Bah-humbug, and all that stuff!

Note to readers: After proofreading this I realize that it is more negative than I generally post and considered deleting it. But then I decided it's my rant and posted it anyway. Feel free to skip today's (or any day's) post.
JH

Christmas is an interesting time of year for a deconstructed evangelical Christian. While I still consider myself to be a follower of Jesus, I tend to view most religious things with the skepticism of a non-believer. Christmas as the celebration of the birth of the Christ-child just doesn't get it for me anymore. If I am being totally honest with myself, the whole "reason for the season" shite is just a saying to cover for the real reason of buying gifts and getting together with family and friends. 
And those are grand reasons to celebrate, I'm just having a difficult time transitioning to the secular Christmas that I struggled with in my Catholic childhood and evangelical adult life.

In my warped head I am thinking that Jesus is probably thinking WTF? as he looks down on a world that doesn't seem to care about glad tidings and has little (if any) goodwill among men.
For quite some time I have wondered what Jesus would say about a religion that celebrates his birth, but does little to actually follow his teachings. Something tells me that he never really wanted people to worship him the way religion has conditioned us to do, but just wants us to be kind and love one another.

Admittedly, there is a lot of good being done by a few churches and faith families. It is kind of sad that it isn't enough to really overcome my anti-church/anti-religion bias. It's probably accurate to say the good is being done by a few people in a few churches, but that may just be my negatively biased observation. 

I am going to go along to get along throughout the season. I am going to enjoy exchanging gifts with family and going to enjoy our time with the kids. I'll (semi) embrace the secular celebration and even give a religious head nod to Jesus, but I'd be lying to say my heart is really in it.
There is an abundance of good energy during the Christmas season. The world needs some good vibes. That's something I can celebrate.

However you choose to observe the season, do it well!
Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays
Whatever

John

Life Forces and Energy

Recently, I have been actively aware of the energy that surrounds us. I don't know if the energy from the earth is related to the Spirit of God or if it exists merely as a part of creation. I have often attempted to connect with this energy or life force through sitting outdoors, contacting the ground directly through bare feet or digging in the dirt, and through meditation. 
On my recent trip to Puerto Vallarta I was able to actively experience the meditation and connection while floating in the ocean.

Honestly, while it does feel like I am making a type of energy connection to the world around me, I have not yet been able to confirm that in any way other than to say it feels right.
In that sense, it is very much a kind of spiritual experience and I'm not sure of how that reconciles with my learned thoughts on God. I have become much more open to allowing my thoughts on God to grow beyond what I have been taught by various religions, especially as I note the controlling motivations of most religious organizations.

With the recent southern exposures to the northern lights, I have started to wonder about the color of different energy signatures and if they exist beyond or beneath our vision.
Is there a color difference that we might sense (even if we don't see it) between energy from the sun and energy from the earth? 
Do plants give off a different color of life energy than animals (or people)?
Are there different energy colors for the earth, the air, and water?
Is love energy a different color than hate energy?
Is selfishness a different color than generosity?

I know there isn't really any sound theology to wondering about how a Creator might manifest its energy in the world that has been created, but questions are all I've got for today.

John

Extra Words for Wednesday

It is rare that I would post twice in a day, but it is almost noon and I find myself sitting on the deck enjoying a second pot of coffee (decaf this time), listening to some easy listening classic rock, and writing seems like a fine thing to do.

I've got plastic covered panels up to enclose the deck for the winter. It isn't an air tight enclosure as there are some gaps at the ends of the panels (I might work on those) and the decking has normal board spacing. But it does stop the wind and trap the sun's warmth a bit. My phone app tells me the current Highlandville temperature is 46f (8c) while the deck thermometer shows it nearly 10 (5c) degrees warmer. That works for sweat pants and a flannel shirt. Even when it is colder, the deck is still a good place to be and I am a happy boy.

Do you have a safe place; a happy place?
The deck is a place I go for quiet. I can meditate, read, enjoy a cigar and drink, listen to music, or just sit and relax. I can watch TV if I want to and I can sleep for an afternoon nap or for the night. Most of the year I have deck plants to care for and a hummingbird feeder to tend to and observe. Through the spring, summer and early fall I can look out at some of the flowers that I've planted for the birds, bees, and butterflies.

It is definitely a place of refuge and I have missed it for the past six weeks.
It is good to be home.

John
 

Wednesday Wisdom

John
 

One week later...

It was just a week ago that I arrived back home after 4 weeks in Puerto Vallarta. 
In some ways it seems like the week has gone by very quickly. In other ways it feels like a long time since I was enjoying the sunshine and warmer temperatures of the tropical beach community of PV.

The cold weather and schedule has had me working extra nights at the shelter so this week was mostly divided into working and sleeping times. Yesterday and today seem more normal and I'll just have to get used to the couple of days per week that I'll be overnighting at the shelter for the winter. 

Last season I wasn't on staff and didn't volunteer as much as I had planned to, so I am kind of getting reacquainted with the people and the process.  The thing that strikes me most as I re-enter the shelter system is that there are fewer volunteers than there have been in the past. I am curious as to the reason for the significant decline in people that are available and willing to help, and I am wondering if it spreads across volunteering for other services or is centralized with the unsheltered community.
Whatever the reasons are -- we have a great need for help. I have a feeling that is true wherever crisis cold weather shelters exist, so please contact someone in your area if you have time to give.

In other news -- It's cold!
Okay, so that's not really newsworthy for SWMO in December and it isn't going to change much for a few months, but I try not to complain too much and this is my primary outlet for venting. For the sake of my few remaining followers, I will try to keep the cold weather comments to a minimum.
As always, I am #readyforspring !

John

New Routine

I'll be re-establishing my home routine in a new way for a few days. It is almost 5:30 in the afternoon and I am just getting up after spending last night at the shelter. Due to an unusual situation I will be working four consecutive nights so sleeping all day and getting up in the evening to go to work will be how I spend my week.
I guess I'll get back to my regular routine later.

There were light flurries when I left the shelter to come home this morning and the temperature was somewhere around 20f (-7c). That's a pretty big change from the mornings of walking in shorts and sandals to sit at a sidewalk cafe for my coffee. 
We will have several days of below freezing weather.
Life in the Ozarks.

We brought all of the deck plants into the house before we left for Mexico. Now they are just sort of spread throughout the house. I'll need to move them to the basement so they can get some natural light. We really don't get much direct sunlight in the main living areas of the house due to the large front and back porches. It works well at keeping the house much cooler during the hot days of summer, but isn't great for indoor plants.

While I may struggle to find my winter routine, at least that struggle won't include having to find a place to stay warm at night or looking for food. Our un-sheltered neighbors are very grateful for the people that volunteer at the shelters and provide food. I fear that the high cost of housing is driving more people from their homes and we are going to see an increase in numbers this year.

If you are in the area here, we could really use your help. There are plenty of volunteer positions available.
If you are not in this area, please check local shelters or food pantries where you live.
Homelessness is not a uniquely American problem, but it is unique in how we tend to ignore or criminalize it.
Have some compassion.
Be kind.

John

NaBloPoMo Success!

I made it!
Yay, me!
Thirty consecutive days of posting nonsense!

I do realize that Out of My Hat doesn't post much in the way of valued content anymore. While I do still check on things like views and look forward to any comments, I now mostly write as a way to organize my own thoughts and converse in a way that preempts the interruptions of actual conversation with people that don't really care what you think or have to say. 

     * * * * *

It is November 30 and it is cold in the Ozarks of SWMO. Sometime around sunset yesterday the temperature dropped below freezing and it will remain below freezing until sometime Tuesday afternoon. It is a bit of a shock to the system for a guy just returning from the tropical beaches of Mexico.

With the cold nights comes dangerous conditions for many that have no permanent shelter nor safe, warm places to sleep. There are a number of places that offer overnight shelter, but there are too few of them and there is a great need for volunteers. 
Tonight begins my sixth season of volunteering/working with one of the shelters that is a cooperative effort of three local Springfield churches. The coordinators from the three churches are compassionate, caring, and truly hardworking people. I am honored to be a part of the work that they organize and do on top of their regular day job duties. 
Please consider being a part of our work. There are volunteer duties that vary from very little contact with people like setting up, cleaning, and hauling laundry, to full on spend the night watching over and caring for 30 or so people and their pets. 
Let me know if you are interested or have questions. I will happily point you to the people that can help you to be involved and fulfill a great need this cold weather season.

Today will be a lazy day and a long overnight.
I am glad that I won't feel the need to post tomorrow. 
On the other hand, I will have plenty of time to do so while our overnight guests are sleeping, so you might have more useless reading waiting for you tomorrow.

Be well
Be warm
Be grateful
Be kind

John

Home

After a long and unsuccessful travel day yesterday, I finally arrived home to a rainy and cold day. 
Friday's first flight was delayed several times and the gate for the absent plane also changed several times (which is really pretty stupid). I changed my connecting flight to Springfield to the last flight of the day as soon as the initial flight was delayed. That might have worked if we didn't make an unscheduled stop in Houston. 

I don't know what that was all about other than to say the airline's excuse was no doubt a lie, since they said it was due to weather in Dallas but weather radar didn't show it to be that bad. By the time we took off to resume our flight to DFW my SGF flight was already on the ground in Springfield.
All-in-all, such things are truly first world problems and it would be a shame if all of those people leaving Puerto Vallarta let a bad travel day ruin an otherwise wonderful vacation.

At least today's journey was easy and I figured I would throw this out there and hope for a Sunday post to complete the NaBloPoMo challenge.

It is good to be home.

John

Travel day!

It's time to go home.

And it will be good to be home.

Unfortunately, the dental work was a bit of a bust. Mistakes were made and I will need to plan another trip to finish up the work that was started.

Initially, I was going to be able to buy the two round-trip air fares and get the implants for less than the cost of the implants in the US.

Now cost wise it will be a wash, but I've still spent two months in PV, so...

It's been a little frustrating, but first world problems shouldn't be more than that. 

And speaking of first world problems: The 60f degrees difference (15c) from when I depart PVR and land in SGF is kind of a big deal! 

I did bring long pants and a long sleeve shirt, but I figured I can manage walking from the terminal to the car in shorts and a short sleeve shirt, so that's what I'm wearing. There will be plenty of time for winter clothes in the coming weeks.

¡Hasta la próxima, mis amigos!

(Until next time, my friends!)

John 

Thanksgiving

For the second year in a row Chris and I are apart at Thanksgiving. Last year I was home alone while she was here in Mexico on a moms trip to see the kids. This year I am the one in Mexico as I needed to extend my stay to complete the dental work I am having done.
Together or apart, we have many reasons to be thankful.

We have a good life.
I never get tired of sitting on the deck and looking out over the country view. We have a nice, comfortable home and live in a moderate climate. While we may have difficulty deciding what we're going to have for dinner each night, we never stress about going hungry. We have books available on Kindle and a library that isn't too far away. 
Books, food, comfort, and each other -- what more does anyone really need?

I am proud of our kids.
They live in vastly different climates -- a tropical beach city and a rural mountain setting.
And each is happy where they are. 
We'll be going to see Hannah, Jason, and the pups in a month and have been visiting in Puerto Vallarta with Aaron and Jenny on this trip that ends tomorrow (Chris went home last Friday). 
They all seem to be enjoying life. 
What more could a parent want for their kids?

In all honesty, today won't be that much different from most days. 
To be sure -- there will be some different foods and gatherings of friends, but I feel thankful on a daily basis. Life is not Instagram perfect, but it is a good life. 
"Just another day in the life of John" is more than a stupid little saying. It is an attitude of gratitude and recognition of the good life that I get to live every single day. It is not extravagant nor is it extraordinary. It's just a simple, but good life.

I hope that you find many reasons to be thankful today. While today may be the US holiday to give thanks, it doesn't take a holiday to show gratitude and express grace to one another.

Be well, my friends!

John