Battlecard

A blog about living with impact and making a difference.

Bad vibes from Amsterdam

Last week I flew home to Belfast from Amsterdam. After settling down for the relatively short flight, a person sat down next to me and quickly settled into a light sleep. The funny thing was that despite the fact he had said nothing, he seemed to give off really bad vibes. I looked at him with his eyes closed, he was unremarkable, the thought came to mind that perhaps I was being unfair or paranoid. It is rare that the notion of someone giving off bad vibes would occur to me so for the rest of the flight I pondered the real value of intuition.

When the flight landed we were among the first off the plane, I walked a short distance behind him. As we approached passport control it became apparent that the flight had a welcoming committee. A group of four or five armed policeman in bullet proof jackets were waiting. Once again, my intuition (or at this point common observation skills) set off alarm bells. They may have looked like the average Northern Irish policeman but instead of relaxed amiability they looked charged with adrenaline. With every step towards them they seemed to become more focussed and determined. As we reached the passport control desks they quickly moved forward and bundled the “bad vibes” guy away into a nearby room.

Don’t know what it was all about, but I wondered again on the way home about how valuable intuition can be. The science would suggest that I had been picking up on subliminal cues. Whatever it really is, my intention is not to disregard it.

Have been trying to enthuse my kids on the joys of photography, was really pleased to see my son explaining to his sister how the timer worked on the camera. Peer learning in action…

Have been trying to enthuse my kids on the joys of photography, was really pleased to see my son explaining to his sister how the timer worked on the camera. Peer learning in action…

What really happens when you die?

Yesterday, while walking past a local graveyard I asked my eight year old son what he thought the letters R.I.P. on graves stood for. His reply was an incredulous “duh!” followed by “it means re-spawn Daddy”.

It is interesting that in his head, when people die, they simply “re-spawn” in heaven. Not sure if the origin for this belongs with what he learnt in Sunday school or from the game Minecraft. I love the simplicity of his reasoning.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

The  Value of Perspective… Today was a challenge, came in from the office feeling weary and weighed down. The dishes had not been done from the morning and dinner unprepared. To have a focus I cleaned up and sorted out dinner, feeling like I wanted to crawl under a rock. My son came and asked me to install a mod on Minecraft. Generally this regularly ends up in me spending ages re-installing the original software, an unhappy kid and a stressed out dad. True as nuts, the mod crashed the program and I had to reinstall. Just when things could not get worse, they started to get better. My wife was really pleased I had cleaned the kitchen, after re-installing I was able to install a random mod that was a huge hit. My son was so ecstatic he hugged me enthusiastically proclaiming loudly that he was lucky to have such an awesome dad. It reminded me of what is important in life and how it helps to remember that we all have our own perspectives on things. It also seems that by giving we are able to receive more than we would otherwise.

The  Value of Perspective…
Today was a challenge, came in from the office feeling weary and weighed down. The dishes had not been done from the morning and dinner unprepared. To have a focus I cleaned up and sorted out dinner, feeling like I wanted to crawl under a rock.

My son came and asked me to install a mod on Minecraft. Generally this regularly ends up in me spending ages re-installing the original software, an unhappy kid and a stressed out dad. True as nuts, the mod crashed the program and I had to reinstall.

Just when things could not get worse, they started to get better. My wife was really pleased I had cleaned the kitchen, after re-installing I was able to install a random mod that was a huge hit. My son was so ecstatic he hugged me enthusiastically proclaiming loudly that he was lucky to have such an awesome dad.

It reminded me of what is important in life and how it helps to remember that we all have our own perspectives on things. It also seems that by giving we are able to receive more than we would otherwise.

The first time I held an iPad in my hands, the sense that handheld learning would never be the same again was clear. Now, it still feels like we are on the threshold of new applications of the technology in learning. Am currently using it in a course with Cornell University. Using this device makes information exponentially more accessible and engaging.

The first time I held an iPad in my hands, the sense that handheld learning would never be the same again was clear. Now, it still feels like we are on the threshold of new applications of the technology in learning. Am currently using it in a course with Cornell University. Using this device makes information exponentially more accessible and engaging.

Bringing innovative thinking into a situation may add value, but, the real trick is to ignite enthusiasm into action.

Bringing innovative thinking into a situation may add value, but, the real trick is to ignite enthusiasm into action.

With the constant drive towards creating momentum, I need to remember this advice…

With the constant drive towards creating momentum, I need to remember this advice…