understatement

 I was reading the Bible the other night, and this was the in the footnote helping me understand a verse—In Scripture the fool is not one who cannot learn, but the one who refuses to learn.  That is an understatement, my opinion.   

A book about President Harry S. Truman described the moment President Franklin D. Roosevelt died and Truman ascended to the presidency. Roosevelt, despite numerous health concerns, never really included his vice president in discussions, leaving Truman out of the loop. The day he was sworn into office, Truman said, “I felt as though the moon and the stars and all the planets fell on me last night when I got the news.” With everything that was happening in the world at the time, even that may have been an understatement. Have you ever felt that way? 

WorldClassLarry, who can seem to be able to catch lightning in a jar, says--What we see determines what we do. What we see also tends to dictate how we feel. Soooo we need to be careful what you and I see (i.e. consciously and subconsciously).  I woke up at 3:10 the other night thinking of things I wanted to do.  Soooo I got up and made a list.  I seem to feel better when I have a list.  When I got done, I realized that I didn’t have that much to do and none of it was very important. Good gravy!  I went back to bed and slept well.  I think my mind just overreacted.  I said to myself—that was an understatement. 

I went to the golf course to jog about 8:30 recently.  I always enter the course by the fourth green.  There was a foursome of ladies on the green (i.e. usually there aren’t any golfers on the course and I never see any ladies on the course at that hour).  Soooo I said to them—Is there some ladies’ event going on today—ya, there is an over 50 ladies’ event today—are you sure you ladies are over 50—we sure are!  Then one lady said—I have blue jeans older than 50!  They made me smile.  Sooooo do any of you folks have cloths over 10 years old?  There is an old saying—If you have clothes that you haven’t worn in the last 2 years, you need to get rid of them.  SusieQ says—Not me, I have my fat clothes and my skinny clothes.  I rotate about every 2 years!  Soooooo I exited the course and jogged on the streets.  I met a gal who lives down the street who was walking.  They are retired farmers that use to farm north of town.  She told me that they completely remodeled the house they bought—we probably should have just built!  My husband said to me—You said you really liked the house soooo we bought it.  Sooooo what part of the house did you like! She toooo made me laugh.  I told her to tell her husband—A happy wife is a happy life!  It’s just money. She laughed! 

I wonder if we don’t expect the unexpected to happen.  It does!  Maybe we totally underestimate the unexpected.  RickyRick says this-- Jonah was on a ship full of people who didn’t believe in God. They were astounded that God stopped the storm when they threw Jonah overboard. And so, “The men were terrified of the Lord. They offered sacrifices and made vows to the Lord” (Jonah 1:16 GW). Because a person who believed in God suddenly went the right way instead of the wrong way, unbelievers believed.”  Now this is erv talking but I read it in the Big Book soooo it does have merit—God is God and His understanding I cannot fathom.  I really think that it is an understatement (i.e. my opinion). I’m a believer but I don’t want to be thrown overboard and be swallowed by a big fish.  Yikes!  Jonah and I can’t get by with anything.  I was riding in my friend’s paradise in his woods deep in Butler Co. the other day.  That night I get a pic of me  from him.  A guy can’t get by with anything. There is always someone seeing you!  Yikes! 

I really don’t think we believe in the unexpected enough.  Good happens folks.  Yes it does.  It happens from the strangest things and places.  Examples of this in disruptive technologies include the Internet, desktop publishing, CDs, DVDs, blogs, direct deposits, personal computers, steamships, telephones, and automobiles. Disruptive technologies are usually resisted at first and then accepted because of their benefits and efficiencies.   OneSmartPerson says--God allows disruptive moments in our life that we almost always question or resist because they are painful, unanticipated, misunderstood, and often not optional. Yet in hindsight, they are always embraced for the good of us.  You believe that? That is what I thought. Such is life. 

I have had some experiences that where really something this week.  Yes, they were.  I learned about one experience, actually because of the experience of a golf buddy that he shared with me that related to something that happened to me many years ago that was maybe a God sent.  I suspected it for many years but know I am sure it was just that (i.e. quite sure anyway).  It was something that might have appeared as a negative, but in reality, it is something very positive.  Now I am almost sure it is; pretty close anyway.  All because of a of a golf buddy telling me his experience.  Another experience will affect my life forever going forward (i.e. now that is pretty important, I think).  I don’t know exactly how but it will for sure, I think.  Now that is important I would say; a wow.  Another is in the making.  What happens will affect me as toooo what the direction of part of my future will be.  Exciting but that is direct I think.  It’s a teeter totter right now.  I’m okay with how it turns out (i.e. either way).  It’s out of my hands.  It is in the hands of another person and God. This is all good stuff.  I THINK!!!!!! At least it could be! 

Psychologists tell us that anticipation, which is the opposite of surprise, is an emotion with marvelous healing powers.  My opinion is that statement is an understatement.  I expect and anticipate good things to happen to me in my future (i.e. I expect many opportunities—now soooo I just can recognize them and have the guts to act on them).  How about you? 

Ernest Hemingway became one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, and he lived a life of adventure. He loved Spain, Paris, and his beautiful home in Key West, Florida. But his life ended tragically from despair and sadness. “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know,” he said.  I read in the paper, sooo it must be right, that intelligence has very little significance in a person’s happiness.  Happiness is made by each one of us.  We decide if we are going to be happy or not.  You believe that?  That is what I thought.  Dr. J says--Shouts of joy and happiness are available to us now, but we can only find them in the teachings of Jesus Christ. A relationship with Him is the fountainhead of joy. You believe that?  That is what I thought.  I like Mr. Hemingway’s style of writing.  He wrote in what is referred to as an “iceberg theory or theory of omission.”  It is a writing technique coined by Hemingway when he had to focus his newspaper reports on immediate events, with very little context or interpretation. When he became a writer of short stories, he retained this minimalistic style, focusing on surface elements without explicitly discussing underlying themes. Hemingway believed the deeper meaning of a story should not be evident on the surface but should shine through implicitly. I think that is why reading is soooo interesting; we can make up our own picture or interpretation or meaning or opinion (i.e. unlike the news media who tries to tell folks what to believe and think a.k.a. manipulation—and folks fall for it—some seem to love it and can’t get enough of it).  And how folks fall for that media crap is an understatement (i.e. my opinion)!!!! 

I read while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--One of the underestimated keys to success is the ability to make a good impression on people we meet, especially those in positions of influence. And we all know the truth of the adage, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. So, if you had the opportunity, what individual would you like to impress? Really! I think it’s very hard to impress almost anyone in this world we live in. I just be erv a.k.a. be real. I say that as I live in the small percentage of the world where we have almost everything we want and have freedom to do almost anything we want.  I don’t feel this way, but I have it soooo easy and live way fat!  I have no idea how many other folks live in the world that don’t (i.e. and I complain about my golf score while others have much more important things to be concerned about).  I try to impress my grandkids with gifts.  It’s impossible.  How can I impress them when they have everything there is, but I still try.  It seems that stuff isn’t the trick! I hope to impress them with the feeling that I care about them. All kids and adults like to have someone care about them—I think. Such is life. 

Do you ever do stuff or spend a lot of time on stuff that is mind-numbing (i.e. stuff that is useless—just killing time)?  I was thinking about our neighbor, Duke, when I was growing up a mile and fourth south of Roseland, MN.  Duke loved farming and milking cows.  I worked for him when I was 12 through high school (i.e. $.50 an hour—I must not every got better at my job as I never got a raise).  It was a job for me but to him it was his life (i.e. he loved it).  Now there was a huge massive difference between him and me.  Manure and cows were not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  I think, my opinion, folks who can find a job, career, lifestyle, hobby that they really enjoy are much happier that folks who just twiddle their thumbs (i.e. mind-numbing stuff).  Different strokes for different folks, for sure.  Sitting on the couch eating chips and watching TV is mind-numbing (i.e. my opinion).  Sooooo throw those chips away and get your butt off the couch! ItchieBitchie, who can really talk your ear off, says-- You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you (i.e. and you don’t tell anyone about makes it makes it even better). My opinion is that it is very satisfying and is very important in our lives (i.e. quit thinking about ourselves all the time—me me me me thinking is a killer!). This might be an understatement.  

Do you have wizards in your life?  I surely do; many of them.  Most of them are you folks.  You guys know soooo much more than I and are much more talented than I.  I have your email addresses or mobile numbers and contact you guys often.  Why? You are wizards and can tell me how to do most anything or actually do it for me.  Because of that, you make my life much happier.  You are all wizards except for one of you.  And you know who you are. haha  “To mourn is to sympathize. Happiness is discovered when we sympathize with those around us who suffer.”  --  David Jeremiah  WorldClassLarry says—Now that is a good example of being a wizard!  

I had a long stretch of being around folks every day doing a lot of fun things (i.e. very social).  Sooooo I decided to take a day off (i.e. being around folks).  I called it a Sabbath.  Sooooo I had one social event on my calendar (i.e. a group thing in which I didn’t have to be there) which I decided not to do.  I really enjoyed all the activity I had with many of you, but I wanted to be alone for a day.  It’s like you guys who just want to read for a day, scoop beans for a day, mow lawn for a day, go to your cabin for a day, ride bike for a day, go fishing for a day, or go shopping by yourself for a day.  You get it?  I enjoyed my day very much.  I was happy before but even made myself happier.  Bingo!  Just a suggestion for you!  IckieVickie, who is very gritty, says—Don’t underestimate the power of being along and just thinking! 

MyNeighbeorDownTheStreet, let me tell you he can really can it, is an influential thinker about management says—Management means, in the last analysis, the substitution of thought for brawn and muscle, of knowledge for folklore and superstition, and of cooperation for force.  Now I think that is an understatement.  I am going to try an experiment with this philosophy and see how it turns out. It will be fun to see what happens.  It is soooo encouraging to hear someone agreeing with your opinion.  Yes, it is.  The speaker in the church I attend, said that “It all comes down to money.”  Hey, I have been saying that forever-- It’s all about the money.  He said—From the world's perspective, it’s all about money. Now that is an understatement (i.e. from the world’s perspective), but not from a spiritual perspective).  SlimySlick says—erv, don’t challenge me that way!  Good gravy! Quit trying to get in my head; I love my money.  

Test this Hemingway's “iceberg style of writing”—It is impossible to be honest from a dishonest position. 

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

erv 

MyFriendJean says—Your IQ is not as important as your “I will.”