When Monday Mornings Aren't Mornings

This winter is making for weird Monday mornings. Working at the cold weather shelter on Sunday and Monday nights means that my Monday mornings are really Monday evening. 

On what is actually Monday morning, I typically end my Sunday overnight shift by going out to eat (breakfast) at a little diner along Old Route 66 with one of the other shelter workers. Then I head home and eventually sleep from 11 to 5pm or so and then get up and get ready for another overnight.
This becomes my Monday morning.

This evening time "morning" still has coffee as a part of my wake-up routine, but not much else is the same. Today I am getting in a little time on the Chromebook and blogging, but that hasn't been the case most of the winter. A little less screen time is never a bad thing these days.

The coming days are going to be bitterly cold and Springfield MO is woefully under equipped to help shelter our homeless population. Even on our best nights, we have fewer than 300 beds for the nearly 1000 unsheltered people in the area. Our little shelter has added a few cots recently and made room for a few more pets, but we are at capacity. Last night I had a couple of cots in the hallway and one person on the floor. We were literally wall-to-wall with people and pets.
The next 10 days or so will be extremely challenging and quite dangerous for the unsheltered population of SWMO.

No time for a Monday Meditation post. I have to get ready for work.

John

Brrr...

Much of the Ozarks is waking up to frigid temperatures this morning. "Feels like" -4 (-20c) means that it's coffee by the fireplace for me today. I will have absolutely no reason to venture out into the cold until this evening when I will make my way into the shelter to keep a few dozen people and their pets company throughout the night. 

I haven't felt like writing much lately, but I have been reading. 
It has been a long time since somebody has talked to me about reading The Bible, but one of the overnight guests at the shelter asked if I'd ever read through the complete book before. 
I have, but it has honestly been some time since I have made it a part of my daily habit. I am not going to read through it from beginning to end again. I can't think of a single reason to do that. But I am going to read through the new testament with a different perspective than I have in the past.

It is difficult to set aside nearly all that I was taught about The Bible as I read through it again, but much of what I learned was weaponizing the ancient text to control a society into blindly serving some made up, bullshit religion and worshiping a god of its own design. I'm pretty much over the religion of Christianity that worships Jesus, but fails to do -- even actively opposes -- the things that he taught concerning how to live in harmony with one another. 
Studying the life and teaching of Jesus without the cloak of religion is both challenging and freeing, but takes a little more time and effort than simply reading the gospels. I am hoping that I will have the persistence to see it through.

     * * * * *

Switching topics to Things I Learned This Week

Did you know that the word myriad once represented a specific number of things rather than being a countless quantity?
To the ancient Greeks a myriad was ten thousand.

Did you know that poecilonym (PEE-sill-oh-nim) and polyonym are both synonyms for synonym?

Both from my Word Nerd calendar.

Have a great week!
John

The value of a day

 

It's the weekend! (It is, isn't it?)

Normally, weekends aren't a big deal for us retired folk, but this has been a weird kind of week. Yesterday (Friday) was the first day all week that I didn't have to go somewhere or do something. It was nice to just stay at home all day. I didn't even manage to go down the street to check the mailbox.

Aside from being a busier than normal week, the first week of January was also unseasonably warm. It was nice to spend a couple of days doing some yard work and sitting in the sun. Winter is returning and that means it is back to work at the shelter for a couple of nights.

In a recent conversation with an overnight volunteer we discussed some of the reasons for volunteering or working at the shelter. There was a time when it gave me a sense of accomplishment or made me feel good about myself for doing a service in the community. I'm not certain that still exists for me. Now I feel like I am doing it just because it needs to be done and I don't really get the same sense of personal satisfaction from doing it that I once did. I just do it.
I don't think it's a good thing nor a bad thing. It's just the way it is. And maybe it does keep me from being the absolutely least productive member of society, although not by much.

     * * * * *

In other news -- I finished my first book of the year! It was the historical fiction, The Runes Of Victory about Anglos and Saxons defending against Viking attacks in early 9th century England. Today, I will finish Let Them. 
I've already started a new non-fiction book, Inner Anarchy by deconstructed mega-church pastor Jim Palmer. I believe this is his most recent book. I should probably read some of his earlier works, as well. Fwiw, this is another paper and ink book. I'll figure out what fiction book I'll read from my Kindle library later today.

I may help setup the shelter cots tonight, but otherwise it looks to be another non-productive day in the life of John. If you are doing something to make the world a better place -- thank you. 

John

Too much to do!

Monday -- midday shelter work
Yesterday -- doctor's appointment.
Today -- early car appointment
Tomorrow -- morning shelter work

Whatever happened to my quiet, non-productive retired life?

Actually, the past couple of days have been decent days and I have managed to take advantage of the warm weather by getting a few things done around the house; nothing major, just a few things that needed to be done now are. 
There are plenty of things like that. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours tilling an area for spring planting. I may go over it again today and then once more before planting. Anyone that has tried tilling or plowing land in SWMO understands why there is no crop farming here. The ground is hard, mostly clay, and full of rocks. A couple of hours behind a tiller can beat you up. I'm a bit surprised that my hands and wrists aren't sore today.

Working outside in shorts and a t-shirt was nice for early January. We will have a couple more warm days before winter returns. I am looking forward to spring and planting my Christmas seeds -- pumpkins, sunflowers, and popcorn.
After working yesterday, I sat in the sun and enjoyed a cigar and a tequila and soda. I am looking forward to many similar days. I know that this simple life isn't for everyone, but I do enjoy it.

I hope you have a chance to enjoy whatever today holds for you. 
It's time for me to take a car to the shop.

John

Communication: Is it a lost art?

I think that people often communicate to deceive.
We have gotten so used to listening to people that try to control us by manipulative speech, that we have accepted that as normal and have maybe even started to communicate with others by trying to say what they want to hear while meaning something very different.

I doubt that most politicians or religious leaders (remember when those were very different kinds of people?) would agree with Quintilian. It seems that intentional ambiguity is the way of public speaking these days.

John

It's not spring -- but I'll take it!

A few January days in the mid 60s (17c or so) -- I'll take it!
I'm actually a little excited about it.

It is still just a bit above freezing, but I am looking forward to a much warmer than normal day today. Although I have plenty to do, I am pretty certain that there is a cigar waiting for me this afternoon. 

I ran across this list of challenges for the new year.

You can click it to big it.
Are there any here that you think might be beneficial for you?

I think the first one is good. Having to start over if you complain or gossip in the 21 days might make it an ongoing experiment that lasts the whole year.
Actually, they are all helpful in setting new habits and only as difficult as your current lifestyle differs from each challenge. The 75 day protocol would be the most difficult for me. The rest of them, not so much as I do a bit of them already.

I've never been a big New Year's Resolution person. If you need to change something, just change it. 
"Starting tomorrow..." would work just as well as waiting for January 1st to roll around. Having an artificially imposed starting day like Jan 1 doesn't do much for us procrastinators. 
Nonetheless, I think I'll get started early on my outside work today and make a little more time for that afternoon cigar.

Be well, my friends!

John

What are you reading?

It is highly unusual for me to have four books going at a time, but that is my current situation. Three books is rare, but not too weird. Two books (usually a fiction and non-fiction) is pretty normal. One book happens about as often as three books.

Of my current four, only one is fiction -- The Runes of Victory by John Broughton, an 8th century English tale of a small village and Viking invaders. I started it because I just needed a fiction book to read and it was in my Kindle library, no doubt a free download from a regular listing of free or cheap books somewhere. I'll probably finish it before I finish the others.

The main one open is Mel Robbins' bestseller, Let Them. I had some Amazon credits and decided to see what all the hype was. I've got to say, I think it's mostly hype.
The material is decent and I pretty much already use the philosophies I've read so far. I'm not a podcast listener and I can't imagine hyping this simple stress relief to the point of some viral sensation. One of the difficult things for me in working through the book is that I believe she is writing primarily to women. I only know her story from what I've read in the book and I may have that wrong, but I think that she probably writes like she talks on her podcast and that means she fills a lot of time with unnecessary words. 
I am almost to the halfway point and I will finish it, but it may take another week as I can only read the rambling monologue for so long before needing a break. If you have an over-stressed life and need a self-proclaimed expert to tell you to stop doing stupid stuff and caring about what meaningless people think about you -- well, this book is for you. 
That may be a little premature as I am not even halfway through it yet, but that would be my assessment to this point.

The third book is more of a lesson book that is a part of my quest to learn to speak and understand Spanish. Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish is a way to help me increase my Spanish vocabulary and pick up whatever help I can as I try to pick up the language while living as a hermit in SWMO.

The fourth and final book is a book of meditations of the former Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. 
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a collection of his personal writings that were likely meant just for is own reflection. They were discovered and made public in the mid 1500s, The writings share his stoic philosophy and wisdom and will be something I use in my own meditative time rather than something that I simply read to get through.

Two of these books I read on Kindle and two are actual paper and ink books.

It's 2026.
What are you reading?

John

FOMO isn't a thing for me.

FOMO -- the fear of missing out

It was just a few minutes before midnight when I found out that yesterday (Jan 2) was World Introvert Day. 
I almost missed it!

On the other hand, I did observe it the way any solidly introverted person would -- I stayed home, potted a few plants, read a little bit, watched a movie on my Chromebook, and avoided contact with other people. It turned out to be a wonderfully fitting observance of the day.
I did have to make a quick run to get some food for the cat, but that was my only exposure to the outside world for the day. Although today is not World Introvert Day, I will carry on in much the same way as I do every day.

It looks like the nighttime temps may drop below the freezing point this weekend, so I may have to put in a night or two at the shelter. Daytime temps will be in the 60s (upper teens for you Celsius folk) for next week and I hope to get some of the outdoor work done that I mentioned in yesterday's post. It's also been a little while since I've been able to sit and enjoy a cigar so that will likely happen next week, too.

I have a pretty low expectations kind of life. It suits me quite well. 
I don't do drama.
I am happy to let people do their own thing and work out their own issues.
I am beginning to understand the Buddhist and Toltec beliefs that attachments (to people and things) cause suffering (Buddhist) and that we are addicted to suffering (Toltec).
Perhaps we could all use a little suffering intervention.

Ah well, life goes on.

If you are one of those that wants to learn something every day -- 
From my Word Nerd calendar:
Overmorrow is the day after tomorrow.
And for a bonus:
Ere-yesterday is the day before yesterday.

John

Is it spring yet?

Okay, so I know that spring is still more than two months away, but I think I am going to think spring in my head and begin planning my garden. 

I did ask for some specific seeds for Christmas and someone must have lied to Santa (or Hannah and Jason) about me being a good boy last year because I got them -- sunflowers, pumpkins, and popcorn! Those are all crops that need to be planted in the ground rather than started inside since their roots are sensitive to movement and they don't typically survive transplanting. 
The weather is supposed to be nice next week, so I may begin tilling an area for them. I am actually pretty excited about all three varieties.

If you are planning ahead and want some hostas, I will have plenty to share this year. Some gardeners recommend splitting them in winter, but I have found them to do well pretty much anytime and will wait until spring to thin mine. Just let me know if you have a shady spot that you want to fill.

I do want to get an early start to some cole crops this year -- cabbages, kale, broccoli, and maybe some collard greens. I also want to plant some spinach and lettuce, but those starts can wait a little longer. 
Planning a garden is almost as much fun as working it, so I will do what I can for the moment.

What are your spring plans?
Is it too soon to ask?

John