Yes, I'm Scared

It seems that you can really teach an old dog, new tricks. Recently, I posted about venturing out of my "normal" comfort zone and choosing to live a more daring, day to day existence. Well, I'm taking those baby steps, but soon I hope to be charging forward, by leaps and bound.

These are my latest adventures, and yes, they were a bit scary:

• Directions to several spots unknown ...the Internet and my phone can get me anywhere!!!
• Operated a John Deere riding lawn mower. Again, the Internet had directions on how to get it to work. This scared me more than you will ever know, but by golly, I "got 'er done". Found out however, that the durn machine does not have a cup holder, for my beer. (Just kidding!)
• From a cooking show on the TV, I learned how to roast vegetables, properly. Scott believed  that broccoli and cauliflower were nuclear waste, so, for 55 years, I never cooked them. Next, I will be trying turnips, and considering a mostly vegetarian diet.
• With the help of a friend, sold a junk car, from a Website.
• Located a place to have a window screen repaired, and took it there to have them do it.
• Made and carried out two separate lunch dates, and had two more friends over for lunch.
• Planned a short trip, by myself, arranging to visit friends and relatives, along the way.

Look out world, this old lady is on a roll.

Well, Lord. I know I cannot do this life without your help. I believe that you are my guide and companion. You do all the hard work. I just need to keep talking to you in prayer.

The Weather Report

Recently,  a friend asked me to read an essay, about Spring, to a ladies gathering. The author, C.W. Gusewelle, was a Kansas City journalist, known locally for his musings about the Ozark Region. 

In the article, Gusewelle writes about the differences among the four seasons. Spring, of all the seasons, he writes, best describes life. It's full of ups and downs. You never know, from one hour to the next, what it will bring. Winter and Summer are fairly predictable and from experience we know that life is never all freezing cold or blistering heat. Autumn, he writes is generally loved and enjoyed by everyone. And, it's perfectness isn't what life is all about.

As I go through this season, putting on my heaviest coat one morning, and wearing only a tee shirt the next, I realize old C.W. was correct. Life is just like Spring. We all have our warm afternoons, often followed by icy mornings. Snow flurries can be followed by sunshine, almost instantly it seems. Spring is full of surprises and so is life.

Dear God. Help us through our storms. Show us how to remember that Your Sunshine will triumph over the rain. We ask for Your guidance and grace. 

Boo!

 Until recently, I believed that it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said "We should do one thing every day that scares us." She didn't say it. Actually, it was someone named Mary Schmich. And, no one knows who she is or was. Anyway, I like that attitude, written or perhaps voiced by Mary, and I am beginning to make some changes per that particular quote.

In recent weeks, I have found my braver self. I've had to make more decisions, by myself. I have ventured to a few new places and I am planning on taking several solo trips, soon. I am finding that, although I am not completely at ease, outside my usual routine, my baby steps away from my old "normal", are expanding my comfort zone by leaps and bounds.  

I know that is going to take a while. Change does not come overnight, but by this time next year, I believe that I will find myself in a completely different phase of my life. I'm looking forward to it. 

Dear God, I know that nothing stays the same forever. We all get complacent, until we are forced to make changes. Guide us in our decision making. Help us to make good judgements. 
We ask these things in Your name.                       

BATTER UP!

 Back in the 1950's, I don't remember anyone ever mentioning the game of football, in my family. My folks were not college graduates, so they didn't have an alumni connection to any particular college team. And, although my dad, who grew up in Illinois, may have checked Bears scores, I never heard him talk about football.

Baseball was the sport, of choice, in our home. As a teenager, my dad was quite a catcher. He made some money playing Summer ball, and he even snagged a try-out with the Chicago Cubs. They supposedly told him to go home and put on some weight! My dad, you see, resembled a very skinny, young, Frank Sinatra. 

My mom and dad had two children....girls. My dad would have loved to have had a son, with whom to play catch. I tried, really I did. He told me, in pure disgust, "You throw like a girl." Now, how does a young lady respond to that?

Anyway, listening to baseball games, on the radio, was my dad's form of entertainment. It was, I have discovered, the pastime of many men, in mid-century America. My dad sat on the porch on Summer nights, listening to Dizzy Dean, smoking cigarettes and drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon. That's a very vivid and fond memory of my childhood.

So, once again, Spring has come and Americans are still playing and watching baseball. Now, girls play softball and baseball. Fans watch games on their TVs, and they still go to the ball yard. 

There is a sweet simplicity, about the game of baseball. Throw the ball. Hit the ball. Catch the ball. Run to the next base. In the end, you either win, or you don't. Why can't life be more like baseball? 

Dear Lord. Between the beginning of the game of life and the last out, give us the wisdom to play the game fairly and with the grace that You give us. We praise Your Holy Name.

I've Got the Whole World.......

Counted among my many blessings, is the location of my current residence. My home is close to the center of Kansas City (maybe a 7 minute drive). Out my front door, I have a marvelous view of the Missouri/Kaw River convergence. In 15 minutes, I can arrive at our International Airport, and yet I am  rural enough to observe deer, daily, and an occasional fox or coyote. And, with all of these amenities, I have, within a five minute drive, the most amazing perk of all....the ultimate "whole life" strip mall.

At the amazing, Filger Plaza, in convenient Northmoor, Missouri, all the needs of a lifetime (with the possible exception of a birthing center) are sitting right there, side by side, on Vivion Road. At the far western end, of this plethora of retail commerce, is a good sized Mexican Restaurant. Next door, is a combination Auction/Thrift/Pawn  Shop. Stained Glass items are made and sold at the next store. A few doors down, is a Gun Shop, an Asian Restaurant, a Hair Salon (#1), and a Barber Shop. Moving on down the row, is a Sports Bar, yet another Mexican Restaurant (#2), and a really great Hamburger joint, featuring a 4-foot diameter plastic burger, atop a vintage Pac Man Machine. The Hamburger joint adjoins a full-service Liquor Store. Next is a Vape shop, or you may shop at an Afro Asian Market or get inked at a small Tattoo Parlor. Then, there is Hair Salon (#2), a 24 Hour Coin/Full Service Laundry ("free drying, all the time"), a cremation business (this one does seem a bit odd), and finally a catering service. Also, as with many retail establishments these day, several of the before mentioned places advertise and sell CBD products.  All that, in just one section of real estate! And, free parking is available in front of every store.

What else would a girl need? A Public Library? It's in the next block. A Gas Station or car repair business? Just as few blocks the other direction. Fireworks? Across the street, on the other side of Vivion Road. Housing? Next door, to the plaza, is a Mobile Home Park.

Good and all powerful Lord. Remind me to be thankful for the small things as well as the big blessings, in my life. I have so much.