February 1st -- finally!

Maybe February has only 28 days to make up for the fact that January seems to be so much longer than its 31 days.

I think that February 1st finds me in a pretty good place spiritually and emotionally, but I need to do a little work on the physical part. I believe that overall mental health is very much tied to the physical health and see the societal problems we have with both being in generally poor condition in the US. 
Personally, I don't have issues of depression nor anxiety, and I live a pretty stress free life, but better physical health would be of great benefit to my overall well-being.

I have been giving some consideration to my spiritual health lately and have been wondering if I am being faithful to certain parts of Christian obligations. I no longer feel compelled to force others or to convince them to accept my Christian beliefs, but I do feel like I should still be living and teaching the things that Jesus taught. 
Preaching or teaching in a church setting isn't really available to me and I don't think that is the best venue for me anyway. I really don't know what an effective teaching/preaching ministry would look like anymore. I am a much different person than I was as a Southern Baptist Evangelist, and I don't even feel the need to go to church regularly myself.
I've become pretty anti-religious over the past few years, and yet I am learning much from the teachings of other "religious" leaders.

The ancient shamans of Mesoamerica, the Buddha, Native American medicine men, and many ancient European religions all taught many similar life lessons as what Jesus taught. You can say what you will about his divinity and about your beliefs on heaven, hell, and eternal life, but as far as how to live day to day and treat our fellow human beings -- well, his teachings were much the same as those that came before him.
By and large, today's evangelical Christians are the poster children for the saying of being too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. And as it turns out, I really don't believe they understand heaven at all. What they understand is -- control.

Obviously, I still have a lot of work to do on John and figuring out my place in the world. Maybe another day or two on the beach will help.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

This is how we are easily manipulated by politicians, news, social media, even conversations with friends. Be careful of what you expose yourself to in our chaotic world. Check sources. Be honest about your own prejudices.

John

Taco Tuesday

...or as they call it here in Puerto Vallarta -- Tuesday or martes.

I am enjoying this weather! It is mid 60s (17c) for my morning walk to a different coffee shop and expected to be around 80 (27c) later today. Here is a pic of some of the flora I passed by on my morning walk.

I am ready for spring!

In truth, I may not actually have a taco today. I'll just have to see where the day takes me. Although the breakfast menu at this little cafe looks good, I may just enjoy my coffee and keyboard time and wait to have something to eat. 

Ten years ago I was ending my final shift at work as an air traffic controller. I used the balance of my sick leave to finish out the month and began my quiet, peaceful retirement. A couple of the gifts I received from coworkers were a bomber of a good barrel aged stout and a couple of very fine cigars. In each of the years since then I have celebrated my retirement anniversary with a barrel aged stout and good cigar. It hasn't always been right on the anniversary of my retirement because winter weather in SWMO isn't always kind to outdoor cigar smokers, 
Sometime in the weeks after my return to the States I will celebrate my 10 years of being retired. It has been a pretty good life.

I expect the coming year will also be a good year to be retired. In spite of the surrounding chaos, I am hopeful that good people and good things will continue to surround me and I sincerely believe that I need to have a part in being the good, encouraging, and helpful person to others that venture across my path in 2025. 
I hope to have encouraging posts and share some beautiful pics of my flowers and garden areas. 
For now I am going to follow this morning's Americano with a Oaxacan cold brew. It looks chocolaty and fancy.

John

Monday, Monday

... can't trust that day.

Today's truth seems to be that you can't trust any day or the news that comes from it.

In my absence from the US, I have kept up with the news and politics from home, but it doesn't saturate my day, nor my thoughts. The absurdity of some of it comes up in conversation with expats occasionally, but it remains background noise for the most part. None of the conversations at this corner coffee shop are about the Colombian government this morning, nor about the American president either.

I think that saturation is the most damaging part of the news back in the USA. The constant barrage of idiocy and meanness takes its toll on the sanity of kind and compassionate people. I am going to need to find a way to greatly restrict such negative influences in my life when I return to the US. I'm not sure what that will look like as I already am pretty isolated on our little slice of sanity in an otherwise deeply red area of the Midwest.

Today I will find peace.

I hope you do too.

John

Good Friday

It's Friday of a long, hard week.
Tell me something good!

Mexico is wrapping up the winter league baseball season and the Charros of Guadalajara are in the finals! Aaron and I will be making the trip to see tonight's game three with the seven game series tied at 1-1. All three of the games in Guadalajara are sold out, so we were lucky to get tickets. We'll spend the night at an Airbnb and return to Puerto Vallarta in the morning. 
It's been awhile since Aaron and I have been to a baseball game together and I am looking forward to it. 

In addition to enjoying my time here in PV, I have my implant (dental) surgery scheduled for 2/5. 
It's pretty crazy that I can pay for the implants and the two round trip airfares for less than the cost of implants (same manufacturer) in the US with my insurance. If the cost of dental implants is keeping you from getting them and you are interested in a little medical tourism trip, let me know and I'll put you in touch with my dentista.

Tell me something good.

John

Thursday Theology

It's just three days into this current presidential administration and I am thinking that I need to reinforce some of the spiritual thoughts and ideas that keep me grounded. Maybe there will be something here that will help others, as well.

This morning I was reading in the third chapter of Matthew's Gospel. 
Just a reminder -- Matt 3 is prior to the teaching of Jesus. What we find here is the teaching of John the Baptist as he prepares the way for Jesus. Jesus will pick up where John leaves off, repeating some of the same lessons like -- Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Change how you think about heaven. It's here!)

Look at this from verses 7-10:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sudducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

It's worth noting that John doesn't say that trees that bear bad fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. He says trees that do not bear good fruit will be cut down and burned.

This passage always brings an image to my mind. Several winters back, we had a severe ice storm in the Ozarks. Most of the Bradford pear trees (known for being brittle) in our neighborhood were badly damaged, some nearly split in two and others that lost large branches under the weight of the ice. Several weeks later when most of the clean up was done, there were piles of small logs cut from the trunks, boughs, and branches stacked to dry as firewood. 
These beautiful ornamental pear trees that bear no fruit were ready to be thrown into the fire.

Look at the fruit.
As a follower of Jesus, if I produce no fruit, no evidence of my faith -- am I any better than someone that produces bad fruit or acts in opposition to the teaching of Jesus?
John taught (and later so does Jesus) that our faith must be an active faith. People should know we are Jesus followers by the way we treat others; by the way we love others.

It seems that in today's culture we are most focused on the things we oppose.
What if I focus on the things I am for instead?
What if I focus on bearing fruit consistent with what I believe about life, love, justice, grace, mercy, etc.?
What fruit (if any) am I producing?

Hmmm...?

John

Wednesday Wisdom

Is there anyone that can explain how renaming the Gulf of Mexico makes the US a better place?
I'm all for loving one's country, but how about loving it because we take care of one another and the

land we live on?

John

Tuesday's Perspective

I did spend a few hours sitting on the beach yesterday afternoon. The energy of the beach is definitely therapeutic. The early afternoon when the sun was nearly overhead had a high thin layer of clouds that moved off leaving clear skies later on. As the sun reached full bright, I moved under the cover of the beach umbrella to keep from getting a winter sunburn. 
I enjoyed a margarita with a club sandwich for lunch and later had a paloma and papas fritas (fries). I also managed a couple of cigarillos. It was a good afternoon.

Like most days, I have no real plans for today. I need to get out for a nice walk today, and will likely join some friends for karaoke night tonight, but nothing is certain. I do need to take some laundry out before I run out of clean clothes. That's pretty much a must do today. 
It's just life -- one day at a time.

The privilege of enjoying the tropical weather in Puerto Vallarta while SWMO is experiencing bitter cold is not something I take for granted. The warmth and greenery here has me looking forward to spring gardening. Seeing the fresh produce in the neighborhood stores has me thinking about growing some vegetables this year. I don't know how much I'll do, maybe just some tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, and peppers. I don't want to be too ambitious because I know that my enthusiasm for caring for a garden tends to wane as the temperatures climb in mid-summer.
Even just watering the flowers can grow to be a chore when it is hot and we haven't had much rain. I need to spend some money and do the work to set up a better watering system for our many flowerbeds. 

I think the thing I like most about planting flowers is that the simple act of planting seeds is an act of hope. Each seed holds a promise of future beauty. Each flower is a source of food and life for the birds, butterflies, and bees that will come to attend to them. And each flower will produce a multitude of seeds -- more promises for the future.

Be hopeful.
Find a place of peace today.
Or be a place of peace for those in your community.
Share a drink or a meal with a friend.
Be light in dark places.
Sow seeds of hope.

John

Monday Meditation

This morning's blog is coming from a street side coffee shop in the Santa Maria neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta. Back in the US there are preparations being made for today's presidential inauguration. Some are thrilled about the changes the upcoming administration will be making, many are dreading the coming years, and some are just moving forward and hoping for the best.

I'm not a doom and gloom kind of person, but I do believe that I am going to have to be more aware of social injustices in the coming months and years, and I think we will need to be more aware of what is happening as the American oligarchs take more and more control of the US government.

I am thinking of re-purposing my Monday Meditation post to focus on the teachings of past teachers of social justice and how they stood for the oppressed and how we might be able to do the same. I am most distressed by the attitudes of so many in our coming administration that are insistent about being mean to people they feel are beneath them. I have no use for bullies of any sort, but bullies with social power are the worst.

I am certain that our governmental neighbors here in Mexico and to our north in Canada are looking cautiously at the new US administration, as is the rest of the world. By this time tomorrow the war in Ukraine will be over and the price of eggs will again be reasonable, plus all US citizens will have jobs since the immigrants that have taken them will have been deported. All day 1 stuff, right?

I might need to spend some time on the beach today to purge my mind of the negative thoughts and cares that have seeped into my mind on this inaugural morning. Jesus teaches that worrying about tomorrow is foolish. Today has enough to concern us for now. 
If I consider today -- life is pretty good. I am here in Puerto Vallarta where it is beautiful. Life here is very laid back and simple. My morning Americano is good. The music on in the coffee shop is an 80s mix of familiar songs. The neighborhood streets are busy with both automobile traffic and pedestrians. People are pleasant. I am a little surprised at the number of expats that seem to be living in this very local neighborhood and am pleased that this little coffee shop is relatively busy on this Monday morning.

I think today will be a good day.
Sometimes bad things happen on good days. Let's not give too much credit to those that would bring a darkness to our otherwise sunny day.

Jesus also said -- Don't worry. I have overcome the world. I've got this!

John

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