It Bears Repeating

I have learned this lesson a thousand times.

BE GRATEFUL. Always be grateful.

I should create eyewear featuring a Heads-up display that will serve as a reminder for all waking hours. 

Missing Fall Colors

Am I yet too early?

It's been years since I remember being wowed by the season of exuberant and lively splashes of red, orange, yellow, green, and brown.

Living in Ohio, I could never find that elusive 'peak'. I rationalized that my mistake was my inability to figure out the timing because I was unfamiliar with this part of the country. But I'm now in Iowa wondering why everything changes from green to brown, sans any inspiring color. The sidewalks are full of dry leaves. I found a couple of examples of the condition of these sidewalk leaves, but when seeking treetops, the only words coming to mind say, "Nothing to see here, folks." 

But the other day, I found one! I stopped in my tracks and took a photo because - I had to! 

The Pull of Black Apples

Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov (Ewen McGregor) tells a childhood story at a gathering of friends in the television series, A Gentleman in Moscow.

“Where I grew up, there was an old legend that, hidden deep in the forest, there was a tree with apples as black as coal. And if you could find this tree and eat its fruit, you could live your life anew.

“Begin the journey again... a tantalizing thought.

Oldies But Goodies

We live in a fast world. I’ve heard it said that computer speed and power have doubled every 2 years since the 1960s. Since I was just a kid, I can look back and see it. Take cars for example.

We used to sit overlooking a highway when visiting my Grandparents. We counted the number of cars that had air conditioning. One could tell because, at outside temperatures of 90 degrees, the windows were rolled up. We were in awe, especially since we didn’t even have a/c in the house. And, just a side note, they rolled those windows up with a crank.

I won’t go into the wide array of automobile features available today. You already know that the change is staggering.

A Snob Learns About Gratefulness

Several years ago, I was being considered for a position on the Board of Directors for a nonprofit organization serving children in a depressed area of the city. I was told to write a ‘short bio.”  (Well, good luck with THAT!)

Anyway, the results were tabulated, and I was elected. They took me in even though this sentence was part of the submitted ‘who I am’ document.

“Beyond the basics, you’ll find that I am a self-proclaimed coffee snob.  I prefer “discriminating consumer”, but accuracy demands the “s” word.  It’s not that I won’t drink “sawdust-in-a-cup” at times, but I may make every effort to convert those who regularly partake in this disturbing practice.  You’ve been warned.”

Well, that was then, this is now.

TOO Much to DO

We could probably name this one, "Overwhelmed."
Or we could name it, "The Best of Times."

Yeah, right. At first glance, you probably do not see it. Those two titles seem to be completely contradictory, to say the least. I admit that I would have wholeheartedly agreed with your assessment not so very long ago. I could not see what was right in front of my nose.

Then someone pointed me to a video by Gretchen Rubin called, The Years Are Short.

Yeah. You've Heard It All Before

You've heard it before but since you’re now hearing it again from me, you can and should anticipate a little ‘twist’ because well, you know how my brain works!

Some of you know that I follow several churches, pastors, preachers, and even a sage here and there. I mean, I’m looking for ways to follow Jesus and there’s a lot to be learned if you’re open to a variety of opinions.

This week, I watched a sermon from one particular pastor. When he preaches, I tend to turn a deaf ear. This is a struggle because I know that with every book, with every speech, within every moment of life, I can learn something. But this guy? He literally dropped me from this church.  Well, I think he did.  

The Bear, The Turtle, and Thanksgiving

Today, I'm going to start with a word association game. Since I am not asking for results, you are completely safe in your own psychological cocoon. 

Besides, ask anyone. I do not play games. No Monopoly. No Scrabble. Nope, not even Simon Says.

So, here's the test. Write down the first word that comes to your mind when someone says:

• Bear
• Turtle
• Thanksgiving

SKIPPY vs JIF

 I always buy Skippy Peanut Butter.  As a snack, it goes quite well with bananas.  

I tried buying another brand once.  I peeled the banana and then opened the jar.  There was a shimmering pool of oil (or some viscous substance) floating above what I assume was the peanut butter.  The sight made me think I should be 'Oreo-dunking' the banana.  Still, after many years, the thought makes me well, gag a little.

It was not difficult to promise myself that I would never experiment again. I deduced it was not good to fool with Mother Nature.  Sorry, scratch the word ‘Nature’ in favor of ‘Taylor’.

Wet Pants and Virtue

"Come with me to a third-grade classroom. There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."

Save The Date

For the past 14 months, I have succeeded in spending time every week conveying my spiritual thoughts through writing on this platform. For the most part, I think it’s been a great way to spend time with God, while recounting things I’ve seen, experienced, and learned.

These forays into the mind that directs the fingers have also been a source of forced self-reflection.  Behaviors, reactions, and internal self-talk are examined.  Laser pointed beams reveal shortcomings while I struggle to live (well lean towards is a better description) a Christ-like life.

But as of late, it seems I’m becoming a bit overloaded with my own advice. It might well be that my current work-life is oppressive.  Maybe some of this is generated because this season of the year creates long stretches where making the trip back home is impossible.  Perhaps there’s some exhaustion playing around the corners of daily life.

Harder Than You Think, Unfortunately

Once upon a time, I heard a suggestion.  I'm offering this tidbit today while fully admitting to unintended plagiarism since I cannot find the sermon/talk/video or whatever/whoever it was that brought this to my attention.

It's about gratitude.

Before going to sleep every night, remember to give thanks for 3 things that happened during the past 24 hours for which you are grateful.

It starts out easy:

Muscle Memory & Gratefulness - Part 4

If you're still with me, maybe you're in agreement that sometimes it's necessary to work on things in order to get better at things.

We've been talking about muscle/motor memory and gratitude.  They don't seem to fit together but the point would be; if we want to get better at recognizing gifts and responding immediately and graciously, we will need to work on it.

How?

Muscle Memory & Gratefulness - Part 3

Thinking that the case for being a grateful person was pretty much a slam-dunk (Part 1 and Part 2), I thought I'd take a second to investigate opposing thoughts.  I actually didn't think there would be any.

Surprise!  There are opposing views for everything and I should know this by now.

Interestingly enough, some naysayers make a good point or two.

Let me paraphrase a few of the objections promoted by those who feel gratitude isn't necessarily a good thing.

Muscle Memory & Gratefulness - Part 2

In the last post, short descriptions and examples were reported for the words muscle memory and motor memory. Gratefulness was only briefly mentioned and just a small amount of time was spent connecting the two thoughts.

An initial response might be to ask why this connection is important.

First, the ability to do hundreds of things without conscious thought makes living manageable.

Second, it would be my guess that most of us believe that we are grateful people.  We would also agree that sometimes, we forget.  Since we occasionally need reminders, let's consider how it may be possible for gratitude to be our default position.  What if our very first thought was, "Thank you"?

Growing up I remember hearing, "Did you write Grandma a thank you note for your birthday present?"  "Did you send thank you cards to the people that sent a gift for your graduation?"

About that wedding day, how long did it take to get those cards out?

There are hundreds of like examples.  Every day I'm sure that I miss being grateful somewhere. Let's start with the fact that I was wonderfully created by a loving God!  How often do I miss THAT one?

Consider it Pure Joy: Not.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.   James 1:2-5

When I added the above scripture quote to the last article, I felt pretty good about it. But, not many hours later, that was no longer true.  There was no evidence pointing to 'pure joy'.

And here's one from Paul:

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, and in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:10

You guessed it.  Not feeling so strong either at this moment in time.  What the...?