Ooo ga

You don’t have to believe anything in this “It’s Saturday” if you have a strongly held religious belief or have a medical problem.  Ooo ga ooo ga! Now that is leaving the barn door wide open, for sure! That’s about all of you!

WorldClassLarry says—It’s not true that nice folks finish last. Nice folks are winners before the game even starts.  You folks are nice folks and don’t you ever forget that! Except for one of you and you know who you are!

They became “good for nuttin!” The old Model As and Ts were just that, “good for nuttin” once they became useless. And there were many of them. They would be put in sheds, groves and even buried in big pits to get rid of them.  No one wanted them.  They were history, old fashion, lost their usefulness. Many of you folks remember them quite well; they were part of your life.  Do you remember the ooo ga horn?

I read a sign recently that went like this—All questions have answers; it’s just that we don’t always like them. Ooo ga! Ooo ga! I really had to smile when I read that. And some questions have answers but not all answers are good answers. And some answers we just don’t like a.k.a. the truth.

I saw this sign saying on back of a camper going down I-90--Not all who wander are lost! I’m finishing a week of an adult hostel in Yellowstone a.k.a. Wonderland.  Hiked with a group of other adults (21 guys and gals from all over the country) that where also a part of Walk on the Wild Side in Yellowstone.  Crazy huh!  The folks who seem to do these hostels are adventurous, seeking pleasure, want to learn and share (i.e. move and learn are keys for an enjoyable ageing process—my opinion).  I like that combination.  Yellowstone is way different than Butler Co let me tell ya (i.e. no corn here).  The Bible says—Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed; you need to take advantage of today’s opportunities today! Collecting shells or sitting by the pool is ok but…! Ooo ga ooo ga!

I bought a new pair of hiking socks before I left.  The brand name is Darn Tough!  How can they grantee them for life.  Maybe they only sell these socks to folks my age.  I have never owned a pair of hiking socks in all the years I have hiked.  Our daughter insisted I get them. Ooo ga ooo ga! But they were $6 and my new hiking shirt (i.e. that she insisted I get; never had a hiking shirt before either) was just below the dollar limit for free shipping soooo why not she said. I’m easily motivated!

This last week, I had a friend call me and part of our conversation was that she told me that all the folks she is around or talk to seem to be negative and grouchy.  Really! She asked me if I experience that—no, I can’t say I have.  Another friend called me who is still working his butt off but does have the life of Riley, told me that many clients are very demanding, unhappy, worried, and just not very pleasant.  He thinks the whole business world is on edge and nervous.  Soooo another friend called me, and I asked him (i.e. retired guy who has options) if he experiences these type of folks.  He said no he hasn’t either.  He thinks, his opinion, is that we are around busy, active folks who are doing things and they have more of a positive attitude. Could be.  If you sit on the couch, eat chips and watch the news all day, it could affect a person.  Ooo ga ooo gaa! WalleyWallege says--Keep you eyes open for good folks to be around; you will go in the direction of folks you hand around with. No question!  It's not rocket science folks. 

I had an opportunity to spend some time with a long-time friend recently.  He is an accomplished runner.  He was telling me that he can run with some very talented runners who have more talent than he does but he out trains them (i.e. run strong).  Think about that, folks.  In life, we see many times the lesser talented win the race. Why? They out train the more talented.  It’s summed up this way--Discipline beats talent, when talent lacks discipline. My friend has a great attitude and discipline.  Not all folks do. ItchieBitchie says--We have to do it for the long haul; we gotta finish! It’s easy to do well for a little while and then fall off the wagon.  We can get cocky and think we are really something, but it takes true discipline to stay strong to the end. 

Recently I was going for a bike ride on the Cedar Valley Bike Trails and was using Pfeiffer Park as my trial head.  I was taking my bike off my bike rack and a gal rides up to the SUV next to me.  She opens the hatch and I see she has another bike in her SUV.  You must be a serious biker as you have two bikes and I just have one—actually I have four bikes; this mountain bike, that gravel bike, a road bike and a fat-tire bike for winter—soooo how many miles do you ride—about 4,000 a year—do you have other hobbies—yes, my husband and I are avid horse trail riders—do you have time to work—I have worked for an insurance company for 29 years as an IRA consultant (i.e. I guess she was maybe early 50s (i.e. trim and in good shape). She told me that she was told that all the company’s four regional offices employees in IA (i.e. about 800 ) that none are going back to an office, permanently.  Wow! The world is changing folks! Ooo ga ooo ga! She made me feel like a wimp!

I read this by Tony Dungy while eating my oatmeal with a half a banana on it—"I learned from a friend who was involved in prison ministry that they determine the future need for prisons by the percentage of children in the 4^th grade that cannot read.” There is a Chinese proverb that says—When planning for a year, plant corn, when planning for a decade, plant trees, when planning for life train and educate children. Suggestion—Determine today that you will make a difference in a life of a child by being available and willing to help that boy or girl to succeed. The Bible says—Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. You believe that?  That is what I thought.

It appears that we look for a Big Splash to fix a problem (e.g. a new leader, a new pill, a new book).  We seem to want an instant fix in our life, in our business, in our church, in our country, etc.  Most times it just ain’t going to happen. It’s the time we start thinking about football again. Many times we are hoping our team will have a new qb or a new coach and bingo we will have success.  It might help but most times it takes an improvement of the current players (i.e. us). Generally, if the old players don’t improve in their ability and attitude, the team isn’t going to be much better.  CadillacJack says—If we continue to be the same old person thinking the same old way doing the same old stuff, nuttin really is going to change. Is it? And I know many of you folks quite well and I don’t think you are going to change! You seem to be dug in pretty deep! Ooo ga ooo ga!

I had the opportunity to have dinner with some friends the other night.  Three of them are in supervisor capacity at their work. They are part of the hiring and firing of folks.  One person told us this story—A gal on their team was not holding up her end and was evaluated and given suggestions several times what she needed to do to correct her situation (i.e. she heard but didn’t ever listen). Well, it came time to release her. He and the HR met her in the conference room and gave her the bad news.  Now she did hear and listen but didn’t understand; she just couldn’t believe she was being released.  I asked how the others on his team reacted to her being released.  He said it rejuvenated the whole team. Maybe they knew she was the worst on the team and now they think they might be the worst on the team!  Ooo ga ooo ga!

I asked a fellow hiker/friend if she wanted to have the opportunity to write a little something for my blog--what do you want me to write about--I don't care; anything you think about while hiking.  Sooooo here it is folks--Childhood memories: I was 8 years old. We lived on a farm and the weather was ominous.  No Doppler radar warnings at that time. Dad was outside watching the sky. Suddenly he rushed to the house and ordered everyone into the basement.  While we were in the basement our phone was ringing constantly.  We found out later that it was our neighbors warning us that a tornado was heading directly to our house. It's true that a tornado sounds like a freight train. I was terrified.  I remember praying fervently "Please God, protect our family. " After 10 minutes all was quiet. I remember Dad scolding me because I was barefoot and if the tornado hit our house there would be debris everywhere. Lesson learned. We discovered that the tornado suddenly took a different direction and destroyed 2 abandoned farmsteads. We found pieces of old wallpaper,  canceled checks, and other debris on our yard. That experience was my first memory of the power of prayer and God's grace. 

It appears to change our attitude or our physical, it takes time and a lot of effort.  We just can’t snap our fingers and Bingo, it’s done. Eureka! Not that easy folks. Somethings take a long time and a lot of effort.  Some of you did change or are changing. Congratulations!  You are the winners for sure.  I’m real happy for you. I personally find that change is a constant effort.  Suggestion—Decide to be around good folks.  

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—Fear is never harmless. It destroys from the inside.

The tip of the day--The most famous catechism used for children and young believers was written between 1646 and 1647, the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The first question has become famous: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”