Archive for July, 2007

OOB #14

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Out of the BoxOnce again, folks, the sun sets on yet another exciting month here at the Zone. Thrills, chills, spills – and that’s just what happened at MY desk! Just imagine what else has been going on out there…

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen – the time has come for another exciting edition of… OOB!
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Dept. of Culinary Adventurism

Rats!Ever tried to do your best, but sometimes, your best sadly isn’t good enough? You know the feeling, right? That no matter how beneficial whatever you’re doing is, it seems there’s still a downside that somehow, well, steals your glory? Well, then you know just how the Chinese government must feel…

The massive Three Gorges Dam project in China is just one example of how something absolutely necessary to China’s growth still has a downside (I mean, other than flooding a humongous amount of land and drowning many cultural artifacts – but alas, you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs, you know). One particularly loathsome and unexpected result of the project, now that the water level is really rising, is there are about 2 zillion displaced rats, er, flooding the surrounding Central Chinese countryside. Ew, yuck!

But never say the Chinese people don’t know how to take advantage of an opportunity! Local folks have discovered there’s a market for rats – as entrees! Yep, seems the rest of China is putting the little darlings on their dinner plates in huge numbers. Geez, some folks will eat anything that doesn’t eat them first! (Oh, wait…)

Unclear on the Concept Dept.

Talk about being, er, unclear on the concept. A Largo, Florida man called 911 while being told by police to “move on” during a ruckus in a bar. I mean, here he is, surrounded by police, so he calls 911 for help because he’s… “surrounded by police”?

Hey, What’s That Brown Streak? Dept.

Old ManuscriptsI don’t know, this may more properly fall under the “things I really wish I didn’t know” department, but what the heck; we don’t make ‘em up here at the Zone, we just report ‘em…

Did you know that the development of Western literacy was helped along by the spread of, er, underwear? Seriously, folks; the proliferation of underpants (according to some) is what jump-started the book industry, since one of the prime ingredients in paper-making was… rags.

Yep, you read it right! Used underwear in the form of old rags were one of the materials used to make those very old books. So next time you bibliophiles think about purchasing that Middle Ages manuscript, you might want to think again about what it’s made from. Er, maybe that “old book smell” isn’t what you thought it was!

Dept. of Improbable Research

ReportAnd finally, from our friends at Improbable Research (yes, Virginia, there really IS such a place) comes a paper with really, really impressive authorship credentials (I mean, ya gotta see this!) titled, The Effects of Peanut Butter on the Rotation of the Earth.

I’d say the report speaks for itself. That’s it, and that’s all. So, enough said. The end. Finis- (sound of blunt object hitting back of head)

Dept. of Self-Promotion

Did you know there’s a new installment of OOB every month? Yep, sho‘nuff! So if you’re interested in even more of the strange, the unusual, and stuff that is just plain whackola, you might want to check out previous editions.

Hey, it’s easy! Just go to the categories list over there on the left and click on OOB (or, you know, click on OOB). In fact, I double-dog dare you! (But don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

(NEW FEATURE! If you have any great suggestions for future editions of OOB, by all means drop me a line at rhruzek@sbcglobal.net. If I use yours, I’ll mention your name and link back to you.)

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The Gift of Endurance

SleepyMy trip to Taiwan back in 1999 was definitely more than a fur piece away (a unit of measurement defined as 830 miles, or the distance across Texas): from Houston to Tokyo (13.5 hrs) to Taipei (8 hrs, including layover) to HsinChu (1.5 hrs). Overall, the whole trip lasted pretty much an entire day (plus another day crossing the International Date Line).

I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced really long-distance travel, but as far as I’m concerned… it’s of the devil! I mean, spending an entire day five miles above the ground, sitting in a long metal tube surrounded by hundreds of people all breathing the same endlessly recycled air, PLUS, going to the absolute other side of the world from my sweetheart – well, as much as I usually enjoy air travel, this definitely wasn’t fun!

Thankfully I was given a day to rest up before arriving for work at the client’s site (a semiconductor manufacturing facility). Otherwise, sitting at my desk I would probably have resembled the poor fellow in this photo. Man, was I beat! Unfortunately, that was only the warm-up.

Well, I figured my first day at work would be spent getting familiar with paperwork and meeting various project and client folks. Shouldn’t have to exercise the ol’ brain cells too much, I thought. Well, I was, as they say, “mostly right” (kinda in the same way Wesley, in the movie The Princess Bride, was “mostly dead”).

As luck would have it, along about mid-morning my manager invited me (actually, it was more like, “told me” – but friendlier) to accompany him to dinner that night with the project folks and one of the contractors. Apparently he was negotiating a discount on their services, and we had been invited to dinner to finalize the deal.

Now ordinarily, when anybody offers to buy me food they automatically go on my Christmas card list. Unfortunately, I was still suffering heavily from jet lag. However, to refuse (“face” is very important in Asian cultures) would have been unseemly, so I figured what the heck, surely I can manage. Besides, it would be my first taste of Taiwan, so to speak. So after work, I mustered what strength I had left and we headed on over to the restaurant.

Wow, talk about a bountiful meal! Piled on a huge round table at least 10 feet in diameter were a huge variety of seafood dishes (lobster, fish, shellfish, you name it… and as they say, much, much more), fried noodles, barrels of the inevitable white rice, olives, boiled peanuts and assorted vegetables, along with a few things about which I still have no clue. Then, of course, there where the five kinds of fried shrimp they brought out periodically during the meal (starting with the mildly-flavored ones and eventually working up to sign this disclaimer and call the fire department).

It was excellent for the most part, although I couldn’t eat the sign the waiver… (super spicy!) shrimp because, well, when it comes to spicy food, I’m something of a wuss. But to say there was plenty to eat is probably the understatement of the century.

Alas, by then I was suffering from serious jet lag, and it was taking a heroic effort just to remain in an upright position (I assumed it would reflect poorly on the negotiations if I fell face down into the rice.)

Of course, the evening wouldn’t have been quite so long… except for the toasts.

I quickly lost track of the never-ending of liters of beer and grape wine that was consumed (by everyone else, that is – I don’t drink alcohol). Plus the fact that periodically standing up and toasting each other is customary during a “business” meal. Naturally, any time a glass was emptied the waiters immediately darted in to refill ‘em, which of course started the cycle all over again… well, I think you get the picture.

Eventually the contractor got up and shook hands with our project manager and assistant project manager (my heart leaped, and I’m thinking it’s finally over and I can get some sleep!) Well, the handshaking went on for some time, accompanied by a short speech from the contractor, then – they all sat down, and it appeared to begin all over again! Augh! More toasts!

Suffice it to say, it was a long night. (Of course, if that could really “suffice it to say”, then you could stop here and move on. But alas, you’d miss, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story.) We started about 6 pm, and by 10 pm I was pretty much cratered (about now, I could actually hear my eyelids scraping every time I blinked) which is about when my manager had pity on me and told my driver to take me home. I have no idea how long the rest of them stayed, but I know it was pretty late.

You Have The Gift

All right, let’s try to draw a lesson here – but not get too deep, OK? It’s getting late, and I’m afraid writing about being sleepy is making me, uh, sleepy.

Anyway, in thinking about this story, one word managed to rise to the surface: endurance.

“What! Endurance?” I can hear you say, “Now how can this bozo equate a silly story like this to real endurance? There was no pain, no suffering, no anguish! What a crock!”

At which point let me just say, it’s OK; I understand. Just bear with me a minute more. I’m not putting this experience on a par with, say, being out of work for four years straight, or enduring constant belittling from playmates in grade school (both of which I’ve experienced, by the way).

No, all I’m saying is, it made me think of this.

During your lifetime, no doubt you’ve experienced and suffered episodes of life that were, um, not pleasant; perhaps even more than once. I’m talking about the times when you found yourself saying, “I don’t think I can make it.” Hey, we all do; if you’re human (and you are human, aren’t you?) you’ve been there. It’s hard, I know, and my heart goes out to you, really.

But I want you to realize something. The fact that those times are in the past, and that you’re still here… well, it leads to one inescapable conclusion: You’re stronger than you think!

And, on the off chance that you’re in the midst of one of those times right now, well, just think about one of those times that are past and over with. Hey - you made it! You survived to tell about it!

You… endured!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

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Fellowship of the Carpool, and Other Small Groups

Carpool(Note: This is an Unpaid Public Service Announcement. The FCC requires all US radio and TV stations to set aside so many minutes for unpaid announcements that benefit the public in some way – so why not blogs? This one is mine.)

This post was inspired by a disgusting conversation in my work carpool the other morning about someone (not one of us, mind you) who chews tobacco. Not that anyone in our carpool does (or wants to, thank goodness), but it prompted a discussion about this, that and the other, and before long we were discussing - well, read on…

Have you ever been in a carpool? I’m in one with three others (names have been changed to protect the guilty innocent: there’s Joe, Fred, Sherry, and what the heck, since everyone else gets a new name – call me Steve). Every work day, the four of us put our lives into each other’s hands, so to speak. It’s a sobering thought, isn’t it, to be responsible for not just your own life but others as well (I mean, besides the other 500 cars on the road with you).

Have you ever thought about what brings a random group like a carpool together? Hey, let’s face it – it isn’t common likes and dislikes (sound of buzzer), similar life goals (well – other than “get to work and back alive”), shared philosophies, interests, aspirations or even shoe sizes (unless, of course, you intended your carpool for only Hare Krishna stamp collectors who want to run for public office, who like Gilligan’s Island reruns and hate American Idol, and have size-13 feet).

No, the things that make them into a carpool are generally pretty narrowly defined, e.g. you live around this location, you work here, and your working hours are thus. That’s pretty much it. The fact is, most people are satisfied with that – but not us (and don’t worry, you’ll thank us for this later)! We believe there are a veritable host of other things that should probably be taken into consideration.

For example, the vehicle must be big enough to hold everyone. (No cramming four people into a Mazda Miata, you know.) But even more important, there’s the, um, er, personal habits to be considered. No detail is too unimportant; all should be taken into consideration when you form a carpool.

As we discussed the various issues and rules that might be useful in establishing a good, well balanced and successful carpool, Frank (or was that Eddy, or maybe it was Ron?) suggested what we were doing almost sounded like we were forming our own cult! Ironically enough it makes sense (ironic, as you know, is an ancient Inca term which means made entirely of iron); cults are, after all, pretty much “rules-driven” organizations.

However, since the word ‘cult’ may carry a rather negative connotation (and since Spielberg’s Ring movies were so popular), we’ll call it Fellowship of the Carpool instead. Anyway, as a public service, we decided to establish a set of rules that should be useful for anyone thinking of starting one up.

Of course, there’s the obvious ones:

  1. Vehicle – An adequate size for the number of riders (in spite of what you may have learned at Clown College, you can’t fit 35 people into a Volkswagen Beetle, not even the new improved Beetle). Also, it should be in reasonably reliable operating condition (an old Mercedes I saw in Venezuela comes to mind; literally every square inch was dented, the bumpers were barely hanging on with twine, and it continuously belched thick black smoke – but it ran!)
  2. Driver Ability – Possessing at least a fair driving record is a must. I don’t know about you, but I’d hate to get into a car driven by someone with 50 moving violations… and that’s just from last month! They should also not scare the bejeebers out of their riders (or anyone else) by tailgating at high speed, weaving in and out of traffic, cutting people off, or playfully clipping the fenders of cars who get too close.

All right, I think most of us can agree to those and similarly sensible rules. After all, they’re, ya’know, sensible. But what about rules regarding the carpool members?

You might want to seriously consider the following as well:

  1. Attitude – Cliquish, arrogant, rude and obnoxious folks are wasting their time trying to join; just go away, you big jerks; we don’t want your kind here!
  2. Talking – No excessively chatty riders, particularly during the morning ride when most riders (hopefully with the exception of the driver) are still trying to sleep. Also, all discussion should be limited to subjects which could not possibly cause hurt feelings. This eliminates religion, politics, marriage, radio stations, PC vs. Mac or other similarly explosive subjects; after all, fist fights over highly-divisive issues can become a bit… distracting to the driver. Especially when they start swinging. (It may be useful to come up with a list of approved discussion topics so no one is taken by surprise. And good luck with that.)
  3. Cell Phones – The use of a cell phone by the driver while they’re, y’know, driving is prohibited (actually, you may be surprised to know this is probably in your company’s policies – you should check it out). Otherwise (other than being the pox of modern-day life), cell phones are no big deal. Except, of course, for #1 and #2 above.
  4. Tobacco – Use of all tobacco products is a big fat no-no. In fact, not only are smokers prohibited, but anyone who sits near a smoker and picks up the second-hand smell on their clothes as well, along with those who chew, spit, or, er, otherwise use it in any form whatsoever (remember, here’s where this whole post started). Trust me, all non-smokers will thank you.
  5. Other Personal Habits – Gum chewing is acceptable, but loud popping of gum is not. Likewise, dramatic failures (or lack) of deodorant, irritating slurping of coffee, loud snoring (especially from the driver) and, um, other personal noises we won’t mention here (Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Gotcha! I was talking about stomach growling. What were you thinking about?) are considered sufficient grounds for banishment.

So, what do you think? What have I missed? Remember, we’re doing this as a Public Service, so if you’ve got a few suggestions, go ahead and submit them here!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

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My Home Town - a New Meme

Geese 2Yes, I know, I know; already written this week about life in Robinson, Illinois. That post was intended to help us realize just how interesting that place called where we are really is.

But you know how it is, right? Writing it got me to thinkin’ (that grinding noise you hear) about the many places I’ve been. Funny, isn’t it, how the very act of writing about something triggers even more stuff to write about. Wow, I can feel the ol’ gray cells firing away up there (oooh, lookit all the pretty lights).

Well, here’s something Mrs. MZM and I still wonder about to this day…

After we’d settled into small town life (a humongous change from our life in the bustling metropolis of Houston, Texas), we finally had the chance to explore the town and the surrounding area. It wouldn’t take long; after all, Robinson is only about a mile across in both directions, so there’s really not that much to it.

Well, let’s see… there’s a couple of schools, two main industries (the Marathon refinery and the Heath chocolate factory), a Farm King (great deals on work clothing, or if you happen to need a cattle chute), 7 eateries (see the link above), an abandoned movie theater in a somewhat lonely downtown, the usual town square… the ordinary elements of small town life. Although we found the inevitable mansions spotted here and there, the general population was mostly blue-collar working class folk.

And speaking of mansions, there were four (count ‘em – FOUR) Illinois State Lottery winners living there, too. Ordinarily I would have considered that fact to be amazing enough all by itself, but here’s the really odd part – two of them lived in Robinson before winning and stayed, while the other two winners moved there on purpose AFTER winning! Interesting, and possibly even strange, but true nonetheless.

Mrs. MZM and I spent plenty of time exploring the area within 100 miles of the place, and one of the things we noticed about the houses was that there seemed to be a preponderance of, well, lawn decorations. You know, the concrete figures you see in lawns everywhere, right? Deer, gnomes, bird baths – you name it, we probably saw it in somebody’s lawn. Of course, some lawns had more than others.

Then there was this one place that (I would swear it – except my momma taught me not to swear) had a statue of virtually every Disney character known to man. You think I’m kidding? Nope, they had the entire cartoon pantheon, from Mickey Mouse to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and then some (at least a hundred figures in all!) was represented, all in concrete and painted up beautifully. It was a sight to behold, I’ll tell ya!

Geese 1But by far the most common item were those concrete geese. And it wasn’t just the fact that (and I’m really not kidding here) about 25% of the population seemed to have a pair flanking their doorsteps. It’s the clothes they were dressed in that really caught the eye!

The photos you see here are from a small area fair we visited once, and allow me to assure you, this is merely the barest touch of the beginning of the start of the tip of the iceberg. There were clothes of every type imaginable, from Star Wars characters to super models. It was the most memorable thing, in my humble opinion, about life in Robinson.

So what’s that about? Whatever on Earth prompts people to do that?

Don’t you just love the diversities of lifestyle we enjoy? One of the most rewarding things Mrs. MZM and I have experienced in our travels are the “little” idiosyncrasies (and some ain’t so little, either!) such as these, literally everywhere we’ve been (and believe me, we’ve been a few places – see the About Yours Truly page up there). Every single place has its own personality, its own lifestyle; literally a flavor of its own. That’s what’s so fun about traveling around the country, and yes, around the world.

So here’s the thing…

Introducing a new meme: My Home Town

My Home TownI would LOVE to know about YOUR town! So… let’s throw this one out as a meme, shall we? Sortof whack it against the wall and see what sticks. I’ll start by tagging a few of my favorite folks (purposely choosing some from around the world), but if you aren’t tagged and feel like jumping in, by all means, go for it!

William Tully (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Robyn McMaster (East Koy Four Corners, New York, USA)
Joanna Young (Edinburg, Scotland)
markk (Melbourne, Australia)
Karin H (Kent, U.K.)

So here’s the question: What, in your opinion, is or are the most amazing, unusual, strange or just plain weird things about where you live?

Now, all you have to do is write a post answering the above question, then tag a few folks (choose your own number).

Don’t limit yourself to just one thing, either – in fact, the more, the merrier. PLEASE include photos as appropriate (to amaze us all, and, you know, prove you’re not kidding – we all know what a picture is worth, right?), but remember – the more memorable, the better!

NOTE: Just so you know, I have a personal interest in everyone’s answers (read on), so when you link back to the person who tagged you, please (make that, “Oh, please, please, please!”) also link to this post as well so I can read it, too.

My plan (he said gleefully, chuckling maniacally to himself) is to eventually collect them all into one grand post. So as I said, please (make that – well, see above) help me out. (Besides, not only will it make great reading, but you’ll get an extra trackback link as well.)

Also please note; this is not a contest or a competition (a sortof “My place is weirder than YOUR place” kind of thing, because that would be, uh, weird). No, it’s an opportunity to share, talk about, and yes, celebrate the grand diversity that makes up this wonderful ol’ world we live in.

OK folks, let’s see what’cha got!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

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The Age of Conversation - Just a Taste!

The Age of ConversationBy the way, if you’ve been wondering what the new book, The Age of Conversation is like, well, wonder no more! Fellow author Steve Woodruff has written a brief taste of every single author’s chapter. Sortof like a smorgasbord of ideas, if you will. (Yes, yours truly has a chapter as well. I can’t wait to receive my copy so I can find out where in the book they put it!)

If you’d like a sample of what it’s like, check out the links below:

A taste from A thru D

A taste from E thru J

A taste from K thru R

A taste from S thru Z

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

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Living in a Fish Bowl

FishbowlDo you ever feel like you’re living in a fish bowl? Maybe you should; it’s more appropriate than you might think.

I mentioned the other day about life in the very small Midwestern town of Robinson, Illinois. Well, one drawback to living in a very small town is there are usually somewhat, um, limited dining choices. (One of the other major drawbacks is that pretty much EVERYBODY in town knows who you are! But that’s, as they say, another post.)

In fact, back in 1990, there were a grand total of seven eating establishments in town, including the Elk’s Lodge (open to everyone on certain days of the week), the country club’s dining room (mostly popular on Sundays after church) and a Dairy Queen (open only in the summer, but hey, who needs ice cream during a Midwest winter, right?)

Needless to say, we on the project team (there were four of us from the Houston office at the site) had to get a bit, well, creative when it came to finding places to eat for lunch. After checking with the locals, we made a list of places within reasonable driving distance.

Of them all, the most memorable was called Earl’s Supper Club, a local beanery located north of Robinson on Hiway 1, in the even smaller town of West Union (and we thought Robinson was small!) Although a bit farther than usual (it was about 20 miles up the road), the food was definitely worth the trip. And talk about bargain prices! Man, you could eat like a king (which unfortunately, we did) for very little cash.

But there were a few, um, eccentricities about the place that made dining there a real adventure. For instance, they didn’t have printed menus because everybody already knew what they had to eat. And, like many similar joints, certain dishes were featured each day of the week. You know: ham steaks on Mondays, fried river catfish (an area specialty, fresh from the nearby Wabash River) on Tuesdays – that sort of thing. Nothing unusual – we just had to learn what to ask for. In any case, the food was fantastically good.

The really weird part was that, although you could order the very same meal every day, the price was never exactly the same. Plus, for some reason the prices always ended with a “5”. For instance, one day the Ham steak cost $4.85; the next time, it was $5.05, or $4.95, or $5.15… I mean, you never knew. Pretty funny; imagine getting market pricing on your lunch!

I’ll tell ya, though, the helping sizes were amazing! The above mentioned ham steak was literally as big as the plate (heck, it was sometimes bigger than the plate, and usually about a half-inch thick). An order of fried catfish brought a pile of delicious filets two inches high that covered the plate. Once, one of the guys made the mistake of ordering a hamburger steak (which is simply a big hamburger with no bun, topped with gravy), and the waitress (who, true to form, called everybody “Honey”) plopped down one as big as a pie! No kidding, it was made from one pound of hamburger!

Well, suffice it to say that the place soon became our favorite lunch stop. Alas, we had to limit ourselves to just once a week, though (for obvious reasons).

But the thing I remember most about Earl’s isn’t the food. And believe you me, that’s really saying something! No, it’s just that every single time we opened the door and went into the place, literally everything stopped for a few seconds while all the locals inside checked us out. It was like one of those old E.F. Hutton commercials where everyone stops to listen while some bozo says those fateful words, “… but E.F. Hutton says…”

Ever been to a place like that? Well, ironically enough, you have!

The thing is, we all live in something of a fish bowl. Whether we like it or not, we live our lives surrounded by lots of other folks, right? And, just to sweeten the pot a bit, everybody is watching what we do, how we act, and listening to what we say. In a few cases they may even be carefully examining our words for content and meaning.

And, although we may not get the same kind of pause that E.F. Hutton used to command at the mere mention of their name, we’re still getting the same level of scrutiny (or more!) just the same.

Something to think about, wouldn’t you say?

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

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The Long and the Short of It

Long and short

Do you think you’ve been shortchanged by life in some way?

During a rather lengthy period of unemployment awhile back, as a pick-me-up (and to try to get back in shape - a fruitless pursuit if there ever was one) I used to go to Memorial Park every morning to use the walking/jogging trail surrounding the park’s public golf course. It’s a beautiful wooded trail which sees quite a bit of use; on the average day it’s filled with fitness buffs, assorted beautiful people, and, er, me. (It’s particularly enjoyable during the three weeks of the year here in Houston when the weather is cooler. The rest of the year, it’s just plain HOT!)

While I have no idea what would be considered a good pace, I could consistently walk a twelve-and-a-half-minute mile, which translates to just under 40 minutes to walk the entire three-mile length.

One morning, as I was in the Zone (I’m referring to a different Zone; this was before I inadvertently blundered into the Middle Zone, never to return; what I mean is, walking provided a great time for introspection), a distant delicate tinkling sound, like a tiny little bell being constantly rung, began to impinge on my zoned-out consciousness (sound of distant tinkling bell). It was the kind of sound that’s difficult to tell where it was coming from; it was just… there.

Gradually, the sound got louder and louder, still sounding exactly like a small tinkling bell. It slowly got louder. I kept walking. It got even louder. Now I’m starting to wonder what the heck it was, but I didn’t want to break my pace to turn around and look. Louder. Ah, I knew what it was now – a set of tags from some jogger’s dog (a jogdog? Er, sorry.)

Well, whatever it was, it would pass me within a few minutes; by now I could hardly wait to see what the dog looked like. I pictured in my mind a German shepherd, or possibly a Beagle (both of which I’d seen before on other mornings). Finally, he pulled up beside me; not a big dog at all - it was a cute little toy dachshund! And not only that; he was probably the smallest one I’ve ever seen. I’d swear he couldn’t have been more than five inches tall at the shoulders.

It was all I could do not to bust out laughing. As he passed me (walking, not running) his little legs were churning away, moving so fast they were literally a blur. I couldn’t believe it – here I was with my human-sized legs (and walking at my best pace, too!), and this little guy with his tiny three-inch legs was outpacing me!

Sheesh! Talk about demoralizing. Here I was, giving it the best I had, and I was beaten into the dust by a little shrimp of a critter no bigger than a sneeze. It just wasn’t fair!

But as usual, I did learn something from the little guy.

Consider, if you will, the following questions.

Are there areas of your life where you consider yourself to have been short-changed? Is there some talent, skill, or whatever, you don’t think you have enough of, or think you’re just not as good at as someone else? Is there something you’ve been telling yourself that you don’t have as much of as the next person, and that’s why you, well, can’t?

Now, be honest; have you been using that as an excuse to under-achieve?

OK, now consider my little four-legged friend. By anyone’s measure, if you put the length of my legs alongside that little guy’s legs, it’s hard to imagine anybody coming to the conclusion that he could outwalk or outrun me.

But he did.

I guess somebody forgot to tell him about his limitations.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

4 responses so far

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