Just Plain Bill

Growing Up while Growing Old

The other day, I was feeling quite good about my work in a new and challenging job, where I’m surrounded by more talented and motivated managers and colleagues than I ever could have imagined.  I am truly blessed to be able to draw on my wealth and depth of experiences and accomplishments to contribute to mission-critical projects in a cutting-edge software company. Working in concert with professionals from four other generations – Millennials, Gen Y, Gen X, and Boomers – with little lost in translation – is a testament to the incredible value of staying current and connected over five decades.

I’m not a technical master by any means, but as computers have evolved since my first use of punch cards and the massive mainframe TRS-80s Commodore dial-up and my first purchase of an Apple IIE, so has my acceptance and comfort evolved with each succeeding generation of computers.

When I resumed teaching elementary school children just over six months ago after a hiatus of 33+ years, my loves for learning and teaching were rekindled and initiated a quantum leap, especially since I’m at the age that is well into the usual retirement chapter of most other professionals’ lives.

Not me. I wouldn’t know what do to if I couldn’t engage and facilitate – and continue to grow!

It’s a great way to end another year, and I wish as much for you all…

Just Plain Bill

Boneless Wings?

While walking to breakfast the other day, I passed a chicken fast food place and was taken aback by the advertisement for “boneless wings.” Initially, the advertisement didn’t seem to be all that contradictory, but I eventually did try to picture the chicken from which these boneless wings were harvested.

I imagine the invention of this fast food delicacy frees one from the hassle of having to eat the meat off the bone…but would that really be a hassle? As a kid, I always liked the “handle” aspect of the meat on the bone.

Really not a priority in the scope of things we’re faced with today, but I do feel better after bringing it up!

What’s your opinion on the subject of boney versus boneless for your chicken wings?

Just Plain Bill

Can We All Get Along?

Those words ring especially true at this time when we have another uptick in attacks on innocent civilians. We’re experiencing these attacks on a global scale, while individual acts of terror are occurring with regularity in homes, businesses, and neighborhoods across our land.

“Can we all get along?”

I know that may be simplistic. There are a multitude of reasons why one group may not want to, or be able to, “get along.” Regrettably, I feel that one’s religious beliefs are at the root of all too many feelings of persecution, discrimination, or the need to attack and take revenge.

I remember clearly when Rodney King, a victim of police brutality and a jury system seen at its worst, made that statement in the hopes of quieting down the riots that were taking place in many parts of our country – civil disobedience supposedly in response to the perceived injustice experienced by Rodney King himself.

At that time, I was living in Pasadena, California. The violence in the streets of Los Angeles spilled over into surrounding communities. It had a direct impact on the lives of the youth with whom I was working in the YMCA.

I remember spending many hours trying to work through the feelings of “unfairness” in the minds of the teenagers in my community, searching for logical answers… answers that never included “getting back” at the individuals and institutions who were seen as the perpetrators of justice gone bad.

Many years have passed since the Rodney King incident, but nothing much feels different these days. I ask myself, “What have we learned from all that occurred?”

“Can we all get along?”