After eighty-seven years of thought and observation, I say not merely that I believe in God –I can even say that I see Him.
Jean Henri Fabre (1823-1915)

Jean Henri Fabre, the great French naturalist, conducted a most unusual experiment with some Processionary Caterpillars. Processionary Caterpillars blindly follow the one in front of them. That’s why they are called “processionary”–they travel in a procession.

Fabre filled a flower pot close to the rim with dirt. He then carefully arranged some Processionary Caterpillars in a circle around the rim of the flower pot, so that the lead caterpillar actually touched the last one, making a complete circle. In the center of the flower pot he put pine needles, which is food for the Processionary Caterpillar.

The caterpillars started walking around the circular flower pot. Around and around they went, hour after hour, day after day, night after night. They obtained no nourishment, no rest. For seven full days and seven full nights they went around the flower pot. Finally, they dropped dead of starvation and exhaustion.

The caterpillars were quite busy doing what they knew how to do. They got stuck doing what came natural to them. They never got fed. All they needed to do was something a little different.

What about us? Are we doing what feels right and starving?

For a brief biography on Fabre click here.

The way I look at the world becomes my world. Reality is a concept. In practice reality is the viewpoint of the box I put myself in. A happy, optimistic box yields the same satisfaction. Events around me can be exactly the same but because of the reality I’ve created I might interpret them as either good or bad.

I create my world.

Does that make me God? No, not by a long shot. But it does bring new meaning to the glass-is-half-empty, glass-is-half-full analogy.

Just some thoughts from nowhere.

Salt is a seasoning, as such it enhances the flavor of what is being eaten. Salt is a preservative, it allows us to maintain food in an edible state.

When it comes to positive or negative influences, how can one be salt to others? Too much salt is distasteful and although it may preserve what it preserves is also inedible.

Today the introduction of New Coke celebrates another birthday.

I remember the campaign clearly. I remember giving it a try. Didn’t like and wondered why an established company would mess with something that didn’t need messing with.

This was one of those moments for me when I wrote into the rule book, “Don’t mess with what don’t need messed with.”

Always look for improvements but unless it’s actually an improvement, leave it alone. Change for the sake of change is just plan silly.

If you ask me, I’d say that truth is timeless. Truth is absolute. Truth does not change. Truth is not subjective. Truth is truth regardless of any other factor.

Today’s society seems to have the idea that truth is what’s right for the here and now. That truth is what suites me. I would argue, “If it’s truth, how can it change?” Disregard all that is presented as truth as truth until you have looked into it more deeply.

MY former employer, which is now my current employer, is have a global sales meeting and its refreshing to see this company tell it like it is. There are things that are not a pretty picture, and its too easy to sweep it under the carpet, but they’re not. IT IS NOT a time for bashing, it’s a time of reckoning to see where we are as a company and how we need to improve in order to meet established goals. Truth is nothing to shy away from – it’s something to embrace.

Oh that our relationships would be based in such a solid footing.

Day four on the new job. Got up nice and early, said goodbye to family and headed out to the airport. I chatted for a few minutes with co-workers on the same flight – then put my nose to the grindstone and made more notes for my presentation I need to give on Thursday. Originally I had planned on working on the presentation in the evenings in the hotel room. Afterall, I’d have 3 nights to work on it.

Plans changed on day 2 of work. I have a project plan I need to have completed by Thursday evening so it can be emailed out before Friday when it’s due. Additionally, I have to complete an online training course as a step in getting my certification up to date for my employers current product. Did I also mention that I need to read two chapters in my American History text in order to stay up with the class? (It will be a big relief after the final is past in 2 weeks!)

All that for three nights in a hotel room is enough to keep anyone busy. BUT since it’s a trip with co-workers, there’ll be dinners and impromptu meetings at the end of the day to eat up even more of the precious time.

A few of my readers may see this as the calm before the storm. Nope. Wind speed is picking up, that’s all. The storm is still on the horizon.

If you’ve looking at the current books on Dave’s Reading List, you see that I am reading Word Origins. I have always enjoyed reading about the history of words; how they morphed to become the words we know and love today.

Approaching the end of the book are chapters of miscellaneous words that do no fit into easy classifications. Within this grouping the author states that there are a group of words that do not fit into polite conversation or reading. Without going into specific words he discusses two very interesting points on these taboo words.

1. Words themselves are nothing more than a collection of sounds which are completely meaningless until an abstraction is associated with that collection of sounds.
2. The majority of these words were at one time and place considered ordinary and commonplace. Somewhere along the line the ideas associated with these words became taboo – not just the words themselves, but the idea.

A culture’s manners and customs are similar. An action that may be extremely offensive to an American may be a courtesy in some other culture.

Some time back I got off on one of these Internet rabbit trails and ended up following the history of toilet paper. One fascinating fact I learned was that many family outhouses in the Old West were 2 or 4 seaters. Unthinkable in today’s society but very practical in a family emergency.

What causes some perfectly acceptable words or ideas to fall in and out of favor? Why must there be taboo ideas to begin with?

In my devotion time this morning I was directed toward an interesting verse regarding the eternal nature of God.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11b – New International Version (NIV)

He set eternity in man’s heart – what does that mean? It seems that the commentator’s have the same take on this as I. God has given us the capability of observing at least a portion of his eternal creation – however we do not have the capability to understand it’s infinite nature.

This has been my verse to ponder and chew on throughout the day. His eternal nature is beyond any understanding.

It’s a new day, a new journey. Today is a unique day in my life. I start a new job.

The easy part, it’s working in the same field with many of the same people that I have worked with in the past.

The hard part, I am expected to be the system expert. This is the first job I have had where this it true. In the two other jobs I’ve had it was expected that I would learn and do by example.

My employer of 4 weeks ago was not really a new job. I did not have to go out and seek it. It came to me and “bought” me as an asset. All I really needed to do was keep doing what I have been doing for 10 years prior with the same people I had been doing it with.

But now all is changed. I sought out this new job with an incarnation of my previous employer. They are, for all intents and purposes, a new company. My position is in an area of the company I have never worked and although the job is quite similar to what I have done for years, there are new twists which adds a level of “scary.”

I didn’t sleep all that great last night. My take is that it’s a mild case of nerves. In six months I’m sure I won’t be able to imagine what it was like on this day. It’ll all be like that favorite pair of old shoes. Where they ever white?

First days are always interesting. Things will go smoothly. I leave work go off to class, get home at 9:45pm, go to bed and start it all over again.

My son, let them not escape from your sight, but keep sound and godly Wisdom and discretion, And they will be life to your inner self, and a gracious ornament to your neck (your outer self).
Proverbs 3:21-22 – Amplified Version (AMP)

More precious than the finest jewels! Wisdom and Discretion are life.

Deep within my soul these are the nourishment that I need to feed on. With these I can sink my roots deep. Deep roots mean lush fruit for all to enjoy.

I’ve been thinking for the last few days about a resume I helped a friend write. He’s young, with a good heart but a bit impetuous. There were several bullets that he asked me to put on his resume. I had to look him straight in the eyes, as a good friend, and say that I couldn’t in clear conscience write something on his resume that was blatantly not true. His response was, “but I want it to be true, I’ll be like that.” My advice to him was to make it true THEN wear the name, even if that meant taking jobs that were menial while he built the reputation.

It’s all too easy to feed on wishes and dreams and not be honest about where we’re at. Flattery, whether its from others or from ourselves will not make us better people. It does the opposite. It tears us down. I cannot develop a healthy life unless my roots go after meaning.

May my sight be on godly wisdom and discretion as I walk into my new place of employment tomorrow.