Wednesday Wisdom

 

John

Something New

I've been thinking about buying an inflatable kayak or stand up paddleboard for some time. After Chris and I rented a two person kayak to paddle on Lake Springfield a month ago, I saw a deal on a 2-pack of two person kayaks. The reviews said they weren't really well suited to two people, but worked well for one person. I figured I'd probably be by myself most of the time anyway and we could have separate kayaks if we went out together--so I ordered them.

When they arrived, I pulled one out of its box and inflated it to see how easy/hard it was going to be. It wasn't too bad. The hand pump that comes with it is small and takes a bit of work, but I have a larger capacity hand pump that I used yesterday at the lake. I didn't take any pics of it set for one person at the lake, but here it is set for two on my deck.

I did take a few pics while on the lake, but mostly just paddled up the James River a ways and then back. Since my mindset was I was doing it for exercise, I didn't really think about relaxing and just enjoying the day. I put on Pandora's Classic Rock Radio, turned up the volume, put my phone in the pocket of my life vest, and started paddling.

Getting used to the inflatable
It handles a bit differently. Since it rides higher than a traditional sit-in kayak, the bow moves back and forth a lot as you paddle. I found that shallow strokes worked better for holding a steady course and even pace.
It has a bulkier shape than a hard kayak and is truly built for recreation. I don't think I'd take on a rough course or even in a moderate current (if I needed to go upstream).
I think I'll use more air in the floor next time and see if it will make it a little stiffer. It could just be that my fat ass is always going put me at a low spot in an inflatable.
I found that getting into and out of it was a bit tricky--but that's mostly due to be fat and uncoordinated, not due to it being an inflatable. Hopefully the fat part will eventually change.

Overall, I liked it and hope to get plenty of use out of it. I'll need to learn to relax more and enjoy the scenery, maybe even bring a cigar for future outings. With just one person, there is plenty of room for a small cooler to pack a lunch and a few drinks. It's a little late in the year to expect many more outings before spring, but hopefully I'll manage a couple.

John

 

Challenges

So nobody took the challenge to change my mind about the human race being unredeemable.
Interesting.
And a little sad.

Were you one of the people that agreed to join me in my 100 Day Challenge?
How are you doing?
I missed yesterday, so I'm doubling up today.
If you didn't already join, it's not too late. Just send a note or message to one person per day for the rest of the year. If you want to do a full 100 days, just add days into 2022 to make it 100.

John

What Do You Love About...Us?

I started to write What Do You Love About America, but the truth is I don't want to encourage more nationalism. I was thinking about what divides us as a country and wanted to emphasize the things that unite us. 

Why stop at what unites us as a country, and still create barriers with people from other countries?

What do you love about humanity?
What do you love about your life?
What do you love about nature?
I have a feeling that we share much of what we truly love with people from all over the world.

It seems that we are always pointing out our differences -- Christian or non-Christian, American or non-American, black or white, rich or poor, etc., etc.

We sing a song at church that has the line, "When I look into the face of my enemy, I see my brother."
Why can't we look into the faces of refugees and see dads that want a better life for their kids?
Why can't we help the poor or unsheltered of our communities the way we would want to be treated ourselves or have our kids treated if they fell on difficult times?
Why do we see our desires as so important and yet minimize or ignore the desires and needs of others?
Hmmm...
I think I've just convinced myself that we aren't worth saving.

Is humanity worth loving?
                ...worth fighting for?
                ...worth saving?
We'd rather ignore science scientific research and kill our neighbors than admit we've followed lunatic, power hungry, oligarchs and politicians.
We'd rather call people names and be violent than reason or listen to reason.

I think we are self-centered spoiled brats that are genuinely undeserving of love or redemption.
Here's your chance to defend humankind.
Go ahead. 
Change my mind.

John

Good Morning!

What makes a good morning for you?
It's early this morning and I'm up because I set the alarm to wake me--that's a pretty rare occasion.
The reason I set the alarm today is so that I would have my morning quiet time before heading out for our church's annual Venuespalooza Day.

For me, having the time to sit, sip a couple cups of coffee, contemplate life's happenings, and maybe hack out a post--those are the things that make for a good morning. I'd give up an hour of sleep for an hour of sitting and sipping coffee.

As for Venuespalooza...
It's the Sunday when we meet at church and then disperse to several community sites and serve our neighbors. My group will be doing yardwork maintenance at a tiny home community for previously unsheltered persons. COVID kept us from doing this last year and has greatly reduced our numbers from what we've had in previous years, but I'm encouraged by the number of people that have signed up for this year's event.
Afterwards, we'll gather together and have lunch on the church grounds.
It will be a good day.
The quiet time will help prepare me for a morning of being around people.

What makes your morning a good morning?

John

What's Really Important?

What is more important than baseball?

Today baseball fans will gather at stadiums to cheer for opposing teams. Cardinal fans and Cub fans, both fans of baseball, will gather together because of their love of the game. Some of them will be people of color, some of them will not be. Some will be democrats and some will be republicans. Some will sit in expensive suites with catered meals while others are in the bleachers with a hotdog and a bottle of water.
There will be pro-lifers and pro-choice people sitting next to each other and cheering for the same team.
There will be 2nd Amendment defenders high-fiving people in favor of restrictive gun laws.
Never Trumpers and staunch MAGA folks will hug each other in victory or console each other in defeat.
Most of this will happen without people knowing the differences they have because for the moment--for the duration of the game--those things aren't important. 
What divides fans is the color of their clothing or ballcap.

Isn't it weird how we can agree (at least for a few hours) that the things that cause such hatred and division between people are less important than cheering for our team. 

What's more important than baseball?
Pretty much everything.

So why can't we come together to provide a safe place to live for refugees that are fleeing violent or impoverished conditions? Isn't that more important than baseball?
Why can we pass a local bill to provide tax dollars for a new stadium, but can't provide a shelter for people that find themselves homeless for a season? Aren't they more important than baseball?
Why do we allow states to suppress voting rights and work against fair and free elections? Isn't democracy more important than baseball?

I get it.
We need an escape from the troubles of the day and baseball provides it. But if half of the stadium can set aside differences to cheer for the same team, and all of the stadium can agree that baseball is a grand escape from life; can't we come together for something--anything--that's truly important?

I'm as thrilled as the next guy that the Cardinals are having quite the comeback season (really it's amazing, but I'm probably not as thrilled as the next guy), but is it really that important?
Selfcare is important and we all need a place of escape. If baseball works for you--cool. But can we apply any of this to actually making a difference? 

If you've made it this far, thank you for listening to my rant.

John

Living for Eternity--No Thank-you.

I've decided that living for eternity is too hard.
Living in the moment takes both practice and purpose.
But living in the moment is both practical and doable.
Living for eternity is pointless and illogical.

For most of my life, religion has taught me to focus on eternity. The phrase "too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good" is what comes to mind. When Jesus said that he came so that we could have life and have it abundantly, I don't think he was talking about life after death. I really think he was talking about an abundant and meaningful, in-the-moment kind of existence.

Since abandoning the idea of having to spend this existence striving to earn a good next existence, I've become a much better person (at least I think so). I have also found more peace and joy in this life and have found a greater soul connection to other people, to the Universe in general, and to God.
Don't misunderstand me--I do believe that we are eternal beings and will live for eternity. It's just that if we are already living for eternity, why should that be our focus? Why not focus on the now? When eternity gets here (it never will) you will still be focusing on the moment at hand (the future now).

It's pretty strange how far from religion this former preacher has strayed. My 2020 theme was, "The farther I got from religion, the closer I got to God." 
Even though religion is supposed to connect us to God, it seems that anything in the hands of humankind will eventually be usurped and used by some people to gain control over other people. Doesn't that sound more like today's religion than something that leads us to God?

When it comes to living for eternity, my inclination is to say, "Dude, you are on your own!"
But I don't really believe that's true. I believe that's why we have Jesus and his teachings. It's also why we have the teachings from other good and sound minds throughout our human history. It's also why we have each other.
I'm not sure I can offer much help when it comes to living for eternity, but if you are interested in just living in the moment -- hit me up. Breakfast, lunch, coffee, beer, a little conversation and a good cigar, whatever -- we can share a moment and live it together. Why wait for eternity? Let's live now!

John

Ready for Spring (okay, not quite)

Like most mornings I am starting my day drinking coffee and perusing the interwebs while sitting on the screened-in deck. This morning instead of the usual shorts and t-shirt, I am wearing flannel pajama pants and a long sleeved shirt (and am still a little cold). It was 46f (7.8c) when I got up this morning and I'm thinking -- 1) Is it too soon to be missing summer, and 2) I'm ready for spring!

Okay, so I'm not really ready for spring because I've got a lot of garden and yardwork to do before spring gets here, but I think you understand what I'm feeling here.

(after a few calming breaths)

I am going to embrace the moment and be thankful for the 70 degree temps today as I work outside. I'm going to take advantage of the fall/winter seasons to prep my garden area for next growing season since I didn't do that last year and my garden kind of sucked this year. 
Accepting what I can't change and changing what I can -- all a part of that serenity thing, right?
My version has a little different ending--

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And a good cigar to smoke while I figure out the difference.

Dang! That might be marketable!
The Cigar Smoker's Serenity Prayer

I'm going to have to breakout the wood burning tools I got for Christmas and make a sign to hang on the deck. Maybe have t-shirts printed to sell. Oh, and pint beer glasses.
I think I'd better grab a good cigar and think this through.
Well, I've got my day planned out. What's up in your day?

John

Autumn Begins

I guess this is the final sunrise of summer. It does make me feel a little sad, but it is all a part of the annual cycle of life -- growing, thriving, dying, waiting on rebirth. I just don't get why so many are into the dying part of the cycle.

It's time for the garden to come down. I dug up some carrots and potatoes (had some for dinner last night) and have started the process of prepping for next growing season on one of the garden beds. I'll be getting to the others later this week or next week. It will be a good time for outdoor work and there is plenty of it.
No worries, I've got the time.

I'm not ready to spend nights reading by the fireplace just yet, but I did pick up a couple of recommended books from the library yesterday. I still have a little left in The Templars, and I have my Dragon Mage fictional series I'm working through, but three books at a time isn't too unusual so I started on Life Maps by Jim Fowler and Sam Keen and will wait until I finish The Templars to begin The Knowledge Machine by Michael Strevens.
I think a two hour cigar (or two) maybe in my future.

Today begins the countdown -- 100 days remaining in 2021. If you are in on the 100 Day Challenge, today is Day 1. If you don't know about it, you can read about it here and join in.
Comments on Facebook show 8 friends joining in. One more will give us a total of ten people and that would mean 1000 messages going out by the end of the year.

2022 minus 100 days and counting

John

Goodbye Summer and a 100 Day Challenge

It is the last full day of summer!
Here in SWMO Autumn is beginning a day early. After an all night rain, the temperature today is only forecast to reach 70 (21.1c) and the overnight temp tonight is down to 50 (10c)! I'm definitely not a fan of fall. Give me warm weather and long days! 

After today there are 100 days left in 2021.
What should I do for the next 100 days?

I thought about writing something here every day for the next 100 days. It would be a challenge and I doubt that anybody would really care or benefit from it. I could probably manage to post memes, jokes, and trivia, but posting every day doesn't really count as writing every day.

I have been reading pretty much everyday. My Kindle app says 29 days in a row (and 40 weeks in a row) on the app, plus I've actually read a few real books. I suppose I could shoot for 129 days in a row.

I could easily spend time every day for the next 100 days working in or around the house. There are several gardening and landscaping projects to tend to, as well as shelving to put up in the basement and cleaning and organizing all of our crap that is stored down there.

Maybe send 100 cards, notes, or letters to people?
Maybe just one person per day for the next 100 days gets a personal message, thank you, or word of encouragement. Hmmm...this has possibilities. I might even combine an occasional post with a virtual shout out and social media tag.

Would anyone else care to join me?
For the next 100 days (beginning Sept 22) we send a thank-you, a note of encouragement, or just a personal message to one person. And for the purposes of this challenge, let's say that Christmas cards and letters don't count.

Let me know if you're in!
Feel free to share this post or idea with others. The more the merrier! Take full advantage of today's technology or write out an old fashioned letter. It's just one person per day. If just ten people will join in, we can make 1000 people smile over the next 100 days!

At 2:20PM CDT tomorrow the sun crosses the Equator on its southward journey and Fall begins in the Northern hemisphere. If anyone wants to buy me an Oktoberfest beer to cry in or offer me words of encouragement, I am available.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

John

Random Thoughts--Does Love Really Win?

These are not actually random thoughts; but the post is pretty random and without any planning or order.
It isn't something that I planned on writing about. It is something that I've been considering a lot recently.

Why do we (Americans in particular, people in general) have such a fascination with violence?
I don't know if the gun culture of the US is a symptom or a cause, but I suspect it is both.
I am particularly chagrined at the large number of Christians that are devoted to the military supremacy of the US and in favor of a huge military budget, but are often opposed to spending funds on programs to help the poor and underprivileged.

It is no wonder that all of our society from local and national politics to local and national religion is moving (or has moved) to a bullies rule kind of hierarchy.
The same abuse of power and privilege that I am reading about in Dan Jones's book The Templars can be seen in our own law enforcement system today -- NINE HUNDRED YEARS later.

Are we destined to always seek the violent solution and deal with the tragic pain and loss associated with it?
Are there no diplomats left in our human race?
Are there no peacemakers?
Or are the diplomats and peacemakers just silenced by the noise of the violent and the violence?
How do we move from a culture of violence against our enemies to a culture that forges relationships that removes enmity between peoples?
Even the often used statement, "Love wins" implies there is a battle to be fought. Is everything about winning and losing? If there are losers, does love really win?

Just sharing some of the things I'm thinking about these days.
Let me know if you have any thoughts or answers.

John

Books

What are you reading?

My re-entry into the world of fiction has kept me pretty occupied. I have been making use of a couple of free e-book sites to get books for the kindle app on my phone and tablet. The free books also allow me to explore different genres without cost. I should also make use of the local library more often.

In non-fiction reads, I am currently reading The Templars by Dan Jones. It is a history of the Knights Templar and is pretty interesting. I'm only beginning it, but find the travel during the eleventh and twelfth centuries fascinating. Their sense of adventure and longing for knowledge and firsthand experience is pretty incredible.
It is also strange that the violence in the name of God had become normal, justifiable, and accepted, and it remains so today. Though these men set out to be protectors with monastic vows of poverty and humility, they ended up being powerful, rich, and largely unaccountable warriors that killed at their own discretion and felt justified in doing so.
I am just getting started in this book, but am looking forward to learning more.

I also ordered two books that weren't at our local library branch. These non-fiction recommendations came from our Associate Pastor.  Life Maps by Jim Fowler and Sam Keen and The Knowledge Machine by Michael Strevens. Hopefully I'll be finished with the Templar book by the time they come in.

My current fiction work is a fantasy series with dragons, witches, ogres, and fairies. It's different but light and easy to pick up for a few pages or a chapter and set back down. The previous crime thrillers I was reading were harder to put down. I've probably finished a dozen or so books in the past three or four weeks. That's quite a bit more reading than I normally do.

How about you?
What are you reading?

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 Sometimes wisdom is knowing that it doesn't have to make sense to be right.

John

UNION - Yes!

Something for your Labor Day

John
Commercial Food Workers
International Sheet Metal Workers
National Air Traffic Controllers Association

Once upon a time, a long long time ago...

I was a stupid kid, not really unintelligent, but I did some stupid things. I'm fortunate that things have worked out so well. As a seventeen year old kid I won an all expense paid, full ride scholarship to Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, courtesy of my rich Uncle Sam and the United States Navy.
Pretty smart kid, right?

After a semester of some serious partying I was ready to hang it up and figure out what to do next. I had already decided to quit school and was walking through the Navy building when the office administrator stepped out of the office and said, "John Hill? Colonel Morgan would like to see you." Our CO was a bird colonel Marine with the first name Ira. Yeah, he was a tough old bird.

Apparently my mom had called to give the Navy a heads up on my decision and the Colonel was now going to talk me out of quitting. Honestly, I'm not sure how he did it or what he said, but thirty minutes later I was staying for another semester--on academic probation.
At the end of my second semester, I did drop out of school and surrendered that full-ride scholarship.
See--not so smart, after all.

I wasn't ready to move back to sleepy, little Chillicothe IL and managed to get a job in New Orleans at the Canal Street location of Zales jewelry store. I worked there for several months before my roommate decided to move into another apartment with guys that were going to school and that left me with an apartment that I couldn't afford on my own.
Zales helped to find me a job back in Illinois and I eventually wound up at a mall in Vernon Hills, north of Chicago, not far from the Wisconsin line. 

The Zales store I ended up in only had a half dozen employees or so, but one of them was a very pretty blonde that I tricked into falling in love with me and getting married.
Smart, huh?

That's the short version of how I met Chris.
It was January of 1980. We got engaged on Christmas Eve and married the following September.
Today is our 40th Anniversary.

It's been quite a ride.
And I really can't imagine doing life with anyone else.
Sometimes I feel like this is just how life is supposed to be, like it isn't anything out of the ordinary or special.
We are pretty different in so many ways. Most nights find Chris inside watching TV and me outside on the deck smoking a cigar and listening to the night sounds. I usually turn in around midnight and sleep until 7ish. She's more likely to read until 3 or 4 in the morning and wake up around noonish.
I'm happy with just the two of us. She needs more people interaction.
I like baseball and the fights. She doesn't like any sports.
Much of our time spent together is pretty quiet and laid back, often with her reading her book and me reading mine and a little Van Morrison or Jackson Brown playing in the background.
It's been a lot of years since the kids have moved out and started their own grown up lives. We are well past the empty nesters stage. Retirement in the Covid era isn't exactly what anyone expected it to be and we are still trying to figure it out along with everybody else. Eventually we'll be able to do more traveling like we had hoped to do. As it is, we both really like our new home and there is plenty of stuff to do whenever we feel like doing it.
It's a simple life, but it's a good one.
And maybe being so comfortable with someone after 40 years isn't all that ordinary.
Maybe it's actually pretty special, pretty extraordinary.                                                                                                            
Like I said, I really can't imagine doing life with anyone else. 
Happy Anniversary, Babe.
I love you.

John

Metamorphosis

So this happened overnight.
I took the first pic through the window.

I've been keeping an eye on this for a few days. You can see the chrysalis attached to the corner of the front porch. It's just below the recently emerged butterfly. I was glad I took this through the window because when I went out on the porch to take a pic, the little bugger released and fell to the mulched bed below.

There is a second chrysalis on the porch that is also empty this morning.
Fortunately, we have plenty of nearby flowers for these new creatures to get their life strengthening nectar.
Ain't nature grand?

John

Learning New Stuff and Changing Your Mind

A week from tomorrow I'll be speaking at Downtown Venues. The current series is on having permission to change your mind. Pastor Jodi has been teaching about the psychology behind changing our way of thinking and the natural resistance we often encounter when we come across new information that contradicts what we've been taught and accept as truth.

I've been thinking about my contribution for next week for a couple of weeks now, but haven't written any notes nor documented any scripture verses or appropriate quotes. Pastor Jodi has set me up well for sharing some of my own journey as well as taking a look at a New Testament evangelist that underwent a pretty drastic change -- the apostle Paul.

It's not the first time I've spoken at Downtown Venues (aka Barchurch), but I am still a bit intimidated by it. I think that comes from recognizing that our Venues' pastors are well educated (I am not) and they make great use of technology for enhancing their messages and even for keeping it light with a little humor. I'm kind of stuck in the--tell a good story and let the listeners come up with their own images--kind of message delivery. The Venues' culture refrains from using normal church speak. We sing together at church, but don't call it congregational singing. We generally have a song that leads into the message time, but don't call it special music. And we speak, teach, or share a message, but we never preach. It's a church that doesn't want to look or act like a typical church because too many people have been rejected and hurt by -- you guessed it -- churches.
It's probably natural for a former itinerant Southern Baptist evangelist to worry about being too churchy, right?

For the most part I've already set aside the proverbial cleric's collar and I'm okay with that. Getting the chance to "speak" at Downtown Venues is a real honor and quite a treat for me. But while The Venues is a pretty open and inclusive community, I don't want to overstep the privilege of speaking and have my style or message be the reason for not being able to speak again in the future. The spiritual responsibility of preaching/teaching/delivering a message at church is one that truly burdens me. It's actually been a bit of a relief that it is no longer a big part of my being.

Stay tuned. I'll let you know how it goes.

John