Words From The Editor - by Vivian Heyl |
| Home - Table Of Contents - Most Recent - RSS - Permalink - Text |
Taking Chances
Posted on 2024-07-09
Taking chances
By Vivian Heyl
My husband, Larry, and I spent many years of our lives running a computer business. He has a degree in computer science and developed applications for businesses to meet their specific needs. He also helped them put procedures into place that would help each business get the most benefit from the applications he had written.
I have a degree in English. I helped with many aspects of the computer business including customer support and training. During the initial installation of any new software we would have a training class for the staff. He would explain how the new program worked and the procedures that were needed for it to run accurately. Then I would explain to them what he had just said.
Words are funny things. No matter how exact we think we have expressed something, someone will always misunderstand or misinterpret what we have said. Larry explains it this way. Tell the class when the opening screen comes up there will be two choices, yes or no, always press yes. Have them practice it more than once. The next day when the screen comes up half the class will press yes and half will press no. As human beings, rationalization is an important part of our intellectual process. If we don’t know or remember the answer we will try to rationalize what the correct response is. If there are only two responses offered, which one is the safest? It is my conjecture that those who hit no at the opening screen have determined that this is the safest answer. If we’re not sure what is going to happen if we hit yes then maybe it is not a good idea to choose it.
Choosing yes seems to be a challenge for many people. Life is full of missed opportunities because we pressed no when we should have pressed yes. If we never give yes a chance how will we learn what more life has to offer us?
Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” was standard fare for English classes as I traveled through my school years. This closing stanza explains choices the best.
“Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
This poem speaks to me about my own difficulties with taking chances. When I have two choices I will most likely take the one that seems safest, with the most likelihood of succeeding, but I will never know what would have happened had I taken a chance on the other one.
I’ve made a few attempts at adventuring, but taking paths that have twists and turns and occasional obstructions is not comfortable for me. I like to know where I am going and how I’m getting there. Those few attempts, however, were enough to teach me that sometimes twists and turns can provide exciting opportunities that I would have otherwise missed out on and the occasional obstructions gave me a chance to learn and grow.
No matter what that old adage says, you are never too old to learn. Making choices is built into our everyday life. We can’t escape them so let’s embrace them. The next time the screen comes up and says, yes or no, press yes and let’s see what happens.
---
Originally published in The Times Dispatch on June 25, 2014.
Home - Table Of Contents - Most Recent - RSS - Permalink - Text
Posted on 2024-07-09
Taking chances
By Vivian Heyl
My husband, Larry, and I spent many years of our lives running a computer business. He has a degree in computer science and developed applications for businesses to meet their specific needs. He also helped them put procedures into place that would help each business get the most benefit from the applications he had written.
I have a degree in English. I helped with many aspects of the computer business including customer support and training. During the initial installation of any new software we would have a training class for the staff. He would explain how the new program worked and the procedures that were needed for it to run accurately. Then I would explain to them what he had just said.
Words are funny things. No matter how exact we think we have expressed something, someone will always misunderstand or misinterpret what we have said. Larry explains it this way. Tell the class when the opening screen comes up there will be two choices, yes or no, always press yes. Have them practice it more than once. The next day when the screen comes up half the class will press yes and half will press no. As human beings, rationalization is an important part of our intellectual process. If we don’t know or remember the answer we will try to rationalize what the correct response is. If there are only two responses offered, which one is the safest? It is my conjecture that those who hit no at the opening screen have determined that this is the safest answer. If we’re not sure what is going to happen if we hit yes then maybe it is not a good idea to choose it.
Choosing yes seems to be a challenge for many people. Life is full of missed opportunities because we pressed no when we should have pressed yes. If we never give yes a chance how will we learn what more life has to offer us?
Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” was standard fare for English classes as I traveled through my school years. This closing stanza explains choices the best.
“Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
This poem speaks to me about my own difficulties with taking chances. When I have two choices I will most likely take the one that seems safest, with the most likelihood of succeeding, but I will never know what would have happened had I taken a chance on the other one.
I’ve made a few attempts at adventuring, but taking paths that have twists and turns and occasional obstructions is not comfortable for me. I like to know where I am going and how I’m getting there. Those few attempts, however, were enough to teach me that sometimes twists and turns can provide exciting opportunities that I would have otherwise missed out on and the occasional obstructions gave me a chance to learn and grow.
No matter what that old adage says, you are never too old to learn. Making choices is built into our everyday life. We can’t escape them so let’s embrace them. The next time the screen comes up and says, yes or no, press yes and let’s see what happens.
---
Originally published in The Times Dispatch on June 25, 2014.
Home - Table Of Contents - Most Recent - RSS - Permalink - Text
by Vivian Heyl 1950-2024
Vivian Running Sound At Blues Fest
Vivian was editor at Delta Boogie since we started the site in 1996. She wrote almost all of our Delta Musicians section, the most popular area on Delta Boogie. She also wrote anything else on Delta Boogie that doesn't have a byline.
She also worked for the Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, where she contributed many features and some reporting. Her work at the Times Dispatch regularly won awards from the Arkansas Press Association.
Writing was her passion. She wrote for her whole life. Much of it we still have in computer files. I am posting her work here as I find it.
by Larry Heyl
Links
Delta Boogie
Gamer+
Related To Geeks
Gretchen says:
Today we celebrate Vivian Heyl. Mom, Grandma, Viv. Whatever name you knew her by, I'm sure at some point in time she used her gift of nurturing on you. She was indeed a nurturer - of the mind, body and spirit. Her words of encouragement could only be outdone by her quick wit and, when needed, sharp tongue. She loved unconditionally, but she had no problem calling you on your crap. She welcomed ALL to her family - and about the only thing that would get you unwelcome was making someone else feel that way. Today we celebrate the life she lived, the example she set and the love she shared.
Many have asked what they can do for the family or in memory of Mom - I offer these suggestions:
Play a game with your family. There is nothing that would be a better gift than to share joy with your family and in memory of Mom.
Read a book (it can have pictures). Mom loved to go on adventures in books and she led us kids down the same path.
Encourage a kid (preferably one who no else even seems to notice). I promise that is the one Mom would spot first and immediately bring into the fold.
We would also love to hear your stories about Mom. We would love anyone who would like to share stories or memories to do so in the comment thread. Maybe you have a story where you realized, possibly even years later, that you had been molded by a momma's love in the form of Vivian Heyl.
If you would like to make a memorial gift, please consider the children and youth fund at Brookland UMC or the friends of the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, the Lawrence County Library or your local library.
Lastly, just keep loving us! We are sad, but we are blessed.
Add your words to the comments thread:
Words and Comments
Delta Boogie Newsletter/Gamer+ News - May 2024 - This One's For Vivian
https://gamerplus.org/@hairylarry/pages/1714661546292
My wife Vivian was the editor of Delta Boogie and a regular contributor to Gamer+. She helped me with everything I did including Blues Fest for 25 years, The Bandshell Project, Jonesboro Computer Services, The Jonesboro User Group, and so much more. I don't know what I'll do without her.
On April 18, 2024, Vivian passed on.
She was a writer all her life and I am collecting her writings here.
https://deltaboogie.net/words
She worked at The Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, for years. Her features regularly won Awards from the Arkansas Press Association.
She wrote almost all of Delta Musicians, the most popular section on Delta Boogie, where she provided Delta Bluesmen with a place on the internet back in the nineties. She also wrote all of the articles on Delta Boogie that do not have a byline.
She played and ran fantasy RPGs with dice and miniatures at ASU Beebe in the early seventies before D&D was published.
We home schooled our children and she saw their love of D&D as an educational opportunity for reading, writing, history, the arts, and, of course, math.
She loved music and games and she raised a family of musicians and gamers.
We have five children and seven grandchildren. I had two boys before we married and she loved them like her own.
She saved my life and she gave me a good life. I love her still and always.
For her, I thank you all, for your continued support of Delta Boogie, Gamer+, Delta music, NEA gaming and whatever else it is that you do to make the world a little bit better.
Please take a minute and say a prayer.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/@hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
Comment thread here.