Life Lessons from a Pencil

There is a parable told about a pencil maker who took each pencil aside just before putting it "finished" into a box. He would tell the pencil, "There are five things you need to know before I send you out into the world to be the best you can be." "First, you will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to work with others. Second, you will need to experience some sharpening from time to time, but it will make you better. Third, you can correct a mistake by changing it. Fourth, the most important part of you will always be what's inside. Last, on every surface you cover, you must leave your mark." The pencil understood, promised to remember, and went into the box. Now change places with the pencil. From Touchdown: Achieving Your Greatness on the Playing Field of Business (and Life); Financial Times Press; July 2009.

Moving into the 21st Century

I've whined about explained my computer troubles over the past two months, and probably shouted from the rooftop mentioned that I finally gave in to the frustration and went out and bought myself a new computer. A Hewlett Packard -- which has been my computer of choice for as long as I've been buying computer (15 years!) -- purchased at Amazon. It's fast, it's got a ton of options (video game excellerator, sumthin' sumthing gigga somethin', media sumthin sumthin and more). But - here's the kicker - it's wireless. WIRE-LESS as in Yippy Skippy I am no longer chained to my desk 8 and 10 hours a day!!! Look! (holding up computer) No wires to the modem! No plug! I'm sitting out on my deck, sipping a cup of coffee, listening to the birds chirp as I type. How cool is that? I don't even need to have a mouse because it has this thingie here (pointing) that is every bit as easy to use as a mouse, but it's not one of those itty bitty buttons that I've never mastered on my husband's laptop. It's like a "pad" instead of a mouse button. I've whined boasted mentioned that I've been spending a lot of hours working on my other blog, Quilting on a Budget. With my old computer, that meant I was pretty much tied to the desk in my office. No more! I take my computer outside when Brayden is riding his bike! I put my laptop on the kitchen counter while I'm cleaning the kitchen so I can watch NASCAR races live and not miss anything! I bring my laptop into the family room and work while Jeff is watching TV. And it just occurred to me yesterday that I can even bring the computer into my quilt room and pull up patterns on the screen, rather than printing them all out! How did I live without this?? Honestly, I feel like I've moved myself into the... ummm... twenty-first century with this computer. There are far more expensive computers out there, but I am as happy as anything with the one I bought for under $600. Online reviews call it an entry-level computer, but considering how much I surf the 'net, watch YouTube videos, play around with graphics and photos, I just can't imagine what the $2400 computers have that this one doesn't. So if you happen to be still chained to your desk with a desktop computer - come have a cup o' tea with me in the 21st century! Oh wait, it's starting to rain, so we might just have to move our laptops into the kitchen.

Spread the love...

Found this video on one of my favorite blogs, It's Always Something. Inspiring. The blog and the video. Spread the love, spread the word, maybe even spread a little of your hard-earned money. I wonder if I can also send Joey the Killer Cat?