making my point

One day the late actor Walter Matthau read a book entitled The Secret in the Daisy. It had a profound impact on him, turning him “from a miserable, unhappy wretch to a joy-full, glad-to-be-alive human.” He searched out the author, Carol Grace, fell in love with her, and married her! CrazyMarvin says—Sooooo that tells me what I read can change my life soooo I better be careful what I read! Did I make my point?

Thanksgiving Day, 2024 Jeanne and I came to our 55+ community with excitement as we started the year together. It has really been pleasant, fun, joyous and different (i.e. it seems like most of the folks are much nicer this year). A friend sat on our deck with us recently and she asked us how we were doing—we explained the above but said we don’t know quite what the reason was—she said she could tell us, it’s because you are way happier, and it is very obvious which makes it way different how folks react to you. Wow! I guess we answered our own question!

A buddy of our Buddies Group teaches tennis and asked if we wanted to come to let him teach us some tennis, soooo I went. When I got back, I sent him this text—Coach of the Year, I might not be able to continue my tennis career. When I took off my deck shoes, I noticed that I moved soooo fast on the tennis court that I ruined my shoes. His response was—Maybe after 12 years you’re due for a new pair! Our daughter said—They aren’t wearing out Dad, they ARE worn out! Soooo a friend gives me this web site to buy new deck shoes that have big sales. I bought a pair of size 12 and they came in a couple of days. They were tooooo tight and I had to send them back. When doing so I found out why they were toooo tight. They were size 12 women shoes! Da! Soooo what’s my point?

Jeanne and I have both since we have been in AZ workout at the exercise gym routinely. We seem to enjoy it but…we will not make the cover of Muscle Magazine (i.e. not yet anyway). Steve, anybody can be a Steve, says—"Praying is much like exercising. We know it’s beneficial, we often don’t do it as frequently as we’d like, we can’t always see an immediate impact, and it can be very rewarding. Prayer is the primary way we communicate with God. Through prayer we can praise, confess, intercede for others, express gratitude, and ask for God’s help.” Making my point…!

It’s all about the money. I have said that many times, and it sure seems that's the way it is today as always (i.e. nuttin has changed). I read this in the paper while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it--When Nick Saban announced his retirement in January 2024, he denied it had anything to do with the growing influence of NIL. However, during a Congressional hearing on NIL in March, he admitted that it did influence his decision, realizing the landscape of college football was changing and that change was driven by money. “It’s whoever wants to pay the most money, raise the most money, buy the most players, is going to have the best opportunity to win,” Saban said and that is exactly what is happening. OneSmartPerson said—It is what it is! My mentor would say to me—erv, the worldly golden rule is, whoever has the most gold wins compared to the Biblical golden rule being—Do unto others what you would have them do to you. Making my point!

A new acquaintance I made through pickleball told me that their large circle of close friends back home is fundamentally the same. They had a couple of “couple friends” who were not fundamentally the same as their circle and as time went along, they disappeared from their circle of friends (i.e. just not compatible). They probably didn’t enjoy being around us and we probably didn’t enjoy being around them. Making my point!

I was at the work out center and overheard a guy tell another guy—My sister is messed up, my brother is messed up, my daughter is messed up and my son is messed up. Maybe he’s the one who’s messed up and they are normal!  I wonder! Who knows! I hear a lot from folks in our 55+ community talk about family dynamics (i.e. all families seem to have problems to some degree with that). Many families don’t agree on many many subjects; some subjects are fundamental and others just trivial a.k.a. micky mouse. JoeBlow says—It’s ain’t nuttin new, it’s been that way for ever. Those differences can really be hard on family relations sometimes thou. Many times, it seems to be generational or cultural or sometimes very fundamental like money management or lifestyles or many more (i.e. you all know what I’m talking about). I learned from my buddies in our buddies group that preaching doesn’t seem to help in changing others including family members. ItchieBitchie says—I just fly away to the south for the winter soooo I don’t have to see those family dynamics; it’s a lot less stressful. We are in IA this weekend visiting our son, daughter-in-law and grandkids.  No preaching erv, keep your mouth shut erv; bite your tongue if need be erv. Making my point!

Makingmypoint!  It doesn’t require a lot of time or money to encourage/bless someone God has put in your life. Myexperience—The giver gets as much uplifting as does the receiver! Now that is how I see it and feel it!  Our spiritual leader where we volunteer said—It is soooo satisfying to be around folks who don’t need self-glorification (i.e. not being egoistic a.k.a. big headed). Suck it up cupcake and let’s get going!

WorldClassLarry says--We are never tooooo important not to be nice to others. I’m surely not very important as I try to boss Leo, our neighbor’s dog, as he doesn’t even listen to me. But treats work!  Don’t forget those treats to manipulate; they work. Preaching doesn’t but treats do!  A friend sent me this to prove the point--I am responsible for Prime rib and deviled eggs for our Christmas meal eaten at 1:30 on Christmas day. Everyone eats prime rib and it gets wolfed down. Sixteen pounds of it. The son-in-laws and I love the deviled eggs. And a few others do too. This year I said it's time for everyone to try deviled eggs so I negotiated all the way down to a five dollar bill for every grand kid who ate one of my deviled eggs. They wanted twenty dollars at first. So it cost me forty dollars but will be remembered forever.

The other day we went for a hike and there was a lady selling her Bonsai plants by the trail head. They just fascinate me. The ones in the picture are 20 years old and she sells them for about $300. She trains and trims them to make them look soooo neat. I thought of the analogy of us being trained and trimmed in making us who we are (i.e. and most of us are still in the process of being trained and trimmed and some maybe not). She trains and trims her plants to all be different and unique (i.e. just like us, all different and unique; some folks are more different and unique than others; some folks are just like everyone else and get the same results just like everyone else, but some folks are outliers)!  My point is…!

Jeanne got a compliment from her pickleball instructor, Jeanne thinks it’s a compliment anyway—Her instructor said, You’re pretty limber for your age! Soooo my point is…! 

Google says—Bible sales in the United States have increased significantly in recent years., with 2024 sales up 22% compared to 2023. This growth is much higher than the overall increase in print book sales, which was less than 1% in 2023. What do you think the reasons are? There must be a point.

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

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said--A word of advice, don't give it.