The Monkey

Antipolo, Philippines, c. 1984

The monkey was eating sticks. They didn't look very delicious to me, but hey, if that's what floats the monkey's boat, I say go for it! I'm sure it's a great source of fiber.* The monkey seemed to be enjoying them, in any case. As we watched from the nearby swing, I noticed there weren't a lot of sticks within its reach, and my heart went out to my fellow primate. I wanted to help out, to make sure it was well cared for. But there was an issue. A sign nearby warned us to stay away. I was in a bit of a quandary, as I was a bit wary due to the sign, but also didn't want to risk tossing the stick and potentially hitting the beautiful creature and hurting it.

Public domain picture from pdpics.com

Our mission organization was having a retreat, and while the adults were in meetings, we kids were on the playground. They had a bench swing with two benches facing each other, which is where we were seated. The monkey was a few feet away, tied up so it couldn't get far. The leash was attached to a pole at a diagonal between a tree and the ground, to allow the monkey more range of motion.

I continued to ponder how best to help out, and I finally decided it would be kinder to hand the stick to the monkey rather than risk hurting it.** I picked up my stick and carefully moved closer, gingerly extending my stick to the monkey, in what I hoped was a friendly manner.

Then it happened.

The monkey ignored the stick. My face was what really interested it. For a few moments I was paralyzed in shock as the wild beast clawed, scratched, mauled my face! 

I don't know how long my shock lasted - probably only a few seconds, though it seemed longer - but as soon as it wore off, I backed up and got away as quickly as I could! I ran across the playground, up the stairs, across the courtyard, and into the lobby of the resort, screaming for my parents. I am told it looked like I had been in a battle.

Thereafter, every time we returned to that resort, the mortified owners apologized yet again, and reminded me again that they had gotten rid of the monkey. I don't know where it went, but it wasn't worth having a pet if it would hurt their valued guests.

So if you ever go to that resort, enjoy their amazing mango slushes. The cashew tree out front is great. The stream out back is beautiful and offers some great opportunities for finding guppies and other small wildlife. They have an awesome pool, where our church did baptisms. They have a sweet playground. The owners are super friendly. But if you ever stop and wonder, "Why don't they have a monkey?" ...

It was me. I'm the reason they no longer have a monkey. It was an attempt at kindness that went very wrong.

Thankfully, I still like monkeys. But I have learned to have a healthy respect for wildlife. I also learned that it's important to heed warning signs. On the plus side, it makes icebreaker games fun.

* Note: As I was 6 at the time, I'm quite certain I was not thinking about the nutritional benefits of sticks.
** In retrospect, a small stick thrown from a few feet away probably wouldn't have hurt it. 

Discombobulated

October 28, 1999, I was in college and had a shocking epiphany that I couldn't think of a single poem that used the word discombobulated. It had such poetic possibility! This could not stand! I hastened to fix that problem, and the following story of an abduction by Vikings (and other randomness) unfolded. I set the poem to a techno tune. (Note: I am proud of my Scandinavian heritage. That said, I was going more for rhymes than historical accuracy. Also of note, the first four stanzas have nothing to do with the rest of the poem, except that they rhyme.)

Ein Wikingerüberfall (A Viking Raid)
Ferdinand Leeke, 1901

Discombobulated

Uncoordinated
Unsophisticated
Discombobulated!

On the road I skated
And I rollerbladed
Discombobulated
A racket I created!

To the mob I stated
My speech right now is slated
Discombobulated
Unsophisticated

I stated and restated
Jack Sprat is underweighted
His wife is overweighted
Discombobulated!

The two were unrelated
Until the day they were mated
Her hair he daily braided
And they were both elated

Until the Vikings raided
Their house they had invaded
Their ego was deflated
And those men they hated

Their home was desecrated
Discombobulated
Their glory, it soon faded
They became outdated

Their language he translated
The verbs he conjugated
To Norway they were crated
They were unsedated

To a land they were freighted
On a great ship, gold-plated
Their happiness negated
The Vikings they berated

Their birthday cards belated
Their arrival long-awaited
Their fury unabated
The Vikings soon were jaded

Against their will they aided
And, boy, had they debated
Bibliography annotated
To them clearly dictated

Discombobulated
Their sla-ve-ry was fated
In the ground they spaded
While the Vikings recreated

They left so much unstated
The snow was underrated
And their teeth they grated
Their eyes were soon dilated

Escaped! They soon vacated
Their home was reinstated
Architecture they updated
Gothic they predated

This song is overrated
People interrelated
Discombobulated,
This song is terminated!

Five Years

This past Wednesday I posted about doing a word of the year rather than New Years resolutions. My words for 2023 are Beginnings and Sunrise. This was my word for 2018:

I posted that picture 5 years ago when my job, originally slated to last 3-4 weeks, changed from contract to permanent. The contract position began in April of 2017, and my first day of being an official employee of Wireless Advocates was January 8, 2018. It was an incredible experience, and there were tears of joy. One thing that meant a lot to me was when my manager informed me that it was a "no brainer" to convert me from contract to permanent. As a contractor, I set records in order processing, both personal and in our department. I continued that in my new permanent role.

The past five years have been amazing and challenging. I could not have asked for a more incredible, cohesive team, and my manager has led it masterfully. We are like family. I have grown professionally and as a person, and have shrunk in weight. (😀) I sometimes felt my manager believed in me more than I believed in myself, and she has never failed to be a massive encouragement any time I was second guessing myself (and other times). This job has taught me so much. We have been through a lot as a team. I found out I have ADHD, which was a big help in understanding and working with challenges that I've faced over the years. A coworker lost his mother to cancer. My manager has lost several relatives, and gained a grandson and a little sister. I have learned that our nation hasn't come anywhere near as far as I previously thought in ending racism, considering the horrifying discrimination and loss my manager and other coworkers have faced. I lost my dad shortly after my manager lost hers. My car was totaled in an accident. I love that I've been here long enough to be amazed how fast my manager's children are growing, and to cheer them on as well. I got to hang out with coworkers after work. The job has been challenging and incredibly rewarding. The tough times and the good times have brought us closer. One time, the TARDIS even landed on the roof of our building! (Well, technically, it was an Instagram filter, but close enough.) 😀

Working with managers and salespeople around the country, I have learned from more than just our immediate team. We supported them, and it was awesome talking to some of them when they visited our national headquarters. Over the past month, one former District Manager in particular has been an incredible encouragement and cheerleader to everyone in the company on LinkedIn, posting inspirational messages daily.

When COVID hit, we transitioned to working from home, and the transition was surprisingly smooth. Our management and team have met virtually on a regular basis, and we have remained as cohesive as ever. We have even to been able to meet in person on occasion. As difficult as COVID has been, I have been thankful to be working from home now, as my parents have been needing more assistance, and I've been more available for them, while still being able to do my job and even work overtime.

The news last month that our company is no more was difficult for everyone. It was tough enough for us at national headquarters, and we got 2 months notice. I feel for my colleagues around the country who had no warning, and kiosks closed suddenly. That has happened to me once before, and it was not fun. However, on the flip side, it has been exciting watching on LinkedIn and other social media as managers and associates around the country have rallied around each other, encouraging each other, supporting each other. I'm so glad to see when colleagues have posted that they are starting new jobs.

With just under a month to go for those of us at national headquarters, our job searches are continuing apace. I'm excited to see where everyone will end up.

I have been with Wireless Advocates officially for five years now (about 5¾ if you count my time as a contractor). I'm thankful that I was able to make it to 5 years, and I wouldn't trade this time for anything. I'm looking forward to the next phase.

Following are some of the most amazing people I've ever had the honor of working with:

My amazing manager with her
well-deserved Employee of the Year
Award in 2018

Possibly one of my favorite pictures
that I've ever taken!

The Cactus

I wrote the following poem April 8, 2002 following a difficult event. (Interestingly, I don't even recall what event that was, but my younger self tells me it was seriously trying.) Working through the pain, I realized that holding onto it was just about as absurd as trying to hug a cactus. It would only hurt me further. I also thought of 1 Peter 5:6-7. I've often seen both these verses quoted in different contexts, but rarely together: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

I also blogged about 1 Peter 5:7 a few years ago, here. It's one of my favorite verses. The lesson was further reinforced later that year, as I blogged here.

What cactus are you trying to hug? Let it go!

Photo by Cara Tracy
Used with permission

I clung to a cactus

Embraced it in my arms
And the pain ripped through my aching body!

The spines pricked my skin
The pain grew intense;
But the worse the pain, the tighter I clung!

I cried out in agony
I complained and bemoaned the pain
As I fought against the cactus
And I clung
Still tighter

Until God said,
"My child,
Give Me the cactus.
Let go of the cactus
And let Me take your pain."

And I

          let

                    go

And let God take the cactus
He took away the pain
He healed my biting wounds
And in their place, He gave me peace
And joy
My trust in Him grew stronger
All I had to do was let go of my pride
Let go of my pain
And rest in the arms of my loving heavenly Father.

The First Noel

January 6 has been a fairly eventful day throughout history. In his novel Notre-Dame de Paris (translated into English as The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Victor Hugo tells of the Feast of Fools on that day, when the people of Paris have a competition to see who can wear the ugliest mask. Quasimodo wins without even trying, and is crowned the Pope of Fools. In 1540, Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves (a marriage that would end in divorce). In 1759, George Washington married his wife Martha. In 1994, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked. It is the birthday of Joan of Arc (1412-1431), John DeLorean (1925-2005, whose car company would have an important part in Back to the Future), EL Doctorow (1931-2015, whose book Ragtime would inspire a movie and a musical), Justin Welby (born 1956, current Archbishop of Canterbury), Eddie Redmayne (born 1982, British actor who played Marius Pontmercy in Les Misérables, Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts movies, and Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, among others), and many others. Just two years ago, our former president provoked a terrorist attack on our Capitol in an effort to get the will of the people overturned. Several cultures celebrate Christmas Eve. 

In the Christian calendar, January 6 is Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day. It closes out the Christmas season. Depending on the tradition, it's either the day or the day after the author of The Twelve Days of Christmas received twelve drummers drumming and a whole host of other gifts from their true love. It commemorates the Wise Men (a.k.a. We Three Kings) visiting Jesus and bringing their gifts. When considering what song to write about today, my first thought was "We Three Kings," but I already did that one (see the link earlier in this paragraph). "The First Noel" also mentions the magi.

The Magi Journeying
James Tissot, c. 1890
Brooklyn Museum

One thing that strikes me about the Christmas story is how God chose the most unlikely of people to receive the announcement of the birth of the Messiah. Shepherds were the lowest of the low in their culture. They were often outcasts. The Magi were foreigners, and they were likely astrologers. Aside from the magi who came from the east to visit Jesus, the only other mention of that word in the New Testament is in Acts 8, when Peter and John encountered Simon the Sorcerer. The word translated "sorcerer" is the same word, a magus (the singular of magi). They were star gazers and advisers to kings, often followers of Zoroastrianism. It just said the magi came from the east, but doesn't specify where. Traditionally, they came from Arabia, Persia and India, respectively. Wikipedia has some interesting details on what scholars believe about their possible origins and further details. The number of magi is unknown, traditionally told as three because they brought three gifts.

The first two verses of "The First Noel" concern the shepherds. The angel announced the awesome news, and the star led them to the stable. Verses 3-5 tell about the wise men, or magi. They followed the star to search for the new King. It led them northwest, until it stopped over Bethlehem. They entered the house and presented their gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense. (My "We Three Kings" post details the significance of those gifts.) Verse 6 is our response. We "sing praises to our heavenly Lord, that hath made heaven and earth of nought, and with His blood mankind hath bought." There have also been other verses over the years, but that's the version we currently sing.

When did the magi visit? The past few years I have thought it was two years later. When they arrived, the Bible says they visited the house, not the stable. Herod ordered children two years and younger killed after the magi visited, which is when Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt. However, my friend Mikel Del Rosario (also known as The Apologetics Guy) recently pointed out that the stable was likely in Joseph's ancestral home. It could have been as early as 40 days after the birth. People generally think of it being 2 years later because of Herod's order, but he could have just been covering his bases. We don't know precisely when they visited.

The song originated in Cornwall, England, during the 13th or 14th Centuries. It may have originated as a miracle play, ancient plays portraying biblical stories and accompanied by song. The Cornish gathered in the streets to sing it. More details on that here.

Swim with the Salmon

I wrote the following poem August 7, 2002, after visiting the fish ladder at Seattle's Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Watching through the glass as the salmon swam against the intense pressure of the water got me thinking about the similarities of salmon fighting the water pressure and us fighting temptation.

Salmon at Willamette Falls, OR
Source: NOAA Photo Library, 1950

The current rages on
Downstream with awesome force
While the salmon swim along
Upstream to spawning grounds
Against the raging current

We've got to swim with the salmon
Go against the flow
Jump up all the ladders
Go up the waterfalls

The current rages on
Down the rivers of this world
The temptation is so strong
To conform to the ways of the world
And just to go with the flow

We're called to swim with the salmon
Against the raging current
Following the Lord
Not conforming to the world

2023 - Beginnings: Fountains and Sunrises

Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.
The wild animals honor me,
    the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
    the people I formed for myself
    that they may proclaim my praise.

Isaiah 43:18-21

The lookout from the Wild Horse Monument,
overlooking the Columbia River and Vantage, WA

I was originally planning on going with a sunrise theme here, but the above verse has been on my mind, and it uses a different metaphor. Both work. Tomorrow will be one month since we got the life-changing news that Wireless Advocates is no more. I wrote about it at that time here. Next week will be 5 years since I was hired permanent. Our colleagues around the country suddenly lost their jobs, and those of us at the national headquarters continue to work on wrapping things up with the business before our jobs end next month.

This has been an interesting month. Between tasks related to closing the business, we have been working on job search, updating our resumes, updating LinkedIn, and more. I have been deeply impressed how some of the most helpful people on our team have been managers around the country who lost their job last month, but are rallying around the 1800+ employees who have lost, or will soon lose, their jobs, keeping us encouraged, motivated, positive, and even excited about new possibilities. As difficult as this period of loss has been, it has been a beautiful thing to watch. Our team at national headquarters is closer than ever, as we are all in the same boat.

Skykomish River
near Gold Bar, WA

I have mentioned my awesome friends Kim and Jason Kotecki in previous blogs. One thing they have encouraged in their motivational movement Escape Adulthood is a change from the traditional idea of New Years Resolutions. People often resolve to lose weight, get organized, any number of things. They might buy a gym membership, go once or twice, and give up. I actually cancelled my gym membership last month because I almost never went, and it ended up being a monthly bill I got nothing for. That is not to say I'm not working on losing weight; I have been working on it since 2020, and have lost just over 100 pounds since then. I still have a ways to go, but I'm more than halfway there! (I recommend Noom if that's an issue for you. You can tell them I sent you.)

Instead of resolutions we may or may not keep, Kim and Jason recommend coming up with a word for the year. The first year I did it, my word was Ooze. First of all, I love that word. It's fun to say. People generally think of oozing goo, but you can also ooze joy, ooze love, ooze any number of things. It doesn't have to be gooey or mushy. In 2020, my word was Vision. (Get it? 2020 Vision?) I don't do a word every year (I didn't have one last year), but in light of recent events, I have decided to go with "Beginnings" or "Sunrise" for this year. In the above verses, I normally only hear verse 19 (the part about doing a new thing). But just now looking at the passage, the verses around it are also important. Though we should learn from the past, it is in the past and there's nothing we can do about it...so it isn't a good idea to dwell on it. Jackals and owls are generally nocturnal, and jackals in particular are known for scavenging. Anubis, an ancient Egyptian god of the dead, was represented as a jackal. In CS Lewis' The Horse and His Boy, the graveyard outside Tashbaan has jackals prowling nearby. At one point Aslan protects Shasta from them (though at the time Shasta doesn't know the identity of the cat protecting him). In the sequel The Silver Chair (which has a fleeting reference to The Horse and His Boy), Jill and Eustace are helped by owls, but they are most helpful at night. In the Harry Potter books, owls deliver mail. I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with that, but those are my thoughts on jackals and owls.

In any case, even in the most desolate of deserts and circumstances, God provides water and other things needed, both to humans and to wild animals. Just as a spring of water bubbles and froths excitedly, we can look to the future with joy and eager anticipation, even if everything around us looks grim and hopeless. Sometimes it seems counterintuitive, but an optimistic outlook can work wonders.

Clark Fork River
near Superior, MT

With my goal of Beginnings this year, I am looking forward to seeing what wondrous thing God has for me. I started this blog in 2010, but have been fairly irregular in posting. The past couple weeks, starting with my reblogs of my All Things Broadway posts, I have been working on posting daily. I am hoping to keep that up and develop this into a more regular blog. I don't know exactly what direction that will take, but we will see. I am also exploring my options on the employment front. I'm excited to see what amazing new possibilities are bubbling "just around the riverbend," to quote Pocahontas. 

As my friends Kim and Jason like to say, "Now that this has happened, what does it make possible?" At the risk of mixing metaphors, what joyful spring of water will be bubbling and frothing as the sun rises on my next chapter? Is there an awesome proverbial geyser in my future? I can't wait to find out!

Here's to new beginnings joyfully springing up as a beautiful sunrise dawns over the horizon!

Sunrise over Lake Michigan
Sheboygan, WI

Sunrise over Lake Michigan
(and a raccoon if you look closely)
Sheboygan, WI