Ongoing Training

I know that it has been a while since I have written an entry.  While I have had a lot of things inspire a blog entry, I have not had much time and/or interest in writing.  Because of this, I am taking a little time now to do so.

I just finished my yearly In-Service with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services yesterday.  It’s a week long series of classes.  Some of them, like fire safety and report writing are required by everyone.  Others, like PPCT (Pressure Point Control Tactics) are only required for those who have direct Inmate contact.  As a Unit Case Worker, I have to not only take ‘basic self-defense,’ but more advanced defense and control tactics in order to protect myself and other staff from an aggressive Inmate.

This past week was enjoyable and challenging.  Because I am a certified ASHI (American Safety and Health Institute – https://emergencycare.hsi.com/) First Aid and CPR qualified, instead of taking the First Aid/CPR class, I taught part of it.  Although I had a bit of a rough start, I did manage to keep it interesting and informative.  I focused on the First Aid part while the Training Specialist, in charge of the In-Service classes, taught the CPR part.  This was good because we had a large class, so out tag teaming it broke it up into more manageable groups.  That was a lot of fun!

Because my back problems flared up last week, while on a short vacation or all things, I was really worried about the self-defense part this past week.  However, since God evidently wants me to stay where I am at, He enabled me to not just partake in the class, but to participate normally.  That is, although my back bothered me at times, it did not limit me in what I could do.  And, since martial arts is something I have always been very interested in, I really got a good workout, for two days straight.

In fact, the Training Specialist joked with me yesterday morning, the day after all of the PPCT/self-defense training.  Because of all that I did in training, she was not expecting me to be in class yesterday.  I then told her that, quite frankly, I was astounded that I was not in excruciating pain myself.

Now, I just have to finish my on-line portion of my In-Service.  This is the part that I am not overly thrilled about.  Having grown up on the 70s and 80s, my preference is the ‘traditional classroom.’  While I can learn from an online course, it just isn’t the same as attending the class, having a physical book(s), and being able to actively interact with the instructor and other students.  It just isn’t as enriching.

Now, there are some on-line things that I have been actively taking advantage of that I do like.  For example, I am really enjoying Duolingo (https://www.duolingo.com/).  I am using it to maintain my German language skills and learn Spanish.  Although it’s not nearly as good as actually partaking in a class, it is set up in such a way as to enable a person to learn another language.  Of all the different ‘learn-at-your-own-pace’ books and programs that I have tried over the years, this one is one of the best.  In my opinion…

At least the training that I am doing for the Nebraska Department of Corrections isn’t as intense and annoying as some of the Army training that I have done over the years.  For example, the ‘Accident Avoidance’ course that I’ve taken yearly since 2003 has not changed at all.  It not only has the same person narrate it, while wearing ‘old school’ BDUs, which were replaced by the ACUs many years ago, but the scenarios have not changed.  And, since you can’t skip though things, one is forced to sit through the exact…same…annoying…unchanging…scenario…  To me, that is a very good definition of ‘death by PowerPoint.’ 

I also had to do many other classes in order to be able to promote to Staff Sergeant and for being a ADSO (Additional Duty Safety Officer) for my unit.  The on-line course for promotions, SSD2 (Self-Structured Development, I believe) was very long and tiring.  Don’t get me wrong…  There was a lot of good things in the course.  And, much of it was definitely important things to know and understand so that I could be a good mid-level leader.  However, the class’ approach and teaching style often left a lot to be desired.  At least for me, it was not very engaging at times.

I do know that everyone learns differently.  What works well for one person may not work as well for someone else.  For me, on-line classes have to be done in a very engaging way, and be something that I am really interested in, for it to be effective and enjoyable.  And, I do understand that many large corporations/organizations do a lot of the on-line training because it cuts down on their cots.  Understandable… 

Oh, well…  In a little bit, I will return to my on-line training for NDCS and continue to plod through it.  After that, I will do some on-line training that I really enjoy.  That is, the Duolingo course.  I will also probably engage in one of my new hobbies this weekend.  Well, finish something from a new hobby.  More about that later, though…

In closing, I definitely do encourage all of you to continue to learn and grow.  Find avenues, be it from an instructor in a class, from YouTube videos, or from a book, to learn new things and improve skills that you already have.  The more you learn, the more you better your life and the lives of those around you.

In Christ,

Ray

Decisions in Life

Not that long ago, my wife pulled out a box of books that I had growing up. In the box was 20 plus books and numerous Ranger Rick magazines. My kids love being read to and my oldest is starting to read on his own. It is awesome to see.

The books that were in the box are the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series. In a nut shells, they are books with multiple endings and you had to make decisions throughout the book. It was a series that my 4th Grade teacher intodced me to. Although I had always loved to read, this book series helped me to read even more on my own. Having always been a high sensing introvert, this book fed my imagination and helped me to stop and think. And, yes,I would sometimes read through all of the endings, then try to figure out how to get to them.

Later this year, I will be celebrating 10 years with working for the State of Nebraska. And, all of those years have been with the Department of Corrections. At the end of this month, I will celebrate 16 years with the US Army (Active Duty and the Nebraska National Guard). It has not been an easy 16 years, but I have had a lot of good times. There has been pain and sorrow during those times, but also times of joy and celebration. Those jobs, my two marriages, my four deployments, helping my wife raise our two kids, etc., have all contributed to who I am today.

What I loved about those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books was that the stories would change, depending on what choices I made. If I didn't like how the story ended, I could start over. Or, I could find the endings that I liked and then try to figure out how to get there. But, those books were not like real life. If I did not like the consequences of my actions, I could not 'go back to the begining of the story' and start over. I had to choose to accept the consequences of my decisions.

This is something that I am trying to help my young kids learn. That each choice that we make will have consequences. Some will be more pleasant than others. Others will be more painful. Many of our choices will cause many regrets. But, that is life.

In my (almost) 10 years in Corrections, I have met many people, both staff and inmates, who made bad decisions, but did not want to accept the consequences. Even though their decisions brought temporary joy, pleasure, benefits, etc., the long term consequences were extremely painful. And, these people did not want to have to endure their consequences. It would sadden me, especially when it was staff who had made the bad decisions. But, it would aggravate me to no end to see adults wine about the painful consequences that they had made.

It is some that I really try to instill into my kids. That with what ever decision we make, we accept the consequences of that decision. Whether it is something minor, like staying up late to watch a good movie or have dessert with a meal. Or, something more significant like walking away from a fight, choosing to drive without using a seatbelt, choosing a college major, etc. Big or small, good or bad, each of these decisions will cause consequences. Many will be clear, many will not be clear. Sometimes we or others will experiece unexpected consequences of our choices. Sadder still, we many unfortunately experience the unforeseen consequences of the actions of others. Or yet, even the "un-actions" of others. That is, when people either choose to to act in a situation out of fear or embarrassment, or because they do not want to help because of anger towards someone or out of selfishness.

Probably the last set of situations, the unfortunate cpnsequences due to others' inaction, are the most difficult to accept. We want to have control over our lives and we want to have good experiences/consequences. It is difficult enough to endure the negative cpnsequences of our choices. It is even more difficult when spmeone else makes a bad choice and you experience severe consequences. But, it is something that he or she will have to accept.

Unlike the books or movies, or video games for that matter, we cannot go about and change things once thay have happened. That is not real life. Though they can be good in teaching us how to make good decisions in the future, we can delude ourselves into thinking that we can avoid the negative consequences of our own bad decisions, or the bad decisions of others. It is a trap that is very easy to fall into, and one we always need to be mindful of.

Focusing on Other Things

I know that I have not written much at all these last two months. My family has had a number things come up that have required our attention. Between these issues, getting a new puppy a few weeks ago, my on going work at the prison (working 4 12 hour shifts in a row), etc., I have not had much free time. In fact, today is really the first day in quite a while where I feel like I can just sit back and relax.

I know thatsome people struggle with priorities on a very regular basis. The more things that you have to deal with,the more stressed a person can feel. Especially when conflicts arise on what needs to be more importnt. Some people thrive on that kind of challenge. Other people tear themselves apart from the emotional, physical and spiritual stress. How many people do you know who have made themselves emotionally, even physically ill, from the real (or imagined) stress in their lives?

I know that I have been stressed out at times these past several weeks. Though I have set aside a number of articlesto blog on, I have had little time or interest in doing so. And this is coming from someone who loves to write. This is part of the reason why I am purposely relaxing today. I know that my body needs the break. I am sure many of you can relax.

I know that a big part of life is learning how to balance responsibilities and choosing healthy outlets for stress. It can be very difficult to find that healthy balance, let alone maintain it. And, unfortunately, our jobs, the schools that one's children attend, church (or other religious worship communities), local communities, etc., all vie for our attention. It is a never ending cycle of getting some sense of balance, then something comes in and steals that precious balance. Your are then forced, all over again, to find that balance.

In my own life, I have found that taking time to just relax and read, spend time in prayer and Bible study, listeningto music that I enjoy, and breaking projects down into more manageable pieces, and purposely being with others (not near them, but actually ingaging them in meaningful conversations) all help in my life.

There are several things that are not on my plate anymore, but I still have a lot going on. Since I do this blog more as an outlet and not as a source of income, other things have to take priority. But, I hope to be a little more regular and consistant in my blogging. Though that seems possible now, in a few days or weeks, the opposite could be true.

Not only is this a mental and spiritual outlet for me, but I have noticed that I have a bit of a following. According to the stastics that Blogspot keeps, I have people from all over the world visit my blog. How many of them are regulars, I do not know. But, China, Germany, Russia, TThe Netherlands, and (of course) the US are regular cou tries from where people visit. I know that there is always a spike when I post on Facebook about a new entry. That is to be expected. But, even during times when I do am not inspired to write, or just too busy, I still get visits. It fascinates me, and encourages me. It is my hope and prayer that not only do people enjoy reading what I write, but find it encouraging and helpful.

Just so you know, I am writing this entry on my tablet. So, if there are any obsurd spelling or grammer mistakes, I do apologize. I have been able to correct several mistakes that I have caught, but I am sure that I have missed many.Perhaps some of these errors will give you the chuckle that you might have needed.

Prone to Thoughts and Lists

This entry is kind of a summary of things that I have been pondering the last few days. Because my lower back acted up last week and I have been very limited with what I can do physically, I have been doing a lot of pondering. Well, to be honest, I have been doing a lot of movie watching on Netflix as well. But, being a contemplating person at heart…

Over the last several years, I have had intermittent problems with my lower back. When ever that has happened, I usually do what I can to entertain myself and keep my mind off of the pain. This instance is no exception. In the past, I would usually watch movie after movie that I had. Sometimes I would do a particular theme like Star Wars or Star Trek. Other times I would just put in what ever movie was the easiest to get to and sounded decent. Unfortunately, when one's lower back hurts, the more one leans, or even just moves, the more painful it is.

Although I love watching movies, after a while it gets a bit old. Watching one movie after another after another after another… Intermixed with the movie watching has been meals, surfing the Internet, Skyping with my family, etc. But yet, it has almost become boring just watching movies.

While reading various articles on Facebook, I came across a website that had various lists (http://www.listchallenges.com/). Lists of books to read, lists of places to visit, lists of foods to eat, etc. For fun, I have gone through several of the lists to see how my experiences measure up to other people's ideas of what is important. I have high scores with movies, which is no surprise to me. In fact, with the 'geek list' I have seen 60/100 of the 'nerd movies.' That is, Sci-Fi movies. But, when it came to books, I was a bit surprised. Although I have read many books in my life, the books that I have read are not on the lists. Well, most of them. It seems that I am not as well versed in the 'classics' as I though I was. I admit, not all of the books on the lists sound all that appealing to me. However, it isn't always about 'appeal' that one reads a book. Many times, especially when it comes to theological and/or philosophical works, one needs to read challenging things. That way, one can gain a new perspective on how other view life.

Although it can be fun to compare what you can do or have done with someone else, one always needs to remember something. Each and everyone of us is a unique individual. Some people have the right kind of job or enough money to be able to travel the world. Others are able to sit down and read many books throughout their lifetime. Others are able to try various restaurants and try many different foods. Although it would be wonderful to experience all of these different things, not all of us will be able to do so.

But yet, sitting down and deciding the kinds of things that one wants to experience in his or her lifetime can be a good goal to set. For those who love to visit different countries, sitting down and creating a list of places to visit, and the order that he or she wants to visit them, can help create priorities. Some places will be very expensive to visit and may require many different visas or other applications. Figuring out what one needs would be a part of that goal setting processes.

For those who love reading, setting up a goal with the kids of books to read might be worth while. But even with that, one would need to figure out what genre of books they would want to focus on. There are so many different genres out there, one has to narrow it down. For example, although I enjoy watching a good horror movie once in a while, I don't enjoy reading horror novels all that much. But, I do enjoy reading a good mystery, sci-fi novel, or classical literature. Of course, theological writings are something else that I enjoy reading. For others, westerns or romance novels are their favorites. After figuring out a genre, one would then need to develop a list of books to read within that group. Then, the next question is, borrow them from a library, borrow from a friend, or buy them? Books can be expensive. But, if one really enjoys a book, having a copy of it might be good. Again, it will be up to the person.

But yet, if all a person does in life is make lists and think about what they want to do, are they really enjoying life? I have been able to do many things in my life. I have been to seminary, I have been in the Army (Active Duty and National Guard) for over 15 years, I have visited in Europe on several occasions, I have been to the Middle East, and I have visited many places throughout the United States. I have also been an Airborne Paratrooper, a pastor, and have worked in corrections. In fact, those are just some of the things that I have been able to experience.

All of us have experiences that make us who we are. Some of them are happy and joyful experiences. Some of them are painful and/or sad ones. But, each of these experiences contribute to who we are as a whole. Just like the books that we read and the classes that we study and the places that we visit, they all contribute to how we understand life. Some of these choices are ones that we make. But, not all of them. At times, others make choices for us. Be it our parents, the people that we work for, or the acts of a stranger. Each of these can greatly impact who we are and how we understand life.

As I wrap up this entry, I encourage you to think about something. What kind of things have shaped your life? What kind of people have influenced you? Whether you prefer books or movies, or love them both, how have they shaped your world view? With the places that you have visited, how have those experiences changed you? As you make lists, or jusACt think about what you have done, reflect on how you have been challenged and have grown because of these things. Consider, whether they they seem good or bad at the time, how you are different because of them. And with that, think about ways that you can experience new things and become an even better person? Not all things may be possible to experience. But, there are new experiences around each and every one of us. Ask God to open your eyes and experience new things. Especially with Who He is and what He has for you.