I came in early this morning to get my ducks-in-a-row and try to get ahead of the game a bit. As we are already a third of the way through the semester this week, I am realizing how quickly some things are coming. It is a bit disconcerting at best, and down-right scary at worst . . . or maybe there is something even worse, but I do not want to know. Today we were supposed to get another 2-4, 3-5, 4-6 (you pick) inches of snow, but it ended up being a dusting. This place is not used to that amount of snow and I think people are pretty shellshocked. What I do know is the area retailers had (and have) no clue. Over the weekend, I went to get salt, ice melt, or some product that will help me manage the ice that has built up on my sidewalks. I know that there has been a run on such items, but there was none to be had. No big deal, but it is only the middle of February and there is a good 2 feet of snow on the ground. Both Lowe’s and Home Depot told me they do not plan to get anymore. Really?? So I resorted to ingenuity. I used a large container of Sea Salt from my kitchen and I seasoned my sidewalk. Holy Buckets! More importantly, it worked.
During the past few days as I have worked with my Foundations students on their memoir papers, either through conferences or by questions in class, and not surprisingly, much of their reflection on the world is related to technology. What I have realized as I look at effect of technology in a more analytic way, is that it has (or more accurately we have with it) created a world of paradox. I think I might have mentioned this in my last blog, but my memory fails me yet again. I am quite sure that if Lydia were here, we would be fighting over her medication soon. 😦 However, I digress . . . The point is to consider what I think about the phenomenon of paradox. I believe paradox, in theological terms, is quite an accurate systematic schema of who we are as human beings most of the time. I think we are most always struggling with those seeming opposite options or polarizing choices. All too often we are not sure why we are confronted with such a dilemma. Even as I write this, I try to imagine what it is that causes this seeming sense of struggle . . . maybe it is just me and my overactive synapses. I am reminded of a line in the movie On Golden Pond. It occurred when Norman was having a discussion about whether or not Bill and Chelsea could sleep together. At some point, Bill asks, what the bottom line is regarding the “illicit sex” question. Norman responds in his cantankerous way, “So you are a bottom line person?” What is the bottom line? I often approach things that way. I like knowing what I can expect. Even if I do not like the answer, I would much rather know than be surprised.
Well, today is a day of meetings and managing. I have a meeting with a local radio person at 1:00 and then we have a departmental meeting at 3:30. It will be an important meeting. In the meanwhile, I will keep working on things that need to be accomplished. I do have to go to my office at some point because I have left things there that I need to get home. I also want to get a couple more things off my plate. If I can get more things off my list versus things added to the list, it will be a successful day.
Thanks for reading, as always.
Dr. Martin (aka: Michael)
thewritingprofessor55 
Dr. Martin,
I am impressed by your improvisation about your snow predicament. I would have never thought to use sea salt, even though in theory it should work the same as snow salt. That is the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that I need to implement into my daily life. Sometimes I feel that I am too much by the book. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes me cookie cutter. In a world of competition, cookie cutter can only get you so far. It is important to be innovative and ground breaking. That is what I want to be, even if it starts by seasoning my own sidewalks one snowy day.
When times get busy and there seems to be an endless list of tasks on the agenda sometimes the only thing you can do is keep working. Even if you don’t get everything accomplished, as long as you have a net positive work day then I would agree that it has been a good day. It is all about small successes. It is not always possible to complete everything we have going on in just one sitting. I need to learn to break down my own lists into more manageable tasks to preserve my sanity.
Thank you for these lessons and your words,
Salvatore La Marca