"Occupying" America

To my shame, I do not keep up very well with much current national and global news.  I know that it’s something I should do, but with time at a premium in my life these days, keeping up with the news is almost always lifted off of the “to do” list in favor of other things.  So when I first heard people talk about “Occupy Wall Street,” the movement had already been in swing for almost a month and had already spread to other places outside of Wall Street.

Photo by James Fassinger- featured on www.guardian.co.uk

Now I am trying to catch up.  Seeing and hearing the updates given by different media outlets regarding the protest, the tent cities, and the frays at times (for lack of a better term) has prompted me to look more into what the movement is about and what these protestors are wanting.  I get that they are upset at Wall Street, or probably more importantly, what Wall Street stands for to them, and also with a government that they see as feeding the problems with which they are concerned, but I wanted to know if there was more to it than that.

What I have found doesn’t really help to clarify a whole lot for me.  From what I have read on forums at a few different sites, it seems that the “Occupy” protestors are frustrated with media persons who claim that they don’t have a cohesive, unifying message, and I can understand their frustration.  But from what I’ve read in this article from Huffingtonpost.com, I also think that these media persons have a point.  This article points out that, when several people from three of the main “Occupy” sites were asked what one policy they would like to see enacted today to address America’s problems, the responses were basically all over the board, from campaign reform to tax restructuring to environmental issues to anti-war issues.  In looking at these responses, only one thing really seems to be clear to me:  these protestors think there’s a lot wrong with our country and want to see a lot of things changed.

I don’t agree with all of the concerns these protestors mention, but I can relate to some of them and am absolutely for their right to peaceful protest.  It just seems to me that their protest would be more successful if they could come together under some kind of organized message or aim, as right now they appear to me (as well as to others I know) to be a collection of people that are just disgruntled with the hand they’ve been dealt in life.  I know this is mainly untrue (although I’m sure there are some there that just like to protest… just to be contrary), but perception goes a long way, especially with our media-saturated culture.  I hate to admit this, but no matter how hard I try to be open-minded about this, I’m having a bit of a difficult time taking this as seriously as these protestors want to be taken.

Viruses Anyone?

I recently read a small little blurb in the December 3, 2011, issue of World magazine entitled “Pox Parcels” (19).  Of course, the title caught my eye quickly, but if it hadn’t, the small cartoon of a boy with red dots all over his face and licking a lollipop probably would have done the same.  Evidently parents who are philosophically opposed to vaccinating their children against the chicken pox virus seek to expose their children to other children with the virus in an attempt to get them infected with it and thus build up their immunity to it.  The thinking is that this illness is much more dangerous to adults than it is to children.  To my surprise, a search on Google resulted in my finding that these kinds of “Pox Parties” are not such a recent phenomenon but have been carried out for decades and are not restricted to the chicken pox virus.

This article, however, cites the recent trend of some of these “anti-vaccination” parents seeking pox-infected items over social networking sites.  According to the article, one Facebook page entitled “Find a Pox Party in your Area” was trying to help parents send contaminated items (such as licked lollipops) to other parents who wished to infect their children.  There’s one glitch, though, as the article points out:  “Knowingly sending infected items through the United States Mail is a federal offense” (19).  As this story has now made its way to the public, the Facebook page is now encouraging these parents to make their transactions through private channels.

Seriously?!  I try not to be too judgmental of parenting styles, as I have no children myself, and I have nothing against parents who choose not to vaccinate their children.  I haven’t done any research on the subject, but I assume that these parents have reasonable reasons why they are against such a thing.  But to knowingly and intentionally expose your child to a serious illness in order to build immunity seems a touch dangerous to me.  It’s my understanding that, although rare, there are times when complications can arise stemming from chicken pox that are much more dangerous than the virus itself and can result in brain damage and death, and I have also heard that chicken pox itself can be life-threatening if not treated properly. 

To be completely honest, though, what stands out to me the most about this article and these “pox parcels” is the whole licked-lollipop thing.  Really?  You’re gonna let your kid suck on a lollipop that has been sucked on by some other random kid about whom you know very little to possibly even nothing?  I’m not a germaphobe, but this is a little out there even for me.

Gratefulness

Standing in my kitchen, waiting on a pie to finish baking and trying desperately to figure out what to write in this blog, I’m staring blankly at my refrigerator when all of a sudden I begin to take notice of all of the pictures stuck to it by magnets.  I would estimate there are around 20 or 30 photographs placed all over it, most of these senior pictures of students from our church.  You see, my husband has been an associate/youth pastor at our church for over 11 years, and every year in May we receive pictures from many of our graduating seniors, pictures that inevitably find a home on our refrigerator door.  I very rarely ever take one off, and so one can imagine the gallery we’ve accumulated of recent.

While looking at these photos, a thought drifts across my mind:  man, I am so blessed.  With the hustle and bustle of every day life and the issues and trials that unavoidably crop up, I many times find myself becoming discontent and restless in my life.  But looking at these photographs reminds me of all the wonderful friendships with which I’ve been blessed, all of the students I’ve had the awesome opportunity to invest in and to see changed as they grow, and I think to myself how good I’ve really got it.  An incredible husband, a job I enjoy going to, and a ministry with students that I’ve grown to love—how can I possibly ever be ungrateful for what God has given me?

The Power of a Simple Gift

So I am what some might call a Christmas freak.  I get giddy this time of year when I start to see the Christmas decorations go up in the stores and hear yuletide music playing over the speakers.  I love to look at all of the shiny bows and wrapping paper and get excited about buying Christmas boxes with glitter all over them, and I simply cannot wait to go Christmas shopping for family and friends.

There is something more, though, that gets me even more excited at this time of year.  This is the time of year that the Samaritan’s Purse organization runs their Operation Christmas Child project helping children in need across the globe.  In this project, Samaritan’s Purse asks people to give to children around the world by packing shoeboxes (or containers of like size) with all kinds of items such toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and more, which they then collect and send off to children in need.  Last year alone they sent over 8.17 million boxes from over ten different countries.  The following is this year’s Operation Christmas Child promo video:

Friday night my husband and I went shopping and spent about two hours picking out items for two shoeboxes—one for a girl and one for a boy.  We had an incredible time together choosing the things that we felt would bring a big Christmas smile to their recipients, and we look forward to tracking our boxes online this year to see what country they end up in. 

What an excellent opportunity to bring Christmas to those who might never have gotten any kind of present the whole year through!  Yes, this is truly one of my very favorite things about Christmas!

Burly Mountain Woman

In one of the student-led discussions in my Comp class this semester, we were asked what our dream vacation would look like.  In thinking of an answer to this question (an answer that I ultimately never found—just so many great places I’d like to visit), I couldn’t help but think back through all of the great vacations that I’ve been fortunate enough to take throughout my life.

Included in these are the several visits I have made to the state of Colorado with my handsome husband.  Before we married I wouldn’t have been considered what people might call an “outdoorsy” girl, and although I still might not be considered that now, my extremely active and “outdoorsy” husband has brought at least some wilderness and adventure out of me.  The first vacation we ever went on, other than our honeymoon to Hawaii, was an extended weekend vacation to Colorado Springs, during which we hiked and biked all over Garden of the Gods and the Pikes Peak recreational areas.  On our way back to Oklahoma my husband commented that we might need to train a little bit before we go the next time, and I remember thinking to myself, Hmmm, if you have to train for it, is it really considered a vacation?  At that point in my life, vacations to me were not painted with rigorous activities for which one must train.

Gray's Peak, September 2007

Well, my view of vacations eventually changed thanks to our second trip to Colorado in the summer of 2007.  When planning for our visit to the Keystone area of CO, my husband told me that he wanted to hike Gray’s Peak, one of over 50 “14ers” (peaks over 14,000 feet) in the state.  I replied that I would be more than game to do that; after all, I really enjoy leisurely hikes in the beauty of the Rockies.  Boy, was I in for a surprise!  Hiking a 14er can be described in many ways, none of which should include the word “leisurely,” in my opinion.  And although I was in okay shape (not the best, but certainly not horrible), there was a point about a quarter of a mile from the summit where I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to make it.

Mt. Elbert, August 2009

I did make it, however, and the experience really impacted me in a way I never expected.  For one, I realized that I had just accomplished my greatest physical feat up to that point; this was one of the greatest rushes I had ever experienced.  Secondly, I realized that I wanted to do it again… and again… and again.  Two years later we traveled to Aspen (actually, kind of just ended up there—long story) and summited Mt. Elbert, Colorado’s tallest peak.  The year after that we took students from our church to a leadership camp in Lake City, CO, where we were able to summit Handies Peak with our entire group.  Ever since, we have been regular visitors to 14ers.com where we have been searching for the next peak we want to climb.

Handie's Peak, August 2010

When I think back on the best vacations I have ever been on, these peak hikes are right there at top of the list.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited some amazing places, but there’s nothing that quite compares to standing on the top of a mountain summit knowing that I’ve just spent myself hiking to that very spot, to feel the burn in my lungs and my legs and know that I’ve accomplished this.

Not for Women

A few days ago, I recently viewed the above commercial (from YouTube) for the first time.  My husband found it to be pretty funny, and I did too when I finally could figure out where I had previously seen the main actor in it.  I particularly enjoyed how he spills his soda all over himself in an attempt to pour it into a glass full of ice while riding through what appears to be a remake of an action scene from… well, take your pick of any recent action movies that take place in a jungle.

What I found to be especially funny, though, is what this soda is and to whom they are marketing it.  Dr. Pepper TEN is a ten-calorie drink being marketed specifically to men.  In fact, the actor even says, “It’s not for women,” at the end of the commercial, just in case we didn’t get that vibe from its other content.  Don’t get me wrong; I think the commercial is pretty clever and all and rightly engineered to appeal to all of the macho, I-don’t-want-to-be-seen-as-girly-so-I-won’t-even-go-near-anything-that-could-be-thought-of-as-girly men out there in the world today.  But my question is this:  does the fact that this drink has ten more calories than zero calorie diet drinks (that apparently are seen as womanly by many?) really make that much of a difference to men out there who won’t drink diet?  I mean, it’s ten calories… just ten.  Doesn’t that still make it a diet drink, and if so, will the marketing alone drive these men to buy it?  This one is just pretty interesting to me.

Proud to Be a Red Birds Fan

Most everyone who knows me well knows that I am a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.  In all honesty, growing up in St. Louis makes it really difficult not to be.  With arguably the greatest fans in the game, we in and from St. Louis definitely love our Red Birds, which is why I’m completely stoked that they are in the World Series this week.

I understand that, for many, watching baseball is an acquired taste, and for some, watching sports altogether is a waste of time.  For me, watching the Cardinals play isn’t only strategic and stimulating; it’s a connection linking me to family members who I see only once or twice a year.  My parents and older brothers all still live in St. Louis and I, of course, in Woodward, yet when I’m watching or listening to a Cardinals baseball game, I can be assured I’m not the only one of my family doing so.  And I’ve even come to expect a phone call from one of them (most likely my mom—the biggest Cardinals fan you’ll ever meet) after a close game or a big win.

You see, silly as this all may sound to some, Cardinals baseball played a key role in my family life growing up.  When I was a young elementary school student, my parents didn’t really have a whole lot.  Amazingly we always had food on the table and clothes on our backs, but looking back, there were times I’m not quite sure how they pulled it off.  Our family definitely was not in a position financially to take many vacations, which of course is not unlike many families today.  However, my parents always made sure that we got at least one vacation every summer:  a trip to Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis to see a Cardinals baseball game.  My brothers and I helped to pull this off, as our elementary school gave away free Cardinals tickets for straight A’s, and my mom and dad always saw to it that going to the game was a special event, right down to arriving early for batting practice and buying the souvenir plastic cups at the concession stand.  I might agree with those who say watching a game on television can be dull (except when it’s a post-season game), but I still boldly proclaim that there’s nothing like watching a baseball game at Busch Stadium (old or new).

So basically you know where I’ve spent my nights for the past couple of weeks and where I’ll be for at least a couple nights more.  In fact, as I write I am watching Game Four of the series, and unfortunately, the Cards are down 4-0 with only one more chance to get some runs.  Not looking good for tonight and I’m not really sure if they can pull out the series over the Rangers, but hey—they were ten and a half games down late in August and three games out with only five to play at the end of the season.  I’m just thrilled that they’re even in it!