Books, continued

I am pretty certain that my ADHD as hindered my book reading endeavor. My short attention span for uninteresting, non-captivating things is powerful, indeed. Conversations have a tendency to play out much like my reading. After several minutes of my mouth responding to automated social queues, I leap back into consciousness and realize that I have no idea what my counterpart is talking about. Worse yet, I seem to have agreed to something at some time and date that I have the foggiest of ideas as to when it is or what I'll be doing... or not doing... As many are used to my problem, and I truly do feel horrible when it happens, I am able to ask what, exactly, it was that I just agreed to. I have found that it is better to ask and face frustration and anger now, than over the phone a few days later when the phone rings and I hear, "You said you would pick me up an hour ago! Where are you!?!"

Taking medication seems to be helping with some of these issues but it certainly did not help take care of my inability to enjoy a good book. I felt as though I would be left to live a life of unfulfilled cultural aspirations. I would miss out on such works as Moby Dick, War and Peace, the Iliad, and Into the Wild.

Oh ye of little faith am I! Little did I know that a fateful day would come when my almighty creator would bestow upon me a divine ruling: if you turn it off, you shall read!

Well, I didn't exactly turn it off as much as the service was cancelled. Technically, the cable company turned it off. Then again, I can still turn the TV on... You get the idea (and perhaps a small taste of the luxuries of ADHD; a never-ending supply of thoughts... my mind is like the Energizer Bunny of conversational train derailments).

Although I have always felt that TV was 90%+ a massive waste of time, I watched it anyway. My brain loved to absorb the decoded vibrations entering my ears and the photons striking my eyes. Somehow, and I am sure there is a study on this, television gave my ADHD brain what it wanted far more than a book could ever hope to contribute. Super instant gratification. Without the TV, my brain was left with a few options: sit and watch my crazy neighbor watch me back all day (she watches the house even when I am not watching her watch it; and yes, she does watch the house even if no one else is around) or try and read a book.

Recently, I have been told that I am a reasonably skilled writer. I hope that I can write a book review or two without making myself seem totally foolish.

Finally, I am quickly realizing that when God said, "Let there be light." He did not mean, "for which to find the remote."

Books

An amazing thing happened to me recently. I was unable to watch television. This was a life changing moment. Before you say, "Wow. You stopped watching TV and realized that it was a waste of time? Good for you, moron." hear me out.

I am in the process of moving out of my house - as it is currently on the market to be sold - so, the cable was cancelled. It is not possible for me to turn on the TV and glean anything from it besides a headache. Since the TV is newer, it does not even allow me to watch the static - just a bright blue screen - unless, of course, I go through the painstaking trouble of changing an option a couple of menus deep into the settings. Who has time for that now a days anyway? Not I.

What else have I not had patience for? Reading books. For as long as I can remember, I have never been much of a book reader. I will read all sorts of manuals, the news (online, not the newspaper), the comics (in the newspaper and even 'books'; although I would hardly call 'The Essential Calvin and Hobbes' a book), and pretty much anything else on the internet.

In recent years, I felt a desire to read books. All attempts miserably failed. While I was in college, I only read what I absolutely had to. Even then, I would accept a low grade as an acceptable trade for reading less.

Now that I have my degree, I still cannot get myself to read 'books.' Countless people have tried the whole, "try this one, you'll love it!" Or, "this is the book that got me into reading." A couple pages in I would get bored and find something else to do. When I would actually force myself to read, I was unable to concentrate. I would start reading something and two hours later, I would be on page four. The whole time I would spend thinking about other things while my eyes attempted to scan the words. Once I realized this was happening, I gave up. I had no idea what the first three pages were about anyway.

More to come Wednesday, May 1st.

Trial run

With the recent purchase of my first kayak, a Tsunami 145 from Wilderness Systems, I needed to test it out thoroughly. The weather was fantastic! 71 degrees, bright blue sky, a touch of wind.
Sunscreen, check; hat, check; Gatorade, check; Combos, check. I ran down the list of all the necessities I was going to need for my first attempt. The main purpose was to determine, not only my skill and ability, but also the boat's stability, speed, and handling. Basically, I want to make sure that I can bring my camera out on it without having to worry too much about it being ruined because I do not know what I am doing.

It worked perfectly. The only way I am going to tip that boat over is if I am not paying attention or I simply try to do it.

The experience of my first trip? Amazing, simply amazing. Let me tell you about the muskrat.

'I see this "little guy" digging in the sand next to the water. He (or she) appears to be looking for vegetation to eat. I beach my kayak slightly and watch the forging for about ten minutes. Curiosity is too strong; I must get closer. I push off and, luck is with me, the current is carrying me straight past him. The bow is about five feet away from him as I float past. Suddenly, and ever so quietly, the arm of my paddle hits the kayak. The sound is just loud enough to startle him. He dives into the water and swims very quickly... directly under me! Quickly, I look around for a sign that he swam past me. I see nothing. I turn the boat. The paddle hits the water, one stroke. The other side hits the water, SPLASH! He dives in! He was sitting, staring at me; the little guy was floating right along the side of the boat.'

I could not believe it. Personally, I think he was plotting a way to tip me over. I know I would.

One of my goals in life is to photograph a bald eagle catching a fish out of the water. Half of that dream came true. Just after the muskrat encounter, I was watching this beautiful bird perched in a tall tree. He took off with such amazing grace that I could not believe my eyes. Soaring overhead, he dove. With the swiftness and precision of an arrow, he splashed into the water. I was not close enough to see if it was indeed a fish, but he caught something. It was a fantastic moment.

The only relief I have is that the lighting would have been horrible for a picture. Let me just say this, there was not much relief; but there is plenty more eagerness.

Next time I will have my camera. That way I will be able share these wonderful experiences with you. I only hope that they will encourage others to enjoy the great outdoors as well.

Lost but not yet found 3

I was on the return stretch of my hike.

I was very tired and hungry. My energy was bottoming out and I really wished I was already at my car. I came to the first beach area you can get to from the entrance of the park. I had a choice, I could continue on my tough walk through the sand or I could make it easier on myself and walk on the pavement. I decided that I would take the path of least resistance, the concrete.

When my shoe landed on solid turf I felt reasonably good. The thought that I would not have to keep fighting the ground with each step was encouraging. As I walked toward the parking lot, I realized that I would have to walk even further on the cement than I would through the sand.

For those who are not familiar with Hoffmaster, there are several parking lots. Each is a short distance from the main road but when you are exhausted, that distance can seem daunting.

I decided to turn around and head back toward the unforgiving beach. As I approached the observation deck I was filled with a strange sort of peace. While I almost always feel at peace at the park, this was something totally different. I began to hear a chiming as well. This was very bizarre as I did not hear them on my approach.

Near the deck there are several trees and other various plants. I looked all around for the chimes. I was beginning to think I had lost my mind. Seriously, it is not every day that I hear chimes in the middle of a state park; let alone at the beach, with no one around, on a relatively cool day. I decided that either I was crazy or they were invisible.

In my new state of mind I leaned against the railing to gaze at the lake. For several moments I enjoyed the strange inner peace accompanied by my new theme music. I then examined the surrounding flora more closely. Low and behold, hanging on a branch of the nearby tree was the chime. I am hard pressed to believe that my sanity has returned as you can not regain something you never had in the first place.

As I observed the chime clanging in the wind I caught a glimpse of something on the ground. I peered down toward the snow covered sand and saw a small metal object.

Coincidence? Or not?

Lost but not yet found 2

Coincidence or not? What exactly is a coincidence anyway? The dictionary defines it as "A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged."

From this, I believe that coincidences are all, more or less, made up by us. We love making connections to things; it makes our lives organized. We connect different plants, animals, people, etc. into various categories. The word 'plant' itself is a category; it connects all of those things we deem to have the characteristics of plant like things.

Most events are easily connected together. Getting into the car, driving to the store, parking, filling up a cart, paying for your goods, returning home, and putting the things away are all connected with grocery shopping. These events are planned and arranged by us so they are simple to connect.

What about those events that do not connect so well? That is what a coincidence is, a connection that is not standardized. In most cases, unless we tell someone else about it, we are the only one that "believes" that there is any connection at all.

Here is my coincidence. I have been looking at purchasing this camera for months.

But that is only the beginning. (even more to come this Thursday)

Lost but not yet found

I found a digital camera about a month ago while I was out hiking around Hoffmaster State Park. It was sitting in the snow and I had serious doubts that it would work. However, I knew I could probably recover the pictures and try to find the owner.

After letting it dry out, I tried to turn it on. Amazingly, it worked! I could not believe it. I looked at the pictures and, unfortunately, could not recognize a single event, place, or person, except the pictures taken at Hoffmaster. There were no tell tale signs as to the owner of this camera. I have been looking in the paper for the past couple weeks to see if there were any "Lost" ads for a camera. I also left my contact information with "lost and found" at the ranger station. No one I showed the pictures to recognized anything in them either.

I have heard and read nothing. I feel pretty bad. I wish that I could go on TV and just show some of the pictures so someone may recognize the owner and let me know.

There is another side to this story. (more to come this Tuesday)

Update on Lost Lake Publication

In an email I sent to the editor of the Muskegon Chronicle, "I don't know what to say." When I opened the Explore section I was immediately awestruck.


*click on the image for a bigger picture
(once at the next site click on the magnifying glass in the top right)

Tonight, at a presentation for the Campaign to Save Lost Lake, I heard wonderful comments about the article. One gentleman said he enjoyed it so much that he read it aloud to his wife. She enjoyed it so much that it is now hanging on their refrigerator. I am deeply honored to be taking up space on some one's fridge, seriously. (We all know how valuable fridge space can be.)

Phyllis, a retired school teacher, LPN, and author called the Chronicle wanting to speak with me. They called me to give me her phone number, so I called. She said many kind things including, "the world will hear from you." She also cut out and saved the piece.

Friends and family have called and made many great comments. I really appreciate everything. I am kind of overwhelmed with the things people are saying. This is one great feeling.

And now, on to business. I am setting a personal goal of raising $1,000 for the campaign. How much of that can you donate? I have never done fundraising before so we will see how it goes.

Muskegon Chronicle to publish "Lost Lake"

I am pleased to say that my "Lost Lake" piece is going to be published in the Muskegon Chronicle this Wednesday, April 9th, in the Explore section. I was totally surprised and delighted when I got the news.

The Explore section comes every Wednesday in the paper. It focuses on all things outdoors including sports (hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, etc.), news, events, and useful information. The best part is that the vast majority of the articles are about local happenings.

There is a push to Save Lost Lake. If you have never been to Lost Lake, I highly suggest you take the time and go. Because I believe that the campaign to save the lake is vitally important to our community, our environment, and our health, I request that everyone make a donation. All donated funds, up to $90,000, will be matched by other sources. Personally, I just donated five dollars. I wish it could have been far more but I just don't have the money right now.

The rest of the post is dedicated to the Campaign to Save Lost Lake.

We all take many things for granted, our friends, family, health, and most of all our environment. How many times has the planet been forced to 'take one for the team?' If you have to think about that, you really need to pick up a newspaper. Everyone, including myself is guilty. Our very existence, our way of life, adversely impacts the environment. The purpose of this post is not to tell you that we need to stop living, but simply change the way you do things.

I listened to the Environmental Ethics panel discussion at Muskegon Community College on Friday, April 4th. A gentleman by the name of Chris Bedford said that we need to rethink the way we create the various products we use. Currently, we try to make products that are recyclable. His suggestion is to completely bypass this idea and make things that do not need to be recycled.

For instance, there are now ways to make 'plastic' bottles out of corn. These bottles will completely biodegrade when composted. While this is a step in the right direction, far greater changes need to take place.

The simple fact that we purchase these things is a problem. The amount of bottled tap water that is purchased is astounding. Granted, I have lived in a few apartment complexes where the water resembled sludge, more than anything else. Even a premium water filter could not fix the 'taste' and I will not even mention the smell.

What about convenience? Sport bottles have been around for ages, those are convenient. This leads us to a simple, yet partial, solution. Remember the three 'R's? Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle. We got recycle out of the way. Reduce is pretty straightforward. We are totally dropping the ball on Re-use.

Purchasing water bottles is simply wasteful. Unless your tap water reminds you of the movie 'The Blob' you should really rethink the way you drink liquids. I say liquids because water isn't the only product that comes in a bottle. Gatorade is purchasable in powder form; countless other products are as well.

A return to sport bottles is only a small beginning. If you want a perfect way to get a jumpstart on the way you think about Re-use, head over to the Campaign to Save Lost Lake and make a donation. As children, we all passed along ABC gum to our younger counterparts. It is time to grow up; pass along something far more meaningful, and a lot better for us all.

Slideshow

I have been mighty busy with countless things lately and have not had the chance to update the site in a while. Since I have been unable to edit my 'nature chronicle' pages, due to time constraints, I will, instead, post a slideshow.

These pictures were taken on the north side of the Muskegon Channel, part of Muskegon State Park on March 12, 2008. There are only four but I am certain you will enjoy them.