Back In Time

My Palm Pilot, which I have used faithfully for the past 6 years, is dying. She's fading fast. I don't know how much longer she can hold on. I fear the day is soon approaching when she will breathe her last breath and I will no longer be able to hold her in my hands. The worst part about that day will be the fact that my entire organized life will be lost forever.

So, today I had to make a decision before it was too late. I'm going back to paper.

I started thinking about the good old days. As a college student, I was employed by FranklinCovey. Yes, while all my friends were working at popular clothing stores such as J. Riggins and Structure (may they Rest In Peace) and spending their paychecks on cool clothes at a discounted price, I was using my employee discount to buy refills for my classic size black leather binder.

What a simpler time it was.

I know I have other options. I could buy a new Palm Pilot or similar device. I could by something Blackberry-ish. But for some reason, when I walked into OfficeMax, I once again heard the alluring voice of FranklinCovey refills whispering in my ear.

"Come back," they gently said. "We're not as expensive as new technology, we don't become obsolete in 3 months, and we never crash!"

Tonight, I'll dig my old black leather binder out of a box, dust it off, remove my pages from 2002, and insert July-December 2008. Then I will begin the task of transferring all my data onto paper.

How long will it be before I realize why Palm Pilots were invented and why I loved mine so much? I think I'll at least stick with paper through December. After that, the possibilities are endless.

The Olympics: Things I Don't Understand

For the most part, I enjoy watching The Olympics. The Summer Olympics, specifically, always inspire me to play some beach volleyball. So, I played some last Sunday. I like volleyball for a variety of reasons. First of all, it's not a contact sport, which is good for someone as scrawny and weak as I am. Second, you don't have to run fast (or really run at all for that matter). This is good because not only am I slow, but I despise running except in the event of an emergency. I have no idea what I am doing in this picture, but you can assume it's awesome.

Anyway, as much as I enjoy The Summer Olympics, I still don't understand a few things. Here are a few things that puzzle me.

Why do I keep noticing the swimmers drinking a handful of water from the pool before their event? I personally think this is really disgusting. Of course, I am pretty grossed out by public swimming pools, water parks, etc. So, maybe it's just me. But, I still don't understand the need for a drink of highly chlorinated water.

Why do the divers immediately head for the showers after their dive? I cannot think of a logical explanation for this. I know there must be a good reason. I could probably find the answer to this question quite easily if I searched the web. But, honestly, I feel like I should be able to come up with the answer all by myself. I just can't!

What's with water polo? It looks pretty hard. I understand the general concept - that's not too difficult to grasp. But have you noticed all the whistling? What does that mean? I can never figure out what's going on.

These questions have been really nagging me the past couple of days.

Oh well, I guess I'll just stick with what I know - the French Horn.

A Child Is Waiting

A little over a month ago I had the opportunity to lead the "A Child Is Waiting" event at the church where I serve. World Vision is the organization behind this event. The event itself raises awareness of the needs of children in poverty situations all over the world. It is also a call to action in the form of child sponsorship.

I am so pleased that 6 children received sponsorship through our event. It takes commitment to sponsor a child. Often times, it is hard to make that commitment. For some of us, $35 a month is not a small sacrifice. For others, money not may be the issue at all, but the issue may be a lack of compassion or simply apathy. For most of us, I just think we avoid making promises. We ask ourselves, "Will I really stick with this? I'll feel terrible if my giving just fades away."

We can come up with a lot of excuses.

But, fortunately, for 6 children, somebody was willing to take the challenge and put the excuses to the side. They made the commitment and that commitment will make a huge difference in the lives of these kids who are living in communities severely affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.

Thank you - all of you who stepped up to the plate! Keep me posted on what you hear from your child.