Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

In looking to save my eyes a little stress and preparing for reading in the spring and summer sun, I decided that a small Kindle paper-white would be beneficial. It arrived on Monday and I decided to buy a Kindle edition of the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. The book was recommended by several friends and was an interesting read. 

Although the book was written more than three decades ago, it remains a timely read for today's destructive culture of humanity and I would also recommend reading it. I imagine that if it were read and reviewed by today's extreme religious groups or far right nationalists it would be banned from schools and local libraries for its counter-cultural philosophies. It is truly amazing how threatened people are when others are encouraged to consider evidence or thoughts and then to think for themselves and draw their own conclusions.

It might not be a great read for somebody that isn't open minded or willing to examine their own philosophies and religious beliefs. It is a book that will challenge your thoughts on history, culture, religion, society, evolution of humankind, and our connection to the world in which we live.

Check it out.
Give it a read.
Let me know what you think.

John

I wonder what I'm missing today...

Today, February 28, is an economic blackout day here in the US. 
It's a day to measure the impact consumers can have if we boycott the corporate machine that influences and maligns the lives of hard working Americans.

Included in the blackout are certain social media sites such as Facebook and X (Twitter). I'm guessing that other Meta owned apps, such as Instagram and WhatsApp are also included. I may make an exception for WhatsApp since that is the primary app I used to communicate with my expat kids.

While it is encouraged not to make any purchases today -- in person nor online -- exceptions can be made to support locally owned small businesses, but use of credit or debit cards is discouraged.

It's a little ironic that most of my readers come from linking this blog to Facebook which won't be happening today. Oh well, there's not much here worth reading anyway.

John

Coping

How are you coping in today's chaotic world?
I guess that is more a question for my US friends or maybe even my North American friends.

I suppose I have been coping by limiting social media time and conversations with people that get so much of their news from social media sites and the uniformed opinions of the people that post stupid shit. One of the things that I was concerned about when returning home from my four weeks in Puerto Vallarta was the constant saturation of political news and social idiocy. 

I don't want to come across as not caring about the injustices and political upheaval that is taking place in the US, but neither am I going to spend my days in a state of constant worry. I am going to plan my garden, think about baseball, cook and eat good food, read books, sip tequila and bourbon, smoke cigars, and find or create places of peace and calm in the midst of the chaos.

Today is the second consecutive day of having my morning coffee outside on the deck. I know that there will still be days when I will have to be inside, but today I am enjoying the feel of the morning sun and the morning chatter of the birds. The ground is still a little soggy from all of the melted snow, but I am looking forward to doing some yard work when the time comes for that.

How do you cope?
Where do you find your peace?
In a person?
...a place?
...an activity?

I'm interested in knowing how other people cope with the stresses of life.
Please share your ways.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

Unintended Consequences

This past week the federal government staffing cuts hit the FAA. While air traffic controllers seem to be exempt from the cuts, the people that support the system were not. The people that keep the software and the hardware running, the people that maintain the facilities where air traffic controllers work, the people that inspect the airplanes that the public flies, the people that test and monitor the systems that make the US air space the envy of the world -- those people have had staffing reduced to dangerous levels and let go the people that were training to replace them.

Halts to hiring and training are not new to the FAA. Such moratoriums happened during my career as a controller. Although they were supposed to save money, they never really did. They just put advancement farther behind and expenses farther ahead.
And the FAA always maintained the standard line -- Safety was never compromised.

Bullshit!
Safety was always compromised. It took some pretty extraordinary work by those left holding the system together with duct tape and software patches to keep the system users alive from airport to airport and day to day. 

I am all for reducing the size of government and cutting unnecessary waste (Is any waste necessary?), but these cuts are removing vital parts of the system to find more money for the richest among us.
I wonder how many winning lottery tickets I need to move me into the class of people that will actually benefit from these cuts.
Damn.

John

Saturday

It's a cool and damp 45 (7c) degrees in the Ozarks of Southwest MO today. I decided that it is warm enough to sit on the deck and enjoy (or endure) the cool day. I am wearing sweatpants, a flannel shirt and I am covered with a poncho I bought in Mexico a couple of decades ago, so I'll be fine for as long as I decide to stay out here. The snow and brutal cold will be back on Tuesday with single digit highs expected for Wednesday and Thursday. 
Brrrrrr

No worries.
We have food (and coffee), an ample supply of propane for the furnace and fireplace, and a cozy home to keep us safe and warm. I'm glad that I don't have to brave the elements to go to work or take kids to school or anything, and I seriously doubt I will be typing out a blog from the deck next week. 

It's an easy day today. I ran a few errands, did a few things around the house, and now to chill -- both figuratively and literally.
I think I'll find the UFC fights and watch them out here for a bit. Eventually, I will move inside as the temperature continues to drop. 

I hope that you are warm and safe and happy.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

It's a slightly different environment for my morning coffee today than the tropical sidewalk cafe of the past few weeks.

We got a light snow last night and a little freezing fog this morning. Currently it is just below freezing, but it looks like it may be a little bit warmer today than was originally forecast. 

Here's the thing --
You are where you are. You can be where you are and miserable or you can be where you are and make the most of it. I have a midday doctor's appointment and then I'm going to help some friends that have set up a day shelter so that some of our homeless population can get out of the cold and expected freezing rain.
The organizers and coordinators of our crisis cold weather shelters are the best. They have full time jobs, but spend so much time and energy being aware of and meeting the needs of others. And they are pretty good at recruiting volunteers that will cook food, serve, and clean up afterwards. It is really an honor to be a part of such a community of people. These are the people that Jesus talked about in Matthew 25 when he spoke about taking care of the marginalized people of society. These are the people I think about when I hear the word -- Christians. 
I'm glad they let me hang out with them.

Find the good where you are. 
And if you can't, then make something good where you are.

John

¡Adios, Puerto Vallarta! ¡Hasta pronto!

This is it. Morning coffee on the kids' patio and then I'll load my winter tan into an Uber and head for the airport. I'll be back to the freezing temperatures I left behind tonight.
sigh

As much as I say that I could live here year 'round, home is home and I have a garden to plan and prepare for the coming spring. 
And I know of many people that are legit concerned about their future safety and their future in general that could use an ally and an activist. I haven't been much of an activist in the past, but I believe that being an ally is no longer going to be sufficient to protect many now endangered people. 
I even have to consider that my own financial well being is in jeopardy as federal pensions and social security become targets of Elon Musk's search for waste, fraud, and abuse of government spending.
sigh (again)

I think I'll be sighing a lot until I am able to return to PV in the late summer/early fall.
In the meantime, it is time to get to work.
Back home today. Cold weather shelter volunteering tomorrow.

John

Monday Meditation

I am back at Estaciòn Cafè for my morning coffee. It may be my last morning here for several months as I leave for home tomorrow morning. It's difficult to believe that it has been four weeks already! I spent most of yesterday lounging on the beach and soaking up the sunshine. By the time I get home tomorrow night the temperature will be below freezing and will remain below freezing for about three days!
WTF?

Such thoughts are not beneficial for peaceful meditation. 
Stay in the moment, John. 
It's warm
It's relatively quiet
You have your Americano while seated in an outdoor cafe in Puerto Vallarta.
Life is good.

Earlier I was watching a parakeet in the tops of one of the nearby trees and was looking for its mate as they are generally in pairs. I just saw them side by side on a utility wire. Their pale and dark green colors camouflage them well in the trees. It was their noisy chatter that drew my attention in the first place.
I am looking forward to being able to have my morning coffee outside on our deck, but I'm sure it will be several weeks before that becomes my regular habit, once again.

Today is my last day here. 
I am going to enjoy it.
Tomorrow will be spent in airports and on airplanes. 

John

The End is Near

It is my final Saturday for this current trip to Puerto Vallarta. Four weeks seems to have gone by quickly. I am really going to miss the 80+ (27+c) degree days and 60 (15c) degree nights. In spite of some warm days back home, it will be back to around freezing for daytime highs and well below that overnight. I doubt that shorts and sandals will work well in those conditions.

Summers here are very hot, humid and uncomfortable. There is a reason that tourism drops considerably from June to November. Nevertheless, I would choose to endure that over subjecting myself to the relatively mild Midwest winters. 

Just a block from where the kids live is a huge street market that is held every Saturday. I have walked through the block or so that is on their street and a couple of blocks that intersect their street. Today was the first time I walked the entire market and was surprised to find that it is many blocks long and full of so many different vendors. It is like a giant flea market/garage sale/farmer's market/food court all rolled into one giant thrift area. 
Tools, hardware, electronics, cell phone cases, clothing - both new and used, shoes, hats, fresh produce, street food vendors, and pretty much anything you'd find at a US salvage store or flea market.

Look at the size of those chicharrones!
I did refrain from buying any since the crunchy texture would not work well with my post surgery tender gums, but boy did they look and smell good!

I did laundry today, so I am ready for Sunday, Monday, and travel on Tuesday. 
As always, it will be good to be back home, but damn, I am also going to miss the warmth of Mexico.

John 

Monday meditation

My plan for today's meditation time is going to take a little bit of preparation. I'm going to hang a hammock on the kids' patio and then utilize it for a relaxing, outdoor meditation. It will not be my goal to nap, but there is a real possibility that I may end up doing just that.

For now I am enjoying the sights and sounds from a little coffee shop. I have finished my Americano and just ordered some avocado toast and a glass of cold brew. I have a book on Mesoamerican shaman teaching and life is pretty darned good right now. In all honesty, I am not looking forward to returning to the Midwest winter and the political hellhole of the US next week.

Today, I will enjoy the warmth and the peace of our good neighbors to the south.
And I will respect and treat them as good people and good neighbors.

John

Brunch

I'm a little earlier than I said I'd be here at Monzon at 11 and it's only 10:30, so I figured I'd spend a few minutes writing while I wait to see if any local friends might show up. 
I took a nice walk to get here and nearly have my steps in for the day. My plan is to Uber from here to a grocery store a km or so from the kids place and then walk home to hit my daily goal.

I have just over a week left in Puerto Vallarta. I have to admit that I am not looking forward to being back in the US and having to deal with the daily bullshit that is now my home country. In many ways I am unaffected by the new regime in DC, but dealing with the tariff imposed inflation will be a thing. The biggest thing though, is having a non-approved government entity (Elon Musk) that now has access and maybe even control over my social security and federal pension. 
sigh
The bullshit is going to continue until the people rise up against the tyrant.

But that is something to deal with on another day.
Today is sunny, beautiful and Trump-less in PV. 
Brunch, tequila, walk, rest, watch beisbol.

Retirement does not suck.

John

February 1st -- finally!

Maybe February has only 28 days to make up for the fact that January seems to be so much longer than its 31 days.

I think that February 1st finds me in a pretty good place spiritually and emotionally, but I need to do a little work on the physical part. I believe that overall mental health is very much tied to the physical health and see the societal problems we have with both being in generally poor condition in the US. 
Personally, I don't have issues of depression nor anxiety, and I live a pretty stress free life, but better physical health would be of great benefit to my overall well-being.

I have been giving some consideration to my spiritual health lately and have been wondering if I am being faithful to certain parts of Christian obligations. I no longer feel compelled to force others or to convince them to accept my Christian beliefs, but I do feel like I should still be living and teaching the things that Jesus taught. 
Preaching or teaching in a church setting isn't really available to me and I don't think that is the best venue for me anyway. I really don't know what an effective teaching/preaching ministry would look like anymore. I am a much different person than I was as a Southern Baptist Evangelist, and I don't even feel the need to go to church regularly myself.
I've become pretty anti-religious over the past few years, and yet I am learning much from the teachings of other "religious" leaders.

The ancient shamans of Mesoamerica, the Buddha, Native American medicine men, and many ancient European religions all taught many similar life lessons as what Jesus taught. You can say what you will about his divinity and about your beliefs on heaven, hell, and eternal life, but as far as how to live day to day and treat our fellow human beings -- well, his teachings were much the same as those that came before him.
By and large, today's evangelical Christians are the poster children for the saying of being too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. And as it turns out, I really don't believe they understand heaven at all. What they understand is -- control.

Obviously, I still have a lot of work to do on John and figuring out my place in the world. Maybe another day or two on the beach will help.

John