Downsized Office Space

Our cramped workplace had to consolidate further last week under orders from management. I escaped the shift to small cubicles that three of my co-workers had to endure, but I participated in an office-wide downsizing of space due to the department’s loss of storage areas.

The staff had to toss many materials that had been kept in previously unused offices. Most of the reference works hadn’t been consulted for years. Somehow the important issues and topics of 1993 aren’t that pressing in 2012.

Dozens of books and magazines that had been on shelves in spare nooks and crannies now have been carted to a warehouse across the street or to a historical archives vault down the hall.

The whole process prompted me to weed through magazines I’ve kept for nearly 20 years in my office cabinets. Most of them went to the recycling bin last week. This de-cluttering exercise left me with the impression that we save too much stuff. I have too many books and CDs on my shelves at home. Usually I only read or listen to a handful of favorites while the remainder collect dust. It’s probably time to do some more sorting at my house.

Dozens of books from our office also went to a giveaway pile in the hallway, where employees from other departments quickly snatched nearly all of them up. Those volumes will now sit around on their shelves for years.

Football Worship

The older I get the less enthralled I am with professional football — and the more irritated I become with those who are.

I spent much of my early adult years watching NFL football all Sunday afternoon. I would be anxious to get out of church by noon so I wouldn’t miss the kickoff. And I would be upset to leave for Sunday evening services — back when those used to be held — when a game wasn’t over.

Now I have to wonder why. None of those games added anything to my life. They just soaked up time that would have been better spent with my wife and sons. A few years ago I kicked the pro football habit. I haven’t watched an NFL game, including the Super Bowl, in quite a while.

I appreciate the skill of talented athletes, but why should I devote myself to following them? If the Chiefs or Rams or Bears or Packers win or lose, it doesn’t make any difference. Unlike in my early adulthood, Americans can now watch pro football not only all Sunday afternoon and Monday night, but also Sunday night and Thursday night as well.

Some of my Christian friends are more devoted to football than they are to the Lord. Are they sitting down with God for 10 hours a week? Do they post Facebook sayings from God every day as they do about their favorite team? Do they wear clothing declaring the glory of God as they do for gridiron players?

I don’t understand all the hero worship for athletes who fans will never know personally, people whose personal lives are frequently consumed with immoral behavior. What is this weird attachment to a violent sport? Is this a diversion to avoid dealing with important issues in life?

Water: A Precious Commodity

We live in a country subdivision that relies on a well for water. A great benefit to this is the low cost — $180 a year, no matter how much water we use. The downside is that the well or pipes periodically have to be shut down for maintenance or repair, nearly always without warning.

Usually this means an hour or two of inconvenience. But late Friday afternoon the well went down for what turned out to be nearly 24 hours. Not the most opportune time, as 25 guests began to arrive in our home for a church meeting. Sorry, folks, you can’t flush the toilet.

Dirty dishes from the gathering stacked up on the kitchen counter. As Saturday morning rolled around, we looked for innovative ways to get some water: raiding the stash of bottled water from the garage spare refrigerator; emptying the tray from the dehumidifier on the porch; grabbing ice cubes from the kitchen refrigerator.

Later in the morning, with the well trouble still unfixed, I drove into town with three coolers and loaded up water from my son’s spigot. Back home, at least we could pour a bucket down the toilet when necessary. By Saturday evening the water we take so much for granted began flowing again.

By then we realized how much we depend on water, and not just for flushing. Without turning on the tap we can’t fill the coffeepot, wash our dirty hands, brush our teeth, take a shower, wash dishes, fill the bird bath or water plants.

I always thought losing electrical power was the worst outage a home could experience. Now I’m not so sure.