Perhaps you have already figured out that these blogs are my mental turds. They are what’s left after my professional self has taken the nutrients from my experiences that it needs to function properly. As is usually the case with waste byproduct, the question is where to put it. I remember hearing that one factor for a Native American tribe to move their tents was when their refuse became a problem. (I haven’t verified this, but it sounds sensible). People move from neighborhoods when the soil becomes toxic from industrial waste. The impact of castoff plastic in our oceans is rising to crisis level. There is growing concern about how space around our planet might become cluttered with castoff human objects. The concern about byproduct waste is an ever-present problem in any environment geared for production.

With that as a given, it seems appropriate for me to consider what to do with the mental material that remains after my professional appetite has had its fill. Ideally, this refuse can be recycled, reused, or reformed. That is what these blogs are attempting to do. I like the model of trees and people. People take in oxygen and give off carbon monoxide. Trees take in carbon monoxide and give off oxygen. That synergy speaks to me.  

The name of my Blog is “Worth Developing?” I wonder if any of these errant ideas of mine might take root if given a place to grow. I do not have the time or energy to give them the attention required for that to happen. But with my Kansas farm training where everything is saved ‘just in case’ it is needed (from my father, if you remember), it is hard to just toss them away. (An aside… I remember that my Kansas grandmother had a drawer full of rubber-bands – all stuck to each other through exposure to the Kansas heat…But she couldn’t throw them away… nuf said).

What are the byproducts of a professional life?  One that I highlight here, of course, is generation of ‘stuff’ that doesn’t quite warrant effort to spend many life units on. But maybe if they go in the recycle bin, someone else will find a use for them. Another byproduct is amusement. How can a person spend their days rolling concepts around in their mouths without some sense of playfulness?  One has to laugh at a life so distant from the backyard garden, the grandchild in the sprinkler, the tree you planted that has grown so tall, or the best meal you ever tasted. Of course, frustration is always at hand. What happens when your favorite concepts don’t fit properly into boxes?  Or the concept shelves get too crowded? Sigh…