64 is 2 to the Sixth

The title of today's blog is a statement of mathematical fact.  Why is it relevant today?  I did not run 64 miles.  I only ran 6.4 miles.  For a total of 273 one day before the end of the seventh week of the year (tomorrow will be day 49).  That puts me at an average of 39 miles per week (with a week of only 33 miles over just 4 days).  On track for my 2000 for the year.  And I'm on US 40 in Ohio now.  State #4 on my journey.

So why the mathematical statement.  Well, I ran 6.4 because I got to the Y a few minutes late to do a full hour.  And I wanted to get to 273 total.  So, 6.4 worked.  And being the nerd I was as a kid (the guy who had all the powers of 2 up to 2-to-the-sixteenth memorized), I made a connection.

So, on yet another day of treadmill running, Since one of the themes of any additional art that I might commission some day (tattoo or otherwise since Sherry is not thrilled with the idea of another tattoo) is a cornucopia, I thought about six things that have doubled (rather than just doubling one thing six times) since I started my serious running again in 2006/7.

(1) My love of running.  This year so far it has been solitary again, but it is social as well as physical.  It is spiritual.  And it is critical for my sense of well being.

(2) My appreciation of the talent it takes to play music well.  While I have stopped playing so much music myself over the past year, I watched how little progress I was making.  And I watched my oldest son and his girlfriend continue to develop.  I saw what it takes.  I saw how long they worked and how hard they worked.  And I realize now more than ever just what it takes to become an exceptional musician.  Similar to what it would take to be an exceptional academic.  Or an exceptional writer.  Or an exceptional runner.

(3) My appreciation of art and what it takes to make good art.  This started with my tattoo.  Observing the creative process.  But it continues even more from watching my second son who will likely follow my oldest to the Baltimore School for the Arts but this time for visual arts rather than music.  Seeing what it takes.  Even occasionally giving it a try myself.  And realizing just how much effort is required.

(4) My appreciation of how much effort it takes to parent my kids.  I have done the single parent thing for a week at a time now and then when Sherry has had the opportunity to go on short vacations by herself.  However, over the past six weeks, I have spent a lot more time doing the single parent thing repeatedly while Sherry has taken Christopher (or in one case both Christopher and Kelsey) to audition at various colleges.  I really do appreciate what Sherry has to do.

(5) My self-expression.  When I began running again in 2006/7 I had not even journaled seriously in ages.  Now, I write all the time.  And I share.  And it relieves a lot of stress.  And my self-expression is not just writing.  The tattoo is a part of that as well.

(6) My search for answers.  Particularly in the past year with numerous sudden and unexpected passings.  And my search for answers in ways that combine what I do at work, what I teach in Sunday school, what I hear in church, and what I think about while I run.

Which brings me to say that I have a pretty amazing and complex life.  An interesting constructed reality in which things like the fact that I happened to run 6.4 miles could lead to an entire entry about things that I appreciate at least twice as much as I used to.   

Health Literacy and Sunday School

Today, was a scheduled day of rest (SRD as my one running friend refers to his unscheduled rest days as USRD).  It made it easy as I didn't have to take my running stuff to the hotel where I stayed last night.

So, the rest of my day was spent at a meeting at the National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR).  It was a meeting of individuals invited to discuss new research questions having to do with NINR's goal of focusing on wellness.  The meeting was described as a brainstorming session.  And at the start of the day today, the meeting was introduced as a chance to do what we always dreamed of doing in graduate school--talking about interesting research questions with colleagues.

One of the questions that we talked about was the most effective way to increase health literacy.  As I joined in the discussion about this issue, I realized how much my thinking about this type of question had changed since I had moved into my position at the Carey Business School last April.

I raised the point that health literacy is not just something that is static.  Asking a person about his or her health literacy is not like asking about their "highest level of educational attainment".  I think that the process we ended up discussing is one that could actually be quite useful:

• Assess the current level of health literacy
• Choose an intervention to give an immediate bump to health literacy
• As the individual searches for new information over time provide information that is in line with the level of health literacy demonstrated at the completion of the initial intervention and continue to try to increase the literacy
• The last point will allow the individual to learn about new conditions she has, new conditions her children may encounter, and new conditions her parents may encounter

Thus, health literacy should be something that is viewed more like a job skill set for which a person can accumulate position specific human capital rather than an educational attainment level.  My colleagues agreed with that.

I think that the key is to think about how to lay the foundation for individuals to continue to build their health literacy over their lifespans.

The key is to consider how nurses and other health professionals fit into the production of this outcome, the quantity of resources needed, and the return on investment for the individuals and society.  And to think about the business plan to make the process of assessing and improving health literacy in the population a profitable endeavor.

And how does all this relate to the rest of my life?  A colleague recently suggested that my efforts to bring alive my 2000 mile virtual pilgrimage might be a way to help the kids (and with my emails to parents with the lesson plan each week--even their parents) stay in touch more with the church.  In essence, building a framework for the kids to continue to build their spiritual literacy over a lifetime.

I've never really thought of it as spiritual literacy before, but this gives a new outlook to me as I continue to improve my own spiritual literacy and help the kids develop theirs.  

A Choice at the Track

Today’s run tells me a lot about me.  Why? 

Well, today is a Tuesday.  My most typical Tuesday workout is a track workout.  I have done this ever since my first marathon training group summer and fall when we had workouts at the a local college track every Tuesday.  There is nothing  magical about Tuesdays.  Just force of habit ever since then.

And for much of the time since my last formal marathon training group (fall 2011), I have run on the track at the a local high school in Baltimore within site of some of the buildings where I worked for years. 

This practice was put on hold for a while when a local company paid to have the football field resurfaced and built a fence around the combined football field and track.  In the time since, there has been a variety of off and on attempts to provide access to the track.  Usually, there is a city police officer who comes to open the gate for us so that we (and any local community members who care to join us) can run on the track.

Recently, the officer has been late a number of times.  I hear from other friends that he has missed a number of times.  Today, unfortunately, was one of those times. 

I first ran back to my car to put a piece of pie that a friend had brought in my car so I wouldn’t have to carry it if we ran the streets.  I am glad to have friends who find stress relief in baking.  The sweet potato pie made a very nice breakfast after the workout.

Then, when we felt pretty sure that the officer was not going to show, I was taking my windbreaker and hat back to the car.  I ran past two men with whom we sometimes cross paths on the track.  I told them the officer had not shown.  They said, “We just jump the fence.”

So after I put the clothes I did not need in my car, I jogged back to where I’d started and found everyone jumping the fence.  This presented an interesting issue for me.

In Sunday school, I teach kids to follow rules and respect the property of others.  No matter how much I may disagree with the city’s decision to limit access to the field and track, it is school property.

In my job, the registrar is one of my direct reports.  The registrar’s office was once referred to as the last line of defense against chaos.  Why?  Because it enforces rules.

At every step along the way in my job progression since taking the position last April, I have been encouraged to enforce and stick by rules.  Because any broken rule sets a precedent that will come back to haunt me and my office.

I also thought about how I represent the University.  I am someone who is considered a member of the senior leadership.  I was trying to imagine the conversation I would have if the officer showed up and started asking question.  My direct supervisor is the Dean.  I knew that later in the day I would have a meeting at which the University provost might be in attendance.  In either case, I could not imagine trying to explain why I was climbing over a fence at a place that was not my property.  I could not imagine it.

So, despite the pressure of my peers, I decided to do a tempo run alone on the city streets.  I ended up running 7 miles (6.6 at a 7:33 pace which is not really what I aim for in a tempo run but for my first time outside by myself in a while it was not bad) so that now I am up to 83 miles total in two weeks of the new year.  From where I left off yesterday, I would have passed through Mercersberg (a little town from which I knew a runner when I attended the 1985 Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences).  I would have also passed by the birth place of President James Buchanan.  And I’d still be on Pennsylvania’s route 16, now headed more or less north as the road twists and winds through the southern part of the state.

So, despite all my hemming and hawing about the lack of access to the track and my personal thought of being a “rebel” when it comes to not necessarily doing things by the book, I did not take the opportunity to run on it when others I knew did.  I just stuck with my “law and order” and follow the rules approach to life.  I worried about others’ impressions of me rather than just about my own needs.  Not living on the edge.  Not doing anything out of the ordinary.  Just behaving.  Simply—being a grown up who realizes what risk there is to doing things wrong and who realizes the consequences.  Whose goal is to set an example.  Who could not only not face my boss but also not face my students.  I adjusted what I did.  I am flexible.  I just go with the flow. 

Any surprises in all this?  Not really. 

40 Days to Better: Day 21

Today is another non-running day as are most Sundays now.  That is fine.  A day of rest after a hard run and a therapeutic massage is not a bad thing.

As for today's lesson it will be brief, as there is a lot to do today.

Today's lesson at St. Pius X for third graders will include the completion of last week's lesson.  In last week's lesson we talked about how God speaks to people.  One example is the story of the road to Emmaus.  On that, God, as part of the Holy Trinity, was in the form of the risen Jesus.  

I have always loved the story.  

There are certain aspects of the story that I find particularly appealing--especially how the disciples eventually identify Jesus through the breaking of the bread.  Bread is a constant theme in my life, and if I ever get a second tattoo (and I am not sure that I will) bread will be an important feature.

In any case, this is the first wedding anniversary for two friends of mine who had a wonderful wedding ceremony last year on Saturday September 22.  

The gospel story of the Road to Emmaus was the gospel reading at their Catholic wedding.

It is a wonderful story but I never really thought of it as something for a wedding.  I had always presumed that the two disciples on the road were men.  My one friend pointed out that there are some interpretations suggesting it was a man and woman.  What a wonderful story then for thinking about recognizing Christ together as part of a couple's spiritual life.

This is just one example of looking for second meanings and then thinking of how a second interpretation can be translated into a new insight, a new meaning, a new lesson, and something new to help me act.

I am sure that lesson can be carried over to other parts of my life to help me on my road to better.

First Day of Faith Formation at St. Pius X 2012-13

We have finally reached the first day of Faith Formation at St Pius X Catholic Church in Towson.  Back when I was a kid we called in CCD.  When I first began teaching it was called school of religion.  It has also been known as religious education.  I generically use Sunday school in conversation.  It gets grouped with faith formation because tonight is also the start of classes in preparation for confirmation for this year's 9th graders at St Pius.

In preparation for the first class, I have done a lot of thinking and some writing since last Sunday about Franciscan and Augustinian prayer.  There are two other types that correspond to the other combinations of intuitive/sensing and thinking/feeling in the Myers-Briggs personality types. Although it is interesting to note that the intuitive is grouped with thinking/feeling while the sensing is grouped with judging/perceiving.  In any case, one of the other types is Ignatian.  In that style, I get the sense that the idea is to put myself in the ancient text rather than trying to relate the Biblical words to life today (as is the most common idea that I perceive in Augustinian) or praying just out of experience of reality, particularly nature (as is the most common idea that I perceive in Franciscan).  Putting myself in the ancient text would be like trying to imagine the experience.  I suppose I did that best when I wrote a play for the religious education program to do at Christmas a number of years ago called "Who Makes Time for God?"  It still have a bit of an Augustinian element because the problem faced by one of the shepherds was having too many things on his "to do" list so that he didn't make it to see the baby Jesus as the other shepherds did at his birth and that is a very modern problem.  But I'd imagine that even the shepherds then had to think about their duties and their flocks and make a decision to listen to the angel.  My writing involved trying to imagine what the experience was like.

So, as I jotted down my notes for this morning, I found myself thinking about the many different types of prayer and the reality of creation.  With a lesson on creation, obviously the simplest prayer style to think about is Franciscan.  What do we see, what are we thankful for, and why?  As we look at the two stories of creation in Gen 1:1-2:3 and Gen 2:4-24, we find that there is some room for both Augustinian and Ignatian.  On the Ignatian side, I could have the students try to imagine what it would have been like if we read Gen 1 literally and Adam and Eve were told by God to fill the earth and subdue it.  Then, in an Augustinian twist, I can ask the kids what does that mean today-what is not only our dominion over the plants and animals but our responsibility for them as well.  Referring to Gen 2:2-24, I could, in an Ignatian way ask them to imagine being the only human (as Adam is described) and then the joy at having someone else around for the first time-then join that with an Augustinian approach to asking about how important other people are in their lives today.  Unlike Simon and Garfunkel, we are not rocks or islands.

In addition, I can also introduce the basic most basic concept of prayer.  No, I am not going to introduce my 8 and 9 year olds to the four types, but there is a nice definition in the book we will use that talks about talking and listening to God and goes one step further about lifting our hearts to Go.   We can discuss rote prayer (the Our Father is always a good starting place) and prayers for intercession to saints, and since I have been looking at things about St. Sebastian for my own life, I could share some of that with the children.  

Plus drawing a name tag for each kid's desk so that I learn names quickly.  With only 13 (so far) it should not be too hard to learn their names.

A lot to pack into the 45 minutes to an hour I'll have with them on day 1.  That is okay as I try not to dwell on any one thing for more than about 10 minutes.  That leads to thinking about a minimum of 4 or 5 discrete activities even in 45 minutes.

This year will be an interesting challenge.  I am really looking forward to working with the kids and continuing my spiritual growth through that work.

A New Beginning

Today is the first cool morning in a long time.  I'm going to go for a run that I had not planned two days ago.  I had planned to actually sleep in on a Sunday.  However, after not going the planned distance yesterday and wanting to enjoy the weather, I'm headed out today.  Hopefully the cooler weather really marks a new beginning for consistently cooler weather.  It will make fall running much more pleasant if it does.

Second, today is the Sunday of orientation for religious education (or Sunday school and what we used to call CCD) teachers in my parish.  I look forward to meeting returning teachers again, meeting new teachers, and getting back in touch with this aspect of my spiritual life. It is an important aspect.  Where I am now is so much different than where I was a year ago.  From many more reflections on the Bible and Sunday readings to my tattoo of someone who is described as having energetically spread the Word of God. I hope to make the class more interesting for this year's third graders and a more enlightening experience for me.  I think I have the capacity.

Third, and finally, I'm going to go back to Facebook earlier than planned.  But with a new statement about what I do and do not want.  And a bit of re-organization of priorities.

Three new beginnings.  Nice to start it with a refreshing run.