Changes...Answering The Call To Return

 This morning I left my house, climbed into my car, and this photo is what I saw. The view represents the end of an era, at least for me. It was the day I returned to the office.

I had a good run.

Months ago, a national election brought attention to teleworkers, most of the attention negative. I get it. Plummers, waitresses, workers in retail couldn't stay home and keep their jobs. No, they have to leave their homes every shift so that the rest of us can enjoy the services they offer. Me? Well, I'm a public servant and decisions were made in the spring of 2020 to send us home. I had been working from home for a couple of years before this decision was made so no change for me.

Our bosses decided a few months ago it was time to bring us back into the office. I get it. It makes sense on some levels, but not so much on others. Still, I can complain all day long...it won't change my new reality.

I can go on and on (and have done so...) about the benefits of working from home--benefits not just for me, but for others. I know these benefits because I've worked under them for the past eight years...almost a third of my entire career. Working from home was great, an answer to prayers, actually. 

This morning I began working at a new location--my sixth with this organization. It took exactly thirty minutes to drive there. Turns out the drive was the most pleasant experience today. When I arrived, I had to set up my work station. The way I set up my equipment is very important to me. It allows me to be the most efficient with my work. Change disrupts this organization. I was able to get into the programs I used, but the word processing program I use would not comply. The most frustrating thing for me is that I had the same issue with that computer program a few months back. I KNOW the fix is simple, but for the life of me, I can't remember how I fixed it.

When the appropriate time came, I moved my keyboard, mouse, and headset to the side so that the worker with whom I share the cubicle half the work week can use his keyboard, mouse, and headset. I powered down the computer, picked up my stuff, descended the stairs and left the building.

All in all, there were frustrations, and yet, at the same time, I realized I am blessed. I am now required to go into the office twice a week. I still have my job, just at a different location...

A different perspective.

One day back. Here's to many more.

A Season Of Change...

 I am, admittedly, a sports fan. My favorite sports to follow in no particular order is National Team Soccer, some olympics, other soccer leagues, and NCAA sports, especially college football. This month, a premier NCAA conference blew up...the chard remains exist for the time being, but could all but disappear soon.

That's a damn shame.

I don't know all the details of how and why the destruction of the Pac 12 happened. I've read some theories...it appears to be a combination of greed, arrogance, and laziness. Like I said, I have no first-hand knowledge of the why, and it doesn't really matter anyway. What's done is done. I feel bad for the good people who worked hard and did their jobs to keep the Pac 12 functioning. It's not their fault things went south. 

As a fan of the University of Utah football team, I was worried. The very real prospect that the Utes would be left out of the conference party existed. Thankfully, they were invited into the Big 12 (funny how the numbers following the Big 12, the Big 10 no longer matter...). Thankfully, the Utes accepted.

It's been an interesting week as a college sports fan.

Many of my friends are BYU fans...they definitely bleed blue. They begin conference play in the Big 12 this year after wandering in the independence desert for a long time. I can't wait for them to again be part of a conference race, to try and win the conference, to complete for a shot at the playoffs. It's exciting. They deserve it. Utah has one final year of Pac 12 play, then they'll join the Big 12 family, and boy--it's going to be fun. 

I have no idea what changes are in store for college sports, but change is definitely in the air. Things have happened no one could have imagined even ten years ago. The next ten years could be even more nuts, but as long as I can watch my beloved Utah Utes don the crimson and white and play to the best of their abilities...

I'll be a happy fan.

I Guess They're Shutting Down The Fun...

 We moved to a small rural community six months into the covid dilemma. One of the first unofficial things we needed to do was find the best pizza place. 

And we did.

Not only did Pizza Plus have excellent food and (at the time...) reasonable prices, it looked like the local hang out, except because of covid, no one was hanging out. They had several video games--dated--but at least they were there. They had a couple of pool tables and an air hockey table...

But no people.

It was depressing, then again, depressing places were all over the place back then.

We've returned to Pizza Plus several times over the past months and years. I can count on one hand the times I've seen anyone actually taking advantage of the gaming entertainment inside, and when I did, they were playing pool.

Last month I went inside and saw "Out-Of-Order" signs on every game, every pool table/air hockey table, every claw game, even the change machine was "out-of-order." I asked the kid who processed my debit card why the change. He said the new owners had made an executive decision. They were shutting down the fun, at least the fun that once was.

It made me sad. I never got to see the place in its heyday. I can imagine if I had grown up in the town, me and my friends would have frequented the joint, enjoyed the pizza and camaraderie, and had good times. Who knows, maybe I would have asked out the cute girl after having a few caffeinated drinks. No, I missed the glory days of the ol' hangout. I'll bet it was great.

Everyone seems to be scrambling in the days of covid and post-covid. I hope the change works out of the Pizza Place. We'll most likely not enjoy the changes...we always get take out, but I wish them luck, even without all the "fun."

We're...A Little Bit Softer Now

No, we're not listening to an Isley Brother's hit song...I'm talking about a new home addition that was installed in our home last week.

It's a whole new world.

Before I got married the only thing I knew about water softeners is that we had one in the house where I grew up, only my father passed away before he could hook it up and so it sat unused for decades. I also saw bags of salt for sale at stores and knew that people would buy the salt for their water softeners. After I got married, I found out my wife's family liked and used a water softener. 

Whenever I was at my in-laws house and I'd wash my hands, it always took forever (or so it seemed...) to rinse the soap off my hands. Because I didn't know anything about water softeners, other than what I explained which wasn't much, I was unaware the whole "can't get the soap off my hands" was due to the softener.

It took a while--a few months--for us to get the thing installed. It required a plumber and they're in great demand. We were able to get a hold of one and a week later he came over and put it in.

Just like that.

As the plumber installed the device (which, for some reason, reminds me of Cylon technology...), I asked for his opinions on softeners. He loved them and since we'd already purchased our unit and not from them, I felt he spoke honestly. He said he'd never live in a house without one. Then he said we'll be using much less shampoo. That does me no good, but for the rest of the family, it's a bonus.

We've had softened water for over a week and I can definitely tell a difference (except for the shampoo part...). I'm glad it's in, even though it's still an ordeal to rinse the soap off my hands.

The Cub Scouts...How Much Its Changed

Scrolling through my social media feed (something I'm doing less and less these days...), I came across a notice that caught my attention.

I had to read it twice. What I was reading made sense, but when I considered what the message actually said, it floored me.

How times have changed.

And yet, it's almost a forgotten change.

The notice was for people living in my area and the surrounding cities. It let us know that Cub Scout Pack 27 in a nearby town was starting. They're looking for kids (and their parents...) who want to be involved in cub scouts to contact them. But what really shocked me is that this pack--this one pack--will be the only one in the southern half of our county.

Unbelievable.

I spent several years involved in the cub scout program, both as an active parent and as an advisor. My three boys graduated from the cub scouts--the last one leaving almost five years ago. I don't know the exact number that constitutes a pack, but to put things into perspective, five years ago, our neighborhood had its own pack. Our town had several dozen packs, and our town was one of the smaller ones. That means hundreds of packs of young boys have disappeared from the program. I don't think I could have contemplated such a change five years ago.

And yet, here we are.

There are numerous reasons for this change--I won't go into any details. Another thought crossed my mind as I read and re-read the words from the post. Normally, something this big would be discussed, debated, considered for months, maybe even years. But now, in a world of impeachments, global pandemics, quarantines, and lockdown, earthquakes, protests and riots, the fact that an entire cultural institution has basically disappeared barely moves the needle. If nothing else, that--to me--is shocking.

Yes, things change, but rarely has so much changed so quickly. We're just trying to keep up. Good luck Pack 27! I hope you make it.

So Long, Silver Bull...

We actually never got around to naming the Taurus. We used to name all our cars, but as years have come and gone, we've sort of got out of the habit. I think a good name would have been The Sliver Bull. We bought this car from my father-in-law around two years ago. At that time, it had been years since he was able to drive it. The car basically just sat in their garage. I know there were a lot of things he disliked about getting old, but not being able to drive was up there. And especially not being able to drive this particular car, was frustrating.

The thing is, he loved this car.

He often said it was the best car he ever owned.

We bought the car when we had three drivers in the house and another on the way. At the time we had the amount of the car in savings so it seemed like a good investment, another car with no car payment. My oldest son had a car of his own when we picked up the Taurus, but his car began to fall apart, so he began driving the Ford.

A few weeks ago my son bought another car of his own so once again, we faced the decision of whether or not we should sell it. Turns out, we did. We found a friend of the family that needed a car and they are particularly fond of Ford Tauruses. Turns out, they need a car for their son and the price was right.

It was bittersweet to see it drive away. Another change in our lives. When my mom passed away twelve years ago (I can't believe it's been that long...), as time went on, things would change and eventually, there would be fewer and fewer things to remind me of her. Selling the car is one more thing, one more change, one more memory of a great man that's no longer in our lives. We are glad,  however, we sold it to a family that needs it and will appreciate it, so for them, the car will turn into a good memory. At least, we hope so.

Is It Really...Time To Take A Stand?

Yesterday we had a visitor stop by our house. We hardly ever get visitors--our house is kind of out of the way. 

And that's important to remember.

My wife answered the door. A gentleman was distributing flyers about a proposed building project in our little town. The man was so against the project he took time out of his weekend to go door to door letting us know of his--and other's--opposition to the whole thing.

And he has a point.

There's an empty plot of land at the base of the mountain just to the north of us. For as long as we've lived here it's been just a field. Now, someone wants to put up an apartment building or condos--not sure which. Plus, we were told, they would put in 200 parking spaces. The first thought that came to mind was the traffic at that intersection. Big changes to accommodate this and future projects would need to be made. If I lived over there, I would have a more personal stake in the changes. Like I said earlier, our house is kind of out of the way.

My wife and I discussed these changes and we agree--if we lived over there, we would be greatly opposed to what they want to do. However, the more I thought about it, the flyer's wrong. It's not time to take a stand. In fact, there's really no time to take a stand over this. Because what these people are fighting is change.

My family moved to our town in 1969. Back then, I doubt anyone had an issue with a married couple with three young adopted children building a house on the property they bought. There were so few people and so much space back then. Fast forward almost fifty years. Now people--most have moved in after us--have issues with people doing the same thing we did.

It's been said a million times in a million different ways that change is really the only constant. As I get older, I wish some things hadn't changed. I wish I could still see and talk to my parents. I wish I could hang out with my friends sometimes. I wish I could run and exercise the way I could as a younger man. And even though I love watching my children grow and experience life for themselves, I desperately miss those days when they were small and I could make them laugh, a sound that was pure music to my ears.

The people behind the petition to stop this development might win this battle, but they will lose the war. The small town they remember and want to keep intact will soon cease to exist (it's possible it never existed the way they think it did...). They cannot win this battle because the same thing that allowed them to live in the city they love, will enable others to live and come to love the town as well. They can't stop what will happen, they can only delay. Maybe a delay will be enough for them. I hope so.

All Things Change...Some Quicker Than Others

On Friday I went with my wife to pick up dinner at the shopping center near our home. As I waited I looked east and saw the mountain on which we live covered in a blanket of white, the setting sun made it come alive.

It was beautiful.

It struck me tonight, as I looked back on some of the pictures I took this week, just how much things have changed. We'd heard about the shopping center for years and it took many more for it to be built. Before that, the only company I would have had at exact spot where I stood were cows, and the only food to eat, the grass on which they grazed.

We all know things change; it's the only constant. Even the mountains will erode over time, but for now, at at a distance, they look pretty much the same way they did in photographs taken a century ago. 

Somewhere, just above the buildings sits our house. It'll be gone one day, too. I don't know if it will be replaced, or if not. I suppose by then, I won't care. Just as the shopping center will one day go. Who knows, maybe it'll be bulldozed over to make room for cows to graze. Wouldn't that be something?

A Tree On 1940 And North Temple...

 I arrive at work early—for some, really early, for others, not early at all. I get to my building so early that it’s not accessible so I have to wait in my car a few minutes before I can go in. For me, it’s not a big deal. I’d rather be a few minutes early than a few minutes late.

On Monday I drove to work and since I backed in (I did a Priesthood Park…), I found myself looking at a tree, a tree on the corner of 1940 West and North Temple.

And I thought about how amazing it was for that tree to be there.

I thought about how long it’s been on that corner. I don’t know trees--don't even know what kind of tree it is, but it looks to be at least forty or fifty years old. That means, if it had eyes, it would have seen some incredible things. The road has changed over the years. The buildings have definitely changed. Millions of cars have driven by, or cars have driven by it millions of times. People have (and do…) rest in the shade it provides, and hopefully, others have appreciated its beauty.

There’s a lawn just south of our building, as you can see in the picture. I don’t know who owns it, but I would imagine it’s owned by the State of Utah. There are many government buildings around where I work. It’s not too far-fetched to think that one day the lawn might go and be replaced by another building. The corner is literally across the street from a light rail stop, so easy access. It’s not in the best part of town for a business relying on foot traffic, but it could be used for another government building. I don’t know, but as we tend to do, we’ll probably build something on that corner and if so, I think the tree would most likely not survive.

And that would make me sad. Of course, if/when that happens, I might not be around to even notice. But maybe someone would remember that at one time, on the corner of 1940 West and North Temple, there once stood a fine tree.