Different Paths

Earlier this week I spent a few hours with some old friends. Reflecting on the discussions of the night in my contemplative morning time, I'm intrigued by the differences in the paths that we each took and how those paths came back together for a few hours after wandering over vastly different courses for nearly 50 years.
This morning finds each of us back in our own worlds and on our own paths. The far reaching strands of the internet's web will keep us in touch, but we are each back our own paths. Perhaps they will intersect again as we wander along. That would be nice.

It is interesting (to me) how the experiences and encounters of our life shape who we are. I know there are people from my past that I will never see again. Some I remember fondly; others are better left in distant corners of my fading memory. 

I doubt that my path is going to take me very far today. I'm back on my deck, drinking my coffee and thinking of re-doing my compass rose/sundial garden. There's a pretty high likelihood that Chris will be the only person I actually see today, although technology does allow me to reach out and interact with others.
There won't be anyone in my basement as I reassemble shelves, nor in my John Deere room as I rearrange and organize stuff. With the exception of walking to get the mail, I don't have plans to go out beyond the edges of our 5 acre lot.
I have beer in the 'fridge, cigars in the humidor, books on my Kindle app, and plenty of work to put off until another day. Why would I need to go out? You reading this post may be as far as my interaction with the world goes today -- and I am OKAY with that!

But for those of you that will actually be crossing paths with others -- How will they remember that interaction? 
Maybe that's something we don't think about often enough. It does seem like a lot of pressure to put on oneself. Hmmm...?

Perhaps our physical paths will cross at some point -- but not today.

John

Simone Biles

Oh it would seem that everyone has an opinion on Simone Biles.
Simone Biles' decision on competing or not competing in the team portion of the gymnastic competition has not had any impact on my life and so I am perfectly okay with her deciding what is in her own best interest--even if she just didn't feel like it.

From all of the negative comments posted about her decision, it would appear that many people are personally invested in her and have been hurt by her not competing. 
It's funny how we can be concerned with the abusive training that many child athletes are put through (gymnasts in particular) on one hand, and then be critical of the decision that a grown-ass woman makes about her own well-being on the other.

Remember Eleanor Roosevelt's famous quote --
"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."
Think about that while you carry on your conversations today.
You can talk about Simone Biles.
You can talk about the Olympics.
Or you can talk about the idea that mental health (and injury) is as important as physical health for athletic performance or day to day coping.

Sure--somedays we have to carry on even when we are hurting. We have to care for kids when we're sick or go to work when we hate our job, but are we going to sit in judgment of someone that decides that they are going to exercise some self-care and not perform for our -- entertainment?

Remember my philosophy I shared yesterday?
Never accept criticism from a person you wouldn't go to for advice.
Don't be too surprised if the greatest gymnast of our time doesn't give a F#*k about what you think of her decision.
Neither do I.

John

Oops! I Missed It!

 I missed my Blogoversary!
Sunday marked 15 years that I've been publishing at Out of My Hat.
In truth, I've never been very disciplined about posting on a regular basis. I've managed some good streaks during November's National Blog Posting Mo (NaBloPoMo), or February's National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo), as well as a few other streaks at Christmas or for a Bible study. In general, I just post when I feel like it or when I think something needs to be addressed.

Although I do like to watch the stats to see how many people are reading, I've reached the point where I mostly post because I enjoy it and I realize that most people don't really care what someone else thinks (unless it affirms what they think).

I have a personal philosophy that says -- Never accept criticism from a person you wouldn't go to for advice. The same should hold true for opinions, and I don't really expect the words of this blog to sway many people's thoughts. It's really just a way for me to organize what I'm thinking or to vent some stress and frustration into the virtual cloud of the internet. Every now and then I manage to write something that I look at and think -- Hey, that's some pretty good stuff!
For the most part, it's just stuff that's rolling around in my head and sort of leaks out onto the keyboard.

I don't read as many blogs as I once did and few of the bloggers that I started reading back in the day are still blogging. I haven't picked up new blogs as many of the older ones have dropped off and Facebook, Twitter, and other social forums seem to have taken the place of many one prolific bloggers.
It may be that personal blogs are just one more boomer thing that I'm hanging on to.

Happy belated Blogoversary to me!
Maybe I'll work on better content for year 16.

John

Very Monday; Not Very Motivated

The temperature and relative humidity are both right around 80; 80f (26.7c) and 80% relative humidity.
There is a heavy fog laying over my back yard and visibility is only about 100ft (30m). When the sun finally burns it off, it will be a humid 90f+(32c+). Ugh
It may even be too ugly to spend the afternoon on the deck.

At some point today, I am going to have to venture out into the Delta variant cesspool of SWMO to replace my overwhelmed, old smart phone. Other than that, I'll probably working on putting up some shelving in the John Deere room and looking into picking up some shelving for the basement. I'm going to delay mowing the field for a couple of days and I have decided to leave it a little taller than I have in the past. 
I mowed the yard portion of our lot yesterday. When starting on the field and raising the blades, I decided that it wasn't really in need of being mowed yet.

I have a potential drive to Central Illinois this week. It's a meet up with a few friends. I'm reconsidering making the trip, but may just make it an up one day, home the next. I'm not sure that I'm up for the 12-13 hours in the car this week. I guess I'll figure it out one way or another. Tbt, there is always work to be done here. On the other hand, there always will be, so leaving for a couple of days isn't that big of a deal.

The fog has lifted and it's time to get my unmotivated ass busy.
I hope you are finding a bit more motivation for this Monday morning.

John

Are You Happy?

This morning I've moved from my usual morning spot on the deck at the back of our house to the covered front porch. Although there is more to see here, the neighborhood is pretty peaceful and so it is still a fine place for my morning coffee and quiet time.

Having spotted a couple of hummingbirds at the petunias right in front of me and at the hibiscus tree in the yard, I'm thinking I really need to get on building those flower beds for the back of the house, as well as expanding the landscaping and flowers in the front.

I'm not to the point where I would call working in the yard enjoyable. I would say that I don't really mind it and I find it somewhat satisfying. I do enjoy looking at the flowers and at the birds, bees and butterflies that they draw. We've been able to eat some produce from my small, pathetic garden and that has also been satisfying.
It would be easy to look at the work that needs to be done and be overwhelmed. However, there is no pressing timeline and I can work on it as time, money, and desire allow. It's all good.

The message at last night's Venues at 425 gathering was the first in a series on happiness. With that in mind, it is difficult not to consider: Am I happy?
You can check it out on the Facebook page here. (As of this time, it hasn't been uploaded to the church website. I'm sure that will happen later today.) Pastor Jodi's Happiness message begins around the 30 minute mark, but do yourself a favor and listen to the music of my friend John first. 

How would you define happiness?
And are you happy?

It occurs to me that one could be generally happy (or unhappy) but have areas of life where they are the opposite. You could be happy with where you live, but unhappy with your current job. You could love your job, but be unhappy in your current relationship, etc., etc.
Is being content the same thing as being happy?
Is being happy a choice? 

Hmmm...?
What do you think?
And are you happy?

John

Stop the Madness!

I really don't feel like writing this. 
And in spite of having looked up the numbers, and read the articles from reliable sources, I know that those numbers will not sway those that are set on the course of willful ignorance.
I wish there was a way that I could convince the anti-COVID vaccine folks to get vaccinated, but I really don't think I can.

I am seeing articles and stories of people that are dying from COVID19 and are begging others to take the disease seriously and get the vaccine. Apparently the more than 600,000 US deaths before you weren't enough to convince them (or you), but your misery is supposed to be enough. Not likely.

I am worried about the continued spread when my back-ass-ward state of Missouri sends unvaccinated kids (under 12) back to the COVID19 petri dish called "school" this fall. It's pretty unbelievable that today's numbers are what they were pre-vaccine during the pandemic, but without the masking mandates and social distancing practices.

The thing that bothers me the most about this madness is the person that I've become. I have become a cold, and uncaring person when it comes to people that are suffering and dying from this killer disease. I've become a -- this is the freedom you chose so shut up and die at home and don't waste the time and resources of the healthcare industry -- kind of person. The caring, sympathetic person you see is just a mask for the mean, ugly person I've become--and I'm kind of hating myself for it.

I don't know if there is any real peace in a "Live and let die," philosophy of life, but it's all I can think of at this time.
Freedom in America -- We live. We die. And sometimes we make choices that (to) kill other people.
That's pretty messed up.

John

Writing -- just to be writing

It's been a few days since I've posted anything. Frankly, I just haven't felt like it. I wasn't even motivated enough to find a meme to post for Monday Motivation yesterday!
It's not like there isn't plenty to write or rant about. I just haven't felt like putting in the effort.
In the past 14 years, 360 days (yes, my 15 yr Blogoversary is in 5 days) the inspiration to write has come and gone pretty regularly. There have been plenty of days that I've talked myself out of hanging it up for good. I need to remind myself that I started writing just to have a place to write and never really cared if others read any of it.
I never expected to find a community of fellow bloggers, nor to have even a few regular readers.

Needless to say -- today's post is going to be a bit boring; just a bit of rambling about what's going on in my life to get in the habit of writing again. Feel free to move along onto something else.

Yesterday I searched the digital archives of my computer to find the beginnings of several book ideas that I've had over the years. There are three first chapters or introductions to books that are stored there.
November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) when writers are challenged to write a novel during the month. I suppose a prolific writer could spill out a novel in a month or less. 
However, someone like me might need some pre-planning , outlining, research, etc., in order to get something actually written. Writers encourage writing. An often repeated quote is -- "You can't edit a blank page."
Maybe this year...

Something unrelated to writing but tied to the past -- Magic!
I haven't had a show in nearly a year and haven't regularly practiced or performed any magic in much longer than that. Through church I have met a fellow mage and may have to brush up on a little card handling and work on some close-up stuff that I never really used in performance, but have always been fascinated by. This could be fun.

Other than that -- it's pretty much the same old, everyday, easy going, life of a retired guy.
I've come to terms with my under-whelming garden and am reading and planning for a better garden next year.
I'm pretty content to work around the yard for a couple of hours and then to chill with a book, a beer, and a cigar for the afternoon. I know it doesn't seem like much, but I've also come to terms with being a non-productive member of society. It's really not a bad gig.
Gardening and working in the yard, reading, contemplating life, enjoying my solitude -- yeah, it's a pretty sweet deal!

I know there are a lot of people that are unhappy with their life. Some of them work very hard to convince others (and themselves) that they are doing okay. Are you one of them?
You know -- it's okay not to be okay.
Find a safe person to talk with. Find somebody that can help you or help you find help.

I just poured my last cup of coffee and I have some daily reading to take care of before mowing the field. I wish you peace for the day.

John

I've been wondering...

Here in Southwest Missouri the vaccination rate is abysmal, COVID19 infections are what they were before vaccinations were available, and masking is no longer required in any community. I really don't get the whole anti-vax thing -- especially where COVID19 is concerned.

I wonder if that would change if the Biden Administration changed their approach to give credit for the rapid development of the various vaccines to the Trump Administration. Let's face it -- the vaccines were developed BEFORE Biden took office and (then) President Trump and his family were properly vaccinated.
What the Trump Administration lacked in strategic planning for distribution, the Biden Administration brought to the table. Whether they planned it or not, the efforts of each Administration have brought us to this point.

I wonder if appealing to Trump's ego would make a difference. How would he respond to a question from the press that showed Pres. Biden taking credit for the vaccine?
If Trump started boasting about the safe and speedy development of the vaccine, would the deep red states (like MO) suddenly change their attitudes toward it and get vaccinated?
He has recently made a few comments -- "Never let them forget this was us. We did this." (developed the vaccine) But I think more could be done to bring his supporters to getting vaccinated.
It's so stupid that lines are drawn along political affiliations. I may have to include giving Trump credit for the Warp Speed project that spurred the speedy development if I get into a discussion about the benefits of being vaccinated vs its downsides (?).

Just wondering...
John

Something Different for Today

I'm going to try something different today and start the active part of my day a little earlier. 
Typically, I spend a good part of the morning drinking coffee, browsing the internet, reading, contemplating, and basically getting ready (or procrastinating) to do what I plan on doing for the day. It is often past noon (and moving towards the hottest part of the day) before I actually get around to doing anything. I'm going to change that up a bit and actually start working a little earlier today.

It is about a year past due, but today's plan is to work on the John Deere room -- put up some shelving, hang some garden tools, unpack crap that was packed up almost two years ago. 
Hmmm..."packed up almost two years ago" sounds like that crap probably needs to get thrown out!
That's the plan for today. I'll save the lawn work for the cooler temperatures forecast for the weekend.

Truthfully, I am not much of a planner and I'm not very organized about my day. I could probably benefit from more structure, but that seems a little stressful for such a laid back person like myself. Isn't it weird how one person can be very stressed by a job that is undone and another is stressed by having to stick to a schedule to get the job done.
How are you wired?
Schedule or more carefree?
Easily stressed or more laid back?
Work on something unfamiliar or hire an expert?
Just curious.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

Monday Motivation

 

Wednesday Wisdom

 

Legacy

How do people remember you? I remember before I retired I wrote about this. 
Recently I've seen a few posts or memes that have me thinking about how we remember people and how they might remember us. An ATC friend whom I've never met posted this:

I wonder how often I really think about things like that during the day. I wonder if I've even had that kind of inspiring influence on my kids, their friends, or the many kids that have been in one of the camps I pastored. I can't change the past. I can work on today.

In truth, all of my opportunity to be a positive influence or inspiration to somebody today is wrapped up in this pathetic little blog. I do not expect to have much interaction with anyone today. I plan to be working in the garden and yard for part of the day, and sitting on my deck for the rest of the day. I don't even plan to be on Facebook much to repost some inspiring article or cheesy meme. In fact, I recently deleted (again) the Facebook app from my phone. I can still access it through the browser, but I don't get any notifications and I access it less often. 

Maybe today isn't going to be one of those days. I consider most days to be successful if I haven't pissed someone off. It might be one of those days, instead. We'll see.

John

Can we talk?

Unfortunately, I fear the answer is -- No, we can't.

This past weekend, we were blessed to be able to spend time with my cousin and her husband. They hosted us at their home when we were back in Central Illinois for the holiday weekend. We were up late into the night discussing politics, religion, and whatever came to mind. It was easy because we are pretty like-minded on most things.

But what about discussions with those that have vastly different opinions? 
Why can't we discuss things with them?

It seems that discussions and arguments are more about winning than about sharing information these days. While we may not be able to persuade others to our way of thinking, certainly we should be able to share the sources of our information and why we believe what we believe and listen to what evidence others are using to make their decisions. It seems to me that all of life is now about winning and losing, right and wrong, us and them. Even our politicians are more about winning for their parties rather than governing for the good of all of us. There was a time when collaboration between political parties was looked on as a good thing. For more than a decade, one party has openly stated that their purpose is to stop any ideas from the other party from passing. 
That's not how government is supposed to work.

The example set in government is working it's way into all aspects of life. We are so at odds with each other -- straight vs gay, white vs black, Christian vs non-Christian, Democrats vs Republicans, rich vs poor, us vs them.
Sacrebleu!

So I am making this open offer -- Let's talk!
If you are local, we can meet.
If you are not, we can call, FaceTime, or chat via text or messaging.
I'll listen to your opinions, but would hope that you will also share how you've come to those conclusions. I'll even go so far as to NOT share my opinions unless you want to hear them.
I'm not interested in convincing you to believe as I do. I am interested in what you believe and why.

Maybe you'd be interested in making a similar offer to your family or friends.
I think it's time that we return to the civility of conversation.
Share this with others or hit me up yourself.
Can we talk?

John  

On the Road Again

We were home long enough to get the yard mowed and most of the garden weeded, but today we are on the road again. This time back to Central Illinois for cousin Rick's Independence Day celebration. We were there once several years ago, but work and distance was always a problem. We had planned on making it in 2020 since Chris retired in the fall of '19, but the pandemic stepped in and put an end to those plans.

This will be a quick trip -- up today, home Sunday. I am looking forward to visiting with cousins and cousins' kids and grands that I haven't seen much and some that I really don't know well. The annual event is full of food, fireworks, and fun. 

After that, it will be back to working on yard projects -- just a little bit each day. A newly acquired tiller will be a huge difference maker in re-doing some flower gardens and in digging up a new area for landscaping. It will also make next year's gardening easier.

I am looking forward to being back at home and spending regular time on the deck. Morning coffee, afternoon cigars, and relaxing evenings are all pretty easy and peaceful from the screened in confines of the deck. Whether reading, listening to music or the sounds of nature, it is easy to connect with nature, nature's Creator, and the Spirit of God within myself. Everyone should have such a place, even if it is only a place in the mind where one can go to seek refuge from the chaos of the daily grind. I feel quite blessed to be here on a daily basis.

To my American readers -- enjoy the holiday.
While celebrating our Independence from England is a worthwhile thing, I am beginning to see it as an encouragement to the Nationalism that I now see as truly detrimental to real world peace. I will be celebrating the gathering of friends and family, and the bonds of love that we share. I will celebrate the diversities in beliefs and cultures of our country, and pray for a return to the idea that this nation is a place where all peoples are free to live with justice, equality, and freedom.
I would love to feel the pride in the USA that I felt as an ignorant child of privilege.
I would like to feel that pride knowing that all peoples -- no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, economic class, etc, -- are truly equal and have a voice that is heard in this place.

John

Music

What is your go-to music genre?
I'm kind of stuck in the 70s and 80s. I generally listen to Classic Rock. When reading, it's Pandora's Classical music for studying. I can listen to some outlaw country, but not for too long. I know not too many people listen to the radio anymore as there are so many other digital mediums available for delivering more specific music or playlists. 
Right now, I'm listening to Today's Hit's Radio on Pandora. Levitating (feat. DaBaby) by Dua Lipa is what's currently playing. Hmmm...
Just trying to figure out what's current and popular. 

So tell an old school guy what you listen to and what your preferred music medium is. 

John