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Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Comfort and Peace

The world, our world is filled with so much hurt right now.  Friends have lost dear ones, strangers that share my shoes have had their worlds turned upside down and inside out...there is no sense.  This last day of February I wanted to share something to help comfort.  I wanted to offer a prayer for peace.  Instead I was drawn to the piece of art that hangs in our kitchen, a gift from a dear friend.  "Throw Kindness Around like Confetti."  This aligns with the Granville Leithauser mantra- be kind.

This cool piece with a dictionary page as a background takes the key word of kindness to a new place.  Confetti represent fun and frivolous activity..to me it represents joy.  In this time of blah and sadness we must remember and find the joy too.  Friends that are grieving have shared the joy their loved ones provided and I'm grateful.  The world needs kindness everywhere and we need to spread it.  So in my life on Newark-Granville Road know that I'm thinking of you.  If you want to talk, get tea, chat on the phone, text back and forth, even FB message with me- I'm here.  I'm thinking of you and your loss, your disappointment, your blah, your hurt. I'm praying, I'm thinking and I'm sharing what I hope will help.  I'm thinking of actions I can take and work I can do. My prayer today, may our lives on an off NG Road feel the energy of that kindness confetti.

from Kussmaul Gallery

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Happy Birthday Joe, Love Susan

Since I posted about the need to JIT facebook post, I thought I should share the real 2018 birthday picture....
Life on Newark-Granville Road kept the 50th birthday celebration simple. Dinner was steak au poivre with smashed potatoes, Brussels spouts, lucky cat bread and angel food cake for dessert with Whit's custard.  We ate early- before Sally's lacrosse practice and had cake after.   Joe enjoyed a trip to Los Vegas with friends- an often annual event.  He opened some simple gifts and cards and he appreciated the text, calls and messages.

Oh how I love this wonderful man, husband, father, friend, lover, partner, roommate...I could go on and on but won't.  Life on Newark-Granville Road loved celebrating this special man on his special birthday.


Anniversary love- earlier in the week we celebrated 19 years of marriage- woo hoo! Again lucky me! Look at these beautiful flowers he sends every year- lucky me!  I carried open white roses down the aisle at the Mercersburg Academy Chapel and every year I receive a bouquet of the same flowers.  I love and appreciate you Joe.  Life on Newark-Granville Road loves the love we celebrate in February.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Perfect Station for Granville or From Granville

Quick post today- don't forget to tune into WDUB- http://www.doobieradio.com  Lucky for me Joe drove my car and when I turned it on today- the doobie was playing. And it was just the music I wanted to hear and interesting music Joe and I were just discussing- The Replacements. When I left work a whole different sound- one that Clare loads for pump up music- that made me smile.  Granville, Oh- 91.1 share the music from my life on Newark-Granville Road!

Denison alumni, parents- those far away- you too can tune in- follow the link and click- listen!  I'm doing that right now as I type this post.  Check out the schedule- I'm happy to see one of our era's legacies hosting the airwaves!!   This reminds me I need to tune into a friend's show at another great small liberal arts school!

And if you want to see the music, or where the music is played-visit Slayter Union, 1st floor- the WDUB studio is there and you can see where the magic happens/ or behind the curtin and get a meal or coffee!

Life on Newark-Granville Road- better with music.  Best when music and Denison are united.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Facebook Lesson- JIT

JIT (just in time) methodology, inventory control, manufacturing was king when I worked in the automotive manufacturing and distribution industry for ten years.  It made sense then for the work and is something I've carried to my life beyond work.  I'm not a Sam's Club/ Costco shopper- for the most part due to space.  I didn't have a pantry until two years ago.  The logic for those that don't know- the product might be less expensive in bulk, but storing it has a cost that may not make the original product cost worthwhile.  For things that expire, if you buy too much, it might go bad before use and creating waste costs.  Buy what you need for when you need it.  Like all things you need to strike a balance- some things work to have a in the future supply- like funds- or TP.  So what is the point of the blog and JIT today you may ask....

Leason about Facebook.  Last night I changed my profile pic and background header pictures- I should of waited. In my life on Newark-Granville Road Love is in the air.  This month has happy love filled events- my sister's birthday, actual Valentines Day!  Joe's birthday is the end of the month and our wedding anniversary is Feb 20th.  So last night I changed the pictures and pulled pictures that showcase these events.  I've confused the Facebook friend world- they all wished Joe happy birthday.  The picture I selected was from a past birthday dinner, it shows him with a well lit cake.  I like this pic as it represents our life on NG Road- family time around the table, celebrating birthdays together- it repped the month. I didn't realize I was suppose to do JIT Facetime.  I thought that was snapchat....which I just can't do.    Now if I could JIT my closet and clothes.....


Saturday, February 3, 2018

Pick up a Book AND Look out the Window

Pick up a Book and Look out Window.
I have had great opportunity to read while traveling west this week. My take away from one book, liturgy of the ordinary by Harrison Warren was to look out the window.  It can be perceived as boring and mundane. We’re reading the book in Sunday School and I am loving it. I love the lessons the author delivers by finding sacred practices in everyday life (subtitle of book).  My reward for putting down the game/book/to-do-  amazing landscapes.  Dramatic colors and formations I don’t get to see every day.
Keeping in this vain while driving south in the Bay area, I took the scenic route and my reward- a delight for all senses- the smell of cedar, the contrast of cool forest and warm beach, crashing waves and tranquil sunlight absorbing sand. Jagged rocks, drop offs, steep hills to climb and flat fields field with produce, beach blending to the horizon.
While taxing on the runway on Wednesday, I looked left for a delightful show- a ground crew using his moves while directing the plane. I just had to capture it on video to share.  I picked up a book yesterday- Together is Better- A Little Book of Inspiration by Simon Sinek.  It may be small but it packed full of great advice!  
Both “Better” and “Liturgy” address passion- a quote I’m quite taken with is by Sinek is “working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress.  Working hard for something we love is called passion.”  The book goes into detail about team work, relationships, leadership, purpose- all things that are what makes Denison Denison and my love of working there. It also ties to my life and how I spend my time.  “Life is beautiful not because of the things we see or things we do. Life is beautiful because of the people we meet” says Sinek.  I’ll go further- the people we share our passion with is what makes life the most rewarding.  Speaking of passion another point that delights me: “find a passion instead of have a passion”.  He urges adventure, experience, quest, search, GO.  Passions don’t appear, they are discovered!  My adventures with Denison, this trip continues to uncover and explain why I value the people I’ve met through Denison.

It is hard to leave my family and Granville AND it is the highlight of my job.  The delight isn’t that I get to go to great cities like San Francisco and Salt Lake City.  It is that I get to engage, meet and be in relationship with people that not only care about Denison but act and inspire. They also share their communities with me.  I am touched by the parents and families committed to Denison through philanthropy and willingness to welcome me. I also can cross paths again (figure eights!) with friendships from long ago (30-year reunion is in site) and people I don’t see often in my life on NG Road. The values these Denisonians and friends execute in today’s world are what connected us at the beginning and why we can just pick up with delight.
As I travel I get to look out the window for inspiration, time to think and process and just be.  I also get a break from the electronic world we live in.  I watched a utube video by Simon Sinek on Tuesday about millennials. It was respectful and positive, but gave criticism on how we’re living our lives. We’re attached to the dopamine rush provided by aps at our finger tips.  We have work to do individually and with our children.  The video is affirmation of the need to look out the window.
We always hear- you can’t do it all.  I often modify this by saying- I can’t do it all at the same time.  This allows me to look to the future and not give up on plans. This week I also say you can’t do it the way you want or think you should.  I can’t tour the country right now- but I can embrace flight time and look down to see the beauty of the earth.  Last year I had a changeover in Vegas. I’ve never been, not sure how high on the priority is for me to go- but I have wanted to see the Hoover Dam.  Lucky me- by flying in and out of Vegas- I could see it the dam from the air.  Better than nothing and a cool perspective.  Better yet I had just finished the book that described the building of a dam. I loved the historic book and a look to the past about people and hard work.  The construction of the Hoover Dam was perilous, all those that took the risks to make it happen, to earn a living. Taking in the view from that flight was even more rewarding coupled with the reading.
I’ll wrap up this blog post as I need to look out the window again and finish the “liturgy” book.  Life on Newark-Granville Road is indeed beautiful for many reasons and at the top of the list is the people.  The people I share my life with and the passions I have for family, friends, education, community and the arts.  I admire and am grateful for other’s passions and engagement, what they read and see and am grateful when we get to share, reflect, a