Some web sites let you create wish lists, items that you would like to have from that site. I’m thinking in particular of Amazon.com, but I know there are others that do the same. They encourage you to publish these on your site so that friends and benefactors can know what to purchase for you.

I never really felt good about that, but I decided to give into the pressure. Here’s a list of things that I want and need:

1. Humility — I guess most of us who write and teach struggle with this. We have to have some degree of self-confidence to expose our ideas in public, yet we also fight with the desire to be seen as the smartest guy in the room. Probably some of that comes from insecurity more than security, still, as I present ideas, I want to learn to do so in a humble manner.
2. Anger control — One of the quick ways for me to see when I’m following me rather than following the leading of the Spirit is when anger becomes common in my life. I don’t go around yelling at people or hitting things, but I find myself getting angry. Sadly, I find flashes of fleshly emotion when dealing with people on the Internet. I end up deleting a lot of the sarcastic replies I write, but some of them still get out there.
3. Organizational skills — Some people have poor organizational skills; other of us have none at all. My dad is extremely organized, almost compulsively so. In traditional generational rebellion, I am the opposite. I like the concept of organization, but can’t seem to pull it off. The one area where I am semi-organized is my computer, but even then, I haven’t really pulled things together. (Yes, I do have thousands of messages in my Inbox)
4. Promptness — I can’t really find the right word here; it’s the opposite of procrastination. This goes along with the organizational skills. I tend to be good at doing things at the last minute, yet there comes a time when there can be too many things to get them all done well. Plus, procrastination produces stress.

The list could be much longer, but that’s enough for now. If you put off getting me a Valentine’s gift, maybe these items will give you an idea.

What can I get for you?