Getting laid off, especially if you got a severance package, is a lot like going on vacation. I mean, think about it, you are getting paid, (via the severance) and you don’t have to go to work. In fact it’s like a really LONG vacation. Sure, you can talk about the fact that you “job” is to get another job, but you have no boss. You have no deliverables. You hopefully have meetings.
But, as anyone who’s ever been laid off can tell you, it’s nothing like a vacation. Because, unlike a vacation, you really don’t know how long it will last. I’ve had a layoff last for just a couple of months, and I’ve had it last for over a year. (In IT you get laid off quite a bit. Comes with the territory.) And I’ve never worked for a company that actually hired back their laid off employees. I think that’s where the term originally came from.
I got sent on a permanent vacation last May from Teleperformance. There was no animosity in it. It really was just business. I got a reasonable severance and I was in a position where I needed to go find a new job. It was an interesting time to be laid off. The kids were finishing up school. Vacations were planned. Summer projects. That got put on hold for the most part. I went to work looking for work.
I was pretty apprehensive. The job I had before Teleperformance I also got laid off. I spent over a year looking for work. And when I took the Teleperformance job, It was a much lower salary than I’d worked for in more than 15 years. But, it was a job with benefits.
It was a good job. I was there seven years. By the end, I was making a pretty good salary. And most importantly I really liked my job. I didn’t love it. I quit loving jobs when I realized they never loved me back. (Don’t fall in love with your job. It’s destined to be an unhealthy relationship.)
Today is Friday. This week I actually did get to be on vacation. On Monday I accepted a job offer with a small software company in SLC. It’s a job I think I’m really going to like. The salary and benefits are very generous. I start on Tuesday.
It’s been great to enjoy my vacation after all these weeks.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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I’m not a fan of tests. That’s probably not surprising. Many people dislike tests. I’m not special. And yet, tests are part of our life.
I used to think that when I was done with school, I’d be done with tests. I thought that until I got done with school.
There are plenty of additional tests. I took my drivers test while in school. But, later I went and got a motorcycle endorsement: Test.
I went into IT. IT has TONS of certifications. I currently hold a half dozen or more. I have at least twice that many that have lapsed or become irrelevant. Each one has a certification test that goes with it.
My lovely wife is studying to be a Medical Assistant. She takes multiple tests per week.
I recently went in for some medical tests. More tests.
I recently completed the Six Sigma Green Belt certification. It takes about 20 hours of instruction and a test.
I was studying for it when my friend Joe was in the hospital fighting for his life. I was preparing for a test and he was being subjected to tests. The results of my test could influence my job. The results of his tests could have affected his life.
Of course, not all tests are equally important.
I was really anxious about my exam. I spent almost as time prepping for the exam as I did completing the coursework. I was taking the exam to prepare for a job interview. I’d been out of work for months and my anxiety was pretty high.
But, I considered my friend Joe and his tests. Ultimately, I passed my exam and gained my certification. Ultimately, Joe’s tests came back terminal.
I would imagine that tests will be a part of my life until my death, just as it will be for all of us.
But, when I get too stressed about a one of my tests, I remember Joe and his tests.
As I said, someone tests are more important than others.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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Dill and pumpkins
My lovely wife and I plant a garden every year. But, we are not very effective gardeners. We pretty much only consistently get dill and pumpkins. The dill we plant (along with a bunch of other herbs and spices.) But, for whatever reason the dill seems to be the only thing that comes up. Dill is surprisingly expensive. We’ve dried several pounds over the years. It’s been enjoyable to share our excess with someone trying to can pickles.
We also get pumpkins. And while we plant a few, mostly we get volunteers. We use the pumpkins in the fall to decorate for Halloween. When the holiday is over we toss the old pumpkins into the garden. We get lots of volunteers the next Spring.
Last fall I was making some improvements around my property. I took dirt from the garden to fill in some low spots. Then, in the spring, I had pumpkins throughout my lawn as well. The water that the lawn gets is more than enough for the pumpkins.
Everything else we plant just seems to struggle. We get a few volunteer sunflowers, but they aren’t big enough actually get any edible seeds from them. We probably don’t water them enough.
Utah’s in the middle of a drought. It’s been a horrible one. Most of the water goes to agriculture and business. But, one of the few areas that we can actually affect the usage is residential. The water we put on our gardens and lawns.
The state has asked us to allow our lawns to go dormant during the heat of the summer. There are plenty of brown lawns around my little town. In fact, if you lawn is TOO green, the neighbors look a little sideways at you.
There’s a type of landscaping called xenoscaping.
XENOSCAPING: The process of landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation.
You’d think xenoscaping would be very popular in Utah. Especially during a drought. After all, no need to mow or trim. And even though here in Pleasant Grove, we don’t pay extra for secondary water, it’s a good thing to do save water.
So, why don’t we have a huge move to xenoscaping?
Did you know that grocery stores are racist? Well, not exactly racist, but grocery stores play a significant role in the poor health of many poor, and black neighborhoods.
Do you know how much a head of lettuce costs? Let’s say it’s about $2.
And apples? Maybe $1 per pound.
So, for $4 I can buy a head of lettuce and some apples. Do you know what else you can buy for $4? An entire meal at a fast food restaurant.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you. Everyone knows that. But, they are also expensive. Any mom can tell you that. Grocery stores in poor areas typically don’t carry a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. So, even poor people who WANT to eat healthy, often can’t. That affects their health.
What does this have to do with landscaping? I would love to xenoscape part of my yard. I’d like to do it to most of my yard, except in the fenced back where my grandchildren play.
So, why don’t I? They same reason poor people don’t eat more fruits and vegetables. It’s more expensive to “do the right thing” than it is to keep doing the wrong thing. So, I’ll keep pushing water on my lawn, and on my garden. I’ll dream about a landscape of native plants, rocks and dirt.
It’s just cheaper.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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Lots of people read my daily scribbling here. I’m guessing that most of you haven’t heard of Joe Drye. And, other than this post you are likely to never hear about him again.
Joe was my friend. He died yesterday August 2, 2021 from COVID 19.
Joe was 33 years old. And other than a smoking habit that he kicked five years ago, really didn’t have any underlying health issues. I’ve known Joe for years. He was, without exaggeration, the hardest working man I’ve ever met.
Joe could work me under the table. In fact, he could work himself under the table. . .literally. Joe was a desktop engineer when I met him. Just another face in a company of 130,000. We worked together building out our call center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Building out a call center takes about 4 months. Which is why they typically want it done in 3 months. It’s a very large project. Lots of different teams and departments get involved. A Project Manager puts a master plan together. All 90 days are plotted out in advance. Each team has a set amount of time. And when you try to squeeze a 120 day project into 90 days, stuff sometimes doesn’t meet its schedule. And it is NEVER early. It’s always late.
A project manager, because he’s good at HIS job, has a buffer built into his schedule. Technically it’s called “float.” But, easiest to think of it as a buffer. So, over the course of the project, that buffer or float slowly gets eaten up. And since you can’t change the go-live date, it’s the last team that has to deal with a short schedule.
Desktop engineering was the last team. In Louisville, Joe was our engineer. He was there by himself for much of the project. We sent him another engineer to help out. Joe fired him after one day. Well, technically he didn’t fire him. He couldn’t fire him. But, he effectively fired him.
I don’t care what you do, but I need you to stay out of my way.
We sent the other engineer back. Joe was just going so fast that if you weren’t running, you were in his way. I “helped” for a few days as well. I mostly stayed out of Joe’s way. I vacuumed. (Seriously, it’s a task on the project list.) I unpacked boxes. I arranged chairs. And Joe literally worked himself to the point of exhaustion.
He collapsed on the floor one night when he working alone. It wasn’t a “medical emergency” or anything. His body just finally quit obeying commands from his brain to keep going.
Joe became a lead. The company doesn’t always recognize the people who should be recognized. Fortunately in Joe’s case, they got it right. He was Lead over one of my sites. I really wanted him to be lead over all of them. It would have made my life a lot easier.
Then, a few years ago, he took a job as a Technical Program Manager. It was the same role I was doing. And Joe was better at it than I was. He wouldn’t tell you that, but I would. Fortunately we worked on different accounts. I was good at my job. And like all his jobs, Joe was exceptional at his.
Somewhere in here he married his lovely wife. She worked for the company too.
I don’t think I’d ever seen Joe happier. He had found a purpose and a soul mate. They were perfect for each other and perfect together. Joe was more than a colleague. He was a friend. We talked about kids. He and his lovely wife wanted to have a family. They were discussing foster care or adoption. I’ve adopted a lot of kids, so we had a lot to share.
When I got laid off from the company,, Joe was the first one to call me to make sure I was doing okay. He also tried to cheer me up.
I know A LOT of people they should have let go before you, Rodney.
It was high praise coming from him.
A few weeks ago Joe got sick. Like many people, he had COVID. It was a serious case. He ended up in the hospital. And then he transferred to a better hospital.
Of course it’s serious, but I didn’t think it was end-of-life serious. I had a friend here in Utah who is a state legislator who ended up in the hospital with COVID. He was very sick. And then he got better. I saw him just a few weeks ago at the local rodeo. He was in good spirits and good health.
I’ve had family including my lovely wife get sick with COVID. They got very sick and then they got better.
And that’s what I expected for Joe. His lovely wife kept people updated on Facebook. She and Joe are both very active in their local church. Many people were praying for him. Of course, my family and I were also praying for him. My kids who had never met him added him to our family prayers.
And then, today I heard that he didn’t make it. He’s the first person I’ve known well who has died of COVID. And he was much too young. I mean, everyone is too young to die from COVID, but it’s always someone else, faceless names that we see and then forget, except to remember the this virus exacts a deadly toll.
You would have liked Joe. Everyone did. He was one of those Southern guys that speak slowly but have a lot to say in a few words. He was generous and caring. Although, again, that Southerness prevented him for being TOO open about it.
There will be many deaths from COVID in the coming months and possibly even years. Eventually, I will no doubt know others who succumb to this terrible disease.
I pray for the victims and the families.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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It was a simple job. But the setup was a little complex. Someone posted on our community page that they needed someone to till a garden spot. It’s an odd time of year to be tilling a garden spot, but be that as it may, I responded.
I could probably come do it on Monday afternoon.
Great, we have three large dogs so check with my wife before you come by.
Do you mind if I drop my tiller off there on Sunday?
No problem.
The issue is that my lovely wife drives the car, or SUV rather, that can pull a trailer. The person needing the work done was a couple miles from my house. Too far to push a tiller; even an expensive one like mine that has a forward and reverse gear.
But, I don’t have a trailer. Fortunately, my friend Toad has a trailer. He lives in Provo. So, I had to go get the trailer from him so I could use it to take the tiller to the job site.
It’s not rocket science, clearly, but it did take some coordination.
Being out of work, I’m happy to pick up the odd job. Everything went according to plan on Sunday. And then on Monday my prayers were answered. But, not the way you might think.
It rained. . .a lot. Have you ever tried to use a rototiller in the rain? It’s not a good look. Lots of mud. My tiller is big enough to handle it, but I didn’t look forward to tromping through a muddy field. My boots would be totally caked. Here in Utah where have clay. When it gets a little wet, it becomes a big sticky mess. That’s part of the reason we have such a problem with flash floods.
Water doesn’t really soak in.
I really wanted to finish that job. My buddy, Toad, needs to borrow the tiller. I’m going to take it back when I return his trailer. That was supposed to happen tonight. I’ll have to call him tomorrow and tell him I’ve been delayed. I already called the client and told them that I’m not coming today.
You might be wondering how all of this, was an answer to my prayers. I mean, I didn’t pray that I wouldn’t be able to do that job today. And, of course, I want to be able to finish up tomorrow. . .that is unless it rains again.
The thing is I’m praying for rain. The entire state has been praying for rain. The governor actually asked us to pray for rain. We are in a multi-year drought. Lake Powell and Lake Mead are drying up. The Great Salt Lake is drying up.
We’ve been praying for rain for months.
So, I kind of hope that I can go rototill the garden tomorrow. But, I pray that I won’t be able to.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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I few weeks ago I wrote about the fact that I don’t have a favorite color. I titled my post “When Did You Stop Caring?” I didn’t stop to consider the fact that not caring is often a sign of depression, or worse, thoughts of self harm.
I’m fine. I am not in the least considering hurting myself or anyone else. And despite the admittedly provocative title of my previous post, there are many things I DO care about. And care about deeply.
Let’s talk about a man named Abraham Maslow. Maslow was a psychologist, born in in Brooklyn, New York in 1908. Maslow developed something called Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
I never studied psychology. And while I’ve heard of Maslow, for some reason I always thought Maslow was Russian, not American.
The way the hierarchy works (and remember I’m coming at this from a practical standpoint, not a psychological one) is that you can’t really care about the higher levels if you don’t feel safe at the lower levels.
At our most basic, we all need food, water, warmth, rest. (I’ve also seen a version that lists sex on this lowest level.) Once our most basic needs are met, we can then focus on safety and security. If we are safe and secure, we can start to worry about our psychological needs: friends, relationships, feelings of accomplishment. At the top of the pyramid is self actualization. No one ever really gets there, but that’s what we are striving for.
I’m not sure where color preference fits into this structure. But, I’m pretty sure that it’s closer to the top than the bottom. The same with caring what kind of car I drive. I care about basic transportation, but not much beyond that.
As I look at this list, I realized I care about the basic needs. A lot. I want to be safe and fed and I want my family to be safe and fed. I care a lot about those things. I care about my family and friends. Family more than friends.
What about that blue level? I think that’s where my caring stops. Or at least starts to stop. Feeling accomplished is great. I like it. I enjoy when one of y’all says that my writing has brightened your day or made a difference.
But, what if no one read my scribblings? Would I still write?
Yes. I’m a writer. It’s what we do. But, I write for me first. Like I said I’m not trained in Maslow’s hierarchy. Would writing fit into that self actualization point? Probably not. I know too many frustrated writers.
Anyway, my point is that I DO care. I just don’t care about as much as many people.
The way I knew that my earlier post scared some people was that my dear mother called. She wanted to know if I was okay. She even talked to some other members of the family.
Mental illness is taken very seriously in my extended family. We’ve not lost anyone to suicide, but we’ve seen the signs.
So, Mom, I’m fine. I still don’t have a favorite color. And I probably still rate low on Maslow’s pyramid. But, don’t worry.
I’m fine.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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I’m planning to help my son-in-law do some electrical work tomorrow. He’s a Journeyman Electrician. I have a lot of IT certifications, but nothing when it comes to the trades. I’ll be the apprentice. But, I’m not even officially an apprentice. You have to qualify as an apprentice. I’m not qualified. Basically, I’m a glorified gopher.
I’m not sure my SIL needs any help. I’ve done projects with him on our house and it’s clear he’s very good at what he does. But, regardless of whether he really needs my help or not, he called and invited me.
So, I’m going!
Saturday I’m going to replace the camshaft position sensor on a friend’s 2015 Chevy Captiva. I haven’t replaced one before but YouTube makes it look pretty straight forward. Earlier this this week I checked another neighbor’s brakes. She asked me to replace the brake pads and check the rotors.
I got the wheel off, removed the brake housing and realized that the brake pads were almost new. The rotors looked good too.
I don’t need to replace your brakes. Why did you think the brakes were bad?
Just shaking a little when I slow down. Maybe I’m just nervous.
Well, if it gets worse or if it starts to pull to one side when you stop, let me know.
I do need to replace a broken wheel stud. It won’t take a lot of work.
I’m currently “out of work.” But, I’m not out of work. I’m actively interviewing with a couple different companies and will likely have offers and make a decision next week. At that point I’ll be back working.
But, I’ve been working. I enjoy physical work. My career does not require physical work. I’ve worked on cars, play sets, furniture, yard work (my least favorite.) Normally, I refuse to let anyone pay me for helping them with physical work. But, being out of work, I’ve taken work where I could find it. And occasionally I get paid for working. . .while I’m out of work.
A few years ago, I had a neighbor who was very non-physical worky. He was a brilliant musician, but didn’t own a screwdriver. He had me come work on projects at his house. And he insisted on paying me.
Rodney, have you considered doing handyman work, full time?
Of course, I’d considered it. And rejected it.
Well, Chris, they pay me REALLY well to work on computers.
And that’s one of the great injustices. I’m not even skilled enough to do the work my son-in-law does, but I get paid a lot more than even a Master Electrician. Work isn’t work. Work is defined partly by the person doing it. When it comes to electrical wiring, his work is much different than mine and more valuable. Computer work is much more valuable than electrical work.
And paid work is much different than volunteer work. Career work, while enjoyable is something I do because I have to. Volunteer work, even if I’m paid for it, I do because I want to.
Until I go back to work, I’ll enjoy the opportunities to help my neighbors. . .by working.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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It was a mid-west factory town. Most people in town worked at the factory, just as their fathers had. And their fathers before them. And the jewelry store had been there nearly as long as the town. It’s current proprietor had been there for as long as anyone could remember.
Life was good, if solidly working class. The manufacturing wouldn’t desert the town for a couple more decades. Their kids would have to find jobs elsewhere. But, that sad event was still in the future. Unseen and unknown. The factory whistle governed the town. On Monday through Fridays its five o’clock whistle marked the end of the workday and the start of mid-week summer baseball games and Friday night dances. Everyday of the week at noon it marked the lunch hour. More than once the preacher had been interrupted in the middle of a moving spiritual thought by the unofficial end of Sunday morning services.
The jeweler mostly sold simple wedding sets. The occasional string of pearls. And he carried a collection of pocket watches, including some gold ones. The gift of choice for those retiring after putting in their 20 years of service at the factory. The jeweler’s pride and joy though, was a large clock, easily three feet in diameter that he kept in his front window.
His shop, along with the bank and the supermarket were the main shops along the town’s short Main Street. The jeweler’s name was Horacio. No one in town knew that though. Just as they didn’t know a lot about the old man. Everyone called him Stick. But, no one knew why. Even his nickname was a mystery.
Life in a small town follows a fairly predictable routine. And Stick, despite growing up in the town was known by more people than he knew. Still, he was a fixture on Main Street. Most afternoons he could be found outside sweeping imaginary dust off the sidewalk.
The jewelry store opened up promptly at 8:00 am each morning. Most mornings Stick was in the store shortly after 7:00. He had to open up the safe and lay out the rings and bracelets. He kept the the gold watches locked away. He didn’t know many of the folks at the factory. But, he watched them walk by his front window every morning.
In the evening the pattern was reversed. At precisely 5:00pm the factory whistle blew. Stick set his window clock by it. The faceless crowds streamed out of the factor and home to dinners and BBQs. Maybe some would stop off for a drink. Many would pause to glance at the glittering pieces in his window. Maybe they’d come back for an engagement ring, or a 25 year anniversary charm bracelet when the need arose.
At 5:30, Stick would put the trays back in the safe and turn out the lights. It would be waiting for him in the morning. Most of the men streaming past his windows were simply faces in a crowd. But, each morning at precisely 7:30 one man in particular would stop, look up at the big clock in the window, pull out his watch to check them time and then continue on into the factory.
The man was part of Stick’s routine. Still a nameless face in the crowd, but a familiar one. A reassuring presence. Friendly almost. Every morning, like clockwork.
And then one morning, Stick decided to change his routine. He arrived a few minutes early to open up the shop. He laid out the trays of rings and bracelets. Opened the shades and at 7:25 he grabbed his broom and stepped out his front door to the sidewalk. After a few minutes he noticed his unknown friend approaching. Right on schedule he stopped and pulled out his watch.
“Excuse me, sir” Stick offered.
“Yes, can I help you? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
“I was just wondering. You know, every morning I see you stop and check the clock in my window.”
“Yes.” The man waited on Stick.
Now his question seemed almost juvenile. Why was it any business of his what the man wanted to do with his time? Suddenly, Stick decided it was a mistake to disrupt his routine.
“Nothing. I’m sorry to bother you.”
“No bother.” The man returned his watch to his pocket and turned to head for the factory.
Finding a courage he considered foolhardy, Stick decided he actually did want to satisfy his curiosity after all. “It’s just. . .” The man stopped and turned back.
“Just what?”
“Well, I notice that every morning you stop by my window and reset your watch. I was just curious what made you get into that habit.”
“Not really much to it. I’m the foreman at the factory. I’m the one that has to blow the whistle every afternoon at five o’clock. Those men count on me. I want to make sure I’m not even a minute late. So, every morning I double-check my watch with your jeweler’s clock to make sure it’s accurate. ”
Stick was too stunned to say anything as the factory foreman turned and continued on to the factory gates.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
Follow him on
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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I don’t do it on purpose. Just like you probably don’t. But, at least a couple times per week, I misplace my phone. Now, I’m not a very active guy. The phone is almost always in one of three places: My car, the couch or the garage.
Today it was in the car.
I don’t mind losing track of my phone. It’s a good reminder. It reminds me that I can lose track of my phone. And typically nobody cares.
That wasn’t always the case. I once had a job where I had to be on-call, 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year. And I kept that up for five years. It might be so bad, right? I mean, sure you can be on-call, but if no one calls, who cares?
They called.
My job was as second level support for a call center. Actually, five call centers. The bulk of operators can on shift at 5:00AM my time. But we took calls 24 hours per day. And we had about 1800 agents across three timezones.
If something broke I was the first person that the onsite coordinators would call. If I was unavailable, they would call me again. If I didn’t pick up on the second call. . .well, there was really no protocol for what to do if I was unavailable. I just had to be available.
In fairness, was in the job description. They didn’t ask me to do anything they hadn’t already told me about. The thing was, as a call center, if we couldn’t take calls, we lost money. And we hated to lose money.
I took my phone literally everywhere. I took it to kids’ concerts. I took it to the movies. I took it camping. More than once I spent hours on a Saturday watching the other scout leaders escort the boys up the mountain while I found a log and used my phone. I took it on a 20 mile bike ride. Using the mute button and and earbuds, I was able to keep up with the group and still deal with the issue in Virginia or Florida. I even took my phone into doctor’s offices and therapists sessions.
And, of course, I slept with it right next to me. And I got to the point that I hated my phone. I loved the job. It was a great job. But, I got tired of my phone. I didn’t even like when my family would call me on it. It was a tool that I had to use, but not that I wanted to use.
I no longer have that job. And after five years, that organization decided to hire a team of 10 people to handle the on-call duties. (Seriously, they hired 10 people to replace A PORTION of my job. I loved the job, but I was SERIOUSLY underpaid.)
I have a boring phone. It’s an old android phone. I have no games. No music. No videos. Even pictures, I quickly move them to an online storage location. The phone has 16GB. It’s small. It’s old. And I don’t care.
I have to have it, of course. But, I no longer have have it next to me all the time. I can choose which calls to answer. I can put it on vibrate. I can even let it run out of batteries at times.
I can even lose my phone. . .and not care. And that makes me happy.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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Tell your friends about this!
First, two clarifications. First: We are talking about Coke a Cola. And by extension, any soft drink containing caffeine: Pepsi, Coke, Mountain Dew, Barq’s Root beer (true,) Sunkist Orange (also true.) Or any other soda’s containing caffeine. Second, Mormons don’t like to be called Mormons anymore. The term is “members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But, that was a little long for a title.
You may not have noticed, but Mormons (oops, let’s call them “members,”) don’t serve Coke at their parties. If you’ve never been to a Mormon (this is really taking some getting used to) party, you wouldn’t know. Even if you have, you might have thought it was an oversight. They just forgot.
Nope.
We also have to clear up something. Members (see? I’m getting better) drink plenty of Coke. But, there’s a social stigma that unless you grew up in the Church, you’ve probably never considered.
You probably know that your M. . .ember friends don’t drink coffee or tea. It’s forbidden in a scripture referred to as “The Word of Wisdom,” found in Section 89 of the Doctrine & Covenants. A book of supplemental scripture in addition to the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon that members also follow.
The pertinent section of the Word of Wisdom is verse 9
9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.
That’s it. That’s the commandment that keeps Coke out of the party.
Doesn’t really make sense, does it? Nah. Doesn’t to a lot of people.
“Hot drinks” was interrupted to mean coffee and tea. But, there’s a lot of confusion around tea, especially. Herb tea is okay. Iced coffee is not. Caffeinated tea is out. So is decaffeinated coffee.
If you sift through the yeas and nays, you come up with one common denominator: Stuff called “tea” that contains caffeine, or anything called “coffee” is not allowed.
Okay. Great makes sense. Caffeinated drinks are out.
No. Well, not anymore.
For a long time members shunned caffeine. At least publicly. Brigham Young University did not sell any caffeinated soda on campus. The church has many businesses that support the church. They also didn’t serve caffeinated sodas in their cafeterias. There’s a little store across the street from the BYU college dorms where I lived many years ago. That little store sold wall-to-wall Coke and Pepsi products. I spent many late nights studying with a bright red can of inspiration by my side.
The unofficial “frown” on drinking caffeinated sodas extended to many members private lives as well. It was understood that church sponsored functions did NOT stock caffeinated sodas. And if you brought your own, you would have to endure the withering glare of the silver haired church ladies.
As far as private parties went, it was a mix. It was considered slightly scandalous to serve Coke or Pepsi at your birthday party. And if you did, you had better make SURE you have some Sprite and root beer for the “good kids.” (But, not that Barq’s stuff!)
And then in 2012 a man named Mitt Romney changed all that. See, Mitt was a member. And he was also the Republican nominee for president. I have no idea if Brother Romney believes in drinking Coke. (I hope he’s not a Pepsi guy.)
But, Romney’s candidacy brought additional attention to the church and it’s members and their drinks of choice. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to the caramel colored drink.
The church didn’t make any formal announcement. They simply updated their website.
The church revelation spelling out health practices. . .does not mention the use of caffeine.
Oookay. That’s not exactly enlightening. What it really means is that the church announced it did not have a policy on the consumption of caffeine.
Does that mean that drinking Coke is okay?
The church revelation spelling out health practices does not mention the use of caffeine.
Ah. . .okay. Thanks
So, suddenly Coke and Pepsi was off the hidden banned list. You might be wondering why, if the church has no policy on caffeinated soda, BYU didn’t sell it on campus. . At all!
Well, no one has ever asked for it to be sold on campus.
As a former BYU alum, I can say that statement that the school offered is 100% false. False by a lot.
And now people can freely consume their Diet Coke, or Coke Zero, or Cherry coke, or Vanilla Coke, or Orange Vanilla Coke, or Monster, or 5-hour energy, or decaffeinated-iced-coffee. . .Whoa! That one’s still off limits.
But, there still exists a strong prejudice against drinking any caffeine. So, if you attend a birthday party for your. . .member friend, you might want to pick up a six pack of Coke on your way over. Chances are they won’t have any.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
Follow him on
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved