Outside Magazine's guide to "How to be a Poser"

I recently was thumbing through the November, 2008 issue of Outside Magazine. It was a "Nutrition Special" to be precise. But as I turned to page 41, I couldn't help but be overaken by feelings of frustration, anger, flat-out disgust at what I was seeing...

Kings of the Mountain: Telluride's top mountain men guide us through the wilds of fall fashion

I gotta ask - REALLY? Am I really seeing this in an outdoor, adventure themed publication? The following pages showcased a firefighter, mountaineer, coach/adventurer, and a pro skier who dwell in the mountain community. The pages also showcased the thousands of dollars these guys spend on everyday clothing to fit their exciting lifestyles - the firefighter was wearing a $4,450 outfit, the mountaineer - $1,264, the coach/adventurer - $368, and the pro skier - $418.

Now you might be thinking, "Well, the stuff they use in their activities is made with Gore-Tex in addition to the other synthetic materials that help shed weight without sacrificing function for these types of activities. No, the spread was of them prancing around town in cotton shirts and trousers drinking beer and being licked by puppies.

Thanks Outside - for showing us all 'How to be a Poser'

waves

Ups and downs, highs and lows, crests and troughs.

My wave seems to be pushed by the winds of Gustav

I watch from the beach, where nothing really happens at all,

     as ripples begin to gather

The breeze now turns into mild gusts that bring new sounds

     to my senses

The crashing water draws me in for closer look, 

     maybe even a touch

It is gentle and easy to stand at first, at least until I am chest deep

But as the water does its work, my feet begin

     to leave the ocean floor

I long for the comfort of the shore

My doggy paddle can only do so much as the winds take 

     the water higher and higher above my head

Before I know it, I am in panic mode - truly wishing I were

     in a small pond 

Where the waters are flat and quiet and I am able to 

     see where two worlds end and begin

But as it is, I feel trapped by the great openness of the sea

As the waves reach further to the sky, I am picked up by them

     and able to see great distances only to look upon one of the

          greatest unknowns I have ever experienced

I soon descend into a liquid valley where I think my 

     toes may scrape the earth

I am lost here surrounded by shear walls of water blinding

     any view to hope

This uncontrollable ride has an ironic calm about it though

I see gulls and small fish acting as if nothing is wrong

Mortal words may not be able to describe what I am feeling

     but I sense a strange order and purpose to this chaos

The next wave approaches

the sweetest thing

I have come to know a sweet and beautiful thing in my past 3 years in Clemson, SC. I really don't know if I can fully get the way I understand it across in mortal terms, but I will try.

That sweet thing is made up of meaningful relationships, a sense of community with other people, and cutting through the bullshit that most people pour all over each other. To me, this feels like what life is supposed to be about, what we are to pursue.

It is such a powerful thing for me that my mind has been transformed to be willing to stay in Clemson by applying for jobs in the area. When I began the 'job hunt', I was very anti-south, anti-anything in this area. But now it is something that I really want and desire to have in my life.

I guess just being willing is the most important thing when it comes to our Father's will.

What the frick?

It is a funny thing - what God does to people. How he orchestrates their lives and actions, situations. I am a believer in the fact that things happen for specific reasons.

Lately (the past few months), I have been on a job hunting campaign. Since January, I have applied, written letter, resumes, etc, to approximately 50 to 60 specific job openings. In March, I got a promising invitation to interview for a position in Gilroy, California, home of the popular Garlic Festival. I did very well in the interviews and was eventually offered the position before I graduated from graduate school at Clemson University. About 4 days prior to me leaving SC to begin trekking west, I found out that their budget was not going to support my position after all - sorry buddy. It was pretty devastating and hard to understand.

I got over it, but it happened again about 3 weeks ago. I was invited to interview with the Town of Crested Butte, Colorado. Now this was awesome. In the heart of the Rockies, a ski town, great people - I wanted this very badly. All of their language during the interviews gave me hope and led me to believe I was the guy they were looking for, but once again it didn't come through.

Again, a hard thing to handle and understand. Why would God lead me down these paths and get me so far in the process only to have the door closed when I get to the threshold? As I pondered, I began to notice the many things I was learning and gaining from these experiences. I began to let go of my own ideal assumptions of how things should go. I started to realize the beauty of the situation (static, unemployment) - Father was giving me more time with people that I hate to be apart from: my future wife, my closest friends. He was also showing me how He provides and how to enjoy His provisions - I am living with a close friend and his wife, I have been provided storage space for all of my crap, and a closer bond with my partner.

Even she has been learning and understanding the things to be learned and taken from this 'crappy' situation. Just to be willing to do our Father's will. That is all we want. At the core, that is what we ant - to be where God is leading.