Stranger Things…

So sitting in my favorite cafe’ this evening, a group of what I’m assuming are family members are having a discussion (if that’s what it can be called) Two things in particular about the conversation I’m “overhearing”: 1) They are talking loudly enough where anyone is the whole place can hear what they’re saying 2) The conversation they’re having is probably best termed “family’s dirty laundry” and would best be left for a more private setting.

The lastest that I heard the eldest member of the group say is that certain family members are crazy. How ironic it would be that those are my same thoughts about this particular group seated nearby.

I’m all about families getting together. In fact, I do that every Sunday with my family at my parents’ home. And certainly nothing wrong with choosing a cafe’ with plenty of good coffee and books at your disposal. But the type conversation that they’re having in probably not something most would consider appropriate for a public hearing.

“Excuse you, excuse you, excuse you…” “Aren’t they so cool….” Three of the six people in the group have enough forethought to leave the table for a short while, but they’ve returned.

At least there’s a lot of laughter at this point.,,that’s a good thing. Apparently no knives will be drawn or blood shed.

“I don’t see you often now…” And then there’s that laugh that reminds me of the Wicked Witch of the West on the Wizard of Oz. I’ve also noticed that several of the cafe’s regulars have turned their heads to stare at this motley crew. I’m not going to be surprised if there’s return fire.

“Honey, we’re just picking on your mom.”

I’ve figure the eldest is the leader of the pack. One of the other females is her daughter,,, her husband is there as well,,,at least that’s who she just hugged for a long while. I take it the two of them have had about all they can take from the mother and decided it’s best to walk around for a bit.

The cafe’ will be closing in fifteen minutes, so the show will soon be over. I’d usually leave around this point, but I don’t want to miss the final act of the show.

“They’ll have to come to the house” she says… I take it that’s probably an order….”Get out, get out” she says as the group assembles to leave. “Have I mentioned this small child’s crazy…” “Are we making you crazy Bill?”…

One of the two chess players that are regulars stop the group and ask if there’s any of them that plays chess. And as strange as it might be, he’s actually asking for their name and number. He’s even finding out where they live…

The end of a bizarre evening in the cafe’ coming quickly to a close….Perhaps I’m the odd one here tonight….Perhaps I’m the one who’s crazy.

David Lee

Rough Weather Day Today – Sunday April 14th

I remarked to someone yesterday that the rains that were supposed to arrive on Saturday never did so. A quick check of news outlets this morning showed that neighboring counties did get quite a bit of rain, high winds, and at least one report of a tornado.

Today is going to be much the same type of day. This afternoon’s forecast includes thunderstorms, high winds, and the possibility of tornadoes. The rain has already started this morning in my town of Hickory, North Carolina. The rain is quite torrential and the winds are starting to pick up as well.

Reports I have read and seen say that the worst part of the storms will come around mid-afternoon. And so unlike yesterday, I’ll be paying a bit more attention to the skies and weather today. I wasn’t aware of the high winds and possible tornadoes until this morning. Otherwise, I would have said yesterday was a pretty mild day.

It is that time of year,,,and diligent those of us in the South must be.

https://weather.com/forecast/regional/news/2019-04-12-severe-thunderstorm-tornado-wind-hail-weekend-system-mid-april

9:30 a.m. Radar Image

Many Join My Hiatus, but Not by Choice…

As I perused this morning’s news, I became aware that several social media sites, including Facebook were not operating for about three hours early Sunday morning. The outages of FB, Instagram, and Whatsapp were reported just after 6 a.m. eastern time and all three were back online by 9 a.m. So like it or not, millions of people joined me in my time away from social media.

I think it speaks volumes that an outage of a website can be termed “major news” and warrant a story in the media. It’s as if a lifeline has been removed from the world. There’s even a website completely devoted to reporting on such outages as these.

Just one more evidence of the hold that social media has on our world today. One is left to wonder what the repercussions would be if the sites were to be removed permanently…I’m assuming most would survive, but life myself, they would find what a huge part of daily life these outlets have become. And I’m not so sure that’s a good thing.

https://www.hickoryrecord.com/news/trending/update-facebook-instagram-whatsapp-back-up-after-massive-outage/article_baf4c28e-9808-50d8-a0f7-c8d4ac9c8240.html

Daily Readings for Sunday, April 14th

24 Hours a Day

Meditation for the Day

I must keep balance by keeping spiritual things at the center of my life. God will give me this poise and balance if I pray for it. This poise will give me power in dealing with the lives of others. This balance will manifest itself more and more in my own life. I should keep material things in their proper place and keep spiritual things at the center of my life. Then I will be at peace amid the distractions of everyday living.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may dwell with God at the center of my life. I pray that I may keep that inner peace at the center of my being.

Language of Letting Go

Perfectionism

Recovery from codependency is an individual process that necessitates making mistakes, struggling through problems, and facing tough issues.

Expecting ourselves to be perfect slows this process; it puts us in a guilty and anxious state. Expecting others to be perfect is equally destructive; it makes others feel ashamed and may interfere with their growth.

People are human and vulnerable, and that is wonderful. We can accept and cherish that idea. Expecting others to be perfect puts us in that codependent state of moral superiority. Expecting ourselves to be perfect makes us feel rigid and inferior.

We can let go of both ideas.

We do not need to go to the other extreme; tolerating anything people throw our way. We can still expect appropriate, responsible behavior from ourselves. But most of us can afford to loosen up a bit. And when we stop expecting others to be perfect, we may discover that they’re doing much better than we thought. When we stop expecting ourselves to be perfect, we’ll discover the beauty in ourselves.

Today, I will practice tolerance, acceptance, and love of others as they are, and myself as I am. I will strive for that balance between expecting too much and expecting too little from others and myself.