wrong turn

Earlier this year at the Faun-Ardèche Classic bicycle race in France, the leading group of riders went in the wrong direction near the end. Cyclists were sprinting toward victory when they took the wrong turn at a roundabout, allowing Romain Grégoire of France to claim the victory.

A friend and his wife went to visit their daughter who was going to school in Kansas City, Missouri. He got up and went for a run one morning (i.e. he’s a long-distance runner). He ran and ran and crossed a couple bridges and made many turns and decided to turn around and go back. He was lost! He didn’t have his cell phone, no identification, no money, no phone numbers and no address of their daughter’s place. He had to stop a police officer. After they determined he wasn’t a fruitcake and after they quit laughing, they got him back to their daughter’s place. He even ran into a different state. He was in Kansas City, Kansas.

Another friend is a competitive 5K and 10K runner. He was was running in a race and his wife was worried as he usually was one of the winners in his age division, but he didn’t show up at the finish line. Finally, she asked the race organizers if they could help find him. He took a wrong turn and was across town still running!

I told our 17-year old grand daughter that her decisions are just as what I told her when she was a freshmen in high school, her cumulative grade point starts now; you gotta start out thinking that way and not mess around at the beginning. Well, don’t make wrong turns now as they will probably affect you the rest of your life. You don’t get re-dos; they are part of your cumulative life. Most teenagers can’t understand that but when you are 50 years old, 65 years old or 80 years old a person we seem to understand that better.

Here is my customer service voice—Encouragement cost nuttin but can change everything! Our encouragement might keep someone from making the wrong turn. Let you and I try to encourage someone today.

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said--The sad thing about being a good sport, is you have to lose to prove it.

excited

It is said—Words express our thoughts! 

Excitement can be caused by us being anxious or by us being enthusiastic. Probably in either case it causes our heart to beat faster. Excitement probably can be caused by something joyful or by something uncertain. Probably in both feelings, excitement makes us feel alive. It gets our attention alright!

Fear causes excitement in our mind I think. Sooo what are we fearful of in our lives. I asked a few of you and it sure appears that many are fearful of failure and not being in control (i.e. very open and honest response). Now that’s something to be fearful about I guess. I have failures all the time and I’m surely not in control of very much; It sounds like I have a lot to be fearful about! But I’m not really very fearful; I’m really not ok, maybe sometimes I am! The old saying is-- “Public speaking was just found to be the number one ranked fear for adults. Number two…was death. DEATH came in at NUMBER TWO. That means if you’re at a funeral most people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy!!”

I have been told many times by many folks who I have met here in Yakima who know Jeanne that I have hit the jackpot meeting Jeanne. I agree, I have! At our age to meet and share life together is complete excitement for us. We are very grateful for this opportunity. We are very aware of it, and we don’t take it lightly. It doesn’t take away anything of our past but just gives us a new renewed life a.k.a. a new opportunity, excitement!

CoachB says that life is much better and enjoyable when we concentrate on the smooth parts of life and not the rough parts of life. And we all have/had/will have smooth parts and rough parts! Now that doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. In fact, a friend tells me that every situation might be 90 percent positive and 10 percent negative soooo we can decide what we are going to spend our time thinking about. I guess he is saying that nuttin in this world is 100 percent perfect. Saturday question—Does anyone enjoy being around someone who is always complaining and bitching about something? Do those folks really enjoy their life?

Another friend thinks that many folks have this type of fear and he is probably right (i.e. very honest and open)—"I’m going to come at the fear question from a small, everyday perspective. On a daily basis, the fear of not looking good or feeling smart enough or not having something you have (jealousy) motivates more people during the day than many other things. We all want to fit in.” Now that can get many folks excited for sure! Another friend put it this way--"I think people are primarily motivated by the fear of failure and/or embarrassment due to failure. Our society favors the successful and the fear of appearing anything other than drives people, even go so far as to live outside of their means to uphold an image."

I talked to a 21-year old young man in church recently who is doing an intern as a mechanical engineer.  I asked him how it was going—good, I like it but I find myself not as excited in doing physical activity on weekends that I normally was—how come—I’m tired or I think I’m lazy; I would rather just sit on the couch—well, that’s not good—I know, I am an adventurous person soooo it’s not my nature—soooo how are you changing your attitude—I have scheduled physical activities for my weekends that force me to get after it—wait until you get my age; then you really have to force yourself to throw those chips away and get your butt off the couch! We had a good laugh!

The preacher said something recently that really caught my attention—He said that all of us will encounter God sometime in our life and we have a choice to embrace Him with excitement or completely turn Him away and become hardened. I talked to an old friend who I grew up with from the Roseland area recently. He told me that he just can’t understand why folks don’t believe in God; I just don’t get it; I just don’t understand it.

Miguel, a speedy delivery driver for Prime delivered a package as I was outside the other day. I said—thanksamillion for the delivery—you’re welcome—you excited about your job—oh yes, I am; I get paid $21 an hour and have 4-10 hour days—are you saving any money—oh ya, I’m living with my mom and am saving soooo I can buy a trailer of my own—you seem to be a good person—I try—well keep it up; I wish you the best—you too; thank you sir!

I have many friends who are really happy; they seem to always be happy. Sorry to say, I know folks who always seem to be unhappy (i.e. pretty bitter it seems). One of my friends told me flat out, I am happy; I have been happy for decades! And I think he is and has been! He’s always excited about life. Sooooo why the difference do you think?

A friend said another fear folks have is the fear that folks will find out they are a fraud!  Ouchy ouchy! My friend said many folks will go to great lengths to cover up being a fraud. I guess that could really get some folks excited!  A friend of Jeanne who I have had the opportunity to visit with a couple of times really appears to be the real deal. Jeanne describes her as someone who lives her principals. Paul, not everyone can be a Paul, said--“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” And then he summarized that summary by saying, “Let all that you do be done with love.” CoachB says—Learning does not happen until there is a change! Paul also said--"Nothing in the spiritual life has value unless it is accompanied by selfless, others-centered, God like love.” That gets me excited, yes it does.

I have to admit that I was excited and still am. Our children, their spouses, and our grandkids are vacationing in the Great Northwest and were with us for a couple of days. Wow! We really enjoyed them. Great excitement! There is a great line in the Walt Whitman poem “O Me! O Life!”: “The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?  /Answer.  /That you are here—that life exists and identity, / That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”

 Moses answered them with this strong prediction of God’s rescuing them from their enemies. His answer was simple: “Stand firm and you will see...The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Now that is exciting too! My opinion.

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said--People who do things that count never stop to count them.

what did I learn

You might compare me to some ol’ shoe,---good for nuttin…and soooo rotten that nuttin can be done with me!  Take that into consideration but give me a change and please read on! And then decide!

When I was a 5-year old living with our family a mile and a quarter south of Roseland, MN on our modest farm, I was content. I really didn’t know any different. Then I learned as I got older to be discontented; I wanted more stuff and the world taught me to compare and be envious and greedy a.k.a. human nature. I have learned that those worldly desires are what makes capitalism really thrive. I also learned that I really like to learn; I enjoy learning. Learning is really enjoyable to me. Now, I think as I age, I am becoming more content; more like being that 5-year old again (i.e. most of the time but not all the time—hahaha). I think I learned this through practice, instruction, and experience. But reality is, I have my moments when I’m dissatisfied, impatient, and discontented. Now that is a paradox!

Kareen Abdul-Jabbar says—"Older people are happier…no one wants their young mind again, filled with…anxiety, bias and selfishness.”

Well ya, I have learned to be careful about what others say, don’t trust them always; if they seem a little shaky or make me nervous, I need to be even more careful. I learned not to get in over my head. I learned If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably not true. I have learned to error on the cautious side. I learned to try to make good decisions. Maybe test it first or observe first (i.e. look into it). Find different sources of information. Don’t believe everything that everyone says, everyone has an agenda which many times is not for my benefit but only theirs.

In purchasing businesses, the buying company will do “due diligence” on the company they are buying. They go through many processes to make sure all the information is correct (i.e. spend big bucks to do that). They don’t want to buy a lemon! We were at a dinner party recently when the folks talked about running credit checks, background checks and just googled a lady that their brother was dating (i.e. they didn’t want him to get in a mess as they thought he was vulnerable). Hey, don’t shoot the messenger!

Stubbornness. Are we unwilling to change the way we do things? Did you know it is said that the greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is yesterday’s success? Folks just don’t want to change! I was talking to a young man recently and he told me—“That some extremely talented folks become lazy and don’t work and many times are overtaken by less talented people who are over achievers.” I have learned that there are folks who are very talented in a certain area but in other areas of their life they fail (i.e. they need someone to take care of them hahaha). I have learned I can change my mind and I do it a lot (e.g. I’m going for a hike, well I changed my mind, I’m going to take a nap instead)! I have learned it’s a good characteristic to be able to change our minds. Oh, OneSmartPerson says--There is no limit what a talented person who really works hard can accomplish!

Well ya, I have learned that I like the odds in my favor! 

Well ya, I have learned by listening to folks that what they believe results in how they live and that is many times based on an emotion or emotions and not facts. They seem to have had something happen in their life that makes them think like the way they do (i.e. it could be something good or something bad or it’s a long process of being taught something that has really affected them). An example that could be: I think I see some folks who have a strong opposition to welfare and others who have a strong support of welfare a.k.a. government support. That might depend a lot on who is getting the welfare or the support check. I have learned that it all depends on how it affects ME!

Abraham Lincoln said—Better to give your path to a dog, than be bitten by him in contesting for the right. Even killing the dog wound not cure the bite!

I have read this that has been written by Donald, soooo it must be right: “In today’s fast-paced world, we must be ready to deal with complex situations that require a variety of different approaches. In some cases, it might be necessary to make quick decisions and take risks so as not to miss important opportunities. In other cases, a patient and conservative approach might be necessary to thoroughly research the venture. In many ways, mastering decisions is no more than having good common sense.” That is Donald’s opinion. What is your opinion? That is what I thought!

What did I learn! When I was maybe 12, I had a muskrat cornered in the corner of the silo room and the barn. He had no place to go; I had him dead to the world. I had a stick and was jabbing him and Blacky my dog was at my side barking at him. All I had to say was, get him Blacky and he was dead. It was hopeless for the rat. Just then my Daddy, Chester, came out of the barn and saw the situation and told me that it takes a big person to give that rat or a person an exit and let them live once again and then he left. I thought for a while and grabbed Blacky and let that rat get out of the corner and he ran around the silo to live another day. Blacky surely didn’t understand me!

Well ya, I have learned that no one likes to be told what to do.  No one likes to be enslaved to another (i.e. under their thumb). When I started my first job as a business teacher in high school, we had a superintendent who liked to be in control a.k.a. his ideas. He would talk to me about new business equipment. I would always down pay it and say we are getting along but we need to try to keep up with new equipment if we can afford it; then changed the subject. Then about a couple of weeks later, he would approach me and say—I have been thinking and have this idea that we need to get some new business equipment. What do you think?  I told him I thought he had a great idea. Some teachers hounded him, but they never got any new stuff. I learned that if we don’t care who gets the credit, we can get a lot more done.

What did I learn? Well ya, I have learned in my life to live a quality life it is good to always have gratitude; always be thankful and appreciative. No matter what, have an expression of gratitude. It just changes my life and seems like everything else falls into place. Pretty simple but it works for me. What’s important is important. Saturday question—Who do we give thanks to?

I recently read this little story:  Two men were talking, and one said, “I don’t mean to brag about my financial skills, but the bank calls every week to tell me my debt is outstanding.” The other said, “Well, I don’t want to brag either, but my psychologist says I have the biggest ego he’s ever seen.”  Who likes to be around braggers; they are a pain in the butt (i.e. my opinion). Who likes to be around humble folks; everyone! My Daddy, Chester, told me—erv, if you are good, you don’t have to tell anyone, everyone will know! BigHeadBill, are you really better than everyone else or do you just think sooo! Da!

What did I learn!  Well ya, I learned that when I got rid of all my stuff in our house in IA to move to WA, I learned that my stuff was worth a lot less than what I thought it was worth. Used stuff of mine I thought was soooo valuable, others didn’t even want! Da! Saturday question—Sooo what is valuable in my life anyway? I learned what is! Ouchy ouchy!

Soooo what was your critical evaluation of this “It’s Saturday?” Your evaluation reminds me of a story Abraham Lincoln told to his Cabinet after he read the first draft of the Emaciation Proclamation and let his Cabinet critique it: “Gentlemen, this reminds me of the story of the man who had been away from home, and when he was coming back was met by one of his farm hands, who greeted him after this fashion: ‘Master, the little pigs are dead, and the old sow’s dead, too, but I didn’t like to tell you all at once.’”

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—Always keep learning. It keeps you young.

task analysis

I try to recognize and celebrate small things! It seems like that works good for me!  Yes, it does!

I am thinking of you (i.e. maybe all of you but particularly some of you) and of course, me. Yes, I am! Soooo listen up, hahaha! My thought process started by thinking of an acquaintance who died it appears because of complete depression. Why, I asked myself. I don’t know and never will. He just couldn’t turn it around, I guess. Then I thought about task analysis in our lives as a way of pulling ourselves up from a tough time or through tough events. Soooo how do we do that I asked myself.  Abraham Lincoln said—When we extinguish hope we create desperation.

Task analysis is the process of breaking down a complex activity or goal into smaller, manageable steps or components. By identifying and understanding each step required to complete a task, people can more effectively plan, monitor progress, and address challenges one piece at a time. This approach helps transform overwhelming situations into achievable actions, fostering clarity and momentum even during difficult times. Abraham Lincoln said—Wage war one at a time.

I use this concept in my life a lot. I do one part of the big project and then take a break (i.e. I have a sense of accomplishment). Then I do another and another until I get the project done. That way I don’t get soooo overwhelmed. It seems to really work for me. It sure does! That sorta kinda rings my bell!

Dr.J says—"Let’s look at our “life line” and look back as how it works--God often lays out his plan just one step at a time. He wants us to take the first step in obedience, and then he’ll show us the next step. Each step along the way may not seem logical, but we can obey in faith and confidence, knowing God’s way is always best.” BUT for many folks, that is really hard to do or comprehend. We have a hard time handling what we think is, two steps forward and one step back. Or does it feel like two steps backwards and one step forward sometimes. Either way, if we keep at it, we will gradually go forward and higher (i.e. an accumulation of small steps). You can say that again!

You have missed the point one person says to another! When I just think of the short term, I miss the point! The long-term point is much more important. And that’s seeing the big picture. Short-term tasks accumulate and build on the long-term project a.k.a. the real point. I have to admit that I sometimes concentrate way toooo much on the short term and miss the point. Kenny Rogers sang--There is a certain point when it’s good to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em! You can put your money on that!

A form of discipline I see is “the time out method” in disciplining children. I, in analyzing my life’s tasks, take time outs to meditate on my direction and methods. I have a handbook that I try to follow; it seems to work a lot better for me when I follow it, but it ain’t always easy let me tell ya! AverageJoe says--If it would be easy, everyone would do it! Sometimes events in my life that happen to me force me to take a time out; I have no choice. I can use them as opportunities or be unhappy about them (i.e. it’s my choice). Those opportunities do make me think through the process and hopefully get me focused on the right stuff! Those opportunities seem to happen all the time! Yikes! But that seems to work!

It sure is hard to have clarity of thought and get our strength renewed when our soul is weary. Some friends who are in AA and have had success tell me that the first step is that folks have to admit they have a problem and the second one is accept that there is a higher power and they can't handle it by themselves. RickyRick says—"The Bible has a name for 'admitting your way isn’t working.' It’s called confession, and it can be tough. Those two are big parts of healing.” These concepts are from folks who have been very low in their lives. They ought to know I would guess. One day at a time! You can count your chickens from those eggs before they’re hatched, oh ya!

Soooo how can we become strong? Well, to get strong either physically or mentally or spiritually we have to exercise. No question.  And do it regularly; set it as a priority. Make it a part of our life. Easy? no way! Can it be done, you bet it can. It really helps, my opinion, to be around good folks. A support group of some kind is a good. A church small group is an excellent example of a group of folks who we can trust and share. Not the folk who are not interested in helping us, probably not! We might have to make new friends or hang around with different folks. Could be! That could put the fire out!

I find that small accomplishments are soooo good for me. That is why I like task analysis. It makes me feel good. They lift me up (e.g. exercising every day or not eating after my evening meal). I’m big on writing these small goals down and also checking them off as I accomplish them. It works better for me. That seems to tickle my inners.

How do we handle terrible impulses? I think we really need to be tough folks in a tough world. We really need to work on it HARD! Will it be easy, no way! Be realistic. BUT accomplish one small goal at a time. That will turn the wind around!

We all have heard about all of this before, no question. Sooooo let’s do it and see if we can get the ball rolling. Soo throw those chips down and get our butts of the couch! Nuttin will happen if we don’t get after it. We all know that! Let’s knock the door down!

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said--A goal is a dream with a deadline.

processing information and thoughts

I am thinking of a friend who isn’t happy. I have said many times, and it is very obvious to me, that woman are much prettier when they are happy. To me that is a no brainer. It’s like day and night difference. They can put on makeup or buy a new outfit, but it still shows. It’s not rocket science. For a man it is the same, men have a hard face when they are not happy. My opinion, if folks are unhappy for a very long time, they will start to look old. I read in the Book about a cure for this, yes, I have. It is:  Wisdom (i.e. that is heavenly wisdom and not earthly wisdom) brightens a person’s face and changes its hard appearance. Take some time to process and reflect on that will ya.

When we analyze and process the correct information, we understand our situation much better than when we don’t. My opinion. I guess we have to get the correct information first to process it. Now that is a big project for all of us. It seems like many times we don’t want to know the correct information. JoeBlow says—It’s a lot easier to see other’s problems and weaknesses than our own! Maybe we can’t correct ourselves until we do that and then we still might not be able to correct it. Some folks have told me how professional counseling has really helped them. Maybe the problems we have are in our heads and maybe we need help from others to process the situation!

I was hitting golf balls at the course the other day. I said to a couple of old guys who were playing—how’s it going today—ok, but we are a couple of old hackers, but it beats sitting on the couch watching TV!!!

I don’t want to be a pretender. Pretenders are hard for me to be around. They are what a friend calls them, a black cloud. Violet Stillwater says--erv, be careful here; process this thought first. Maybe it’s better that you do not talk about it. Ok, I’m just venting here. I know, I know! I express my thoughts and frustrations on paper many times and then after a day or two, I throw the paper away. It seems therapeutic for me! 

We observed that part of our lawn (i.e. an area of about 12 inches) where the sprinkles don’t sprinkle the grass, that the grass is brown. Yakima only gets 8 inches of rain a year. If the lawn doesn’t get water, it just won’t grow and be green (i.e. that is fact). We adjusted the sprinklers soooo it got watered and wow did that make a difference. Bingo! Now that is a good analogy for my mind and soul, I think!

MissPerfect says--I read that one thing about AI is that it can reprogramed to not make the same mistake again; I wish I could program myself to not make the same mistake over and over and over again! If anyone is in an unhappy relationship and wants it to change, ask or observe folks who have long, happy relationships. Don’t ask folks who always have problems in relationships. The same way about personal money management. But if a person doesn’t want to take critical criticism, and change, it will be the same-o same-o. It is a proven fact. We gotta process the facts! Maybe there are reasons why folks don’t want to change (i.e. keep hitting their heads against the wall)! ItchieBitchie says--If we do the same old unsuccessful things that we did the last 10 years the next 10 years, why in the world should we expect anything to change! SusieQ says--I'm getting help; I’m on the phone with the fire department—what did they say—I don’t know; I’m waiting for them to stop laughing!

The old saying is:  There is two ways of learning it, the easy way and the hard way (e.g. we are told we need to exercise, and we do it and the hard way is we have a health condition, and we learn it). We process information differently now don’t we. Or maybe we process it the same way but react to it differently (i.e. take a different course of action). My Daddy, Chester, would say to me, erv, “Everyone has problems, it’s just that some handle them differently.”

Ok, how do we learn to make good decisions? It appears that some folks make better decisions than others. People’s decision processes must be different. If soooo, how does a person develop a good decision making process. Yes, we can research and use the basic guiding principles for effective decision making but even then, people process them differently and it seems we always don’t follow them the same. Soooo it appears to me, we really do need to sit down and really analyze our own multisided decision-making process. Sooooo I think we all need help. It appears that if we seek help and take it, we can make better decisions. Soooo then, we need to decide where we are going to get our help! OneSmatPerson says—And there is the problem, many folks won’t seek help!

Reflect and debrief and process past events and then go forward seems to be a good thing, my opinion RickyRick says—"A lot of people don’t want to forgive, because they think if they forgive people, then they’ve got to trust them again. No. That’s a whole different issue! Trust has to be earned. In a relationship where a person is dealing with a major problem that has harmed their family, they may ask, ‘Will you forgive me?’ Yes, we will forgive them. ‘Can we go back to the way it was?’ No. That’s not at all what we do. You move forward, but things must be different. Forgiveness and the restoration of a relationship are not the same thing.” BUT forgiveness feels good! At least to me it does. BUT remember, I’m just a little ol' farm boy from a mile and a quarter south of Roseland, MN!

Process our mind! CoachB says—” We got to have a new mindset to go forward. Quit trying to change the stuff out there but instead change the stuff in our heads, hearts and souls.” I agree with CoachB. I, along with the encouragement of Jeanne, am in the process of changing my mindset of a certain person. They are not going to change but maybe I can change and treat them differently. What do you think? That is what I thought! BUT I tell you what folks, it ain’t easy! I have a thick head and a hard heart at times! Oh, yes!

But here is the bottom line, the real fact (i.e. the conclusion of the matter)! Have you ever tried to help someone who doesn’t want your help or want to change? Someone who really doesn’t want to change or don't see the need to change. How did it go? It is as simple as that! As I read in a novel I'm reading--But my guess is it ain't going to happen! Abraham Lincoln said--Remember, human action can be modified to some extent, but human nature can not be changed.

Some folks just plain jump to a conclusion and overreact without processing the information or the source. Many folks would say that some folks use no common sense (i.e. they are very radical in their reactions). C’mon, it sure appears it’s easy to get some folks excited real fast; pull their chain and they go ballistic (i.e. easy sale no matter what they are being sold). Did I get you excited when you read this “It’s Saturday?” Kaboom! Did I get your dandruff up?

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said--There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

rabbit hole

Webster defines a rabbit hole as a complexly bizarre or difficult state or situation conceived of as a hole into which one falls or descends.

Have we ever had our enthusiasm barbequed and then we crawled in a rabbit hole? Ouchy ouchy! J. J. Spaun won the U.S. Open Golf Championship recently. He was a very unlikely golfer to win it (i.e. a complete underdog). And to top it off, he started his final round getting 6 bogies in the first 7 holes and fell well behind; then there was a rain delay. He came back with a great game and won from behind. He overcame adversity. His past history was that of a bad attitude about himself (i.e. went down the rabbit hole); he hired a psychologist to work with him on his attitude. It changed his life. In his post tournament interview he used one of Confucius’ quotes: “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Winning this Championship will change his life!

CoachB says—We all make mistakes and missteps in life, all of us, everyone of us! If we haven’t made mistakes or missteps we haven’t done anything and that’s a mistake. Soooo we don’t need to beat up ourselves and crawl in a rabbit hole. He also suggests we seek advice from a successful people before making a decision and our chances of success in our decision process will be much greater. Da! But remember folks what an old friend, Paul, told me years ago—erv, decisions have consequences and guess who makes the decisions!

I saw a lady knitting in church Sunday; I never saw that before! Maybe she wasn’t wasting any time and was multi-tasking. It’s hard to know other’s motives sometimes. We might be way wrong in our thinking. I know I have errored many times. Probably if we are going to error, it’s best to error with more grace a.k.a. the grace concept)! Cut others some slack! And that ain’t always easy for me!

Left Gasping! Jeanne had her house painted and an employee of the painter was a young man maybe 18 or 19 who lived with his grandparents (i.e. we don’t know the circumstances). ANYWAY, his grandfather died while he was painting the house, and he told us some of his story. His grandmother has no money and cremation costs $1,400 which they want up front. I asked him if his grandfather was a believer—I don’t know, he was sometimes and sometimes he wasn’t; he would go to church sometimes and sometimes not; he had doubts and said he was confused; what do you think—I’m not the judge but I would think he was; we all struggle with our faith at times.

In our world today, scamming is very prevalent (i.e. no question); we are scammed/or tried to be scammed all the time. We have no idea who or what to believe anymore. All folks are susceptible to be scammed no matter of age or intelligence (e.g. recently a very smart person was scammed in an area they had no idea about). We are just plain taken advantage of and put right in a rabbit hole. We can be scammed financially, in a relationship, and even by maybe very trusted folks (e.g. some think it’s good business to oversell a service or product; I was just told that by a business person recently). Saturday question—Where is this scamming all going?

The other morning, I realized that I was going in a rabbit hole. I was getting out of whack; I was not functioning the way I wanted; I needed to make an adjustment. I was not who I am or what to be. It’s a humbling experience for me but also a very important self-analysis and awareness. I need to pull in my horns; reprioritize again! I need to make some adjustments. NOW! It’s nuttin new, it happens to me; the world tries to scam me!

Real life experience! I wanted to get a checking account here in Yakima. I decided on a certain bank basically ‘cause it was an old Valley Bank, and it was convenient for me to use some of their services (i.e. I needed a medallion stamp for some business and you have to go their in person). Soooo I go in to open a checking account. The clerk had me fill out a short form, asked what type of account I wanted, got a copy of drivers’ license and asked for some funding for the account and then said—You will have to wait 20 minutes as I’m busy! I said, thank you very much, but I will just go across the street to your competitor bank—she then changed her mind and said, please sign here and took my check and I had an account. And I had one of my better tee shirts on that day toooo yet! But my IA cap was rather ratty!

An analogy of a rabbit hole concept maybe. Soooo, we got moles in our lawn. They come because we irrigate and fertilize the lawn and it’s easy pickins for them to eat the grubs now that the open spaces etc. are drying out. Jeanne doesn’t like to be mean to animals soooo ok, we have moles. They got too bad for her soooo our neighbor tells us how to bomb them; it is rather fun!  Sooo they had to get really bad before she would chase them to the neighbors! Huh, interesting. Seattle has a major problem with the homeless. Seattle helps them but now they are creating a real big problem with lawlessness, hurting the economy, hurting tourism and a social problem. Now what are they going to do to fix the problem? Seattle is in a rabbit hole! Ouchy ouchy!

I really like this statement about attitude and read it often. ATTITUDE by Charles Swindoll  "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company... a church... a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes”

Life can be frustrating for everyone at times. My life is no exception, I’m just a typical AverageJoe, just another bozo on the bus. My best solution is that I pray asking God to keep me filled with His Spirit of wisdom and discernment (i.e. a great concept, my opinion). It gets me out of a rabbit hole and protects me from getting in one. It’s the real deal for me a.k.a. life changer!! Look around folks, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out!

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said--Life is like a snow storm. You run into a lot of flakes.