Folks, we need to have a talk. Over the past few months, I've seen and heard things that, quite honestly, make me look like a normal, well balanced, perfectly adjusted human being. I don't know if you read my last blog entry, but if you haven't then scroll down and you'll see that in my latest work in progress, I landed an alien army in the National Mall. If that looks normal, then we have problems.
Mind you, this isn't a "shame on you" entry (those don't work anyway). Nor is it advice. You can take or leave advice, and it's been my observation that people choose the "leave it" option roughly 100% of the time. Consider this a friendly heads up, as if I were a friend telling you that I just overheard the latest gossip, and they're saying that:
1. If you've talked the talk, then you better be ready to walk the walk. In other words, if you've been bold and sassy enough to get in my face and tell me to calm down and get my crap together when I've had a hard time, then you painted a bullseye on yourself, and that's a shot that life always takes. Not that I or anybody else is wishing bad things on anybody, but life is a series of peaks and valleys, and we all have down times. And believe me, everybody is watching with great interest to see if you're the bada** you claimed to be when we were down. Words lie, actions speak truth - and we're watching and listening.
2. Beware your feelings. They can get you in plenty of trouble, because they're the devil's favorite tool. What's right doesn't always feel that way, and sometimes it can seem wrong. Seek wisdom instead of feeling good, relief, or escape. Feelings fail. Wisdom doesn't.
3. Find some internal motivation. It may be nice to demand that people rise to a level that's helpful to you so you can relax and bask in laziness. The problem is that they don't stop growing at your convenience threshold - they keep growing to their own level of convenience, and they have the annoying habit of applying it to places that you don't appreciate. Co-dependency puts you at a dangerous disadvantage, especially when they come to the inevitable conclusion that you need them but they don't need you.
4. Play favorites less obviously. I addressed this in my "Do This At Your Own Risk" entry earlier this year, so there's no need to rehash it. Suffice it to say that this game has only become as obvious as the Eye of Sauron in Mordor (for you non-fantasy types, that means that God and everybody can see it). Losing discretion in this area is like the giant handing Jack the ax to chop down the beanstalk, and I've had some experience with collapsing beanstalks and the rise and fall of giants. I trust that you understand the image and are smart enough to know what this means.
5. Just because winter is coming doesn't mean you can throw seeds any old place and not reap a harvest. The whole "reaping and sowing" thing from Galatians 6:7 is figurative. We're talking about energy, not farming folks. Every thought, word, and deed is sending out energy and you can only get back what you put out. Energy doesn't have dormant seasons or take breaks. It runs the universe, so it's always in motion. So don't lose your attentiveness.
And a bonus tip - mind your driving. "Driving is a privileged, not a right" isn't just a saying when you're reluctant to hand the keys to your teens; it applies to you too. I know we're all crazy-busy and have places to go, things to do, and people to see. However, when you get behind the wheel of the car, you have one and only one duty: operate the motor vehicle. You do not talk on the phone. You do not text (that's illegal in SC anyway, and you deserve the ticket you get for it). You do not worry about being late, fret over what to make for dinner, or stare at the interesting shoe lying in the median. You don't rubberneck the wreck in the next lane caused by the igit that ignored this advice. You don't daydream about winning the lottery and telling everybody to go to hell. You operate the car, and that's it. The 100 deadly days of summer have nothing on the 60 chaotic days of Christmas, and I've already seen too many insane maneuvers on the roads. Concentrate 100% on driving until you reach your destination, and then feel free to resume your frantic activity when you're parked. Ignore this tip at the risk of giving Jake from State Farm a holly, jolly Christmas with a heck of a bonus from your rates going up at best; and your family members learning that funeral homes don't decorate for the holidays at the worst (because The Grim Reaper doesn't celebrate Christmas, folks).
That's all. Just a few tips in an effort to make you aware and hopefully help you restore your focus.
Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.
Bye!
Mind you, this isn't a "shame on you" entry (those don't work anyway). Nor is it advice. You can take or leave advice, and it's been my observation that people choose the "leave it" option roughly 100% of the time. Consider this a friendly heads up, as if I were a friend telling you that I just overheard the latest gossip, and they're saying that:
1. If you've talked the talk, then you better be ready to walk the walk. In other words, if you've been bold and sassy enough to get in my face and tell me to calm down and get my crap together when I've had a hard time, then you painted a bullseye on yourself, and that's a shot that life always takes. Not that I or anybody else is wishing bad things on anybody, but life is a series of peaks and valleys, and we all have down times. And believe me, everybody is watching with great interest to see if you're the bada** you claimed to be when we were down. Words lie, actions speak truth - and we're watching and listening.
2. Beware your feelings. They can get you in plenty of trouble, because they're the devil's favorite tool. What's right doesn't always feel that way, and sometimes it can seem wrong. Seek wisdom instead of feeling good, relief, or escape. Feelings fail. Wisdom doesn't.
3. Find some internal motivation. It may be nice to demand that people rise to a level that's helpful to you so you can relax and bask in laziness. The problem is that they don't stop growing at your convenience threshold - they keep growing to their own level of convenience, and they have the annoying habit of applying it to places that you don't appreciate. Co-dependency puts you at a dangerous disadvantage, especially when they come to the inevitable conclusion that you need them but they don't need you.
4. Play favorites less obviously. I addressed this in my "Do This At Your Own Risk" entry earlier this year, so there's no need to rehash it. Suffice it to say that this game has only become as obvious as the Eye of Sauron in Mordor (for you non-fantasy types, that means that God and everybody can see it). Losing discretion in this area is like the giant handing Jack the ax to chop down the beanstalk, and I've had some experience with collapsing beanstalks and the rise and fall of giants. I trust that you understand the image and are smart enough to know what this means.
5. Just because winter is coming doesn't mean you can throw seeds any old place and not reap a harvest. The whole "reaping and sowing" thing from Galatians 6:7 is figurative. We're talking about energy, not farming folks. Every thought, word, and deed is sending out energy and you can only get back what you put out. Energy doesn't have dormant seasons or take breaks. It runs the universe, so it's always in motion. So don't lose your attentiveness.
And a bonus tip - mind your driving. "Driving is a privileged, not a right" isn't just a saying when you're reluctant to hand the keys to your teens; it applies to you too. I know we're all crazy-busy and have places to go, things to do, and people to see. However, when you get behind the wheel of the car, you have one and only one duty: operate the motor vehicle. You do not talk on the phone. You do not text (that's illegal in SC anyway, and you deserve the ticket you get for it). You do not worry about being late, fret over what to make for dinner, or stare at the interesting shoe lying in the median. You don't rubberneck the wreck in the next lane caused by the igit that ignored this advice. You don't daydream about winning the lottery and telling everybody to go to hell. You operate the car, and that's it. The 100 deadly days of summer have nothing on the 60 chaotic days of Christmas, and I've already seen too many insane maneuvers on the roads. Concentrate 100% on driving until you reach your destination, and then feel free to resume your frantic activity when you're parked. Ignore this tip at the risk of giving Jake from State Farm a holly, jolly Christmas with a heck of a bonus from your rates going up at best; and your family members learning that funeral homes don't decorate for the holidays at the worst (because The Grim Reaper doesn't celebrate Christmas, folks).
That's all. Just a few tips in an effort to make you aware and hopefully help you restore your focus.
Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.
Bye!
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