overwhelming

Special Bonus Coverage at the bottom of this "It's Saturday" at no additional cost.  You guys get all the breaks! 

You see all the time where politicians, coaches, pastors, anyone in the public's eye clarifying what they said (i.e. make sure they are politically correct).  You notice that our culture hardly ever calls a spade a spade (i.e. and surely not very accurate we think)!  If I had to clarify everything I said in each “It’s Saturday” to all the readers individually, I would never get anything else done.  Everyone understands things differently!  Sooooo don’t take anything I write sooooo serious.  It’s like this—If I say a gal really looks tough what do I mean—That she is a real beauty, a knockout or rode hard and put away wet, or I don’t want to mess with her as she looks soooo mean that she would knock me on my can and stomp on me!!!! Seeee, we all interpret that statement differently (i.e. pretty much based on the impute of our current environment and our past environment).  It’s overwhelming how we all think different!

This "overwhelming thing" reminded me of a story a friend told me.  It happened maybe 20 years ago.  He was on a business board and an employee came to the board prancing around and demanding that he be treated better than the other employees as he thought he was King Tut (i.e. he had a very high self-evaluation of himself)!  He went on and on with his tirade and finished by saying that if they didn’t meet his demands he was going to resign.  The board told him they would accept his resignation.  The big shot’s head all of a sudden shrunk (i.e. not near as cocky)!  Sometimes we think of ourselves different than others think of us maybe.  Such a real-life story. But it makes me laugh!

I went to the library and checked out a puzzle, my one annual puzzle.  I picked a 300-piece puzzle.  WhizardPuzzlePutTogetherer says—Oh, whoopie doo! WhizardPuzzlePutTogetherer says--I put together 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000-piece puzzles together and you did a little 300-piece puzzle.  Hey, listen sweetheart, I had an enjoyable time, frustrated, sense of accomplishment, frustration, relaxation, frustration, etc. For those of you who do 3,000-piece puzzles, I assume you have 10X of all those emotions. Oh, whoopie doo! At times I was sure all the pieces weren't there but when I got done they were all there. Have you ever noticed that sport teams, businesses, churches say they are missing a couple of pieces of the puzzle to really be great?  They are not great as they are missing a couple of pieces.  Are we the missing pieces?  Or are we the problem pieces! We could be either one.  Maybe not!  Such is life.

I hope this “It’s Saturday” isn’t considered a “seasonal effective disorder.” It could be and maybe it is or maybe it isn’t. Do you get “seasonal effective disorder?” I don’t think I do but maybe I do and don’t realize it.  Could be! There sure seems to be a lot more obituaries in the paper than normal.  Is this something to do with “seasonal effective disorder?”  Saturday question—How can we manage “seasonal effective disorder?” ItchieBitichie, who has a goat mode, says—You got to be both proactive and reactive (i.e. grab the bull by the horns)!  BUT the mind is very difficult to tame or understand; it’s like a crazy, wild animal (i.e. my opinion).

CadillacJack, who is an accurate hand grenade thrower) says—I can tell when I’m overwhelmed, yes I can.  My mind is ruffled which makes a restless pillow. Soooo what are many folks overwhelmed with? Inundated with? Have the over-the-top feeling about? What do folks feel is the abundance of tumultuous stuff? What do we really get bent out of shape about? Probably different stuff for different folks!  CoachB says--It’s the things that we overcome that define us.  These are the things that define our character, personality and spirit.  Anybody can be and act great when everything is going their way.  Great folks come out of handling stuff that is hard differently (i.e. and that decision is basically ours).  Look around folks, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.  Bingo!

I seem to do better in managing my life when I actually sit down and think about stuff (i.e. analyze the situation).  Yep, sit down and think about stuff; not think about it when I’m on the go.  If it is something really important or even if it is not, it seems I make better decisions when I sit down and sometimes with someone who I respect and talk to them.  But when we sit down (i.e. my opinion), we concentrate more (i.e. more focused) on our thinking.  It takes more effort to do that but when I take more effort, I make better decisions.  No question.  I have sat down several times and thought about a current issue in my life that is frustrating me.  Maybe not a major problem but very irritating for sure.  I have analyzed it several times. I even have prayed about it. LuckieEddie says—Holy cow erv, it must be important if you prayed about it haha. Actually, I must admit, I’m sorta kinda enjoying the process of making a decision on how I am going to handle this situation (i.e. am I crazy or what!).  Maybe, it’s really not a problem but an opportunity (i.e. maybe a new direction; it might end up being very exciting for me).  The result of my decision will make my life better, I think! It’s not near as overwhelming when I deal with it in this fashion (i.e. more like a business decision—as my Daddy, Chester, use to say—erv, keep your emotions out of it).  Like I said, it’s kinda sorta fun.  Those darn emotions! 

Question—Why do we do stuff that we don’t enjoy and maybe even irritates us?  Why?  Is it because we feel obligated? We have always done it? We think it makes us look good around our peers. We can make money doing it. As I age, I feel that I don’t want to do certain things anymore for some of those reasons.  And I’m not going to do them (i.e. maybe, we will see).  I’m maybe getting smarter.  And maybe not!  If I don’t enjoy doing certain things or being around certain folks that irritate me, I’m not going to do it.  LuckieEddie says again—You alright erv? Did you fall out of the rocker? You better put your doctor on notice! Maybe you better sit down! Maybe it’s the virus culture affecting you. Could be!

I see folks doing things that seem to be totally out of the ordinary.  Why?  It doesn’t fit their m-o at all (i.e. my opinion).  It’s like they think that the world is going toooo pot and they better enjoy life a little bit before all s**t happens. I don’t think I have ever seen folks react this way soooo drastically as they are now.  Or is it just the folks in Butler County?  Or just the folks that I see or am around? Maybe I need to be this way more. I might be missing something here! Maybe I need to get with it.  I think I will start tomorrow!!!! LuckieEddie says—erv, you’re not as young as you use to be soooo you better get after it! I talked to a gal who told me she is 85 the other day.  She told me that at 85 she has limits; she can really notice it.  And this gal has history as she was born near Roseland! Sooooo there! ThePersonNorthOfTown says—erv, you won’t do anything toooo radical as you are one big chicken!

CoachB says—For many of you your road is going to get way better than your past road a.k.a. life.  Why? He says—When folks change their attitude that makes their road change even if their road really doesn’t; in fact, their road might get worse as measured by some.  Now that is “counter-culture.”  Our culture is to fight darkness with more darkness, not darkness with love (i.e. when something bad happens to us we what to do something bad to someone else and we usually do.  Co'mon folks, look around; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.  Are you going to be someone different or a person of the culture? I think you know the answer! JoeKnowItAll says--Tooo that I think I do.

Ok, I think we hear soooo much stuff one way and then just the opposite.  We don’t know what to believe or use or what to think.  We are just confused.  Different folks, organizations, churches, marketing experts, political parties, businesses, advertisers, friends, etc. all do this to us.  They must think we are suckers, and it appears we are suckers for sure.  ANYWAY, the saying by Thomas Edison is a good example of this. I think it’s true, but I also think it’s good to be content.  Soooo there you go. 

MissPerfect says--Everyone you know has a reputation.  Everyone including you and me.  That’s just the way it is.  Our reputation may come from a long time of being who we are or just maybe a short time or given by others through conversation or our body language, or business dealings, or personal experiences, etc.  It appears that our reputation is hard to change.  If it is well established, folks can say what they want about themselves, but their reputation doesn’t change (e.g. a person who is a good person might screw up once but we still think they are a good person or if a person with a bad reputation might do something good but we still consider them a bad person).  Abraham Lincoln said—"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of people all of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”  WorldClassLarry says—If it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, it’s a duck!

Recently a friend who is probably is in his late 50s asked me how I sold my 13 Avalon.  I said I advertised it on Craig’s List and Marketplace but didn’t have much success.  He said—Avalons are old men’s cars and old men don’t buy cars on Craig’s List or Marketplace; young folks do.  This guy is smart and technology savvy; he has all the new technology on their farm.  Soooo what I learned is if you want to sell to old folks, you better not use new technology but if you want to sell to younger folks, you better! 

Talk about change!  Our 13-year-old granddaughter called me the other night and told me she has a Step Card.  What?  It’s an Apple Pay Debit Card for teenagers.  She explained it all to me and said—Grandpa, I think you should use Apple Pay.  She explained it all to me and I might just do that.  It’s not that I really see a big need to do it but it’s good for me to learn and keep up a little with new stuff (i.e. sorta kinda fun).  Next thing I’m thinking about getting is a jetpack!  Maybe I will be the first in Butler County!  That will give the boys who drink coffee in the shed deep in Butler County something to talk about! Otherwise, they will continue to talk about the price of soybeans that has really gone up, but they sold all theirs already. What were they thinking! 

I am trying to put together a group of folks who attend the church I attend to join me in reading a book and have a book discussion in the future.  I have asked a number of folks and they seem interested and some have committed.  But that doesn’t always mean much.  If any of you have put together such events, you know that talk is cheap and many are just that, talk.  If you want about 5 folks you better get about 10 to commit.  It’s like throwing 10 against the wall to get 5 to stick! And church stuff might even be worse than lining up a golf trip or a women’s coffee group!  BUT I have done many of these such things and am well aware (i.e. my expectations are real; not phony soooo I won’t be surprised or disappointed or overwhelmed by negative results or negative folks). BUT folks, I have really only attended one church in my more adult life, soooooo maybe other churches might be different—some of my buddies tell me the churches they attend are more responsive.  Sooooo why are some churches more responsive than others?  You got me. There must be a reason. I can only imagine! Could it be that certain churches attract certain type of folks like certain businesses attract certain type of clients and certain type of clubs attract certain type of folks or certain type of retirement communities attract certain type of folks or certain type of neighborhoods attract certain type of folks? Huh, maybe we need to analyze the type of folks we attract to our churches or attend our churches or the ones who have left our churches!  We might be surprised, maybe (i.e. maybe overwhelmed). SusieQ says—erv, I don’t like to self-evaluate myself or anyone I’m associated with.  Soooo quit talking that way; just let the sleepin’ dog lie (i.e. it is what it is)! SusieQ, you might be the problem!  You might be the deal killer! Who, what, me!

TommySmart, who makes everyone look good, says—My theory is that if you look confident, you can pull off anything—even if you have no clue what you’re doing.

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

erv                                                                                                                               

MyFriendJean said—Junk is the stuff you throw out and stuff is the junk you keep.

Bonus coverage at no additional cost as promised!!!!  I have occasionally have people ask me how many responses I get from “It’s Saturday.” They also ask me or tell me that I take a lot of risk in what I write about and wonder if I catch some flak sometimes. I really don’t catch any flack but the responses are uplifting or crazy or whatever but some are just funny (i.e. I enjoy all your responses). Here are a couple of good ones that made me LOL from last week's "It's Saturday" (i.e. reprinted with their permission).

Good Morning to you ---------- your story about the church that decided to close reminded me of an incident here in my hometown ---- the church was located in a part of the city that was aging, and the church was landlocked and could not grow.  A new young pastor arrived on the scene, and convinced the board to sell the church and relocate out in the western suburbs--- and that is what they did. They sold the church, bought a nice piece of bare land, and began meeting in a school until they could afford to rebuild again.  When --- low and behold, the Lord called this pastor to another church, so he resigned, leaving them with no building and no pastor.  The church eventually folded, and the people scattered. ----  PS. Have you ever noticed how the Lord calls pastors to "warmer climates" ??.  The church we attended in Arizona had a least 25 retired pastors attending.  The Lord likes warm climates.  w    ps. I turned 88 yesterday.  88 seems much older to me than 87.  Not sure why.  My Dad lived to be 81, and I always thought him to be old, because he acted old.---  My Mother lived to be nearly 97, yet could communicate with everyone regardless of age, and people used to love to talk to her-- and listen to all her stories.  Fond memories.  Have a good day-------------- unless---- it snows. Then it will be a snowy day.  We had a snowy day here in Omaha yesterday, but OK now     w

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I’m one of those who got a concussion and nobody cared. Football against our arch rival Wellsburg. Mom and dad weren’t at the game and I don’t think they ever knew! I can remember standing on the sideline with smelling salts but I never did remember the touchdown they said I scored. No film to study back then either.

So we just arrived in The Villages. Took four days to get here. That was our plan. We were gonna spend several days in Memphis but it was so Covid shutdown we left early. It started by driving by our Hampton Inn on Beale Sreet. I overshot it so I stopped and backed up 200 feet! On Beale Street! The tour we were going to do wasn’t running, we bought a different one for our car, didn’t work, couldn’t make the ticket to get out of the parking lot work, etc. Finally decided just to go to Graceland. Got there to find six cars in a parking lot for 700 cars. Walked all the way up there, found I didn’t have my credit card, tried Deb’s, it was declined, gave up and went back to car. A couple in the parking lot talked us in to going back. Now 5 cars in lot. My card worked-same account as Deb’s which was rejected. But the tour was good. Our neighbor in Dike  said Elvis had recently been seen in the jungle room but no such luck. It wasn’t our day. We came out to the parking lot to three cars. As Deb opened her door she hollered “some one took our suitcases”. They were gone. We walked around the car in a panic and talked about what was in them. Two minutes later Deb realized.....they are in the hotel! We have laughed so many times about this. But Memphis is not on our bucket list anymore.

I’m convinced if the rest of the day had gone better we wouldn’t have had these thoughts. But the rest of the trip was really good. Hank and Bec stopped before we could get the car unloaded.

I’m going to text you some pictures I took inside a men’s bathroom at a neat resteraunt we ate in. Deb said the woman’s was much more boring.

Take care, Bruce