Thoughts on Kingdom, Church, and Grace from an American living in Hong Kong

Monday, March 2, 2009

Louis CK and the Simple Life



I still don't have a cell phone. I lost one about 3 years ago and never replaced it. People keep trying to get me to get one. People keep asking me how they can get ahold of me quickly...and you can't :)

Which reminds me of a story:

When I was working as a Community Relations Manager at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, our music manager said they had someone come in to the store asking for me and had a question. They tried to get ahold of me but were only able to get Tammy (my wife) on her cell phone. She said they were a little irritated at not being able to contact me. I said I was sorry but they can leave a message at home and I would have got back to them. She said, "What if it were an emergency and we HAD to reach you." I replied something about "how our business was selling books and not brain surgery so there would be no instance when they would ever HAVE to get ahold of me."

Anyhow, you see where I'm going with this.

With the economic crisis hitting hard on many families, it has been a good opportunity for people to re-evaluate what is important in their lives. CNN reported the other day that the number of people requesting information on how to become a Franciscan Friar has rose dramatically.

I'm not surprised. It may be time for everyone to take a look at what is really important in their lives.



This clip, featuring comic Louis CK during an appearance on Conan O'Brian, highlights this return to simplicity as well as some wonderful pokes at our often over indulgent, narcissistic, fast food culture.

Lately, I've been making a point of just being content and thanking God for the things in my life I so often take for granted; A wonderful healthy family, a climate controlled roof over my head, a job that pays the bills as well as debt, food in the fridge and after a hard days work, a glass of wine. Really, what else do we NEED??

One of the advantages of having moved to a developing nation is that the "little things" becomes so special. An English magazine, taco seasoning, or a cup of coffee from Starbucks take on a whole new added appreciation.

Oh, and by the way, I still have NEVER sent a text message.

5 comments:

Bob said...

You forgot this: in only a month, baseball season starts! Unless there is a MLB strike, they can't take that joy from us either.

RE the Franciscan Friars: St. Francis was way ahead of his time. You should read Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron, one of my favorite books in recent years.

Steve H. said...

You know Bob, I almost put something about baseball in but I really did that entry on the fly. We are overseeing a new kid in our boarding school and he has some organizational challenges (to put it politely) so I kept getting interuppted...and finally, just wrapped it up quick.

But yes, thank God for MLB and I'll check out the St. Francis book

Graves Neal De Armond said...

I can understand the need for simplicity...but, knowing you and your appreciation for Sci-Fi, why in the world haven't you jumped on the band wagon for all the wonderful tech that is out there!?

I've been a convert since the days of the beeper and would be lost without my Palm Centro to keep the hundreds of contacts and appointments that I have; especially with being back in school!

Get with the program - TECH IS COOL!

Steve H. said...

Neal (Graves):

I like tech. I have a very mod and high end computer that I am writing this on...and even then I have to remind myself that I have to get off the thing and do something with the family. Tech is like drugs, which can be a good thing, I just think we need a prescription :).

Kelly said...

This video is making the rounds on Facebook. I thought it was spot on.