Monday Undercurrents

 It’s the start of a new week.. yet everyday life sometimes like to bury us under some anxiety.. this ost recognizes that.. and encourages  you all to start looking for peaceful moments.  

Blurry vision — weary bones

Swerving through the traffic cones

Fearing radar spying drones

Dodging spam calls on our phones

Reminding us of student loans

Beneath your breath you feel the groans

Comes time to face the great unknowns

In all these real life Twilight Zones

Thanksgiving Primer

Trying to see the Light—Thanksgiving?

So amazon choice gives us an absurdly abundant amount of lighting options for party and holiday lights and this year in this house… there will be lights.  Now… how to decide… ?   We’ve got  your standard soft glow, multi-color, red/green, clear or green wired, sound activated, motion censored, infrared or bluetooth music responsive four, seven, and eight function strings, curtains, and spinning globes.  You can start with 12 or go up to 1200 or more… 

And it’s only a day before Halloween so there’s time to decide right?…. wrong! You see… these lights might remind us that we are heading into the part of the calendar in the U.S. when we celebrate giving thanks and a season of hope and renewal and yep a little giving on the side.  

Oh and is it really ever too early to start being more aware of giving thanks and focusing on hope?   Oh and do we remember that H.O.P.E. stands for Hard work Optimism persistance and Experimentation?  Hope like peace is something you create not something you wait for.  Oh and “Thanksgiving” or gratitude enjoys the reputation of what we can use to change our perspective on gloomy circumstances… so we celebrate that by overeating… oh wait … not stuffing ourself that’s not the point of the day… everyone knows it’s football.  You are thinking surely we jest?   No. Football is a bunch of people in a limited space fighting over small treasures they’d like to take home year after year… so the grid iron is just a metaphor for Black Friday?  

Taking a few minutes to reflect, it seems like thanksgiving gets a little cheated in the decoration department.  For “trick or treat” we have entire families dressing  up and roaming neighborhoods exchanging fun-sized candies—(fun size is a great marketing term—like I always keep a “fun sized amount of cash in my wallet and many politicians seem to have a fun-sized proportion of common sense and ability to identify common goals with about half the other side of the aisle and thus we have a fun-sized amount of effective government?  

Anyway.. I will take a few minutes to look for thanksgiving lights.. however, what exactly should that search look like?  Could we find a ceramic set of misfit Europeans coming to a felt covered shore delivering a stack of bibles and miscellaneous  diseases to some indigenous characters?  Instead of a pine tree should we adorn some “Indian corn” with Hallmark inspired plastic mashed  or sweet potato  clumps hanging from it?   What about a blinking or dancing pilgrim…?  It would be great to see a spinning Mayflower that flashes to the tune of “Thank You for Being a friend” wouldn’t it?  One of the superstores could sell a life-sized “uncle Billy” figure that sits in a recliner and has  a half empty beer can in one hand and when football sounds come from your TV it emits little sayings like “that was holding… these refs need new glasses”  .. or maybe Uncle Billy  could just make belching and other bodily emission sounds?or spew random political insults which could be customized  for which ever party one might choose… and maybe you could get a matched set where one  figure barks out the standard political ramblings from each party and the remarks go back and forth until nobody is listening—-oh wait we already have that it’s called the Washington D.C. at home collection.    

Seriously.. it appears that Halloween and Christmas are sort of squeezing out Thanksgiving these days.  So maybe we can start the Thanksgiving season off by listing  five unique things one might be happy for.  Here’s a “starter” list.

1. Thanks for multi-ply toilet paper.  We’ve all tried single ply… enough said
2. Thanks for all drinks containing caffeine or other stimulants because that’s probably the only reason our GNP (U.S.) is growing  by well over 4% this year not to mention that this year the average American worker is producing 12 times as much as he or she produced in 1950 even though wages for most have not increased proportionately.
3. Thanks for all the digital music options that almost anyone can imagine as that eliminates the need to hang around the backs of grocery stores in order to swipe the requisite number of milk crates needed to store and move vinyl records.
4. Thanks for those new appliances that are connected to each other and to local merchandise providers—like the refrigerators that have an internal camera that tracks what you have inside and can develop a grocery list that can be forwarded to a local store where electronic payments can be made and a “door-dash”  driver can deliver it right to your door because when you only have two Kraft singles left…you just can’t wait until tomorrow?
5. Thanks for all the reminders that come up on our phones.  Everybody needs to know that you only need to use 82 more calories to reach your move goal and that your proctology appointment has been made and you only need to press #4 to confirm… and it is critical to know that “Cheezy feet 29 has posted two new videos of monkeys playing the tuba for a concert hall full of stray cats.

Okay to simplify … let’s start thanking the universe for things early this year and please keep us all posted if you run across an animated mechanical turkey that screams “save us—become a Vegan!”  Peace!

 

Take a Leap

One Last  Leap?

If you are lucky enough to have a “local’ newspaper —we do.. it’s twice a week—it is almost always worth the read—-if you still read—which is also usually worth it.  So  in the most recent “Times/Herald and why after this long they can’t pick one either Times or Herald.. who knows.. but a lot of papers have that same issue like th Star Tribune  etc… Anyway that’s a topic for a different  day..  So in addition to the “local” news there were two notable feature stories from the world at large.    One is/was a seasonal article  about the world record being set for a huge pumpkin.  

Huge Pumpkin the “pies” the limit?  

You see this pumpkin tipped the scales (more like drove them into the dust)  at ,749 pounds which  is like over 1200 kilos  or insanely humongous  in scientific terms.  Now what do you do with this after you get the record?  Now remember that Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater Nursery rhyme. Wher ePeter kept. His wife against his wife in a pumpkin shell?    Or maybe there’s a fairy  Godmother’s used cars where she can get quick access to pumpkins in case there’s an impromptu  ball and Cinderella wants to take the whole crew in the the Party Pumping Pumpkin..  I mean we could have around 1600 pies but these giants aren’t really the right type for pie.. Yet if you made pie we are talking about 75,000 sq. Inches of pie and barrels and barrels of cool whip right?  You’d have a lot of seeds to fry or bake etc or plant and go for  2,750.. good luck.. It’s good to have a dream.. and speaking of dreams..

Take Leap

The other feature story that caught my eye was about a 104 year old lady who broke the record for being the oldest known person to parachute solo.  She died a few days  later, yet holy Moses she understood seeking peace and joy and taking  the leap to live every single day.   

So in the “seeking peace and joy  world the point isn’t  that you have to grow a pumpkin you can’t lift and you don’t have to  jump out of a plane.. you only have to take ten minutes to find a local paper and let your curious brain find inspiration… Trust yourself and you will have your own story guarantee to make someone smile  even if it’s only you… and you are enough   Before the clock strikes midnight.. peace.. 

   Important  Correction  Cunkin was 2749 pounds 749

Sharing? The Peace and Joy

 

An Unusual  P&J…

These entries. Are not about political/religous, or economic opinions—EXCEPT THIS ONE IS 

Sometimes seeking peace and joy requires letting gifts and blessings flow into and through your life and your spirit.  In a world culture that worships money we sometimes forget that you can only eat one fancy meal and ride in one fancy car at a time… In the U.S. the top money earners in nearly all major corporations are now making 300 dollars for each dollar they are paying their lowest paid workers… and so now there are some strikes which are people saying we value sharing.. This 8-line rhyme is about that…  Enjoy this with someone… in other words … share. No wonder why we’re stressing

Every morn’ while we’re dressing

Piles of problems each one’s pressing

Headlines with our minds keep messing

Allow for  bits of wishful  guessing

If the greedy few might start confessing

And share with all who build their blessing

More calm we’d begin expressing

You May Want a Miracle-but Don’t Change Water Into Whine

 Miracles Are cool But Let’s Not Turn Water Into Whine

When you grow up in the “Ag” world weather is a big topic.  This is reasonable when some well timed precipitation can make the difference between a big dollar sign and a for sale sign.  Yet, it’s not only the farmer who tends to kind of whine about the rain.  Fishermen whine about the rough water.  Flint residents whine about the poisons in their water (oh wait that’s okay)… the point is we as humans are pretty much made of water and a couple bucks worth of minerals—and ironically  we are frequently whining about it.  We have too much of it in some places at some times and too little of it in other places at other times.  

Now in seeking peace and joy let’s try to take a glass half full view of water shall we…

Starting with music —wow how much of our music features water, or what water does, or bridges over it when it’s troubled.  It can be well “oh black water.. it can be like a river to be rollin’ on and when in a tub you can “splish-splash” in it.  We could go on and on or we could sit by the dock of the bay and ponder a couple of water related sayings that have crossed  the minds of many…and so let’s not worry about the raindrops that keep fallin’ on our heads and reflect a bit.  

One saying  that’s been floating around a bit lately is 

“My cup runneth  over”… since gratitude  helps people focus on the gifts they have and sometimes on the gifts they might share this is a valuable saying…. Except.. sometimes  your cup runneth over because  you no longer have the energy or balance to hold your cup very steady… so stay aware.  

Another inspirational and relevant idea that recently floated by was…

The rich soul is one who finds many types of folks in their life… the type who will show you the rainbow—the type who will dance with you in the rain—and maybe most importantly the people who will walk with you into the storm.   If you are going to seek peace and joy with others  know that sometimes you will need to do all these.

Finally for today there is a saying that roughly states….

A ship doesn’t sink because of the water it’s in.. it sinks because of the water that gets in it… and the argument can be extended  in the peace and joy world to say seeking peace and joy sometimes means having enough of,and the right people in your boat who are willing to bail you out when the storm comes…when the best built boat hits a big block (of ice)  and some folks who can help you tell which way the wind is blowing… 

And if all that fails it doesn’t hurt if someone in your boat can walk on water…. 

It seems like the well has run dry on this idea and while sometimes this blog gets muddy.. we’re not going to try to wring out another drop of water by boring you to tears.

Peace

If AI Wrote a Joke Would it Be Woke?

 

Sitting there beneath an oak

Hatched a thought  and let it soak

What if AI wrote a joke?

Who’s attention would it poke

 Would it be dull obscene or woke?

How many would just take a toke

 and let the words go up in smoke?

When will the laughter Bank go broke?

Embracing Humanity Because Woke and AI are Shallow and Lazy

 

Though perfection is nice

We all choose a price

To pay for some vice

Be it pie by the slice

Or vodka on ice

Can’t avoid sacrifice

There’s no need to think twice

Go  ahead roll your dice

Acceptable Risk

Watch What You Say- Not a Woke Entry So smell What You Hear?

 It Goes Without Saying

… who says it does?

Some of the people who read this blog have, by now, come to recognize the overuse of elipses… indicating that you are about to get some off-the cuff remarks…as if I ever  have ever written  remarks on my cuffs?   Would that be the cuffs on my shirts because they offer limited writing space and I often roll them up so they would be of limited utility.  So maybe we’re talking about the cuffs on my pants or slacks?  Well I mostly wear sweats and the cuffs are often covered by socks or sort of folded under and around… So these remarks aren’t off the cuff… 

So what other phrases do I abuse?  There are so many… and some of the ones I use I am now seeing all over print and web media.  Some are sales phrases.  

This is a limited time offer…..  while supplies last… special offer just for you… 

 A “limited time offer?”

Well captain obvious… we have a human experience that does not extend forever in the realm of time as of yet… so every little thing is a limited time offer.  Life is a limited time offer.  That means that any offer might be like a snowflake in a blizzard of limited time offers.  

While supplies last?

Of course …. Because when things don’t exist (or the supply is at zero) then you can’t have it right now.  And supplies are limited… same notion.   At any given moment in life experiences are either available, can be made available, or are not available.  The trick here is in seeking peace and joy choices have to be made in terms of whether or not your spirit is available and paying attention to what is being supplied or what might be available right now.  

No Pressure…

Well there’s a lie for you…When someone asks you about something or for something and says “no pressure” it’s as a buffer  to hide rejection.  So.. if someone says  “Hey would you like to go to dinner with me.. and like no pressure.”  Are they really saying “I really want to see what life would be like if we shared a meal or two but I don’t want you to know that I have a fragile ego and it’s hard for me to admit I will feel rejected if you don’t feel like I do?   Most the time when most people..myself included say no pressure they are saying “I hope  you will join this experiment with me… but I don’t want to admit  to you what my reactions to your answer might be.  There is no such thing as “no pressure.”

Come to think of it….. what would happen if there actually were “no pressure?”  Well for one no pressure—no wheels.  Oh sure there are a few solid rubber tires out there and some plastic ones too, however, most the transportation we navigate the streets with just wouldn’t go so smoothly without pressure.  Yep and no pressure—no modern bathroom functions like a nice soothing shower or a good cleansing flush.  So maybe that phrase needs to be used a little less…but no pressure.  

So… all the above was intended to remind all of us that we see phrases that don’t make much sense and they are often meant to convince us that we should do something before time runs out or while supplies last  however these phrases leave out  some critical information like?   While supplies last doesn’t get followed up by “but no pressure we have plenty or can create more.”  Well…. Maybe in seeking peace and joy it is important to reflect on what some of the other actors using language  in a lazy way might have you believe instead of encouraging you to explore the world and your actual thoughts and emotions.  

The next time you are offered a “lifetime” guarantee please be bold enough to ask “what’s a lifetime”

  A May fly lives 24 hours tops… a redwood  lives hundreds  of years and also if something quits working isn’t its lifetime done so doesn’t everything have a lifetime guarantee?  

Well well… to sum this all up maybe the best way to avoid falling for a bad deal isn’t looking for what others can offer  or guarantee, but to flip the script and focus on what we have to offer and keep offering it, recreating it while supplies last, and to put it out there for others to share… with just a little pressure.

And of course “watch what you say”  or smell what you hear?

Fighting for success, and seeking peace and joy

 Who am I = What do I do?

In the seeking peace  and joy universe many of us spend many a day/year dancing or wrestling with  big questions like Who am I and what  should I do with my life?  Answering  these heavy questions often requires doing some exploration and testing of activities to see how one fits in.  Some professionals encourage folks to start with activities  they might enjoy so that choices of vocation and use of recreational time wind up in some sort of harmony and balance.  This makes sense.  Now these same professionals  often urge us to match traits and values with activities to make decisions about our purposes in life.  

Well… this past week marks the beginning of the NFL (American Football) season and one thing is clear.. human beings really love competition.  

It is also clear that many people have a wide variety of skills, interests, and values so obviously exploring  “what should I do?” Matters calls for some research..so this is what happened.  A search revealed some results combining competition, intellectual challenges, and a variety of physical activities such as jumping, dancing, etc.  

Well here’s the perfect match  for most Americans  who want to combine  healthy exercise with a competitive mental activity…

Chess boxing

Yes my friends there is such a thing.  In fact for just over twenty years there has actually been  A professional association devoted to this.  Apparently competitors make a chess  move and then box  for a few minutes and then alternate these things until one of the players either gets check mate  or gets knocked out.  Research also revealed that the average annual income for chess boxers is around $43,000.  

Now there are some seeking peace and joy implications for this sort of result, however, first we might also know it’s good to have career options so here’s a few suggestions that additional research may uncover…just not yet.

How aboutNASCAR Knitting Speed Skating Scrabble referee, or in your spare time doing a little archery tennis?  

Okay… maybe the point is… people and circumstances along  with geography, educational opportunities, cultural obligations (the list of variables goes on and on) can thwart (love that word) almost any matching activities—job—purpose scheme no matter how many computers and data banks we throw at it.  So how then do we carve out the answers?  No one knows for sure…. Well that’s not very satisfying you say… true..but it’s pretty helpful…  What? 

You see when we start looking to others to tell us who we are and what we should do we discount the knowledge housed in the soul of the person who is the real expert on what we like and what we have to offer… that’s right it’s you!  Look we don’t advise  “Cannonball Catcher” or “industrial Dog Polisher” for recent grads…but we do suggest that one experiments because there are a lot of jobs to do and a lot of activities  to explore and if you are lucky you will get to experience many of each.   Can one improve the odds of having this happen?  Probably and here’s how..

Wake up in the morning… Ask the universe  what you can do fort today.   Then ask what are the lessons I learned  yesterday… Next dedicate yourself to shaping activities  that consider if the results of those  tasks  done by others to you would be as rewarding  as they will be when you do them… and then … take a moment to ponder… “What if I’m wrong?”  

Oh and if someone asks “who wants to be the javelin catcher today?… keep your hand down…

Peace