Discipline

Mulligan, Day 1 Do Over - Discipline, too easily conceived, rapidly turns into unfulfilled dreams. Friday the goal to write for 350 consecutive days fizzled to a wisp of smoke like a fuse on a dud of a firecracker. The jam packed day full of wants and needs pushed out time for writing. Now I'm left with a hollow feeling in my gut carved with the knife of a broken promise to myself.

But today is a new day for crawling back on the bike. Last Wednesday I avoided a small fall by planting my left foot firmly on the ground as my front tire squeezed into a crack on the bike trail in Renton. The near miss did not keep me from clipping in and riding on. So too, I'll move forward and write a little every day. I have to write to keep ideas moving from mind through pen to page. A part of last week's failure melts with each stroke of the pen. Word by word I regain the commitment to myself.

Main Street

Day 2 –

Main Street Bellevue, bathed in record heat, registered eighty-eight for a high today. Main Street Yabus, in the Sudan, Africa scorched by the sun day in and day out, is paved with dust. City people speed along crowded streets in air-conditioned comfort. The Sudanese walk from place to place barefoot. Too often in the U.S. when someone cuts another off, the first honks, shouts profanity or waves the finger. In Africa people have time to stop to shake your hand in a friendly greeting.

A few weeks ago I noticed a t-shirt with these words on the front, “I need Africa more than Africa needs me.” This is truth for me because during my short three weeks in that developing country I discovered people of extreme joy living in the harshest conditions. It is a struggle just to make shelter and find safe water to drink and food to eat. Yet, after fifty years of civil war, the country weakened by conflict hobbles toward unity and peace. The people have a great hope for a whole country. I learned much from Africa and still have much more to learn about joy, hope and peace.

365 Days of Writing for 31 Minutes

Day 1 – June 3, 2009

My mind and my feet spun along easily and automatically. The zone I was in surrounded me completely. I sensed time only in the periphery of movement and ideas. Ideas floated into thought like bubbles surfacing in seltzer. Two prevailed on the surface of my memory throughout the two-hour ride. The one demanded discipline and commitment. Would it last?

Yesterday a friend emailed a short article to me about committing a short time each day to work on a big project. I’ve had a long-term goal to do some writing, but not being a writer, I seem to put of “official” writing into some future time. The article quoted T.S. Elliot, “When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its upmost–-and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom the work is likely to sprawl.”

So, I’m setting a goal, a commitment to write for 31 minutes every day for one year, 365 days! I hope the discipline improves my writing and my life. I chose 31 minutes because it is small and arbitrary, just like the article suggests.

Presentation Zen

I broke the rules for making a good presentation last Sunday. I had way too many slides, although they were all pictures, and I tried to communicate too much information about my recent trip to Africa. Presentation Zen principles of restraint, simplicity and naturalness did not move people to the front of their chairs. No one leaned into my presentation. I want to do better next time. I need to remind myself of the principles for making powerful presentations: restraint, simplicity, and naturalness. In Brain Rules for Presenters Garr Reynolds combines John Medina's Brain Rules with a lively frog to present the key concepts. Death by Powerpoint is just like it sounds. A slow, boring death by slide after slide of a bunch of bulleted lists is avoidable with proper design and delivery. Finally, a short powerful example of the key ideas for making a memorable presentation.

Some Interesting But Radical Ideas

Since I've been back there's been little opportunity to fully incorporate a time for reflection back into my schedule. However, over the last few days, I've found some interesting resources covering a broad base of topics around the theme of reform. I simply offer them here with limited comment.

Parker Palmer was recently interviewed by Bill Moyer. Click Here to hear him talk about American illusions and injustices.

Thomas Frey's (Executive Director and Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute - Website) article on the Future of Education. Click Here to learn about his view on the change that will begin within two years toward an education system unleashed by the advent of a standardized rapid courseware-builder and a single point global distribution system. In the article he explains eight trends that are driving changes in education. This is not a modest proposal.

Finally, an interesting article from the Christian Science Monitor on the impending demise of evangelical Christianity. Click Here to read Michael Spencer's article (Michael started Internet Monk right after the November 2000 elections. Internet Monk is consistently rated in the top twenty Christian blogs in the world. It was recently voted the number 12 blog read by Christian leaders.)

Back to the Routine

I have been back from Africa for one week. As hot as I was in the Sudan, now I'm freezing in Bellevue. Wind, rain, hail and snow have become a part of the routine. I'm pleased to report I picked up the "Red Rocket" last Friday. When I took it in for routine maintenance just before leaving for Africa, the mechanics noticed a crack in the frame near the seat post. The timing was perfect since the fix required melting the seat post out of the frame, repairing the tubing, and repainting the entire frame. Now I have a new bike. I'm excited to get out to ride, but the weather is not cooperating at all. For now it is indoor spinning for me.

Please check back here for regular updates on what I'm learning. I've also included blogs from past adventures as well as from Stephen, a missionary from Nigeria, whom I met in Yabus.

Check Out the Africa Blog

For the months of February and March I'm switching over to a blog about my trip to Africa. I'm leaving February 12th and will return March 9th. Please check it out at timkrellafrica.blogspot.com.