Just a quarter ~

I remember watching Saturday morning cartoons growing up.

It was awesome! Saturday morning I woke up, usually around 7 AM, go and turn the TV on with the volume low. My parents worked throughout the week so on Saturday morning they liked to sleep in. If I had the TV on too loud they'd make me turn it off and go back to bed. So I would turn on the console TV, park myself in front of it, and watch cartoons.

The not so good cartoons came on around 7am. The better ones came on at 8am. The really great ones came on at 9am or 10am, and by noon they start to taper off to the cartoons that nobody really liked. I didn't know at the time but they did that to catch the wave of people as they woke up and got moving and then lost attention as the day wore on.

The commercials always caught my attention. Cereal, candy, all kinds of different fun things. It was amazing!

Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Coyote, Tasmanian Devil, then the comic books like Spider-Man. Mickey Mouse club was on early and I tolerated that but it was not my favorite.

I remember watching Capt. Kangaroo. I never really watched Mr. Rogers, though I do remember watching Sesame Street before they all turned gay.

My favorite way to watch cartoons on Saturday morning when I was little was to lay in front of the TV with my feet on the base of the console and my head away from the TV. That way I was a proper distance away from the screen and if my parents came out I wouldn't get yelled at for being too close to the TV and burning my eyes out. My Dad had explained the way a cathode ray tube worked and how there was something in the TV shooting light at the back of the screen to make pictures and I didn't want to go blind. But I did want to be close enough so that the screen was big.

One Saturday morning when I was about six or seven I was laying on my back in front of the TV with my feet on the base of the console. I had been given my allowance Friday night, one quarter. I was playing with my quarter as I laid there. For fun I would lay it on my forehead and balance it on my nose. And then I was wondering what it would be like so I closed my mouth and put the quarter on my lips. I pushed in the air with my lips. I wiggled my mouth around and made the quarter wiggle around.

Then something happened in the cartoon I was watching that was amazing and I open my mouth. The quarter dropped right into my mouth to the back of my throat and I swallowed it! I kinda gagged and choked but it was too late. The quarter was gone!

I got scared and ran in and woke up my mom. I started crying and tried to explain what had happened. She was groggy and trying to wake up. I remember dad waking up and wondering what was going on.

After they got out of bed and got a bathrobe or something on over their pajamas Mom had me drink a glass of water. And then I had to poop in a bowl for week. I didn't understand what I was doing but later I learned she was going through my poop to see if the quarter had passed through my body.

I don't think she ever found the quarter. So there may be something bouncing around in my bowels that I swallowed when I was watching cartoons as a kid.

Fun memory to think about!

Wooly mammoth ~

I read an article recently about how scientists are using genetic material from frozen bodies to try and resurrect the woolly mammoth from extinction. They're taking the genetic material and mixing it with DNA from an elephant. Sounds a lot like the Jurassic Park movies, which sounds like fun but was kinda crazy. The way those movies go humans get in trouble and then survive because T-Rex comes and eats everything.

What I keep wondering is why people so steeped in a belief in evolution would ever try to bring back something that died off.

As much as they say "trust the science" and point to scientific evidence of evolution and say that it's a "fact" it still takes a lot of faith to believe in evolution. And when they tell us to "trust the science" and then in the next breath announce a new discovery and that the science has changed completely I find it hard to put my faith in that.

The reasoning for trying to bring back the woolly mammoth is based in how well the woolly mammoth survived cold weather. The woolly mammoth is dead and gone and is not seen on planet Earth anymore except in dead bodies frozen melting glaciers. They've told us that the planet is warming for years. Their faith in warming/climate change is so strong that people are not having children and choosing to die rather than live. So if evolution led to the woolly mammoth as a species to disappear from the face of the planet why bring them back if the planet is heating up due to global warming/climate change?

The logic just doesn't compute for me. Except that it would be cool and they want to control people and outcomes

But that's a different subject.

How are you ~

I have reached an age or experience level to where I really don't like
the question "How are you?".

I still ask the question. I used to ask it a lot. I was even been made fun of how I use it at work when I greet people as they come into our workspace. I do it in a singsong way so that it makes people smile or laugh or grimace, however they feel at the moment.

But in my personal life I've gotten to a point where I don't like it at all. The people that ask me how I am really don't seem to care. If they do care they don't have time to listen to me go on and on about what I'm bothered by lately. Or if I were to say "happy" they don't believe me or don't know what to say.

I've actually found several questions in place of how are you that are much better greetings for people that I haven't seen in a while and much better checks and expressions of concern for friends or someone that I am meeting. Those questions include "What's your latest challenge?" and others.

But I tire of being asked my condition when I know that there is no interest in my condition. There is only an interest to appear polite.

My "12 Days of Christmas" gifts for 2022

I've made the effort to give free gifts to my friends and online connections during the Christmas season for two or three years now. I pull together a list of some of my most-used apps, websites, and playlists and post one per day during the 12 days leading up to Christmas.

It's fun for me because one my core desired feelings is to be "giving". Doing this helps me share some of the things I've learned about and hopefully help someone in the efforts.

Plus it helps me think about one of my favorite Christmas stories, A Christmas Carol. I love the Ghost of Christmas Present and what he says when he shows up: "Come in, come in and know me better!"

This year I posted my "gifts" to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Gab, Parler, Truth Social, Mastodon, and LinkedIn. This was a little challenging due to the fragmentation of the social media sites but still fun!

My gifts for my 12 Days of Christmas in 2022 were:

- Post-it Note app
https://www.post-it.com/3M/en_US/post-it/ideas/app/
- Chick-fil-a app
https://www.chick-fil-a.com/
- Encounter meditation app
https://encounteringpeace.com/
- George Winston playlist
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVqI204q3ewnm2DHIDtKlwHjrFf7A-DrG
- Dynalist app
https://dynalist.io/
- YouTube scenery playlist
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVqI204q3ewk3SQ7Uj5DXRq97hSCwQs0B
- A Postmodern Jukebox Christmas playlist
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL61tvTq899t6fTht5rGc-pfAes9k3WVqK
- The Pause meditation app
https://www.pausemeditation.org/
- The Marco Polo app
https://www.marcopolo.me/
- The Moon+ ebook reader app!
https://www.moondownload.com/
- A Pentatonix Christmas playlist
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaONuT5QUpidKOBovDhtfzfs8XUndW-8J
- The Story of the Bible
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_CGP-12AE0

Advent 2022 - Birth

 

This year I've been thinking about different kingdoms. And how this world was created by God but then corrupted by Satan to become an area in play that will ultimately be destroyed/cleansed to make room for a new heaven and a new earth.

I've been thinking about how Jesus was injected into this world under cover, the ultimate agent sent to help people become part of the kingdom of God. (See the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21:33-40)

God even used different kingdoms here to protect his son. He sent Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to Egypt to get away from the things Herod was doing to try and preserve his kingdom. I think of Egypt as a different spiritual kingdom (Babylon) with a different set of ruling "gods" from whatever Herod was dedicated to. One of the puzzles there that helps me deepen my faith is that despite being the Creator he didn’t just put a bubble around his son to protect him. My thought is that because Jesus was in an area under another’s authority he honored that authority. I’m not sure about that but it helps me. 

While not exactly how Bible scholars teach about it I sometimes wonder if the heavenly host that sang announcement praises in front of the shepherds were actually so excited that they just couldn't help singing and rejoicing about the victory the birth of Jesus was and the result that it was leading to. 

While our God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent this place we are in right now was created by him but is corrupted and not his kingdom. When we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord we become part of God's kingdom and wherever we go we are foreigners and strangers until his return. 

It's a different way to think about the story. But that's what I've been thinking about this year. 

I hope you think about Jesus and what he is to so many people this Christmas. 

Bonus material: 

A Child Is Born - Celtic Worship

https://youtu.be/_xOdbaLPJ1E

Paul Harvey Christmas Story - The Man and the Birds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY2pTAAn9pc

Bible Project video on the New Testament

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0BrP8bqj0c

Advent 2022 - Hope

One of my struggles is that I tend to look forward to things. I look ahead, I see the possibilities, then I set plans and aim for what I am looking forward to. I become attached to what I’m looking forward to instead of being “here” “now”. 

My experience is that to “hope” is to look forward to something with anticipation. “Hope” can also be some relief from a situation that isn’t quite here yet. I know a couple of women named “Hope” but that’s not what I’m talking about. 

Hope for me is aiming for a goal. I exercise faith and start doing things that lead to fulfilling the goal. The key tends to be that faith. 

 In the book of Hebrews in the Bible the writer says that “faith is the evidence of things not seen”. I like the Message transliteration of the Bible for Hebrews 11:1-2: The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.” (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/97/heb.11.MSG)

It’s so hard when we can't see any evidence of God from where we are here in this life. But it helps to put your hope in something. And you will put your hope in something. 

Hope is like a chair. You can see the chair, see how it’s built, touch it to know it’s real. You hope it will hold you up. 

But faith is like sitting in the chair. Until you actually let the chair support your weight you haven't really put any faith into believing it will hold you up. 

Because of our instant feedback/instant access/instant gratification nowadays I find it challenging to exercise faith today.  I choose over and over to put my faith in God. I hope you do, too. 

Bonus material:

Pentatonix "Mary Did You Know" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifCWN5pJGIE

Bible Project video on hope

https://youtu.be/4WYNBjJSYvE

YouVersion Bible app

https://www.bible.com/app

Advent 2022 - Peace

 

My music tastes have changed. I used to be the one playing loud music as I pulled up in my car, speakers blaring. Some sort of rock and roll, pop, or dance music, never country or metal (except for Quiet Riot, they were fun!). 

As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned that I still prefer to have music going, but not the loud stuff. I don’t like saying “What?” all the time when someone tries to talk over the music, and the beat tends to get me closer to that anger trigger point I’m trying to avoid, so I’ve turned the music down and changed what I listen to. 

But when I'm talking with someone I still like to have background instrumental music going. Less distracting than the loud music yet it still helps me not hear them breathing and making other bodily noises. 

As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned that habitual actions bring me peace. You could call them “rituals” if you want to use that word, though I tend to shy away from that characterization of what I do. 

Action stacks is something one of my online gurus used to talk about in his posts. He encouraged people to make checklists and use them even if you “knew’ how to do something so that you would hopefully not waste time solving the same problems over and over and become more successful. 

I find comfort in the known steps. Almost like grooves in my head smoothed out over time as I repeat those steps again and again. Less like a record player, more like a path through the woods. 

I wonder how much peace Jesus had as a baby? If he was fully God and fully man did he have to learn to control the tendency to just make things like milk and food? 

I imagine he was comforted by the repeated love and care his family gave him. 

I pray that you find peace during this Advent season. 

Bonus material: 

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - The Piano Guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO7ySn-Swwc

Bible Project video on Peace

https://youtu.be/oLYORLZOaZE