Le Tour De France
Good luck to you Lance.
I'll be watching and praying for you closely the next few weeks.
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
A Wrinkle in Time
A few weeks ago I got the chance to walk a friend's dog while waiting around for a late night game of Texas Hold'em. The two of us were certainly a sight to behold. A sturdy six footer strolling through the streets of Redwood City while leading four pounds of furry terrier that was loosely harnassed to a rainbow colored ferret leash. I'm very certain that plenty of passing neighbors found much amusement with the disparity in our sizes and may even have wondered who the heck was leading whom? Haha....Jimbo's a cool dog though. He's got alot of fight in him for a pip squeak.
Anyways, somewhere deep into our walk my eyes started relaying images to my brain, which in turn contacted the depths of my heart, which took a little time to figure out what was being conveyed, which caused my breathing to become stifled for a little bit, which cause me to look even longer and harder, which enabled me to piece things together and summarize things in the form of a toothy grin. This was indeed a surreal moment.
Picture this. A cool summer day in California. Endless rows of sidewalks on each side of a perfectly paved residential street. Grass as far as the eye could see. Trees involuntarily littering the ground with foliage while swaying to an imaginary beat. Kids playing tag in the front yard. A father teaching his daughter to ride a bike with training wheels. Other pet owners walking their bigger and more masculine dogs. Friendly brothers and sisters in Christ inviting me to share a bible study with them. Walls of gigantic brush. Solid wrought iron gates. A solitary cloud providing the only tarnish to an otherwise spectacular sky.
Man, was I ever homesick. I developed a slight case of envy as well. In short, I was as relaxed as my mind would ever have allowed in a very long time.
Looking back, this experience is very similar to the holodeck scenes from those old Star Trek episodes. For those of you out there who don't speak this rare strain of geek, think about going to see a movie or reading a book that obsessively captures your imagination. Where for the duration of your involvement you literally get a sense of joy from the apparent detachment. Pretty nice eh?
Once over though, the sense of reality begins to settle back in and all you can do is just sigh and think to yourself....man, that was SWEET! Or for me, I was jolted back down to earth when Jimbo suddenly went nuts and started running around me in circles while barking. Crazy dog. Napoleon complex.
As I was making my way back towards my friend's condo a few thoughts came to mind.
It sure would be nice to live in such a neighborhood with such a charmed existence. How much do these houses cost? I wonder what it is like viewing fromt he inside out?
In the end, what was truly nice was having a greater appreciation for where life has brought me now. There really isn't too much to talk about outside of continually remaining an unfinished work. Much to be left up to faith and a little hard work.
Eventually things may fall into place just like this perfect day.
But even if they don't....these type of stolen moments will always be out there ready to be enjoyed.
Going back on Friday to do it again....=P
A few weeks ago I got the chance to walk a friend's dog while waiting around for a late night game of Texas Hold'em. The two of us were certainly a sight to behold. A sturdy six footer strolling through the streets of Redwood City while leading four pounds of furry terrier that was loosely harnassed to a rainbow colored ferret leash. I'm very certain that plenty of passing neighbors found much amusement with the disparity in our sizes and may even have wondered who the heck was leading whom? Haha....Jimbo's a cool dog though. He's got alot of fight in him for a pip squeak.
Anyways, somewhere deep into our walk my eyes started relaying images to my brain, which in turn contacted the depths of my heart, which took a little time to figure out what was being conveyed, which caused my breathing to become stifled for a little bit, which cause me to look even longer and harder, which enabled me to piece things together and summarize things in the form of a toothy grin. This was indeed a surreal moment.
Picture this. A cool summer day in California. Endless rows of sidewalks on each side of a perfectly paved residential street. Grass as far as the eye could see. Trees involuntarily littering the ground with foliage while swaying to an imaginary beat. Kids playing tag in the front yard. A father teaching his daughter to ride a bike with training wheels. Other pet owners walking their bigger and more masculine dogs. Friendly brothers and sisters in Christ inviting me to share a bible study with them. Walls of gigantic brush. Solid wrought iron gates. A solitary cloud providing the only tarnish to an otherwise spectacular sky.
Man, was I ever homesick. I developed a slight case of envy as well. In short, I was as relaxed as my mind would ever have allowed in a very long time.
Looking back, this experience is very similar to the holodeck scenes from those old Star Trek episodes. For those of you out there who don't speak this rare strain of geek, think about going to see a movie or reading a book that obsessively captures your imagination. Where for the duration of your involvement you literally get a sense of joy from the apparent detachment. Pretty nice eh?
Once over though, the sense of reality begins to settle back in and all you can do is just sigh and think to yourself....man, that was SWEET! Or for me, I was jolted back down to earth when Jimbo suddenly went nuts and started running around me in circles while barking. Crazy dog. Napoleon complex.
As I was making my way back towards my friend's condo a few thoughts came to mind.
It sure would be nice to live in such a neighborhood with such a charmed existence. How much do these houses cost? I wonder what it is like viewing fromt he inside out?
In the end, what was truly nice was having a greater appreciation for where life has brought me now. There really isn't too much to talk about outside of continually remaining an unfinished work. Much to be left up to faith and a little hard work.
Eventually things may fall into place just like this perfect day.
But even if they don't....these type of stolen moments will always be out there ready to be enjoyed.
Going back on Friday to do it again....=P
Sunday, June 27, 2004
We Got Next!!
For those of you who don't know, this summer I've committed to coaching a womens summer league basketball team as a favor for a friend at another church. Our official team name? The Fusion. Yeah, pretty cool eh?
Tomorrow we are possibly playing the strongest team in the league. After our game last week (52-43 shootout) I stuck around to check this team out and scout for possible weaknesses. Aside from a glut of talent and potential for boredom, there really weren't any. To top things off, their center is this 6 foot giant (possibly 180lbs) with a mean streak that often manifests in scowls and rolly eyes. Can you tell I'm a little scared?
Honestly, I'm enjoying the experience so far and like the group of girls on our team. The youngest one is 15 and the oldest rounds out at a geriatric age of 22. During practice it cracks me up when they sit around shooting jumpers while talking about boys and SAT scores. The fellowship aspect of CCU is very encouraging too. Our girls are great about meeting other players and maintaining the core of what the league's existence tries to facilitate every year. Makes me wonder what my life would have been like if I grew up in this part of the country.
The only thing that haunts my mind so far is my lack of real basketball strategy and IQ. Finding playing time for 12 players is quite a challenge. Especially when the level of talent varies from player to player. How do you field a competitive squad, go for the W every game, teach the ones that aren't as fluid, and make things fun overall? How do you teach something that you learned on your own taking lumps?
*sigh* Just gonna go out and do my best. Can't wait to take them out for a team dinner at seasons end.
For those of you who don't know, this summer I've committed to coaching a womens summer league basketball team as a favor for a friend at another church. Our official team name? The Fusion. Yeah, pretty cool eh?
Tomorrow we are possibly playing the strongest team in the league. After our game last week (52-43 shootout) I stuck around to check this team out and scout for possible weaknesses. Aside from a glut of talent and potential for boredom, there really weren't any. To top things off, their center is this 6 foot giant (possibly 180lbs) with a mean streak that often manifests in scowls and rolly eyes. Can you tell I'm a little scared?
Honestly, I'm enjoying the experience so far and like the group of girls on our team. The youngest one is 15 and the oldest rounds out at a geriatric age of 22. During practice it cracks me up when they sit around shooting jumpers while talking about boys and SAT scores. The fellowship aspect of CCU is very encouraging too. Our girls are great about meeting other players and maintaining the core of what the league's existence tries to facilitate every year. Makes me wonder what my life would have been like if I grew up in this part of the country.
The only thing that haunts my mind so far is my lack of real basketball strategy and IQ. Finding playing time for 12 players is quite a challenge. Especially when the level of talent varies from player to player. How do you field a competitive squad, go for the W every game, teach the ones that aren't as fluid, and make things fun overall? How do you teach something that you learned on your own taking lumps?
*sigh* Just gonna go out and do my best. Can't wait to take them out for a team dinner at seasons end.