Just Plain Bill

I forget that the Internet

“knows” what I’m doing

When I logged into my favorite news site this morning, I noticed that once again, an item I had searched for on Amazon was featured on the news site and many more that I visited this morning. Eerie? Surprising? Should be, but I’ve known for years that cookies have been attached to my computer doing their “I know what you’re doing” function quite well.

I also know I have the option to turn off that function, but what would come of the convenience I experience in not having to perform hundreds of keystrokes to get access – quickly?

I guess you might say that’s the price I pay for the convenience and power I appreciate while using my computer, reaping the benefits of all the Internet has to offer. It’s a perfect reminder of a Hobson’s choice, where there’s not really a choice at all. It’s also known as “take it or leave it.”

In my case, I can either accept the presence of cookies on my computer, and the advertisements they generate, or not enjoy the benefits that come from ease of access and return to sites previously opened.

Weighing the two options, I guess I’ll accept the “all knowing” nature of my computer and move on to the next irritant – which I guess is a kind of a choice... a freedom of a Hobson’s choice.

And has been said, “Freedom does come with a price.”

Just Plain Bill

“The American Dream

is Alive and Well!”

As an amateur writer, having a high quality editor is invaluable, comforting, and greatly appreciated. For the past five years, I’ve been blessed with the editing skills of Allyn Geer, whom I’ve known now for over ten years. When we first met, we were both in the mortgage business, and became part of a leadership team that worked closely to develop a quality new-hire orientation program for one of the largest banks in the country.

After we both left the bank, we went about other pursuits, but managed to stay in touch. Awhile back, I was given the opportunity to co-author an eBook, The Virtual Office, which became an Amazon best seller. For that three-month project, Allyn provided exceptional editing – untangling confusing and circular verbiage, as well as delivering counsel and support.

On my most recent blog on the lost boy of Sudan, Allyn added a powerful statement that I believe deserves a place of its own, as a succinct, relevant and powerful ending:

“Editor’s note: Here’s a reminder that the American dream is alive and well. What a stark contrast to the picture being painted far too often by politicians and pundits this election season. Shame on them and shame on those who believe them.”

Thanks, Allyn, couldn’t have said it better myself!

Just Plain Bill

Mario

On a recent cab ride to the Denver airport, I was privileged to meet Mario, my driver who was about 22 years of age. Our casual conversation soon turned to family and I asked where he was from. When he told me South Sudan, it was almost as if time stood still as we talked during the entire 45-minute ride from Boulder. Mario was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan!

Mario ran from the conflict at the age of six, and was on the run until age 17. When he finally arrived at a U.N. refugee camp, he weighed a mere 70 pounds on a 5 feet, 6-inch frame. He was seriously emaciated and malnourished, possessing only the clothes on his back and well-worn shoes on his feet.

Mario was questioned dozens of times. Since none of the boys had any identification, it was critically important to convince the governmental and aid workers that he was not a terrorist.

With that great task accomplished, Mario was finally given a change of clothes, medication for his many maladies, and a daily meal of a mush-like porridge he was served each of the 22 days he was in the camp. Eventually, the aid workers gave him some money that he promptly spent at (of all places) a Burger King near the camp. He ate things he’d never seen, let alone tasted before in his life: French fries, ice cream, chicken nuggets, and carbonated drinks. In the camp, he also heard a radio for the first time in many years, and watched his first television.

(An aside: on the way to the airport, he asked if I would mind if he dropped off some groceries for his two baby girls. I was able to meet his lovely wife Grace, and their two children, ages 18 months and 3 months.)

Mario described to me how he’d lived off the land, surviving in the dense underbrush of the terrain for many years, evading capture and the forced conscription into the rebel army. That was the unfortunate fate for many of the orphaned boys like him.

Finally, a church agreed to sponsor him. He came to Syracuse, New York in the spring. He then set about to learn English, and in his first winter there, experienced snow for the first time.

We talked of raising kids, school, television, and the overwhelming variety of temptations his girls will face as they grow up. We talked about the culture shock to which he is still adjusting. He confided in me that after saving enough money, he intends to attend community college. He is committed to becoming a teacher.

When we parted, we exchanged email addresses. I’m looking forward to following his progress towards realizing his dream.

Serendipity rears its incredible head once again, as life continues to spoil me with unexpected and unplanned blessings.

Just Plain Bill

You are what you eat!

I’ve always been fascinated by the saying, “You are what you eat.” Using Dogpile, my favorite search engine, I found out that its origin was first stated in some form at least 150 years ago. (And here I thought it was a more contemporary edict from the National Institute of Health on the dangers of eating junk food!)

Just recently, an article in the British Journal of Health Psychology gave us a new twist on how what we eat influences our productivity. The proverbial bottom line from this study is “The more fruits and vegetables people consumed, the happier, more engaged, and more creative they tended to be.”

The study goes on to amplify what my mother told me as I was growing up, about eating my fruits and vegetables: “Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients that foster the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in the experience of curiosity, motivation, and engagement. They also provide antioxidants that minimize bodily inflammation, improve memory, and enhance mood.”

Can’t say it any better. You were right about what I eat Mom, and about so many other things to which I should have listened.

This all makes sense. The article also emphasized the following: “If you’re serious about achieving top workplace performance, making intelligent decisions about food is essential. The good news is that contrary to what many of us assume, the trick to eating right is not learning to resist temptation. It’s making healthy eating the easiest possible option.”

So, as with most solutions for life’s challenges, it’s up to me to make eating decisions before I get hungry. The choices I make about the food I eat will impact in a major way the quality of my thoughts, attitude, and actions.

(Now where did I leave my Snickers bar?)