Monday Motivation

It is a beautiful Monday morning in the Ozarks of SWMO. The early sun is bright, but not yet too hot. The avian community is doing its noisy morning routine of feeding and chirping loudly as they go about their business. The traffic sounds from the nearby highway are man made background noises that rudely infiltrate the natural sound of birds, bugs, and the occasional sounds of horses or cows from the rural farmlands that are not too far away.
My coffee is good and life in the Ozarks is pretty sweet right now.

As I look out at the field that needs to be mowed soon, I am picking out an area to solarize for my native grasses and wildflowers area, 
The process of solarizing will involve measuring out a 40' by 100' (12 m x 30 m), cutting that area as low to the ground as I can, watering it heavily, and then covering it with clear plastic for the rest of the summer and let the sun heat and kill the existing non-native, invasive fescue grass. I need to have the area ready and hope that the rain in the forecast for later this week will be accurate.
The solarization process recommends burying the edges of the plastic to trap in the heat which adds a lot of work and I may find a work-around for that part.

I also have a smaller area that I need to solarize closer to the house. It's a plot that I had tilled a couple of years ago for flowers that is now full of Johnson grass and weeds. I was going to plant popcorn and sunflowers there this season, but it needs to be re-worked and I think solarization is going to be the way to go.

I'm not sure what motivates me to do this stuff. I definitely think a native meadow that doesn't need to be mowed and feeds the birds and pollinators is better than mowing the fescue pasture land that works nicely for grazing cows but pretty much sucks for anything else.
It will take some time to convert the field doing just 4,000 sq ft at a time, but it is doable and less expensive than doing a field kill and replant all at once. 

That's my next project and will pay my pool tax for the coming week. 
My weekend project was building this poolside table for drinks, snacks, phone, etc. As with most of my projects, it was made more difficult by the fact that I have no experience and don't really know what I'm doing. At least it will be functional.

All-in-all, it's Just another day in the life of John.
Happy Monday!
Here's to a grand week!

John

Monday Motivation

No Meditation for this morning. I am out at the Ozark Starbucks using a gift card for my quad breve latte. I have an outdoor table that is in the shade which avoids the inside coffee shop chatter. 

Going out for coffee this morning is my method for getting an early start on the work portion of my day. I figure that I will take less time for coffee, I'm close to Lowes and can pick up some plants and mulch for my work, and then the work can begin. 

I noticed yesterday that the moon flowers were about to open, but then forgot to check them when we got home last night. This is what I saw this morning!

 

Seeing flowers bloom is good motivation for working in the garden!
Our gladiolas are close, so are the hibiscus. Dahlias are also budding and about to open.
Yeah, it's summer and life is good!

Some Monday morning coffee shop observations --
Although Starbucks has both a steady stream of customers that are using the drive-through, and a good number of people that order on the app and then just park and pick-up, there seems to be fewer people that use this as a meeting place than at other area coffee shops.

I like that the local shops get more of the morning meeting business. Personally, I think that may have as much to do with the ambiance as with the coffee or anything else. Starbucks has a pretty sterile kind of atmosphere. It seems more suited to the drive though or pick-up kind of traffic.

If I am going to take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures, I'd better get to it.
I hope that you find some flowers or pretty colors to brighten your day.

John

Monday Morning

I'm not really doing much meditating this morning. I'm enjoying my morning coffee and looking out over the back field and small flower bed. In the past I have mentioned wanting to turn a portion of the field into a native meadow but research has made me realize that it will be no small project. This once pasture land is primarily fescue grass which is not a native grass and is a very dominant grass. 

I had asked (on a gardening page) if I could just over seed with my native grasses and wildflower mix or if I would need to do a shallow till first. The response was that it will be a big project that will take a couple of years to do right. Killing off the current fescue grass seems quick and easy, but it is hardy and so are the seeds that have dropped and will germinate when the soil is disced or tilled.
Two years of work just to get rid of the non-native invasive grass that our European ancestors brought over and now covers the pastures of the Midwest.
Sacrebleu!

I am going to have to rethink this project.
For now, I will tend to the flowers that I have and enjoy working the environmentally altered land that I have. 

John

Aging -- Definitely not for sissies

In 10 days I will be 64 years old. That's 23,376 days.
I'm hanging in there and pretty healthy for a fat guy, but I definitely need to make some changes if I plan on making it for another 25 years or so.

The motivation to actually be more mindful of diet and exercise should be plenty, but it has become more difficult--both mentally and physically--to do anything that really has an impact. Just 10 years ago it didn't seem as big of a deal as it does today.
It is as if there is a gravitational inertia to remain inactive. When you combine that with the aches and pains of a little arthritis and normal wear on a fat boy's joints, it becomes a nearly irresistible force.

While it might be a little late in terms of damage done, I really need to look forward and take action to be more comfortable and mobile in the coming years. I have had some minor success in focusing on improving my mental and spiritual beings in the past few years. I need to apply some of that to focusing on my physical well being, as well.

Ten years ago I was finishing up a successful year of losing 54 pounds in my 54th year. I actually lost just over 60 pounds and was below 200 pounds. Today I will need the same kind of +10% of my goal to lose 65 pounds in my 65th year to reach 200 by June 13, 2025. 
Sacrebleu!
I mean it's only a little over a pound a week, so it is so very doable with minimal change in lifestyle and diet. It is in many ways more difficult than getting serious and just doing it -- say in half that time.

For me -- this kind of thing takes some mental acceptance and will. I need to move from -- I'm pretty healthy for a fat guy -- to I'm a fat guy and nothing good is going to come from that. In fact, too many bad things are probably in that fat guy's future -- diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, poor circulation, and so many other maladies associated with old, fat people.
Where most people think of physical health first, I seem to have put it off to the end. It is definitely time to add my physical well being into the picture. 

What are you thinking about today?

John

Monday Meditation

Sorry about another post on religion, but my thoughts keep coming back to how much I have changed since I set aside that evangelical thing about needing to tell everybody how much they need Jesus and how they are going to hell unless they pray the magic words.
I have a very different attitude about the bible and a different approach to reading the instructions and lessons that Jesus taught. I also wonder how people read the bible with a perspective of how it teaches others how they should live without ever considering that it is supposed to be teaching us how we should live.

When I focus on my relationship with the Creator, on my relationship with others, on my relationship with creation -- there really isn't time to worry about what others are doing. Sure, I would love for others to experience peace and to work on making the world a better place, but that is a decision and action that they have to be responsible for making and taking on their own.I am happy to encourage them -- even help them -- along the way, but I can't be responsible for them. I have a full time gig taking care of John.
I really don't know how people find the energy to concern themselves with how everybody else acts or what they believe.

Something I do believe in is being kind to one another.
Last week, an old friend that I hadn't seen for quite some time messaged me about getting together for a bit. While on a Caribbean cruise celebrating their 10 year wedding anniversary, they made a stop in the Dominican Republic and he picked up a cigar for me at a boutique cigar shop. 

It was quite an enjoyable smoke.
I like the pigtail finish at the cap end, and the two tone wrapper. I also like the size of this one - 6 x 60.
It was a mild, easy smoke with nice flavor subtleties that changed over the course of the nearly two hour smoke. It's difficult to express how touched I am that he thought of me. The thought and the cigar together made for quite a gift. It was also great to visit for a little while and catch up on life.

Not only did this simple act of kindness lift me up, but it also serves as an encouragement to do the same for someone else. I wonder how far the ripples of this act of kindness will reach.


John

Finding peace

It is a difficult thing to find peace in a world that worships strife. While I understand that fear and strife sells, and why media outlets and advertisers on media outlets love stories that appeal to the most base side of humanity, I still fail to see why we (as a people) are so devoted to giving airtime and headspace to things and people that rob us of joy and contribute to the chaos of life rather than affording much needed moments of peace to each of us.

Oftentimes we tend to direct our focus to the things that distract us rather than the desires of our hearts. 
When trail riding, you don't focus on the trees, rocks, or obstacles - you focus on the trail. When motorcycle riding the winding roads of the Ozarks, you don't watch the ditches or shoulder drops - you keep your focus on your lane of the road ahead of you. 
Fear keeps our focus on what can go wrong. Peace and confidence (and often success) come from focusing on the task at hand.

Today's meditative verses come from Paul's letter to the Philippians. In his closing he reminds them to keep their thoughts on gratitude, God, and good, honorable things. 
He writes:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your minds and your hearts in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me -- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

May your thoughts bring you peace on this day.
Guard your thoughts. Focus on what is good and honorable and worthy of your time.
And rejoice!

John

Monday Morning Meditation

No news or thoughts about what is in the news tis morning. I am enjoying a quiet (except for the birds and a little background highway noise) morning on the deck with a cup of coffee. I've spent the last two nights sleeping on the deck and it has been quite wonderful. I hope to do this often this month since I expect nights to be a little too warm and uncomfortable when I return home in July.

This morning's meditation is from the Tao Te Ching.

Heaven is long-enduring and earth continues long.
    The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they do not live of, or for, themselves.
    This is how they are able to continue and endure.

    Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in the foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him, and yet that person is preserved.
    Is it not because he has no personal and private ends, that therefore such ends are realised?

Hmmm...
I'm going to ponder that.
Do we flourish best when we exist for others?

John
    

Monday Motivation

 

Monday Motivation

 How do we get to be this kind of superpower?

Monday Motivation

 

Monday Motivation

Especially #1

John

Monday Motivation

 

Monday Motivation

 

Monday Motivation

 

Random Thoughts on Monday Morning

I haven't been very motivated to write lately, at least not motivated enough to organize my thoughts into anything for a blog post. Maybe somebody else could post something for Monday Motivation to help me get out of this writing funk.
Real writers say to write anyway, even if you don't feel like it. Today I'm just throwing out a few random things that I've thought I might write about.

Wordle, Nerdle, and self competition.

According to the game, if you solve the word or puzzle in six tries or fewer -- you win!
So why do we think we haven't done well if it takes us five or six tries? That's a win!
Why do we feel less excited for our win if someone else solved it in fewer tries? Shouldn't we celebrate both wins?
It's weird.

Productivity

I've said that I've become a non-productive member of society. Someone commented that I stay pretty busy with volunteering and church, etc. I really don't. While I do enjoy going to barchurch on Thursdays and church on Sundays, we really haven't gone for in person church very often over the past year or so. My volunteer stuff is generally only one or two days per week and it really isn't that much. Most of my time is spend in solitude. That works for me. It just doesn't do much for society.
Or maybe it is best for society if I keep to myself more!

So what do other people do to be productive members of society? Obviously, our jobs or businesses fill a need in our society. I can't imagine that somebody would pay us for something that wasn't needed or wanted.
What is your daily or regular contribution to society? How are you making a difference?
Consider this a rhetorical question -- sort of. I really would like an answer, but I think it's more important that we each examine that question for ourselves. 
Can I call this thought inspiring question my contribution for the betterment of society for today?

Winter

Have I mentioned I'm not a fan?
I'm trying to be more positive about it and recognize that the season seems to work nature's cycles. I should probably find ways to adapt to the season, as well. Sometimes enduring the season seems like it should be enough, but there isn't much joy in simply enduring. It's kind of like solving Wordle on the sixth and final try -- more like relief than actual joy.
I need to work on that.

Monday Motivation

What have you got for me?
Wait...this is Monday, right?

John

Monday Motivation and remembering MLK

 

Monday Motivation

This year will be what we make it to be.
Let's plant flowers!

 

Monday Motivation

We've been so conditioned to competing with each other rather than taking care of each other.
Corporations and people in power count on that. 
Getting better for ourselves shouldn't mean giving less to others. 

John

Monday Motivation

 

Monday Motivation