conviction or preference

Boo! Hiss! MissPerfect says--erv, please think before you write, but please don’t write all that you think! Hey listen MissPerfect, maybe I'm a hyperpolyglot and you don't understand the current language I'm speaking.  Have you ever thought about that.  I had a reader tell me that he doesn't always understand me (i.e. doesn't understand what I'm trying to say).  He and I might be on different pages, different chapters or even in different books entirely.  Why?  Well, we are all programed by our past experiences and relate to stuff based on that.  Also we are all educated differently and have different emotions.  We just plain see thing differently.  That's just the way it is.  GosyLucy says--erv, I don't know what in a rats ass your are talking about!  Sooooooo folks, you won't understand everything I write in the same way as I indented it to be understood.  But some of you think more like me and will understand some of it the same (i.e. it seems like there is at least one in every bunch).  Such is life.

My kid sister and her husband are on a 3 week mission to Tanzania with Wycliffe Bible (i.e. some of you are saying--why would anyone want to spend their money and time doing that anyway--they must not get it;  they could be snowbirds and play golf all the time).  They are going to teach English.  She told me that there are 7 or more languages spook in the country.  Wow! And I have trouble with just one!  PeggySue says--But, a smile is understood by everyone! (-:

MeMyselfandIDisease!  When we do something special for someone (i.e. something that takes some energy, time and special thought), it makes us feel good and maybe the recipient as well.  What do you think?  Here is the first example that came to my mind--Several years ago, a cousin and her husband had a rather serious auto accident returning home from AZ to MN.  A friend flew to NM to spend some time with them and help them with their affairs.  Here is a real live erv experience I had last Sunday--A pickleball friend and I sit together at church.  We didn't see each other last week as we played at different venues.  She told me--erv, I can only stay 10 minutes as I have a tournament to play in; I came just to see you!  Wow!  WorldClassLarry says--Ya, folks speak different languages alright.  Such is life.  

Analyze my analytics!  According to motivational speaker David Gee, NBA star Rajon Rondo takes five showers on game days, the last one just a few minutes before tip-off. The reason? He says he does his best thinking in the water (i.e. he'll have more time to be int he water and think as he just got suspended a game).  That might be a little excessive; but surveys tell us that most of us do our best thinking while we’re showering, driving, or exercising. In 1929, Coca-Cola coined one of its most famous slogans: “The Pause That Refreshes.  I took a sabbatical from pickle ball--took a break.  I think I lost my enthusiasm and also my priority (i.e. got sorta kinda got messed up).  It was a very good time out. A time to reflect.  A time to analyze my life. Like one of my pickleball buddies said--erv, it's only a game.  He is right. Very right.  I was getting tooooo serious about it.  I lost my objective.  Needed to retool--go back to my basics.  I got out of whack. I wasn't going where I want to go.  Have you ever done that or been there?  Another pickleball buddy said to me--Well, it's good that you could recognize it.  Huh, interesting.  

Attitude Adjustment! A friend told me that a coach friend told him what he said to one of his basketball players (i.e. an aphorism)--If you are going to take a play off--do it on the bench! Not an aphorism but a law folks--Newton's Third Law of Motion:  For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  AverageJoe asks--Does that aphorism and that law pertain to sports and physics only or do they apply to life in general?  Fullofhimself DuaneTheWorm alias Tom Foolery alias Tom Foolyou alias game player alias thehugemassiveflopper alias ballhog thinks he can fake his way through life and aphorisms and laws.  He says--It seems to work for me.  Does it really DuaneTheWorm?  I impugn his motive in life.  He has the "disease of memyselfandI"! His actions and comments are made from spite.  Other than that, DuraneTheWorm isn't that bad of a guy!  Really!

I read it in the paper sooooo it must be right--A man in California had a pet parrot with a lovely British accent, but somehow the bird escaped and went missing four years (i.e. took a time out). Finally the owner and bird were reunited, but there’s an odd twist in the tale. The parrot now speaks Spanish. No one knows where the bird went during his sabbatical, but he came back with a whole new vocabulary, jabbering away with words like: gracias, amigo, and por favor.

It was time to take a time out.  I sorta kinda had a secret internal goal with pickleball.  I think I have accomplished it sooooo now I want to refocus (i.e. redirect my motive).  I like pickleball and my buddies.  I am back playing. Businesses, churches, organizations, etc seem to do that all the time (i.e. as it says in the book Waiting For White Horses--The good ones all do it).  I'm excited about getting after it again (i.e. but maybe with a little different motive).  CadillacJack says--It's good to take a vacation, a getaway, a refresher, a change of pace, do something different.  It's good for a person's soul.  

At the time!  Our college friend Buggsy sang in a quartet.  One of their songs was, "After you been having steak for a long time, beans beans taste fine.  But folks, after you have been having beans for a short time, steak tastes oh sooooo good!  It's a reminder of how good you had it. Buggsy sang at our wedding.  I emailed him and asked his if he remembers what song he sang (i.e. I don't know).  He said--No l don't. I can't even remember what they sang at our wedding.  My response--I guess at the time it was important!  Huh, interesting.

change up

Perspective I read while eating my oatmeal with a half a banana on it (i.e. not today, change up)--Give careful thoughts to your ways; don't try to become tooooo important...If you align yourself with My perspective, you can sort out what is important what is not...Don't fall into the trap of being constantly on the go. Take some time to be still.  Do a change up! Huh, interesting.  Do you think that is good advice?  LuckieEddie says--We sometimes know what our conviction is but we do what our preference is. Da! We are maybe like the Israelites, they wouldn't listen--They had their conviction but also their preference.  Why are we that way sometimes?

Jr ripster Erin and her Daddy

Not always sharp (i.e. top of our game)! I watched a little World Alpine Skiing Championship recently.  I wanted to see Lidnsey Vonn ski at Beaver Creek (i.e. I have had the opportunity to ski there a couple of times).  I can't believe they go down that mountain at 75 mph.  Crazy!  ANYWAY I heard the announcer say more than once--So and so is not sharp today; they just aren't at their best.  I found that interesting as no one can be at their best all the time.  No one.  I had lunch with some Northwestern College friends recently.  One is BenTheDoctor and he says--It's probably  best to be the first surgery of the doctor in the morning (i.e. not the 7th) and you probably don't want your doctor to do surgery if he had no sleep the night before (i.e. they probably aren't as sharp).  LuckieEddie says--We all have more days when we are not at our best.  I need to accept that I'm not always going to be at my best (i.e. humbly accept that).  BUT I think it's just as important to be humble when I'm at my best a.k.a. top of my game!  What do you think? AllStarRandy says--There are different ways of keeping score in life.  AllStarRandy is soooooo smart!  What more can I say.  

Down to one's dying day!  I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--Dr.David says--You’ve seen the bumper sticker: “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Yes, it’s a cynical statement about our materialistic culture; but there’s another layer of insight there concerning competition. Down to one’s dying day, life is all about comparisons and competitions...The apostle Paul (i.e. anybody can be a Paul) wrote that it is not wise to engage in such activity...If you are ever tempted to feel large or small based on comparisons with others, shift your focus to Christ.  Soooo suck it up cupcake, you're probably not as good as you think.  You just have an over inflated head a.k.a ego!  MissPerfect says--A lot of folks do...It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Such is life.

43% of women have some type of sexual dysfunction!  I read in the paper, soooo it must be right) that they are trying to develop a pill (i.e. female sex pill) to boost the sexual desire in women.  It says that women's sexual disorders have been over looked for tooooo long.  Women deserve equal treatment (i.e. there are 24 approved medical treatments for male sexual dysfunction).  Critics argue that women's sexuality is toooooo complex to be addressed by a single pill (i.e. I have no idea what that means).  MN-SeniorSnowbirdHarry says--Ya, now they come up a a pill; where has that pill been for the last 50 years?). AZ-GunslingerSlim says--erv erv erv.  You must not believe every piece of hooey you read in the paper written by some guy to sell papers (i.e. it is all about the money).  If that pill is possible, it would have been produced many many years ago.  The only folks that the article gets excited is some old farts!  Come on erv, come to your senses!  Be real!  Such is life.

The other day at my 4+ pickleball venue, there were two new guys who I have never played with or met before.  I really liked these guys (i.e. they were good players and were very nice--fun to play with).  ANYWAY one of them said to me--nice shot.  I don't ever respond (i.e. that is just me).  He said to me the second time--nice shot.  I didn't respond.  He said the third time, I say there, nice shot.  I said thanks.  It reminded me of Smokey (i.e. we called him Smokey 'cause he always had a Paul Mall 100 in his mouth while playing golf and never took it out).  Julius Burros did that tooooo.  Smokey was probably about 75 and I was maybe 25 (i.e. just learning the game).  He liked to play with me and I liked to play with him.  He would say to me occasionally, nice shot.  I didn't respond.  He would say to me, I say there nice shot as many times as it took for me to acknowledge his compliment.  He just didn't give up. One time I had him say it 5 times before I acknowledged him! What a fun memory.  

Sooooo who is right?  I was telling CoachRick about how my knees ached soooo bad during a night after playing 2 hours of hard pickleball (i.e. they usually don't hurt).  He said that his hand hurt the same night and another lady said her hip (i.e. I think it was) hurt the same night toooo.  They said it was a change in the weather.  Really I said.  Oh ya, it happens all the time.  Soooo I said something to TheCat and he said--Every day I have something that hurts.  It's just the process of getting old, erv!  Sooooo who is right?  
Aphorism--MI-EngineerJim says--After 65, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you're probably dead. Yabut, there is always hope folks, always. Since ancient times, humans have been on the hunt for a miraculous serum to reverse aging, restore health, and preserve beauty. Early mythology tells of an “elixir of life,” and the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León came across Florida on his quest to find the Fountain of Youth. Imagine stumbling upon such a fountain! Imagine bathing in its clear, bubbling waters. Imagine sipping it, sweet and cool. Imagine all your ailments dissipating, all your wrinkles vanishing, and all your weakness turning to strength and my knees not hurting and CoachRick's hand not hurting and the lady's hip (i.e. I think) not hurting.  Imagine that now will ya!  Saturday question--Will heaven be that way?  It appears that a lot of folks in the past and currently think that.  That is hard to fathom isn't it.  Especially with my little human mind.  I hang my hat on this statement that I read (i.e. part of my favorite scripture)--His understanding I cannot fathom. If heaven is what many think it is, you guys won't need Viagra and you gals won't need this new sex pill either.  Bingo!

For sale motorcycle--hardly used--bought with a misunderstanding--she said, do what every you want--obviously I misunderstood what that meant!  I went back Saturday morning to the Leadership Conference and listened to Joesph Grenny talk about Crucial Conversations.  Here are some bullet points--When conversations turn from casual to crucial, we usually act our worse--To tell the truth and loose a friend or...--Easy way out is not to discuss--Folks will discuss or act--How we handle crucial conversations play a huge massive part of our lives--Learn how to tell someone something in a way that they still like you.  And make no mistake, this is the big one!!!!!!  If you want someone to like you, give them money! ha ha  We were at Dollar General the other day.  I guy from IL parked his 3-wheeler Harley motorcycle next to us.  I was admiring it and asked him how much it cost.  He said $36,000+!  Wow, I had no idea they cost that much.  I don't know if he was married or use to be married or never was married or if he got permission or if he understands what "do what ever you want" means!!!!

Church!?  I talked to a friend this week about one of their adult children and his wife who were having martial problems some time ago.  It was a mess and it appeared their marriage was heading for divorce.  I asked her this week how it was going.  She said--Unbelievable turn around.  They and their children started going to Hope Lutheran in West Des Moines and things have changed completely (i.e. the church offers programs for them and their children).  Sooooo I would encourage all of you to think about going to church.  Church ain't perfect but it sure has a lot of good.  Think about that folks.  Conviction or preference.  If by chance you have taken a break, now might the time to re-engage.  Could be something to think about. If you don't believe in God, that might be something to consider as well.  Just a thought.  If you are bitter about something, it might be a good time to dump it in the garbage.  Could be.  Just a thought. If you are a malcontent, it might be a good time to change that.  Might be.  Just a thought. If you think you are still in charge and control of everything, probably you won't need to do any of the above (i.e. you have it made).  You're good to go!  And you might think I am  bobito with my thinking. And maybe I am.  We will all find out someday now won't we. My opinion is that there is a God; I think the odds are more than a coin flip. But that is my opinion and you have your own opinion.  Such is life.

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

erv

MyFriendJean says--Swallowing your pride occasionally will never give you indigestion.