even though

Tyron Edwards, who was a 19^th-century theologian, wrote—“Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny.” You believe that? That is what I thought.  LuckieEddie says--It’s more than I can take; I just like to fumble through life and see what happens.  But I’m LuckieEddie!

SusieQ, who everyone knows is just a little out there, says--It is possible to be alone, yet not lonely; and lonely even though when not alone (i.e. that is anyone’s guess I guess). That sure seems to be a true statement now doesn’t it.   A friend, in sorta kinda a strange way, was sitting on her deck and called me over as I was walking by.  She wanted my advice about a business situation that was bothering her (i.e. she didn’t like to see a jerk hurt her neighbor).  ANYWAY, I asked her when leaving how her and boyfriend are doing. She said, I like to alone at times and like him around sometimes; I have become pretty independent being alone for sooo long. It sounds like she likes the best of both worlds. SusieQ says—I wonder if not everyone’s mind wanders! Go figure!

ItchieBitchie can act soooooo humble and nice until the pressure is put on and then, Katie bar the door.  That pressure is the litmus test.  JoeBlow, who is soooo quick to the ball, says—Anyone can be a great person when they are winning but see how they act with they are losing, when the pressure is on (i.e. even though they pretend, their inner feelings can show right through).  The great ones have the inner strength to be great when the pressure is on.  TomSmart says—Gals are always prettier when they are happy; there is no question about that (i.e. most gals under pressure or who can’t handle pressure aren’t as pretty). It ain’t no rocket science folks. BettyLou says—It’s nuttin that a new pair of shoes can’t fix. 100pairshoegirlRitta or was it 100newtopsgirlLois (i.e. I can’t tell them apart) says--I hate that when things are said sooo direct. This mythology is call "retail therapy" and can be very effective and is always the answer!

I was getting my mail the other evening and a guy was walking away from our mail boxes with me looking through his mail—I said—all dividend checks—I wish it was; looks like we’ll need a pile of money to keep afloat; it sure is a crazy world; I wonder if I will have enough to live as everything keeps going up; I think the government wants that to happen; maybe prophesy is being fulfilled. I didn’t say anything ‘cause I don’t know! He sounded discouraged. Ouchy ouchy! I sat down and watched the girls (i.e. ok, senor ladies) wiggle and giggle in the pool; it was a beautiful evening and sunset was gorgeous.  A guy came and sat at the table with me.  He was from MN and told me that he sold his place here in the park and will not return.  He said he has been coming down here for 30 years and is 90 years old--I had a very good run.  I will miss it but it’s time.  He got up and said he is going to play, what’s that highbrow card game—maybe bridge—that’s it; that is why I’m not coming back.

I was talking with several folks who were going to entertain friends here in The Valley. They kicked around different suggestions.  Then one person said—I planned all these great things for us to do but all they wanted to do was sit in the sun by the pool.  What I thought wasn’t what they thought even though I though my ideas were really great!  Soooo the conclusion I got from listening to them is that what I think isn’t the same as others think.  What I think is fun and exciting isn’t toooo others. Maybe think of this, I play some pickleball. Compared to all the folks in the park or even in the world, it’s a very small percentage that play. Very small. Sooooo in reality, it’s not very important at all.  If I play or who I play with or how well I play is of very little importance. Very little! Yet some folks don’t think like me. Soooo in my thinking here during my Sabbatical in The Valley of the Sun, I think about what I think is really important in my life. I have enjoyed thinking about this stuff even though it has been challenging. Such is life.

I met a gal who I found very interesting even though I don’t really know her, but we had a nice conversation.  She seems, according to our conversation, to be very intergenic and very involved. Seems to have a very good attitude and seems to like people very much.  I got from our conversation that she seems very happy with her life and current lifestyle.  Maybe, just maybe, she is very comfortable being alone. I have no idea as I don’t really know this gal or her past.  But I sorta kinda got this impression.  BUT, my impression could be way wrong.  Sherlock Homes once said, “You mentioned your name as if I should recognize it, but beyond the obvious facts that you are a bachelor, a solicitor, a Freemason and an asthmatic, I know nothing whatever about you.”

I listened to a preacher’s sermon Sunday who was teaching humility in a world of arrogance! WOW! That’s an uphill battle a.k.a. radical. Holy smokes! What is this person’s chance of success? The news surely doesn’t spread this mentality, oh no! My opinion—I think it can and will happen ‘cause it’s beyond us.  Way beyond us. Maybe in most cases it’s how we want to be even though we seem to act arrogant a lot. Especially me! I have been humbled this winter here in the Valley; oh yes!  I have been dinged in the head.  That is quite a learning experience, oh ya! Am I smarter?  I really don’t know. As the song goes—we are stiff neck stubborn ornery people (i.e. a friend use to say that a lot; I always wondered if he was directing that at just me)!

You talk about Holy smokes.  I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it—"The largest and most powerful particle accelerator on earth is buried beneath the border of Switzerland and France. It’s the CERN Large Hadron Collider—a 17-mile-long circle nearly 600 feet below ground. Particles fly around the tunnel at velocities approaching the speed of light, and when they collide, the heat produced can be more than 100,000 times hotter than the center of the sun.” I had a hard time believing that soooo I ran it by Valedictorian and TheMI-Engineer and they said it was for real soooooo now I believe it.  That sounds like “over cookin’” it a little. That would be hard not to burn the bacon! His understating I cannot fathom!

I had lunch this week with cousins, these folks are my kind of folks let me tell ya.  What a great time we had. Part of our conversation was how fast time and our lives are going.  Way fast we concluded.  James tells us our life is like a vapor. David agrees: “Each man’s life is but a breath.". In the grand, eternal scheme of things, we are a small point on the timeline. By the time we learn what we need to know and are equipped to serve, we have but a moment left. Soooo folks, enjoy life and help others to enjoy their lives (i.e. my opinion) even though sometimes that is hard to do. I bought 5 post cards at the Mercantile store at Goldfield.  They were 5 for a dollar soooo I gave the clerk a dollar. She said—I need some cents—some folks say I don’t have any cents—give me that other dollar in your hand and I will give you some cents back.  We had a good laugh. What fun!

Two of the guys I played pickleball with on Wednesdays are Canucks. At our break I asked them how the price of acholic compares here in the U.S. to Canada.  Whiskey is a third of the cost in US as it is in Canada. They told us that is the reason why they are smarter when here for the winter. Saturday question--Is that a form of artificial intelligence? But remember folks--The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body. So, that means lefties are the only ones in their right mind! I was sitting in the hot tub and had conversations with Mr. and Mrs. Canuck on a recent evening.  Very nice folks.  I have known him for maybe 10-12 years.  ANYWAY, I asked questions and learned that about 90% of Canada’s population is within 150 miles of the U.S. border.  I didn’t know that. And it seems like a lot of them are in the southern part of the U.S. in the winter.

I gave this tee shirt to my buddy, Joethehike, as he is always complaining about the Minnesota Vikings and especially Cousins even though he is a big fan or maybe just a fan (i.e. I really don’t know about him sometimes haha).  Soooo I went to play golf with my buddies at their park. Going through their gate, the security guy asked me where I was going—golf course; you play golf—not anymore; it was toooo frustrating for me; toooo much cussing and swearing; my dad was a club pro and did a lot of cussing and sweating soooo he quit and went into selling concrete; no more cussing and swearing and he has made millions.  My golf buddies and I really have a good time, no cussing and swearing but mostly joking and givin’ each other a hard time (i.e. our scores are not the primary reason we play even though we want to play well according to our ability).  These are good guys with good hearts, my kind of folks—I really enjoy these guys. Related to that—I had lunch with a friend from birth who grew up 2 and half miles north of Roseland, MN the other day along with his wife.  He plays a lot of pickleball and is good.  He told me even though he plays with different levels of players, he seems to think that the better folks get, the less fun they have (i.e. his opinion); at least they don’t laugh as much.  Crazy huh! Did he figure that out from his experiences?  Ok, the theory that some pb players have is that some of the better players become elitists (i.e. not AverageJoes anymore) and think they have to act a certain way (i.e. live up to their image). Saturday question--What is your experience dealing with some folks who think they are elitists in your church, community or family based on your experiences? That is what I thought. Flip the pancake! I have played with some very good players recently who are very nice and are very good folks even though they are very good.  Sooooo there ya go!. PickleballPete says—God, it’s hard to be humble when you are as good as I think I am. SweetCaroline says--PickleballPete, I can smell you coming a mile away and you really don’t smell that good! MyAllTimeFavoriteBill said playing golf on a recent Tuesday after hitting one of his very few bad shots—I’m 85% Irish and that Irish luck is BS (i.e. he doesn’t seem to realize it but it appears he gets all the breaks)!

My mentor use to say to me—erv, things are never as bad as they look or as good as they look. The visibility rule is--Never let the visible rule. Our victories yesterday do not decide our status today. Neither do our failures. We need God desperately every day equally, regardless of how threatened—or how successful—things look. I need to be humble for sure with my successes and remain strong with my failures.  I need to put stuff in proper perspective.  That is my opinion folks. BUT can I do it even though I know it? I don’t know. I try! A gal from back home runs for UNI and just won the 800m Missouri Valley indoor crown.  She is a great gal and has a great humble attitude.  She said at the close of her interview that was in the paper—“No matter what, no matter who I am racing against, I am going to put myself in it. I am not going to back down…I think anyone can expect me to be tough, be gritty.” She is one neat gal, a good gal with a good heart, my kind of gal. She also said, “Cancel all the noise, control what you can control and give 100-percent toward that.”

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—People are not problems to be solved, but mysteries to be encountered.

PS  A friend from Grundy County IA  always says--The people make going south fun....you can sit at home and watch TV ANYWHERE.