reference points

GM advertises that we need to use genuine GM parts. GM says there is a difference between their parts than the aftermarket parts. You think soooo! Is there a difference? A friend said to me—erv, that person is not genuine, she’s a fake, she has a lot of aftermarket parts in her head let me tell you; she's not genuine, not the real deal (i.e. she's not made of original parts for sure); I don’t have a lot of faith in her. Yikes! I like genuine folks! Not the cheaper knock off brands. That is one of my reference points. Oh ya!

Hats off to you if you haven’t done something stupid in your life. Other folks can do something stupid which can really affect our lives such as a drunken driver running into us. BUT most of the stupid stuff that happens to us is created by us. How stupid can we be anyway!  The answer is—pretty stupid! Do we use reference points as what we should do and what we should not do?  And how do we determine the reference points?  MissPerfect says--Ya gotta have proper perspectives! And perspectives are formed by our past environment, current environment and our genetics. 

I had the opportunity to play golf with some of my old buddies here in the Valley of the Sun (i.e. old in more ways than one). The golf seemed expensive but the price was a bargain as I got the same old, fun crap I heard for years!  ANYWAY, I said to them on a par three--Do you think I can get there with a 5-iron. One said--Ya, you can! Another chimed in--Ya you can erv, but you'll will probably have to hit it three times! 

Saturday question—What are our reference points in comparing our happiness, joyfulness, usefulness, completeness, satisfaction, life’s enjoyment, etc.?  We can’t compare if we don’t have a reference point. How good is our marriages, our friendships, our family relationships etc.?  We have tooooo have reference points. Now think about this, those reference points can be either worldly or spiritual.  Does that make any difference?  Are they different? Of course, if we don’t believe in God, then the only reference points are worldly soooo there is no thought about having two sets. Bingo! Soooo who sets our reference points? AverageJoe says—I set my reference points as I go along; whatever works and makes me feel good; many of those reference points depend how they affect my checkbook and my social status; that is what is important to me. Sooooo there AverageJoe, you have answered your own question! That wasn’t hard (i.e. not a backbreaker at all)! SusieQ says--Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it.

I’m in the process of making a new friend. He happens to be a retired financial advisor and still has his head and hands in investments, especially in the stock market. He told me that two things he really advises clients, ya gotta save and maybe buy good stuff and hang unto them. He said he can’t time when to buy stocks soooo he just keeps buying. He thought Costco stock was toooo high at $50 and now it $719. Sooooo there. Now that is a reference point. erv, when we get to our age, we are happy we saved! Life is a lot more fun playing golf together here in the desert (i.e. we seem to have more options).

What is a reference point toooo how much you love someone? Can it really be measured by metrics or analytically or quantitative?  I don’t think soooo, it's uncalculatable! Sooooo I was buying some roses for Jeanne on Valentine morning and the prices were double compared to the normal prices. Another guy and I were talking about that, and he said to me—It’ still a good investment; don’t kid yourself (i.e. that was his viewpoint a.k.a. reference point). Soooo I was checking out and I mentioned the price increase to the clerk about how they get us on Valentine’s Day. He said—You should’ve bought them a month ago! I thanked him for his advice. We had a good laugh! Studies show that touch is very important in expressing. And holding hands is one great method of touching. BUT we can’t measure the effect but only guess, I guess (i.e. it's uncalculatable)! Saturday question—When is the last time you held hands with the folks you love!  SusieQ says—I wish my husband would hold my hand instead of giving me a box of chocolates; God knows I don’t need more calories, but I really need the feeling of him holding my hand! JoeBlow says--And it is cheaper toooooo, but she sure loves chocolate!

What eats your lunch? Maybe we have a demon or demons that eat our lunch continuously! Could be, probably, maybe, I don’t know. Obviously folks have demons that do, they also eat folks’ hearts out and make folks miserable (i.e. those darn demons). Why do we let those suckers do that to us anyway? I think it helps me to regularly do personal evaluations of myself (i.e. do a self-test like an employer does tooooo their employees, like a litmus test). I find some stuff I like and sometimes I find stuff I don’t like. I have to have a reference point, a line in the sand, to measure myself with. Saturday question—How do I determine that reference point?  How do you? CrazyMarvin says—Ya but my reference point keeps changing soooo it doesn’t mean much anymore! While eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it, I read what Dr.J said—"One of life’s paradoxes is how self-discipline gives us freedom. People without self-control live under the tyranny of whatever desires master them—pleasure, sleep, sex, indulgence, addictions, or hatred.” Ouchy ouchy!

A senor guy said to me—erv, did you watch the half-time show of the super bowel?  He said he did but didn’t understand one word. Maybe it was geared to the younger generations. He went on to say that the actions he thought were not very good for younger girls to see. But then again, they were maybe relating to the younger generations who aren’t soooo old fashion and enjoy the provocative suggestions they expressed. We all have different reference points now don’t we. No two folks think alike it seems. It’s all about the advertising money sooooooo take that into consideration! Maybe they weren’t targeting the over 65 crowd. You think soooo?

Another senior buddy told me that they have a granddaughter who has a lifestyle that they don’t approve of.  We have tried to help her in offering financial support to correct it but she has not accepted it and it seems that her lifestyle has even gotten worse (i.e. that is his reference point but he is probably right as it will affect her life’s activities and also her life expectancy).  They feel bad but can’t fix it for her he said; if she doesn’t want to change, what can we do.  Besides, he said, I shouldn't judge her, I have gained 8 pounds since we have been here this winter.  I need to get rid of that, I have my own problem! I told him he looks ok but just needs to grow a few inches!  I like this guy!

Are we right all the time? Da! Are we right 50% of the time? A buddy told me that he inherited the idot gene; in fact he said it seems that all humans have that gene but just some seem like they don't know it! AverageJoe says—"There is a lot of pressure in our society to have it all together, to be successful in every endeavor, to be everything to everyone. But those expectations are unrealistic. Why? Because we are human. None of us are super-human no matter what we think or believe!” Ok, one of you might think you don’t have the idot gene, you know who you are! It all depends what reference point we use! MissPerfect says sorta kinda—No matter how bad that idot gene makes us look at times, God will forgive us! I believe that! BUT here is a tough question I ask myself—Can and will I forgive folks who have the idot gene and who hurt me? I question if I pass muster! Yikes, I think my idot gene has showed up again!

Here is a suggestion!  If you don't like suggestions, I suggest you don't read this by TalkingEd but if you are open minded, give it a read, maybe! ANYWAY--TomSmart says--In the next few months, the economy more than likely won’t change. Your work situation won’t change. Your broken relationships may not get healed. But your mindset can change. That will be the difference between a life of self-destruction and a life of peace. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you better thoughts—thoughts that bring peace, not frustration. You need to look at your situation differently: in the Holy Spirit way. As my decease friend said to me--erv, decisions have consequences and guess who gets to make the decisions. 

One smart person said to me—To assume makes an ASS out of U and Me!  Another smart person said to me--The whole process of mental adjustment and atonement can be summed up in one word, gratitude. They both might be good reference points. What do you think. That is what I thought. "Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either." ~ Albert Einstein 

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—Love always finds a home in a heart of a friend.

much ADO about nuttin

I saw a sign in a restaurant that said—"I’ll stop everything and take care of your problem!  I don’t think soooo folks.” haha  We all have problems but for the most part we all need to take care of our own problems. Besides most folks don’t really want help anyway (i.e. not many want advice). It appears that we have to figure out what our problem(s) are by ourselves and then decide if we want to do something about them. I told Jeanne recently that I have decided to act on one of my problems; it’s not the other person’s problem but it’s mine; how I treat someone else that is the problem (i.e. I'm the problem). That other person probably isn’t going to change but I think I can change how I treat that other person. Besides, the other person doesn’t even know or probably cares that I think they have a problem (i.e. big on I think) soooo it only bothers me--Da!). Let’s see what happens. ItchieBitchie says—erv, remember, we are all unique just like everybody else!

I don’t have an Apple watch but many of you do. It tells folks to throw those chips away and get their butt off the couch as they are very lazy and maybe eat toooo much. SusieQ says—That is the easy part, to own a watch, but doing what it says is a lot harder. It doesn’t do the work for anyone. BUT we all need reminders now don’t we. BUT we got to act on it (i.e. if we want toooo). Soooo if we just wear an Apple watch for show, it doesn't do much for us. Oh, for the show! Those Apple watches evaluates a person’s heart rate and tells a person that they need a timeout as their life is getting way out of wack. Again, seeing the reminder is the easy part but changing our lifestyle is a lot harder it appears to me (i.e. it’s back to the self-discipline again—ouchy ouchy—MissPerfect says, can’t I just get a pill). What do you think?  That is what I thought! Such is life.

We had the opportunity to have lunch with my big couz (i.e. only by age) who is sweet as pie and her husband this last week. What a hoot! She has cochlear implants for both of her ears. She told us that when she is in a large group and there is a lot of folks talking, her brain will overload and just shut down and will no longer interpret any of the voices. Isn't that interesting! Either that or she is faking it and don't want to talk to folks anymore! How will we ever know!

I was buying a container of seafood salad at Albertson’s the other day. The person helping me (i.e. a guy of about 26 or soooo) asked me what my shirt said—yagottafinish—that is a good saying—ya I think soooo—he then said, even if it takes a person like me 10 years to finish—what’s you name—Alex—Alex you are strong person if you finished—he smiled and said “thank you”! I had no idea what he felt soooo good about himself that he finished. But it was a "wow" to him. You got any "wows" because you finished something? I read while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it that life is a marathon and toooo finish we need to de-clutter (i.e. get rid of excessive stuff that drags us down--like pulling plow around all the time). You think that is true! Saturday question—What is the excessive stuff? I have tooooo admit that I have thought about that! Such is life.

An old (i.e. in two ways) high school friend texted me saying he was going to sing a solo in church this Sunday. Then he said—I don’t know why I say yes to these things. Man, I have said that to myself many times. How about you. What was I thinking! He also remembers singing in a quartet with me in high school.  I think he made that up to make me feel good. I wasn’t a singer. But who knows, maybe I faked it like a liplync. Now my high school friend Deano was a singer (i.e. I think he was in that quartet, he was a good singer. He and I sang in the church choir together in high school. His mother, Ethel, was the director.  When I was about 30 I realized how bad a singer I was and sent her a note apologizing to her for messing her choir up and telling her she was really a nice lady in not telling me how bad I was! You know, it's hard to tell folks that they aren't very good, especially when they think they are really good (i.e. have an over-sized head of themselves)!

Playing pb the other morning I played with the 4+ group for a couple of games.  Most of them are a little better than me. Sooooo my partner was one of them that was a little better and likes to win (i.e. winning is very important to him, a lot more important than it is to me).  He told me that after our opponent hit a shot down the line past me for a point—erv, you got to cover that line.  I said to him—Thanks for pointing that out to me (i.e. maybe a little sarcastically but I don’t think he caught on). Giving advice really isn’t that important in a friendly game at Carriage Manor (i.e. my opinion).  BUT some of you might think differently.  Relationships and friendships are much more important to me than winning a pb game. BUT we are all different now aren’t we. Maybe I’m missing the boat! Or maybe I went overboard in my thinking! Could be. Maybe. Probably.  I don’t know!

A buddy was telling us that they have a summer home on the ocean in BC. Last summer he went there and some friends who used it before him left some peanut butter cups and some peanuts. Sooooo he ate them. He spent the next three days in the hospital; they were laced with THC. He had no idea what he was doing or where he was for the three days. Our neighbor told us that many seniors here in our park use gummy bears laced with THC as well (i.e. she heard it at the pool soooo it must be right). REALLY! I was told that the biggest group of folks using them is the seniors.  Of course, it’s all for medical purposes! THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol which is the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana. Our culture is changing folks right here in our 55+ communities. Who says old folks can’t change! Maybe those gummy bears will cause more golf cart and bike crashes by old folks. You think soooo? But they sure might be happier (i.e. laughing their head off) as they pick themselves up off the street even though they might not know where they are!). JoeSixPack says--Ya But the samples are free at the shop down the street; how can you go wrong on that!

He thinks he is in high school yet! I was sitting next to a pb buddy waiting for a court to open. Not playing today again—my feet just would let me; it probably will be a couple of months before I can play again; I should have laid off when they were feeling good and let them get 100%  but no, I had to play and now I am paying for it—what were you thinking anyway—ya, that is a good question; I’m not very smart! Soooo my neighbor sits by me—how is going neighbor—not very good, I’m really having trouble with my serve—sounds like you need a sports psychiatrist—I don’t even know if they could help me—you are going to have bad dreams tonight—nightmares! Listen, us old folks really have problems let me tell you! It really sounds bad BUT in reality, we live the life of Riley!

We hear sooooo much about that our country has two tribes (i.e. who both think they are right) and they don’t like each other very much! Maybe that’s nuttin new, we did have a civil war once which there were two tribes which caused a war and many many folks died. Then there are some folks who are in the middle (i.e. maybe called moderates or who the tribe members call nobodies in which the tribe members think they don’t know nuttin). Our neighbor, Butch, has this sign on their railing that explains his position. ItchieBitche says--There are no tribes in China or North Korea or Russia or Venezuela! Saturday question—Can tribe members become radicals a.k.a. extremists? Saturday question--Are we becoming desensitized about what the big picture is maybe?

Charlie Brown, you’re a clown! Some days it seems like I’m a clown and some days I think I'm wise. Sooooo I was talking with Tim on the phone recently about some business. I said to him—Tim, I’m 78 and you are probably 21 and we look at things differently—Tim said, I’m not 21 and I never what to be 21 again—why not Tim—when I was 21 I was young and dumb and I don’t want to be 21 again!  Saturday question—Where you ever 21 and dumb? I asked some buddies that question and they all said—we are still dumb like when they were 21! We all had a good laugh about that. Sooooo how do we get wise? Here is a suggestion--A wise person will hear and increase in learning and a person of understanding will acquire wise counsel. ~ Proverbs 1:5 BigStuffBill says—That might be the best thing since Howdy Doody! WildBill says--Becoming an adult is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.

Jeanne and I rode our bikes over to another park to see some friends. Coming back to our park the gate guard raised the gate arm but pressed the button tooooo quick and Jeanne was like being part of the Allstate advertisement when the gate arm came down and smashed her.  The gate guard said—my bad!  Good thing she is tough as well as being nice and sweet!  Soooo how tough are we and how nice and sweet are we? Is that a good combination? I think soooooo! Hey, we have first world problems let me tell ya!

A buddy sent me this--Q ---- when are you going to add  "4 prune's" to your breakfast of oatmeal and half of a banana   ???  Give it a try.  It works. Do you think we have a tendency to over complicate things at time like over explaining in our talk and writings (i.e. folks just want the blue book explanation but we give them the World Book Encyclopedia version). And the folks are bored to death (e.g. showing 40 pictures of their dog Zippy)! Actually the advertisements on tv move soooo fast that I can hardly keep up with them!  And then we wonder why some meetings are boring to some folks! SusieQ says--BUT that is the way we have always done it! JoeBlow says--In the 55+ parks ya gotta go slow as we can't hear, see, or remember very well! Hey, we need to take gummy bears and prunes to get up to speed! Such is life.

Like I said--It's much ADO about nuttin! I told you sooooo!

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

erv

MyFriendJean said--A lovely thought, deeply rooted, never ceases to blooom.

posturing

 

Dr.J says—"The road to personal peace is a multilane highway in today’s world. There is a lane for peace through prosperity, peace through prestige, peace through possessions, peace through personal achievements, and more. But all those lanes to peace omit the one lane that is necessary before all others: peace with God.” Ouchy ouchy! Do you agree with Dr.J? Saturday question—Do we have peace in our lives and mind or are we just posturing ourselves to appear we do or look important to others (i.e. look like a bigshot—we just try to fool folks)? Saturday question—Do we ever try to fool folks by posturing?

Soooooo is this posturing?  Hey, a happy husband is a happy life tooooo! Soooo now that changes the equation a bit now doesn’t it. Probably, maybe, posturing in a marriage or any relationship isn’t such a good thing. Probably not! What do you think?  It appears that many folks do posture themselves in many relationships.  Look around folks, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. AverageJoe says—And the sum of the equation when one or both parts are posturing themselves is usually a stinky one!

Many folks do great things for others, but we don’t know it (i.e. love others more than they deserve). Not all senior folks do senior activities all day to make themselves feel good, oh no, many have mission projects here while in the Valley of the Sun and back home during the summer months. We just don’t know about them (i.e. we have really found this to be true—good folks with good hearts, our kind of folks). Flip the pancake—Yes, there are some folks that posture their life to be all about themselves (i.e. all about me and making themselves look important). Ouchy ouchy. JoeBlow says—Givers are always happy and takers are mostly miserable all the time. Such is life. Patti, not just anyone can be a Patti, says--It is the little things we do that can make a big difference. ~ Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me. ~ Jesus in Matthew 24:40 JoeBlow says--Volunteers have an attitude of, It Ain't About Us!

Got new wheels for transportation in the park. It’s a hand me down from Jeanne. It is in tribute to my picklelball teaching mentor of years ago, BigPete.  He liked pink and wore a lot of pink, but I never saw him on a pink bike. I’m one up on him maybe, posturing myself!. I’m not posturing myself in making myself to look like I’m up with the elite, oh no! BUT I really like it. Those step throughs are good for old farts, and I sit up high and don’t have to bend over (i.e. I feel like a king). Oh ya! Hey, I am who I am and you are who you are. You think I should keep riding the pink bike? 

Letz ride 'em cowboy! A lady told me the other day that her husband says to her—You are not the boss but just bossy! We took the Civil Right Training course, a requirement for our volunteering. A term that they used in our education was “Compassion fatigue.”  We work with homeless and folks who have financial problems soooo that can really be a problem. They recommend that we don’t overdo our volunteering. Makes sense to me I think. Soooooo how about limiting the time we associate with folks who drag us down?  They might really screw up our lives!  I always say—Ya gotta be around good folks at least for the high majority of our time. BUT that is our decision; and decisions have consequences. And who gets to make that decision? You got it sweetheart! Soooo my volunteer boss called me honey when giving me directions just after our Civil Right Training. I asked her if she calls everyone honey; I told her that you have to treat everyone the same.  That is the law sweetheart!

MissPerfect says--Maybe in posturing there is a massive huge difference between perception of ourselves and the reality of ourselves. You think sooo? I do!  I’m sorry if I hurt your ego. Posturing is very important in many social circles. Folks may act not as they are but how they want others to see them maybe. The lead lady of the volunteers told me that some volunteers are asked to leave—what—they come here to just pad their resume and some volunteer to tell their friends and etc. that they are some big shots; they have the wrong motive. We ask them to leave; they just don’t fit with us. Our experience with the volunteers that we work with is just great, great folks with great hearts, our kind of folks!

Do you think we ever become showoffish when posturing ourselves in a group?  Like trying to position ourselves as being high on the pecking order of the group?  Soooo do folks like that when we become showoffish? We hiked the Butcher Jones Trail the other day (i.e. I know that some of you have hiked it when in AZ). We met two couples from MN and they noticed I had my Iowa cap on. We talked about Caitlin Clark.  They just really love her as she is soooo good and soooo humble (i.e. not showoffish). They asked if we saw her interview when she set the scoring record—no—they said she was as humble as pie! Huh, interesting. If I don’t care for showoffish folks and you don’t care for showoffish folks then others don’t either!  You and I aren’t that smart to be the only two. Da!

Toooo be always the best is a form of posturing maybe; a lot of folks like that image, don’t kid yourself. I know that I probably have LEP, Limited English Proficiency. I thank all of you who correct me in telling me about my poor spelling and grammar errors. My posture is pretty low compared tooooo most of you. BUT most of you, about 400 each week. don’t seem to get overly excited about my LEP. I guess you just put up with my LEP! You are very kind. Yes you are!  You are good folks with good hearts, my kind of folks. This proves that you are!

Okay, here is something to think about. The pastor Sunday said that there has been and always will be oppressors and the oppressed. Always!  BUT he said, many times when the oppressed get out of their oppressions they become the oppressors, just change positions. Have you changed? Maybe when we get a little money, power, position, etc. we now become the oppressor (i.e. get the big head and think we are better than others). Could be, maybe, probably, I don’t know. We then posture ourselves differently, maybe (i.e. we then we think we are big shots a.k.a. big stuff and lose our humility--we maybe change to think we are now the king of the hill, the big bopper). Ouchy ouchy! Such is life.

Talk about getting humbled! I helped a friend pump up their bike tires on their bikes using my hand pump.  We were talking and both tires exploded with huge massive bangs. I guess I put tooooo much air in them maybe. Or they were old and couldn’t handle the pressure. I know that when folks get old they always don’t handle pressure very well and explode. ANYWAY, I paid her for new tubes. The Detroit Lions thought they had the game won at half time but lost. When we think we have it in the bag, stuff can happen (i.e. we sometimes become overconfident).  It happens all the time. Maybe that is a form of posturing. Could be. We lose our humility. ItchieBitchie says--Maybe we all need a bodyguard, not to protect us from others but to protect us from ourselves. Yikes! I don’t think I will ever have to help pump up her bike tires again! Stick me with a fork; I'm done; I'm toast!

I read while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it this--The whole world is in the grip of a giant panic attack, a mental pandemic that affects the human race like a virus (i.e. maybe we're not very peaceful). Do you think that is true? If it is, it ain’t good folks! Well, we have an extra day this month to think about it. We might need it!  haha

CoachB says—Ego says once everything falls in place I will find peace but the spirt says once I find peace everything else will fall into place. You believe that?

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—If your train of thought isn’t getting you anywhere, you’re probably on the wrong track.

PS Reminder that if you don't get "It's Saturday" some Saturdays as some of you tell me you don't, look in your spam. That happens sometimes. Or just google my name, Erv Mellema, that works tooooo.

sanctimonious twaddle

When Pharaoh would make a decision or issue an edict, he would say authoritatively, “So let it be written; so let it be done!” The royal scribes would dutifully record the Pharaoh’s words for posterity. The message was clear: Pharaoh’s words were powerful; they were the guiding force in Egypt. Sooooo you all know that what is in this "It's Saturday" will not have an impact like what Pharaoh said years ago. Oh no! Many of you will probably think its just sanctimonious twaddle!

This could be hogwash! I hear sports announcers say—They play like they are angry, like they have a chip on his shoulder (i.e. very aggressive and with a huge massive purpose—they maybe don’t have a huge massive contract—they feel like they have been overlooked). Saturday question--Do you ever feel that way? Soooo how do we play our lives.

This could be nonsense! We volunteered and attended an event called Wild Willes, a money maker for our pickleball club consisting of dinner and a dance. We were around some great folks we knew and made some new acquaintances; what fun was had. We met Tom and Sharon from MN who said they have been here for 23 years--do you still volunteer--no we are tooooo old; in fact we use to know everyone on our street but now we don't know anyone, they are all dead! I got a text from my BigCouz, big only in age a.k.a. The Priam Queen,--We are not doing much this winter in the Valley of the Sun. When you have a lot of friends 90 and older, dinner is at 5. Then everyone has to remember where they parked their car...So, do you think our marriage is doomed!!  When we move to our new, miniature abode, we will be sharing a bathroom for the first time in 64 years! We went to church and had the opportunity tooooo sit with a couple of my old friends who are snowbirds (i.e. they are both class and not a flash let me tell ya). One of these two old friends is from MN and the other from back home in Butler County IA. One of my old friends is 87 and I described her to Jeanne as a person who has a big motor and is always on the go doing something.  She said--My daughters tell me if  I was a youth in our culture now, they would treat me for ADHD. And that's no bunk folks! BUT Jeanne's nickname is Jean the Jumpin' Bean! Soooo there!

This could be balderdash! Dr.J says—"Perhaps the most challenging idea in biblical Christianity for believers to grasp is the dual concept of God’s grace and mercy. The ideas that God always loves us and always forgives us are hard to embrace at first.  The grace of God means He blesses us when we don’t deserve it, and the mercy of God means He doesn’t punish us when we do deserve it.” There are many folks who say they don’t believe in God. I disagree with them; I think that everyone has some believe in God even if it’s an itsy-bitsy amount and maybe they consciously don’t know it. Yes I do. Of course, that is my opinion. I think also that it can be confusing in many folks’ minds a.k.a. a big struggle which is ongoing). MissPerfect says—Jumping Jehoshaphat, that is hard to grasp! Take all of this for what’s it worth; and remember, you get what you pay for! I’m just a little ol’ farm boy from a mile and quarter south of Roseland, MN.

This could be rubbish! There is a guy in our park who has dated a lot of women but can’t seem to find one that is right or something. We overheard a guy tell a gal who this guy just broke up with recently—he said--He has a hard time with women it seems. This next statement could be a sanctimonious twaddle--“Siri, why am I sooooo bad at relationships with women?” “this is Alexa.”

This could be nonsense! I was helping a lady in our 55+ park with selling some real estate.  She told me about herself.  She told me that she has been divorced for a couple of years after 35 years of marriage—wow! what happened—our marriage was never good and it never got better but only worse; I am lonely sometimes but I was lonely being married also soooooo there isn’t much difference really. I felt for her. I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--“Faith, hope, and love abide . . . but the greatest of these is love.” In his notes, John Wesley called love “the root of all the rest.” We believe that to love and to be loved is a great feeling, we think the best!  What do you think?

This could be baloney! When we were volunteering a supervisor told me she just used Goof Off to clean something that she couldn’t get clean (i.e. she said she goofed up with a permanent marker, she made a big mess). Goof Off really worked, it cleaned it right up!  We both laughed. A fellow volunteer was telling me when I asked him if he really liked volunteering at Hope Community Center—I really like helping others; when much is given me much is expected of me. He wasn’t using his time goofing off; he was thinking of others and not just himself! I read recently that generosity is a form of spirituality and spirituality is really good for our mental health.  Do you agree? 

This could be poppycock! There is couple who has this sign in front of their unit in our 55+ park. I know them and they truly are living their dash (i.e. time between birth and death) in a very good way it seems. It appears that almost all folks who are older have some issues and it appears that many choose to handle their issues differently. It appears that most snowbirds really enjoy life and really make the most of their life’s situation—all except a few and it’s easy to pick them out it seems (i.e. maybe they will never be happy). But it appears that most are real Mountain Lions who are advocates for themselves.

This could be flapdoodle! RickyRick says—"You don’t plant apple seeds and get tomatoes. In the same way, you don’t plant bitterness and get love. You don’t plant criticism and then get encouragement from other people. Everyone used to think the brain was pretty much set in stone by the time you were an adolescent. Now we know about brain plasticity and how your brain can continue to be molded for the rest of your life. That’s good to know! It means if your brain has been naturally molded toward depression or a quick temper or anxiety, it can change. But you’ve got to change the way you think. This is referred to as repentance or changing your mind. You can change your mind, and when you do, it changes the way you feel. And when you change the way you feel, it changes the way you act.” If what RickyRick says is true, well wow, there is hope for us. BUT big on the BUT as sometimes we don’t want to change. That seems to be the problem. Especially folks who are human!!!! It appears that this could be almost everyone!

This could be bunkum! There are all kinds of self-help books telling us how to make our lives better. And some are just the opposite of each other in their philosophy.  An example, I just read that we are not to be aggressive and another says we have to be aggressive. Sooooo which one should I believe. Some say—be non-striving. It’s about not trying to get anywhere or trying to make anything happen. It’s about not having an agenda whatsoever. It’s about non-doing — about letting things be as they are and allowing things to unfold without interfering. It doesn’t mean we don’t get anything done. We still get things done, but we do so in a more relaxed way. Non-striving is about trying less and straining less. It’s about allowing, accepting, and letting go. It’s about living with trust and spontaneity. It’s about floating with the river and allowing ourselves to be carried by the currents rather than frantically trying to swim in one direction or another.” You believe that or do you believe we need to be aggressive and get after it?  How do we decide? Some way I think we need to make our lives to not be a sanctimonious twaddle. That is my opinion which might be hooey!

This could be a sanctimonious twaddle, but you decide. The preacher Sunday said--The world determines what it thinks is right or wrong by which group of folks has the most power a.k.a. money, it's all about the money. But maybe that group of folk might not know what the right or wrong really is. Think about that folks!

My couz on Eagle Lake texted me this--erv,  one good thing about dating at your age is you don't have to worry about meeting the grandparents or probably the parents.

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

erv

MyFrinedJean said--Before you know what direction to take, you've got to know where you are.