Cosmosphere Learning Network

I spent all day in a meeting today. This photo was taken at the end of eight plus hours in a room together, engaged every moment, without even an official break. Lunch was brought in and we kept on working through it.

But, at the end of the day we had created something very cool, that has potential to grow in ways we can barely imagine at this point. You can take a peek at the Cosmosphere Learning Network. If you, or someone you know, is interested in education, please join us.

Front row, center, is Kevin Honeycutt, who has helped us make this happen. He's an education/technology guru. When I started working at the Cosmosphere, Kevin was one of the first people I called, to ask if I could pick his brain. He graciously shared his wisdom and now we have this cool thing that will only grow.

Some days work is really, really exciting. Even though it was a 10 hour day without a break, and my brain hurts a bit, cool things happened.

On the downside today, I was very, very sad to say goodbye to Marisa. She hired me and has been my supervisor the last year. She is an amazing person and a great supervisor. She will be sorely missed at the Cosmosphere, but we all wish her well with her new job.

Conversation

Conversation in the car tonight:

Me: Look! That cloud looks like the Enterprise with a force field around it.

Greg: Yeah, it really does.

slight pause

Greg: Picard's Enterprise, of course.

Me: Of course.

I believe this illustrates why I'm never too concerned about anyone eavesdropping on my phone calls or conversations.

Anyone who could maintain interest for an extended period of time is someone I want to know.

Secret Lives

Most of us have secret lives we keep hidden behind doors in our beings. I've come to realize it's not an intentional shutting out of others, it's a protection of our selves.

Occasionally, we let people glimpse those worlds, through a crack not fully obscured. Sometimes, people get a look that we didn't anticipate.

An ongoing debate I have with my friend, Martha, is that my life is spread out here before you, in plain view on the world wide web, available with a few mouse clicks and some time to read. She thinks what I share here is very personal.

While I think it can be personal at times, I don't see it in the same way she does. I see it as pretty straight-forward, the typical things people are thinking about. I think the difference is just that I write them down.

This good-natured debate has continued between us for the past couple of years. Maybe I don't think it's personal because I know the secret life beyond what is visible here. I don't have a dark and mysterious past, just the normal accumulation of broken bits you might expect for someone who has been interacting with the world for more than four decades. Of course, this is all relative, too. Some might view my life as disturbed while others might see it as blissful.

The idea of secret lives is something that has been coming up in different circumstances for the last month or so. I'm sure there's something I need to explore in this concept.

Just recently a friend was telling me about traveling to a town by himself and what he did while there. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but he mentioned striking up a conversation with someone in a restaurant. Of course, it's something we've all done at times, and while it's usually not particularly significant, it's a moment in time and space that won't ever be repeated.

I was suddenly aware that although I know this person very well, he is having experiences all the time that add to his secret world. They may not be dramatic or life changing, but they blend into the tapestry of what makes him who he is.

When he told me this story, I was reminded of an experience I had in Paris a few years ago. I shared a moment of vulnerability with a stranger that I've never told anyone about, and only written about in my private journals. It's part of my secret world. It was a moment of simple, but sacred, interaction that neither of us had any inkling of when we awoke that morning. I do not remember how the woman looked or what she was wearing, but I remember how I felt. I'll always remember how I felt.

It's those little bits of life that create the people we are today. Our secret lives may contain stories of valor or dissappointment or trauma, or they may be filled instead with the sacred ordinary. Regardless, they're adding a rich background to who we are. And we would not be the same people if we didn't have those secret lives.

Maybe we don't share our secret lives because without them we would become less ourselves.

Thinking of You

Some people I love are grieving. Some are worried. Some are troubled.

I'm thinking of you all.

Functioning Wisdom

I heard a wise man say recently to not allow circumstances in life make you become someone you don't want to be. That concept has stayed with me and continues to churn in my brain.

We all have experiences that are what I call "defining moments," meaning that the way we see the world and our place in it are changed after them. I'm sure you've known people, as I have, that get "stuck" after something bad happens to them - that they can't ever move past it and go on. That's one example of letting a circumstance make you someone you don't want to be.

Occasionally, people will mention to me that I keep large parts of myself private. I suppose that's true. I thought everyone did that. I've really been thinking about that lately and there are a couple of things at work for me. One is that the "bad" things are just not things I think people would want to hear about. Another is that I don't want to give credence to them by giving them voice.

One of the amazing things about the past is that it's over. It's done with. It's finished. All we have to do is let it go. That should be easy, because it's over. But we often insist on keeping it alive - especially the bad stuff. We relive it mentally, rethink how it might have been different, and keep it alive. It becomes a prison of our own making.

I choose to let go, as much as is possible for me.

I have my own list of "Top Ten Rules for Living" and one of them is "Let it go. Let it be. Let it lie." That seems to suit this circumstance well. Another of my rules is "Blame nothing, Forgive everything." It, too, seems apropos.

One could easily assume these rules are wisdom handed down to me by elders, perhaps in some ritualistic ceremony. Or, less romatically but more accurately, one could realize they are just personal truisms that simply allow me to function. "Function" is so much less poetic than "wisdom." But, I suppose we can't have everything, and functioning is good. Good, indeed.

140conf Coming to Hutchinson Kansas

Something really cool is happening in Hutchinson, Kansas, where I live. Even if you're not a techie person, and you think Twitter is the stupidest thing ever invented, or you don't even know what Twitter is, give me just a couple of minutes and read about this because the fact that it's happening in Hutchinson Kansas is incredible. And, as is always the case, the reason it's happening is because of connections made by various people in the past.

In case you don't know, Twitter is a place online where people share tidbits about their lives in what are called "micro-blogs." In the case of Twitter, there's a limit of 140 characters. I've been on Twitter for a long time, but don't post a lot there. Getting an account is free and you can connect with me there at www.twitter.com/patsyterrell if you just want to see what it's all about.

Okay, so there's the backstory on Twitter.

Another part of this story is the blogger tour you may remember me writing about last year, which really led to me being an employee of the Cosmosphere in a round about way. But that's another long story and not necessary for this situation.

There's a guy named Jeff Pulver, who started a conference originally called the 140 Characters Conference, which has now become the 140conf. It has been, or is being, held in cities such as Tel Aviv, London, Paris, New York, Austin and San Francisco. This fall, the first ever small town 140conf is coming to Hutchinson. Yes, that's right... 140conf - Tel Aviv, Paris and Hutchinson.

Becky McCray was in Hutchinson for the blogger tour. She thought it would be a good place for the 140conf. She contacted Cody, who she knows from Twitter and who organized the blogger tour, he contacted the CVB who jumped right on it and made it happen. And, that, is why connections between people - through Twitter or other means - make things happen.

Cody and Becky asked me to help with some publicity and it is quite interesting. Here's the press release for your perusal. Make plans to join us... it's gonna be ultra cool!

140conf Coming To Hutchinson Kansas November 1
The first ever Small Town 140 Characters Conference will be held in Hutchinson, Kansas at the Historic Fox Theatre on November 1, 2010. The focus of the 140 Characters Conference is how real-time technology, such as Twitter and Facebook, is changing business, agriculture, media, education, sports and celebrity.

The all day event costs $100 for early bird registration, which lasts until September 24. It will also be streamed live on the internet. Jeff Pulver, the founder, says, “The take-aways from this event will provide the attending delegates knowledge, perspectives and insights to the next wave of effects Twitter will have on business.”

Pulver started the 140 Character Conferences in June of 2009 with an event in New York. Other 140 Characters Conferences have been held in London, Los Angeles and Tel Aviv. This is the first one in a smaller community. He says this conference, “will be a ground breaking opportunity to look at the effects of the real-time web on the people and the businesses inside of and around Small Towns.”

Becky McCray, a small town entrepreneur from Alva, Oklahoma, was instrumental in encouraging development of the first small town 140 Character Conference. McCray says “Small town people and rural people are a lot more technologically savvy than anyone gives us credit for. We use the same tools and technology available to everybody else. Sometimes broadband access is an issue and we continue to work on improving it. Most of us have great access and use this technology as well as or better than any one from L.A. or London. It’s reshaping small towns just as much as it’s reshaping big cities.”

Pulver says there is no dividing line of population. “We want to include small towns and rural areas, outlying suburbs and exurbs. Plus, plenty of people who live in a big city have some important small town connection, whether that’s where you grew up, where you plan to move, where your parents came from, or where your clients are.”

McCray suggested Hutchinson, Kansas as a result of her visit in 2009 when a group of bloggers were invited to visit and write about their experiences. A joint project of LogicMaze, The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, and the Chamber of Commerce, bloggers toured the Cosmosphere, the Kansas Underground Salt Museum, attended the Third Thursday Art walk, and enjoyed local food and shopping. McCray says, “Hutchinson knows technology, social media and real time local happenings and has done a great job combining them all. It was the perfect choice for the first Small Town 140 Character Conference.”

Speakers at the 140 Character Conference will come from all over the world. “We want everyone to have a voice, to give people a platform and an opportunity to be discovered. This is the time to share your story. We want to hear it,” says Jeff Pulver. Speakers present in 10 or 15 minute segments. The day moves quickly and many voices are heard.

People will be sharing what’s heard at the conference on Twitter, using what’s called a “hashtag” of “#140conf.” Twitter users all over the world will be able to search for #140conf and see everything being written from Hutchinson, Kansas in real time.

Pulver explains that, “these events provide a platform for the worldwide Twitter community to listen, connect, share and engage with each other, while collectively exploring the effects of the emerging real-time internet on business. It creates serendipity in talking to each other, sharing ideas across industries, and exchanging thoughts with people like you and not like you. To put it in rural terms, we’re going to cross-pollinate some ideas. Or think of it as hybrid vigor: your new ideas are much stronger than the ideas that brought them about.”

For more information, to register, or apply to be a speaker, go to smalltown.140conf.com.

If you're in the Hutchinson and Wichita area, mark your calendars for October 4, when Becky McCray will be here to tell us more about the 140conf. Details will follow, but we'd love to have you join in.

I am officially ready for the weekend to begin. Really. Honest. I am. I'm not making it up.

Lovely Long Weekend

Love, love, love the nice day... and it's a Friday... of a long weekend... what's not to love?

I'm so ready for a weekend. With Starry Night last weekend I didn't get much of a chance to relax. It was really successful and a good time, but there are so many things to do in the average weekend day that when I spend one at an event the rest piles up.

That seems to be a theme in my life - things piling up!

Cody telling social media club about 140conf coming to hutch on nov. 1.

Lessons Learned

I was talking with a coworker today about the lessons we learn in relationships, and one I learned a few years ago that I really, really, needed to grasp.

When my mother died I was involved with a man who didn't handle that situation well. He was a very good man in many ways, but at that time he didn't do what he "should" have done.

I knew it, my friends knew it, and eventually he knew it too. And he apologized more than once. Of course, apologies don't turn back time and allow the opportunity to do the "right" thing. How many times have we all wished they worked that way? I know I have more than once.

Oddly enough, I wasn't mad at him at the time. Because I had learned a lesson I needed - that people can only work with the knowledge they have, and if they don't have the life experience to know what to do in a circumstance, they're not going to do it. They simply don't know, and they may not have anyone in their life who knows and can teach them.

So many of the "right" things in life are learned through experience. And if we don't have that experience, we just don't know. He had never lost anyone really close to him. He had no idea what was involved. He didn't know how much simple things mean at a time like that. He didn't know. And no matter how much I might have wanted him to act differently, he didn't, because he didn't know he should.

I needed to learn that lesson, and fortunately, I accepted it at the time. There was no point in being mad at him. I was the one who chose to be involved with someone who was considerably younger than me. By extention, in that case, I was the one who chose to be involved with someone who didn't have the life experience to know what to do in that situation.

Before that I was not very understanding of the fact that everyone has to learn everything, much of it through experience. And even if it's something I think a person should know instinctively, it doesn't necessarily make it so. It was a lesson I needed to grasp. I wish I had gotten it sooner, in less dire circumstances, but for whatever reason I didn't. But, I learned it then, and it has stayed with me.

A reminder of how to conduct myself in the workplace. Although I hope phasers won't be necessary.

Let us be mindful

As of tonight we have no combat troops in Iraq.

This is not going to be a political rah-rah post. I don't feel rah-rah, I can tell you that.

As I scanned the email that arrived with the news, the thing that jumped out at me was this phrase, "more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives." I hope we can all let that sink in, deeply, into our souls, into our beings, and never forget what it means.

Over the last seven years we've heard such numbers bandied about by politicians of all persuasions to make whatever point they wanted to make at the time. It's awfully easy to forget those numbers represent people - real people - with moms and dads, spouses, children, brothers and sisters, grandmas and grandpas, cousins, friends, classmates and coworkers.

More than 1.5 million of those real people were actively involved in the war. Expand their circles outward and see how many lives were touched by separation. There are very few of us who can say we don't know someone who was serving - if not in our own family, in that of a coworker or neighbor. Many of us can tick off the names of multiple people.

I'm not going to get into the question of if it was good or bad, justified or not. The time for that is past.

I just hope we can all be mindful that those numbers are not just arithmetic. They represent real people making real sacrifices - ranging from separation and worry to the loss of life. These are not things to be taken lightly.

So, I beg that we all remember that while today may mark the removal of combat troops in Iraq, soldiers are still in harm's way. And they're all real people with far-reaching connections to friends and loved ones. Let us be mindful of that whenever we are tempted to engage in conflict. Let us be mindful. Please. Please, let us be mindful.

Quote of the Day

"I have long considered the creative impulse to be a visit - a thing of grace, perhaps, not commanded or owned as much as awaited, prepared for. A thing, also, of mystery."
- Loreena McKennitt - The Visit

Quieter

I've become quieter. I don't talk as much when I'm with people anymore and I'm not seeking to be with people as much either. I've been thinking about why.

Mainly, it has become difficult to have conversation. I'm trying to think of an occasion when there was time for conversation without the end of the lunch, gathering, evening, dinner, or whatever, looming large. Even when there is conversation it doesn't have an opportunity to come to a natural conclusion. Instead, it is regimented by the arbitrary numbers on a clock.

In my world, at least, there seems to be rare opportunity for real conversation. When it does present itself, I'm tentative about trying to engage for fear it will be cut short by the clock, someone's phone, or an interruption to my train of thought. If I'm sharing myself in a meaningful way and you interrupt me or change the subject I feel foolish for having put myself out there in the first place.

If i'm interrupted repeatedly - verbally or non-verbally - I tend to disengage. I'm not saying that's good, just that it's my way. And I'm not talking about only the typical interruptions, but the more subtle ones.

Sometimes people interject a word of agreement into the conversation in order to speed you along, so they can speak. Sometimes people do something that brings the attention to them and changes the focus of the conversation. Sometimes people jump in when you take a breath, so they can talk. Sometimes people quickly change the subject of the conversation or offer a platitude instead of something meaningful. Sometimes it's obvious they are biding their time until you stop talking and they can go on to the next thing they want to do. Sometimes it's a suddenly animated body language that indicates they can barely wait to talk and are just waiting for you to stop.

It simply takes too much energy for me to try and overcome those things. I mentally retreat into my inner world. The only logical assumption is that people take these actions because what I'm saying is boring them. I'm growing acutely aware that what is of interest to me is not of interest to very many other people, so perhaps I bore people more often than I've previously realized.



It's ironic that I'm a person who craves connection with other people and it seems to be more elusive all the time. But, I can't fake interest in other things, and if my interests are boring to others, I'm not sure what options exist other than to expand my circle or retreat. I've tried to work on the former while continuing to live in this community, but find the latter is seductively easier.

I'm reminded once again of William Stafford's last conversation with his son, Kim. Kim was astonished that his dad, who had written daily for 50 years, said he had stories he hadn't told. When Kim asked why, William Stafford said he had been waiting for someone to ask.

Maybe I'm just growing to accept that no one is asking because no one wants to hear my stories or thoughts, so there's no reason to fight to tell them. Maybe they're of no interest or use to anyone but me, so it makes sense to just turn them over in my head instead of trying to share them. Maybe it's yet another reason why I write so much.

I don't know that anyone will ever read the many thousands of pages I've written over the years, but for some reason I feel a need to record thoughts. I would love to share with others, and expand my thought processes with their input, but I find it more and more necessary to turn to books for that. It's one way I can have new thoughts coming into my world that isn't dependent on conversation with others.



It's not as satisfying as having real conversation, but that is something I can't seem to figure out how to do on a regular basis. So, I've noticed that I spend more and more time alone - reading, thinking, painting and writing - instead of trying to connect with other people.

It's not my first choice, but it's the logical choice. I must have stimulation for my brain, and while I'd like that to come, partially, in the form of meaningful conversation, the amount of energy I have to expend for even a chance at that is astronomical when compared to going to the library.

Although I don't think it's necessarily healthy, nor is it my first choice, I find myself retreating into my own world more and more, and being quieter even when I am with people. I'm fighting the concept of learned helplessness, but it has become such a daunting task to create situations where conversation can happen, that I am trying less often.

Question of the Day: Are you having real conversation in you life? Deep, meaningful, conversation?

Now a Weekend

The Starry Night Party is over and was a big success. I'm very tired but glad it all went well. Now I get a day to have a weekend... I wonder what I'll do with my weekend... I'm guessing it might be exciting things like laundry.

I have an art project I must finish tomorrow so that will be on the agenda too.

But, for tonight I think sleep is next on my agenda. This thirteen and a half hour day is coming to a close for this girl.

I'm reminded today of why I love working for someone who's very laid back. I'm so not a fan of "high strung."

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

You'll notice some changes on the blog in the next few days, perhaps as soon as later today. I'm going to be posting more photos and "blurbs" about my day. It will be some of the things I post to Facebook and Twitter.

I often use my phone to snap a photo and upload it, or make a comment about something happening in my day. Those will now appear on the blog as well.

This is an experiment. If it turns out to be a bad idea, fortunately I have a delete button. Feel free to share your thoughts.

If you read the blog want to connect on Facebook and/or Twitter, feel free to send me a message there. http://www.facebook.com/patsy or http://www.twitter.com/patsyterrell. You can find me on most social networks as patsyterrell. I look forward to connecting with you there.

Weekend is Here

The weekend has arrived, but I'm working tomorrow so I decided to try and have some weekend fun tonight. On a whim I drove to Wichita to see Avatar. I know, I know, I've already seen it. Repeatedly. Now I've seen it with the new scenese. I'll probably see it yet again.

Tomorrow is the 2nd Annual Starry Night Party. I hope we have a good crowd. I think the weather is supposed to be great. We have a ton of activities planned and it's all free. I hope all goes smoothly.

Kindness

Occasionally I see my fellow human beings treat each other with extraordinary kindness. I've been privledged to see it a few times recently.

On Saturdays one of my regular stops is The Et Cetera shop, run by the Mennonite Central Committee with fair trade items from around the world and thrift items, too. I'm always on the hunt for items for art, as well as dishes that might strike my fancy.

When I went in a few weeks ago, there was an elderly gentleman at the counter, talking to the clerks about a hat. I was checking the auction items with my back to them but the man wanted them to hold the hat for him until Monday when he'd have the money to buy it.

They were trying to explain they couldn't hold it for him, but he was so hard of hearing he wasn't grasping what they were saying. Another man nearby was trying to help him understand, and that on Monday it would be on sale for half price and only cost $2.50, if it were still there.

I was trying to figure out how to just buy the hat for him, and not embarrass him. While I was thinking this through, with my back still to the whole situation, another woman came from somewhere else in the store and said, "I'm buying him the hat." She paid for it and they explained she was buying it for him. He was thrilled and thanked her. He told her, "I wouldn't have the money until next week." She hugged him and said, "Well, I've got the $5 now. I'm happy to do it. Enjoy your hat."

I went on about my business and headed upstairs to check out the goodies. I was reminded of one of my rules for living - "it's almost always wrong to do nothing."

I did nothing. The other woman took action. The older man was pleased. The rest of us were humbled. It's good to be humbled by witnessing kindness like that.

*******

Last week during Coffee at the Cosmo presentation there was a gentleman attending who was blind. The woman with him - I assume his wife - was assisting him.

During the coffee I'm very busy setting up and managing the food and coffee set up, welcoming people and saying goodbye when they leave. People have an opportunity to get a close-up look at the artifacs after the presentation. Often by the time I'm done with the food and coffee, they're packing things up. But on Thursday there was a mom and a couple of young kids still looking, as well as this older couple.

I went over to get some photos of the collections person talking to the kids about artifacts. It was then that I noticed the CEO, who had done the presentation, had given the gentleman who couldn't see the white gloves we all use when we touch artifcts. The CEO was taking time to pick up different artifacts and letting this man touch them so he could understand them better.

My grandmother was blind, so I know how meaningful that was. It was an amazing kindness to take the extra time, letting this gentleman experience different artifacts. I was touched, and very impressed with Chris, the CEO. It feels good to work for an organization headed by a CEO who shows kindness like that.

******

Earlier this week I made a call to Westlake Ace Hardware here to ask advice about my weedeater, which seemed to be out of string. The gentleman I spoke with, Larry, said to bring it down and he would show me how to string it. Turned out it was just kinked, and didn't even need string. He showed me how to wind it at no cost.

Was that good business? Absolutely. But it was also a kindness he didn't have to show.

I shop that store regularly, anyway, but he had no way to know that when I called. He was just being kind because it's his nature. What a lovely thing - to be naturally kind.

******

A couple of months ago I was on the road to visit my family in Kentucky. I'd had the car checked out before leaving. When I stopped in Beaumont, Kansas, I noticed the car was leaking antifreeze. I'd had the water pump replaced, so didn't think there was a problem, but couldn't figure it out.

I raised the hood and was looking at things, as if I'd know something about what I was seeing. The one thing I was able to determine was that it seemed to be coming from the reservoir.

While I was debating what to do, the woman who was there to clean the rest stop, came over and asked what the problem was. I explained and she got on her phone and called her boss, who came over with her husband, to look at my car. They also called a local guy who works on cars, but he didn't answer.

This man looked at it and said he thought it was the cap on the reservoir. He worked with it a little bit and assured me I would be okay. He was absolutely correct. Apparently it was just a little grain of something that had prevented a good seal.

I was astonished at the incredible kindness of all these folks. The couple that came from their home were not upset they had been called as they were getting ready for dinner. They were cheerful and pleasant and eager to help. The woman who was there to clean wasn't thinking that it wasn't her job to help a motorist. She was being kind to someone she had never seen before and maybe wouldn't ever see again.

I'm so thankful to all of them.

********

Kindess, embodied in good hearted souls who go beyond what's expected, with nothing but good cheer, is a miracle we too often take for granted.

Gratitude Journaling

I woke up extra early this morning for some reason and when I couldn't get back to sleep decided to come downstairs and write for awhile. I pulled out my gratitude journal. When I neglect it, I can feel I need it. I needed it this morning.

We know that gratitude journaling makes a person happier. If you start making note of three things you're thankful for every day, you'll be happier in six months. I find myself happier almost instantly.

I'm blessed to be a pretty happy person - one of the great gifts my mother gave me. People comment regularly on how I'm always cheery, positive and upbeat. Truth be told, on the inside, I'm a bit prone to melancholy. But I just learned a long time ago that it doesn't serve me well so I make a conscious effort to be the opposite of sad.

One of the tools that helps me a great deal is a gratitude journal. I have so, so much to be thankful for. And jotting it down seems to make it more real.

I'm fortunate that I've been doing this sort of thing for so many years - although not in the form of a gratitude journal - that happiness has become second nature to me. I no longer have to "train" myself to think that way. But at times it is necessary to bolster myself.

I've been using this same book for 10 years. So, you can tell, I don't do it every day. But as I look back through it I can remember specific days from just the few words written there. At times I write in it for a few days in a row, then may put it aside for weeks or months.

Now when I look back through it there are names of people who aren't in my life anymore. But I was thankful enough for them then that they're recorded on those pages, and now I'm thankful for the experience of having known them. It makes one wonder what names will be in the remaining empty pages by the time they're filled.

That's a wonderful metaphor for life - what will fill the empty pages.

Early Morning At My House

Symbiotic Friendships

This weekend I ran across a box of things from my high school years, including some graduation materials. I didn't remember trading these cards with people, but I obviously did. It was interesting to see all those names from long ago.

One of the things I found was a book where you recorded music, movies and people from that time in your life. About half of the people I listed as friends are people I don't even remember now. I suspect I wouldn't have remembered them two years later.

I think the main reason is that we weren't devoted friends to begin with. Our "friendship" was really only in my mind.

But there's value in everything. And through those experiences I learned what friendship should be and how to create symbiotic relationships. That is a valuable life skill, for sure.

I knew I needed to find people I could connect with. The trick was learning how to make connections. I could debate my success with that, I suppose, but I'm certainly better at it now than I was then.

Saving My Past, One Piece at a Time

This weekend I was digging around in some things I've had in storage, including some things from my mom's house. One of the boxes I opened had a collection of things from my childhood.

It was like an archeaology dig. Where else can you find a Barbie hanger, a Mr. Potato head ear, play money and paper dolls? My mom was a dedicated saver. She never threw away any of my toys, or even bits and pieces of my toys. I'm so very thankful. She was always very respectful of my things and as a result I have tons of things from my childhood.

I inherited Mama's tendencies and I have saved every letter I've ever gotten, as well as copies of many I've written. I have ticket stubs and lecture programs and thousands of other things. I have scripts from when I was a TV reporter and audio tapes from my years in radio. I also have dozens of journals and thousands of photos.

I'm not sure what to do with all of these things. I have an extensive record of one life in this time period, but there's nothing extraordinary about it and I don't know that anyone would be interested in these materials. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to keep them. I'm not sure why, but I keep hoping that will become obvious to me at some point. No doubt after I'm dead, and it has all been discarded or dispersed, some historical group will wish they had examples of the very things I have. But no one seems to be able to see that until a sufficient amount of time has passed so that the things are hard to acquire.

Some of the things I've run across are mysteries to me - like a series of these stickers. There must be 30 of them and I cannot imagine why they were there.



Of course, there are also things here that might not have much historical significance, but are fun for me to run across.

A good day in the PR world

When you're a public relations/marketing person, which I am, one of your favorite calls is from a media outlet that wants to do a story about something related to the company or organiation that's paying you to be a PR person.

On Thursday I got one of those calls we all love from the local newspaper. They wanted to do a story about a priest who comes to an event we do every month. He lives in Topeka, about three hours away, and flies down for the coffee.

Fortunately, he was still in the building and I was able to connect them that afternoon. It doesn't always work out so neatly, but it was meant to be. Kristen did some video for the website and then wrote a wonderful story, Travis came and took photos, and it was a great story.

You can see it here at: http://www.hutchnews.com/Localregional/priest-flies-to-coffee-at-the-Cos--2.

Then something even cooler happened - at least in the PR world - the Associated Press picked up the story. That means that any news outlet who subscribes to the AP, which is most of them, could run the story. And many did. By yesterday afternoon it was in New York papers and had been picked up by a company that distributes internationally. We'll see what happens over the next few days.

It made for a good Friday on that front. Every day has its ups and downs, and the work day ended on a down note, but this part of it was spectacular.

Third Thursday at Smith's Market in Hutchinson

Tonight was Third Thursday. I took a ton of photos, but this is my favorite one. This little girl was dancing to the music of Bob and Tammy Colladay in Smith's Market. Great moment.

Collecting Handwriting

Tomorrow night is Third Thursday and I've got this little set up in Gallery 7. I'm asking people to leave me some handwriting to use in future artwork.

If you're out and about, stop into Gallery 7 and leave me a note. It can be a favorite word, phrase or sentence, a motto you live by, a quote you love - anything you wish. You can sign your name or not.

I love handwriting and have decided I need to collect more of it. So, please stop by Gallery 7 and share something with me.

Or, feel free to mail me something if you can't stop by Gallery 7 Thursday night.

Speaking of artwork... I gave Mark a piece for his birthday.




He's visiting for a few days and had expressed interest in some art. I decided to just let him choose something he liked from my stash of finished work. He picked this one almost immediately.

I'm glad I let him choose because I probably wouldn't have picked this one for him. I think he likes it!

I love to make people happy.

Quote of the Day

"When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."
— Wendell Berry

Someone posted this on Facebook the other day and if I had ever read it before I had forgotten it. I love Wendell Berry and I love this image of "still water."

I've always returned to the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers near where I grew up in Kentucky to re-center myself. When I read this, it occurred to me how that is the opposite of still water.

Poets have such an amazing grasp of the language. I've become convinced only poets can offer these turns of phrase that stay with us.

I think maybe I need to find more still water in my life.

Bzinga

This is obviously someone I should know. I think we might become friends.

I spotted this in traffic Monday afternoon on 30th street. Fortunately, I was right behind them and could take a photo.

We need some system in our society for communicating to people we don't know - "Hey, I see you love this thing... and I love this thing too... lets see if we could be friends." But, people would think you're very, very odd - and probably scary - if you did that. Pity, because most of us could use more friends.

If you're not a fan of "The Big Bang Theory" on CBS, it's funny and incredibly witty. This is a reference to what the character, Sheldon, (who I happen to have a major TV crush on, but that's another story altogether) says when he makes a joke.

I've been watching since the first episode and in case you don't know me well enough to know how little TV I make it a point to watch, it's astonishing that I know it's on Monday nights but is moving to Thursday nights in September. It's the only TV show I make it a point to arrange things around when possible. It's intelligent and very witty.

Who Expects You to Be Somebody

I'm reading the book, "Vital Friends" by Tom Rath. In the first few pages a question is posed that I'm still thinking about - "Who expects you to be somebody?"

We all know about self-fulfilling prophesy and peer-pressure. This question seems to embody both concepts.

Maybe this is a key to why some people thrive in life and some don't. Some people are expected to, and they can't imagine disappointing whoever believes they're capable of whatever is expected. That may be becoming a doctor, or getting an electrician's license or being the best baker on the block.

Years ago I was speaking with a woman who ran an agency devoted to helping homeless people. During the conversation about her work, she mentioned in an off-handed way, "Most of our people are homeless because they don't have a support system." I questioned her more about this and she said, "They don't have anyone to turn to - no family or friends - no support system - so they end up on the streets."

This was obviously common knowledge to her. It was well understood and accepted in the field, and known to be a bigger issue than the mental health problems and addictions that many people associate with homelessness. But to most of us the idea that one person who believed in them, one person who cared, one friend, could have changed that is astonishing.

Those of us who have people in our lives who expect something of us, and who we can turn to, should thank our lucky stars.