I started writing one THINKABLE a week late in the fall of 1995. But what is a THINKABLE? It's roughly a one-page summary of my thoughts on a topic of general understanding and interest. But just take the topic of "listening" for example. There's one of my favorites which we all know a lot about, we all use every day, AND in which we all have a lot of room for potential improvement. At least that's what I continue to hear from my wife, even after I've worked on it for 39 years of communicating together. And listening is just a small subset of my really favorite subject, "respect." In 1985 I was so enthralled with thinking about respect, that I wrote an unpublished book titled Real Relationships Require Respect. But that's another story and another book. But you see for example how we all have favorite topics that we do think about, mull over, try to improve upon, and may even get into discussions about. But it is especially fun to write some of these thoughts down, and to share them with others.

I started sharing THINKABLES by taping them each week to the outside wall of my workplace cubicle, along with a lot of current project and space news, so a "passer-by" could read them. Later I began to form a list of email addresses, including co-workers and strangers I met on airline flights and shared THINKABLES with. This list of email addressees now numbers about 80 around the world. Occasionally I include some personal experiences, so that helps keep worldwide friends up to date on some of my activities. But how would I state the purpose of these short essays?

I mentioned earlier that "listening" is a very important topic for me. Actually I think we all have so much room for improvement in our listening skills and in showing associated respect for the speaker, that I would love to see listening included along with the "3 R's" in our school subjects. This respect for listening and for the speaker applies to how I pay attention when God impresses me with ideas and thoughts. I've learned that I have about three basic choices: to merely think "that's really interesting," and before long I forget it; to jot down some notes so I can at least later try to think it through; or to stop everything, follow up with focused thinking, and write and enjoy the experience of exploring the related ideas and new thoughts which would otherwise have never come to light. The benefit of this recording is primarily for my future reference. But I've also been encouraged by others to form them into a book, for easier reference, and for wider distribution.

Its amazing to me that we human beings often think so much alike as we face common experiences in life. On the other hand many of us will have somewhat unique ideas too. For example, "Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought." That's what makes a THINKABLE interesting to diverse people. The topic development starts with familiar concepts, and some related facts usually unknown to the reader, dealing with concepts and experiences most folks have thought about or experienced. Having laid a groundwork of somewhat common thoughts and experiences, the THINKABLE uses these as a springboard to break new ground and make use of these thoughts to personally challenge us toward application for the benefit of ourselves and those around us. It usually concludes with comparisons, contrasts, or analogies to similar topics that God had many diverse people write down and collect as the Bible, so we could learn what is on His mind.

So THINKABLES are intended to help you extend your thinking and experience to related areas you might not otherwise have considered. My expectation is that most of the readers will find some of the topics and thoughts of interest, and that some of the readers will find most all of the conclusions of interest. My special request is that similar to the way I've tried to pay attention and follow through with the thoughts God has given me, that you too copy and share that THINKABLE with them when a topic especially catches your attention and then someone comes to your mind as likely to benefit from those thoughts. You could also help point others to recent THINKABLES by referring them to my Internet THINKABLE Home Page at http://www.THINKABLES.org. They can also use that page to send me email (at john.hoelzel@juno.com) and can thereby get on my ongoing THINKABLE email list.

Will Rogers (who died a year before I was born) had quite a knack for reading a newspaper and helping folks lighten up and laugh at themselves, and at the special ways that so many politicians have of turning common sense upside down.

As I proudly attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I was certainly influenced by this Okie who could spin a humorous yarn just as easily as he could spin his cowboy rope. He was quick to see the irony and humor in our front-page headlines. My desire is that some of the THINKABLES will encourage and challenge you to Think, See and then Act more keenly and deeply than before you turned these pages!