mess

How do you know if I’m serious about what I write in this “It’s Saturday” or am just messing with you! I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it—"Be careful who you run with, be careful who you hang around with because their mess will get on you! And before you know it your whole mind and spirit has been corrupted by subtle associations.” ClazenaShowboat says--It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out erv! Just look around will ya! But flip the pancake, being around high level thermodynamic energy sources will change your mind and spirt to a way better, higher level.  Soooo think about that! Soooo, my opinion, pick good sources to be around! 

I was leaving church the other Sunday and shook the pastor’s hand and said—Great service! It was a sincere comment.  Generally, a pastor will say something like, thank you.  But he said to me—You ok? I must of looked like a mess! His talk was about every name has a story (i.e. it was name tag Sunday).  We all have a story, some are more dramatic or longer that others. Especially he said—Our accepting Jesus as our Savior story if we have that story.  He talked about Saul’s story of his conversation on the road to Damascus when God changed his name to Paul and then as Paul Harvey would say—Now you know the rest of the story! But in 1970, Harvey shocked many of his listeners with his most famous broadcast. In the wake of Richard Nixon's expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia, Harvey said, “Mr. President, I love you. But you're wrong.”

I had lunch with longtime friends who were here in the Valley of the Sun.  They told me the story of some friends that has really affected me.  They are 72 and retired who had their retirement all planned out a.k.a. the good life. Their highly educated, professional daughter is a drug addict and has no interest in their child who is 3 years of age. They think their daughter might soon die of her addiction. They are raising this child. The father is in prison for drug trafficking.  Their story just has bothered me.  What a mess! And there are many such stories.  Maybe your story is as bad.  But there are soooooo many good stories tooooo! Saturday question—What is your story?

I have relearned (i.e. by a recent experience) that many folks really don’t want help to make their life story better or easier unless they can make money, especially free money! Really! Most prefer to continue to do what they are doing (e.g. they don’t really want to learn toooo much but just want to kick the same can down the same street like they always have; the old works for me is the mentality). That statement isn’t always correct maybe as there are many good folks who work very hard and are very good folks. What I read, it appears that maybe some of our society do not what to work hard and want an easy life given to them; they think they deserve it.  It really seems confusing doesn’t it. It feels like a mess to me.

AverageJoe who pretty much puts his finger prints on everything, says--Everyone is messing with others now a days; it ain’t nuttin new. This is from a western novel of Louis L’Amour that says—"It pretty much as it was, now and the future. Why will it change folks.  I doubt if it will ever no matter what we think or say.”  I have tooooo admit that I can get frustrated when values, morals and thinking that aren’t going in the direction I think they should (i.e. much of it looks like a mess to me). It bothers me.  I want to be in charge and there is no way that I am or will ever be.  BUT obviously, some folks like things differently than I do; we don’t agree.  Soooo should I get away from those type of folks and situations as they bother me and I can’t control them anyway? I can’t fix the world. In fact, I can’t fix anyone. Like I say a lot—Folks are affected by their genetics, past environment and their current environment and it is really hard toooo and nearly impossible to change them, UNLESS it is something that’s major that they are involved in like facing death and even that might not change some folks. BUT FlipThePancake—Maybe, just maybe, the whole universe is listening to us! You think soooo, really! I don’t know. It doesn’t seem that way. Studies say that the average person speaks between 15,000 to 25,000 words a day. They say that the words of our mouth shape our world and maybe other folks' world.  Soooo what are we saying in those words?

Soooo I went to Lowes to get a new flapper for my stool. I used a self-check out kiosk but it charged me double.  I asked the self-checkout help gal what the deal was—you probably scanned it twice; it happens a lot (i.e. she could have said—you made a dumb mistake dummy, what were you thinking)—sooo now what do I do—go to customer service and they will refund one price.  Soooo I did and there was a gal in front of me at customer service that was mad, I mean hot about a dumb mistake she made—the customer service gal said to me—people blame us for their dumb mistakes; they just can’t accept that they made a really dumb mistake. We both laughed but I told her that she did take some abuse that was not necessary. She smiled. Saturday question—Do any of you ever make dumb mistakes?  Do you ever blame others for your dumb mistakes?  Oh, by the way, the gal who was making an ass out of herself had an outside appearance of being very nice (i.e. she looked like a queen) but it appears her inside was gruffy, a real…, I think a real mess, a…! I think maybe a big showboat! I really had a good laugh! The gal corrected my dumb mistake!

Saturday question--Are you a generous person? I went to the WM Phoenix Open last Friday compliments of a long time friend from WA. Her and her husband gave me the tickets (i.e. she is a sweetheart). I walked all 18 holes following Zach Johnson.  I never did that before.  ANYWAY, I think it was on 13 that I stopped at a concession stand to get a water and was waiting when a guy who was maybe late 20s started talking to me.  It went like this--He said, I want to buy you a Coors Lite sir--why would you want to do that--I like you and besides I'm much more generous after I have had a few a.k.a. messed up--thanksamillion, that was very nice of you--have a fun day sir--peace and prosperity to you--thank you sir. I don't know if he will remember buying me a beer until he gets his Mastercard bill! 

Soooo I was tired when I got back from the Phoenix Open and went and sat in the hot tube.  I shared it with two couples; one couple were "Ohio State Buckeyes" and the other guy of the other couple was a Episcopalian priest (i.e. the priest was a sister to the lady who was the Ohio State Buckeye).  Now that is a contrast folks haha.  The Ohio State Buckeye fans asked me being a IA Hawkeye fan what I thought of the Ohio Sate Buckeyes--we don't like you, you always beat us in football--who do you like worse, us or MI--we don't like either of you about the same.  We had soooo much fun.  These couples were the greatest folks.  The female Buckeye fan really asked me some tough questions about myself; I don't remember ever being asked such interesting questions.  They were great questions. Maybe these Buckeyes were just messing with me! A fun day I had in the Valley of the Sun!

They are messed up; two of my foursome have COVID!  Soooo I was talking to the one who doesn't other than me.  He told our foursome some time ago about a child of theirs that had outstanding athletic ability and was recruited by all the major universities.  He was offered athletic scholarships to many and could have gone to any place he wanted (i.e. really big time).  Then he had a medical issue and was not able to play athletics at that level again (i.e. a life changer). Sooo this friend and I were talking and he told me that that setback probably was the best thing that evet happened to their son--what!, how can that be--his personality with money and fame would not been good for him, it probably would have been hard on his life (i.e. messed his life up). He got into a profession that was perfect for him and has a very good life and has done well. I have always wondered if I would have been a little more talented physically and/or if I was a little more intelligent if my life would have been different.  But how do I know. Maybe my life would have been better or maybe worse.  But I always thought it would have been better. But maybe not! I will never know now will I!

You ever answer your own questions? I just did that! I do and have to laugh at myself sometimes. They can be simple questions or complex questions, oh ya.  All of a sudden, I know the answer and ask myself, why didn’t I think of that before!  It’s soooo obvious! Da! Do you think that this happens more when we get older?  Maybe when we are younger, we think we know all the answers but really don’t but just think we do and when we get older we wonder more if we are making the right decisions.  I don’t know, what do you think? Saturday question—Have you ever made a bad decision?  I have made many.  My mentor use to say—"erv, you got to make more good decisions than bad decisions but remember not all your decisions are going to be the right decisions.  Even successful money managers only make right decisions about 51% of the time and they are successful in the business." OneSmartPerson says—YaBut erv, it seems that some folks make more good decisions than others; seems like some folks get themselves in more messes than others.  Sooooo why is that OneSmartPerson? Maybe that is why most folks aren’t risk takers or entrepreneurs, could be! They can’t handle failures; it hurts tooooo much! SusieQ who can trip a person's trigger alright, says—erv, ya can’t make any bad decisions if you don’t make any decisions at all. That is why I just go with the flow of the crowd a.k.a. mob mentality. Remember folks, I’m just a little ol’ farm boy from a mile and quarter south of Roseland, MN!

I was told by TomSmart who is always right on the button, this—How we act and talk is a reflection of what is on our inside (i.e. guess he is saying that our actions and talk pretty much tell our story).  Abraham Lincoln said—You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. A friend wasn't paying attention and got himself in a mess.  He was walking along and maybe took a quick look at the 70+ agreed women doing water aerobics in the pool (i.e. as a friend from Butler County would say--I'll risk one eye!).  He fell off the trail into a jumping cholla cactus and had to go to emergency to get the spurs taken out! That will learn him!

We talked directly and indirectly in the hot tub about what our purpose of life is.  Soooo what is our purpose of our life?  It appears when we don't know our purpose we can get off track a.k.a. messed up. If we know our purpose it chances how we live our life; I believe that. I think my purpose of my life is different now at 77 then it was when I was when I was 40.  What do you think?  That is what I thought. Take courage folks, take courage. 

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

erv

MyFriendJean said--The biggest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.

P.S. A friend since birth from two and half miles north of Roseland, MN said to me--erv,  do you ever wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and think… “That can’t be accurate.?!"