funk

Disclaimer--I'm not sure I know what I'm talking about but maybe I can blather on long enough to make it sound like I know what I'm talking about. Soooo take that into account when reading this "It's Saturday".  Remember, you get what you pay for!  Soooo don't take any of this tooooo serious.  This "It's Saturday" might be like something you might read in the paper (i.e. sooooo it must be right).  A Harley biker is riding by the zoo in Washington , DC when he sees a little girl leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the collar of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents. The biker jumps off his Harley, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumps back, letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly. A reporter has watched the whole event. Addressing the Harley rider, he says, "Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I've seen a man do in my whole life." The Harley rider replies, "Why, it was nothing really. The lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger and acted as I felt right." The reporter says, "Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a journalist, you know, and tomorrow's paper will have this story on the front page. So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you have?" The biker replies, "I'm a U.S. Marine and a Republican." The journalist leaves. The following morning the biker buys the paper to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page: " U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH!" ...and that pretty much sums up the media's approach to the news these days.

I sorta kinda had a funk in my golf game (i.e. numbers don't lie folks). My game was out of sync. I heard a golf announcer say--Sometimes those funks are physical, some times they are physiological,  and sometimes they are both.  I think I think that my expectations are greater than my ability (i.e. I think that might be the real reason folks).

1971 trip to CA it was

But, I just read in the paper so it must be right, that there is a old myth that if you pilfer any petrified rocks from a national park you will have bad luck.  I went to my junk cabinet down stairs and looked.  Sure enough, it was still there.  I took a little piece from a national park some 40+ years ago. Arlene was soooo worried about it that she put it in her pantie as we exited the park (i.e. Arlene would never do anything wrong).  I tell you what folks, I'm sending that sucker back to the national park.  That could be the reason why I had the funk in my golf game.  Could be!  I am taking no chances!!!  Such is life.

Last Saturday I was playing with some golf buddies and was complaining about my play and that my game is sorta kinda is in a funk (i.e. actually none of us played very well).  The Big Kahuna said to me--You weren't very good in the first place!  Ya gotta look for the obvious answers first! Soooo there you go folks. And this guy is my friend.  Such is life.

Do you ever wonder how you can get in a funk and how you can get out of one?  Some folks go into a funk 'cause they are depressed.  Maybe it's 'cause of a streak of bad luck or something is really dragging them down.  Many different things can affect us folks.  My mentor would say--When things are good we think they will be good forever and when things are bad we think they will be bad forever. I always thought that I needed just enough success to make me continue but not tooooo much that it ruins my life.  Does that make any sense to ya?

Caleb a.k.a. Funk Reliever  Caleb sells his mother's caramel and cinnamon rolls on the street each Friday as part of the Farmers Market.  Caleb and I are friends.  He always makes me smile when I see him.  He always says to me--Love those 3 pointers!  That goes way back to some UNI basketball tickets I gave him many years ago.  He lifts my spirits.  The rolls are a $1 and all his tips (i.e. he gets a lot) go to a mission project, Feed Our Starving Children.  He has a good heart. Caleb stimulates me!

Confidence  I heard one guy ask another guy what he thought the key was to success.  His response was "confidence".  If  you don't have confidence you are pretty much in a funk all the time.  If you have confidence and loose it, it's funk time.  But if you can gain some confidence, you can fix your funk it seems.  Sooooo then, how do you get confidence and how do you loose it?  Does success come first or does confidence come first? Those are million dollar questions!.

Can I dance?  Arlene says I can't but I can.  Really!  Of course. I always knew that I could dance.  It was others who had the question, especially after they saw me dance. Do I dance like everyone else? Well... no. Am I a good dancer according to the standard of good dancing? Well... maybe not. There was always the one or two fellows who got "oohs and aahs" as they danced. I got more of "look at that!" Why do YOU dance? Different people have different reasons. When you honestly answer that question, it will help you to see life clearer. It may help you to dance or at least realize that you could dance all along, even when people said you couldn't. "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears the beat of a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away." ~ Thoreau ~ Can I dance? You'd better believe it! No matter what people say. ItchieBitchie says--If you are always comparing yourself to others, you will always be in a funk.  Uncommon folks seem to enjoy life as they want life to be.  Huh, interesting. Yabut, actually I took Arlene out for dinner and then  to a dance at the Scout House in Orange City on our first date when at good old Northwestern College (i.e. dancing was not allowed on campus).  And the rest is history as they say.   

A scarecrow in a strawberry patch!  Maybe when we are in a funk we are like a scarecrow in a strawberry patch.  After a while the birds aren't scared anymore.  We get weathered and drab and have no excitement.  We have lost our purpose.  Could be.  Maybe we need to refocus; redirect, rejuvenate, perk up, make a change.  Could be! Maybe we need to get around positive folks.  Could be.

Burn out!  Sometimes it appears that when we get in a funk, we are totally burned out.  Just plain had enough for awhile.  Need a break for awhile.  As the old song goes, after you been having steak for a long time, beans beans taste fine.  Many times we need to get away from something for awhile to appreciate our situation.  Need to get excited about it again.  What do you think?  And another thing, I can get bored sometimes that might cause me to get in a funk.  I need something new and exciting.  Boring boring!  

Are you determined like a weed?  Maybe we finally figure it out that certain things just don't matter much.  When we don't care as much anymore, we might get out of our funk. Could be!  Maybe we realize that some things aren't as important to us as they were before.  Could be!  Maybe we aren't as competitive as we use to be.  Could be!  And maybe it just happens (i.e can't be explained).  Could be!  Maybe it just happens and we just can't figure it out.  Could be! I have no idea sometimes what the funk changer is.  It just does.  It could be 'cause we have an internal motor that makes us determined like a weed (i.e. those suckers are determined).  Such is life.

How about some success!  That can get a guy out of a funk.  In golf, ya just got to shoot a good round and things look way different.  Or maybe some little thing happens to us and bingo our funk is over. Why and how that can work I have no idea but it seems like it does.  How about encouragement from someone or someone saying something positive to us.  I was talking to a friend this week. He told me that when he was about 25 he decided he liked himself (i.e. was happy with who he was and content with himself).  I asked him what caused him to come to this conclusion.  He didn't know.  It just happened.  Huh, interesting.

Funky dream!  Maybe, just maybe, the only reoccurring dream I have might have something to do with the funk in my golf game.  Could be!  I have this reoccurring dream where I can't find a place to tee off.  There is a wall or tree or something right in front of me and a building or something on my back side soooo I have no back swing.  My golf buddies are going down the fairway leaving me.  I can't find a place to tee my ball.  The group behind me are standing there wondering if I'm ever going to hit.  I have a couple of buddies who have this same dream that also reoccurs to them.  Soooooo last night in my dream I ended up going into the pro shop and opened the door and teed up on the carpet. Crazy!  Just iconically crazy!  Such is life.

The cure! Manitou Springs, CO is known for it's famous magical mineral spring water (i.e. probably why the town is called Manitou Springs) .  Many of the rich in years past would travel there to drink the water.  It was considered something special that would cure many things, even funks!  I drank some of the mineral water.  Sooooo I'm good (i.e. hope I drank enough).  When we were walking the streets of Manitou Springs, CO, a guy gave me this $1,000,000 bill with the million dollar question on the back.  Maybe what it says on the track might get a guy out of a funk.  What do you think? Does it make any sense to you?  You will have to click on it to increase the size if you want to read it.

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

erv

MyFriendJean says--If you don't scale the mountain, you can't see the view.