Retreat

I’ve spent the better part of this weekend on a retreat sponsored by a Catholic church.  For some of you, this might seem predictable.  For others, this might be hard to believe.  It probably depends on when and where we’ve known each other.

I should start by saying that it was a fabulous experience, and I thank the parishioners of St. Aloysius in Bowling Green for making it all possible through their planning and volunteering.  My experience is entirely due to their service and sacrifice.

So, what’s blog worthy in this story.  “What happens on retreat stays on retreat,” so I can only ethically share self-perspectives (which seems fitting for a blog).

The biggest thing that stands out is that we reap what we sow, and that includes humor.  I was very appreciative of the letters I received from family and friends during the retreat, especially because they all were infused with humor.  I’ve been on many retreats in my life, and I was very pleased to spend more time laughing than crying on this one!

I can also say that I have renewed my spiritual focus, which remains untethered to any specific religious doctrine.  While this does leave me detached from the kind of community experienced by many Christians, it permits me to live every day knowing that I am not falsely impersonating a believer of religious “truths”.  For now, I am grateful for the values of love, respect, justice, and community instilled within me through family and Church; I am also happy to shamelessly hold my beliefs within those values, even those which conflict with the Church that helped raise me.

I realize this posting is very unspecific, but I think that’s how it must be for now.  I am happy to have experienced love this weekend, and I look forward to sharing that love forward.

Shalom (peace, prosperity, and harmony be with all of us).

Regrets?

I've heard it said (sorry, no specific references) that some people strive for "no regrets" in life.  I'm pretty sure I've said that at times, perhaps even in former blog posts.

To an extent, I embrace the philosophy.  If this means taking advantage of opportunities rather than letting them pass by, count me in.

However, there's another side to regrets.  I do regret things now, and I expect to regret things in the future.  Included in these regrets are opportunities presented simultaneously with other opportunities.  With every opportunity, there is an alternative.  With every choice is a cost.  If we are fortunate in life, we will sometimes encounter multiple amazing opportunities from which to choose.

Here, I am reminded of Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken. We all face a "fork in the road" at some point, and we choose a direction.  By the "no regrets" philosophy, I hope to look back on most of those choices and feel that they led to good--to amazing--places (figuratively and literally).  At the same time, I may look back at some of those choices and regret not having experienced the other opportunity.  That's not to say I made a mistake or even that I would do it differently if given the chance. It simply means I would like to have experienced the other as well.  There have certainly been times when I've encountered "a fork" and parted ways with other people with whom I would have enjoyed a continued journey.  Again, I may regret the departure from those persons, but that does not necessarily shroud the beauty of the chosen path.

Perhaps some regrets are treasures...reminders of amazing encounters.  In the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson from In Memoriam, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

I leave you with Frost's The Road Not Taken.


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Moving along

Sorry for the inactivity.  This has been a crazy...well, awkward...week.  Last Saturday, in the midst of continued "settling" activities, my lower back basically went out.  I spent much of Saturday literally crawling around my apartment and trying to get comfortable.  On Monday, I visited a doctor and was prescribed medications for a back strain.  Due to the medications, I am not permitted to drive and have spent much of the week in my apartment.

While this could have made for a good week of studying, I was largely preoccupied with my own physical condition (and I slept way more than usual).  Regardless, I have moved forward with preparations for my exam (Jan. 22-23) and feel confident that I will be ready come next Friday.

I also was suckered into a "red tag" promotion this week.  As such, I now have cable TV which means I'm paying for television for the first time ever.  Hmm...we'll see how long that lasts.

I guess that's all I have to share for now.  If I did have perspectives to share this week, they would probably regard the Tonight Show / Conan / Leno debacle.  For now, suffice it to say that I've developed a new respect for Conan O'Brien.

Finally, Go Cowboys!

A snowy start

I am officially moved and unemployed.  I have my new "Graduate" ID (to replace my former "Employee" ID) and I have no parking permit for the University.

Time to start over.

I finished turning in keys and getting donations to Goodwill just in time to see the heavy snowfall begin from the comfort of home.  Take a look

The first two offer the perspective of my actual home-office view:

This one gives a little better look at the snowfall:

And this is the snow leopard that is still waiting to get into my computer:

[For those of you unfamiliar, that is the image from Mac's new Mac OS X 10.6 operating system (Snow Leopard)]

I won't show any other pics from home at this time because there are--finally--boxes everywhere.

I'm not quite sure what happens today.  I feel like I could use another hour or two of sleep, but that can probably wait.  I know there will be soup at some point.  As much as I would like to relax on the couch in front of the fireplace with a book, I know that unpacking must be a priority in order to begin my studying this weekend as planned.

Sadly, I don't have much other perspective to share at this moment.  The snow is falling and I think it is beautiful, but I'm a little too tired for poetry.  I am excited for the opportunities ahead of this transition, but I am still sad knowing I abandoned my team who started "training" today.

Oh, and I can't quite decide what font size I prefer for this blog.

Top 5: Winter Moving

TOP 5 REASONS WHY WINTER MOVING IS BETTER THAN SUMMER MOVING IN OHIO

5. Working up a sweat makes negative wind chill bearable.
4. Frozen ground = solid footing.
3. Bloody knuckles from dry, cracked skin looks kind of tough--like a fighter.
2. Frozen ground = no muddy footprints.
1. No humidity!

Weird start to 2010

I'm excited and nervous about the start to this year. For the first three nights of this year, I've gone to bed after 4am. Granted, this is *partly* because of moving. However, the full reality is that I get to a certain point by about 2am, and then I get online. Oh boy...this could be a problem.

Prior to the move, I contemplated my ideal day. I determined that it would start by waking up between 10-11am with a very relaxed/non-rushed morning routine leading up to brunch. Daily errands would follow, and something called "work" would begin around 3-4pm. "Work" would end Midnight-1am, and I would be in bed around 2-3am. Even with that crazy of an ideal, I'm still staying up way too late. I hope I get into a better routine before studying starts next weekend.

A colleague/friend announced her wedding engagement via Facebook today. It's very exciting, but I wish I had not posted a comment because now my e-mail is getting hit with all other posted comments. This is a wedding engagement, so there will be many comments. Oh well, what a neat use of social networking technology!

I think I would be writing poetry this weekend if it weren't for the moving. I played Guitar Hero 5 with friends last night, and I created my own rock star avatar. I made myself pale blue (and female...hmm), and that sparked some poetic inclinations after 2 beers. Perhaps the poetic inclinations sparked the blue avatar...or perhaps the movie AVATAR sparked both.

My entertainment center is completed tonight, including the first full installation of my wireless (well, sort of wireless) surround sound speaker system. There are still wires, but not running across the room from front to back. The CD line on my receiver is dedicated to an iPod dock, and my CD changer remains packed in it's box. The CDs will remain packed as well, and my CD racks will likely be converted to curio shelving. I have plenty of curio!

5am is quickly approaching, so I really should go to bed. To those with whom I interacted in the past day, I am very thankful for the interactions! To you with whom I did not interact, I hope fate allows us opportunities in the future.

Cheers!

New Start: 2010

As usual, this will be a mediocre "hello" to start my new blog. For any of you who followed me on MySpace, welcome! To new readers, I hope you enjoy.

Today is January 2, 2010 (for me, it is actually the close of Jan. 1--time for bed to be sure). I am in the midst of moving; my 3rd move 2.5 years, and my 7th new home since graduating from college in 1995. This move is necessitated because I recently resigned my job as a residence hall director, so I'm moving into my own apartment. As of January 7, I will be voluntarily unemployed, and I will be a full-time doctoral student as of January 11.

If you are a new reader to my blogging, be advised that this posting is *not* typical. Not that I have a typical post, but I generally don't post a diary. I tend more toward observations, perspectives, and occasional poetry. If you'd like to read my poetry, visit my wiki page.

That's all for now. Happy New Year!

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Dave Wagner's Blog: My Thoughts on Your Screen by David N. Wagner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.