I seem to mange better

I seem to mange better when I have friends and folks around me who love me.  The church we attend in Aplington will embark on a new adventure (i.e. very exciting and it's a massive huge opportunity--my opinion).  For this endeavor to really be successful we need to be of one accord.  Will that happen.  I don't know.  We will see.  Author Lou Lotz writes--In the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki there were high hopes for the Mexican track team. Mexico’s long distance runners were believed to be among the best in the world. But they didn’t win a single medal.   What happened? One journalist took it upon himself to find out. After extensive research, he concluded that the reason the Mexicans had done so poorly was that they were lonely. These men had lived, trained, and raced in their home communities. But in Helsinki, they were far from the cheering and encouragement of family and friends. One member of the Mexican team said simply: “I run better when my friends are there.”  I run better when my friends are there too. So do you, I suspect. All of us, in our Christian lives, need the support and encouragement of the communion of the saints. We run the Christian race better when our friends are there. The church, at its best, is a place where friends and loved ones cheer and encourage us in our race; where fellow believers supply assistance, encouragement, and love to those who need it; where strugglers find strength, where sinners find forgiveness, where the bereaved find hope. To be in a Christian community where believers are “of one heart and soul”—what a blessing that is.

We are in MI to attend our niece's wedding tonight.  It's oh soooooo much fun to be around family (i.e. I seem to manage better being around family and friends).  It's the last marriage of our children and my siblings' children.  Soooooo we will just have to wait until the next generation starts marring to party again.  We stopped in IL to see Arlene's brother Craig and his wife Julia on our way.  It's always fun to see them (i.e. they are real folks with good hearts--my kind of folks).  We went to a few garage sales and then stopped for a hot dog.  Craig says kidding to Julia--I do as I please when I please often as I please to do it.  Julia replied kidding--In other words that's telling me, his wife, don't tell me what to do!  Craig and Julia raise cut flowers and have about 8 farmers markets in the Chicago area.  The morning we were out and about, it was cool as it froze over the night.  Some folks had covered their plants.  We saw one person cover their flowers with plastic.  Here's a tip folks--Plastic draws frost they told us.  Use anything but plastic.  Huh, interesting.  We enjoy being around family. We will be eating funeral sandwiches and wedding cake all in the same week!  That is what retired folks do to stay within their budget. 


Talk about eating.  Mabel seemed to run better (i.e. she should).  On Easter we were in Waukee with Chet, Jessica and our little Charlie.  We went to the 7:15 service.  Before we left, Jessica sorta kinda hid 12 plastic eggs with treats in them around the family room soooooo when we got back Charlotte could pick them up.  When we got back from church, 11 of them were laying in the middle of the family room, opened and all the treats were eaten.  Mabel, their dog, had a great Easter (i.e. especially enjoyed the Easter egg hunt--can't wait until next year).  The 12th egg was in shelving soooo she just couldn't get it.  I bet she tried.  Mabel is breed to have a good noise and a good hunter.  She performed!  Such is life.

Talk about eating.  The 55+ community where I play pickle ball in the good ol' SW has a meeting/social time each Thursday at 8 a.m..  They serve free donuts and coffee (i.e. the last Thursday I was there I was told they had 32 dozen donuts and ran out).  Retirees like free donuts and coffee let me tell ya (i.e. just like Mabel and Erin and Charlie like those donuts)!  ANYWAY a fellow pickle ball player told me that JoeTheManagement thinks he really thinks he's cool but he's not.  He thinks he's God and God's gift to women.  He has a "small guy mentality" soooooo he has to try to make up for it.  He turns me off.  So what do others think of him.  Everyone thinks the same.  Does he know that he's that way?  Between his ears, I don't think he has a clue; the first time I heard him I turned my body and then she stuck her finger in her mouth.  MissPerfect says--How you evaluate someone makes a big difference how you listen to that person and how you look at them (i.e. how you mange around them); no question!  GerogeTheCrook says--Most folks like to be around humble folks and humble folks are usually givers (i.e. I seem to mange better around humble folks, oh yes).  Think about that folks. 

Joesixpack says--It is easy to go down. It is harder to go up. It is easy to lose ability. It is harder to develop it. Easier to gain weitght  and harder to loose it.  I seem to mange better when I continue to learn.  I had the opportunity to hear a lecture on forest fires before we left the good ol' SW (i.e. JoeTheHike and I went).  It was really informative.  Oversight--the reason why we have massive huge forest fires is that we don't let nature take care of the burning (i.e. man tries to control mother nature--no fires).  The forest should have about 25 trees per acre and there might be 250 trees per acre.  But the ranger said--We try to control but mother nature will have her way.  This summer in AZ will be the driest for many years (i.e. big potential for forest fires he said).  Here is something that is interesting to me:  The Navajos were nomadic and traveled into CA, Mexico, UT and all of AZ.  When they left a spot, they set a fire to the prairie and forest.  Why?  Soooooo when they returned in 4 to 10 years all the grass and forest would be tender and good eating for their livestock.  Huh, interesting.  God tried that once with the flood toooooo I think!  Whipped it clean and started over.  It worked for a while I guess but...!

SusieQ says--I seem to mange better when I accept modernization but keep the bottom line the same--treat folks the way you would want to be treated!  That will put your jersey in the rafters SusieQ!  Oh ya!

LuckieEddie says--The question is not how I do on a good day but how I do on a bad day!  I seem to mange better better when I'm not fearful (i.e. many folks are motivated by fear, the fear of failure).  Jason Gismni of the Rockies says--As a young player, you  always kind of play with that fear of failure.  That's what motivates you.  You don't want to fail.  You keep pushing yourself and pushing yourself.  Eventually, it breaks a lot of guys in this game.  Saturday questions--Are you fearful of failure?  We live in a very competitive society and culture now don't we.  And you know what?  We all can't be #1 so we will all fail.  Soooooooo, it's how I do when I'm not #1 that matters a lot.  As the advertisement says--I feel good in my own skin (i.e. at least most of the time). 

I seem to mange better now that I have this new cell phone that is BlueTooth compatible with the system in our car.  I had to upgrade my cell phone to get this done.  Our kids thought my old phone was from the dark ages.  This new one, they say, is a move up but still not top end.  Yabut it only cost me a penny!  I hope using BlueTooth will make my driving saver while talking on the phone..  It has tooooooo; no hands and all commands are on the steering column.  Besides, now Arlene and I can talk at the same time and listen to the conversation sooooooo I don't  have tell her what was said.  Such is life with modern technology. 

LuckieEddie says--When I'm helping to improve the lives of folks, it touches everybody!  When do friends, acquaintances, family and just plain folks need me the most?  Is it when they fell they have the world by the tail or when they are in the dumps?  I operate better when folks operate with me (i.e. sorta kinda encourage me).  It always feels good to be around folks who lift your spirits (i.e. they are sorta kinda the cat's meow a.k.a. the knights in shining armor) and not the the ones who drag ya down.  You agree?  Soooooo are you a drager or alifteruper?  Believe me, you affect everyone else.  Oh ya!  ItchieBitchie says--You can give in to the failure messages and be a bitter deadbeat
of excuses.  Or you can choose to be happy and positive and excited about life.

He has affected me and influenced me.  Oh ya!  I will miss my mentor/professor/special friend Ivan My Man, yes I will.  He was 86.  He passed away last Saturday.  He told me that he prayed for guidance from the Holy spirit each day for the decisions he made.  I asked him if he received guidance.  Absolutely.  He was a good man.  He taught me a lot about sooooooo much stuff (i.e. financially, emotionally, and spiritually).  I wish everyone could have a friend/mentor like I have had.  I seem to mange better 'cause of his wisdom.  I will miss him.  He was a very successful man in soooooo many ways (i.e. my opinion).  He said many times to me--People get a lot better after they are dead.  Ivan My Man, you just plain were that good even if you didn't know it.  My Daddy, Chester, would say--erv, get around folks who are good and don't know it (i.e. humble folks).  They are the good ones.  The ones who think they are great but aren't, are not much fun to be around. 

WildWilly actually is tooooo big for his britches--tooo high on his horse.  He's a pain in the butt to be around.  I seem to mange a lot better around humble folks.  Oh ya!  DuaneTheWorm has waaaaaay tooooo much of a big head for me to enjoy his company.  Oh ya!  I have been humbled soooooooo many times that I can't count them.  I seem to manage better when I'm humble.  Oh ya!  MissPerfect says--You can be very confident yet still be very humble.  I can't remember exactly what I said but our son thought I said it in a grumpy fashion.  He said I sounded like a curmudgeon!  Ouchy ouchy! That's humbling!   I manage better when I have a positive attitude.  How about you.  Reading the Book helps me to be more positive.  Oh ya!  I was reading Bible Stories to Erin (i.e. age 4) when we were in CO from her The Beginners Bible--Timeless Children's Stories.  ANYWAY  her favorite (i.e. I had to read about 5 times) was, as she calls it, the boo-boo owie story (i.e. the good Samaritian story).  She just really likes that one. 

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyFriendJean says--Don't pick  a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll  just kill  you.