Let's Move Forward

I haven't posted here recently and I need to get back some regular writing. I've been posting daily on my other blog. Those daily posts have been to keep myself accountable and stick with daily walking, exercise and now back to healthier eating.

I haven't posted about the COVID-19 precautions or how they have affected daily living. In truth, they have had minimal impact on me, personally. I generally keep to myself, I have a good retirement income, and I am now in our new home which gives me plenty to do.
The greatest impact has been in not being able to do the volunteer work that we had been enjoying. Even as Missouri begins to open up this weekend, we will continue with our masks in public and social distancing standards. Age, asthma, and common sense will guide us as we listen to health experts rather than economists, politicians, and well meaning, but self-serving Facebook friends.

Okay -- so I realize that well meaning and self-serving don't go together, but I'm trying to be kind. It's been insinuated (perhaps correctly) that I'm not always as upright as I'd like to be.
sigh
I'm still working on it.

In any case, as Missouri and other states begin to roll back restrictions, let's not pretend that things should go back to the way they were. We are better than that. We should learn much from our experience. Working from home should be more of an option for many people. Value should be recognized in many workers that were taken for granted or looked down on. We should respect other's desire to remain distant and not engage in social customs of handshakes or hugs. And we should recognize that there are multitudes of people that live in the isolation that we have found to be oppressive and undesirable.
Here's a screenshot I captured from a friend's post

Let's be better than we were.

John

Happy Earth Day from Highlandville MO!

This is my first Out of My Hat post from the screened in porch of our new home and a fine way to celebrate Earth Day 2020. It's a little cool this morning but not uncomfortable in sweatpants and a heavy sweater. I have my coffee (an Ethiopian blend) and am listening to the birds as the day begins.

There is plenty to do to get unpacked and settled into our place so tending to the earth with planting some trees, flowers, and a vegetable garden will have to wait. The land is a natural Midwest pasture and doesn't have a single tree on it. I hope to plant a few fruit trees, maybe a couple of Missouri pecan trees, and probably some evergreens in the way of a windbreak on the west side.
I do want to be a good steward of the land.

But first -- we have to get settled in and that will take some time.
I look forward to beginning many days with a cup (or two) of coffee on the deck, listening to the sounds of nature.
And I look forward to ending many days sitting here and enjoying the night sounds while smoking a cigar and sipping a good whiskey.

Happy Earth Day!
Take good care of her.
This planet is our home.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

An Unpopular View

Facebook has had its unpopular dislikes theme running to pass away shelter at home time. It is interesting to see people's uncommon dislikes. If you aren't familiar, it was to list ten things that you don't like that most people do like.
I really don't have very many dislikes and I'd have a difficult time coming up with ten, much less ten things that most other people like.

With Easter behind us now, maybe I'll share an unpopular view of this annual celebration. I get into a bit of a bah, humbug mood around the holiday, particularly during Holy Week. It seems we go through this make believe time of imagining that the events of two thousand years ago are taking place in the present. We tell the stories of the last supper, the mock trial, the crucifixion, and the resurrection as if they took place last Thursday night through Sunday morning.
We proclaim God's great love as he sacrifices his son (on Friday). We rejoice in the resurrection on Sunday, and then on Monday ...

... it's back to life as usual.

Yeah, I know it happened 2000 years ago.
And I know it is worth remembering and celebrating.
But it seems like we over emphasize days like Christmas and Easter so that we can allow ourselves to feel good about what we believe without really thinking much about it the other 360 or so days of the year.

The birth of Our Savior -- yeah, it happened 2000 years ago.
His death and resurrection -- same thing.
Both stories are most definitely worth remembering and sharing. But if we aren't living a life that reflects the love of the God that authored these stories -- What's the point of the celebration?
Is it to give honor to the Day without having to give honor to God?

It's probably heresies such as these that are why I'm no longer preaching.

To be fair --
I know of people that celebrated Jesus's resurrection yesterday morning and spent the afternoon preparing food for our unsheltered friends -- just like they do every day.
I know of people that scrambled to find overnight sheltering arrangements and opened their churches because the thermometer dropped below freezing last night.
I know there are people that live lives of love each and every day. These are the people that celebrate God's love and sacrifice by the way they live -- 365 days per year.
The events of 2000 years ago changed their lives!
I want to celebrate the risen Jesus the way they do.

Working on it,
John

Home, Sweet Home -- Almost there

If everything goes according to plan, at this time next week we'll be moving into our new home. There is still work to be done, but all of it is doable in the remaining time.
The inside still has some finish work to be done and there is still some cosmetic stuff on the outside as well. I think the yard was seeded yesterday.

Here is a picture from the front. The porch posts still need to be covered and the railing needs to be put up. The garage is wider than a standard two car garage so that it can accommodate the motorcycle.

The upper deck still needs to be screened in on the back.

Inside pics next weekend.

One more week!
We are excited!
Sorry, but the party will have to wait.

John

A Preacher, a Magician, and an Air Traffic Controller Walk Into a Bar...

Years ago, a coworker of mine said I sounded like the beginning of a joke --
A preacher, a magician, and an air traffic controller walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Hello, John Hill!"

At that time, it was true. Today, not so much.
In fact, none of those descriptions fit me any more. It's been months since I've preached, longer than that since I've performed any magic, and more than five years since I retired as an air traffic controller. And I'm okay with that.
I'm not sure how I would describe myself these days. I'm not sure that I need to.

If pushed, I think I'd say I'm finally growing up.
I'm learning that life is far simpler than we tend to make it and the things that I once thought of as important mean little to me now. I don't feel like I need to impress anyone and won't waste my time trying to convince you that I'm better than you think I am.
Truthfully, I still have a lot to learn. I think recognizing that is the first step in growing up.

Although I have never really felt like a people person, most people tend see me that way. I've been called on to lead, teach, or take charge in many situations over the years, even though I have often felt ill equipped to do so.
It might just be that I read people well. That gift can be used to facilitate understanding or push people to react in either positive or negative ways. I've done both -- successfully. I quit being a union rep because I didn't like the person I felt I needed to be as a good rep. I later played the role of bad guy for my replacement so that he could be the calm voice of reason when I became unreasonable. I'm more comfortable as the reasonable one, but that wasn't my place at that time.

Perhaps it has been my time away from people that has helped me to better understand myself, my place in life, and my relationship to others. I think I've always been a contemplative soul, but much of my contemplation over the past decade or so has been turned inward.
I enjoy my solitude.

My time alone and away from people -- church people in particular, has helped me to become much less religious and at the same time much more spiritual. Freed from the constraints of judgmental people and their equally judgmental god, I have found the God of Jesus. His God is God and is full of grace, mercy, and love for all!
I am no longer compelled to preach a gospel of turn or burn. I am no longer compelled to share that God will condemn you to hell or you can choose what's behind Door #1.
A NEW CAR! Just as God drove Adam out of the garden in a Fury, you'll be driving down that Highway to Hell in style.
You should have picked what Jay had in the box in the aisle. (Walking the aisle during an altar call is a big deal in evangelical churches.)

I often said that so many evangelists sounded like carnival barkers or medicine men peddling their magic elixirs. Dear God, I hope I never came across that way!
Today I'm just trying to live and love more like Jesus. I try not to dwell on the past too much. I can't change it. I am also not dwelling on the future with fear or anxiety. It is enough to be present in the moment.
My alone time with God has also changed. Some would call it their prayer time, but it is so different from my prayer time of the past that I don't feel right using the same name for it. These days I rarely ask God to do anything for me (I'm still working on that in public prayer). I do ask for wisdom that I might better understand my role in the events of the day.

In a few months it will be fourteen years that I've been writing at Out of My Hat. If you are one of the few that have been with me since the beginning, you know that I am not the same as I was those many years ago. I hope that you continue to evolve and grow, as well.
Sometimes I enjoy looking back at the things I've written. Sometimes I'm a little embarrassed and wonder what I was thinking at the time.

For better or worse, this is post #2000 and I am who I am.
But I am not stuck with who I am today, and neither are you.
Tomorrow I hope to be a little bit better at traveling this road called life.
I hope to be better at understanding my place on the journey, better at living with the people I encounter along the way, but mostly better at loving and showing the grand love of God.

A simple and solitary traveler walked into a bar.
The bartender said, " Hi, John. Bourbon neat?"

John

Wednesday Wisdom

John

Self-control -- or not

Ugh!
Apparently my self control only goes so far. Thinking that I could ease back into my Facebook news feed, I came across a "non-political" post about the stresses that our president faces every day. Yeah, I went off on a mini rant before reining myself back in.

I also started a post (yesterday) to express some thoughts on the coronavirus and the associated COVID-19 disease. But I just get so damned angry at the poor response, the misinformation, and the disregard that so many have. The inability of people to distinguish between truth and lies is absolutely infuriating. I cannot expose myself to such idiocy and remain calm. My only hope for maintaining my inner peace is to refrain from exposure to it.
I am open to discussion and learning someone's perspective and reasoning. I even get that we may walk away with the same opinions that we brought into a discussion. If we at least gain some understanding of another's thought process, we've gained something. Unfortunately, those types of conversations are far too rare.

In the end, perhaps I've learned that I can't be trusted to be a nice person if I am exposed to not nice persons. Perhaps I need to learn to keep my opinions to myself.

Find your peace.
Guard your peace.
Keep your peace.

John

Social Distancing from Social Media

I just logged into my Facebook account and briefly scrolled through my feed for the first time in three days. After a couple of days of socially distancing myself from Facebook I have a few observations.

1.  I was spending (wasting) way too much time on Facebook.
2.  I can login a couple of times per day to check comments or notifications without scrolling through my feed.
3.  I can scroll through and not read every post and not comment on any post.
4.  I miss some of the posts, some of the groups, and some of the people that I connect with through Facebook.
5.  I think I'll treat it more like a place that I enjoy visiting from time to time instead of it being a place where I live.

    *****

To those of you that left suggestions about the upcoming 2000th post -- thank you.
I'm still thinking about it and thinking that I shouldn't have said anything. Now I'm thinking that I've put an unnecessary burden on myself for something special.
Sacrebleu!

In any case, there is still time to share your ideas.
Stay home.
Stay healthy.

John

I need your suggestions

This is my 1,996th post at Out of My Hat.
Four more posts to #2000.

I suppose it would be easier to just write through it as any other post, but it kind of jumped out at me that #2000 was approaching. I thought maybe it should be something special -- which is a little weird as that's not really my style.

But here's the deal --
Give me your thoughts or suggestions.
What should I write about?
I'll check back to Facebook comments so you can leave your thoughts there or "like" someone else's comment. You can also respond via the Twitter link or directly in the comments here.
Or you can say, "Really, dude? You're just not that big deal and no one cares."
And that's okay, too.  (I'm kind of thinking that, myself)

I can't give you a timeline for it, but it will happen soon.
Any thoughts?

John

My Facebook Diet

It really wouldn't be fair to call it a Facebook fast. It was interesting to observe how often I wanted to automatically go to Facebook throughout the day. I logged out of the app and off on my browser so that I would have to log in if I want on.
There were a couple of times that I did log in to check my notifications, but didn't scroll through my news feed. I may do that again today -- but I may not. I don't feel like I deprived myself of any great experience by not browsing through the feed.

I'll be on tonight to join my Venues at 425 community for barchurch.

It looks like it will be a beautiful spring day in the Ozarks. Maybe I can find a nice outdoor place to sit a read.

John

Trapped

Does anyone else feel like they're caught in trap?
... A Facebook trap?

I know I need to distance myself from the barrage of negativity that Facebook is, but I just keep going back. I tell myself that it keeps me in touch with family and friends, but even their posts are often of "the virus" or of news surrounding the current pandemic life of our time.
I come away from a Facebook session irritated by government inaction or angry with people that don't seem to take the crisis seriously.

I'm even guilty of contributing to the cacophony by sharing articles and commenting on other's posts.
I say I'm going to get away from it ..., but then I'm back.
I can take a walk, read a book, distract myself in someway ... but then I'm back

I think I'm going to take a break for a couple of days. I'll be around for Thursday's barchurch and Sunday morning Venues, but I'm going to avoid Facebook otherwise. Feel free to send me a message if you're worried about me or just want to say hi.
My own posts from here or my other blog will show up on Facebook, as well as anything I post on Instagram. Other than that, I hope to remain absent for a short period of time.
Maybe I'll start writing more frequently.
Maybe not.

John