Perhaps my favorite way to "see" Key West, besides a long walk around Whitehead or Duval Streets, is by moped or as the locals call it, by "scooter." There are hundreds on the island, maybe a thousand or more. On an island only three miles across at any one point, it makes a lot os sense, and it's just fun!
So, I spent one afternoon just motoring around town on my scooter, and made my way over to the east side of the island where two of the three public beaches are located. As I drove up the coastline, I was fascinated by three large kites that were obviously being adeptly flown on the beach, as they dove and ascended with ease just beyond the row of palms and flowering tropical plants that border that strip of roadway.
I had to stop. So I chose a "cut-out" where the sidewalk comes right up to the edge of the water. To my surprise I discovered that these were not just stationery individuals who were kite flying on the beach, but instead "kite surfers," who were using their kites to propel them through the water while balancing on large surfboards, up and down the incoming surf. AWESOME! Three other scooters pulled in beside me...this was definitely a spectacle to be seen up close.
I recalled the freedom I have always felt floating on the surf, atop my own surfboard, waiting for a morning set to come in, along some Maryland beach. This "kite-surfing" must be a real rush! It has been many years since I have paddled out to enjoy God's creation from this perspective. It's time to return to that point of view every now and then.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Lessons from Key West-Volume 5
Since I'm staying at a Hyatt Vacation Club property, the other people who are staying, similarly are here for the week. The pool here is a beautiful oasis, surrounded by tropical flowering plants, large palms, and ample open space to allow for "sunning" from about 7 AM-6 PM. To add to it's appeal, the pool area faces the west, sitting right on the harbor, so the sun sets just beyond the pool patio framed perfectly by the lush vegetation. It's almost paradise. Almost...
This week there were two guys, both accompanying their wives, both in law enforcement. One is a NJ municipal cop, the other a sheriff's deputy in Baltimore County, MD. You ask...how do you know this, did you engage them in conversation? No, I simply staked out my chaise lounge every afternoon for about 90 minutes. Just long enough for the testosterone-fest. Ninety minutes was about all I could take.
In their defense, from the time we are young, men are conditioned to compete, to try to prove themselves as masculine, in control, "masters of their domain." Male peacocks strut, male bluebirds, the more colorful of the species, prune and pose for their mates. Apparently male law enforcement, particularly those from Jersey, need to share their victories as police, neighbor, husband, person...you name it. Feeding off the need to compete with the sheriff's deputy from Baltimore, who was drawn daily into the "who can tell a bigger whopper" fest, the two of them spent every afternoon trying to one up each other and doing so at a volume that everyone at the pool could hear.
I was reminded of more than a few weekends at the fraternity in college, when we would inevitably need to one-up our brothers in telling of our high school antics and victories at sports, dating, and life. I guess many of we "guys" have been susceptible to the temptation to prove ourselves publicly. But really...com' on guys, you're in your 40's, maybe older?
Perhaps I could have opted to simply ask them to call a truce, but I simply opted most days to walk away. It was a reminder that humility, especially public humility is a virtue I admire and will continue to strive to practice in my own life. While I admire the work these guys do, especially after hearing some of their stories, and the sacrifice they make to serve and protect...I guess I would have appreciated a bit more modesty.
This week there were two guys, both accompanying their wives, both in law enforcement. One is a NJ municipal cop, the other a sheriff's deputy in Baltimore County, MD. You ask...how do you know this, did you engage them in conversation? No, I simply staked out my chaise lounge every afternoon for about 90 minutes. Just long enough for the testosterone-fest. Ninety minutes was about all I could take.
In their defense, from the time we are young, men are conditioned to compete, to try to prove themselves as masculine, in control, "masters of their domain." Male peacocks strut, male bluebirds, the more colorful of the species, prune and pose for their mates. Apparently male law enforcement, particularly those from Jersey, need to share their victories as police, neighbor, husband, person...you name it. Feeding off the need to compete with the sheriff's deputy from Baltimore, who was drawn daily into the "who can tell a bigger whopper" fest, the two of them spent every afternoon trying to one up each other and doing so at a volume that everyone at the pool could hear.
I was reminded of more than a few weekends at the fraternity in college, when we would inevitably need to one-up our brothers in telling of our high school antics and victories at sports, dating, and life. I guess many of we "guys" have been susceptible to the temptation to prove ourselves publicly. But really...com' on guys, you're in your 40's, maybe older?
Perhaps I could have opted to simply ask them to call a truce, but I simply opted most days to walk away. It was a reminder that humility, especially public humility is a virtue I admire and will continue to strive to practice in my own life. While I admire the work these guys do, especially after hearing some of their stories, and the sacrifice they make to serve and protect...I guess I would have appreciated a bit more modesty.
Lessons from Key West-Volume 4
If it seems like rain is coming...give it about 5-7 minutes, the clouds will pass, giving way to the sun. There's a sermon in there somewhere.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Lessons from Key West-Volume 3
OK, so I'm on a roll today...three posts! Inspired, I guess.
This is "women's week" in Key West. For a town that celebrates it's openly homosexual population, there are a lot of gay men, but in many cases fewer gay women. But the lesbians come to town in full force during "women's week." Needless top say, there are many lesbian couples almost everywhere you go.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I spent the late afternoon at the Hogs Breath Saloon, a Key West favorite, with as eclectic a mix of people as you'll find anywhere in the U.S., maybe the world. The band started at 5:00 PM, and I watched them set-up.
The lead singer was a young woman, although to see her dress and her mannerisms, you might have thought otherwise. Now for a bit of honesty! I pride myself on being "open" to a variety of lifestyles. Despite my call to ministry, expecially in the Lutheran church that has struggled with TRUE acceptance, I have always been pretty accepting of all. I thought...
Even in college, at Lock Haven University, there was a large lesbian population. I got pretty used to lots of "alternative" behaviors.
And yet, there I was...judging! Yep, I was judging (in my own mind) this young woman. Judging her dress. Judging her "perceived" lifestyle. She went on to openly admit her preferences, and I was the typical heterosexual Christian snob.
Then she sang!
Her voice was so melodic. almost angelic. I was transformed by her giftedness.
A GIFTED child of God.
How dare I judge.
How dare I assume anything about this young woman without viewing her through the lens that our Lord views her....as a gifted CHILD.
I was a bit humbled. I recalled my time with the turtles this morning. All I saw was what I percieved to be her limitations. How dare I. She was a beautiful child of God, who blessed with a gift for music that helped me transcend my own prejudices, opened me to a side of her that I might have never been willing to see.
So much for practicing Grace.
So much for being open to God's presence in the world.
It was a reminder that I have a long way to go in dealing with my own "isms." Thank God for this young woman, for the music that she produced, both on stage and in her own life. And forgive me Lord for my rush to judgement.
This is "women's week" in Key West. For a town that celebrates it's openly homosexual population, there are a lot of gay men, but in many cases fewer gay women. But the lesbians come to town in full force during "women's week." Needless top say, there are many lesbian couples almost everywhere you go.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I spent the late afternoon at the Hogs Breath Saloon, a Key West favorite, with as eclectic a mix of people as you'll find anywhere in the U.S., maybe the world. The band started at 5:00 PM, and I watched them set-up.
The lead singer was a young woman, although to see her dress and her mannerisms, you might have thought otherwise. Now for a bit of honesty! I pride myself on being "open" to a variety of lifestyles. Despite my call to ministry, expecially in the Lutheran church that has struggled with TRUE acceptance, I have always been pretty accepting of all. I thought...
Even in college, at Lock Haven University, there was a large lesbian population. I got pretty used to lots of "alternative" behaviors.
And yet, there I was...judging! Yep, I was judging (in my own mind) this young woman. Judging her dress. Judging her "perceived" lifestyle. She went on to openly admit her preferences, and I was the typical heterosexual Christian snob.
Then she sang!
Her voice was so melodic. almost angelic. I was transformed by her giftedness.
A GIFTED child of God.
How dare I judge.
How dare I assume anything about this young woman without viewing her through the lens that our Lord views her....as a gifted CHILD.
I was a bit humbled. I recalled my time with the turtles this morning. All I saw was what I percieved to be her limitations. How dare I. She was a beautiful child of God, who blessed with a gift for music that helped me transcend my own prejudices, opened me to a side of her that I might have never been willing to see.
So much for practicing Grace.
So much for being open to God's presence in the world.
It was a reminder that I have a long way to go in dealing with my own "isms." Thank God for this young woman, for the music that she produced, both on stage and in her own life. And forgive me Lord for my rush to judgement.
Lessons from Key West-Volume 2
I'm staying at the Hyatt Vacation Club, who have an agreement with the Hyatt Hotel, just five blocks away on Front St. in Key West. So I made my way there this morning, a daily ritual for me as a workout fanatic. Just outside the Hyatt lobby, on the way to their small, but well-equipped fitness room, is a turtle pond.
Known for three animal species in particular, Key West is home to many turtles, chickens and roosters (who run wild in the streets), and cats (thanks mostly to Earnest Hemingway, who kept a bevy of them).
The Hyatt has a turtle pond, with a sign that reads, "for your viewing pleasure, do not touch the turtles as they might bite." I laughed, but honored the warning.
There might have been 30 turtles in this concrete, man-made pond. One as large as a "STOP" sign, with others varying in size from a trash-can lid to a hockey puck. There were two wooden bridges jutting up out of the water, and a sand mound for their sunning pleasure. Some were taking advantage of the opportunity to park themselves in the sun, while many just kept swimming...their heads just out of the water, while they floated along the surface.
So, here's my revelation.
The turtles parked on the sand mound or the bridge looked to me like typical turtles...slow, prodding, barely able to lift their heads and almost comatose in their behavior.
However, and I must admit...I've never watched turtles SWIM before, mostly because when I've witnessed them, they are in a surf setting, while these turtles were in a clear pond. These slow-moving, seemingly awkward creatures moved like liquid mercury in the water.
Seemless.
Graceful.
Almost with a sense of purpose, (especially those who swam over to me, assuming I was the next tourist to feed them),
I watched for a good 10 minutes, and it occured to me:
Turtles we assume, are slow-moving, prodding, awkward creatures. Yet, in the water..they are graceful and almost elegant, swimming swiftly and adeptly to the next destination. As I thought about my own life, it occurred to me that as human beings we experience some of the same.
Many of us swim adeptly through some aspects of our lives. I'll use my own example here. It tends to take limited effort for me to practice the ministry to which I have been called. I LOVE youth, their parents, congregational dynamics, etc, and tend to find comfort in helping others navigate life. I can help young people interpret their own emotions, build relationships with significant adult partners and peers, and in some cases, avoid the pitfalls of their young lives.
Yet, In my own life, sometimes like the turtles I watched today, in my own personal life I can be slow-moving, awkward and almost like a "turtle out of water," so to speak.
Is this God's way of keeping us humble?
Is there ever a moment that our peronal and professional lives align in a seamless orchestra of melody and rythym? Mixing metaphors...sorry. I kept thinking all day, funny how God helps us interpret our own challenges in the simplicity of Creation. Thank God for the tortugas!
Known for three animal species in particular, Key West is home to many turtles, chickens and roosters (who run wild in the streets), and cats (thanks mostly to Earnest Hemingway, who kept a bevy of them).
The Hyatt has a turtle pond, with a sign that reads, "for your viewing pleasure, do not touch the turtles as they might bite." I laughed, but honored the warning.
There might have been 30 turtles in this concrete, man-made pond. One as large as a "STOP" sign, with others varying in size from a trash-can lid to a hockey puck. There were two wooden bridges jutting up out of the water, and a sand mound for their sunning pleasure. Some were taking advantage of the opportunity to park themselves in the sun, while many just kept swimming...their heads just out of the water, while they floated along the surface.
So, here's my revelation.
The turtles parked on the sand mound or the bridge looked to me like typical turtles...slow, prodding, barely able to lift their heads and almost comatose in their behavior.
However, and I must admit...I've never watched turtles SWIM before, mostly because when I've witnessed them, they are in a surf setting, while these turtles were in a clear pond. These slow-moving, seemingly awkward creatures moved like liquid mercury in the water.
Seemless.
Graceful.
Almost with a sense of purpose, (especially those who swam over to me, assuming I was the next tourist to feed them),
I watched for a good 10 minutes, and it occured to me:
Turtles we assume, are slow-moving, prodding, awkward creatures. Yet, in the water..they are graceful and almost elegant, swimming swiftly and adeptly to the next destination. As I thought about my own life, it occurred to me that as human beings we experience some of the same.
Many of us swim adeptly through some aspects of our lives. I'll use my own example here. It tends to take limited effort for me to practice the ministry to which I have been called. I LOVE youth, their parents, congregational dynamics, etc, and tend to find comfort in helping others navigate life. I can help young people interpret their own emotions, build relationships with significant adult partners and peers, and in some cases, avoid the pitfalls of their young lives.
Yet, In my own life, sometimes like the turtles I watched today, in my own personal life I can be slow-moving, awkward and almost like a "turtle out of water," so to speak.
Is this God's way of keeping us humble?
Is there ever a moment that our peronal and professional lives align in a seamless orchestra of melody and rythym? Mixing metaphors...sorry. I kept thinking all day, funny how God helps us interpret our own challenges in the simplicity of Creation. Thank God for the tortugas!
Lessons from Key West-Volume 1
I'm on vacation in Key West! One of my favorite destinations in all the world. It is an eclectic mix of some of the most interesting people you'll ever meet. A large gay community. Drop-outs from the American "way of life." Cuban and Haitian ex-patriots. Alcoholics. Drag queens. You name it, Key West has it. Some would say the debauchery, degradation, and defiance exclude this town from God's abundant Grace. I whole-heartedly disagree! I humbly submit my reflections from Key West, as a testimony to the spirit of her people, and of God's Spirit acting in this place...
Tonight I spent happy hour at the Hogs Breath Saloon, "better than no brearth at all," is their tagline. I love it. It is an assembly of all the best personalities that comprise Key West.
I sat beside a guy from Austin, Texas and his wife. She and her daughter (32), and her best friend, set out for a walk along the famous Duval Street, so I engaged him in conversation. Turns out, his wife is a welder, who was exposed to the bright light of a welding torch without her goggles, burning her retna beyond repair. The climate of Key West, mostly humid (like it is this week), and somewhat overcast, is best for her condition. So they bought a home here, where they reside three months out of the year. It helps her "condition," and allows her to function almost without restriction.
What struck me about the whole conversation was the grace with which he shared his personal sacrifice. He had no apprehension about doing what was necessary for his wife to thrive. Make no mistake, he has a pretty good business back in Austin as an electrical contractor, owns other properties in a a variety of Texas towns, and is pretty well connected in his home state. BUT, knowing the sacrifice involved, and not being all that much a fan of Key West, he was prepared to come here annually for up to three months, to be sure his wife was healthy and happy.
So, I asked..."what about Galveston Island," off the coast of Texas...didn't it have a similar climate? Yes..he shared, but not quite the same. Key West it seemed, with it's clean, unpolluted air, heavy humidity, and realaxed pace, suited her needs just perfectly.
What struck me was the absolute sacrifice I heard in his voice. He knew, without a doubt that this was not HIS choice, but he did so without apprehension because it's what was best for his wife. He even shared with me the properties elsewhere that they own, talked about the opportunities to succeed in Utah, west Texas and Colorado, but never once came across as feeling deprived of those opportunities.
I admired his conviction, his compassion for his wife, his sacrifice...and thought to myself, this is Christ-like. I ask him about his belief in God, and he shared that God never gives us more than we can handle...a common response from pseudo-Christians, but I had to remove my "judgemental" filter for just a moment and appreciate what this guy was really about. He was absolutely making a Christ-like sacrifice, without naming it as such...and was happy to do so. I told him as much. He wasn't all that freaked out, so we chatted a bit longer, and parted.
So often, we assume that towns like Key West, Miami (south beach), New Orleans, have so little to teach us...yet my experience tells me that God's Spirit is EVERYWHERE, acting through those we don't even expect. May we ALL be a bit less judgmental, and more open to the movement of the Spirit wherever we find ourselves. Thank God for humbling me yet again, even in the most obscure and remote places as the Hogs Breath Saloon.
e here
Tonight I spent happy hour at the Hogs Breath Saloon, "better than no brearth at all," is their tagline. I love it. It is an assembly of all the best personalities that comprise Key West.
I sat beside a guy from Austin, Texas and his wife. She and her daughter (32), and her best friend, set out for a walk along the famous Duval Street, so I engaged him in conversation. Turns out, his wife is a welder, who was exposed to the bright light of a welding torch without her goggles, burning her retna beyond repair. The climate of Key West, mostly humid (like it is this week), and somewhat overcast, is best for her condition. So they bought a home here, where they reside three months out of the year. It helps her "condition," and allows her to function almost without restriction.
What struck me about the whole conversation was the grace with which he shared his personal sacrifice. He had no apprehension about doing what was necessary for his wife to thrive. Make no mistake, he has a pretty good business back in Austin as an electrical contractor, owns other properties in a a variety of Texas towns, and is pretty well connected in his home state. BUT, knowing the sacrifice involved, and not being all that much a fan of Key West, he was prepared to come here annually for up to three months, to be sure his wife was healthy and happy.
So, I asked..."what about Galveston Island," off the coast of Texas...didn't it have a similar climate? Yes..he shared, but not quite the same. Key West it seemed, with it's clean, unpolluted air, heavy humidity, and realaxed pace, suited her needs just perfectly.
What struck me was the absolute sacrifice I heard in his voice. He knew, without a doubt that this was not HIS choice, but he did so without apprehension because it's what was best for his wife. He even shared with me the properties elsewhere that they own, talked about the opportunities to succeed in Utah, west Texas and Colorado, but never once came across as feeling deprived of those opportunities.
I admired his conviction, his compassion for his wife, his sacrifice...and thought to myself, this is Christ-like. I ask him about his belief in God, and he shared that God never gives us more than we can handle...a common response from pseudo-Christians, but I had to remove my "judgemental" filter for just a moment and appreciate what this guy was really about. He was absolutely making a Christ-like sacrifice, without naming it as such...and was happy to do so. I told him as much. He wasn't all that freaked out, so we chatted a bit longer, and parted.
So often, we assume that towns like Key West, Miami (south beach), New Orleans, have so little to teach us...yet my experience tells me that God's Spirit is EVERYWHERE, acting through those we don't even expect. May we ALL be a bit less judgmental, and more open to the movement of the Spirit wherever we find ourselves. Thank God for humbling me yet again, even in the most obscure and remote places as the Hogs Breath Saloon.
e here
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