We can chalk one more pleasant winter day off our calendars, so let’s keep hoping for above average winter temps our entire season. Yes, we need the precipitation, and definitely the over-night freezes, just to keep our greenery from thinking Spring has arrived. Most may think dormancy isn’t that big of a deal, when in fact it’s very important to many species of trees, flowers and shrubs. I’ve always thought of it as not just a time for rest, but also the building up for a renewal, which is why I’ve been mentioning to a few, that I’m also in a semi-dormant state, which has been more mentally helpful than I ever would’ve expected.
This semi-dormancy began when I realized it was time to step back and away from those who for some reason, I came to believe they didn’t have my best interests at heart, and wouldn’t you know, I soon realized after backing away far enough, I could actually get a better understanding of their true characters.
There’s a nameless one whom I’ve also backed away from, and thankful for it, because again, this semi-dormancy allowed me to fully understand he’s far more smug than I would’ve ever imagined, and believe me, I absolutely cannot tolerate smug people because they remind me of those clever crows who think they’re smarter than all the other birds, but as we all know, you can be the smartest kid on the block, but in the end, fate/karma always has the upper hand, which reminds me of a ‘roadkill’ crow I clipped while driving a highway, and only because it thought it was faster than my vehicle.
Several I’ve distanced myself from, are people who for whatever reason, place money/success above all else, but if something goes sideways for them, it’s almost always the fault of another. Whenever seeing such frenzied people in action, I sometimes wonder if they had some serious self-worth issues when they were young, and in later life, they’d learned to compensated for it by being out there grabbing anything they can, and never looking back.
Oh, I’m so happy I’ve finally disconnected myself from one who’s always been, and always will be, a team player, and to ‘yell’ with everyone else, but what I really don’t understand, is how such people seem to internally wish ill on their competitors, and yet they set themselves up as being honest, caring, serving, giving, understanding and all that jazz, but only if you’re part of their team. Yes, there’ve been many examples of situational ethics I’ve recognized this past year, and for sure they’ve been stored-away for future reference.
Yes, we all have our demons which we have to keep under control, but the unfortunate thing is, there are many who consider themselves near-perfect in every way. Not so, because I all the more realized thru my many contemplative prayer sessions, that we absorb and unknowingly accept evil into our lives, and thank goodness my Sunday morning contemplative sessions help to rid me of the bulk of them. I continue to remind myself that I’m not and angel or saint, but I do work at bettering myself in the eyes of our Creator.
As I mentioned before, I’m now working harder at maintaining good and lasting relationships with those who’re truly genuine, instead of the fair weather friends who’d turn on me in an instant if they had something more to gain. Yes, there are troubled souls living in our midst, but we must come to realize there’s nothing we can do to change them, because they have to wake up and make that change themselves.
Part of my morning was spent spreading out straw in my strawberry patch, and only because if we get some really cold temps without there being an insulating sno-cover, they’d all be dead come Spring, which I definitely didn’t want to happen. I ended up using five bales to give them a good four inches of loose straw, so hopefully it’ll do the trick.
After that was done, I went on an extended seek-and-find which lasted more than two hours, and all I was looking for, was a match for a kitchen cabinet door latch. In spite of finding three other close matches, there was still not one to be found, and for whatever reason other than I possibly had a ‘mindful moment’, the bottom of an old white kitchen cabinet which was being used as a workbench in a garage came to mind, and wouldn’t you, there was one single latch on it which was exactly what I was looking for, and since I had one of those that wasn’t an exact match, I attached that one in its place. You couldn’t imagine how happy I was to find it. My gosh, I was beginning to think I was out searching for the Holy Grail.
I had to run over to Clear Lake this afternoon, and while driving west on 19th St. SW past Newman High School, those silly words our mayor shared about our streets being as smooth as silk came to mind. I think he needs to get in his car and drive that stretch between Taft and Eisenhower. My gosh! It was humpity-bumpity all the way.
In spite of Schickel’s flowery and copious remarks about how great Mason City now is, I found a stark reminder how wrong he is as I was driving into Clear Lake, and you can bet I was paying very close attention to the buildings, the new construction which seems to be going on all the time, and the vibrancy I could actually ‘feel’. I then asked myself, “Why is Clear Lake continually on an upward movement? Is it because of the lake, is it the close proximity to I-35, or is it Clear Lake’s city administration?” Well, after giving it some deep thought, I’ll wager the big difference is the way in which our two cities are being administered. What’re you thoughts?
Tonight’s One-liner is: The wise learn many things from their enemies.
