Unsung Heroes

I take a few things for granted. Each night my wife will be next to me while I sleep. Reaching another birthday means a few more gray hairs. Every week someone tries to sell me new gutters right from my front porch. These things occur regularly in my life. It is common for me to take people for granted as well. Certain individuals in the service industry meet our needs yet most never give them a second thought.

Eventually every car gets dirty. Many car wash establishments require the driver to get out and hand over the reigns to an employee. As the car goes through the cleaning process it is vacuumed, washed and dried. There are machines that do half the work but people handle the detailed areas manually. Payment is handed over at the end but tipping is optional. It is assumed that the workers will always do a decent job but they deserve to know that their work is appreciated.

Waitstaff are in a similar situation. No matter whether a tip is left by the patron, or how large it is, the government gets a flat percentage in taxes. Good service is by no means guaranteed. If the food is not up to one's standards or arrives late the server gets blamed. The kitchen staff have control over how and when the food is prepared. Waiters do their best to please the diner, the kitchen and management all at the same time. They are human beings after all.

Mailing letters seems passe' in our world of rapid email. Bills and catalogs still arrive each week in our mailboxes. Letter carriers are rarely seen but their delivery six days a week is expected nonetheless. It is a thankless job. Rainy days are no fun for anyone. No matter what the weatherman predicts every mail carrier must make their appointed rounds. When a friend or family member says they sent us something we expect it to arrive. We know just whom we should thank.

As painful as it is to think about emergencies do occur. Our taxes pay for public services that help during these times. Just because someone dials 911 does not guarantee that all will be well. Some of the most difficult careers are that of policeman and fireman. Complaining abounds when we get a ticket but these same people protect us as well. A kind word goes a long way. Even better is voting yes for the next millage proposal to retain these vital services.

There must be others that deserve to be recognized. I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to assuming people in service industries will meet my needs. Paying people for what they provide is just a start. Saying thank you or being kind in some way is just as important as remuneration. A tip is nice. A handshake is better. Just using a person's first name in conversation makes them feel better about themselves. I hope that next time we will remember to look someone directly in their eyes while we wear a smile on our face.

All Fun And Games

I love a good game. Sports are for spectators unless you are the athletic type. Shooting a basketball or throwing a football with friends was something I used to be good at. Otherwise I prefer to watch others who are clearly more talented than the majority of the population. With most games intellectual acuity matters more than physical prowess. As we age we tend to forget how special playing a game can be.

My wife tells me how important it is to de-stress. She recommends exercises that involve the tightening and releasing of each muscle group. I believe that the best way to release stress is to give the mind a different subject to mull over. We do not spend our day working on our stressors but we tend to think about them - a lot! Games give us the opportunity to change gears and starts endorphins flowing.

Many types of games allow people to compete on a level playing-field. It may be outdoors with a team or a board game with a few or even a video game with just one or two. As nice as it is to win these experiences allow us to use our brains in positive ways. Only basic physical dexterity is required and simple luck factors more than anything else. It is all about having fun and this is a word that adults have let slip from their vocabulary.

Sometimes the smallest things bring us joy and happiness. Games of all kinds challenge us in good ways. Sex, drugs and cable television do not completely satisfy. When was the last time you can honestly say you had fun? Without it a balanced life is not within reach. There will always be challenges to our time and mental resources. What better way is there to give our mind the respite it so desperately needs? Even school children look forward to recess each weekday. I hope that adults will begin to realize the benefit it can bring to the quality of their own lives.

Relative Cleanliness

I like to keep my home clean. Minimizing clutter is a priority. If I have an item that serves no purpose I either donate it or dispose of it. Dusting is a real pain so that only gets done once in a while. Areas like the kitchen and bathroom get sanitized regularly. When one is away from home cleanliness becomes the responsibility of someone else. Hotel rooms look clean, but below the surface, there lingers all manner of disgust.

My advice comes from what I have experienced. Christine and I have stayed in hotels hundreds of times. What we have witnessed should serve as a warning to others. Housekeeping staff is notoriously overburdened. They have many rooms to clean and little time in which to accomplish their task. Their task is not what you might expect. A room is not cleaned so much as it is made to appear so. Due to this there are things every person should do when they first walk through the door.

The bed is the first place to look. Bed bugs are quite hard to get rid of and are common to find even in expensive hotels. It is best to lift the sheet and mattress cover to get a closer look. Little black dots that jump and move is the best way to tell if your mattress is infested. The next area to examine is the bathroom. There should not be signs of the previous occupant. Floor, sink and shower areas should be stain and hair free.

When the maid comes to clean they will use chemicals of course. The concern is that what they use may not sanitize surfaces which people come into contact. Windex makes glass shine but it hardly makes anything sanitary. Bringing a can of Lysol spray is a good defense against unwanted bugs. I recommend spraying the television's remote control, all doorhandles and any bathroom surfaces. A little bit of prevention helps to keep a person healthy.

Some rooms have glasses for drinking water or for whatever beverage one might have. I learned my lesson the hard way. I assumed these glasses were sanitary until one fateful hotel excursion. I happened to catch the maid cleaning my glasses in the bathroom sink. Why did I think they would use a big dishwasher somewhere in the hotel? In this case she was cleaning them using hand soap and the same rag she used to wipe down surfaces. When I inquired as to her "cleaning method" she explained that this was how she and the rest of the staff washed glasses.

These few tips are meant to inform and educate. I certainly wish someone had told me about this years ago. There are probably more ways to keep yourself safe in a hotel room but unfortunately it is easier to stop a burglar than to stop a bug. There are similar stories of maid service in people's homes. House cleaners are often only concerned with surface appearances. Everyone deserves to get away once in a while. Please remember that wherever you lay your head there have been countless other heads there as well.

New Blog Started

I now have a new blog at WordPress. My intention for this blog is to write more comprehensive articles, on a weekly basis, in a more objective fashion than posts found here. The new blog is also called Dan Kravitz so please take a look and feel free to contact me with any comments. I will continue here, as I have been, posting two or more times per week.

Our Choices

A whole is made up of various parts. So it is with our lives. Just as we wear many hats, each representing a facet of our personality, our life is also divided. These parts do not exist on an even playing field. Some bring us joy, others strife, while others still are works in progress. I humbly submit a three-part method of clarifying and categorizing one's life. This outline may not work for everyone but I hope that it might act as a starting point for self-reflection.

Our behaviors do not always bring desired results. We want things to get better but it is not always clear how to do so. Banging your head into the wall only causes pain. Only a fool performs the same acts and believes that different results will occur. Acceptance must be the first part of the method. We must face the problem and understand that whatever we have done thus far must be revised. Only once we acknowledge what we dislike can change begin.

Not everything new must be made from whole cloth. In other words, when we break down a part of our lives, we find aspects that can be integrated into our new plan. This brings us to part two which I call compromise. Just like when dealing with others it is better to pick our battles. When it comes to ourselves small changes are often enough. Negotiation is key when changing maladaptive behaviors. Keep what works and combine it with new ideas that may lead to positive change and a positive outlook.

There will always be those things that we can do little about. Some behaviors, like other people, cannot be changed. It takes thought, time and patience to determine what is at fault and how to create a resolution. As painful as it may be we must accept the immovable objects of our lives. Resignation is the third part that saves us from further pain. As I mentioned the sooner we stop beating ourselves up the better. The truth is that some problems have no workable solution.

What I have written may be construed as a philosophical version of the popular serenity prayer. What the prayer mentions in its few lines seems trite when a person is suffering and longs for things to get better. Just as blueprints are used in construction a plan must be used as we daily build, change and remove parts of our inner selves. The greatest barrier to change is perspective. This is why it is so important to look at ourselves honestly and remain flexible. Some things can be made better while others remain as challenges we daily must overcome. Through this process we build character as we traverse the long highway of life.

Home Sweet Home

A notary public just left. My wife and I refinanced our home and the title company was nice enough to send the paperwork here. We signed and initialed and the whole process took less than thirty minutes. We had a thirty-year fixed mortgage before but now our interest rate is two full percentage points lower. Having a house is a great responsibility yet I would not trade it for anything. There is much debate over whether one should rent an apartment or get in debt and buy a house. Not all reasons for buying a home can be quantified.

Christine and I have lived in our home for over three years and plan on staying for many more. The apartment we shared for many years was more than adequate but there is no comparison to our current living situation. Every part of this dwelling is ours. When we walk into our backyard we are the masters of all we survey. Along with ownership is the option to change anything we like. There are costs involved naturally but having our home look and feel however we desire is priceless. The more we change the more connected we feel.

It is so quiet! Rarely is traffic an issue even with a corner lot. The only noises are ones that we expect to hear. The floor creaks and the washer is far from silent but these are the only sounds we deal with. There is no door loudly opening and closing, at all hours of the day and night, by people entering a common area. Weird smells are kept to a minimum. The only threat in the kitchen is from my cooking. Apartment dwellers often complain about loud televisions or stereos. Rude people do not come though my door. I can enjoy my music or workbench with nary a complaint.

These are some of the things that get forgotten when people formulate the equation of home buying versus renting. There are numerous intangible factors which a dollar amount cannot be assigned. Having friends over when you like, more space to live and entertain and enjoying a more peaceful and sedate existence are just a few of the benefits of being the king of your castle. There are still some examples of the tastes of the previous owner but what is not broken gets to stay. Plenty of items were changed or replaced the first few years we occupied this house. What is important is that one feels secure in one's environment.

I wrote this post not just because I am happy about saving big bucks through refinancing. It is also that I believe most people take what they have for granted. After almost four years I still get excited when I think of the largest purchase of my life. I will be in debt for many years to come but I will also own something valuable for even longer. The inherent worth of this property is measured in dollars. The other benefits cannot be labeled with a price tag and are too numerous to mention. Our dream finally came true and I am thankful each and every day for what we share together.

Environmentalism For Sale

A recent article in Mother Jones magazine got me thinking. I read about a plan to save trees and forests. Much of our land is already treated as a commodity. In this case though the value would be in saving the trees and land rather than destroying it. The hope is that companies which clear cut to produce their products will fund the saving of forested areas. The businesses would pay money for the rights to print an eco-friendly logo on their product labels. This sounds more like a public relations scheme than a legitimate way to help the Earth.

The first point made in the article acknowledges the formation of a consortium of companies that would gather and formulate the rules. Their first act would be to agree to stop their deleterious ways and make amends, in the form of money, to make up for past sins. A particular dollar amount would then be paid per each acre destroyed before the groups' formation. I doubt any company will be forthright about the exact number they would then be on the hook for.

What I find so silly is the whole "eco-friendly" label concept. Assuming the best-case scenario there would be some areas of our planet saved for future generations. Others would still be co-opted as part of the manufacturing process. The label would signify that some portion of our natural resources have been rescued suggesting that the manufacturer has done its part for our planet. What is ridiculous is that the consumer will never know what land was saved and what was used in the creation of the product they hold in their hands.

The funds paid out for the right to use the eco-label would, in some part, be used to maintain valuable acreage. Developing nations earn as much, if not more, for land rights that would have been sold. Nations must be reimbursed for lost revenue and for the costs of maintenance and upkeep. Assuming that each governing body gets an equal share of corporate funds there is still a flaw in this logic. As land continues to be used in the manufacturing process fewer untouched areas will remain standing. Over time fewer parcels will receive an ever-growing share of money. These areas will end up richer than originally intended and corporations will see less of a reason to keep shelling out for that which is rapidly disappearing.

I have offered a simplistic summary of the program written about in Mother Jones. The details may help to illuminate the process and procedures but my observations were never discussed in the article. There seem to be some obvious questions, some of which I have brought up, that should be asked nevertheless. When companies that base their business model upon the destruction of land offer to help that same land you have to ask why. Paying for the right to label their products differently seems like a smokescreen to me. This is just another example of how corporate funds can make up for any evil they commit.