Dr Appointments

Not a fan.
I suppose you get to the point of realizing the necessity of them, but they still seem like a waste of time to me. I am fortunate that I don't have them often and remain pretty healthy for a fat guy. My lab numbers came back in good shape from my annual physical a couple of weeks ago, but there are a couple of areas that need some attention.

This morning I have an appointment with a dermatologist. My old dermatologist passed away a couple of years ago and getting into one as a new patient is difficult here. I was able to get a referral and an appointment from my family doc. Early morning appointments kind of suck because I'd rather start the day slowly and more peacefully. On the other hand, I've found there to be less waiting on a doctor and staff that has gotten progressively further behind as the day goes on.
I have become better about the sitting and waiting bit as a retired guy, but I'd rather not spend hours in waiting rooms if it can be avoided so I generally try for morning appointments.

There is a gentle rain this morning and it is a nice (but brief) way to start the day -- sitting on the deck, good coffee, morning sounds, light rain.

Do you have a regular morning routine?
Does it throw your day off if it gets disturbed or missed?
Do you schedule things like appointments in a way that preserves your morning routine?

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

 Mother Teresa

Musically Inclined -- or not

I've been thinking about taking up the guitar ... again.
It has been a few decades since I've played. There is an old twelve string in the basement, but I'd really need a new guitar if I were to play again. I'm not sure that I'm up for spending the money on a new one or even on a good used one since there is a good chance that 1) the desire to play may be short lived and 2) it really is only for me while sitting on the deck and irritating the birds, bugs, and other more musically talented creatures.

So I came to a decision--

When we were in Mexico a couple of friends played (and sang to) a ukulele. I know a couple of others that have played the ukulele and have even dabbled with it myself in a long ago, distant past. Recent checks on Facebook Marketplace have landed me an affordable instrument which I will pick up in a couple of hours. Soon the old guy will have a new hobby/musical instrument to work on while sitting on the deck. 
In all honesty, it will probably only remind me of just how musically inept I am. 

Coincidentally, one of the friends in Mexico that played the ukulele is named Luna and the ukulele I found is a Luna ukulele!

Expect no videos nor public appearances. This instrument is for personal use only. Consider it just another retirement experiment.

I am looking forward to learning to play it and will enjoy learning some songs as well. I have a feeling Groucho the cat will not be pleased as I disturb her peaceful afternoons/evenings on the deck with my strumming and crooning.

John

Bad Habits -- sort of

I picked up some bad habits while in Mexico last month.
The kids live in a very walkable community. Everything is close by and walking is pretty safe at any hour of the day or night. It is a resort area with a vibrant night life, plenty of affordable restaurants, and there is always something to do for both locals and tourists. We were going out pretty much every night.

In our first week back home I was out with people 4 of the 7 days. This week it's going to be 3 of 7. 
What is going on?

To be completely honest, most of it is pretty cool. I probably wouldn't go out if I totally hated it. I do tend to be ready to leave before most people as my energy wanes and my tolerance for people diminishes, but I am usually with people of my choosing and people that I enjoy being around. There may not be a lot of those people and I find it interesting how different they are from me and from one another. 

Tonight we will be at a Springfield brewery listening to some of our friends play. Their little cover band has really grown in popularity and I am so happy that they seem to be playing somewhere most weekends. They have a great following and so most of the venues where they play end up packed full. We usually see other people that we know and have a good evening of conversing and listening to music.

If we were in Puerto Vallarta next Monday night, we would be at a little neighborhood bar/restaurant listening to one of our new friends play his acoustic guitar and sing popular covers and some original stuff, as well. Our small group of PV friends would be there supporting him, conversing with one another, and enjoying an evening out.

I wonder how these friends from very different worlds would get along with one another. 
Since I tend to gravitate toward people that have open minds and open spirits, I think they would mesh pretty well. Daily life in PV is much slower and has so much less stress than daily life in the US. 
But even in the busy (often stressful) life of the US, music has its way of calming (or energizing) the spirit and releasing the stress. 

Being out in public may not be as bad if I get to choose the people I'm with. I prefer smaller groups and even smaller (one on one) conversations within those groups. The problem (as I see it) with going out in public is that too often the public shows up!
sigh

John

When Our Focus is Wrong

Most of you that know me, know that I ride a motorcycle. As a rookie rider I undertook a long cross country trip and included some riding that was probably too advanced for my time in the saddle. While I definitely lacked experience, I was not totally unprepared. I read and watched motorcycle training videos to help prepare me for my solo ride.
My planned ride included riding the famed Tail of the Dragon, an 11 mile stretch of US 129 with 318 curves. I took a few rides along MO 125 and rode some of the twisty roads in Northern Arkansas to prep me. The instruction that I kept seeing to avoid ending up in a ditch or straying into the oncoming lane of traffic was to focus on the road you want to ride. If you focus on the ditch, you'll end up in the ditch. If you're watching the center line, you'll cross the center line. Watch where you're riding and you'll ride where you're watching.

It works.
Mountain bikers, trail runners, skiers -- are all taught the same thing. Look where you want to go. If you focus on the obstacles you want to miss you will invariably end up hitting them!

So...
Why do Christians and church leaders tend to focus so much on sin?
Isn't that counter-intuitive to the results we're hoping for?
Wouldn't reminders to be kind, to love our neighbors, to follow Jesus -- be better ways to encourage real Christianity than the constant turn or burn fear mongering that seems to be the bent of all of the outspoken, loudmouthed evangelical preachers, teachers, and disciples?

What if we stopped focusing on what we need to stop doing to get to heaven and started living like we're already living in the presence of God? 
What if salvation isn't about saving us for an afterlife heaven, but to allow us to experience heaven now?
What if Jesus wasn't about getting us from earth to heaven, but was about bringing heaven to earth?
"...Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (is here)."
Remember those words?

Just thoughts in my head this morning (after scrolling my Twitter feed).

John

The Games People Play

I'm talking about real games, not the bullshit mind/manipulation games. 
I had taken a rather long break from playing Wordle and Quordle, but I have recently picked them up again. I like that it is just one puzzle per day so I'm not getting sucked into playing for long periods of time. I also play a couple of block puzzle games from time to time. I have a cribbage game on my phone but I haven't played it in quite some time.

Do you have a go-to game that you play on your phone, tablet, or computer?

I know I'm old, but I still think the classic tetris is one of the best computer games. I'd love to find an app with the classic game.
I recently read about people that had never played solitaire with actual cards and weren't sure how to deal the cards to begin a game.
Do people still play cards?
There are so many card games -- hearts, spades, euchre, rummy and its variations, bridge, casino, pinochle (that's a weird name), and countless others. 

I don't usually like playing games with strangers. I'm a little competitive and that can be hard on relationships. It's safer just to talk. I can filter my comments easier than changing my competitive nature. And to be fair, it isn't that I have to win -- I just don't want to lose. There is no fun in losing. 
I think solo computer games suit me just fine.

What are your time kill games?

John

Meditation and Focus

In a small side conversation from Thursday night's More Than session at The Venues at 425 I was talking with a young woman about meditation and our meditation practices. Mine has become very casual and much less purposeful than it once was. I think I need to get back to something more purposeful. Meditation is good for more than being present in the moment. It also teaches presence as a habit -- something that is very absent in Western culture.

Let me explain.
People often think of meditation as emptying your mind of thought. They find it pretty impossible to do and get frustrated and give up on it. Meditation (for me) is more about focusing on a single thought or single thing. It can be a mantra, a sound, your breathing, an item, a practice such as walking a labyrinth, doing yoga or tai chi. It is possible (even likely) that random thoughts can enter into your presence. Practice teaches you to recognize the thought, label it and set it aside for later, and return to your focal point.
This simple discipline can benefit us in other areas of life, as well. It can help us to stay task oriented when reading or studying. It can keep us from responding emotionally to a crisis or conflict. It can help us to be better listeners when friends or loved ones need to vent. 
Being able to focus on listening without needing to respond is an ability that few people have and having such a friend is a gift that even fewer ever receive.

I think that the internet, the news media, and so many social media platforms have re-wired our brains to be easily distracted. Everyone seems to be vying for our attention and unless we are focused and purposeful, we tend to move quickly from one thing to the next and never really appreciate where we are or the people we are with in the present moment. The vibration of our cell phone usually wins in the attention battle between the person we are with and the person texting, calling, or posting to social media.

I think I will re-evaluate the notices I get on my phone and how I use it during the day. I may also take another look at my social media accounts and friend/follower lists. I am most certainly re-assessing my daily meditation practice.

As most of the Western world is pretty far behind on the practice of meditation and the ultra-conservative Christian groups even label it as demonic or a pagan practice, I'm curious if any of my readers have a regular (or even irregular) practice of meditation.
Anyone?

John

What's Going On?

I think our trip to Mexico and spending time out with the kids and their friends nearly every night has been a bad influence on me. We got back home on Sunday, spent Tuesday (July 4th) with friends all day, Thursday was More Than at 425 (midweek church group), Friday night (last night) I was out to see friends play at a local taproom, and I'm thinking about finding a place to go watch the fights tonight.
Plus I have meetings or gatherings scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights next week!
And I had the morning coffee shop experience yesterday!

What in the literal hell is going on?

A funny observation about last night:
The band was Kit Barley & The Creekside Bandits. (You should follow them on Facebook if you are in SWMO) They have a pretty decent local following and usually pack a venue. There's another introvert follower that I've seen at some of their other gigs. He comes alone, sips a few beers throughout the night, and listens to the music. We usually acknowledge each other's presence, might share a few words of conversation, and quietly enjoy the evening. I get that guy.

I like going to Kit Barley gigs. The band has a really good energy about them and the voices harmonize quite well. The lead singer/lead guitarist is one of those people that just makes me feel good about being around him. 
Do you know somebody like that? Somebody that you see and instantly your day is better?
He's one of those people for me. Actually, the entire band is like that, but I think he is the focal point of that vibe. I am happy for them that they have been playing quite a bit this summer.

Overall, I usually have a positive evening when out to hear Kit Barley. The positive energy from my friends in the band more than offsets the energy drain of being around people. Most people exposures aren't like that for me. 

Maybe I'll skip going out for the fights tonight. 
We'll see.

Find some people or things to recharge today. When you are fully charged, you can share that energy with others.

John

Coffee Shop Morning

Good morning from Architect Coffee Co. in south Springfield! I  had an 8am doctor's appointment for my annual physical today and decided to treat myself to a coffee shop coffee today. I'm doing the thumb tappy thing and typing this out on my phone.

This place is packed at just before 9am on a Friday morning! There are a number of business meetings, several studying students, and quite a few casual get-togethers over a cup of coffee. It's apparently quite the meeting place.

It's far too noisy to be a morning quiet time for today's coffee, but watching people interact and catching bits of conversations is interesting. Even though I am not always a fan of interacting with others, I am always an observer of people interactions.

Last night was the return to weekly meetings at The Venues at 425 (formerly known as Barchurch). It was a kind of forced interaction to encourage people to get to know one another and build relationships with The Venues being the beginning common ground. 

I think it went well. It will be interesting to see how it evolves. I'm also interested in the perspective of others that were there. I don't know if I'll have much of an opportunity to hear the unfiltered comments. I'm sure there will be tweaks here and there, but it was a good first night.

I'm going to retreat to the quiet of my car and finish my coffee on the road. All of this noise, a literal assault on the ears, is a brutal way to begin a day. I'm grateful for my quiet deck.

Be well, my friends.

John

Listen

I think listening is a lost art.
I don't even know if "art" is a good word for it, but people really aren't interested in listening anymore.
They just want to talk. 
Maybe a lost skill is a better way to look at it.

Oftentimes they will disguise their need to talk as conversation, but they aren't really interested in your half of the speaking time. Too often, people interrupt the speaker to give their reply before the speaker is finished, or even change the subject to something entirely different. I've actually had people ask a question and then interrupt my answer to respond, interject a comment, or ask another question.

A recent gratitude prompt asked to think about the person that you can count on to listen to you. I think you probably need to pay someone (a therapist) to have someone that will listen to you without judgement.

Why is it that we feel so certain that what we have to say is valuable, but we tend to dismiss what others have to say?

Maybe that's why writing this blog seems to be so therapeutic. I know I can write freely and without interruption. I'm not too worried about the judgement part. I've come to expect that. 

Do you ave a go-to person that will listen -- really listen to you?
If so, I think you are probably quite lucky?

John