I Peace And Joy digital distractions apologies unplugged

APOLOGIES  UNPLUGGED

Yesterday I heard that in light of recent shootings some Wal-Mart  stores were pulling “violent” video games from their  shelves.  Oh, they are still selling guns and  bullets so they aren’t getting carried away by all the social media and political rhetoric.  I don’t know all.the answers.  I only hope I’m asking myself the right questions.  I hope that for everyone.  I do wonder how  some folks get  so disconnected from their  humanity and the humanity of others?  Seeking Peace and Joy  will require some curiousity about such things for me and given that I wrote this  little rhyme (maybe a song in the future).  It’s sort of  my apology for worshiping at the altar of technology without being more thoughtful sometimes.  The children of today deserve  a bit of  the apology and  the children of these children may deserve it even more.  The jury is still out.  Anyway here. goes...

  want to say we’re sorry for starting  AOL

Did we open  up the planet or just the gates of hellll?

I couldn’t really guess it’s too early to tell 

But I wrote this little ramble to wish you all quite well

The future is a toss up it won’t be  only  doom

You’ll have  a robot  vaccuum so you won’t need a broom

You’ll have screens large and tiny in nearly  every room

I only hope we stop before we stream NetFlix to the womb

Please put up some solar  so the sun can bring. us power

And put down twitter and facebook each for just an  hour

Play out in the grass a bit and draw  things in the dirt

Chase some fire flies just at dark you will not get hurt

You might  let a robot drive your car so you won’t get in a wreck

And stay in touch with. distant friends by using. some high tech

You may get your  food delivered by a drone that the store hires

But never miss a chance to hear some guitar  by campfires

And if there is a fiddler get them playing too.

and. If you’re old enough  crack open  a cold brew

With all the automation you can  call FaceTime or text

But no smart phone can tell you what in life will happen next

You’ll have to listen to your heart and soul and keep growing  yourself

Now and then take all the gadgets and leave them  on a shelf

I don’t know where all this started. And I’m not sure where it ends

In digital disorders? And only shallow friends?  I really. Don’t. Believe. That  but on us it all depends

Seek Peace and Joy each morning then go check the  YouTube trends

Taking aim at peace and joy a departure:

TAKING AIM AT PEACE AND JOY 

(A one-time departure)

This blog is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be my outlet to voice political or “religious/spiritual” opinions.  Do I have some? Yep, still I believe strongly in personal choice and. Responsibility and also that if we all do a little more to help ourselves a and our neighbor the world would be better off.  BUT TODAY I FIND IT  NECESSARY TO. VOICE MY THOUGHTS ON MENTAL  HEALTH, GUNS, AND VIDEO GAMES

Let’s start with  some popular ideas about. Mass shootings.  They are committed by  mentally ill people somehow influenced by video games.  Does anyone want to  take a hard look at how many people need better  mental health care and wellness resources?  Children wait months to see  a qualified psychiatrist in most of America (especially in rural areas), and yet we don’t hear anyone crying out to change this.  even given this challenge, how many. People  diagnosed with. Mental. Health variations from the norm shoot people on a regular basis?  You are  far more likely to be a victim of a crime if you have a mental illness than  you are to commit one.  So maybe using that logic if you DO NOT  HAVE A MENTAL ILLNESS YOU SHOULD HAVE TO REGISTER WITH THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES?   You are  far more likely to  get hugged by a  person with a mental health  concern than shot...so beware of a mass hugging somewhere near you today.  

Also one’s  mental normalcy is a singular characteristic of some shooters—I can accept that and so is the fact that  most  of these incidents  have come at the hands of men.  So maybe we all (those of us claiming male gender) should have those body parts catalogued and put in a registry somewhere.  Maybe every man in America should  have to  have a radio transponder  sewn  into  or onto  his genetalia?  After  all that’s a single  human characteristic shared  by about all the gun slingers.  

Now. Let’s look at video games.  Everyone I know  have at one time played  some sort of  video game so again I can’t buy the link there.  Oh you say it’s only the violent ones?  Well how about a game where a character tracks down a large number of foes and not only vanquishes them but eats them right there on the screen and that’s how you advance?  Anybody think we should ban Ms. PAC Man?  I am not a big fan of video games for  a number of reasons, but I will play them and yell Kill while playing Wii fencing —you can ask my kids.  How many people have I targeted with a gun—hundreds...but the guns all were fully loaded with  water.  I would bet money that. Many people who play video games (including Candy Crush) give money to churches, participate in blood drives, bake sales, and other worth community enhancing activities.  So who wants to decide whether. Video games cause shootings or church giving?  

I could  go on and on but  I will not.  It’s time to talk about  guns.  I’m okay with anyone  owning any gun they would  like as long as they are willing to sign a statement  that they will be held responsible for  all the things that result  from  the use of that gun without exception.  Also if you own a gun for protection the capacity must be limited to six rounds.  If you  need more than six shots then  you either have some really rotten enemies or you are  not well trained in how to use your gun.  Assault weapons should only be issued to folks who want to  hunt for their own food and therefore should be banned from buying food at stores and restaurants.  If folks absolutely  feel the need to  use weapons of war, join the military services—otherwise use a rifle to kill Bambi.  If you  think you are defending yourself  from the government  gone mad  with an assault weapon guess again Einstein—Our government can kill you with a drone strike from thousands. Of miles away.  So unless you want to run out into your  front and back yard every three minutes and spray hundreds of bullets into the. Air in every direction, don’t pull that argument out of your hat.  We can. Do more to insure our freedom by educating our citizens about governance, teaching our children respect for others, and admitting that most people are far more alike than we are different than we  can guarantee freedom by shooting  45 rounds a minute at anyone or anything.  

Okay I have gone on long enough and its time to sum up.  

Basically  I’m saying all dogs are not horses.  What the Hell?—you say?  Well all dogs (most of them anyway ) have four legs and a tail and most horses have  four legs and a tail..but  all dogs are not horses.  Bottom line mental health issues and video games are not  things to isolate for and neither is a testical  tracker.  We can experiment with  gun safety and  limited use laws and see how those work without  violating any constitutional freedoms, as long as we agree. That education must be  done and our justice system dedicates  itself to becoming  less biased.  

Finally, I challenge each of us to  try hard to stay aware, be astonished  by acts. Of violences toward a fellow human, and to believe you can seek justice without seeking revenge.  

Seek some Peace and Joy Come what May

Peace joy playgrounds and imagination

PEACE, JOY, AND THE PLAYGROUNDS IN YOUR MIND

When I was a kid...(That’s a good way to start a speech you know because. You’ve got that in common with everyone in the audience.)  

Well back in the Flintstone Age I had a favorite Park playground and I would guess many of us did.  Many of us also had a classic swing set out in the yard.  Today I was thinking about a couple pieces of  playground equipment that were popular and yet would never be around today.  There was the sit down Meery-go-Round.  There were two types of these, one was  a solid piece of iron cut into a circle with  some  bars to hold on to while sitting  or standing on it.  Now one or two kids had to get the thing spinning so s/he  would grab a set of these bars and start running around in a circle.  Of course the never-stated but always known goal of the pusher was to run just fast enough to jump on and enjoy the ride.  If that didn’t seem possible then the goal became to push hard enough so that someone was begging to get off.  Now there was  this other. Type of  thing whichoperated on the same principle, gut the sitting place was a set of benches connected  together instead.  Now that was a trickier thing because if a rider lost  his grip then  he or she  was spinning around holding on only with his/her legs hoping  the rest of the riders were tall enough to get their  feet to the ground so that this didn’t become  a spinning, head banging device.  Of course there were the monkey bars or jungle gyms as they were called in some placed.  This was  sets of metal bars welded or bolted together and kids went out to climb on them and hang from them.  How many concussions did kids get from falling off these?  After all a fall was either  going to be to the ground or to the ground after hitting  several steel pipes and other kids along the way.  

So these things  weren’t safe.  Why did we love them so?  It’s simple they were the places where our imaginations turned this spinning metal into a space ship or a race car.  The monkey bars became a club house or a pirate ship or a castle.  You see these  were places we used our minds to imagine adventure, fun, and glory-filled possibilities.  

Yet just like most  of  you there came a day when I was too big or too old for such things.  What did I do with that left over imagination?  Well until recently I used it to imagine my kids were going to get into a car wreck, or my best friends were all going to die young, or the next storm would  drop basketball  sized hail stones on our  Jeep.  For some reason I no longer imagined joyful things— I just used that mental energy to worry.  

The thing is...I really rarely had control over how fans at that  playground thing was going to spin or how crowded and slippery the jungle gym was going to be at  any given time and today I don’t have control over the weather, the economy, or the size of hail.  By the way why doesn’t hail get to have it’s own size?  Couldn’t we have. Hail-sized golf balls just once?  

Well to sum up I have been  on a rant lately telling people “don’t worry.”  I probably. Need to throw  out the other part of the equation which is  that there is far more peace and joy using that part of your mind to imagine better possibilities, new songs, better ways to cook the same olds foods, and different ways to treat people  who are not friends yet.  

Oh and the next time  I get the chance I am going to find the most dangerous  piece of playground equipment at some  old park and go for  a spin because the universe is out there waiting for us to explore!

The 10 worst assumptions you can make in today’s world

  Just kidding but it got your attention

10 BEST AND WORST ASSUMPTIONS TO MAKE REGARDING  PEACE AND JOY

10 WORST ASSUMPTIONS

1. I’m actually going to  offer 10 of each.  You don’t have time to read that long and I am not going to assume what are bad assumptions for me are bad assumptions for you.
2. Read the Above... it seems to me that one of the most foolish assumptions I make is that most people share most of my assumptions about  most things.  We all grew up in different  families, under different  circumstances, in different  generations in some cases and  so for me to take  it for granted that. My set of assumptions would be known let alone understood by  all of the known world is a folly.  So do I avoid that assumption?  Not nearly as often as I should
3. That if you work hard.you can do almost anything.  I once  assumed this and just when  I started to learn better in terms of having a finite yet expansive set of gifts along comes Google and YouTube once again helping me assume that if I try hard enough and have my phone charged—well ...I still can’t do everything I think I should be able to do and I am learning not to make this assumption all over again—at least sort of...I will admit I still think the truth is we all say “I can’t do that,” when “I haven’t learned how to do this yet,” may be more accurate.
4. LIFE IS FAIR   If you need further  info about this assumption please keep on believing that life is fair, the check is in the mail, your call is important to us, and size doesn’t matter.
5. What I learned in my youth in school is still true and useful.  No I didn’t learn that the worlds was flat.  I went to a progressive Catholic school and we threw those  books  out at least 7 months before  I started there.  I did learn there were nine planets and saw 40-some thousand science fair solar system models that proved it to be true.  I wonder if there are  grandparents everywhere going through the attic looking for  these projects and unceremoniously  chopping Pluto off after all they were the people who figure3d. Out how to get all those  models put together in the first place.  Now the lesson here is not that we were wrong about. How many planets there were or there are.  The mistaken assumption is that once you decide saomething. Has been proven once and for all it remains  true and. Is called the same thing forever.  That’s just not a good assumption to make.
6. I assumed that 40 was old-50 was  old—55 was old etc you get the point.  No two bodies age the same and growing  up is not the same  as growing old.  Getting wiser is not the same as getting older either.
7. Statistics are the best way to know things.  I love numbers.  I like to  think about how  17 times 23 is easy to multiply because it is the difference of  shquares.  If you don’t know what that means don’t worry it’s algebra.  also if you square any  number ending in  5 all. You need to  take the numbers  b before the 5 and multiply  one by itself plus one.  So 45 squared is 4 time 5 or 20 and then  put the 25 at the end or it is 2025.  So? Why don’t.i like statistics.   Let’s say  you live in a town where there were 4 cart accidents in 2018.  If there  are 8 accidents in 2019 because  three of your relatives from  England ran into each other in the  dollar store  parking  lot and Wanda the church secretary swerveved to miss a kitten and clipped  the mirror off the pastor’s 4x4, the headline could read “FOREIGNERS AND RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS  LEAD TO ALARMING  INCRTEASE IN MOTOR VEHICLE  SAFETY DECLINE.”  The article could  state that  traffic  accidents have doubled —risen by 100% in less than a year.  So don’t assume statistics while catching your attention (especially if you throw in a pie chart or graph) are all that remarkable unless you know  the context.
8. 7 is enough Assumptions for now and I have made mistakes (or learned lessons) based upon  each and every one of these and don’t judge anyone else who has done the same.

MY BEST 10 ASSUMPTIONS

1. Absolutely  no activity takes exactly as long as I assume it will take.  For example, I figured this blog entry would be done  13 seconds ago.  I assume every oven set at 425 degrees a will cook my frozen pizza the same.  I assume  that my hair will be the same length the next time I get a hair cut if I wait the same amount of time I waited for this one.  None of these things are true nor have they ever been, so don’t expect things will take the amount of time you think.
2. When anyone older than you or in a position of authority  muses your middle name something  unple3asant is about to happen.  Also assume it was your fault regardless if it was or not (see the assumption about fairness above).
3. Okay this is going to be a little. More serious.  One of my most helpful assumptions later in life is  that most people in most situations don’t care  about much of what you do.  You can interpret that as apathy or you can interpret that as  “none of my business”. Kind of thinking.  You can pout about. How you aren’t  the center of the universe or you can conversely decide that you are probably more critical of your mistakes than most people and that  these are lessons for you not big scarlet letters for you to wear around.  Also assume there is little need for you to hand out scarlet letters even if you should choose to care  more than most.  The other cool thing about. This assumption is that it gives you room to explore and experiment. A little in life—so shine a light into the darkness and see what’s possible. 
4. You are at least 1.3 times as  drunk or stoned as you think you are.  No judgment  here just an observation that has served me well over time.  This goes  along with an assumption that  there is an upper limit on getting either. Drunk or high and by the time you get there  you will not believe anyone who is trying to give you this  advice or explanation so read it now and just  treat it like that difference of squares  thing I mentioned above.  
5. In the course of a family reunion  it is better to. Remember and  highlight the funny stuff.  We get to pick (to some extent)  our work, our  hair color, the way we deal with politics, the music we listen to...but we don’t get to pick our family—although we can choose to distance ourself if wanted.  The thing is  during the family reunion no family event will go unmentioned or completely forgotten and the story will be told from  several points of view.  You may as well retell your story from a joyful or humorous point of view...and stay. Close to the cooler and bathroom (this only applies to some families.)
6. You can learn more about people by listening to what they say than telling them what you think about things.  This seems simple on the surface however in today’s world I often hear someone start with their opinion and then  end the line of statements with “don’t you think?” And  then expect to learn something about others.  If you just listen you get two chances to learn about someone.  You learn from what they say and you learn from what they decide not to talk about.  Words gone  unspoken are often the loudest statements ever made.
7. Everything. You do or say will  upset, irritate,annoy, or be disagreed upon by someone.  Again donb’t. Assume anyone assumes  what you assume and don’t assume there is no room for discussion in a disagreement until you are told that directly.  If you are pushing your passion far enough you will always meet someone who has  put a great. Amount of effort to make things the way. They are so you will eventually run into some of these. People and it is healthy to understand  that  you are  now becoming. The change  you want—so congratulations you really impacted the world.
8. Finally assume that you will find yourself in situations where you must  make a choice between three important  paths.  The first path is one you have been down. A lot and know where it probably leads.  It hasn’t been a bad path for you most the time so  it’s a reasonable choice.  The same one is a path you know of (the path less taken—at least by you—) and because you are standing at the  decision point you might think it is time to see what lies a ahead on the  path less traveled by.  New experiences might allow you to use. New and old gifts in new and old ways.  Again, this might be a great path.  The third path?  It’s the one that you  may have to start.  You  may be the one to make the path.  It might be your turn to take your light and shine it out there into the darkness and remove the. Barriers in order to make  new discoveries for those who might follow.  I can’t recommend. Any of these paths for you, however, I can give witness that starting new paths can be a world of fun if you don’t assume tthat  doing so will be hard, because some people were born to do such thing

So there you have it.  These are my  assumptions for right now.   I assume tomorrow I will  record a podcast about. This and  have fun putting it out there.  

Now I expect and assume. You might. Take a look at your assumptions and expectations so we can all learn from you on the  path we might call peace and joy.

Expectations and seeking peace and joy this blog and the podcast

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THIS IS ABOUT PEACE AND JOY?

Next week on Tuesday or Wednesday the Peace and Joy 505 podcast will go live (so to speak...actually recorded and not pre-recorded (for as Carlin notes  you can’t  record something before it is recorded just like you can’t pre-heat an oven.  The oven is either  being heated or it is not.  Well  let’s get. back to the podcast launch.

You  may wonder why one might listen to a podcast when you can  read the blog/. Good question!  well there are two good reasons and a bunch of egotistical ones.  I’ll leave  it up. To you to judge which are which.  One good reason is that you can listen instead of read.  Now that means you can do this in your car.  Could. You read the blog in your car?  Sure but then you would have to. Interrupt  the three text conversations you are having, changing the station or music selection, and so on. Next you could hear my convoluted stream of  thought as it really happens and wouldn’t have to  use a literary guide to figure. Out if I’m making  one or two hundred punctuation errors per post.  In addition, it may feel more like  a conversation with me or one of the voices in my head.  Believe me... I do that all the time and it is entertaining from time to time.  

Now in preparing for this  experiment I have read several “expert” guides to podcasting and of all of them state clearly that the introduction episode should tell the listener where the podcast is headed.  Well here’s the deal.... the entire point of building the “community” of readers or listeners is NOT  for me to tell you where. I’m going and  most certainly not  done so that I can tell you where to go.  People have been telling me where i can go most of my life...but that’s another story—i think.  

So what can you expect?  Well, I could. Claim I’ll provide a map that might be useful  in seeking peace and joy.  You see but that wouldn’t exactly be true...I will let you see “my” map but mostly my focus is on sharing  how I have and continue to  build my compass.  I can share all the parts I use and some I have thrown away.  

My expectation is that you will build the greatest compass in the universe for you and go way beyond the borders of my map.  However, if we  walk together on our journey for a while that will bring me peace and joy.  

So my expectation for the podcast and this blog is to share  things that’s have seemed to be useful  for me—what kind of ego does that take?  Well a rather  large one I suppose, however,  I did say I am only offering  these things.  I  will not judge those who. Don’t accept  any or  all of my views...I’m just offerrring lessons (mistakes). I have experienced.  The. Podcast will just give a more personal voice to things.  Will it  have guests?  I am planning on it.  Are you welcome to suggest topics?  Oh Good Lord Always!

Well I have rambled almost. Long enough and yet I want to sum up a bit on things...

When you introduce something  new into someone’s universe you are often commanded to provide an expectation  of how  the world will change as a result.  You are supposed to outline the goals and objectives....Well I say no!  I am only going to help you find a stone or two to throw into. The river of your experiences.  You can toss the stone into the river where you may choose and  watch the ripples..but those are your ripples not mine.  I really expect very little... I think it was Mary Oliver (a poet) who said something like  our job in 

life is to bawalet learning enhance our  awareness, become astonished, and tell the world.  that is what  the podcast and this blog are about.  So that’s what I expect of me... I will respect whatever you expect from you...as long as we  are on the  journey of seeking peace and joy.,

Tomorrow a word or two about Assumptions... ones I used to have and ones I have now...right now I expect I have typed enough and assume you  are ready for me to quit...so that’s all.

By the way the photo it’s a picture of the river where I toss my stones where the ripples go I’m not quite sure but wherever they end I think it’s someplace magnificent have a great day

Back on the road in peace and joy assumptions and expectations

BACK ON THE ROAD TO PEACE AND JOY

From time  to time in a person’s life time  disappears.  It seems like some months go by very quickly even if some days are very long.  There are moments that  change lives and time periods where it seems no change takes place for a good long while.  For me, in the last month I made  a couple trips back to the p0lace of my youth and was struck by how some things have changed dramatically while other things remain the same.  Or maybe everything has changed but some things have just changed at the rate I expected.  

These trips prompted me to think of  the “catching a ball traveling at  90 mph?”  I would ask how many students through they could catch a ball tossed to them and the ball was  traveling at 90?  Even. More, I would  as if they could catch it bare handed?  Most students said that would be difficult or impossible.  I told them that I believed  nearly every student in this room could do it.  Do you. Think you could?

I believe most of you could.  What is the basis of this belief?  Do I think you are all sports superstars?  No.  So here’s  the deal.  Get in  your car and find a freeway where it is relatively deserted and get your car going. 90 then very softly  toss a ball back and forth between  two or mor passengers.  

Technically you are catching a ball going 90 easily and bare handed.  You see it is all relative.  Change is relative too depending upon your perspective and expectations.  Which leads to the point of this post.  Seeking Peace and Joy almost always  takes the courage to  look at things in a “relative” way  by reflecting upon  your. Current expectations and assumptions.  

So if. You are  planning on seeking peace and joy starting with. A good look at assumptions is. Not a bad  leaping off point.  The next few posts  are going to  feature my (and I suspect al lot of folk”s ) assumptions and expectations.  

My time on the road last month helped to clarify some  fo these for me mad helpers me  take a few steps forward on the road  called  seeking peace and joy.  

BTW I’m happy to be  back here by the river and and by the keyboard sitting at the familiar spot  on the table.  

Have a tremendous today.

Some reflections on sunlight and reflections on reflections?

LETTING LIGHT SHINE FROMDIFFERENTPERSPECTIVES

The Earth has nearly rotated around once more and this side of it will be facing the sun.  We  call this sunrise although the sun is pretty much staying in the same place (I hope). 

Then the sun moves across the sky—again the sun isn’t  really doing that either.  Finally there will be sunset which has nothing to do with  the sun moving.  

It is a great thing to be able to observe a great sunrise and start a new day and it is awesome to feel the  heat on your skin for the first time each Spring when the  sun finally provides enough warmth to  thaw away winter.  ...And sunsets wow they can be remarkable.  Yet here’s the deal—the sun is not moving we are.  The light and heat come from different. Perspectives during the course of a day and we  enjoy each new perspective.  

Then there is a beautiful moonlit night.  Except the moon doesn’t light anything.  The moon reflects the light  sent forth by the sun so we can enjoy it just a little more.  What a concept this idea of making sure you reflect the best in others out to the world so  this can be enjoyed a little more.  The sun and  moon work together to add something to  our lives—yet they  are very  different objects.  Maybe our leaders could learn a little from  staring at the moon?

I can’t help but wonder if we could  look at the ideas of people in the same way?  Couldn’t the ideas of others be a small light of wisdom that we are able to experience?  You know, a little light from a different perspective?  Now are we going to  like all these ideas and perspectives?  I don’t think so.  On the other hand, who knows?  If we could look at ideas as  different positions of the sun maybe we could  learn a bit more and understand that  a perspective that seems fixed is likely to shift soon.

I suspect what I’m trying. To say is you don’t. Have to like the perspective of others,however, they (like the sun) may reveal  something that touches  you inside and allows you to grow.  

Well that’s enough for this  morning.  It is about time to witness another world spin.

Have a super spin!I’m 

Thank you Thursday thanks for learning lessons

Hey 

THANK YOU THURSDAY —ON LESSONS

You ever try to start a tradition?  I want to make EVERY Thursday— “thank you” Thursday, however it seems either I have to speed up my writing schedule or slow down time.  Guess which I’m thinking I might have more success with?

Anyway, of all the things that bring me joy, I think learning might be right at the top (or near )the top of the list.  

Over the years, I have often commented about my Catholic school education.  I believe I’ll dedicate an entire  week to that soon.  I’ll say only this...the nuns were  both kind and brutally dedicated to their  teaching and students.  I only wish they might have been required to announce on any given day which tactic they were planning on implementing. 

That being said, I have learned  so much from  so many and the lessons have finally started to make sense in a way that is  becoming  very useful.  In fact I wrote a song about it—big shock right.  Since I’m on a train I don’t know if I can load it up, but I ythought I’d share the lyrics and then pull up the song/video later today or tomorrow.

Here’s the lessons I am thankful for and wonder what lessons you may be thankful for?

LESSONS

 I’ve learned great lessons from professors and books

Graceful half-drunken women and burned out fry cooks

I thought it was time that I passed them along

So I sat up one night and I wrote down this song—here itgoes

Well the wiser I get the more that I’ve found

Your body just carries your spirit around

And there’s a new circus around every turn

The best  you can do is pay attention and learn

And pass all these lessons to the next passers by

Try to enjoy life and understand why

But if why eludes you don’t wallow in frets

Don’t let let your butterfly wings get weighed down with regrets

Chorus 

And breathe and stretch, and dance your own dance

And laugh and smile when life gives you the chance

You’ll rarely  finish but you’ll often restart

Take your brain with you, but follow your heart

Don’t compromise on the things you might change

Understand normal but celebrate strange

Don’t chase the chaos, nor worship control

But run it full throttle when you’re on a roll and...

Chorus

I’ve heard sermons in bar rooms  and in churches learned shoulds

But some of the best prayers I’ve ever heard were whispered in woods 

And don’t be afraid to believe in forever

But be careful with words like always and never

Don’t shake your fist in the mirror when your patience  wears thin

Every dream has its time 

Don’t let apathy win 

Chorus

You’ll try to help many 

but You can’t walk in their place

And you can’t fight their demons

Especially ones they won’t face.

These are my lessons nearly all that I know

But if you learn half of these then you’ll find your glow

and once you find this well you will go far

To sum it all up you’ll become. Who  YOU are and you’ll know how to....

Chorus

Peace and joy What do you really know about your honey?

PEACE AND JOY—HOW MUCH DO YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR HONEY?

No, this isn’t one of those pop culture surveys found in People Magazine...It’s not a Sunday feature in Parade—it’s really about honey.  

today I used about 3 tablespoons of real raw honey.  I used one for my cereal.  I spooned some on a couple slices of toast.  The third? I didn’t put it on anything on purpose.Somehow a little found itself on the counter.  Some found its way to a spot on the sink. A dab wound up on the left side of my t-shirt.  Finally, alittle spec somehow made it to the bottom of the arm of my rocking chair.  

However, as irritating as this can be I manage the same thing with pancake syrup from time to time and it is not nearly as healthy, not as amazing.  

Now just before I mention all the amazing. Things about honey and the creatures. That create it I want to  file a cautionary note.

I was okay when  they made Honey Comb cereal because it was only in the shape of  the honey comb.  they didn’t pretend to be real honey bits etc.  Then we started  going a little  overboard.  There is “honey’ Nut Cheerios I have never found them to taste like honey or found any nuts in them.  If they indeed contain honey it must be like 7 drops per every 413 pounds of the stuff.  Then we have “Honey” Bunches of Oats—neither honey nor Oats are measured by the “bunch”. bananas, grapes, and the Bradys— they can lay claim to the “bunch” designation but not cereal.  If you put honey on a slice of bread would it become a bunch of bread?  if you drizzled some on a pan of rolls would it become a bunch and  of course we bake some ham with honey but we don’t call it “Honey Bunches of Hog.”  

Okay back to the  realities of honey and some things  you should know.  

Honey sealed in an air tight  container will never spoil.  Honey  recovered from ancient times that remained sealed was deemed  completely  healthy and unimpacted by 3000 years of human history.  

A single hive of bees can produce  about 100 pounds of honey per year which is about enough for 3.2 billion boxes of. Honey Nut Cheerios —just kidding I made that up. But it could be true.  

Here are some things. That are true.  

So if you are not impressed by the amount of honey consider this.  To produce 1 pound of honey bees must collect nectar from about 2 million flowers and fly approximately 55,000 miles.  So we’re talking a lifetime’s amount of work for about 800 bees.  

Honey is good medicine.  It is both antiseptic (can seal a cut etc and antibiotic—germs won’t grow in it.  Not all bees make honey.  There are about 20,000 types of bees  on the planet, however, only about  7 are known to  make honey.  So if you think you have some lazy relatives or coworkers think about these bees that are taking credit for this good stuff and so few of them are doing all the work!  

Bees have been making  honey for about  100 million years and some wasps  make a little honey due to somewhat common genetics.  

Finally even if you don’t like honey—you’d better respect the honey making process.  As bees fly around gathering up this and that, they pollenate other plants and are responsible for helping grow about 1/3 (yes 33%) of all the food we eat.  

So to sum up let’s stop  disrespecting honey by. Saying  something has it when it doesn’t really.  BTW I had some Honey Nut. Frosted Flakes the other day (Tony the tiger  sold out?  Not  Grrrrr ate.

Bees work hard to bring us this remarkable  substance and  the process is important because it makes the  whole plant kingdom better.

I wonder if  humans thought a little more about. Process and the benefits  of working hard on process they  would improve the world in a similar way?  I don’t know but the effort might  create a very positive buzz.

Yep 

Struggling with perfection imposter syndrome wondering about progression this is my musical thinking about the topic Ok

THE PERFECTION PROGRESSION INTERSECTION DIRECTION QUESTION

Some  thoughts is a song

For a few months now  IU’ve been observing (sometimes myself and) others contemplating life decisions and it seems the choice often comes down to a battle  bretween seeking desired outcomes as if they are destination or guideposts on some quest that has a far less clear ending.  This  musical offering is  more or less the summation of my thinking.  It’s my answer, but take into account Ihave a fairly high tolerance for ambiguity.  In the end this is my confession that what the song represents is my self-conclusion and believe me when I say we all have the right to choose  how to move from the progression perfection intersection.  

I offer. This only as a single perspective on a spectrum of choices that makes life such a grand adventure.  Hey I’m