PV

I've been in Puerto Vallarta since Tuesday afternoon and this is my first writing from here on this trip. I am enjoying the t-shirt and shorts temperatures. The mornings have been cool, but the afternoons are simply lovely. These first couple of days I have been doing some preliminary stuff for getting a couple of dental implants -- x-rays and imaging yesterday, initial consultation today. It will be sometime next week for phase 1 part of the implants. 
This afternoon, we'll (Aaron and I) install a new washer/dryer unit in the apartment after picking up a couple of parts this morning. We pulled the old unit out yesterday.

I've enjoyed visiting with Aaron and watching him play softball. I'm looking forward to seeing some friends this weekend. 
I don't really think of my trips here as vacation time -- it's more like being retired in Mexico instead of Highlandville MO. I am just fine with keeping it simple and don't need to be entertained nor occupied all of the time. I'll probably spend some time reading a book on the beach tomorrow afternoon. 

Life here can be as simple or as busy as you like. Because it is a resort city and a prime tourist destination, there is an abundance of entertainment and a vivacious nightlife. There is always something to do or someplace to go -- even if something to do is dining in and reading a book or watching TV. 
Like at home, I tend toward the more simple side of life.

John

Clear skies for tonight!

I missed a meteor shower  earlier this month due to overcast skies, but it looks like there will be clear skies to view the moon occult Mars early this evening, Most of the US will be able to observe the moon passing in front of Mars tonight. How long the occultation will last will depend on where you are and the effects of lunar parallax. 

You can read about it here for more information and approximate times.

I do love watching the night sky as it changes throughout the year. It is more enjoyable when it isn't so dang cold out. 

John

Finding Joy

Sometimes it is difficult to live in the moment and find joy in life when it isn't a particularly joyous moment. After a couple of days of exposure to people and the winter bugs they carry with them, I have spent most of this past week feeling pretty poorly.
At least I was able to feel poorly in a warm house with all of the comforts of home surrounding me, including a medicine cabinet with cold and flu meds and fever reducing NSAIDs.

My new year's streak of exercise days came to a sudden halt, as I have been very inactive for the past few days. On the plus side, I haven't had much of an appetite either, so I have managed to lose a few pounds this week. I wouldn't recommend it as a weight loss plan, but I'm not going to let this side benefit go unappreciated. I need to eat like I'm sick more often.

Yesterday (day 4) felt like day one with just a runny nose and cough and I felt like I was finally getting over it. This morning I feel much better.

The thing is this -- at some point I have to recognize and appreciate just how incredibly privileged I am. 
Very few people have the opportunity to manage risk exposure during this cold and flu season. Most people have to go to work or school or maybe they are unemployed and looking for work or un-housed and gathering in warming shelters.
I have a choice.

I suppose I need to admit that I've gotten careless. I should wear a mask more often in situations where I am exposed to airborne microbes that can make me sick -- especially with an upcoming trip planned. 

Being able to stay at home when there is 6" (15.24cm) of fresh snow on the ground and the temperature is well below freezing is quite nice. The simple pleasure of my morning coffee by the fireplace would be considered quite the luxury by many people. 

I do hope that you manage to stay healthy during this winter season. And I hope that you can always find joy in your circumstance. 

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

Click it to big it!

John

About that image thing...

So  -- I was sitting at one of the additional cold weather shelters on Monday night waiting for the guests to arrive. One of the coordinators from the shelter where I usually work was waiting with me and our conversation went something like this:

Coordinator: I thought of you the other night. I was at the shelter and sort of lost my patience with one of the guests, and ...

Me (interrupting): Wait! You lost your patience and that made you think of me?

Coordinator (backtracking and laughing): No. You said that you don't have the patience you used to have and I'm just saying I can relate to that.

Hmmm...
Truthfully, I have expressed that to the shelter coordinators and it is one of the reasons I chose not to be on staff this year. I hope that my lower threshold of patience hasn't been too apparent to our guests. Conflicts that require de-escalation are pretty infrequent. Dealing with people is ongoing. 
Sometimes you have people that need help, but treat the people trying to help them poorly. I used to readily give them a pass and just do my thing. It has become more difficult to show that level of grace. I'm not sure why, but it has. Now I have to find the balance between helping and dealing with the stress, and guarding my own well being by staying away.
I shouldn't let a few people keep me from helping the many that are so very grateful and appreciative of the staff and volunteers. 

When I started this five years ago, it was the homeless community that pretty much policed themselves. If someone treated a shelter property poorly or gave the volunteers a hard time, it was the community that made the offender straighten up or they would keep them from coming back. Protecting the shelter property and the people that worked there was to the benefit of everyone and so they guarded it accordingly. 
As the nationwide homeless demographic has changed, that level of responsibility has also changed. There is a larger number of younger people and the chronically homeless are aging. Homelessness is a much greater problem in the US than it is in other countries. Part of it is a lack of social safety nets. Part of it is a culture that just doesn't care about our fellow citizens -- and oftentimes those fellow citizens are actually family members.

Sheesh! Now I'm the impatient, cigar smoking, bourbon drinking, introverted, retired guy!
I should be getting my journeyman curmudgeon card any day now.
Oh yeah -- And get off my lawn!

John

Winter

Winter has arrived in the Ozarks of Southwest Missouri!
There is a light layer of snow covering the ground and it is cold out there -- 16f (-9c)!
Brrrr

It is said that if you let the winter weather steal your joy, you'll still have the cold weather, but you'll have less joy.
Today I am grateful and joyful about my warm fireplace and good coffee as I quietly type away on the Chromebook keyboard. I have what I need without having to venture out into the cold for today and I plan to enjoy staying in. I am extremely grateful that I no longer have to go into work every day and have been doing this retired thing long enough that I really don't remember what that routine was like. 

Today, like most days, will be quiet and pretty unproductive. I'll do some reading, maybe complete a Spanish lesson, spend a little time exercising, and might get some of the Christmas decorations packed away. 

After writing this post about who I am or who others perceive me to be, I've been thinking about it -- perhaps more than I need to be. 
Truthfully, I really don't care what most people think of me. Certainly, there are people that I don't want to disappoint and would enjoy having their admiration, but those are a very select few. I am really most interested in the personal assessment of who I am and I find that there are definitely areas that I need to work on. 

While I am genuinely grateful for and content with many areas of life, I know that I have been negligent when it comes to my health. Although I currently only take medication for high blood pressure, I know that being 100 lbs (45.4 kg) overweight is not a good thing and there are probably other health maladies in my near future. 
I'm working on it.

There are also other areas that I need to pay more attention to and some things that I just need to get around to doing. Procrastination has always been a problem for me. 
It seems that most of the problem areas of life are consequences of poor choices in our past and need to be dealt with as they are since undoing them isn't really possible.

One day at a time.
73 days until spring.

John

Celestial Irony

Today is the day that the earth reaches perihelion, the closest point to the sun in its annual orbit. 
From the Greek peri -- meaning near, helion -- meaning son.

It also marks the beginning of some extremely cold weather here in the US Midwest. I suppose we should be glad that we are not faced with the summer heat that our southern hemisphere friends have. It is a good thing that we humans are an adaptable species.

Although we use 24 hour days, the actual time of each day varies slightly as we make our elliptical orbit around our sun. And our earth's spin is slowing down! As the moon orbits the earth, its gravitational pull is actually slowing our rotation. It (the moon) is also inching farther away from the earth.
Science -- it is pretty amazing.

I may check and compare weather conditions for our counterparts on the other side of the globe from time to time. 37 degrees north latitude covers a lot of land and people around the globe, while 37 degrees south latitude touches relatively few. 
The line cuts through Chile and Argentina in South America, is farther south than the entire continent of Africa, just hits the southern most parts of Australia, and runs through the capitol city of New Zealand.

Currently it is about 1:30 on Sunday morning in Melbourne, Australia and 76f (24.4c).
Here it is just 8:30 on Saturday morning and it is just below freezing.
I doubt that Melbourne will be below freezing six months from now on July 4th!

It looks like it will be overcast all day in the Ozarks. In spite of the fact that we are closer to the sun than we will be all year, it doesn't appear that we will get to see it today. Groucho and I will have to count on the fireplace for warmth.

John

Friday Fun Fact

The year is 2025.
Our old blog friend, It's a Numeric Life would likely point out that 2025 is a perfect square -- 45 x 45.
It's not that big of a deal, but as numbers get larger, perfect squares get farther apart. The last one was 89 years ago -- 1936, and the next one won't be for another 91 years -- 2116!

John

Coffee Shop Theology

I'm at a local Ozark coffee shop this morning -- Urban Grounds coffee + plant lab.
It is a bright (glass on two sides) open place with lots of plants and planters. I'm not much for the sweet, creamy coffee drinks. A decent drip or a classic Americano is about all I ever get. The refillable mug of drip coffee here is just fine for my morning cup (or two) of coffee and time on the Chromebook.

If you've followed my faith journey over the past several years, you have probably figured out that I'm not a big fan of church nor religion in general. The greatest downside to that is that discussions about faith and interactions with a faith community become quite rare.
I miss those faith centered conversations and sharing of thoughts. 

So I am wondering...
Are there others that feel that way and would there be any interest in a small group/regular gathering to talk about faith, theology, philosophy, etc.?
I'm thinking of a morning coffee shop meeting, but --
     not everyone is a coffee drinker
     and a weekday meet is difficult if you're not retired
I'm sure we could work around a couple of objections, but I don't want to make it complicated.
An afternoon brewery meet would also work, but I know there are more and more people that are non-drinkers. 

In my head, this is a group of men, but it doesn't have to be that way. I'm also thinking of a pretty small group -- six to eight at the most. I have no interest in being a teacher and I don't want it to be a class. I see a need for a moderator or facilitator to keep things on track, but also want it to be flexible enough to adapt as life happens for those in the group. It's a pretty loosely formed idea and would need some work that the actual group could help with.

Right now it's just a thought and I'm going to be gone until mid-February. 
However, if you are in the Springfield/Nixa/Ozark area and have any interest in such a small group beginning sometime around the end of February, let me know.

John

Ready or Not -- 2025 is Here!

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions.
This year, I'm making three:

1)  Get healthy (and off the blood pressure meds)
2)  Plant flowers
3)  Enjoy life

For more on #1, you can check out my other blog.  
The others are pretty straightforward and simple.

I'm not ready to put purposeful people interactions at a resolution level just yet, but I'll keep it in mind as a "things to do" item.

Get healthy
Plant flowers
Enjoy life

I think that'll work for Wednesday Wisdom!

John