Sooooo folks, I hope this “It’s Saturday” will raise your
Ebenezer!
Suggestion—Try to find the missing bullet holes (i.e. like
finding Elmo) in this “It’s Saturday.” See what you can learn from them (i.e.
the missing bullet holes will probably be different for different folks). They
often tell the most interesting and useful part of the story (i.e. your story).
- No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn't trying.
- When something becomes a need, a requirement, it locks us in. We have to have it; which means we start structuring our lives around it.
- Being winsome helps us win some. Be purposeful in your reflection. Don't only focus on what you may have done wrong, or what you would like to do differently... Make sure to think about what you have done well, or what you are doing well. Don't forget the "Happy".
- Isn’t it interesting that when others fail, we tend to admire them for trying? Yet when we fail, we beat ourselves up for the very same thing,
All of us
are really in a different state of mind and physical condition. That is for sure! Some of us are happy and some sad; some feel
rich, some feel poor; some are in good health, some not; some are facing a huge
problem, some never had a serious problem.
You get the point! I am going to
make a suggestion to you folks; it is not a truism as I’m not that smart by a
long shot (i.e. I’m just a little old farm boy from a mile and fourth south of
Roseland, MN). But this seems to work
for me somewhat and maybe it might for you.
Big on the maybe! Enjoy every
minute of your life no matter where you are at (i.e. maximize your life). We don’t need clamorous stuff or expensive
stuff or glitzy stuff but just ordinary stuff. Enjoy everything and everybody
(i.e. always look at the positive). I
probably sound like a parrot to some of you.
Mikey, try it, you might like it! Yagottafinish! "The more you
praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." -
Oprah Winfrey ~ A pickleball buddy who winters in AZ sent me
an email inviting me to play in our old group.
I told him that we won’t make it to AZ this winter because of Arlene’s
digressing Alzheimer’s. He sent a nice
note back. Here is the part that really
got my attention--erv. And all our hearts are with you and Arlene this winter as
you live your own reality. That is a very good observation I think a.k.a.
wisdom. We all have different
realities. Yagottafinish!
I looked
in the mirror and didn’t like what I saw!
Yikes! Recently my ego really flared up (i.e. a huge, massive flareup). And in all places, it happened in church Sunday morning during the service. I tried to kill it but I only got it beat down (i.e. just got it under control--it just wouldn’t die). I had to raise my Ebenezer! LuckieEddie says--A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment. Ouchy ouchy!
It’s
getting to be the Christmas season sooo I will be watching my favorite
Christmas movie—Christmas with Chubby Chase a.k.a. National Lapoon's
Christmas Vacation. I laugh every year. I got some early birthday presents from my
family during Thanksgiving. I really
like them all. I asked them how they
picked such special presents for me.
They said—we know you. This one
really makes me laugh; I love it! I was coming back from a run as it was getting dark. A neighbor has his light all lite up. He had a ladder up against his house and was fiddling with his lights. I said--Hey Clark, you got one out on the end! He obviously doesn't watch that movie (i.e. I thought everyone has--wrong). He didn't catch on. I bet he thought I was a real jerk!
A
very old man lay dying in his bed. In death's doorway, he suddenly smelled the
aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookie wafting up the stairs. He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with
even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with
both hands. With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen.
Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven. There, spread out on newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of
his favorite chocolate chip cookies. Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife,
seeing to it that he left this world a happy man? Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table. The aged
and withered hand, shaking, made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table,
when he was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.
"Stay out of those," she said. "They're for the funeral." Yagottafinish!
"Stay out of those," she said. "They're for the funeral." Yagottafinish!
I just don’t know
about that! Our family doctor told me
recently—erv, you gotta realize that you are almost 72; you aren't as tough as you use tooooo be! I was discussing
something with a new friend and he said—erv, your generation….! I just realized that he is only in his early
40s (i.e. I could be his dad). Yabut,
our family doctor told me once you get to 71, your odds are better to get to an
older age. Ya, you can’t get to an older
age if you die early. But I gottafinish
no matter what age my life will take me to on this earth. Such is life.
"I'd give away every
cent I have to be your age again." - Warren Buffet - I read this while
eating my oatmeal with a half a banana on it--“Poor in spirit” sounds like
someone who is sad or bereft. But it is not that at all. Being “poor in spirit”
simply means someone who has humbly recognized the limits of his own abilities.
As the New Living Translation affirms, “God blesses those who are poor and
realize their need for him.” That is not sadness; it is realism. It is a clear
understanding, probably realized over and over in life, that the kingdom of man
is insufficient for human happiness. But the kingdom of God is all-sufficient!
How happy will be the person who exchanges his worldly “happiness” for
dependence on God. The blessings of the kingdom of heaven will be his or hers.
WorldClassLaarry says--Knowing what you don't know is more
useful than being brilliant. I was running the other morning and was
approaching an intersection. A friend
was coming in his pickup and I wanted to talk to him. I raised my hand saying—hold up, I want to
talk to you. When I approached him, he
said—erv, you gotta go the bathroom or something! He just makes me laugh. I asked him what he was doing. He was helping
some folks (i.e. he does a lot of this helping others--a good egg). I told him that he was really a good person
doing all those acts of kindness. He
said—I gotta do a lot of them to make up for all the bad things I do! I really
like this guy—he has a very good heart and is a real person; my kind of
person. That same morning while running, I met
a senior guy who was walking using a cane. He had a short sleeve shirt on (i.e.
I had a long sleeve shirt on). I
said—You must be a tough guy—he said in a slurred speech (i.e. probably a
stroke victim)—I use to be a farmer! I
guess he thinks farmers are tough. He
made me laugh! BUT he was out there walking—yagotttafinish!
I know a lot of really smart folks (i.e. you folks). Really smart folks can belong to "Mensa"
association, a worldwide group of intelligent persons, that requires rigorous
testing for membership, with a required standard IQ score of 132 or above (i.e.
98 percentile or above). Most of you will probably qualify, except maybe for
one of you. ha ha Soooo I asked SmartyPantsRiley how he go soooo smart. Here is his answer:
A tough MT ranch boy was planning to drive back from his
parent’s ranch in MT straight through to IA after Thanksgiving with a wife and
two small kids. I thought he was either
tough or crazy, one of the other. Well, they changed their minds and did it in
two days. I wonder if he would have left
his family stop for potty stops! Those MT ranch boys are tough
alright; real drum majors! Yagottafinish!
When I get ready to run, I check to see what the temperature
is and also how windy it is and dress accordingly (i.e. the older I get, the
more clothes I need—not as tough). BUT
what is interesting, after I run for maybe a mile, my body warms up and I don’t
need as much clothes. I wonder if that
works for other things of life. Yagottafinish!
I wonder as I wander! CrazyMarvin
says—I never have that sensation; I just sit on the couch and eat chips! Such
is life.
Saturday questions--What was your best experience this week: an
experience that left you with your mouth wide open? What was your worse
experience; one that left you with a bad taste in your wide-open mouth?
DeepThinkerEsther says—I wonder how close I am to God? Is that unmeasurable? How close am I compared
to others? Soooo I really don’t know how
close to God I am; I might think I’m very close but in reality, I’m maybe not
or vice a versa. BobbySnort says--You’ll
notice in the Christmas story that when the Son of God was born, not a single
religious person (e.g. Pharisees) were invited. The people who should have
known the most about the birth of Jesus, the spiritual and religious leaders of
Israel, didn’t have a clue (i.e. they reeked like elitism). Who were invited? The shepherds watching flocks by
night. The shepherds were considered
pretty low in the social ladder. Huh,
interesting.
FantasticFred says—None of us are going to
live forever. Sooooo yagottafinish every
day the best we can. Locking the barn
after the horse has run away applies here. Live what you believe to be right.
Don’t let your emotions take over; they are unpredictable. A friend sent me this text after I questioned
how she was--Hi erv, don't read too much into anything I say. The kiss
principle is always best ( keep it simple, stupid). I don’t know what I am
feeling most of the time!! Usually feelings aren't that important. Like the
weather, give them 10 minutes and they'll change. Folks, I think that is
wisdom. I told her—You said a mouth full there! My Daddy, Chester, would say to
me—erv, don’t let your emotions get involved in a business decision.
LuckieEddie says--That is a good thought Chester; I let my emotions get
involved in what I thought was love (i.e. it was more like a sexual fantasy).
It didn’t turn out soooo good. Is love
different? It’s not a business decision you know. LuckieEddie,
yastillgottafinish!
Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. )-:
MyFriendJean says--While seeking happiness for others, we unconsciously find it for ourselves.
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