Everyone who has ever taken a trip anywhere new on vacation has always gotten lost.

Some people even plan trips without an itinerary because they hope to stumble onto something exciting. Not me. I like my Fodor’s Travel Guides, thank you. You won’t find me on a tour bus, but you can always ask me for directions or get the scoop on the best place to grab lunch.

On the occasions I get disoriented, I try not to sweat. I’ve gotten used to feeling lost.

You’d never guess that looking at the street signs translated in Chinese and English, hanging side by side in San Francisco Chinatown.  The streets are bilingual. 

So am I.

A Cliche

Most people would say I have the best of both worlds.   That cliche has never sat right with me.

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I stood there, shoulders hunched over the kitchen counter, mesmerized by music streaming out of my MacBook.

Like the creek near my house that runs dry this time of year, my days grew dusty with the monotony of routine.   I fell into a spell of staying up too late, like a little kid who whines at bedtime.  The time I spend as a night owl wasn’t all too productive either.

It’s kind of dead time, really — similar to emptying quarters playing skee ball.  You walk up with excitement in pockets full of quarters and walk away with your brain numb trying break the highest score.

The everyday work was starting to feel coin operated.  Even the play.

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“Do not despise the first season of growth for anything in your life.”  ~  Tammy Maltby

I didn’t know that onions grew in the dark until I pulled one sprouting flowers out of my pantry closet.

My husband humorously shakes his head, watching me lug a big bag of onions from Costco into our home.  It seems odd to buy them in bulk when we’re just two adults, a preschooler and a baby.

Hey, I love stir fry.  I throw whole bulbs of this stuff into everything.  I’m also pretty sure I’ve got some Italian in me, because I can’t get enough onions in my pasta either.

But when I first caught a pungent whiff of something smelly from the closet, I realized I hadn’t finished off the 10 lbs of red onions in time.

I needed to destroy the evidence.

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Before I knew what to call it, I heard jazz playing in the streets.

Smoky tunes would float through the air just as the sun began it’s descent and the San Francisco wind whipped in cold Pacific air. People still walking through the maze of streets would pull their jackets in tighter and pick up the pace.

On evenings like this, Mom and I didn’t trek up the steep sidewalks. We’d thread through the crowds towards a bus stop, to catch a ride home.

Nothing muffled the brassy puffs of a saxophone, not even restless shoppers or cars roaring past yellow lights.  As we’d make our way down Grant Avenue — Chinatown’s main thoroughfare — the music grew louder.  I’d step out ahead and grip my mother’s hand to get to the source.

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We pray “The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not want…” Meanwhile, our hearts are packed with the trickling of wanting.  How to make it stop?

It sounds so good.  Getting rid of clutter, the excess.  Stuff.

But, will having less make us want less?

Having less used to appear parochial to followers of Christ who abandon all to serve God.

Now, having less is going mainstream.

Spurned by a poor economy, people are riding the growing wave of goal-oriented minimalists.  It’s a head turning cultural phenomenon, shedding as much as possible.  People are re-evaluating what makes them happy.

We are asking,What is tying me down and how can I be free from it?

The trend to live simply is a growing expression of relieving that frustration.
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“That sense of newness is simply delicious. It makes new the Bible and friends, love… and God himself.” ~ Temple Gairdner

The life of faith involves a lot of waiting. How do we break the monotony of boredom and restlessness while we wait?

Last summer, my three year old son experienced the thrill of riding his bike — free from training wheels.  Every day leading up to that moment was filled with excitement and drama.  He couldn’t wait to hop on his bike and practice, practice, practice.

I didn’t realize how much the experience meant to TJ, until he sat listless at the breakfast table, with his spoon in hand and Raisin Bran growing soggier by the minute.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I wish I could learn to ride my bike again,” TJ sighs.

“Why?  You already know how to ride your bike.”

“I know.  That’s the problem…  I wish I could do it for the first time again.”

There’s something about conquering a big challenge or reaching a goal.  It makes us feel accomplished and productive.  But, it can also make us feel like we’re in limbo until we taste the thrill of victory.

There’s nothing wrong with being focused and intentional about our priorities, but can goal-setting and goal-capturing also become an addiction? read more…

I love playing tour guide whenever friends visit from far away.

I don’t know if it’s because people enjoy having me lead them around or whether I enjoy feeding them random bits of information. I’d like to think it’s the former. I take their nodding heads and raised eyebrowed “Really?” to mean “Keep it coming… Tell me more of what I don’t know.” It’s really a win-win situation. Someone doesn’t know very much about something and I know a little.

It’s a lot like marketing really. I remember what my manager told me when I was asked to give a presentation at some schmuck-schmuck meeting as a newbie. I was an engineer by training, but donned with a black pencil skirt and 90’s wrap blouse for a top and a bright smile, I was told not to fear.  If all you know is just a little more than the person next to you, you can call yourself the expert in the room.

I guess that’s why I like taking people to visit a Chinese herbal store.  read more…

“Executives know too well the gulf between inspiration and application is sometimes decades-wide.”  ~ Ben Dobbin

Ever been zapped with inspiration, only to find a disconnect in your experience?   It doesn’t mean you heard wrong. It just means keep going.

Every so often, I’ll be grabbed by this headline. It must be one of those recyclable stories that newspaper men keep in their Rolodex of ideas.  A woman’ garage sale find is worth a million dollars… A 64 year old man buys a donut and the winning lotto ticket worth $1.7 million...

People like to hear about good luck. Especially the kind that is random.

If good fortune can land on anyone at anytime — then maybe one day, it can be my turn.
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  The Anniversary Celebration CONTINUES !
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“God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful.” ~ Mother Teresa

I couldn’t sleep.

I got up, ate some pretzels and rummaged for something under a 100 calories. I gave up. I took a frozen bagel out of the freezer and toasted it with some butter and jam. I always think better after loading up on carbs. But, my mind couldn’t stop running in circles this time.

I didn’t want to make the phone call.

My biggest fear isn’t a spider, speaking in front of a crowd, or even eating a deep fried Twinkie.

I’m terrified of confrontation.

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“If God brought you to it, God will get you through it.”  ~ Pastor Paul Sheppard

How do you overcome discouragement when you run into one dead end after another?

If you’ve ever house sat or been volunteered to water your friend’s plants or feed her cat while she was away on vacation, you know how important the keys are.

After you’ve pawed under the mat or turned over the flower pot and come up empty, you figure she forgot to put the key out.  The thought of shriveled ferns and a dried out feline drives you to hit the panic button.

You dial your friend’s number.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, you confess you can’t to find the keys.

You’re so sorry, but could the keys be somewhere else?

O, yeah. Your friend chuckles.  I forgot to tell you.   The keys are hanging on a nail, right behind the downspout. Near the back door.

Does this scene sound familiar?

Of course, I’m not simply talking about the keys to a house.

I’m talking about the keys to God’s plans for you.

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