relevant

Folks, don’t believe everything or anything I say.  Why would or should you?  Credibility in today’s world is sketching at best.  Very few folks believe the same things or believe other folks.  Everyone believes what they want.  Why would you be any different? So please read this “It’s Saturday” with a very open mind.  It is what it is.  I really don’t need to tell you that as you are going to believe what you want to believe anyway. And as “theguywhocan’thitthe3-wood” says--And remember, ValedictorianRon says--"every story can use some embellishment!" 

I got an idea. An awful idea. A wonderful, awful idea. What do you think my wonderful, awful idea is?  Maybe it is the same as what you are thinking and maybe it isn’t.  That wonderful, awful idea might be relevant to both of our lives and maybe it might be understood differently to us individually.  I had a friend email me and say—erv, I really enjoy reading your “It’s Saturday” but sometimes I don’t understand what you are saying.  Sooooo, I’m not going to tell you what my wonderful awful idea is as some of you won’t understand it BUT, if you think of your wonderful, awful idea, you will understand it and that is all that counts (i.e. it’s all relevant)!  Your third glass of wine might help you understand this!  ha ha  Such is life.

Our culture says we are not to motivate children with negative stuff (e.g. erv, if you don’t study you will end up cutting turkey throats at the Willmar turkey processing plant—that is what my Mom, Anna, said to me when I was a teenager).  Now we give everyone a participation trophy and they all expect to have the same great life.  Crazy to me but…!  At our study group at church we are studying about heaven and hell.  One person said that you don’t hear pastors preach about hell very much.  Another person said that years ago they did a lot it seems.  Another person said—I think my husband’s granddad was a Reformed Church pastor and preached fire and brimstone sermons; I am going to ask him about that.  She did and this is what she told us—He talked to his cousin Smiley and he said—Your granddad scared the hell out of me!

jcc, who was an international lead litigator; a regular wise guy, sent me this (i.e. we made our acquaintance in a strange way a number of years ago—he was a nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof). He can be opaque; the meaning of opaque is unclear.  Hitchcock said puns are the highest form of literature. Samuel Johnson noted that puns were the lowest form of humor. Take your pick. . .  A hs classmate of class of 63 at Danube High a.k.a. TheZenker sent me this email-- I’m here at the Mayo Clinic waiting for the results of my blood test. As you may recall from our high school days, I didn’t always do well with tests. I hope I don’t flunk this one.

A friend (i.e. whose husband has Alzheimer’s) and I became friends when we wintered in AZ communicated on New Year’s Day—Here is part of our email text--We went out to dinner at the fanciest place in town with my two sons and my daughter-in-law. Then home here to play some fun games. Jim went to bed after the first game. We eventually "had the talk" about eventual placement for Jim. My insides started shaking at the reality of it all. Now that is relevant folks—some of you won’t understand that; I understand that even if you don’t,

When I was a little ol’ farm boy growing up a mile and fourth south of Roseland, MN, Chester and Anna didn’t teach me much about comparative and superlative adjectives.  They taught me more about of how to clean out the chicken coop, do chores, baling hay and picking rocks. Most of you won’t understand that and you won’t understand going to the outhouse in the middle of a MN winter either.  But there are three adjectives that I understand better and they are more subjective: good, better, and best. One of those three describes you.  Chester and Anna taught me to be around good folks and that what you guys are (i.e. except for one of you and you know who you are ha ha).  I did appraisals of real estate when in business.  We used the comparison appraisal and the rate of return appraisal.  I had breakfast with a friend recently who part of his expertise is comparing and appraising the values of companies (i.e. he’s really one sharp cookie who knows about comparative and superlative adjectives).  He told me about the metric of EBITDA (i.e. earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). I never heard of that metric before. I think the WAG appraisal is easier to understand and more relevant for many folks—wild ass guess!  Soooo, can you and I effectively evaluate ourselves objectively and subjectively?  I think it is very difficult but what do I know so don’t pay much attention to what I say.  You are a lot smarter; it’s all relevant.  Such is life.

Sometimes I wonder why I spend my time and effort on things that are irrelevant, at least toooooo many folks it appears; it seems like they are the fast majority but maybe not (i.e. but they sure seem to get the most media time).  I wonder sometimes if it’s time for me to give up the fight (i.e. kiss it good by).  It appears that this might be a lot easier on me; whatever happens will happen (i.e. I’m surely not in charge of the universe—I know that).  Maybe I’m maybe not relevant to the culture of our current world. I disagree with abortion, legalizing drug use, ruin of the family, same sex marriages, etc. but I don’t care that most of the bowling alleys are gone (i.e. maybe I’m a hypocrite; I like change but then I don’t).  But maybe, I’m just part of the silent majority and not the noisy minority.  A college friend told me recently—erv, does it really make any difference?  Or as another friend says—erv, it’s not worth burning any calories on that!  JoeSmoky says—erv, go get yourself a hot dog with a lot of onions on it and quite trying to fix everything; the snowball is rolling down the mountain at a fast pace and is getting bigger and bigger and erv, you are not going to stop it soooooo why even think about it.  JoeSmoky, that’s a rotten attitude but I can see why you have it. 

Soooooo someone asked me how I spent New Year’s Eve.  Well, I watched some football, ate some cashews, did some reading and went to bed.  I had a pretty good time.  It’s all relevant now isn’t it.  Even what I read is relevant or irrelevant to most folks.  I told a person recently that I get bored quite easily. He said that he feels sorry for me (i.e. don’t know if he was kidding or was telling me his true opinion).  I read recently that if you don’t challenge yourself, you will stay the same (i.e. boring boring).  LuckieEddie (i.e. a blur point guard) says--Sooooo if you do the same the next five years what you did the last five years, why do you expect anything to change.  AverageJoe says--erv, erv, many folks like it the sameo sameo sameo; they don’t want anything to change. Boring boring! Here is a new idea that maybe no one thought of; I would like to see all the college basketball players required to wear head bands (i.e. each a different color) soooo I can figure out who is who!  What do you think? That is what I thought.  It’s hard to identify them on TV for me.  Now that would be a change.

I read in the paper soooo it must be right that libraries are trying to be relevant to our times a.k.a. pack a punch (i.e. like a Mike Tyson punch); they are changing and trying to stay current with modern times (i.e. things are changing fast folks if we like it or not and we are not going to stop it). I was in a library the other day where you can check out bikes and ice skates.  That is pretty interesting to me.   Here is something else that is relevant and interesting; the reading chairs are designed soooo they aren’t that comfortable; they don’t want me to fall asleep and be a nuisance.  Libraries are soooo interesting to me. 

AverageJoe says--Being the CEO and CFO of your life is a mindset rooted in delivering you the returns you desire most (i.e. whatever that is). Soooo what do you desire the most; are they relevant to what will make your life a great life or just glitzy to make you temporarily popular and showy (i.e. like some of those “put in the closet Christmas presents”)? 

Let’s face it folks, it’s hard to be relevant to folks if you have not experienced what they are dealing with.  I had a very nice conversation recently with a friend who has suffered all her life with depression.  It gets better and it gets worse. New medication works for a while and then they don’t.  It’s a constant roller coaster effect for her.  I told her that it’s incomprehensible to me what her life is like; inconceivable for me.  She agreed with me. BUT she said—But just what you said is soooo understanding and appreciated.  Think through all that folks.  I can’t get my head around all that!  BUT I have an idea what she is experiencing; probably just an idea. I try to be a good listener and also keep my mouth shut (i.e. both are pretty hard to do).  It's a pretty good feeling when folks say to others--I miss our conversations.  There is no one else that I feel comfortable saying what comes to mind, quite like I do with you. Thanks for being you....

An adage says, “You’re either getting better or getting worse,” so we strategize about how to get better in future days, months and years. In setting goals, we rarely consider virtues, such as humility. However, in many cases this is a quality that ensures enduring success. “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4). Dr. Seuss said--“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”  Yes folks, you are unique, and I am unique; maybe unique in a good way or in not such a good way.  Who knows? And to the world sometimes it feels like not toooo many really care (i.e. there are folks like many of you guys who care which makes you very unique).  Goggle says there has been maybe 400,000 to 500,000 deaths because of the Syrian civil war.  How do those deaths affect you and me?  That is humbling to me!  Here I worry about and put a lot of effort into such trivial stuff which is of little importance like how I missed our family tradition of pickled herring for New Years while watching football.  That now is hard for me to get my head around.  Sooooo I guess, if it doesn’t affect me, I really don’t care very much about others.  I don’t like that about myself or others. CadillacJack says—erv, erv, go for a run and get that negative stuff out of your head; think about what cut of steak you are going to have for dinner or what color will be your new Cadillac Escalade or something else that’s really important (i.e. first world problems); you will be a lot happier. Soooo I wonder if I drove a stake in the ground every year, if I am becoming a better person compared to my past.  If I don’t drive a stake in the ground, I have no reference point soooo then it becomes irrelevant.  Such is life.

Judy Garland told Liza Minnelli, “Be a first-rate version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else.”

Ok, I changed my mind; here is my “wonderful, awful idea.” I actually learned it from an “onesmartperson.”  She told us that if you want your husband to do something, but he won’t listen to you, you need to have your daughter talk to him; he will listen to her even if he won’t to you; it always works (i.e. it’s all about relevancy).  There is no charge for this “wonderful, awful idea.”

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

erv

MyFriendJean says—Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.

P.S. I have had several of you tell me that you tried to comment on my blog site, but it wouldn’t let you. I have adjusted the settings soooooo I think it works now.  ANYWAY, I have tried it and it works.  I like your comments either to me by email or on the blog site. Yes I do!