Thursday's Night Run (10/29/09)

Thursday night, there was little time during the day for a run. So, I ended up going out at about 11 pm. How peaceful it was in the neighborhood; just an ocassional car driving home. Besides being on the lookout for the stray pothole, what a wonderful time to reflect.

Tonight I read chapter 5 of Ecclesiates. This Ecclesiates guy sure spun his wheels on the making a lasting impact on the world. Even though he ends up making the statement "the best thing that anyone can do is eat and drink and enjoy what he has worked for during the short life that God has given him...", he really made an attempt at working things out. I mean, he writes "In spite of all of our work there is nothing we can take with us. It isn't right!"

My first thoughts went to the story about the kid stuck in the balloon but it turned out to be a hoax. The family was just trying to get on reality TV, missing out on the simple pleasures of spending the moment together. Instead, they spent so much time and effort to get on TV to become fleating reality TV stars. How I wonder about Eccleisates' reaction to reality TV? Oh, yea, he probably would have said, it's "useless". "We labor, trying to catch the wind, and what do we get? We get to live our lives in darkness and grief, worried, angry, and sick." Pretty sums up that family's situation at this time.

Then on a personal level, the quote "if you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want." Now, that's a great quote for a math teacher. When I was younger, I had to make the decision to either stick with the company in which I had a bright future or go to grad school to become a college math teacher. What was the deciding factor? As I stood there talking to the area supervisor about someday being in his position, I kept thinking "this guy is in his third marriage and he's rarely home. Do I want that?" So, I find it ironic. This Ecclesiates guy seems so pessimistic. Yet, he supports me and gives me peace of mind with my choice. Brings me confidence to walk in the classroom and enjoy the moment with the students rather than become disgruntled that I am not earning the same dollar amount as colleagues with the same level degree or even as some of my prior students. In this short time on earth, I can enjoy the time enriching another's life by helping them acheive their academic goals.