It's like my little friend, the scale... he's a brutally honest guy, but we tend to ignore his signs... 230... 240... 250... OMG... WT#... GET... OFF... NOW! It's like money and budgeting decisions. Most folks are very careful when buying a house, a car, a boat... we'll haggle with the car dealer over $200, yet many of us waste that much every month on little items that have no collective importance other than momentary satisfaction a second after we observed them in the check-out aisle.
I sometimes wish I could come up with an idea that would provide a substantial income from others ignoring the signs... like maybe selling folks bottled water. Yep, folks will collectively spend three to five bucks for every gallon of bottled water they consume, an amount of water which would costs pennies from the tap, and gripe about the cost of gasoline... count me guilty of that on occasion.
Work is creating a big decision for me right now. I have to decide next week if I'm coming back next August. I love a lot of what I do... you know... the actual work and teaching part... but I'm so tired of the politics, two-plus hours a day on the road getting there and back, picking up the slack of others who aren't doing their job, but getting the same pay... and raises have been non-existent most of the last decade... they did give us a one percent raise the same year they took away our three-percent retirement match... but, hey, I do have a job.
It seems I've had a few job opportunities over the last few years and many signs that it might be time to move on... but I got comfortable with the crazy routine I'm in somewhere along the line. I've ignored a lot of little signs along the way and I'm starting to pay for it with stress and my physical health.
Taking a que from Frank over at Corn, beans, spent brass, an empty page and a deadline, I'm not sure it's fun any more and the signs seems to indicate that. Not to sound too cynical, but there many in this current generation of college students who project a lazy, somebody owes me, mama still takes care of me via cell-phone attitude that is disheartening. The hard-working students who seem to truly care are what keeps me going.
"Why did you fail my kid?" "Well, he didn't show up for half his classes or complete two-thirds of his assignments." "Do you know how much we're paying you and this university?" "Do you know if you had spent that money on a new car verses your lazy kid, you'd still have something to show after the last year?" Oh, wait... I shouldn't say that... I'm a Christian... well, those cows were out of the barnyard before the gate was closed and Christian doesn't equal doormat. People have forgotten, they're not paying for an education... their paying for an opportunity to get an education.
Besides, with over thirty-thousand miles on the road every year... I could probably take a job closer to home... if there is one in the current economy... for less money and be dollars ahead of burning through a vehicle with 150,000 or more miles on it every five years. I'm just trying to go back and read the signs I've been ignoring.
Sometimes I think it's the same way with God. We pray and ask for answers he's already given us signs for a dozen times in the Bible. We ignore His true power, asking Him to heal cancer, protect our soldiers, and hurry that lady up so we can have her parking space.
Well, I should probably pay attention to the sign over my daughter's bedroom door at this point. It says, "NO WHINING"... I guess I'm still... ignoring the signs...
Wise words here. We all forget to pay attention to the signs in life, from time to time.
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