The Isle of Inisfree

Music always speaks to me, but this song in particular speaks to me tonight. I hope you like it.

The Isle of Inisfree (as sung by Órla from Celtic Woman)

I've met some folks who say that I'm a dreamer,

And I've no doubt there's truth in what they say,
But sure a body's bound to be a dreamer,
When all the things he loves are far away.
And precious things are dreams unto an exile.
They take him o'er the land across the sea --
Especially when it happens he's an exile,
From that dear lovely Isle of Inisfree.

And when the moonlight peeps across the rooftops,
Of this great city, wondrous though it be,
I scarcely feel its wonder or its laughter...
I'm once again back home in Inisfree.

I wander o'er green hills through dreamy valleys,
And find a peace no other land would know.
I hear the birds make music fit for angels,
And watch the rivers laughing as they flow.
And then into a humble shack I wander --
My dear old home -- and tenderly behold,
The folks I love around the turf fire, gathered.
On bended knees, their rosary is told.

But dreams don't last --
Though dreams are not forgotten --
And soon I'm back to stern reality.
But though they pave the footways here with gold dust,
I still would choose the Isle of Inisfree. 

Time that is left

Over the weekend, I was reminded of an experience that happened to a friend of mine. I will keep much of the details and the identity of the individual private, because this is not his website, but I want to talk about it because it was a big part of my life and learning.

Five years ago, my friend was in a serious car accident. He was in ICU for five weeks, as I remember it, and in various hospitals after that for almost five months. He and I were very close, and I was terrified about his condition. I was so scared for him that in the first week after the accident, I didn’t sleep for four nights in a row and I lost 15 lbs. I’m amazed I didn’t fail my classes. Every year I remember his accident both on its actual anniversary and on the day of the Super Bowl. His accident happened the night before Super Bowl Sunday, the same day I was in a regional honor band and orchestra performance. I’ll never forget when our two friends who were driving behind him came over to my house once he was in the hospital, both terribly shaken, one covered in our friend’s blood. The next morning I commandeered my mom’s cell phone for updates during the concert (I didn’t have a phone) and spent the rest of the day in the waiting room at the hospital with the Super Bowl airing on the TVs. The doctors and nurses almost wouldn’t let my friends and me see him because we weren’t family, but we finally were allowed in there two at a time. My heart dropped into my stomach upon seeing him comatose, all scratched up with tubes sticking out all over the place, including out of the top of his head. I spent so much time at the hospital with him over those months that I still shudder a bit at the memories any time I go into a hospital now. But the Lord wanted him to stick around, so my friend made it. It has been a long, painful process for him as he continues to progress. Not only did the accident change his life but it strongly affected mine as well.

This friend and I have drifted apart over the years, and although we don’t keep in close contact we are still good friends. I can still remember like it was yesterday how close we were and how scared I was that he wouldn’t make it. I do not have constant reminders of the accident like he does, yet I have learned from it all the same. I’ve learned to be grateful for my body, no matter how I may be displeased with it at times. I’ve learned to be grateful that the Lord knows what each of us can handle in our lives, and He will push us to that limit so that we can grow, but not over it because He wants us to succeed. My friend has always had a strong spirit, and his accident made him stronger. I’ve also learned that it is vitally important that we always make sure that those we love know that we love them. I know I need to work on that, but I never forget to tell friends and family that I love them when I know I won’t see them for a while.

My friend’s accident also taught me to appreciate the gifts that I have and the ability I have to use them. My friend is a wonderful musician, but now has great difficulty playing musical instruments. I am a gifted musician, yet I don’t play or sing much at all…mostly because I’m a busy graduate student, but that’s really no excuse. God gave me a gift, and I’ve been neglecting it lately. How can I, when I am able and my friend and others are not? It’s not right. I think the most important lesson I learned from my friend’s accident is that this mortal life really is fleeting. God has a plan for each and every one of us, and He wants us to fulfill that plan. We only have a few years to do so, and if we don’t stick to it we could lose our opportunity forever. There is no such guarantee as “I can always do it later,” because later may not come. Now really is all we have. What are we doing with the time that is given us? One of my favorite EFY songs asks this of us. I need to think long and carefully about my answer.

What will you do with the time that’s left?

Will you live it all with no regret?

Will they say that you loved ’til your final breath?

What will you do with the time?

Don't Stop Believin'

Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world

She took the midnight train goin' anywhere

Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit

He took the midnight train goin' anywhere...

Okay, I'm not going to quote the whole Journey song to you. Hopefully you recognized it from those lyrics, but if not go listen to it here. Or listen to it on your iPod; you've probably got it somewhere on there. This song is incredible. I probably sound like Mr. Schuester, but I don't care. Journey really came up with a powerful message, beautifully set to a simple yet interesting melody line with awesome, moving accompaniment. I think this song is really inspiring. Cheesy, I know. Whatever. It's a good song! It encourages you to get out there and go places, live life, and don't get discouraged when things don't happen the way you want them to. Life your life full of hope. Some will win, some will lose, but that's never the end; life goes on and on and on and on. We're all searching for happiness and love, and some find it, some don't. If you're one of the unlucky ones, keep on keepin' on, and don't stop believin'! Things will turn out. Even if you don't believe the words to the song, believe the music. Music has the power to speak to our hearts, and the music in this song does exactly that. Get out there, take a chance, live life a little bit. Maybe you'll score, maybe you'll strike out. But if you don't stop believin' and you keep the faith, things will work out. 

The Scarcity of Common Sense

The intelligence of humankind is rapidly declining.

I know I don't even have to explain that statement to those of you who still use your brains on at least a semi-regular basis. And I know that there are a million different things I could mean by this statement. While applicable in many contexts, I refer to common sense here.

You see, "common sense" is not common. This has been said over and over again, but it bears repeating. People really just don't think sometimes. You'd think it'd be "common sense" to not put your hand on a stove top burner in case it has recently been used, but I have witnessed multiple people making that mistake and getting their fingers burned. You'd think it'd be "common sense" to not put metal in a microwave--super high heat + metal, that's basic science from junior high or earlier, folks--but I have seen people do that as well, to pyrotechnic effect. You'd think it'd be "common sense" to not walk out onto a busy street where cars are whipping by, but people do that all the time. Sometimes they're lucky and they just get a horn honked at them (at which point they often have the nerve to look offended when they were the idiots in the first place), but other times they cause accidents and/or get hit.

I'm writing this today because I'm grading a bunch of papers for a professor. The assignment was to diagram a research article, which means to identify the research question, the theories used, the hypothesis, the method, etc. The students, all juniors and seniors in college, were allowed to choose which article they wanted to diagram. The assignment should be easy, and it was for many of them. But I noticed that a handful of students decided to diagram some article without identifying what article they chose. How on earth am I supposed to check their responses about the article without knowing what article to check them against? Do they expect the grader to take their word for it, that what they say is Article X's research question is in fact Article X's research question? Do they expect the grader to read every article they could have chosen and figure out which one they're talking about? Common sense, people. If the assignment says you get to choose, you have to identify what you chose. 

I don't want to sound like a jerk or like I think I know everything. I just want to know what happened to basic human intelligence. George Carlin once said, "Think about how stupid the average person is, and then realize that half of them are even stupider!" Funny. Sad. But all too true...which makes it even more depressing. 

For the record, if you are of that part of humanity who lacks common sense, and you do or do not know it, I will still love you. I will probably roll my eyes and throw up my hands in exasperation more than once when I'm around you...but I will still love you all the same, even when you don't take to my attempts to beat that common sense into your thick skull =)

The tongue is the only tool that gets sharper with use (Washington Irving)

Communication is a funny thing. Some people who don’t like conflict avoid communicating about problems. Some people talk all the time and others have no idea what they’re talking about (Mark Twain: "If you have nothing to say, say nothing."). Some people can only communicate in their own “language”, meaning they don’t know how to talk to other people in a way that they will understand. Some people beat around the bush and say all kinds of things before the person they’re talking finally figures out what person 1 is saying or trying to say. "The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred," said George Bernard Shaw. Relatively few people are effective communicators, at least where it’s important; these people know how to clearly state their thoughts and feelings, how to understand the other person’s thoughts and feelings, and how to make their conversation “go somewhere.”

I think that a large percentage of people or perhaps most people in this world have a basic understanding of how to effectively communicate. However, we don’t all know how to implement those ideas into our own relationships. Or maybe we do know how, but we don’t do it because it’s hard, it’s uncomfortable, or maybe it’s awkward. But communication is vital if we want to have strong relationships in our lives. Even with strangers or acquaintances, we want to communicate something to them. We want those relationships to mean something, even if they won’t last; that is why people in general try to get along with strangers.

Typically when writing a blogpost that you intend people to read, you communicate something. Now you know how I fail here, because since I don’t even know what I’m trying to say about communication, I can’t communicate my message on communication to you! (How’s that for confusing?) I’m mostly just musing. But, communication is something we should all work on. A lot of people feel uncomfortable around people who are very straightforward and blunt. I am usually grateful to those people because they are effective communicators. There is a point where being blunt can be construed as rudeness…and while sometimes that point of rudeness can and should be avoided, other times it is necessary to communicate a point. No, I’m not suggesting you go out and be a jerk and just tell everyone what horrible things you think of them. Just take it in stride, and know that sometimes telling someone something in tough love does more for them than sweet-talking them. Point being, communication is important and we should work on how we communicate. "Communication works for those who work at it," says John Powell. Why should we care? Because "the way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives" (Anthony Robbins).