VISION - May 2011
Several years ago I impulsively handed some money to a woman in the French Quarter in New Orleans who offered to tell me my future by reading my palm.
There were lots of people who had set up shop all over the French Quarter offering the same service. It’s a thriving business, because most people love hearing about their future. I don’t -- but for the first in my life I went for it because it seemed fun, and I decided to let go of my little fears of knowing my future. I don’t remember what the palm reader told me; I didn’t take it very seriously.
Economists may have slightly better odds of being correct, although I don’t pay much attention to their predictions either. And actuaries are all about the future; they’re paid really well, after years of training and certification, to help the insurance industry predict who will be most risky. A lot of money rides on their ability to envision the future, and they do it with cold statistics rather than warm palms.
The problem is there are so many variables when predicting the future, not the least of which is personal behavior. Sure, behavior traits can be predicted too, enough so that my credit card company recently caught the theft of my number because my spending pattern appeared to be different from usual. I was quite impressed.
But even so, I continue to resist any attempts by others to predict my future, whether with palm reading, horoscopes, astrology, or an actuary. I know the odds are strong that I’ll continue to have needs in the future, so I plan and put money into a retirement fund. But, I rather enjoy not knowing what will happen. I like the mystery. In fact, I relish the mystery. Maybe that's why I don't think of myself as being visionary. Although I admit I do occasionally see vague images in that poetic dark glass that give me energy and excitement. But, I don’t want any more clarity; it would be like reading the last chapter of a book before starting the first chapter. No fun at all.
Many of you liked the poem I read during the May 1 worship service. It is The Edge Is Where I Want to Be by Lisa Martinovic. (To read it, click on the link.)
Cheers, Kate Walker
The theme of the month will begin again in September with Hospitality.
Economists may have slightly better odds of being correct, although I don’t pay much attention to their predictions either. And actuaries are all about the future; they’re paid really well, after years of training and certification, to help the insurance industry predict who will be most risky. A lot of money rides on their ability to envision the future, and they do it with cold statistics rather than warm palms.
The problem is there are so many variables when predicting the future, not the least of which is personal behavior. Sure, behavior traits can be predicted too, enough so that my credit card company recently caught the theft of my number because my spending pattern appeared to be different from usual. I was quite impressed.
But even so, I continue to resist any attempts by others to predict my future, whether with palm reading, horoscopes, astrology, or an actuary. I know the odds are strong that I’ll continue to have needs in the future, so I plan and put money into a retirement fund. But, I rather enjoy not knowing what will happen. I like the mystery. In fact, I relish the mystery. Maybe that's why I don't think of myself as being visionary. Although I admit I do occasionally see vague images in that poetic dark glass that give me energy and excitement. But, I don’t want any more clarity; it would be like reading the last chapter of a book before starting the first chapter. No fun at all.
Many of you liked the poem I read during the May 1 worship service. It is The Edge Is Where I Want to Be by Lisa Martinovic. (To read it, click on the link.)
Cheers, Kate Walker
The theme of the month will begin again in September with Hospitality.
