A few days ago, I was lamenting. Lament: to feel or express sorrow or regret for, to mourn for or over. In my case, it was feeling sorry for myself. I was lamenting over my age.
I sometimes wonder how I got to be this old. Gee, it seems like yesterday, I was cruising down the Valley City blacktop in a 1961 red Bel-Air station wagon, seeing just how fast that beast could fly. Then, fast forward and a look in the mirror, I realize those times really were a long time ago.
To be fair though, to all of us in this predicament, it's not always easy. The generation known as the Baby Boomers have been bombarded, from day one, with notions and potions to stay forever young looking. Even today, there is hardly an advertisement for anything relating to health or skin care that does not include the words, "anti-aging". Getting older is treated like something akin to the plague. It's unfortunate that so much time and money is spent convincing us that something about us is not quite right, be it our eyebrows or toe nails or the list of things in between.
In my period of lamentation, I was corrected by two people. One was younger and the other a bit older. Both said the same thing.
They told me I was fortunate to be the age I am and there is one alternative to not getting older. They were right.
So, I've been trying to be more grateful. Reminding myself of simple things, like listening to how I speak to myself. Most of us fall into the category of, if we talked to others the way we talk to ourselves, we wouldn't have many friends.
I've been trying to be better about paying attention. Not just about my surroundings, but to this physical house that contains my soul. I read in a book on yoga, that all the poses are to be done by breathing only through the nose and when we do that, we can feel the air move over the soft palate in our mouth. I thought that was the weirdest thing I had ever heard of, but guess what. It's true, you can actually feel the breath. While pouring a bottle of water into a cup, I noticed the bottle got warm, then it dawned on me. The bottle did not get warm because the water was leaving it, it got warm from the transfer of heat from my hand to the plastic.
Just little things like that are great reminders of the spark. The spark of life that is the only thing that keeps us and the Creator apart.
Monday, April 29, 2019
Monday, April 22, 2019
From The Desk of the Dog
It's Runtly! The ever so entertaining Jack Russel Terrier, JRT for short! Mom told me a great story, but she said I had to tell a story about myself first. Mom says I'm a thief.
I'm not really sure what a thief is, but Mom says I take things that are not mine. Well, duh! That's what JRT's do! I like to get up on the tallest seat in the house. I do this so I can scan my surroundings, the things I don't see when I'm on the floor. Then when I see something out of place, I can make my plan of attack.
For instance, Mom has two dried lemons in the front room. One is on the bookcase and the other is on a small table. Mom says lemons help to take away any negativity in the area......yeah, I know, Mom's weird. Anyway, I have spent many moons contemplating just how to get those lemons. So far I have not succeeded, but that does not mean I have given up. Just the other day, Mom left her chair pulled out from her desk. I hopped up there and proceeded to walk all over Mom's work space until I found something most delightful. It was Mom's tape dispenser. Mom was doin' yoga, so she didn't see me. She could hear something, but by the time she went to look, the tape dispenser was in about a zillion pieces. That's the whole point, search and destroy. Mom has these crazy balls she keeps in the clothes dryer and they're made of wool......one of them has a flat side to it...heh, heh, heh. I think my very favorite thing is the bag of bags. It is in a bottom drawer where Mom works. It is a small plastic bag that has a whole bunch of smaller plastic bags in it. Mom still hasn't learned to keep that drawer shut. There's nothin' better than the sound of shredding plastic.
Mom says that is enough confessing for now and I can tell the story. A long long time ago, way back in 1795, there was a man named John Russell. He was a minister and he liked to hunt foxes. Oh, and I tagged Squirrel this morning! Dad said he ran like a deer! Mom says to pay attention to what I'm supposed to be doing.....anyway. Parson John Russell came across a dog called an English White terrier. Rev. Russell thought this dog was the most incredible animal he had ever witnessed when it came to hunting foxes. So, over the next few years, the good parson began to breed the terrier in search of the best fox hunting dog ever. Somewhere along the line, things came together and behold! The Jack Russell Terrier was born!
The original breed, the English White Terrier, does not even exist anymore and the exact recipe for the JRT is not known, but Mom thinks otherwise. Mom thinks ol' Rev. Russell wrestled with the devil and put some of him in the mix.
I don't know what the devil is, but, say, is that a paper towel on the counter.....? Woof!
I'm not really sure what a thief is, but Mom says I take things that are not mine. Well, duh! That's what JRT's do! I like to get up on the tallest seat in the house. I do this so I can scan my surroundings, the things I don't see when I'm on the floor. Then when I see something out of place, I can make my plan of attack.
For instance, Mom has two dried lemons in the front room. One is on the bookcase and the other is on a small table. Mom says lemons help to take away any negativity in the area......yeah, I know, Mom's weird. Anyway, I have spent many moons contemplating just how to get those lemons. So far I have not succeeded, but that does not mean I have given up. Just the other day, Mom left her chair pulled out from her desk. I hopped up there and proceeded to walk all over Mom's work space until I found something most delightful. It was Mom's tape dispenser. Mom was doin' yoga, so she didn't see me. She could hear something, but by the time she went to look, the tape dispenser was in about a zillion pieces. That's the whole point, search and destroy. Mom has these crazy balls she keeps in the clothes dryer and they're made of wool......one of them has a flat side to it...heh, heh, heh. I think my very favorite thing is the bag of bags. It is in a bottom drawer where Mom works. It is a small plastic bag that has a whole bunch of smaller plastic bags in it. Mom still hasn't learned to keep that drawer shut. There's nothin' better than the sound of shredding plastic.
Mom says that is enough confessing for now and I can tell the story. A long long time ago, way back in 1795, there was a man named John Russell. He was a minister and he liked to hunt foxes. Oh, and I tagged Squirrel this morning! Dad said he ran like a deer! Mom says to pay attention to what I'm supposed to be doing.....anyway. Parson John Russell came across a dog called an English White terrier. Rev. Russell thought this dog was the most incredible animal he had ever witnessed when it came to hunting foxes. So, over the next few years, the good parson began to breed the terrier in search of the best fox hunting dog ever. Somewhere along the line, things came together and behold! The Jack Russell Terrier was born!
The original breed, the English White Terrier, does not even exist anymore and the exact recipe for the JRT is not known, but Mom thinks otherwise. Mom thinks ol' Rev. Russell wrestled with the devil and put some of him in the mix.
I don't know what the devil is, but, say, is that a paper towel on the counter.....? Woof!
Monday, April 15, 2019
For The Grace
Sally Goodin pulled into the Wal Mart parking lot like she had done a zillion times before. She always parked as far away from the front door and as close to the nearest empty cart corral as possible. She did this for the exercise. She felt like every step made was one made in a good direction for her health. But, this day, Sally did something unusual, she parked closer to the entrance and even managed to find a spot next to a cart corral.
Some vague thought floated through her mind as she even questioned herself on why she chose to park there. When she turned the car key to the off position, something caught her eye. At the opposite end of the cart corral sat a young woman. A young woman with two small children. Sally reckoned the children where around 3 and 5 years old. They must be waiting for someone to come pick them up, Sally thought. Sally hopped out of her car and walked to the entrance of the store.
She did not have many items to find, which was a good thing, as she had a day full of activities to attend to. In no time at all, she was checked out and walked out the exit door, bags in hand. Then she noticed there was another young woman talking to the young mother, still sitting by the corral. Sally watched as the two talked and then the other woman walked to her vehicle and left. As Sally reached her car and opened the door, she asked the young mother if she needed a ride. The mother answered, very politely, "no ma'am".
Sally started to get into her car, stopped and asked one more question, "Are you OK?"
The young mother with the two small children looked at Sally and said, "I'm just trying to sell this TV so I can buy some groceries for my kids." Sally had not noticed the TV. It was a small flat screen variety and it was sitting in a stroller. There were several places in the city where panhandling was the norm, but Sally had never seen anyone in this area before. Besides, the woman did not ask her for anything, she was simply sitting in the middle of a parking lot, with her two small children, trying to sell a TV. Sally sat down in her car, opened her billfold and looked at the two one dollar bills that were in there. She took them out, got back out of the car and gave them to the young mother, telling her it was not much, but it was all the cash she had.
Sally drove off. The image of the young mother and her two children still vivid in her mind. Sally pulled over and stopped the car. She did have more cash in her wallet. It was stashed in a secret pocket. It was for a pair of boots she had been saving for.
She pulled the money out of its secret place, put the car into gear and drove back to the parking lot. She rolled her window down, pulled up along side of the stroller and told the young woman, "I don't want the TV, but you have a nice day.", and handed her boot money to the young mother. The young mother thanked her graciously and as Sally drove off, she heard the little boy say "Did you get some money Mama?"
Sally watched them in the rear view mirror as she drove off. She wondered if she had just been played, taken for a fool. It did not matter. It was the spirit of which it was given because Sally knew all too well that, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
Some vague thought floated through her mind as she even questioned herself on why she chose to park there. When she turned the car key to the off position, something caught her eye. At the opposite end of the cart corral sat a young woman. A young woman with two small children. Sally reckoned the children where around 3 and 5 years old. They must be waiting for someone to come pick them up, Sally thought. Sally hopped out of her car and walked to the entrance of the store.
She did not have many items to find, which was a good thing, as she had a day full of activities to attend to. In no time at all, she was checked out and walked out the exit door, bags in hand. Then she noticed there was another young woman talking to the young mother, still sitting by the corral. Sally watched as the two talked and then the other woman walked to her vehicle and left. As Sally reached her car and opened the door, she asked the young mother if she needed a ride. The mother answered, very politely, "no ma'am".
Sally started to get into her car, stopped and asked one more question, "Are you OK?"
The young mother with the two small children looked at Sally and said, "I'm just trying to sell this TV so I can buy some groceries for my kids." Sally had not noticed the TV. It was a small flat screen variety and it was sitting in a stroller. There were several places in the city where panhandling was the norm, but Sally had never seen anyone in this area before. Besides, the woman did not ask her for anything, she was simply sitting in the middle of a parking lot, with her two small children, trying to sell a TV. Sally sat down in her car, opened her billfold and looked at the two one dollar bills that were in there. She took them out, got back out of the car and gave them to the young mother, telling her it was not much, but it was all the cash she had.
Sally drove off. The image of the young mother and her two children still vivid in her mind. Sally pulled over and stopped the car. She did have more cash in her wallet. It was stashed in a secret pocket. It was for a pair of boots she had been saving for.
She pulled the money out of its secret place, put the car into gear and drove back to the parking lot. She rolled her window down, pulled up along side of the stroller and told the young woman, "I don't want the TV, but you have a nice day.", and handed her boot money to the young mother. The young mother thanked her graciously and as Sally drove off, she heard the little boy say "Did you get some money Mama?"
Sally watched them in the rear view mirror as she drove off. She wondered if she had just been played, taken for a fool. It did not matter. It was the spirit of which it was given because Sally knew all too well that, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
Monday, April 8, 2019
From The Desk of the Dog
Welcome to another episode of doggy wisdom with me, Runtly, the ever so entertaining Jack Russell Terrier, JRT for short!
I hafta tell you, I'm really worried about Mom. I think she's losing it. She's been doing some really weird things lately. A while back, she stopped making her hair really dark. I like it because now it almost matches mine....white! I told her that now she could not blame me for all the white hair all over everything. She didn't think that was very funny. I don't know where Mom's sense of humor has gone.
One of the main reasons I go outside is to do my business. Mom says she is a responsible dog owner. This is very strange to me. She takes me outside to pee and poo and then she puts the poo in a bag and brings it back to the front door! Seriously! How confusing! See what I mean? There is something going on with her.
Most times when I'm done doing my thing, I kick the sod. Mom says that is what dogs do to cover up where they've been. I say it is for a show of camaraderie, kind of like a guy thing. Sometimes Mom pulls the trigger a bit too fast when she's picking up the dew drops. When she does this, she gets in the line of fire of my doggy prowess. It's not my fault I'm not like other dogs. Other dogs leave a pile, I leave a trail. Besides, who wants to be like other dogs? Anyway, Mom got a bit hasty the other day and I kicked sod, pine needles and whatever else was lying close all over her. It was pretty funny but later in the day, I noticed she still had some stuff clinging to her face. Sometimes Mom is just not quite right.
Then, Mom did the ultimate faux pas. I don't know what that means, but Mom likes that phrase. We were out walking. Usually I am in the lead, but every once in awhile, I lag behind. This happens when my nose has picked up some delectable odor that needs investigating. It just so happened, on this particular outing, that I had found a pole that I had not marked in a long time. There I am, with one leg strategically placed in the air, getting ready to let go and what does Mom do? She kept on walking!! Excuse me?!?
She turned around in time to see me do a pirouette on the stationary back leg. I don't know what that means either, but I looked like one of those pop up lawn sprinklers in the 'on' mode! How rude!
Gotta go. Squirrel is out back waiting for a game of 'catch me if you can'. Send Mom some good vibes, she obviously needs them!
Woof!
I hafta tell you, I'm really worried about Mom. I think she's losing it. She's been doing some really weird things lately. A while back, she stopped making her hair really dark. I like it because now it almost matches mine....white! I told her that now she could not blame me for all the white hair all over everything. She didn't think that was very funny. I don't know where Mom's sense of humor has gone.
One of the main reasons I go outside is to do my business. Mom says she is a responsible dog owner. This is very strange to me. She takes me outside to pee and poo and then she puts the poo in a bag and brings it back to the front door! Seriously! How confusing! See what I mean? There is something going on with her.
Most times when I'm done doing my thing, I kick the sod. Mom says that is what dogs do to cover up where they've been. I say it is for a show of camaraderie, kind of like a guy thing. Sometimes Mom pulls the trigger a bit too fast when she's picking up the dew drops. When she does this, she gets in the line of fire of my doggy prowess. It's not my fault I'm not like other dogs. Other dogs leave a pile, I leave a trail. Besides, who wants to be like other dogs? Anyway, Mom got a bit hasty the other day and I kicked sod, pine needles and whatever else was lying close all over her. It was pretty funny but later in the day, I noticed she still had some stuff clinging to her face. Sometimes Mom is just not quite right.
Then, Mom did the ultimate faux pas. I don't know what that means, but Mom likes that phrase. We were out walking. Usually I am in the lead, but every once in awhile, I lag behind. This happens when my nose has picked up some delectable odor that needs investigating. It just so happened, on this particular outing, that I had found a pole that I had not marked in a long time. There I am, with one leg strategically placed in the air, getting ready to let go and what does Mom do? She kept on walking!! Excuse me?!?
She turned around in time to see me do a pirouette on the stationary back leg. I don't know what that means either, but I looked like one of those pop up lawn sprinklers in the 'on' mode! How rude!
Gotta go. Squirrel is out back waiting for a game of 'catch me if you can'. Send Mom some good vibes, she obviously needs them!
Woof!
Monday, April 1, 2019
As The Crow Flies
Its all been said before. Famous quotes that are short and to the point. Quips of lasting wisdom, in the form of a pocket calendar. If you point a finger at someone, there are three pointing back at you. If you want to make $%#! stink, stir it. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
I've lived long enough to have been charged guilty of most of them.
Like the time, instead of being happy for my best friend about getting her first automatic dishwasher, I made some stupid remark as to why would anyone need one of those. Today, the dishwasher is my favorite appliance. I live by the motto, if it does not fit in the dishwasher, do not use it. Or, if it's the only thing that will fit in the dishwasher, so be it.
Oh, the advice I was so full of about raising children.....before I had any of my own. This is one of the very best ways to get hit in the face with a fresh batch of reality. Biting ones' tongue is a most admirable characteristic to have.
One of the biggest pet peeves of mine has been video games. What a waste of precious time. When our daughters were young, they had a Nintendo. Everyone had one, so why not us. One daughter had a terrible time trying to stop playing the games. Before to long, her behavior was becoming none too charming. So, like a warrior dressed in full wartime armor, I unplugged it, gathered all the cables, joysticks, games and what not and threw the whole kit and kaboodle in the trash.
Recently, ah, here it comes, I downloaded a game on my phone, something I have NEVER done. But, this isn't just any old game, it's designed to keep the brain active, working, smart. Mother always did crossword puzzles, to help keep her mind sharp and since it seemed to have worked for her, I wanted to follow suit.
The game is called "Wordscapes". It gives the player six letters and an empty grid, like a crossword puzzle. The purpose of the game is to fill the grid with words made from the six letters. Once the puzzle is completed, the player receives payments in imaginary pennies and the total is kept at the bottom of the screen.
My plan was to play a few minutes each day, just for the brain. Then, one day, I noticed I was involuntarily in a tournament. I did not think too much about it, but when the tournament was over, I had placed 6th. Each day I played, the minutes ticked by. The minutes were turning into half hours, forty five minutes, even an hour! I realized I had been sucked into some sort of oblivion, someplace so satisfying and yet, I knew I had to back away.
The next time I decided to play, it was early in the day. Lo and behold, another tournament had started. Having the competitive streak of my father, I decided I would go for the gold. I'm ashamed to admit this but, 5 hours later I was in first place. There were 30 minutes left in the tourney, I had used nearly all of my pennies buying hints and my mind was wiped out. I quit, looked at the clock and sighed. What a waste of precious time!
While considering removing the game from my phone, I happened to look at it the next day. I had placed 2nd in the tourney and my prize was 1000 pennies.....Perhaps the title of this episode of tRuth As I See It should have been 'as the crow dies'.....excuse me, I need to go pick some feathers out of my teeth.....again.
I've lived long enough to have been charged guilty of most of them.
Like the time, instead of being happy for my best friend about getting her first automatic dishwasher, I made some stupid remark as to why would anyone need one of those. Today, the dishwasher is my favorite appliance. I live by the motto, if it does not fit in the dishwasher, do not use it. Or, if it's the only thing that will fit in the dishwasher, so be it.
Oh, the advice I was so full of about raising children.....before I had any of my own. This is one of the very best ways to get hit in the face with a fresh batch of reality. Biting ones' tongue is a most admirable characteristic to have.
One of the biggest pet peeves of mine has been video games. What a waste of precious time. When our daughters were young, they had a Nintendo. Everyone had one, so why not us. One daughter had a terrible time trying to stop playing the games. Before to long, her behavior was becoming none too charming. So, like a warrior dressed in full wartime armor, I unplugged it, gathered all the cables, joysticks, games and what not and threw the whole kit and kaboodle in the trash.
Recently, ah, here it comes, I downloaded a game on my phone, something I have NEVER done. But, this isn't just any old game, it's designed to keep the brain active, working, smart. Mother always did crossword puzzles, to help keep her mind sharp and since it seemed to have worked for her, I wanted to follow suit.
The game is called "Wordscapes". It gives the player six letters and an empty grid, like a crossword puzzle. The purpose of the game is to fill the grid with words made from the six letters. Once the puzzle is completed, the player receives payments in imaginary pennies and the total is kept at the bottom of the screen.
My plan was to play a few minutes each day, just for the brain. Then, one day, I noticed I was involuntarily in a tournament. I did not think too much about it, but when the tournament was over, I had placed 6th. Each day I played, the minutes ticked by. The minutes were turning into half hours, forty five minutes, even an hour! I realized I had been sucked into some sort of oblivion, someplace so satisfying and yet, I knew I had to back away.
The next time I decided to play, it was early in the day. Lo and behold, another tournament had started. Having the competitive streak of my father, I decided I would go for the gold. I'm ashamed to admit this but, 5 hours later I was in first place. There were 30 minutes left in the tourney, I had used nearly all of my pennies buying hints and my mind was wiped out. I quit, looked at the clock and sighed. What a waste of precious time!
While considering removing the game from my phone, I happened to look at it the next day. I had placed 2nd in the tourney and my prize was 1000 pennies.....Perhaps the title of this episode of tRuth As I See It should have been 'as the crow dies'.....excuse me, I need to go pick some feathers out of my teeth.....again.
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