Blog Archives

News of the Weird

3/30/2012

I've been saying for a while that insanity is running rampant, but boy has it sprouted wings and flown all over the place this week. I'm not just talking about the multiple incidents of pilots and flight attendants losing it, either. There's been plenty of examples of the world going mad right here at home, and you have to look no further than your local news. I don't know if it's a full moon or what, but tell me if you can explain things like:

A woman is killed by her own car in North Augusta, SC. She was attempting to park her vehicle to check her mail and it rolled down the driveway and hit her. Granted, she was 83 but still, she had sense enough to drive. So was the car a Transformer or what? Check out the story at http://www.wistv.com/story/17285560/woman-killed-by-own-car-as-she-checked-her-mail .

A pregnant woman robbed a Bi-Lo to steal 3 packs of cigarettes in Orangeburg, SC. with a knife. She was arrested but the cigarettes were never recovered. Check out the story at http://orangeburg.wistv.com/news/crime/51916-pregnant-woman-robs-bi-lo-cigarettes .

Teen girl attacked at a soccar game in Chester County, SC - and it was caught on video! A girl falls, gets up, and proceeds to beat the crap out of the nearest player from the opposing team. And nobody knows why. Check out the story and the video at http://www.wistv.com/story/17265736/caught-on-tape-teen-girl-attacked-by-player-during-soccer-game .

Burglers use a truck as a battering ram to steal 8 guns from a gun shop in West Columbia, SC. Several other businesses in the complex were damaged when they used the truck to force open the back door. Check out the story and video at http://www.wistv.com/story/17295633/burglars-use-truck-as-battering-ram-steal-15-guns-from-business .

And finally, the big winner for strangest news now just this week, but in a while. Tell me if you've heard of anything as crazy as this:

A skull is stolen from a grave in Spartanburg, SC. It sounds like the stuff of fiction, but someone actually dug up a grave and stole the skull. A woman walking through the cemetery yesterday morning found the crime scene in all it's (ahem) glory. Folks, this is so strange that I couldn't possibly make it up. Check out the story athttp://www.wistv.com/story/17277826/remains-stolen-from-spartanburg-gravesite .

And as an additional note on this story, Internet rumors claim the cemetery is haunted and warns people to stay away, especially after dark because of "satanic activity." Given this crime, I can see why, and the fact that real, living people are sick, disturbed, and crazy doesn't help. But folks around these parts do have a name for the "white mist" that's claimed to be there from time to time. We call it fog.

I tell you, this is the stuff of insanity or a doctoral thesis on degrading standards of sanity in modern society.

That's all for now. I hope things are more sane in your corner of the world. As is is, I think diligence, a CWP and perhaps a devil's trap are good things to have around these days!

Take care. Happy Friday to you and I hope you have a great weekend.

Bye!

And So It Begins

3/28/2012

The pieces that have been floating around for a while and they finally came together. I have the basis for my next book. It's just an idea right now; very rough and full of gaps, but there's enough pieces in place to know that the gaps will fill in and lead to my next book.

The early stages are exciting, but also confusing. There are so many possibilities. My first step is to research. All writers must face the "suspension of disbelief" factor, and the way to do that is to have a base of truth to the story. Believe it or not, this is true of any genre. Even science fiction and fantasy must have constants in place that can be applied to give readers a basis to hang that suspension on - after all, if there's truth that we can realte to in the world we know, then we can suspend our disbelief when we take it on a path that diverts from that truth. My story is going to be mystery (big surprise) with an element of urban fantasy. I have a lot of research to do for this one, but it will be worth it. And often, the research helps the story to fill out by giving the writer more pieces to work with and more importantly, to manipulate.

I've started, though, and I'm excited. I have some good, solid brainstorming notes, which provide a great place to start developing the plot and directing my research. And so, my next book project starts.

Welcome to the journey. I hope you enjoy it.

That's all today. Take care, and I hope the rest of your week goes well.

Bye!

Farewells

3/25/2012

Well, we bid our pastor farewell this morning. He's moving on to accept a higher position with the state synod, after serving as our leader for 11 years. Rick and I were service assistants for this morning's service, so we got to see the full range of emotion. Lots of well wishing, lots of good luck, lots of tears. Everybody's nervous as we wonder what the new dawn will bring, and what comes next.

Personally, I think that we as the congregation have the easier job. Although we are in a position where we have to find a new leader, we're still here. We have one another, the associate pastor, church council, committees, and the synod to help us. We have a huge support system to help us through this transition and frankly, I believe that the Lord already has our new pastor selected and that it will be what's best for us. Our challenge is not only to use discernment in our call, but in believing that we can be a blessing to a new leader as much as they can be a blessing to us. It's easy to lose perspective of that interaction between flock and leader, especially when you've had the same leader for a long time. And in time, we will adjust to the loss and move along, through the transition to a new day ahead.

Of course our pastor will too, but I know he has a more difficult road because I've been in the position of leaving a place behind. He's going to wake up tomorrow morning and face the reality that he's not coming back to his office a the church, but going to a new place that's unfamiliar. He has to be retrained, and to meet new people and adapt to a new environment. There is no familiarity where he's going or, if there is, not as much as he's had at our church. A job change is a substantial life change - in fact, I'd go so far as to say it changes your entire life. I know it did for me. Yes, his is the steeper road, but opportunity is always worth that journey. I believe that he too will move along through his own transition into a new day ahead. It may be a steeper learning curve, but it will probably happen over a shorter period of time. It will likely take us a year or more to call a new pastor, amd by that time he'll be well settled in his new job while we start the process of adjusting to new leadership.

Hmm. So in light of what it's going to take timewise, it may be that he's in the better position. We do still have one another, but perhaps it's a longer road ahead than he has.

I, like everyone else, will miss him. However, I also can't begrudge him for taking this opportunity. I'm glad it came his way and that he was wise enough to consider it and brave enough to accept the change and challenge. Change is how God moves us ahead, and it takes a lot of courage to stand up to that fear, admit that it's time to move on, and take the first steps into the unknown.

As our choir sang at the close of the service, I too hope he road rises up to meet him, and us as well. We all have a new adventure ahead, and we have to find the courage to face them. Transitions are never easy, but they're the only path to a better day. And I believe that, as this door closes, another one is preparing to open any minute now.

That's all today. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I wish you a great start to the new week.

Bye!

Are You Gonna Just Sit There or Do Something?

3/23/2012

I don't know about you, but I get frustrated with people that complain about their life all the time, but they do absolutely nothing to change the things that they complain about. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying things, but it seems that if you're truly miserable then you'd at least try to change the situation, right?

Well, I do but it seems I'm in a minority. It seems there are a lot of people out there that are comfortable with the ruts they're in. And I wonder, maybe, if they fear what it might mean to stick their necks out and pursue a change. After all, where they are might not be a "happy place," but it's familiar. There are a lot of people that fear change, and the unknown.

I know my recent experiences have shaded my perception in this area. I used to fear change too. Yes, I was one of those complainers. My former boss found it quite amusing, in fact, But if she could see me now, she wouldn't know me. I've found nothing but change around every corner for the past 2 years. I expect it now. In fact, now if it doesn't happen then I wonder what the hell's going on because something must not be right for things to stay the same for, oh, more than a little while. It's amazing how life and reality can beat the fear right out of you, and mold you into a whole new creation. I used to say "oh no!" to change. Now I say "so what?" It's pretty normal for me. And while I won't say that I'm fearless - yes, I do feel some anxiety over the unknown - I'm not frozen by it. I've seen my faith grow in proportion to the reality of my life and find myself much more flexible and less fearful than I used to be, even 3-5 years ago.

So I suppose that explains why I'm not very patient with complainers. I've been forced to adapt with change. With changes in my job. With changes in the family. With changes at church. With changes in my friends due to these transitions and losing 3 of them to cancer. Yes, I said I lost 3 friends to cancer. That was not a typo. And all in a period of 15 months while everything else in my life was looking like a clown's juggling act too. Maybe that explains why I was disgusted with hearing somebody earlier this week complaining about something bad that happened to them years ago - like over a decade ago. I was appalled. Either they have a very thin hide or their "life pain" file is at a low level that I envy. Life hasn't hesitated to beat me with a baseball bat from time to time, so I suppose I'm not very sympathetic to the delicate souls with low emotional resilience.

Honestly, though, I do think we get used to talking and talking and talking and not doing. I know I'm guilty, so I really can't point at the splinter in others' eyes when I have that log in my own. It's taken real life to show me that true value isn't in words, but in the actions that back them up. In fact, I was under a therapist for a while a few years back and one of the first things she told me is "don't listen to words, look at actions. People lie with their mouths, but they act on truth." Man, that got a lot of people in trouble with me. They did not appreciate that jewel of wisdom. But it also convicted me to look at the match between my own words and actions and lo and behold, I did see a rift. I've worked very hard over the past couple of years to be more mindful of this by ackowledging how I really think and feel, defining my true values and boundaries, and ensuring that my actions match my thoughts and words. It's not always easy because we live in a society that tells us to do whatever it takes to make others happy right now, and work around it later, but it's an easier way to live. And really, I believe it really makes having relationships with others easier too. I've noticed that my relationships have improved drastically since I was mindful of this. Of course, excercising discernment has also helped, but that's an entry for another day.

I guess I just wish that others were as honest with themselves and would do this kind of inner exploration. Look within and find the truth. When you complain, are you really unhappy? If so, you'll try to change it. Even the act of trying to change it will help make you happier because you know you're doing something, and doing something is always better than doing nothing. But if you aren't, then admit that you're temporarily frustrated, but that you still believe the benefits of whatever's pricking blood out of you now outweigh the frustration of piercing your emotions.

I think that in the end, it boils down with being honest with ourselves, and letting that trickle down into being honest with others. And that always leads to better and more stable relationships. Anything built on truth will last.

That's all for today. Happy Friday to you. I hope you have a great weekend.

Bye!

Age - Blah!

3/18/2012

Rick and I got out and raked the yard over the past couple of weekends. We hired somebody to do it for us at Christmas because Rick was sick and I was working a lot, but decided to do it ourselves again. Why not, we reasoned. We're healthy, the weather is nice, and it's just a waste to pay somebody to do it when we can do it ourselves. We did the front and side yards last weekend and aside from some sore arms, no problem. But yesterday we did the back yard, which is bigger, and it was about 10 degrees warmer.

OMG. For all of you that tell me "oh, you're still young!" that's crap. I got overheated. It took forever to cool off. Rick's sinuses have been giving him grief and my back is so sore that it's been a struggle to move all day. I've been trying to hide it - pride, you know, because I hate to admit that it's getting the best of me, but the truth is that my back has been killing me today. Good grief!

Yea, this wouldn't have bothered me 10 years ago. I might have had some sore arms and been tired, but it would have been gone the next day. Not so this time. I started out ok, but as the day has gone on, I've lost my energy and felt cruddier and cruddier. I didn't know what was wrong until Rick informed me that the yard work yesterday was probably still taking a toll on me. After all, we aren't in our 20's anymore.

Most people complain about seeing those first grey hairs. I'm here to grip about the loss of energy and how much harder it is for me to rebound from pushing myself. Now I understand why both of our parents have hired out the yard work. If this is how it is in my mid-30's, I can't imagine it's going to get any better from here.

Well, crap. How did I get to approaching middle age? A day at a time, I suppose, just like everyone else.

I have to tell you that age isn't something that I give much thought to most of the time. I just keep going on, doing my thing, until something like this happens. These are the instances where I say that age is "the creeper" coming up on me. Most of the time I plug along just fine with little mind to that DOB on my driver's license and CWP until some little thing reminds me that I'm not a kid anymore. Like taking longer to recover from illness and injury. My aching wrist when the weather changes, from that bout with tendinitis I had 2 years ago when I was working on the final draft of Anywhere But Here. An ache here and a pain there. Hearing grunge songs on "remember when?" countdowns on VH1. Things like that remind me that the clock is ticking and time is creeping up on me, slowly now but it's coming, like a thief in the night.

It's not all bad. I have to say that wisdom is an advantage of your 30's. You might be jaded by life and it takes more to impress or excite you, but you're also more patient a understanding. Things don't bother you as much. You know yourself better and find a confidence in that that gives you the boldness to embrace your individuality. I can honestly say that I wouldn't have considered e-publishing 10 years ago, when I started out in writing. I wouldn't have believed that I could learn or do what it takes to be an independent author. But after adopting 3 birds, buying a car, recovering from a stomach infection, building a house, a job move, an in-law move, joining two church committees, and a 3 year dry spell with my writing - yea, I figured why not step outside the box and give it a try. And so far, so good. It's building, and I can tell this is the way for me to go. I didn't believe I could do it on my own until I was knocked flat on my butt and crawled back up again a few times. Then I finally knew who I was and that I could do anything through Christ. Intellectually I knew it all along, but it took life experience for me to really see and believe it.

Still, though, I look at my wedding pictures and know I'll never be that 110 pound pixie again. Not that Rick's complaining about how I look. He's still gracious and tells me I'm beautiful, and I belive he's a good looking fellow. But sometimes that rising number on the size tag in my clothes bugs me and I think, gee, I wish I could have the mind I have now and the body I had at 23. Especially today. Because my back didn't ache so much when I was 23!

Then again, I'd also like to see robot maids, self-cleaning cages, and laptop computers and smart phones with retractable power cords, but that's not happening either. So I suppose the point is that in life you can have it all - but not at one time. Great body and great wisdom come, but not in the same day. And I somehow doubt that robot maids and retractable cords will be around before I hit retirement either. I suppose I'm better off enjoying where I'm at on the path to where I'm going. I know better - I just don't look it!

That's all today. Have a great start to the new week.

Bye!

Originality

3/16/2012

How hard is it to be original? Technically speaking it's impossible. This world has been around a long time, folks, long enough that every new idea under the sun has been discovered. There aren't many mysteries left. I believe that what we really mean by "originality" is the ability to do things in a way that hasn't been seen in a long time, or to adapt them to our personal needs or purposes.

I've often complained about "rip-offs" and "copycats," but the truth is that we all "borrow" ideas from others. I know I'm guilty. My young adult novel, Blurry, might seem like a novel concept in an age where vampires and werewolves are finding romance everywhere, but young adult murder mysteries were moderately popular in the early to mid 90's when I was a teen. In fact, you would probably find a lot of common elements between Blurry and Christopher Pike novels, who is still a favorite author. But while I borrowed the plot concept, I did adapt it to my own, unique style. I integrated elements of people, places and experiences unique to the culture I've grown up in and of course, considered the influence of technology on life in the 21st century.

I think this shows that creativity isn't about coming up with something new. After all, we've established that this world squeezed out everything new millenia ago. It's about how we adapt our ideas to fit our unique personality and life. There may be no new ideas, but there are an infinite number of ways to mix them up into new combinations that are fresh and "new" to us. Rick recently discovered this when he was surfing the web and found that another church in our area used the same design template for their website as he used for the Mt. Tabor website. It was similar but not identical, and very interesting to see how they adapted the same basic design to fit their needs, while Rick chose to use it a completely different way to fit our needs.

We also recently noticed that a church nearby is doing something very similar to our church's "Share Our Stuff" day, which is a free thrift day for the needy in the community. It was funny - Rick asked if it made me mad to see them use our concept and I said "heck no! There are so many needy people around that I wish every church in town would rip us off on this one!" Let them run with it and do it their way, as long as it works and helps people.

Of course, there are some instances where people are just being copycats, and this can be irritating, especially when they do it with an "anything you can do, I can do better" attitude. I can't stand it when I spend time and effort to do something, then somebody copies it and says "check out my great idea!" It's irritating and transparent. Any igit can improve on something that already exist or follow a lead. It takes real creativity and ingeniuty to come up with something different and have the confidence to be the first to do it. Imitation may be the highest form of flattery - after all, it's how trends are born - but it can also be an insult to your individuality. I think this is why so many women get mad when they see someone else wearing the same dress as they are. Sure, we know the manufacturer is cranking them out on the assembly line, but it's OURS. We want to be the only one in our corner of the world rocking it in that dress!

I think the important thing is to realize the difference between imitation and innovation. Sure we all borrow ideas from one another and that's ok. But if you're just doing it to "keep up with the Joneses," well, that's pathetic and insecure. I've learned patience with this as I've grown up and grown in wisdom and I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt. But you better not be carrying the same purse I am, or I'll be pissed.

That's all for today. Happy Friday to you and I hope you have a great weekend.

Bye!

Technology and Life

3/15/2012

Being a member of Generation X puts me in a unique position to see the divide between how the generations view and use technology. Having watched technology integrate into everyday life puts my generation right at the crossroads of the “I don’t do computer” Baby Boomer generation and the “what’s a record player?” Generation Y.

It’s an interesting place to be. I had a record player as a child, although they were replaced by cassette tapes and CD’s by the time I was in middle school. There were still chalkboards in my classrooms, although they were being abandoned for overhead projectors by high school. I hand wrote my papers until I started college in the fall of 1993, where professors required that all papers be typed and printed on at least a dot-matrix printer. And I heard my first cell phone go off in public when I was sitting in a class my senior year in college during the fall of 1996.

We have come a long way. It’s hard to believe there’s a device for everything, and they keep developing new things and coming up with improvements on the old. Now laptops are lighter and faster, and are being slowly replaced by tablets. Books now come on e-readers and phones are smart. I remember a conversation I had recently with a person in their 50’s that was lamenting on how complicated things are. “I don’t need a phone smarter than I am,” she griped, “just make and take calls. That’s it.”

“I don’t know,” I said, “sometimes I need for my phone to be smarter than me so it can keep me from looking stupid.”

She didn’t seem to understand that was the point of a smartphone – to keep you organized so you don’t look like a blithering idiot because you were late for a meeting (or worse yet, forgot about it), or because you didn’t get the e-mail that went out 2 minutes ago while you were dashing up the stairs. To her, it was all a pain in the rear.

Personally, I feel technology has made my life better. I long ago determined that the most crucial tools in my life are my laptop and my smartphone. The laptop because I deal with a lot of documents and it keeps them all in one place and makes them easier to access, and the smartphone because the multiple functions keep me organized and give me up to the minute news and information when I need it. I don’t have to dig through file cabinets or track down a newspaper or television to find what I need. And after years of juggling paper in school I can say from experience that the less paper I have taking up space and giving me papercuts all over my hands, the better. A 5 pound laptop is nothing to carry around when I’m used to handling 30+ pound bird cages anyway.

I do understand the concern that we’re getting too dependent on technology, and am glad I was raised in a generation that learned the “old way” and “new way” parallel to each other. I have nothing against file cabinets, calendars, or newspapers. The digital way just seems more efficient and easier to manage to me. In the end it’s a matter of personal preference.

The digital world isn’t going away – in fact, it will continue to grow – but using it is a personal preference. There will always be holdouts and that’s their choice. For all the talk of going paperless, I don’t think it’s going to happen, at least during my lifetime. There are too many holdouts that cling to the old ways. Heck, I know people my own age that don’t own a computer and refuse to use anything more than a very basic cell phone. But at least we have a choice, and choices are good. We just have to be patient with one another and respect those choices as the world continues to evolve in the digital age.

That’s all for today. Happy Friday to you tomorrow and I hope you have a great weekend.

Bye!

Graceful Partings

3/12/2012

The recent news that our church is losing our head pastor and may lose our associate pastor to new jobs/opportunities has many people sad and confused. They are, after all, great pastors and leaders, and have been wonderful to and for our congregation. It's scary to lose them and to wonder what the future holds. No doubt, we as a congregation are in for a long process of finding the right person/people to serve as our leadership into the future.

I too am sad to see them go, but on the other hand I'm relieved that they are leaving on good terms. I honestly can't begrudge a person taking advantage of oppotunity. Any person would be a fool not to - after all, it's just stupid to stay in a rut because it's comfortable if the Lord is opening an opportunity for growth and advancement to you. While I will miss them and the stable support they have provided our congregation, I have to say that I'm happy to see them advancing in their careers and their lives, and I believe it's wise for them to seize these opportunities.

There's another side to this, though, that I don't think people are considering, and that's what I call the "graceful parting" scenario. Honestly, if people are questioning where they are in life and want to pursue a new or different course, I believe it's best for them to seek and take advantage of those opportunities and to leave gracefully and on good terms. These pastors are doing that. There is no controversy. There are no allegations of wrongdoing or shady morals. They aren't being run off. They are simply progressing along the path of life and that path has come to a fork in the road where they have chosen a divergent path. There's no wrong in that and if they want to go a different way, I admire them for acting on what's in their heart and going with the best of intentions for all.

I can speak to this from experience. Two years ago when legislation was in the State House to move the programs I work with (and, as a result, me) to a new department, things got, for lack of a better word, awkward. The department I was out was transferring the programs/me due to an internal transition they were going through in an effort to streamline and to operate in a more efficient and cost effective way. They were under strain and as a result put pressure on the powers that be to make things move - NOW, by the way, because they had to get these changes through before the end of the fiscal year in June. The problem was that, although they started the process well ahead of time for me, things don't move through the legislature in a great hurry. And so we waited, and panic set in around April when they realized that their deadlines weren't other peoples' deadlines, who had cares, concerns, and timelines of their own to worry about. Impatience took over and it got ugly and strained. At one point it got so nasty that I offered to work from home, which made them madder because they thought I was being a smart alec (but I was sincere, as the office space was becoming a problem at that point). I wanted nothing more than to part from the place on cordial terms - after all, I had been there 11 years, and it had been a rollar coaster but I didn't want to walk away with a chip on my shoulder - but they just wouldn't allow it. They couldn't control their impatience and frustration, my work ethic lagged to a point where it was so bad that I'm ashamed to say how little real work I did for the last 3 months in that office, and I finally walked out for the last time on July 1, 2010 with my computer and the attitude that I wasn't going away mad; I was just going away. While I left on good terms with some people and a couple of friends, some of them try so hard to avoid me when they see me in public that I hope they don't sprain anything doing it. That would be a shame.

Too bad, really and a little embarassing to admit, but I took great lessons from this season in my life. One is that it's always best to part on good terms if it's possible, and I'm glad the pastors are doing that. I want them to move on through life with good memories and relationships at Mt. Tabor and I hope the experiences they've had with our congregation have been strong, positive ones that have prepared and built them up for what comes next. I don't want them wondering if they took anything from this experience but building up some job skills for the next step and nothing that fed them emotionally or spiritually, as I wonder about the last place where I worked. I hope we were more than a stepping stone and that we have enriched their soul and their lives in a significant way. But most of all, I don't want them walking away saying "Whew! Thank God THAT'S over!" I want them happy - with what they've had here, what they've accomplished, and what's ahead.

So to Pastor Paul and Pastor Ryan, I say Godspeed. I'm honored that you were a member of our congregation and our families for these years and I'm happy that the Lord has opened new challenges and opportunities to you. I wish you success, happiness, prosperity and joy on the journey. Perhaps our paths will cross again. Life is funny that way. You never know.

Oh by the way, I learned something else about myself two years ago. I have a good work ethic, but if you piss me off I can not only get nasty back, but I can get darn lazy too. It's amazing how you can find better things to do with your time when you just don't care anymore.

That's all for today. Take care and have a good week.

Bye!

Pink Rehab

3/9/2012

I have a confession to make. I need pink-rehab. I think this picture may give you a hint to my pink preferences and how far I’ve gone with them.

I thought most girls preferred pink. They certainly did when I was little. But when I grew up, it seemed to change. I couldn’t believe the hard time I had finding pink bridemaids dresses when I got married almost 14 years ago. Rick always said I seem to prefer pink more than any other woman he knows. I didn’t think much of it until this past weekend, when we went to the gun and knife show. I was looking for a small pistol since I recently obtained my CWP that would be easy to carry. Lo and behold, I found one. And it happened to be pink. The people selling it to me suppressed snickers. Well suck it, I thought. I’m carrying it and it fits my needs. If it happens to be pink, well, that’s a nice bonus. Just like the computer, mouse and cell phone case above. Rick didn’t say anything about it, only to get what I want.

A few days later, we had another incident. Our female parrot’s toenails got long. I discovered that the “pedicure perch” we have in her cage to file her nails was wearing down, so I replaced it. Problem was, she didn’t like
the replacement. See, the old perch was pink, but the replacement was pastel green. No big deal, I thought. She never seemed to have a color preference before.

Except I was wrong. Turns out my feathery little girl likes pink about as much as I do. I stuck to my guns for a couple of days saying well, I can’t spoil her. But the look in her eyes seemed accusing. You hypocrite, her gaze seemed to say, with all your pink stuff and denying it to me. I know it was my imagination. Her thoughts were probably more along the lines of wanting her old familiar perch and not this strange thing. But still, I felt chastised. And this made me think. It was yesterday when I talked to my mother, who also likes pink, that set me straight.

“A pink gun?” she asked. “Really?”

“Really,” I said. “It suits my needs.”

“I think you’ve gone too far with the pink thing, Sherri,”she said. Then she gave me a present from the recent spring craft show – a bracelet with pink pearls. I found the irony amusing.

Ok, I admit it. Maybe I have gone too far with the pink thing. I mean, it’s not like everything in my life is pink. I haven’t decorated a single room of our house in pink, and my car is green. But I have to admit that when it comes to my personal stuff: My laptop, my phone, most of my clothes, my accessories – yes, I gravitate toward pink. I guess most girls outgrew it and I just didn’t.

I don’t intend to get rid of my pink stuff, of course. It makes sense for my favorite things to be pink. But I believe it’s time to incorporate different colors into my life. I picked a blue writing tablet and sticky notes (over pink, which was available) at work day before yesterday. My work computer is set to yellow tulip wallpaper, and my profile on the desktop at home is sporting red wallpaper. I’m wearing white and blue today. And I just noticed that my pink and white treadmill shoes will soon need replacing, so I will get a different color this time. My pink rehab is progressing nicely. It may take a lot of self discipline, but I will endeavor to bring different colors into my life.

And as for Chloe, I cut her a break. We clipped her toenails and I not only found another pink perch, but I put a pink toy in her cage as well. As you can see in the picture below, she’s quite happy with it.

That's all for today. Happy Friday to you. Have a great weekend.

Bye!

Having It All?

3/6/2012

I once read where someone said "you can have it all, but not at one time." I believe this is true. In light of my last entry on the sacrifices I've made to accomodate what's most important in my life, I realize that the issue of having too much to do and too little time to do it is a universal theme.

The world is such a big place, and full of endless possibilities. The problem is that we are always limited by responsibilities or obligations that bind us and force us to choose which we would rather have - this or that. We only have so much time, or money, or energy, and we must set priorities because of these limitations. No human being is free of this. There's always going to be at least one thing that binds us and keeps us from total and complete freedom - and more likely, it will be several things, or a combination of factors.

I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. After all, what happens when there's no sense of accountability? Chaos, that's what. It turns into a state of anarchy and all civility goes the way of the wind. I'm thinking about the Israeliltes during the time of Moses as an example of this, and how the 10 commandments were sent down not once but TWICE. Why? Because the people went wild and out of control when their leader was gone for 40 days to get the law that was set to guide them to a better life, and they descended into a state of anarchy where they made up their own rules of what was god and what was right.

Yes, freedom would be nice, but is it really what we need? I think not. Perhaps God gives us responsibility and obligations not to bind us, but to give us a framework for seeing what's really important and helping us see what's a distraction so we can enjoy what we have to the fullest. After all, Christians are supposed to be accountable not only to God, but to one another. We are to deal fairly and honestly, as Jesus would. And really, accountability is a good thing. It promotes responsibility, cooperation, harmony, balance, and the most important thing in life: relationships.

If you consider it, we really do get our freedom a piece at a time. The changing nature of life allows us the freedom to experience a full spectrum of life through each passing season. Nothing stays the same forever, adn the changing nature of life gives us the freedom to experience a broad range of experiences when the timing is right for us.

It's a paradox to be sure, but I'm learning that life is full of paradoxes. I think the bottom line is that we should enjoy each and every relationship we have when we have it, and to enjoy life in the right ways - no matter where it may have us at the moment.

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