Maybe it's because I'm getting old but in growing up, I am always
trying to find the most efficient and most effective way to do things.
Christopher Walken has spoken on many talk shows about his
inability to learn grammar well at a young age (thus foreshadowing
his career of speaking strangely and placing strange emphasis on
parts of words that aren't usually emphasized). He also spoke of
how this hindered his communication skills at a young age but how
he learned to make his hinderance into something interesting and
unique. I'd say he's done alright.
I know this guy named Bob. Bob helped to get me involved writing
with a publication a few years back and though he is definitely one
of the busiest men I've ever met, he always made time to
communicate. Even if I emailed him a question that he had no
clue as to how to even begin formulating the answer for, he would
always email me back promptly (within 24 hrs) and state
something like 'Ya know what - I'm not sure. I'll get back to you
in a few days with some info' or 'I'm extremely busy right now
- I'll get back to you in a day or two'. I have realized that even
though it was annoying to not have an end result, I was
never left hanging. I have tried to adopt that communicative
style (though I often screw it up) as I firmly believe that even
when you have nothing to say...you have something to say.
Leaving people hanging (when all that is needed to bridge a gap
is a sentence of 5 or 6 words) is pure laziness and utterly
disrespectful.
I digress. It seems that the subject of 'I know what you did
last summer' or 'What the hell happened last summer?' has been
bubbling up a lot recently. Although I don't usually vent in a
negative format, I think some things need to be said...and
oddly enough, it all ties back to communication.
I guess that's where a lot of my frustration stems from when I
think back to the summer of 2008 at Camp IAWAH. I was almost
always left hanging and I saw the darkest depth of adults acting
like children. Although there were issues that made last summer
a complicated time (and I am obviously partly to blame), when I
think back to it, so much could have been alleviated by simple,
straight-forward communication.
Here it is:
Life is short and I don't have time to waste my energy on bullshit.
That may sound harsh but it's true. If God wants me to use my
gifts and talents to the best of my ability, they were not being
used to their fullest potential last summer. I am FORCED to
look elsewhere. It's not like I will ever lose my love or special
endearment of the property and the ministry of IAWAH - that
will never die. I could just do without a lot of the people who make
it what it is today.
