Just Business

Annoying.

Except for a final proofread, today’s article was ready to submit. It now sits in an ever-expanding draft folder, as once again, I’m starting over. I’ve said I need to embrace life’s interruptions, and this is just one of them. It will happen again, no doubt.

I can usually pinpoint the beginnings of these ramblings. It’s a little murky today. A decades-old conversation suddenly popped into awareness and here we are.  

Once upon a time, there was a discussion between a self-proclaimed religious person, me, and an observer. I’m fuzzy on the explicit details, but here’s the gist.

Jerry and Dryer Lint

Unrelated, both events took place on Saturday. 

For a while now, I have shared laundry appliances. But it’s the dryer that I will focus on today. More accurately, it’s the product of that dryer that haunts me.

It's that lint trap. I normally clean it before and after I dry my clothes. But over time, I’ve noticed that ‘others’ do not subscribe to the same procedures. Empirical evidence suggests that ‘others’ remove the lint only before drying their clothes. 

After realizing this, I decided this was quite unfair. As a result, I resolved that I too would become a one-and-done participant. That will teach them. And so, with that mindset, I prepared to do laundry.

With the last turn of the drum, the final load was dry. All packed up and ready to go, my feet stuck to the floor. Perhaps this is the physical manifestation of guilt. At that moment, I hated guilt. Putting the hamper on the floor, I grabbed a paper towel, emptied the trap (again), cleaned off the top of the dryer, and left.

Ronnie Williams

I think it’s very strange how our mind works. Today, I thought of a friend from 40 years ago and the trigger was a coffee pot.

Ronny was a fun guy.  He was always smiling and joking around even though his life was not what most would call exciting, fulfilling, or even pleasant on most days. But we were friends because, well how could you not be friends with him?

• He had a glass eye. So, you never really knew if he was looking straight at you. He thought that was amusing and used it - all the time!
• He was a diligent employee who seemed to be passed over for promotion more than one might expect.
• I saw him dejected only once.

One-Man Performance

Act 1 - Unplugged.

Connected to the wall and attached to the iPad, the cord is frayed and will soon fail to do its job.  The pleasures of Hulu, YouTube, and FaceTime will cease to exist.

Additionally, a small blue light speaks to warn of a keyboard that is no longer accepting the charge it is designed to embrace.  Sound adjustments will become more difficult and disappointment will surely ensue if the expectation is to see newly typed words on the screen.

***

Act 2 - Construction without Warning.  

A typical 7-minute drive has surprisingly become nearly 30 with the unexpected introduction of road construction revealed when cresting the small hill.  

Improving Life with the Push of a Button

The Box (2009)
(Spoiler Alert - The Wikipedia reference link completely describes this movie)

"A suburban couple, Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden), face a moral dilemma when they receive a gift that bears irrevocable consequences. With the press of a button, their simple wooden box will bestow $1 million; however, a stranger somewhere else will die, at the same time. The box will be theirs for only 24 hours, and as time ticks away, Norma and Arthur confront the depth of their humanity as they consider their choices."  (Google.com description)

"You Have to Come to My House"

Relationship.

Varied connections exist between all of us.  We can relate as a friend, relative, parent, acquaintance, co-worker, colleague, employee, customer, client, and more.  Once upon a time, I heard a very down-to-earth analogy to help understand some of these personal relationships.

Here's how it goes.  You have various people in your life.  Some are Sidewalk People.  Some are Porch People.  Some are Living Room People.  And some, very few, are Refrigerator People.  Huh?

Is There Anything I Can Do . . .

A friend's job loss creates an inability to provide for the family.
You ask, "Is there anything I can do?"

A long-time neighbor dies.
You ask, "Is there anything I can do?"

A car accident creates months of physical therapy for a co-worker.
You ask, "Is there anything I can do?"

A family member is diagnosed.  It doesn't look good.
You ask, "Is there anything I can do?"

The question is honest and sincere.
It's asked out of compassion, empathy and maybe even love.

A genuine offer gratefully accepted as both recognize that, in most cases, there is nothing that can help.  There's nothing to be done.

It's futility is heavy.  And lonely.

Weigh-in

About this time in 2013, I lost nearly 50 pounds!  Like everyone who does something like this, I promised that those pounds would never come back.

Like everyone else who does something like this, I lied.  30 are back!  But I'm going after those "extras" and I will lose them . . . again.

I heard that weighing yourself first thing in the morning is best.  Consistency is important.  In my wisdom, I added "daily" thinking that more is better.  Well, it is, right?

I now read that watching progress, or lack thereof, on a micro level is neither encouraging nor motivating.  Weekly is the way to go.