topsy-turvy

I think there is a politician who admits he lies all the time and he still got elected (i.e. he's dishonest but honest about it).  He says that you can't get elected if you don't lie. He says--It's just being a politician and the folks really don't care. Really! I don't think soooo folks! As far as I know none of this "It's Saturday" is a lie but you might think differently. Opinions are not lies.  Please take that into consideration when reading it.  But some of it might be a little topsy-turvy in your thinking!  Now that could be!  But not a lie! Such is life.

This is called the Thacker Effect.  The psychological effect is sorta kinda interesting, but it doesn’t affect me in any way that I know of but it could and I don't even know it (i.e. that is scary).  But these types of pictures always make me smile.  BUT my life has and can go topsy-turvy at times. to be honest with you, I admit that.

When in Waukee, our son and I went for a long walk with Judy, the dog, Saturday afternoon.  We talked about a lot of stuff (i.e. it was most enjoyable to be able to do this even though it was cool).  One of the topics I talked about he didn’t say anything.  He has done this before in our discussions.  Sooooo I asked him why he doesn’t say anything when you disagree with me? Well Dad, it’s a relationship preserver; I don’t want to hinder our relationship.  That is pretty smart. When we cherish a relationship, we do not want it to go topsy-turvy soooo we just keep our mouth shut.  I do that many times. It really doesn’t make any difference what our opinions are anyway. Really!  Most times what we think and say, it’s just that, an opinion. Sometimes, I disagree with our adult children but say nuttin. It’s a relationship preserver.  Besides, I want to be invited back again to be around the grand kids! Soooo we have very little talk about religion, politics or money! Besides there’s not much time left soooo why screw up our good relationship now that we have had for all these years! I just go home after three days! haha But Judy seems to always understand me when I pet her! She is soooo understanding!

TwoOldBuzzards told me—But erv, most dogs in the U. S. are treated better than most folks in some countries! It’s no longer a dog’s life in Butler County! They get what they want when they want it! Yabut, the other day I was helping a super senor with some business.  She has a Chihuahua and its name is Buttons.  She treated it like a kid. I petted Buttons and the lady said that Buttons is such a good dog. A minute later Buttons popped on the floor. The lady said Buttons either wants your attention or you scared the crap out of her!

C. S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.” Pain is God’s megaphone. We rarely change when you see the light. We change when we feel the heat. Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (i.e. to make us go topsy-turvy). It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out; we don’t change very easy if everything goes our way. And who likes things not to go our way!  LuckieEddie who is not a rouge, says—not me!

There’s the simple zoom lens, then there’s the ultra-wide-angle lens that even our cell phones have.  Each has its purpose. CoachB says—The higher you go the smaller stuff looks. And the higher you go and the bigger your perspective, the smaller things get. Things look really big to us when we are up close and sometimes we get all bent out of shape but many times it’s just small stuff when we get up higher and see the big picture. My mentor would say—erv, things are never as good as they look and never as bad as they look. How many times does ervie not see the big picture and gets all topsy-turvy when there's nuttin to get all excited about. I will tell you how many times, a zillion. I can get all bent out of shape alright! I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it—When we compare ourselves to others, our lives become tainted and even puffed up!  Ouchy ouchy! It also said—Many folks think they have it soooo good that they don’t need God; they think their life just can’t get any better!

A long time friend just called me and was telling me that he has a decision to make, that being if he should go to the Super Bowl or not (i.e. he's a die hard Chief's fan and was at the playoff game Sunday. I told him that's not a problem but an opportunity. Most folks would love your situation.  Money is not the problem but time is! Sooooo whatever decision he makes will be a good one! I like to make those types of decisions! Saturday question--Do we make most of our decisions "in the name of money?" JoeBlow says--C'mon erv, it's all about the money! Money makes the decision (i.e. for most folks but not all), just look around, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out! Such is life.

There were three frogs sitting on a log. One decides to jump. How many are left?  The answer is three ‘cause just because a frog decides to jump doesn’t change anything until it actually jumps.  Many times, we decide to do stuff but never do them. I many times say I wanna but a lot less times I say I’m gonna and a whole lot less times that I actually doit! Talk is cheap but it takes money to buy whiskey! Aren’t we something else; we are just plain topsy-turvy sometimes!

Do you and I vacillate how we think, feel and look during the day, during the year and during our life?  Maybe we do and don’t even know it.  I always think that gals are much prettier when they are happy; when gals are unhappy, not soooo pretty my opinion! SweetLouise asks--Why do we let little stuff change us soooo much; they are soooo minor, yet we treat them like they are huge massive stuff.  We just are topsy-turvy for sure. 

It has been said--Our world promotes dissatisfaction with our lives, but contentment frees us of that feeling! Sometime between 1490 and 1510, Hieronymus Bosch painted a work he titled “The Garden of Earthly Delights.” Soooo what does this painting mean to you?  I guess the art experts back then didn’t all agree either. The world really wants us to have earthly delights.  BUT how do you compare? The world wants us to compare to each other; oh that comparison. My mentor would say—erv, the world’s measuring stick is money! The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:6, “It is better to have only a little, with peace of mind, than be busy all the time with both hands, trying to catch the wind.” Now that is a struggle for many on a consistent basis.  Oh, the delights of the earth! Soooo what are the delights of the earth toooo you? Do we get topsy-turvy sometimes in our thinking?  I do, yes I do.  AverageJoe who plays downhill,  says--The greatest things in life aren’t things. YaBut Dr.J says--Almost every reward or compensation in this life is reckoned on the basis of works: final scores in sports, annual sales numbers, academic grades, and promotions in the business world. Occasionally we encounter grace in the secular world, but not nearly as often as being rewarded for works. Soooo what is grace? BobbyTheGoldenJet says--Is it different things to different folks like interpreting a painting like Garden of Earthly Delights?

I got my old golf buddies all topsy-turvy when on the 5th tee I showed them this tee that was in my rental golf cart.  TheMI-Engineer who of course has an engineer mind, said--That's a pantographic tee! 

I had a flat tire, again, on my car.  I had to change it. I seem to have bad luck or a lot of opportunities! I found it fascinating that to get the lug nuts loose I literally had to stand on the wrench and then jump several times to get them loose (i.e. except for one lug nut that was way loose). Now how in the world, I thought, would a 120 pound 77-year old women get them loose; she couldn’t. BUT here is a tip that a smart pickleball buddy gave me that he read in his manual: after having tires put on your vehicle, it is recommended that you drive it for some miles and then retighten them as they can come loose.  A friend down here in the Valley of the Sun told me that last summer a wheel almost passed him that came off his camper that they were pulling.  Soooo the solution to loosen those lug nuts and tighten those lug nuts is for you gals is to gain some weight!  That will work. BUT also remember, money can fix a lot of earthly stuff (i.e. stuff under the sun but not for stuff under the heaven—That comes from Ecclesiastes; look for that next time you read it, it says it a lot; there is a big difference folks)! Well, jumping Jupiter!

I didn't play my best golf the other day.  Hey, that happens. A few weeks earlier I played some of my best golf.  My scores were way topsy-turvy.  I said to myself, erv, it's only a golf score!  When we put the word "only" into our perspective, it chances everything.  It's only money! It's only a car! It's only a pair of jeans! It's only...!  You put your own "only" in there.  Hey erv, it could be much worse!

Well, hold unto your horses!  I did a “hold unto your horses day” recently.  I had a lot of stuff happen to me and enjoyed the opportunities.  Yes, I did.  Sooooo I decided to spend time to appreciate them and think through all the situations.  Like being grateful for them.  Soooo trying to figure out where I am and where I want to go and what I want! I went for a long hike up ‘er in ‘em mountains to be alone.  That ought to do it! A old-time friend I made from pickleball asked me the other day--erv, when you go hiking up 'er in 'em mountains do you see God differently?  This guy who likes to spend time up in 'em mountains hunting. I like this guy, he has a good heart, my kind of guy!

Sooooo after my long hike I went and sat in the hot tube.  I got reacquainted with an acquaintance I made maybe 10 years ago.  He’s an old professional hockey player from Canada (i.e. he has few teeth left to prove it).  He has written a book for first time coaches.  He has coached well over 1,000 young people in lacrosse.  What is important he says is teaching young kids life skills and not put such an emphasis on winning. About less than .5 % of these kids will ever play professionally, about 2% will get some type of scholarship to play at the college level but all will need life skills in their life. Besides, he went on to say, 80% of sports ability is their DNA and the other 20% is such things as attitude, opportunities, practice, diet, and keeping your weight in check. BUT here I play pickleball and there are all kinds of tournaments to find out who is the best. Even in open play, the winners stay, and the losers sit down. You would think at age 77 relationships, relationship skills, and exercise would be by far much more important but winning is still very important to a lot of folks. Soooo we still get topsy-turvey! BUT that is my opinion. BUT I think that is really funny! 77YearOldCrazyMarvin says—erv, you are completely wacko, if you are not a winner in our culture, you’re nuttin! Let's face it! YaBut, UncleHeleoFromKentucky says--When the gonger gongs, the number of pickleball games we won will not be brought up but how you acted might (i.e. but I'm not certain about that--the Bible says there is only one thing that matters)!

I read early the next morning this what April wrote (i.e. anybody can be an April)--Our earliest experiences have a profound effect on how we view ourselves and on how we think God and others see us. We may grow up with confidence, or we may have a quiet, persistent voice in our minds that asks, “Am I really worthy of being loved?” Henri Nouwen speaks to this struggle when he writes, “Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that declares we are loved.” Yet, for many of us, receiving this assurance may be a challenge."

I read this written by Tish Harrison Warren in her book, Prayer in the Night. 

I was having breakfast with a friend down here in the Valley and an older gentleman came up to me and said--East Lake huh!  He was the first and only person who knew what East Lake was so far; it was where Bobby Jones learned to play golf.  He’s one of my heroes.  I just read this story again and it tells you why I like Bobby Jones. Bobby Jones was an early golfer in the United States. At the U.S. Open in Massachusetts in 1925, he went to officials and told them he had accidently moved his ball slightly, violating Rule 18. They didn’t agree. It was on the eleventh hole, and they told him to keep playing. Jones refused, saying he really had moved the ball a bit. As a result of his honesty, he lost the game—by one stroke. Later he told the sportswriters who praised him for his honesty, “You might as well praise me for not robbing banks.” LuckieEddie says—erv, it seems that there aren't as many folks that care about being honest anymore. Oh, LuckieEddie, I think there are a lot of honest folks but the dishonest seem to get a lot of the attention maybe!

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

erv

MyFriendJean said—Ideas are funny little things...they don't work unless you DO.

P.S. We are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13), and to do any good we have to get out of the ‘salt shaker.’