reasonableness

Our children and I were together last week, and we had great conversations. I noticed that I didn't say a lot. I think it was because I just don't know much, I don’t know; I just don’t know! Maybe I’m less smarten than I used to be

or I’m a lot smarter than I used to be! I just don’t know! Our son was telling me that Rookie, their son age 11 who is our grandson, wrote on his Father’s Day card—You are a great Dad, you try the best you can!

Nils says—"To be a happier person we need to 'Ditch Small Talk and Get Personal.' Substantive talk makes us happier than small talk. During conversations, try to steer the topic toward matters of substance. Get personal. Don’t just chat about the weather or other banalities.”  I don’t know if this “It’s Saturday” is substantive talk or just banalities. You decide.

Reasonableness. What a great word. David, anybody can be a David, says—"Are you known to others as a reasonable person? The word describes a ‘gentle agreeableness.’ The opposite would be ‘quarrelsome.’ Reasonable folks can agree to disagree with each other. A reasonable person can endure or put up with other people who take advantage of them or mistreat them. They could fire back, but they are content to let it go. Reasonableness means giving others the benefit of the doubt.” Saturday question—Do we ever cut someone some slack? I find it really hard for me sometimes, especially with folks who have way different lifestyles than me, who have different believes, have different values and

morals (i.e. many of us live in America and we have freedoms). It’s hard to accept other folks' differences sometimes. CrazyMarivin says—I dug a big hole and it’s hard to get out of it; I made my own bed and now I have to sleep in it; it ain’t easy. ItchieBitchie says--I guess we can’t be a savior to everyone but maybe we can cut them some slack! At least throw them some scraps!

In a popular card game, the expression “passing the buck” evolved to mean passing the task of dealing the cards to another player. But President Harry S. Truman instituted a different take on the phrase “passing the buck.” He had a sign on his desk in the Oval Office that read, “The Buck Stops Here.” He was communicating that his job was to make decisions and take responsibility for the nation—not something he could pass on to another. AverageJoe says—Soooo do something even if it’s some small deed. People who do nuttin don’t live very long; they shrivel up and die physically and mentally. Look around folks, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.  I like the word sustain; it’s a great word. It means to support and hold up. WorldClassLarry says—A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed! Rufffffffffffffffffffff!

I witnessed a person who just exploded over some little thing of no importance (i.e. made a complete…out of themselves). I was not impressed with that person. But I’m just another bozo on the bus sitting next to other bozos on the bus soooo such is life. CadillacJack says--Some of the clearest evidence of maturity and responsibility in our lives is when we can handle the pressures, problems, and pains of life without becoming angry. The key to responsibility is learning to control our emotional reactions a.k.a. control our minds. Instead of exploding with anger when people hurt us (i.e. and it is going to happen folks), God wants us to turn around and do good to them. “A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them.” Proverbs 29:11 (GW) WildWillie says—I’m a radical and I know that I’m right about everything and will not change because I’m right and you are wrong!

I am a very happy person, an extremely happy person. And a big part of my happiness is because I met Jeanne. No question. Some people know exactly what I am experiencing, and others say they do but really don’t. The difference is some have been through what I have been through, and some haven’t. Now that is a big difference folks.  An example of this is--Two words in the English language that are often confused and, therefore, misused: sympathize and empathize. Sympathy literally means “to suffer with.” Sympathy is expressed by feelings of pity or sorrow for someone’s suffering. You may not understand what the person is experiencing, but you feel badly for them. To empathize goes a step further. Empathy means “to understand and share in the suffering of another because you have experienced the same suffering yourself.”  Here is some cheap advice from the cheap seats—Don’t tell folks we know how they feel if we haven’t been through it ourselves; when we do that, we are just blowing smoke!

VelvetElvis says—When we’re serious about dealing with the Bible as the communal book that it is, then we have to be honest about our interpretations. Everybody’s interpretation is essentially his or her own opinion. Nobody is objective.

Jeanne and I were walking on the golf course early one morning and were walking next the no-mow grass. Jeanne saw a fawn laying there just a few feet away. We would have never seen it if we didn’t almost stumble over it. Howie told us that fawns’ natural protection is their ability to be still, have a camouflaged color and be born with no scent. We had the experience of being around a person who can’t lay still, does not blend in and has a strong scent. This person was a clone to DuaneTheWorm who is very egotistical, all about themselves, a fake, a real showboat (i.e. big turnoff for us).  We both left thinking the same of the person. Yikes! If we both think that way than others must think that way toooo; we ain’t any smarter than anyone else (i.e. we like to think we are reasonable most of the time anyway). Abe Lincoln said—You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.

Patti says--Instructions for living a life:  “Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell about it. Have Faith. Be Hopeful.” Now that sounds like reasonableness to me! What do you think. I have to admit that I really enjoy being astonished many times a day. It’s such a great feeling and fun. It’s really good for me. Try it, you might like toooooo! And believe me, I’m astonished a lot, yes I am. Many of you folks astonish me; you are amazing. And one of you not soooo much; you know who you are, maybe!

On the back it said--One hour is not enough! We had the opportunity to have breakfast with friends (i.e. good folks with good hearts, real folks—our kind of folks) recently. The gal had on a tee shirt that she said he wore just for me. We really didn’t understand it sooo she explained it to us. “One over 168 represents one hour of the 168 hours in a week a typical youth group has the attention of our youth. That is not enough time to make a significant difference in most cases. Churches that are making a difference are figuring out ways to involve families and parents in disciplining youth beyond that one hour per week.” They have a heart for youth! I understand the point which is, it takes time to be effective. That sounds reasonable to me. The back of her shirt said—One hour is not enough!

The world is searching for answers, and those searches usually happen on Google, the world’s biggest search engine. LuckieEddie says--YaBut I can’t find all my answers there! Now that might be a shocking accusation to some of you! I read while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--The Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea is the world’s most fortified border, yet Kim Kang Yoo escaped across it. “For the first time in life,” he said, “I prayed for God’s mercy although I had never been to church.” God is soooo interesting to humans; we love Him and we hate Him, we say we don’t believe in Him and yet we do, we think we understand Him and yet we don’t, we say we don’t need Him and yet we pray to Him. Aren’t we really something! Be reasonable folks, be reasonable!

Soooo who is reasonable in this story?  I sold two vintage duck decoys to a guy on Marketplace. We determined the price and I texted him with the mailing cost--good, I will put a check in the mail today.  Latter in the day I got a text from his wife saying--Joe is not buying those duck decoys!!!  Joe then sent me a text--Sorry erv, having marital woes!  Well dance to the music! What a hoot! You folks are reasonable folks, sooooo who is the reasonable party here anyway!  

David also said—"Anxious people are not often reasonable people. Have you noticed this? They are often not praying people either, which is why I think Paul speaks of prayer as an antidote to anxiety.” Do you agree with David? I will guess that some of you will, and some of you won’t! You decide. But at least try to be reasonable for heaven's sakes! Saturday question—Do you think there is a difference amongst folks in how they think? And if you think soooo, then why do we think differently anyway?

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.

dead end

On the very first page of Charles Dickens’s classic A Christmas Carol, Dickens describes Ebenezer Scrooge as “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!” Dickens knew that if his story was going to engage his readers, they needed to know its main character. Scrooge was a nasty old miser who desperately needed redemption. In other words, Scrooge was going down a dead end! SusieQ says-I have been down that road alright and it doesn’t go anywhere let me tell ya!

Last year two women visiting Hawaii drove their rental car straight into Honokohau Harbor in Kailua-Kona. A nearby sailboat saw the sinking vehicle, and crew members dove into the water to pull the women to safety. The women said they had simply been following the directions on their GPS. It’s terribly important to have good directions and not go over the dead end. ItchieBitchie says—I get directions from many many sources these days; I have no idea what direction I should take as those sources all think theirs’s the best. How can I figure it out anyway! Saturday question—Should I listen to your directions? If soooo, where will I end up? 

RickyRick says—"What we believe about the world around us shapes everything about our lives. Why? Because what we believe determines our behavior. Our behavior then determines what we become, and that has a direct effect on the direction of our life. The same is true of a country or the world. They are largely shaped by the values we believe.”  “When the foundations of life are undermined, what can a righteous person do?” Psalm 11:3 (GW) JoeBlow says—It’s a dead end maybe!

At our garage sale I learned many things, yes I did. One thing I learned was that I many times think my stuff is more important and valuable than it is to other folks! Da! In reality, much of my stuff isn’t worth much at all and maybe worth nuttin. BUT I also learned that some stuff is only valuable to a select person or group of people (e.g. what certain folks collect). Also, that many folks don’t know the value of some stuff as they don’t have a background with it. And when most stuff gets older it ain’t worth much anymore. It’s reality folks. Much of my stuff is really dead end stuff a.k.a. dumpster stuff!  Ouchy ouchy!

I have learned by being around folks who are embittered, that they are going down a dead end road and many don’t even know it. Bitter folks are not good folks for me to be around. Soooo why are folks bitter? Are you bitter? I really believe that we are what we think, and bitterness is a dead end. I know folks, and I’m thinking about one in particular and that could be you, who could be bitter but decided not to be bitter and is just a great person. She had a choice I think! She took the route of kindness, forgiveness, gracious, generous, believing, and being sweet. Her life seems to really be great. Soooo what do you think? That is what I thought. I read while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it this--Some professionals say we should see bitterness as the seat of a mental illness.  An acquaintance told me that she doesn’t believe in God but she’s bitter at God! What! JoeSixPack says—It appears folks who are bitter are never happy; always anxious about something! BitterBetty says—I’m pretty much like road kill; a dead end. My Daddy, Chester, would say to me—erv, everyone has problems but it’s just that some handle them different. Patti says--Never underestimate our power to take our life in a new direction.

Velvet Elvis says--Central to the Christian experience is the art of questioning God. Not belligerent, arrogant questions that have no respect for our maker but naked, honest, vulnerable, raw questions, arising out of the awe that comes from engaging the living God. This type of questioning frees us. Frees us from having to have it all figured out. Frees us from having answers to everything. Frees us from always having to be right. It allows us to have moments when we come to the end of our ability to comprehend. Moments when the silence is enough.

Hey, LuckieEddie says--Sometimes the road is closed, dead end. We can embrace that positively or negatively. Hey, it might be a great opportunity, yes an opportunity but we just don't know it yet!  Soooo don't get sooo frustrated folks. Thepersonnorthoftown says--The ability to remain calm and focused in stressful situations is central to making positive decisions.

WorldClassLarry says—If we are going down a dead end road in our lives, the sooner we can figure it out and make a complete U-turn a.k.a. an 180 ASAP the better our lives will be. LuckieEddie says—How in the world do I know I’m going down the wrong road or have my ladder against the wrong wall anyway? If we don’t figure that out, nuttin makes any difference maybe. Well, it appears LuckieEddie, that sometimes it takes a miracle or sometimes we have to get hurt real bad and find ourselves at the very bottom of the barrel before we figure it out it seems. A friend asked me once—erv, why do we have to get beat up soooo bad before we figure things out? BigPictureLynn says—If we can figure it out early in life and often, life is much more enjoyable.

Maybe you have heard the saying “There are no guarantees in life.” Perhaps that’s true if you place your faith in yourself or in the world around you. But here Jesus states with certainty the core truth of the Christian walk. Ding ding ding!

I believe that attitude has a major part of much of our lives. I like this statement by Charles Swindle that I read and try to understand it often--"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company... a church... a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes”

What is our road ahead? When we are seemingly going down a dead end with our lives and then we turn it around, our lives change which will make our lives for sure better. No question. It’s not sooo much that the road has changed but we have changed and when we change, we change the road.  MissPerfect says--Cultivate our play, cultivate our life, cultivate our relationships and our lives will be much better. Cool beans!

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

erv

MyFriendJean said--A kick in the rear is a step forward.

PS  Here is a response to last week's "It's Saturday" from a retired engineer-- Re:  Your paragraph on learning thru asking questions:  ---- A man and his young son went fishing, and fishing was a little slow.  After a bit, the son asked his Dad ---"Dad, how do fish breathe under water ???"   Dad replied "I have no idea" .   As time passed, the son looked at his Dad and said " Dad, How does a boat float on water ??? "   Dad said.  I really do not know, son ".  Time passed, and the son asked his Dad " DAd, why is the sky blue ???".  Once again Dad replied : Not sure ".   ----  Finally the son asked his Dad --" Dad, am  i boring you with all these questions ???'  and the Dad replied.  "Of course not, son.  How else are you going to learn anything if you don't ask ????:.  

overkill

 Soooo many folks talk talk talk but never get anything done. It’s just overkill! And there are some who hardly say anything but just do it (i.e. under promise and over produce; like always on the uptick going down the interstate at 85 mph)!  Such is life.

When I think of overkill, the first thing I think about is an old friend who has been deceased for maybe 20 years.  She loved to bake and eat (i.e. not a good combination if you want to control your weight). She was a very nice lady and had a big heart but had an overkill for baking and eating! She told me once that she made blueberry pies that she would give to folks but would try not to eat any herself. Then she said to herself, I will just have one piece but she couldn’t stop herself and she ate the whole pie (i.e. not the breakfast of champions folks)! Now that was an overkill let me tell ya!

RickyRick says—"I suggest you get alone with God and ask these questions: What do I love to do? What do I dream of doing?  ~   What fascinates me? What can I talk about, think about, and study all day and not get bored?  ~   Where have I been most effective in my life? We’ve got to slow down! We’re all in such a hurry, stressed with too much to do, not realizing until later that we didn’t have to do so much.” I really have been trying to slow down and enjoy each moment of my life. It is hard to do at times for me.  I admit it. BUT I am really enjoying my life. And my motor isn’t nearly as big as some of yours. Some of you folks have huge massive motors! You folks are thoroughbreds and make me look like an ol’ plow horse. Such is life.

It appears that when we put things of life in proper perspective life seems to make more sense; it appears that way anyway! When I get my perspectives out of whack a.k.a. overkill, well, life isn’t as good. I then get humbled and need to reprocess, rebut, reprioritize. It isn’t all soooo fun, but it is needed for me. I usually know when I’m getting out of whack; it’s a self-evaluation that I feel. It’s time to take a look at my life a.k.a. re-analyze!

Soooo moderation might be good for us in most cases, maybe. What do you think? But overkill usually never works. It appears that is the case in most everything except in eating green beans and loving others! Can we ever have overkill in being a friend? I don’t know, maybe but generally not I would guess. But what do I know, I’m just a little of’ farm boy from a mile and quarter south of Roseland, MN. BUT I read what David says--Everyone needs friends, deep friends. In fact, there are three kinds of relationships we need in life: (1) a person who ministers to us and for whom we do not necessarily do anything in return; (2) a peer relationship in which we share, build, and minister to each other in a give and take relationship; and (3) a relationship in which we minister to someone else and perhaps, in the process, never receive anything from that person in return. Saturday question—Are we premium performers or just average? 

A valedictorian once said, I think—You’re toooo busy and I’m toooo lazy! A friend complimented a person and said—He always wants to learn something new and more!  Is that overkill or wisdom? Soooo how do we get more wisdom? “The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important”—Bobby Knight     WorldClassLarry says—The folks who gain wisdom or more wisdom are the ones who study and work at it and the ones that are stagnant are the ones sitting on the couch, watching Netflixs and eating chips. Ouchy ouchy!

Maybe our busy world is an overkill. AverageJoe says--It appears that way as everyone and their dog has a camper and whats to get away from it all (i.e. get out of Dodge)!  Yep, get away from it all! I think I’m the only one in Butler County who doesn’t have a camper. MygoodolddeceasedneighborKarl would say—They live in an expensive house that have all the luxuries that is imaginable, but they buy an expensive camper to go to a camp area with folks 10 feet on each side to drink beer and eat hotdogs and pick ticks; I don’t get it.

Yes, there is all kinds of overkill. How many pairs of shoes do we need, how many tools are enough, how many toys does a person need, how many trips do we need to make, how much money do we need to make, etc. You understand as we are all human and humans all seem to think that more is better. I’m getting rid of all my stuff and when I move, I will only take along my bare necessities in my duffle bag. Pretty simple you think. What are you thinking erv! I’m either going to sell the stuff or give the stuff away!  I don’t plan to throw much away like the folks down the street; they look like they are really serious!

A friend told me that a narcissist doesn’t ever ask for advice or need any advice as they think they know everything (i.e. they are all about themselves, a way overkill). Huh, interesting. Well, I asked for a lot of advice ‘cause I need it. I seem to think that the wisest folks I know, ask for a lot of advice.  It really seems that way. Soooo I asked a friend for some advice recently and he gave it to me. Later he stopped me on the street and said—I hope I didn’t offend you with my advice. I told him he could never offend me with his advice; I shouldn’t ever ask you for your advice if I was going to be offended by it; I want your unbiased advice and not some yes answer. I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--Let’s admit it, at times we all like to be flattered. But does it really help us? Perhaps it more helpful to hear the truth, whether we like it or not. Yikes!

VelvetElvis says—Doctrine is a wonderful servant and a horrible master.

Do you think we all have a purpose or purposes in being on this earth? I think we might, alright, I do! We might know exactly what it is or we might not. MissPerfect says—C’mon erv, that’s a bit of an overkill isn’t it!  You get to decide what you think, it’s your decision and decisions have consequences!  Mordecai said to his young cousin, Esther: “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” The older Mordecai had served as mentor and counselor to Esther. Dr.J says--Like Mordecai, we are called to be wise and brave—and faithful.

A friend just put new tires on her car.  I asked her how she likes them—They make my car perkier! What!  It seems like my car is different and more excited and fun to drive.  I told her maybe we all should all get some of the those new tires on us! And this gal is already perky!  Yes, she is. Saturday question—Soooo how could new tires make us perkier? RickyRick says--The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10:10, “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success” (NIV). How do you get skill? Practice. God says we need to sharpen our ax. A dull ax takes more energy. He says to work smarter, not harder. Sharpening your abilities—your aptitudes, your skills—it's a spiritual responsibility.” Seee, we don’t always like the advice from people with wisdom! My Daddy, Chester, would say to me—erv, a lazy person is much more innovative! You can bet your booties on that!

We had a garage sale recently to get rid of some of the unnecessary stuff in my house as I am getting ready to sell the house and also move. It was more work than I thought let me tell ya. BUT we got rid of it in two ways: we sold quite a bit and gave the rest away. Bingo! Everyone who came to the sale said that they had enough stuff of about the same kind in their house but still bought some stuff!  It seems that most folks have an overkill of unnecessary stuff and have collected a lot of unnecessary personal stuff through the years.  How about you? BUT they couldn’t turn down such great deals; they had to have it! It felt really good to get rid of all that useless stuff. I wonder if that is an analogy to the useless stuff I have stored in my mind! I wonder! If soooo, maybe it would feel just as good to get rid of the useless stuff that clutters my mind.

Some of you might think this idea is overkill (i.e. you decide, I don’t know). Get it done! CoachB says--To be successful we really don’t necessarily need the ability to do, but what we do need is the ability to get it done. Meaning, I might not be good at something soooo I will have a tendency to not to do it but if I know folks who are good at it, they will help me or teach me (i.e. like YouTube in life). My Daddy, Chester, would say to me—erv, the best way to learn is to ask questions. I ask many of you questions and even ask you to help me as you are much better at certain things that I am. Bingo! It gets done.  If I don’t, well, it just doesn’t get done! --Saturday questions--Does it really matter how it gets done? Is it more important that it gets done?

ItchieBitchie says--I seem to just continue to kick the dead horse over and over again! RickyRick says—"An unexamined experience is worthless. There are people who are 50 years old who haven’t lived 50 years. They’ve lived one year 50 times. They’re still making the same mistakes because they never stop and extract the lessons. They never stop to ask, What happened in this last year, and what can I do differently so that I am living life better?” I really like to learn (i.e. actually I really like to learn watching you; the good stuff you do and the stuff that doesn’t seem sooo good). I believe in self-evaluation of my past experiences (i.e. both good and bad) and learn from them and then move foreword.  JoeBlow says—erv, that’s a bit of an overkill; I like to kick the same can down the same street every day of my life and get the same results. It seems to work for me!

The other Warren from Omaha sent me this (i.e. it could be an overkill soooo be careful how you interpret it, hahaha)—His quartet once sang a song  entitled:  Everyone wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die"   Why is that ???????????? A client of mine was a very old lady who believed that she was going to heaven and was in very poor health.  She said to me—erv, I want to go to heaven very bad but I keep taking these 30 pills that cost a whole lot sooo I can live maybe another month; I just have to laugh at myself! I’m really something else erv!

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

erv

MyFriendJean said-- A goal is a dream with a deadline.

learn the system

Do we need to learn the system as how our family operates, the system at the place we work, or the governmental system or the education system or the welfare system or the computer system or the legal system or the Amazon system, etc.? Does it make life easier if we learn the system? Once we do, it appears that life is easier. BUT sometimes some folks continually buck the system (i.e. we might not like the system or disagree with the system), which can cause problems. LuckieEddie says--BUT that is what forces changes!  Soooo there.

MissPerfect who puts on the dog but has no dog to put on, asks--How important is chemistry in a relationship? It appears that some relationships have better chemistry than others, you know, the folks just seem to get along much better based on something right from the start, something that is deep and strong! And maybe some relationships have a physical attraction but no solid foundation sooo it is just cosmetic in nature. Those two theories seem to have a different system the way I see it. It’s at least something to think about, I guess. It appears when folks have the same chemistry, they have unwritten rules and feelings about each other (i.e. that is my opinion of course); they don’t seem to need to learn the system as they just know the system and they both agree with the system and support the system. Saturday question--Soooo what do you think would be a solid foundation?

Are you in any type of a relationship? Of course you are, everyone has some type of relationship. Is there give and take in our relationships. Oh, the give and take! You know that some relationships don’t last or are not very good. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. If both folks in a relationship don’t figure out the give and take stuff, well, it usually doesn’t go soooo well (i.e. my opinion). And it appears that give and take concept can be very difficult for many folks. It’s really hard not to try to insert our believes, business sense, our muscle, etc. unto the other person in our relationships (i.e. we many times think we know what is right).  We think they would be much better folks if they just would copy us (i.e. learn the system) even though we might be a mess and we don't even know it! Da! AverageJoe asks--But aren’t some live styles better than others! SmoothAsSilkSally says--The preacher always preaches that anyway!

Are you a curious person? Do you like to learn? I read a news headline on my phone that San Francisco is trying to force grocery stores to remain open when they want to close their stores. I was curious about that. I found out that some chains what to close their stores in San Francisco as they can’t make any money because of lawlessness (i.e. toooo many folks learned the system). That is what I read. I’m still curious how that will play out.  I also read that Wal Mart went to all self-check outs in some stores but now have changed back to clerk check outs.  I was curious about that tooooo. One article I read said that it was because the consumers wanted human check outs (i.e. didn’t want to learn the new system) and another article said it was because Wal Mart was being stolen blind a.k.a. they were being taken to the cleaners by customer theft (i.e. too many customers learned the system)!   I’m still curious what the right reason was!

While eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it, I read in The Book that the signs of love are compassion, kindness, humility, patience, gentleness, and forgiveness. To me, those qualities make up a pretty good system if you want to love someone. SweetMabel says—Obviously some folks have more of those qualities than others. Saturday questions—Can we learn those qualities? Can we lose them? Are they genetic or environmental? Can we learn the system? Do we ever copy the system that we have been taught by someone? If sooo, who taught us our system?  Soooo Jeanne asked our server the other night if she has to deal with tough customers--Yes, but I kill them with love! OneGreatGuyFred says--That works for me!

Does our mind have a system as how it thinks? I read that Jerimiah described our hearts as “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) Yikes! That’s not the same Jeremiah that the Three Dog Night sang about in Joy to the World with the lyrics--Jeremiah was a bullfrog Was a good friend of mine I never understood a single word he said. ANYWAY, is the human mind deceitful and wicked? Is that the system of how our minds work? Is that a basic thought process? Hmmmmmm!

Have we ever said—I doubt it, meaning we don’t really believe it? When we were kids, we had a great imagination (i.e. I still do I think; how about you?). But the older we get, the more our imagination has a tendency to grow rusty. We stop imagining what things could be, and we just start living the way they are. We get stuck in the status quo, which is Latin for “existing state: the mess we’re in.” RickyRick says—"Doubt and fear neutralize what God wants to do in our life. It takes courage to imagine. Do you know why most people don’t imagine? Probably it’s because they’re afraid of failure.” WorldClassLarry says—"Every great thing that I did, I was scared to death to do. But I just said I’m going to do it anyway. Why? Because I’m not about to let fear dominate my life. So I move forward, trembling.”  ItchieBitchie says—Learn the system folks.

Learn the system folks according to Patti--Your attitude is like a box of crayons that colors your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and it will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, love, and faith, and your picture will begin to lighten up.

Bob Dylan sang the song, “You gotta serve somebody. The chorus goes like this: It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” I like that song. I guess we have to decide; we can’t serve both, or can we? We seem to try it appears. We sure like the gray area, maybe! We seem to learn the system. I many times butt up to the line or even slightly cross the line; push the issue with what I can get by with (e.g. going over the speed limit or eating too much or whatever). We seem to learn the system with what we can get by with or think we can. Aren’t we really something?  At least I am! Theguydownthestreet says--The greatest thing is, at any moment, to be willing to give up who we are in order to become all that we can be (i.e. be the best version).  Soooo suck it up cupcake and let’s get going! Or as CoachB says—We got to put the shovel down!

This is an oxymoron to me and seems to be a constant struggle for folks it appears (i.e. we say one thing but do another). Ouchy ouchy! It’s what is important to us and the driving force in our lives. It’s called success. We hear a lot that true success is not money, possessions, position, power, travel, etc. but it seems that everyone kills themselves for it. We say they aren’t important, but humans are envious of others, well some anyway. GeorgeTheCrook says—Making folks compare themselves with others is a great motivator of capitalism and don’t kid yourself, it works (i.e. it wants us to learn the system). Social media is a great tool for that and breeds jealousy, my opinion. I read what Robert said--Success often is not what we gain, but what we are willing to sacrifice. JoeBlow says—And the dog that wins the fight is the dog we feed the most. Such is life.

It appears that our society’s system is “do-everything,” “go-everywhere,” “get-it-done” (i.e. we learn the system). I was talking to a father and his son about their parents and grandparents recently who moved from Butler County to Southern IA maybe 10 years ago. I asked them how they are doing. They told me that they are doing well; they like the slower pace down there. Huh, interesting. Well, I asked them how their business is going—ok, could be better but it could be worse, but we are doing ok. They told me that inflation is really hurting some folks really bad, especially the lower income folks; they are having a hard time making it was their opinion.

Velvet Elvis says—The writers of the Bible go to great lengths to describe God as a being with no edges or boundaries of limits. God has not thingness because there’s no end of God.

Systems can really be good! Oh ya!  I was taught by my parents to always put things back where they belong when done using them. Or as a friend of a friend says—Everything has a home so put it back in its home and you will be able to find it next time. I find I have to put it back right away or I will forget and might not ever find it again. It’s a good system for me anyway. I was talking to a new employee at the golf course on my walk the other morning. He told me that when he retired, he started working for his hometown golf course. The maintenance shed was a mess; couldn’t find anything as nuttin was put away but just left where it was. A total mess.  He cleaned it all up and hung all the tools up soooo he could find them when needed. He quit that job and a couple years later he returned to the maintenance shed and it was again a total mess. Huh, interesting!

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—There was never a person who did anything worth doing that did not receive more than they gave.

PS  Thanksamillion for your donations at the "Cream Of The Junk all free tables" at our garage sale. $54

broody

You get to decide! Andrew who shoots a space jumper very well, says—"The abuse of words did a great deal of harm in history and does in our current time. We are bombarded by words every living hour. But these words often don’t mean what they say. We live under a barrage of lies fired at us on the Internet, in the newspaper, on radio talk shows, and on television. Words are supposed to be simple servants that help us communicate. But today people have made the abuse of words a fine art, disguising what they mean, confusing their hearers, coaxing people along, impressing them. The government does it; so does the attorney, the student, the teacher, the salesperson, the reporter. And sometimes the preacher does it.” I don’t even know what Andrew said is true!  This “It’s Saturday” is just thoughts and you get to make out what you want to be true; it is entirely up to you. You decide! 

When folks are broody, they are depressed about something and just can’t stop thinking about it. When I think about broody, I think about broody hens a.k.a. called cluck hens that we had back on the farm a mile and a quarter south of Roseland, MN as a kid.  I would hatch ducklings as a entrepreneur business operation when I was maybe 13. I would get fertilized duck eggs and get cluck hens from our neighbors and have those old broody hens sit on them to hatch them (i.e. my Mom, Anna’s idea). It worked. They just sat on the eggs until hatched. I guess they felt good just clucking! Cluck cluck cluck! They seemed to love it!

But brooding can be good toooo. It can also mean that a person is extremely thoughtful, contemplative, meditative, musing, reflective, or ruminative which are all good. That sounds just the opposite of a broody hen. A word that has opposite meanings a.k.a. oxymoron. Sooooo how can we get it right anyway! Soooo I need to be careful when I call a gal an old broody hen! How can I win! She might take it wrong. I think it’s best I keep my mouth shut!

Other words describe broody as moody and gloomy!  Are any of you ever moody or gloomy. It can also be a particularly toxic kind of rumination, and it’s strongly associated with depression. Broody hens usually get over it in 21 days but no such schedule in humans as humans can be broody for different time periods and for different reasons I read. When folks are moody and gloomy they are quite often weary (i.e. it is said by some that weariness can be the number one problem for being moody and gloomy). I hear folks say many times, “I’m just so tired all the time. I can’t get it all done. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” AverageJoe says--Maybe some folks just go on their nest and sit on their eggs and become broody! Saturday question--How come rosters don't get broody or do they but just act out their broodiness different?

Some folks who we do business with act like old broody hens (i.e. not cooperative, fluff their feathers, and just cluck). Not good at all and not fun to do business with. A suggestion I got from the MI-Wizard is when we do business with such folks or with any folks by phone, get an email or message confirmation of what they are going to do for us. When folks put it in writing they will usually do what they say but if they just say it by phone the chances are less that they will (i.e. it makes them more commented, responsible, and obligated if there is a hard commutation. He told me since COVID we do less business in person; when we do business in person, folks are more committed with what they say (i.e. makes sense to me). If folks do business with folks that they don’t know or see, well, not as much!

We my act broody when we have to let go of our stuff! “letting go” or “surrender.”  That can be hard but very refreshing also, maybe. I try to make everything a game and not a struggle (i.e. try to enjoy every minute of my life). I read while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it—Everything in life doesn’t have to be hard! Struggle is 100% optional. Maybe I can just let things happen rather than make things happen. JoeBlow says—That makes me salivate!

I heard an elderly couple say that the world is going soooo fast (e.g. technology) that they can’t function hardly anymore.  They are being passed by!  Now that could make a person broody! But flip the pancake, we gotta learn and move forward. We just can’t be a cluck hen! Change is our manner of life; it has always been that way! I would guess old folks have said that forever. It is amazing what we can do if we set our minds to it. Spur not a willing horse (i.e. a Latin proverb). Flip the pancake, an unwilling horse can be spurred on and on but if it’s not willing, it’s probably not going to go very well would be my guess. ItchieBitchie says—Yabut, my life is an off and on type of life.

Some seniors change. A senior friend who is a serious and longtime horsewoman recently decided to sell her horse, her horse trailer, her unit to pull it with and all associated equipment. I guess she decided it was time to hang it up.  Maybe her decision was helped by getting bucked off and having a concussion. That can get a senior’s attention now can’t it. I’m still having a hard time wondering if I should keep my Yamaha XL250 motorcycle or not! Such is my mind!

AlexandarThePreacher, not everyone can be an AlexanderThePreacher, always prayed and devoted the first two or three sentences of his prayers to gratitude and thanksgiving to God (i.e. now that might affect our attitude, could be, maybe, I don’t know). GeorgeTheCrook says--Maybe that giving thanks and showing gratitude is just words, all just bologna. Anyway, one Sunday morning when the weather was extremely bad, he began his prayer this way--“We thank you Lord, that it is not always like it is today.” 

I have been sorta kinda a broody hen once again.  I was broody years ago and my broodiness has showed up again. A person from Roseland and I were friends until we were about thirteen, I guess. He was a man and I was a little boy at that age; he was a star athlete and I was a skinny kid weighing maybe 100 pounds; all the girls liked him and no girl knew I even existed (i.e. you got the picture). He no longer had time for me. He became a big-time athlete in high school, at the university level, and at the pro football level. He never did have time for me after we were thirteen. He died recently and he got a big time write up in big time papers. He, my opinion, lived a  life of poor example but folks still glorified him because of his athletic ability. He missed a great opportunity for using his life, my opinion, as he had a platform that gave him the opportunity as many folks would listen to him. Why I am broody again is because I just don’t understand why our culture glorifies sport figures and such if a person who don't appear to live a good life. I think it’s all about the money and fame and glory. Could be, maybe, I don’t know. Maybe it’s like why folks buy Nike shoes! Sooooo I asked myself, would I want to have changed lives with him! No way, I would not!

Oxymorons make me scratch my head (i.e. they are very interesting to me). We hear all the time to have ambition; we need ambition to be successful. I sorta kinda agree with that. Then I read what David wrote, anybody can be a David—"A person fueled by ambition is hard to get close to. Because they are regularly jockeying for position or influence, they stiff-arm any who get close or in their way.”  A person is dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn’t I guess! It’s sorta kinda what like LuckyEddie says--Good ethics that are written are meaningless until acted.

I like anticipation of something in the future; it’s very exciting to me; it takes the broodiness out of many folks (i.e. makes us not be cluck hens), that is my opinion. Dr. J says--“Psychologists tell us that anticipation is an emotion with marvelous healing powers. People who are snowbound sustain their spirits by anticipating the longer days of spring and summer. Couples who are separated by military deployment stay sane by anticipating their reunion. Students anticipate the end of the semester. Employees look forward to their vacations.” I have to admit that I like anticipation. I’m pretty excited. It appears to me that folks who have anticipation are happier! What do you think? That is what I thought. Saturday question—What is your greatest anticipation?

VelvetElvis says—People have struggled for ever in how to talk about God when God is bigger than our words, our brains, our worldviews, and our imaginations.

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

erv

MyFriendJean said--It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are different.