The Power of No.

Overall, this year is going great. We started a High School Fishing Club. I get to be the head coach. We get to go practice fishing. We even took a fishing field trip. Why has this not been a thing before? All in all, most of my classes are going smoothly. Then there is “that” class. Most of the students are low maintenance. But there are three or four that are in a class of their own so to speak. I have been stretched to keep them reigned in. I mean it’s not terrible, but not what I’m used to. They seem to have an argument/excuse for everything that happens. None of them seem to know what a raised hand is for. It was taking all my creative energy to stay ahead of each event. ADHD? More like ABCDEFG.

This week we were taking a test. All I wanted was quiet without having to send anyone to the office. Somewhere along the way (it could have just been utter frustration) I used a word that I have not often used all by itself. I said no.

”I need to...” “No.”

But can’t I move...” “No.”

“I want to...” “No.”

All were the beginning of ridiculous requests. What astounded me was how the interruptions stopped. (Yes, I even said no before they even got to ask, mostly because I already knew what was coming.)

At first I was somewhat astounded. It was too simple. Them it dawned on me. When I tried to explain why they couldn’t do whatever it was that they wanted to do, they always tried to redirect or negotiate. There is really no negotiating with no. The only counter response would be to tell me “yes” which in these circumstances would essentially be direct disobedience, something that none of them seemed to want to try. A couple of them seemed to catch on, and after a raised hand and a properly framed question, finally received the answer they were hoping for. Still, it was quiet. The other students could learn uninterrupted. Amazing. One simple word, used at the correct time in the correct way made all the difference. I’m hopefully optimistic. We’ll see how next week goes. Who knows. Maybe I’ll mix it up using several languages. Could be fun… 

When Things Get Mixed Up

 

In our current unit in Biology we have been studying ecosystems around the world. This week, the topic of species came up. Technically a species is usually defined as: a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other. (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/species) This usually works, but in some cases it is still somewhat artificial. Sometimes we have organisms that could reproduce together, but because of differences in habitat, niche, or major geographical separation they are separated into different species. The dog, the coyote, and the wolf can all reproduce together. They are basically dogs. It is thought that our own domestic dog has been originally bred from a wolf ancestry. Because they usually live in distinctly different habitats that do not usually overlap, they are given different species names. The wolf is Canis lupis, the coyote is Canis lantrans, and the Dog Canis familiaris (often written Canis lupis familiaris).

Most of the odd mash-ups happen because of man’s intervention (truthfully, man’s laziness). They usually happen in collections where animals are not kept separate because of cost cutting decisions. Much of our early knowledge has come from the circus train years. Travelling circuses were notorious for keeping various kinds of animals together. It was only a matter of time.

The animal that results us usually named using the father’s name first. So a lion and a tiger, although they live on separate continents can actually interbreed, given the chance. I guess big cats are just, big cats. If the dad is a lion, it is called a liger. If he is a tiger, you get a tion. You can even add leopards into the mix and get a jaglion (jaguar + lion) or a leopon (leopard + lion). This also can happen between smaller cat species and our own domestic housecat.

Here are some other crazy mixes.

Dog-Wolf-Coyote can give a coywolf or a coydog.

Zebroids: We know from history that horses and donkeys are separate species (mules are sterile) but add a zebra in the mix and you can get all kinds of things. You can get a zorse, a zebrule, a zonkey, a zebonkey, or even a zony.

Bears are not immune. Even in the wild we find grizzly bear + polar bear = grolar bear. If you switch the parents, you get a pizzly bear.

A male camel + female llama = cama. You can get even get a geep (goat + sheep).

Marine park mismanagement has given us wholphins, a bottlenose dolphin + false killer whale. Narwhals and beluga whales can mix into narluga.

 

It just goes to show you that creation still has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. It’s what makes biology so much fun. You can’t make this stuff up. So what’s next? El Chupacabra is sounding more real all the time…

Working Together for Good

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,

to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

 

We sing it. We quote it. We even throw it at others that are having trials and tribulations in an effort to “encourage” them. But how do we react when it happens to us?

I had plans, lots of plan, good plans. Nothing this week went as planned. And yet, everything still happened, and actually turned out ok.

This year I had a group of students ask me to help them start a High School Fishing Club. We got permission to go fishing during a school day to get in some practice. (Who’d a thought it?) Unfortunately, boat logistics got in the way. We ended up fishing from shore. We got in some good practice, bonded as a team, and best of all, caught fish. I even got to wow them with my desnagging abilities.

Today we had a school carnival. I always do a butterfly house. When I went to put the new netting that I had purchased, it was two feet too short. I could swear that I had checked “repurchase” on the Amazon website. But there it was, missing the bottom. My wife suggested that I use our champing screen room. It was a brilliant idea. All I had to do was simply pop it up. I was almost done when I heard an ominous rip. So much for that idea. After a trip to Lowe’s for a roll of plastic and some heavy tape, I was back in business. The kids we’re wowed and the parents got some great pictures.

Everything got done, and the result was just as good as if I had had my way. It’s funny that we humans have such a hard time with trust. Even though trusting can get easier as we age and gained life experience, it still can be a struggle. There will always be new plans. Some will work our way; others will be bent to His will. And frankly, I’m ok with that. Because God is always doing good. 

Faces in Odd Places

 

Have you ever seen a face on something inanimate like a rock wall or even a potato chip? Scientists tell us that our brains don’t like to deal with disorder. Anytime our brains can find a recognizable pattern, they latch onto it and try to shape it into something we already know. The face on Mars (pictured on the left) is a great example. Under just the right light, causing just the right shadows, we see a face.
However, if you light it up evenly and turn the perspective slightly it just turns into another hill. Our brains saw the face because it hates randomness. The phenomenon is called pareidolia. It is a special form of apophenia, (the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things or ideas) that turns random visual data into faces. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia)

Common examples from everyday life include me seeing a face on the back of my Toyota. One might see a face in an electrical outlet or even in a piece of fruit cut just the right way. I remember reading about people seeing Elvis on burnt toast or Jesus on a potato chip. We see bunnies, horses or even dragons in the clouds. The list goes on and on.

Over the Labor Day weekend, we took a mini camping trip to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. (Hence the reason I missed posting a blog last week.) While fishing in the North Fork of the Stanislaus River, I came across this rock in the middle of the river.

That’s where my pareidolia kicked in big time. To me it looks like a fossil dinosaur skull. So much so, that I wanted to get down the bank to really look at it. It turns out, it is just simply a rock. But it doesn’t take much imagination to turn it into a whole convoluted story. One friend of mind said, “Oh, Transformers”!

It’s another instance of “seeing is believing” getting the best of us. Very often our senses can be deceived or even betrayed by our brain wanting to see what isn’t really there. That’s why it is so important to educate ourselves concerning the truth. Life is not always what it seems. But a dinosaur skull, well that would have been cool anyway…

The Weaker Vessel

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Peter 3:7

Have you ever wonder what Peter meant when he called women the “weaker vessel”? There seems to be a lot of confusing about it. Some try to use it as a way to mistreat women. Some use it to “keep them in their place”. Others just think that it means men are better. A smart man will realize that none of those were on Peter’s radar. Are women weak? Ask them about childbirth. Are women inferior? Try multitasking like a typical woman does. Are they weak? Try messing with one of her children. Weaker only means not as strong as what it is being compared to.

It has been said that behind every successful man is a proud wife and a surprised mother-in-law. All jokes aside, there is some truth in that. Finding my wife, and convincing her to spend the rest of her life putting up with me and helping me grow both intellectually and spiritually is still one of my greatest achievements.

Calling a woman the “weaker vessel” is not saying that she is inferior to man. Actually it is more the opposite. The Ming vase pictured is fragile; it is by no means inferior. An iron cup is much stronger than a porcelain tea service. It’s also ugly, rusty and you wouldn’t use it for visitors. In this case it’s fragility gives it value and importance. You treat it as a weaker vessel because of its importance. We look at histories great men leaders and often forget that there was usually a fragile, yet intelligent women helping influence decisions in ways that only they can. Anyone who disagrees is deluding themselves. Never underestimate a fragile woman holding a tea cup, pinky out. Many men have, and have paid the price.

My dad had a friend who used to say, “The man is the head of the home; The wife is the neck that turns the head”. He did not mean it in a bad way. He was not talking about a rebellious, brawling wife. He just understood that a good wife can see things that the man doesn’t and in her own “fragile”, and subtle way can keep him going in the right direction.

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Proverbs 31:10

What a good woman trades in physical strength (and I’m not sure overall there is that much difference, think brute strength verses endurance) she more than makes up for in virtue, stamina, and finesse.

Weaker? Possibly. Inferior? Not hardly.

Priceless. 

Do I Allow People to Change?

There he was – a Facebook recommendation from my high school days. Some people have changed so much that I struggle to recall who they are. But not him. I’d recognize that face anywhere. He was what you might call, one of the school bullies. Well at least to a geek like me. Handsome, good at sports, he was one of the popular crowd. I can remember it like it was yesterday. There we were in an all-school assembly. He and his cronies were sitting behind me in the next row. Throughout the whole event, they kept throwing pieces of paper at the back of my head. It didn’t hurt; not physically anyway. But I could feel the embarrassment rising as my ear began to feel hot. I felt trapped, like a rat. I really didn’t want to make a scene and tell someone. Back then, snitches got stitches. There was no way I was going to turn around and say something. That would just escalate it. Punching him was out of the question. I only weighed 114lbs soaking wet. His friend was 6’3” and a linebacker on the football team. He was no runt either.

So I took it. I got over it, and buried it along with all the other uncomfortable memories from high school. At least I thought I did, until now. Facebook friend? Ha! I think not. And then came the memories of how I also had been inconsiderate of other people and their feelings. But that was then; this is now. I’ve changed. That’s when it hit me. Why was I not allowing “him” to change? High school was some of the weirdest years of our lives. For all I know, he could be a totally different person. I know I am.

I honestly don’t know if I will ever add him to my Facebook list of friends. My wife says I have too many already, so I have been very selective of late. What I do know is that I need to be more forgiving of past people and events and give them the opportunity to show that they too have grown, just as I have. The Apostle Paul summed it up this way.

 “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

You, Facebook guy, wherever you are, I hope you are growing better each day. You have my permission.

Why Do We Yawn?

You get up in the morning. You stretch your arms and there it is. Your mouth opens wide, you breathe in slowly and deeply, and then exhale quickly. You might even hear a rumbling sound in your ears. We call that a yawn. In fact, chances are that you just yawned right now because you were thinking about it. Babies do it. Adults do it. Even birds and mammals like our dogs and cats do it. We yawn when we wake up. We yawn when we need to go to bed. We yawn when we are bored.

Yawning is an involuntary reflex consisting of a wide mouth opening, a deep inhalation, and a short exhale. It typically lasts a few seconds and is common when you feel tired, bored, or waking up. It also happens when other people yawn. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yawn)

But why do we yawn? There are several theories about why it happens. One idea says that the body is trying to get rid of excess carbon dioxide in our blood. Carbon dioxide is the stuff we breathe out. Another one saws that it is the body’s attempt to help keep us alert. It’s possible that the extra oxygen we breathe in can help wake us up. One researcher thought it might help cool the brain. For me, I notice is that my eyes get watery when I yawn. Maybe it helps us see better also.  Others think it could be a group signal to tell everyone it’s bedtime. One other theory says that it might help us keep our airway open and help us to be able to swallow and speak easier.

Did you know that yawns are thought to be “contagious”? Try it. If you are someone around you yawns, there’s a good chance that it will cause others to yawn also. Group yawn everybody! It could be that we are showing empathy (letting them know that we know how they feel). Some researchers have noted that some individuals that struggle with empathy also do not yawn along with other people as often. Although it has been used in movies by profilers to check for sociopathic, or psychopathic tendencies, there has not been a definite link established. This is still hotly debated since empathy is a difficult trait to measure. It might be that we just learn to imitate it when we were children. They say that our dogs learn to yawn from us!

Most of us cover our mouths when we yawn. Most likely this is because your parents said that is the polite thing to do. I mean, no one really wants to look down your throat! (We’ll maybe your doctor: and he tell you to say ah.) In the Middle Ages it was thought that you might “yawn out your spirit”, or that and evil spirit might get into you if your mouth was open too long, but we know that was just a myth. Still it’s probably better for everyone if you still cover your mouth when you yawn. Don’t want a fly to get in! Wow, I think I have yawned 5 times just writing this. Empathy? Or maybe I just need a nap…