What if… vs. What is.

By -

Well, it happened again.  We had just met with some folks who are on the inside of the goings-on in the socio-political world around us, folks with all the stats of deaths, murders, abductions and the like.  And, well…it affected me.  I or “it” allowed that old “friend” of mine to creep in once again—that friend named “fear.” 

For a few nights, I did not sleep really well.  My mind was too busy spinning and whirling around the possible scenarios of life.  I began plotting and planning how to escape this city and this life.  I began to see the city as dark, grey, cold.  I imagined myself the primary target of every narco…the expendable foreigner who could be easily taken advantage of by any sold-out cop.

Indeed, the stats are somewhat unsettling at first glance.  In Monterrey reside some 80,000 US citizens.  Statistics indicate that two (2) Americans a week suffer some sort of crime—murder, abduction, robbery, extortion, etc.  Yikes…two a week?  At first, this set me thinking that ‘tomorrow’ could be my day!  But, then, this morning, I did a little math in my head:

2 hits a week…means 104 hits a year…and with 80,000 Americans, it’ll take 769 years to go through everyone!  Since my last name begins with “H”, I figure I’m safe for probably 150-200 years!  Of course, the criminals aren’t taking things alphabetically, but, still, I guess it’s just not that likely (probable) that I’ll be targeted and hit.  That is something to be happy about!

The other thing that happened came about today as I was walking from the Seminary to the bus-stop.  I realized that I have been focusing on the “what if…” a whole lot more than I’ve been focusing on the “what is.”  What if…?  What if…?  Oh, anyone with half an active imagination can arrive anywhere on the “what if” train.  What if I’m caught in a shoot-out?  What if some group does target me for crime?  What if….  And the list of “what ifs” can go on and on and on….

What is?  I live in a large, metropolitan, international city of some 5,000,000+ inhabitants.  I have a wife who loves me and so graciously puts up with me!  I have work--I teach English and Theology to folks who are generally interested in learning what I have to say.  Our city has a good mass-transit system that allows me to get around the city without a car.  I have friends here—Juan, Adil, and others.  My family is happy here…my children are happy here.  I have a faith that strengthens me and even guides me.  We have a roof, we have food, we have all we need.  We have dreams and possibilities before us.  We have plans and hopes.  What is…is good.

I think I’ll shelve the “what if” file for a while and keep that “what is” folder open before me….

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lunch in the Park

By -
Image
I’ve started taking my lunch in Retama Park on Maple Avenue.  It’s a three minute walk from my office…and few people are ever there in the middle of day.  This park has become a delightful escape from the technology, air-conditioning, and straight lines of the office. Today, as in other days, I sit on a bench towards the center of the park, the only bench that’s actually in the shade.   A large water-oak spreads it limbs to block the harsh south Texas sun.  In the shade, the constant breezes making their way from the Gulf make the spot perfect for reading, thinking…or dozing. I’m reading a novel—Tony Hillerman ( The Walking Wind ).  Out of the corner of my eye, a person comes into view…a boy…a young boy…a BIG boy…maybe 10-years-old?  He has his basketball.  He makes his way onto the concrete courts where the netting is half torn away from the baskets.  He begins to dribble and shoot—duip, duip, duip, duip….plunk!...duip, duip, duip…. I return to my novel.  Short
Read more

Smart Phones - Not So Smart

By -
Image
Technology and innovation seem like positive if not innocuous words. By advances in these areas, we've seen illnesses cured, wars thwarted, and standards of living rise. Yet, we've also seen entire cultures become 'couch-potatoes,' a rise in cancer and nutrition related diseases. For all of the so-called “labor-saving devices” that have been developed, we now see a host of health issues that arise in our increasingly sedentary life-styles—obesity, prostate cancer, heart disease, etc. What looked good in the beginning has turned out to be a growing threat to our very lives. The “Smart Phone” will be numbered among those great technological innovations that seemed like a good idea at the time. These phones seem helpful enough, but peel back the layers, and we find a device that should worry any thinking, smart person! The “smart phone” is making us dumber. Rather than actually having to know or remember things anymore, we can rely on our smart phone
Read more

Simple Joys

By -
Image
An empty cup sits before me, a gift from friends…given to me when I was in Prague, Czech Republic, in October 2008, a small token of remembrance on my birthday while I was away from home. That cup is now my espresso cup, filled and drained daily…much to my mind’s content. I keep learning that the greatest joy and contentment usually comes from the simple things in life. I think back to the really expensive gifts I’ve received or even the expensive things I’ve bought…and I struggle to bring them to mind; they’re all but forgotten. But those simple things that brought and bring such joy? They are there at the mere thought: My espresso cup. A small fire on a cool, Fall evening. Sitting on a beach, shore or rocky edge overlooking a bay or the sea. The smell of cookies in the oven. Reading through “The Sermon on the Mount”…again. My old copies of Orthodoxy (G.K. Chesterton) and Mere Christianity (C.S.Lewis). My children laughing together as they tell a tale from days past.
Read more