Advice????

CadillacJack says--I love to read about negative stuff.  Why he does I have no idea but he does and it seems that he's pretty much like everyone else. What folks don't like to read about is advice.  No way.  You know why, most folks know most everything (e.g. I read in the paper soooo it must be right)--Trump said--My Gucci store tops Romney's worth!  Now that is a little arrogant.  But folks like to read arrogant stuff as well I guess. It sells papers.  It's all about the money!  Such is life.

Knowitalls! Coach Prohm (i.e. the new basketball coach at ISU) is said to be "not one of those know-it-alls."  He's a guy who wants to learn  (i.e. I read it in the paper soooo it must be right).  I wonder if his parents thought the same when he was a kid.  Kids always seem to know a lot and those kids don't think their parents do.  ItchieBitche says--Some folks never grow out of that season of their life.  Ouchy ouchy! MissPerfect says--Usually every bridge club has one "now it all"!  GossipQueenSally says--You're lucky if you only have one "know it all" in your bridge club. I have competition! Such is life.

Many times children (i.e. of all ages) say to their parents—Mom and pop, I’ve heard enough advice, enough is enough!  I have heard enough.  I’m out of here. Didn't the prodigal son say something like that?

Hamlet Act 1, scene 3 78-82 ~ “to thine own self be true” is Polonius’s last piece of advice to his son Laertes, who is in a hurry to get on the next boat to Paris, where he’ll be safe from his father’s long-winded speeches.

Okay, maybe this “It’s Saturday” is just catharsis or maybe its just purgation.  Could be.  It’s hard to know sometimes.  You ever have that feeling when you think you’re swimming with the sharks?  You ever question yourself?

Joesixpack says--We all probably think

we are smarter than we are.  Have you every tried to advise your neighbor’s dog not to shit on your lawn?  Have you ever tried to advise your neighbor to not let his dog shit on your lawn?

A husband’s advice!  A husband was giving his (i.e. about 50ish wife...a friend) advice—He was telling her to be more competitive in running.  You came in second in your age division soooo why don’t you try a little harder and be #1.  She said to him.  I don’t care!  I’m happy to be #2 or whatever.  He couldn’t understand that.  She and I had a nice conversation about how she is not competitive and her husband is very competitive.  In fact, when they got married, folks wondered if it was a good idea as they were soooo opposite.  Saturday question—Is it better to be laid back or competitive?

She's a sweetheart! I was running on my normal 3 mile route and stopped and visited with a friend.  She is a dear friend for a long long time of Arlene and I.  We discussed Arlene and her condition.  She cried.  She has such a good heart (i.e. good hearted and real—my kind of person).  She talked about a poem I used in my blog maybe in March (i.e. several folks have communicated with me about it).  She cried again.  Ya, that is a real poem alright.  Here it is again.  It’s worth a reprint I think.

I’m going to stick my neck out here--I bet all of you have had adversities in your life and I hope all of you have had some prosperity (i.e. everything is relative—right).  When I do orientations for new volunteers for Wheaten Franciscan Health Care, we talk about respect, excellence, diversity, and integrity.  Most of the young folks don’t know what integrity is.  Interesting.  Sooo do you know what integrity is?  Joesixpack says—The greatest tests come not in great adversities, but in great prosperity (i.e. very few folks can handle prosperity).  SusieQ says--It is a high calling to uphold His righteousness and integrity.  How are you and I doing do you think? "I know, my God, that You test the heart and are pleased with integrity." - 1 Chronicles 29:17a  You don’t even have to believe in God to have integrity.  Did you know that?  It’s not just a God thing (e.g. service with integrity). The "OtherWarreninOMaha" says--Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

You ever try to give God advice? Does it work?  Do you think He's impressed? SusieQ says--Some of you guys are pretty smart or think you are anyway.  Have you ever talked to someone who doesn't know anything about the subject matter that you are talking about?  Have you ever been in a conversation that you know nutten about the subject matter?  CrazyMarvin says--No matter if you have Trump's net worth (i.e. which he brags about), I wonder if God is really impressed and listens any more than he does to a person who financially is day to day.  What do you think?  Come on, you have an opinion. I know you do 'cause SusieQ said you are pretty smart!  Smart compared to what I don't know but she says you are smart soooo you are smart. Using my pea sized human mind, I can somewhat understand this statement--His understanding I cannot fathom! Such is life.   

Yummy! You didn't think something that tastes that good would come without a catch (i.e. catch 22), did you? MissPerfect says a.k.a. advice -- If it’s good, it’s probably not good for you. But if you don’t pack it in like a hog, maybe a little is ok (i.e. moderation my friend, moderation).  Big on the maybe.  But 2TonTillie can’t stop with just a little.  That is the problem folks, you gotta stop with one or two, you can’t eat the whole bag..  We can all be 2TonTillies at times if it’s something we really like.   Joesixpack advice is--Sooo it seems it’s better not to have the first one.  Then you won’t eat the whole bag.  Such is life.

Conquer or be conquered!  “The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile” ~ Plato~  Do we or can we really conquer our life?  I wonder!  Maybe we can conquer part of our life for a short period of time but do we ever really conquer our life? LuckieEddie says--erv, why do you even think about it—do you have a snoot full or something!  You have sooooo little control over your life.  What?  I think I do and I think I don’t (i.e. a catch 22)!  Is that confusing to you as it is to me?  It’s also problematic!  Ya got to remember, I’m just a little farm boy from a mile and fourth south of Roseland, MN.  I like to read Ecclesiastes as the author deals with this debate.  But the author has a conclusion—The conclusion (i.e. end of the matter) is fear (i.e. fear meaning being in awe) God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.   And you know what, that doesn’t make sense to many folks.  Sooooo can we really conquer our lives (i.e. another catch 22).  CausualCal says—There are a lot of ifs, buts, I don’t knows in our lives!  The fellow who says he has it all figured out might be fooling himself.  Just maybe.  If a person is cocky, wait until tomorrow when his neighber’s dog shits on his lawn! 

Analogy maybe.  Where is the Roman Empire or the Babylonian Empire?  They were maybe a couple of  the greatest empires ever.  Where are they.  They seemed to have conquered the world.  GeorgeTheCrook says--Here is some cheap advice--Don't think you are sooo great (i.e. be soooo arrogant)!  Things can change.  They usually do.  You aren't soooo God Almighty.  A case of Alzheimer's or shingles (i.e. draconian reality) will explain that to ya!  Bytheway--History says that the Chaldeans had built their city and their empire upon their strength, their greed, and the blood of those they killed to achieve it.  Huh, interesting. Saturday question--Does history repeat it's self?

There is sympathy and empathy!  There is a difference folks. Sympathy is a feeling of pity or sorrow because of someone else's suffering.  Empathy is the ability to identify with, understand, and share another's feelings. Sympathy can only imagine another person's suffering, while empathy knows exactly how the sufferer feels because of having suffered the same way. Arlene has had shingles for 3+ weeks (i.e. it's raining in my heart) and a neighbor came over (i.e. a cancer survivor and past 5 week shingle sufferer) with an idea for a certain pain relief mediation which she learned about after her painful experience with shingles..  She had empathy and sympathy for Arlene.  That is a caring person folks.  Hey, I have become sorta kinda an expert in shingles!  Not by choice folks.  If you want free advice, let me know!!!!!!  Remember, you get what you pay for! Oh that advice. I tell you what folks, you don't want to be the 1 of the 3! Such is  life.

And there is a difference what we have control over and what we don't.  Some illnesses we just get them or we don't (e.g. Alzheimer's or shingles--Arlene did have the shingles shot).  They seem to be genetic or something. Some we have control over by exercise and our eating habits and our attitude and our life style.  It's harder for me to sympathize with folks who could control their illness but decide not toooo (i.e. that is how I feel).  Analogy maybe--Martin Luther said this about sin--You can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair.  As a friend told me--It's our decision and we are in control of our decisions.  And decisions have consequences folks! Such is life.  

She walked up and tied her old mule to the hitching post.  As she stood there brushing some of the dust from her face and cloths, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. The young gunslinger looked at the old woman and laughed, “Hey old woman, have you ever danced?” The old woman looked up at the gunslinger and said, “no, I never did dance…never really wanted to.”  A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, “Well, you old bag, you’re gonna dance now,” and started shooting at the old woman’s feet.  The old woman prospector not wanting to get her toe blown off—started hopping around.  Everybody was laughing. When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.  The old woman turned to her pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers.  The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air. The crowd stopped laughing immediately.  The young gunslinger heard the sounds, too, and he turned around very slowly.  The silence was almost deafening.  The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old woman and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.  The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old woman’s hands. As she quietly said, “Son, have you ever kissed a mule’s ass?”  The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, “No m’am…but…I’ve always wanted to.”  Advice—Never be arrogant, don’t waste ammunition, whiskey makes you think you’re smarter than you are, always, and always make sure you know who has the power.

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

erv

MyFriendfJean says—It takes a whole life to learn how to live.