Thought for the Day

From Carl Jung:

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances:  if there is any reaction, both are transformed.


Take care.

A Windy Ride along the Lake

It was dark and windy this morning when I hopped on my bike to head to Hyde Park at 7:00 am.  I was counting on a strong tail wind to speed me along, and it was there.   It was not really raining, so that was a plus also.  But the strength and majesty of the Lake was something that I had not considered. 

The sky was several shades of gray, mostly the darker ones, with only a little patch of dirty white far out over the Lake.  The wind stirred the waters into a mighty fury, with waves larger than I have ever seen.  They had to be larger than ten feet, pounding on the beach, bringing with its might pieces of logs, rocks, and, I am guessing, some fish, as the sea gulls were scurrying around looking for breakfast.

It was a beautiful sight as I pedaled past Belmont Harbor and the clanking of the moorings of all of the sailboats still there.  Folks were out with cameras and Iphones taking pictures of this demonstration of power. 

But when I reached Fullerton I found the Lake really didn’t wish me to proceed farther on my way along the bike path.  The waves were crashing in an unending rhythm along the concrete pathway, and they were not just coming and lapping over the edifice, but rising above the path and crashing down across its entire width.  This was occurring for a stretch of about 200 yards.  I thought for a milli-second about riding through this turbulence, but quickly regained my senses as I would have been knocked off of my bike immediately.   

So I followed the other biker out then and a couple of runners up to the grass and gravel just next to Lake Shore Drive and proceeded on at a slower speed.  After the 200 yard water hazard was over I returned to the regular bike path and continued along, with only having to keep my eyes open for the lapping style of waves.  When I got to the Oak Street beach and the large retaining wall that keeps Lake Shore Drive from falling into the Lake, I stayed as close to the wall, and as far from the turbid and turbulent waters as possible.  But the Lake wanted to demonstrate its power again and the waves gained strength and height, and soaked me from my waist down.  Luckily the Lake tired of threatening me and receded before I reached Navy Pier.

During the rest of my ride I was able to keep my distance from the raging Lake and could just admire its beauty and majesty from afar.

I completed my fourteen mile trip in 53 minutes, not as quickly or as dry as I had hoped. 

Now I look forward to the return trip this evening and can only hope that the wind and the Lake calm down.

Take care.

True Colors

"True Colors" is a song written by songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly.  It was both the title track and the first single released from Cyndi Lauper's second album.  The choir at my church sang a beautiful version of it this Sunday.  Please enjoy the lyrics for all of their meaning.




You with the sad eyes, don't be discouraged.
Oh I realize it's hard to take courage in a world full of people.
You can lose sight of it all and the darkness inside you can make you feel so small.
But I see your true colors shining through.


I see your true colors and that's why I love you.
So don't be afraid to let them show.
Your true colors, your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow.


Show me a smile, then.
Don't be unhappy, can't remember when I last saw you laughing.
If this world makes you crazy and you've taken all you can bear.
You call me up because you know I'll be there and I see your true colors shining through.


I see your true colors and that's why I love you.
So don't be afraid to let them show.
Your true colors, your true colors, true colors are shining through.

I see your true colors and that's why I love you.

So don't be afraid to let them show.

Your true colors, your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow.




Take care.

Thought for the day

To laugh often and much: to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived.  This is to have succeeded.   Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take Care.

Who are these people?

Those not in the office of president, but who are running for that position, make grand pronouncements on what they would do, if elected, to solve all of our problems in one fell sweep.  They act like magicians; I guess as part of their acts they would make the opposing party disappear, as well as dissidents in their own party.

But most of them have some sort of record, albeit very small and not noteworthy in some cases.  They also should give some details along with their broad pronouncements.  And it is funny that nothing they propose is objectionable to almost anyone.  They are for the proverbial motherhood and apple pie. 

What about Michelle Bachmann, who is going to abolish the Department of Education on January 20, 2012.  First, of course, she adds thousands to the unemployment rolls.  Second, what happens to the accreditation of all of our institutions of higher learning?  Currently they are subject to earning accreditation through regional agencies that are subject to the scrutiny of the Department of Education.  I guess that is not that important to Ms. Bachmann, just one less thing she has to worry about.  Let the states and the regions come up with their own standards.  Whether they agree with each or, or whether a student from California can transfer to South Carolina and get credit for the work they have done so far, is not really important to her.  She also says that a gallon of gasoline will cost less than $2.00 when she is president.  How?  Has she made deals with the OPEC nations?  How can you promise, with a straight face, that you can control all the various elements in the US that control what a gallon of gas costs, let alone control those elements in the world economy?

And Mr. Perry, the gentleman from Texas.  He supported a state version of the Dream Act, giving in-state university tuition to illegal immigrants who graduate from Texas high schools, and said it would be unfair to punish these young folks for their parents’ actions.  Then why does he oppose the national Dream Act?  What is different about Texas in this case?  He also has been critical of the Federal Reserve’s printing of money even though that has essentially provided several years of low interest rates after the Lehman crash.  What would the country have done without that?  And there has to be a body to control the supply of money.  And then there is the criminal justice system in Texas – they put more people to death per year than most of the rest of the country combined.  And I bet most of them are actually guilty.  He also cut the budget 75% for volunteer firefighters in Texas.  So I guess that all those folks risking their lives fighting the huge fires in Texas covering an area about the size of Connecticut will have to pay for their own protective gear, food, and gas from now on.  Thanks for your help.

In Massachusetts, Mitt Romney passes something that Obama care looks like, but opposes the national plan.  He understands that everyone in MA should be covered by Health Insurance, but not the whole country.  What’s with that?  He waffles between no tax cuts for the rich and then supports the Bush tax cuts. 

There is much more about these folks out there that makes me cringe. 

They do not pledge to work together with all factions of both parties to arrive at workable solutions for all citizens.  They just want to get elected.  That’s it.  Be wary, my friends.

Take care.

Another Comment on Life

A poem about dreams, by Langston Hughes:

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.


Take care.

A bike ride

I road to work again yesterday and it was really a tale of two rides.  In the morning I had a tail wind gusting up to thirty mph and it was great.  Made it to work in 49 minutes – the fastest ever for my south bound trip.  In the evening it was raining and the wind was blowing harder and more consistently from the NE again.  It was hellacious.  It was difficult to go ten miles an hour.  I was exhausted by the end of the long trip home.

The waves were spectacular on both rides.  In the evening they were really crashing up on the walkways and spraying or soaking folks, depending on how lucky you were.  Traffic was light both ways, but the weather seemed to effect the bike riders more that the runners.  Not too many smiles on faces either way yesterday.

It still was a great day in Chicago, though.

Take care.

The Economy and the Budget

I didn’t get to listen to Obama’s speech last night, but I will read about it and read the commentaries, but the bottom line is that definitive action is needed.  Action has to happen quickly as the results are not immediately.  One commentator I heard this morning said that any changes now would not make an impact for six months.  So Congress, do something now.

The Republicans seem to have only one primary goal in sight and that is to defeat Obama in 2012.  Newt Gingrich was up front with that in the Wednesday night debate and said that exactly.  What happened to working on solving the problems of this country?

The August 27 issue of the Economist put it pretty plain and clear.

In 2008 the world economy was saved from depression by a bold and co-ordinated plan to shore up banks and counter the slump with fiscal and monetary stimulus.  Today there is no boldness…and no co-ordination.  …a bout of budget-cutting …will only increase the risk of another recession.

Adjusting fiscal policy does not mean simply doling out more stimulus.  The trick is to put in place more reforms now that will improve the public finances over time without slamming too hard on the brakes today.

America is in most need of such a shift.  It has done virtually nothing to deal with its medium term deficit, but on current policy will see the biggest short term tightening of the big rich economies next year.  That would have been a poor choice even in a reasonable recovery.  Given the economy’s weakness, it looks daft.  But it could be fixed. 

The congressional supercommittee … could agree on a bolder package of entitlement cuts and new revenue, while Barack Obama and the Republicans could limit the short term squeeze by extending the temporary payroll tax cut and boosting spending on things like roads and school repairs.

We need some thoughtful action by our “leaders”.  Millions of people are hurting in this country and they need help.  Jobs are needed and retraining is needed for workers.  We are not a manufacturing country anymore.  That problem needs to be addressed. 

We do not need the Republicans to be against everything for the next sixteen months.  They are shirking their responsibilities if they continue to do that.  Compromise is needed on both sides.  We need some true leadership and true problem-solving.

Don’t let our “representatives” play the same old politics.  We are in a serious situation that requires action.  Keep on them until they do their jobs.

Take care.

Life

I never met a metaphor (or simile) I didn't like.  So for today:

All life is an experiment.  The more experiments you make, the better.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take care.

A bike ride, finally

I rode the Lake again this morning for the first time in awhile and, of course, my legs tired rather quickly.  But I pushed on and made the 14 mile journey in 58 minutes.  The weather was cool (upper 50’s) and the wind was mostly at my back.  One big exception was riding around the Aquarium where it was squarely in my face.

It was a beautiful morning with the Lake still churning as it has the last few days.  The Lake jumped out over the running/riding path at several points and covered it completely at one spot.  If you weren’t watching, you could get a nice cold shower.  The sky was like a patchwork quilt with light and dark clouds all over and a beautiful blue sky on display in between. 

The traffic on the path was rather light since many colleges are starting classes, along with CPS.  I did notice as I passed over the Chicago River on what must be called lower Lake Shore Drive, that I could see the smokestacks in NW Indiana, not just the smoke curling from them.  So seeing the tall buildings of the Hyde Park area or the smokestacks of far south Chicago was not a surprise.  I also noticed that more asphalt repairs had been completed since the last time I rode, making the path smoother.

The geese are out in force, on the grass, at this time of year, but I did not see many gulls.  They were probably resting after fighting the wind gusts of 35 mph and higher the last few days.  Not many boats have left yet, as they anticipate some good weather still to come in September.

Otherwise the ride was pretty routine.  The ride home will be considerably harder if the wind stays out of the NE.  I have to keep my riding up now as it is my training for the Run for Chocolate in early November and the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.

Take care.