Music and the Divine

Music can reach to the inner core of my being. Music can soothe, comfort, excite, irritate, cause laughter, move one to tears, or fill one with joy. Name an emotion or deep feeling and there is likely some music that can evoke that feeling.

Tonight I experienced joy and excitement in a performance by Sones de Mexico, a Latin music group from Chicago. They have an amazing array of instruments and play music from various regions and periods of Mexico. The acoustics of Sauder Music Center and an audience comprised of many people unhampered by conservative Mennonite roots made the concert particularly lively. How can you listen to Latin music and not get caught up in excitement, joy and movement? This certainly was an event that contributed to my sense of well being.

I believe human creativity, and music in particular, is evidence of the Divine. There are many times I sit through a church service in which my only time of worship is during the organ offertory or postlude. But experiencing the Divine should not be limited to a religious service. Although I did not think 'divine thoughts' during the performance this evening, my subsequent reflection on the performance, the beauty of the music and the creativity of the composers and performers causes me to marvel at the transcendent nature of human beings and the manner in which we are in God and of God.

The Good Life

I'm working with a couple faculty members on a blended (mixed online and in-class) course titled, "The Good Life: Theological and Psychological Perspectives." The course is based on a new branch of psychology called Positive Psychology. We are comparing psychology perspectives with the Sermon on the Mount. It's interesting because, based on solid research, this branch of psychology defines universal qualities that constitute a sense of well-being: e.g. resilience, optimism, engagement, flow, personal goals, creativity, productivity, compassion, virtue. Research shows that when people focus on and work at these qualities they feel positive about themselves and the life they are living. Uhmmm, not really rocket science, eh? But, it is a significant departure from the traditional "disease" approach to human problems psychology has followed the past 50 years. Reference: Flourishing, The Science of Happiness

I've resolved to begin blog posts on aspects of my life that give me a sense of well-being - positive events in my day that make me feel good and give me satisfaction.

As I write this, I'm eating dinner at my favorite pub in Goshen - Constant Spring. I'm not certain how frequenting this pub fits into the positive psychology attributes, but I have this incredible sense of well-being when I'm at this place. And it's due to much more than the effects of beer.

Food and drink: I love the food at Constant Spring. Tonight my fare is vegetarian black bean soup, a wonderful mixed green salad with Guinness dressing, a jerk pork sandwich and a Murphy's draft. The Jamaican jerk pork sandwich served here is the best in the world - spicy, authentic (Mark's own recipe I think), lean, and just the right amount of sauce.

People: I'm usually here with a wonderful group of friends. Most of them are at a Maundy Thursday church service tonight, while I've elected to nourish my spirit in another manner. I was immediately reminded of my friends by the seven older (well, my age) people at the table next to mine. They are engaged in wonderful conversation that is liberally sprinkled with peals of belly laughter. It's obvious this is a very enjoyable time for them and that they fully enjoy being together. Rarely, if ever, is there a solitary person drinking at the Spring. People come here to socialize.

The Constant Spring staff are another delight. Jason (the owner) greets me and asks where I've been. Emily (barmaid) glides by on her roller-shoes, skillfully guiding customers to order another drink, stopping by to chat and ask what is going on - "Floyd, I haven't seen you since we had Oberon (a seasonal local micro-brew) on tap."

Ambiance: Early evenings (6-9:30) at the Spring are great. No loud music - just conversation and laughter. Free wireless internet. You can socialize; you can stake out a solitary table; you can do whatever brings satisfaction.

So tonight I have this incredible sense of well-being, thanks to the Spring, food & drink, thoughts of wonderful friends and a great ambiance. What a wonderful way to end a week that has been very stressful and filled with uncertainty (I didn't write about that). And I just gave Emily a nice tip!

Cell Phone Etiquette

There are times I cannot believe how inconsiderate and stupid people are when they have a cell phone in hand and/or on ear. At the top of my current list is the guy who was sitting in a men's room stall last week as I was standing at a urinal adjacent to the stall. I heard the guy talking on his cell phone as he was actively in the process of a bowel movement. He would produce a very audible grunt at the beginning of a sentence. About 5 seconds later I would hear a "plop, plop, plop" sound in the toilet bowl. This sequence happened several times. The person on the other end of the line must have heard it - and it was a business call to an associate of his.

As I flushed the urinal, I thought about saying in a rather loud voice, "Hey, did you move your foot? What was that hand signal you just flashed at me? Are you soliciting me?" Or maybe I should have made a loud sound like an expulsion of gas followed by a very audible sigh of relief.

I do not carry a cell phone with me all the time. There are times I want to be unreachable, and I believe there are many times and situations in which others appreciate not hearing from me. To loosely paraphrase an old Pete Seeger song:
Where have all the manners gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the manners gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the manners gone?
Guys have lost them every one.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Savannah - The Lady and Sons, and a sad farewell

I should quickly dispense with conference information, but today was the best!! Les Howles, Senior e-Learning Consultant, University of Wisconsin, Madison, was the main presenter for the entire day. His two presentations, "Designing Multimedia for e-Learning," and "Getting Started With Games and Simulations for e-Learning" were excellent. Les has a keen interest in exploring new methods and technologies, yet constantly asks, "What does learning theory research tell us?" "What does cognitive research tell us?" His presentations were the most balanced I've heard on these topics. Presenters are often so evangelical and enthusiastic about multimedia, games and simulations, that they gloss over the real questions about whether or not learning really occurs, or is even enhanced by, the technology being promoted. Les talked about multimedia design, factors that enhance long-term memory storage, how to avoid cognitive overload, podcasting, PowerPoint presentations, games and simulations. He demonstrated many practical examples, both good and bad. The University of Wisconsin, Madison, has an active research program on multimedia for education and provides many resources for educators. So, in the three days I've been here, conference presentations are ranked as follows: today was best, Sunday was second best, and Monday ranks a distant third. Other conference attendees seem to agree.

"3:30 p.m. The Faculty Development Institute ends on time each day." is the statement on our conference schedule. And indeed it does end on time. The afternoon rains also ended on time, and I promptly headed out to tour the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. This Catholic congregation began in the late 1700's as French and Haitian refugees came to Alabama. It is called the "Mother Church of the Savannah Diocese." The cathedral recently underwent a $12 million renovation. The inside has wonderful carvings of the stations of the cross, paintings of the four evangelists, beautiful stained glass windows and is beautifully decorated. The organ was being tuned when I first entered the church. After 15-20 minutes of sustained, sometimes dissonant, tones, the organist began playing. I sat down, closed my eyes, and let the music flow all around me.

After I left the cathedral I had about one free hour before the evening social activity. I spent about half that time walking along Bull Street - the E-W dividing line for street numbers. A unique aspect of this street is that it is interrupted by beautiful squares (see previous post) every 2-3 blocks. It is such a pleasure to encounter these frequent green shady oases. At the southern end of Bull Street is Forsythe Park and a beautiful fountain. On the way back to the conference hotel I found a nice tea room and stopped for a pot of white tea and an almond biscotto.

The evening social activity was dinner at The Lady & Sons - Paula Deen's (of Food Channel fame) restaurant. Wow!! I'm still munching on antacid tablets, and not because the food was bad! We paid a flat fee for the dinner buffet. I had ribs, creamed corn, collard greens, baby lima beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans w/ ham, green salad, carrot salad, a biscuit, Guinness, Bass Ale, and peach cobbler - hence the previous reference to antacid tablets. A group of us decided to walk back to the hotel instead of taking transportation provided by the conference organizers.

Tomorrow I head back home. I'm skipping the morning conference session in order to catch a noon flight. I've met many wonderful people at this conference - actually referred to as an institute. It was a small gathering - eighty people attended. The small number of attendees, informal lunches, and organized social events helped us get to know each other in a short period of time. Savannah is a beautiful city and this is a wonderful time of the year to visit - especially since I heard Goshen just received 8+ inches of snow. It will be a sad farewell.

Savannah - low tide and a haunted pub

Sessions today were fine - not quite as good as yesterday, but still good. When the last session wrapped up at 3:30, I was out of there and off to Tybee Island, about 20 miles out of town. I wanted to tour a lighthouse on the island, but the ticket office closed by the time I found the place. My back-up plan was to spend time on the beach. I'm convinced I possess DNA fragments from my pre-historic sea-dwelling ancestors. I love the ocean - the waves, the sounds, the smell and taste of salt water in the air. I took off my shoes and socks, rolled up my pant legs and walked along the beach for an hour. It was low tide, so I had a hard surface with a gentle slope to walk on. That made it easier on my back. The water was cold - the temperature that is refreshing and slightly numbing to your feet, but would be excruciating to body parts located about 2.5 feet higher. I delighted in the former, but avoided the latter. Parking fee: $1.50. A hour on the beach: priceless.

It was then back to Savannah and the search for a perfect place to eat. I walked around City Market (see previous post), but saw nothing interesting. City Market is much more tame on a Monday night!! I was determined to find a combination of cuisine and ambiance that would jump out at me. A short walk north took me to River St. - a restored warehouse area by the river. I saw several nice Irish pubs, but we have a really nice Irish pub in South Bend, IN; I wanted something different. Close to the end of River St. I encountered Boar's Head Grill and Tavern. It was then I recalled we went past that tavern on the city tour, and the guide told us the tavern is haunted - customers sometimes hear slaves rattling their chains. Savannah is the 5th most haunted city in the U.S. Well, how could I resist? A haunted tavern, second floor in an old cotton warehouse, rustic dirty brick and wooden beam interior, with a view of the river. The meal was wonderful: she-crab soup, warm bread, blackened mahi-mahi and a rice medley; all washed down with a delightful local oatmeal stout and a Guinness. I carefully listened for rattling chains, but the closest sounds I heard were rattling pans in the kitchen and silverware being dumped in a container. Perhaps several more beers would have heightened my ghost-detecting senses. After a slow walk back along the river I was confidently legal to drive back to my hotel.

Savannah - hospitality and chants

I arrived in Savannah, GA, late last night. My first impression of the city was the edge of City Market at midnight as I tried to locate my hotel. Hundreds of young people, well-dressed young women in short skirts, many bars, loud conversations, laughter. Enough to make me roll down the windows to take it all in; enough to make me a bit wary and keep the windows half-way up.

Sunday morning presented a different setting. The city was quiet and the only people on the streets were those going to church and the tourists, like me, taking in the beauty of their surroundings. My first seminar began at 12:30, so I walked the streets for about 1.5 hours. I quickly relearned an aspect of Deep South hospitality - you greet everyone you meet. My northern city street-smarts have conditioned me to ignore people on the street and avert eye contact. I clearly recall one street corner this morning when I passed a couple and kept my eyes focused in the direction of my travel. As they passed by, the woman said, "Good morning!" But I thought I detected an edge in her voice that implied an inner thought, "What is wrong with that grouchy inconsiderate old man?" I hurriedly looked back and bade them good morning as cheerfully as I could in that awkward moment.

This city is beautiful in late February. Azalea's are beginning to bloom - although I heard it's a bit earlier than usual. Other flowers are in bloom and everything is green. This city has charm. There are many small squares in the historic area - more than 20, each about 200'x200'. Each square is named in recognition of some person or event and usually consists of a grassy area, oak trees adorned with Spanish moss, and a central statue, memorial or fountain. The architecture is astounding and much of the historic area remains residential.

Churches...churches and more churches. And what a variety - Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, African American Baptist, Episcopal, Greek Orthodox, Unitarian, and a Jewish synagogue. For some reason I had a strong desire to attend a high church service this morning. I almost entered one church but then pulled back, telling myself I would be sitting all day long and needed to keep walking (yesterday I spent several hours scrunched up in small airplanes). A little later in the morning I came across Christ Church (Episcopal) near the northern edge of the historic district. They had a banner outside that stated, "Gregorian Chant: Singing Goodnight to God. Sundays, 9:00 pm." I immediately resolved to attend.

After wandering around some more, I found a nice cafe with outside tables. My early lunch was fruit crepes and coffee accompanied by sunshine on my face. It just could not get better than that. I had to remind myself that all places have their own hell, and had this been July or August, I would be cursing the heat and humidity.

The seminar was very good and went by quickly. After the seminar I joined a group who went on a trolley tour of the city. I made an appearance at the evening reception, grabbed a quick sandwich and headed off to "Sing goodnight to God." The 30 min. service included more than Gregorian chants. There were several scripture readings, a short meditation by the priest, and a couple hymns. All were performed by a choir; the only audience participation was personal reflection and worship. The service concluded with a bass soloist singing "Be Thou My Vision" accompanied by a lute. I found the entire service very moving - certainly one of the most "thin" experiences I've had in some time. I sat in the church for a while after the service ended, then slowly walked outside. One of the city squares was just across the street, so I walked over there and spent some time in reflection as I watched a fountain. MAWG, if you are reading this, I can hear you say, "Floyd, I've been telling you..."

Well, I've said goodnight to God. Now I have to say "Goodnight, moon", and tuck myself into bed.