Thursday Theology

I started a post yesterday but never finished it. It seemed silly to post a Wednesday Wisdom post that didn't offer any wisdom. Some days are just like that. Some days you just do what you can to make it through the day. It wasn't like I was depressed or down or anything. I just wasn't feeling particularly motivated nor wise. But that was yesterday and I did manage to mow the yard (not the field) and get a few other things done. 
Volunteer chaplains meeting today and since it's April 10, I think I'll do taxes this afternoon/evening!

Along the lines of Thursday Theology...
I have had a couple of recent conversations about church with people. While there seems to be plenty of people that have gone through some type of deconstruction of their faith, there doesn't seem to be plenty of churches to accommodate them. It is difficult to have the worship that many desire without the religion that most of us have left behind.

While I do miss some of the worship experience that I have had in churches or church settings, I am doing quite well without the religion and rule of church. I accept that I am pretty much a heretic as far as most of my former "brothers and sisters" are concerned. 
It's in the mid 50s (8c) this morning. The birds are particularly vocal. I can hear a distant rooster crowing. Although shorts and a short sleeved shirt are a little cool for sitting outside, the sun feels warm and I feel connected to nature and to the Creator. 

I do fondly remember the feelings generated by corporate worship. I do miss the experience of shared spiritual celebrations. But I really don't think I would trade what I have this morning to go back to that. 
I have become more sensitive to the energies around me and more connected to all things through private meditation and contemplation than I ever was through religion. I think that I would rather help people find what I have now than what I had then; I'm just not certain how I can go about doing that. 
To be completely honest, I'm not sure that I need to be doing that. Perhaps this is a journey that each person must make on their own. Seeking help and receiving it is very different from offering help and guidance where it isn't always welcomed. The latter sounds a bit like religion. 

I hope you are able to enjoy the energy of the earth today. 
I hope you are able to share your spirit with someone today.
Sing your songs.
Do your kind deeds.
Be love in a world that desperately needs to be loved.

John

Spring -- It's really here!

With last night's frost now in the history books, I believe that I can safely put plants on the deck and put the flower pots outside! I've got a couple of new raised beds for vegetables that I am ready to start and a couple of container plants to add.
Plus -- I have flowers!

I am thinking of re-doing the downspout flowerbeds this year. I'd like to add rain barrels at the downspouts, but I don't really know if it will be worth it. It's a cool, self-sufficient kind of thing that I don't really need since we are on a well. I'll probably redo them without the rain barrels. I am looking forward to being outdoor active once again.
Also, with the warmer nights in the mid 40s (7c) and up, I may be out on the deck for a night or two. I doubt that Groucho the cat is ready for sleeping on the deck at those temps!

Tell me -- What is your favorite part about spring?
Or what are you looking forward to in the coming weeks?
I am looking forward to gardening, going to a few baseball games, and getting the kayak out and onto the water somewhere.

John

Monday Meditation

It has been a minute since I have been purposeful about daily meditation. Recently I have been seeing ads in my social media feeds that promote classes or readings that are teaching meditation techniques. Perhaps, the universe is telling me I need to get back to that practice.
I realize that the season contributes to my lack of regular meditation. I feel better about practicing outdoors where a connection to the world around me comes more easily. It isn't much more difficult inside. It is just a matter of pre-session mindset. I sense that the outside energies are more natural and the inside energies are more manufactured. I don't know if that is the case; it's just the way I feel.

In any case, with spring upon us and the temperatures getting warm enough to be outside for my morning coffee and quiet time, I should be back to a regular practice soon. 

...And some people do both!

John

April Showers

Holy smokes!
Another day of rain in the Ozarks.
The atmospheric river is dumping its water over the Midwest. One weather source said that by the end of the weekend we will have received four months of average rainfall this first week of April. Flood warnings and flash flood warnings are active for much of the area around here.   
Wow!

In spite of the weather, I made it out into the world for a few people gatherings this week -- actually three nights in a row! 
Wednesday night, monthly small group dinner
Thursday night, midweek church gathering at Mother's Brewery
Friday night, shelter volunteer appreciation dinner
Similar to the rain, that's about four months' worth of public exposure in the first week of April!
I think I've earned a few days of quiet solitude!

I heard a line the other day -- There are friends that you take to a ballgame and there are friends that you talk about life with. 
The conversations at the different group gatherings were different -- from small talk to deeper topics of life, death, and perspective. Each was enjoyable in its own way, and each took varying amounts of energy to make it through the respective exposure. 
All-in-all, not a bad week.

And like the early rain showers bringing later blossoms and growth in the local flora, maybe the people exposure will also bring about some type of growth. I'm not certain of that, but I will try to remain positive. It is interesting that I feel less and less like making the effort to be with people, but usually don't mind the experience as it actually happens.

Sometimes I think that maybe I need some counseling, but then my inner voice says, "Maybe people need to stop being such a$$holes!"
I'm sure that's an over simplification. I don't think that all people are jerks, but I do think that most people are a chore for me to be around for very much time. 

When it comes right down to living in the moment -- I have a pretty good life. 
Today's rains are kind of restful. There isn't a lot of activity in nature as much of the wildlife is also seeking shelter from the rain and cool temperature. If we pay attention to nature, we might also use today to tend to our nests and dens (homes) and then to rest for the work that will come after the rains cease.

Be well, my friends,
John 

Wednesday Wisdom

 

April

I am up early on this first day of April. I just dropped the moms off at the airport for their house/pet sitting trip to Mexico. The kids don't seem to have any trouble getting somebody to stay and care for the cats whenever they need to be gone for a time!
Google maps says it is only 30 miles, but it sure seems a lot longer than that. I feel like an old guy when I think that the distance I used to drive every day is now somehow a really long drive. I guess it is just a matter of perspective. 

I'm not planning on going back to bed, even though I only got a few hours of sleep. I'm up and awake so maybe I'll put on a pot of coffee and just consider my early cup as a bonus coffee for being the airport driver this morning.
It is supposed to be another overcast and windy day in the Ozarks of Southwest Missouri. No rain is in the forecast for today, but we are expecting rain for the rest of the week -- April showers, you know! 
Along with the rain, we are expecting some more severe weather--high winds, thunderstorms, hail, etc. The severe storms seem to be a little early for the season. 

Maybe I'll work on starting some plants indoors. I probably should have already done that, but I am pretty much a rookie gardener, so I haven't really made a plan for the year. I do have concepts of a plan, so...

In other news...
It's baseball season!
I am hoping that the Springfield Cardinals' opener doesn't get rained out on Friday. Between my Red Access Membership for the AA team and my MLB TV subscription, most spring and summer evenings will likely be spent watching Cardinal baseball at either the AA or big league level.
AA baseball at the ballpark or StL Cardinal baseball on the deck TV with a cigar and tequila cherry limeade -- either will be a fine way to spend a spring or summer evening. I should set daily work goals so that I can watch the evening games as a reward for all I've accomplished during the day -- a little self-incentivizing (I just made that word up -- and I like it!) 
Maybe I'll do that.
Then again, maybe I won't.
Maybe I'll just watch baseball.

John