If I was going to spend 2.5 million dollars on a thirty second Superbowl ad, I would use the time to remind all University of Tennessee football fans that a colts win does not in any way make the Volunteers a better college team.
But seriously, All politics aside, I agree with this guy:
www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/02/06/martin.tebow.superbowl.ad/index.html
I’m single and now officially “in my 30s.”
This is a fact I don’t regularly acknowledge outside of my circle of friends. Not because I’m ashamed, but because it inevitably seems to inspire pity from every hearer who does happen to be married. Would I like to be married? Absolutely, but I’m also pretty content with my current situation. I have a pretty full life with great friends and a wonderful job full of opportunities.
I know, I know. Thou doth protest too much. But seriously.
While I’m content with where I am right now, being single and 30 definitely has its share of challenges. I’ve shared this revelation a 100 times and every time I’ve been told that I need to write it so here it is:
Being single and 30 is like shopping in a GAP factory outlet.
“What!” you exclaim, Why ever would you say that?”
Ok baby bird; get ready because mama’s going to feed you.
*(Statements like that are probably why I remain single)
When I was about 22 years old, I went on a summer tour with a group called Master’s Commission. During this trip we visited various churches and camps and did skits and music and teachings blah blah blah. On the way home from one of the camps we stopped at the GAP factory store. I think it was in Virginia. Our leaders had been talking about this place for months. It seemed every time I complimented one of the older girls on her jeans or her sweater they would respond, “thank you. I bought it at the GAP outlet for $2.” Really. Every time. So on this fated summer day, our whole group of poor college students was buzzing with anticipation as we headed towards the legendary factory store.
We pulled into the gigantic parking lot were told we only had 1 hour before we had to get back on the road. Only one hour to spend what we expected to be the greatest store on earth?! We piled out of the 15 passenger van (I’ve spent more time than I care to discuss in 15 passenger vans) and sprinted to the store like we were on the game show Supermarket Sweep. Initially everything we had been told was true. They were racks of jeans for $8 and bins of items for $2 and then 50% off that! It was a dream come true….initially. The first pair of jeans I tried on had a huge hole in one of the belt loops. A sweater I pulled out of the $2 bin had a big tear in the underarm. There was a mismatched sock in the bin. I still have no idea why someone would buy a single sock. I guess a guy with just one leg might…but that’s a whole different story.
So, what began as the greatest shopping day of my life ended up being a bit of a disappointment as I discovered that every one of the items I had excitedly grabbed was there for a reason. Sure, a couple of my friends found some great items; however, I found nothing.
And this is why I compare single and 30 to a visit to the afore mentioned factory store. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have met a guy who seemed absolutely perfect for me and thought, “why in the world is this guy still single? He is amazing!” Only to discover a few weeks later that he has a weird obsession with Nickleback, or he refuses to do his own laundry or he’s an incredible narcissist. Like the $2 sweater in the bin, there is a reason he is there and upon discovering the truth, with a bit of disappointment, I am forced to put him back into the bin.
I understand that I am also still in the bin myself but I’m working on it :)
As an afterthought, I'd also like to point out that my lack of luck at the outlet didn't mean that there weren't good things available. I just didn't find them. I'm hopeful that there are still some great items out there, I'll just have to look a little longer. Or plan to visit the store on Tuesdays, when they put out the fresh stock.
Julie, our Northern Cambodian director, sent me an email yesterday about a small village she visited for the first time. She said she spoke about Emmanuel, which in Cambodian translates to "the king sits with us" and what an amazing experience it was to have the king sit with them for a while in an obscure Cambodian village. This translation really resonated with me. For some reason, it seems so much more personal and so much more special that The King himself would take the time to sit with me and have a cup of coffee with no real agenda during the hectic holiday season.
Now that I'm school free I've rediscovered the joy of reading for fun. Last Saturday morning, I woke up late after not setting an alarm (something I had not been free to do for literally months) and stayed in bed for a couple of hours reading. It was a perfect morning. It's amazing how much you appreciate something so simple when you've not been able to do it for so long.
I've been reading Donald Millers new book, "A million miles in a Thousand years."
Have you ever read a book and felt as if it found its way to your hands at exactly that moment in time by some sort of divine intervention. The words are just a bit too relevant, the story just a bit too telling.
Strumming my pain with his fingers,
telling my life with his words
killing me softly with his song.
Perhaps I'm being a bit over-dramatic (As I've mentioned before, I do have a certain flair for the dramatic) but there is really so much in this book that is inspiring and challenging me. It's about story, which is always a concept I've been facinated with. Everyone is living a story with the day to day of their lives, never really knowing what part of the story they are living or what our role contributes to another's story.
I think about people I've met, like a pastor in Ethiopia, who grew up in a poor village and couldn't afford to go to school. Completley illiterate at the age of 12,his older brother became a teacher in the city and finally came to get him so he could attend school. He cried the first time he had to ride in a car because he had never seen such a scary contraption and felt trapped inside of it. While attending high school in the city, he met a missonary couple who took an interest in him and he became a Christian. As a result, he was kicked out of his home and disowned by his family. However, he endured hard times and eventually was able to go to Europe to bible school. He returned to Ethiopia, stared a large chuch, was imprisioned for his faith, was miraculously released and joined the bible institue where he oversaw the translation of the bible into several tribal languages. Today he is responsible for literally thousands of students in rural schools. He wants to give these children something he never had, a chance at a brighter future. He has committed his life to this. He is one of the most amazing and inspring men I've ever had the pleasue to meet.
I feel that telling this story in such an abbreviated fashion is almost disrepectful; However, the part of the story that continues to fascinate me is the unnamed missionary couple who first took an interest in a young Ethiopian high school boy. I wonder if he still keeps in contact with them, I wish I would have asked. It is just as likely that he didn't and that is my point. These people had no idea the role they were playing in the story of his life. They may not know today that their obedience to go to Ethiopia, their choice to care for one young boy, continues to literally change the lives of thousands of children in that country.
There are many people that have played significant roles in my life and are probably completley unaware. I wonder if I've ever given that desperately needed encouragement or inpiration. I wonder if I've had the opportunity and missed it because I was focused on something more shallow or selfish. I want to commit to writing better stories with my life.
"A character is what he does...we can't just say it...we have to show it."
Much more on stories to come...I know my blog is bland and in desperate need of pictures. I'm working on it
Last week, in the midst of finals I stumbled upon the following article about Subway's $5 footlong promotion that wasn't the product of some marketing genius or a business savy Board of Directors but a store mananger in South Florida. In fact, the promotion was ignored for a year and then initially rejected by Subway's board of directors. However, this $5 footlong "phnomenon" not only boosted Subway to record sales (they earned an unprecedented 17% growth in a time of economic recession) but in the process, also "scrambled the whole industry." Every fast food restaurant seems to have some sort of copy on the $5 deal. It is surprising that a franchise that wasn't even in the top 10 last year is now setting the standard for the entire industry. In 2009, Subway gained more market share than both Burger King, Wendy's and Arby's. In 2010, Subway is poised to have more world-wide locations than Industry leader, McDonalds.
The success of this strategy "illustrates how a huge company can wake up and eventually seize on a good idea that's not generated at headquarters." It reminds me of the emergent school of strategic management that we discussed in my last International Business class. It is basically strategic managements reponse to the chaos theory, in that it only places limited importanance on top-down business strategy. This strategy, recognizes the fact that it is the day to day responses to a quickly changing environment that really determine success. We cannot predict the future so any long term plan must be fluid and flexible. A window of opportunity is usually only opened for a short period and the companies that can capitalize on that opportunity quickly are those who win. See...I really did learn something!
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_46/b4155058815908.htm
Just to prove I'm not completley overdramatic, this is one HALF of the formulas needed for my final tonight. This is the reason that I have been a complete hermit. Operations Management is definitely one of the most challenging business classes I have ever had. It also doesn't help that I waited until 4 days ago to start learning this.
I really want to blog today. I don't really have time. Today is Sunday, I have a ridiculously terrible final on Monday and my final final of the semester on Tuesday. I have started 3 blogs, all of which rapidly became a pity party that would only be "enjoyed" by Eeyore, who might actually be a little concerned that I'm taking things to far. However, in the spirit of the holiday season, I will spare you my whining and just let my dear friends know that I am trying so so hard to be positive and that I promise to be a better and more enjoyable person come Wednesday morning...or maybe Thursday, after I've had some sleep.
I can't wait to become reacquainted with everyone.
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