). The week prior, I was presenting at another investigations seminar closer to home. Even as I type this, I am traveling to the nation’s capital to emcee and help facilitate an International DNA and genealogy summit. Yesterday’s participation in a unique high school career and technical education event simply added to an incredibly meaningful and busy last few months. And while busier lately than I anticipated, I’m grateful for opportunities to continue serving; particularly when it involves consulting on cases or presenting, lecturing, and teaching on related subjects.

The pejorative sentiment “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” is a sort of truncated excerpt originating from George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman that is clearly directed at educators. Perhaps Shaw never intended it to be as offensive or ubiquitous as it has become, but I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve heard it over the years. Sadly, two former colleagues must have really liked it, because they spewed it more than anyone else. It was clearly intended to mock those, like me, whose responsibilities included the in-service education of others in our line of work. I took it all with a grain of salt, knowing it was more rooted in envy and my position firmly outside their in-group than anything else. But I still didn’t much care for it.

Even on the outside chance those using that expression don’t intend it disrespectfully, it’s hard to miss the implication that those who teach others are somehow viewed as unskilled, incompetent, or otherwise unable to perform the actual job; relegating them instead to teach about it. In most cases that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Those who can, do both!

“The safest thing for a patient is to be in the hands of a man involved in teaching medicine.” (Charles H Mayo)

My opinion, which also serves as a rebuttal of sorts to the begrudging purveyor of this lame George Bernard Shaw quip, is this: those who have the ability and opportunity to do both have also the obligation. It doesn’t end with job change or retirement, either. Even when those who can are done doing what they did, how is the next generation of doers expected to know how to do it if not taught by someone who did?  For not unlike the best and most respected military officers having often been prior enlisted members, people with job-related experience and subject matter expertise often make the best and most revered instructors. They are typically capable, engaging, and effective lecturers on their respective subjects. Of course that’s not always the case. Sometimes highly qualified and technically proficient workers are horrible public speakers and the last person you would want teaching or coaching others; like the occasional enlisted member who commissions into nothing more than a just higher ranking nincompoop. Likewise, there are a great many who have no real hands-on, practical experience related to their subject matter yet are remarkable teachers and lecturers.

Personally, I’m glad there were those before me who placed a high priority on educating others about the job, and freely did so in a way that kept my interest and successfully transferred valuable knowledge to help me do it better. Their calling was true and contributions immeasurable.

I’m certainly no professional orator, but I do embrace my love of it and consider the ability to speak, teach, and communicate information effectively among the gifts I have been blessed with. God has blessed each of us with certain gifts and abilities that align with our calling and purpose in life, and we glorify him when we respond to that call. How can I NOT respond to that call? How can I NOT perform to the best of my God-given ability at whatever I undertake, be it the doing or the teaching?

An apostle and a philosopher…

“Whatever you do, work art it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. (Col 3.23) – Apostle Paul

“Do well what you have in hand.” – Marcus Aurelius

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10.31) – Apostle Paul

“Work long and hard; have few wants; work with your own hands; don’t meddle in others’ affairs; be unwilling to listen to slander.” – Marcus Aurelius

Rather than cheekily running others down to feel better about ourselves or deflect from our own discomfort with public speaking, maybe we should instead do everything we can to benefit others with the blessings we’ve been endowed.

Summary

People ask me all the time what I’m doing in retirement. A number of those who ask seem surprised that with rare exception, everything I do is charitable: gratis, without compensation. In other words, pro bono publico (Latin): done for the public good. I don’t say this for self-inflation…I say it because I personally feel that as long as I have the means, time, and ability, it is my responsibility and calling to use the gifts God gave me to benefit others and help make the world a better place. How selfish it would be to withhold from others the knowledge, skills, gifts, and abilities graciously and temporarily on loan to me for work here on earth for that very purpose?

Those who can, do. Those who can’t, don’t.

But those who teach, do both. Because they’re unselfish and awesome.

Get Strong. Be Strong. Stay Strong.

Make Time to Train

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“When you say you don’t have time to train, what you are really saying is that you’ve chosen not to train.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

As I think about favorite settings and scenes from movies, those involving trains are nearly always near the top of my list. Adventure. Romance. Mystery. Intrigue. Think James Bond, Ethan Hunt, and most any Jackie Chan character in a running gunfight atop one and narrowly dodging an approaching tunnel, signal mast, or opposing locomotive as they brawl; Murder on the Orient Express, Silver Streak, Bullet Train, and practically any of the great westerns fit. Some of the zaniest Three Stooges bits were aboard trains, and the New Year’s Eve journey in 1983’s Trading Places is still a favorite scene from that comedy classic. Even Rowling’s Hogwarts Express and the animated Polar Express sate fascination.

Long before Tickle Me Elmo, Pokemon, and everything super-hero, train sets of all types were wish list toppers for many youth, perhaps due in part to their surprising detail. I’ve always been impressed at the realism and intricacy of model layouts, and enjoy discovering when a local diner still has a replica rail system circuitously routed around its upper walls. As with the hobbyist’s impressive layout, I find myself easily lost to imagination watching it complete its circuit over and over; and admittedly more disappointed than I should be when one is rendered little more than a dusty, neglected static display.

Am I the only person who still delights in watching locomotives circle the ceiling of a restaurant, rumble through town, or across the countryside? Or heartbroken there’s no longer use for a working caboose?

I credit my dad and growing up in a rail-heavy area with sparking this preoccupation. Not only did my dad once take me to visit a friend who operated a now obsolete manual switching station (pictured), he also took me and my siblings on the Amtrak from Battle Creek to Chicago! From visiting the museums to eating downtown at Wimpy’s (namesake of the mooching Popeye character who would ‘gladly pay you Tuesday for hamburger today’), a lifetime of memories were made.

So, too, a lasting draw to trains and travel on board.

Photo credit michiganrailroads.com (Charlie Whipp)

Excluding the work of porters, conductors, spies, villains, action-heroes, and mustached monocle-wearing super-sleuths, taking the train successfully reduces life to a slower pace. I don’t mean to overstate the obvious, but rail travel takes patience. Excluding commuters, if you’re in a hurry to get to there, you’re probably not planning to take a passenger train. Rail travel preloads patience through expectation management; you expect it to be leisurely and afford time and attention ordinarily devoted to driving, backseat driving, or jockeying for position on the shared armrest be given to other things. Perhaps that mental break and relaxed pace are precisely why to consider this method of travel.

Historically (and quite necessarily) on time, there’s added benefit in yielding to the compulsory predictability of the rail system’s timepiece. Even when rare delays occur along the way, programmed pauses to refuel, restock, or change crew afford abundant liberty unto an on-time arrival. In fact, I’ve often found the generous space, independence from watching the road, and freedom to move about particularly advantageous to business travel. For instance, as a senior enlisted leader I sometimes traveled by train when making unit visits. Because those trips didn’t involve me driving, bouncing around in a helicopter, or cramped on an airplane, I used time onboard to work on presentations and award packages; write commendations, performance reviews, or speeches; respond to email; review expectations and visit itinerary; catch up on reading; or even sneak a power nap.

An added bonus was a unique opportunity for informal mentoring.

As the nearest depot was usually some distance from base, I would ask that the unit choose one or two junior enlisted or company grade officers to receive me. Not only did this bless me with the opportunity to meet people I usually hadn’t met before, it also provided uninterrupted windshield time to discuss personal life, family, professional and educational goals, and gain insight into what was going right, where I could improve, and how the organization and I could best help them reach their goals.

Even business travel is a pleasure by train.

There’s a measure of comfort found in steadfast onward locomotion. No wrong turns, flat tires, road rage, or traffic signals. Notwithstanding the occasional jolt, jerk, rattle, or shake, there’s something mesmerizing about the sway and steady rumble of these diesel behemoths lumbering along their predetermined route. Proximate, yet temporarily absent a world they now spectate, riders are contained comfortably within a sort of rolling theater, where similar performances can be seen with passage through any given town: wreckers hooking wrecks, hookers catching looks, dogs walking walkers, and cops nabbing crooks. Lights, signs, signals, and lanes…how much better to be on a train?

A lot better.

Temporarily furloughed from the tyrannical spin of the clock and busyness of life, passengers enjoy an ever changing landscape. There’s freedom to spread out, move about, relax, or pay a visit to the club car where food, drinks, card games and conversations are readily available. While not always possible or necessary, a private room can add much to the overall experience which includes dining, additional privacy, a bed to sleep in, and other things impossible to enjoy by airplane, bus, or automobile. Such as kicking off your shoes for an evening glass of wine after an excellent meal in the dining car, perhaps followed by a relaxing read as dusk settles into the picturesque landscape rolling by outside; or enjoying daily quiet time while dawn breaks through the curtains and sunbeams dance gracefully across haystacks, two-tracks, and steel-roof shacks…as waking travelers, enticed by hot coffee and a fine breakfast, emerge their berths ready for another day’s travel.

Any wonder why it’s my favorite way to travel?

In his book A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles’ main character astutely notes that “a man must master his circumstances or otherwise be mastered by them.” The same principle appears in Arnold’s opening quote, though contextually related to fitness: you don’t find time, you make time.

Taking time to share some lighter fare has been fun, but provided merely a glimpse into one of the truly enjoyable ways I make time to master my circumstances whenever possible. I encourage you to get on-board and see for yourself.

Make time to train.

Get Strong. Be Strong. Stay Strong.

Towles, A. (2016). A gentleman in Moscow. Penguin Books. 

Lighter Fare Coming Soon!

Admittedly, my last several articles have been a bit heavy. I’ll try to lighten things up with an interluding article soon that is perhaps a bit more enchanting or poetic at heart. So if you aren’t already, I encourage you to get caught up to You Are Enough (Part Two) before getting ‘caught up’ in the train ride coming soon. I hope you’ll be looking for it!

You Are Enough (Part Two)

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“With God’s calling comes a time of preparation, and preparation requires patience.” – David Jeremiah

I do my daily devotionals using the YouVersion Bible app, typically choosing a plan to go through the Bible in a year. This year, I chose English clergyman Nicky Gumbel’s classic Bible in One Year commentary, where each day he and wife Pippa provide insights and real-life application related to that day’s chapters. In a recent reading, Nicky paraphrased John Newton (former slave trader turned abolitionist and author of Amazing Grace), which seemed an appropriate way to start:

‘I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I wish to be. I am not what I one day will be. But, by the grace of God, I am not what I once was.’

It’s not easy to breakdown years of formulas that equal the sum of one’s thought patterns. In many ways I still struggle with the esteem issues mentioned in part one, but time has afforded a measure of clarity to some of those ‘cognitive distortions’. For instance, I’m certain one of the reasons I’m so neurotic about my appearance or bothered when my hair or nails get too long is rooted in sensitivity and embarrassment from childhood. My lifelong Schwarzenegger man-crush and near obsession with getting bigger, stronger, and faster no doubt originates from being a skinny, genetically unimpressive ‘late-bloomer’ who for years felt belittled and powerless to do anything about it. I don’t know if it hurt or helped that he once said, “We all want to look good…to stand naked in front of a mirror and be pleased with what we see. And of course, have others be pleased with what they see when they look at us.” I’ve spent decades lifting and exercising fanatically to feel good about the way I look, with or without clothes on. I was almost 50 before I got there, and it didn’t last long.

But I digress…

I’m sure at least part of my early lean toward public safety was influenced by esteem for which those in uniform were once held, followed by recognition that military and civil service provided not only structure, discipline, challenge, and esprit de corps, but also fulfilled all five of Maslow’s needs in my life at the time. I worked tirelessly at every level to be the absolute best I could be. It became a work ethic I am proud of, yet I sometimes wonder if it was approval, adoration, acceptance that subconsciously drove me? High performance and high achievement often equal borderline workaholism, and a price was sometimes paid in time I’ll never get back.

Yet there is nobility in helping the helpless and standing up for those unable to, which I’m sure my doc would also affirm was a subconscious manifestation to overcome runt status and somehow prove myself worthy.

What better way to prove oneself worthy than to try being everyone’s knight in shining armor?

But even the knight in shining armor’s sword can be double-edged. For in trying to be everything to everyone, we sometimes feel obliged to rescue those not ours to save; or lose sight of the peace and beauty of our own kingdom while admiring the deceptive splendor of someone else’s.

While everyone responds differently to stress, hurt, or injustices in life and relationships, I’ve long held a tendency to take things more personally than I should. Sometimes subconsciously using that as an impetus, I’d mix it together with an elixir of past insecurity, pain, or self-consciousness and let it culture in the warped petri dish of my mind. Once the microorganism of self-pity was incubated, it gave birth to various forms of self-affirming, self-centered acting out. And while acting out may temporarily make us feel better, there’s almost always collateral damage.

Seldom does selfishness make others feel better.

I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two. And done a thing or two. There’s something to that mid-life crisis thing. Still, the impact of boys and their toys, shoring up tender egos with an ever-growing, never-enough array of gas powered machismo is pretty innocuous. More concerning is when dispositions change: when we become increasingly abrupt, less forgiving, decreasingly tolerant, and an even bigger jackass. Especially toward loved ones.

Then there’s all that other stuff we neither wish to talk about, nor have time or space for in this episode. Yes, the flesh is indeed weak. And perhaps a more godly man would be better at controlling his thought life, ‘fleeing youthful lust’, or being more of a red light than a yield sign. Yet in the context of this article, those like me whose perceived sum total from past experience (especially concerning appearance and desirability) long equaled a probability quotient of zero, finally ringing the hi-strike bell of self-confidence at the circus of life is a powerful boost. Combine that with a string of rejections, disappointments, or unfulfilled expectations and it’s a recipe for…another article.

But our past doesn’t have to control us. Joe de Cena, founder of the Spartan Race phenomenon, says “Bitching burns between zero and zero calories per minute, so there’s no sense complaining about your hardships.” He’s right. Examine your past, acknowledge its impact or influence, and move on.

Easy for me to say. I still have trouble accepting myself as ‘enough’, and my thought life is likely to hamstring me indefinitely. But understanding in whom to find identity and properly accredit self-worth will help avoid these pitfalls.

Stop stumbling over things that are already behind you.

Here’s why: nothing we face hasn’t first been integrated into God’s plan for our life. God does, in fact, work all things together for good to those who love him (Rom. 8.28). In the very next chapter, we’re also reminded that he can (and will) do as he pleases: “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery of noble purpose and some for common use?”

I’m definitely destined for the common use category. And I’m pretty sure I still identify as a lump of clay. But I know God is in whom to find value and meaning for my life, and he’s still molding me into the man I’m intended to be…despite my best efforts to torpedo his artistry.

Yes, I’ve been too long concerned with my physical appearance and what others think of me. God made me and accepts me as I am. Does that leave me free to let myself go? Of course not. Even though I have stopped shaving and mostly wear sweatpants in retirement, I still need to care for this vessel he’s using. I can’t be renting out a ramshackle cottage, crackhouse, or Fancy’s one room, rundown shack on the outskirts of New Orleans. I need to maintain a strong foundation; keep my windows clean to let the light shine in; and stir the bats of defective thinking out of my belfry.

I’ve wasted much time concerned with what people think of me, focused on the wrong things, or thinking I’m not enough. Nicky Gumbel suggests that dealing with the challenges we face doesn’t prevent us from doing the ministry God called us to, but perhaps that’s actually the ministry itself. So instead of attributing things in my past to my own dysfunction, I’ll try adjusting my paradigm thusly: I’m using the good, bad, and ugly of my life, career, and experience to bring me closer to God, help others, and make the world a better place.

You want to be a great leader, friend, and human? Get outside your comfort zone; own your mistakes, get over yourself, and stop deflecting or blaming others for your shortcomings. A few apologies might be good, too.

You are enough. Be confident in who you are and to whom you belong.

Get Strong. Be Strong. Stay Strong.

De Sena, Joe (2014). Spartan up. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/