Love and Kindness

Collector

Backstory – Collector

This story was part of a recording that did not get edited for the radio. There is no music intro and you won’t hear Alan Arehart introduce me. I wanted to share it with the special listeners who receive our Sunday stories. Those of you who collect any kind of themed treasure will relate, I believe. Let me know what you think.

Consider This Show – Collector

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I am known to be a collector. How about you? Does everyone know you are enamored of frogs or cute little mice? Does your head turn for giraffes or red poppies? Do they shower you with towels, scarves, cups and toilet seats – all emblazed with grapes?

If you are a collector, how did that come about? Why did you buy the first item in your collection? Your second?

I seem to be a volunteer collector – like those flowers in your garden that sprout up without your planting them. Something comes into my possession. Someone sees that I have that thing, so I must like that, So, they buy me another version – for my birthday, for Christmas, for Kwanzaa, to help me get well. Soon I have a dozen things with the same theme.

By now, any observer can see that I am obsessed with this collection with which I have been showered.

I do admit to deliberately collecting teapots. I look for unusual designs at auctions and yard sales and have some real finds. There are over 30 of them in the kitchen now.

But how about the butterflies? And the miniature shoes? Those just kind of fell into my lap.

And there they are – official collections, ready or not. I enjoy them every day and give thanks for friends and family who gifted me with so many of them that I became their collector.

[Show #341]

Hit By a Brick

Backstory – Hit by a Brick

This story was first presented a couple of years ago. It brought so many listener comments. It seemed to really hit home. So here it is again, for our new listeners and those who have been receiving our Sunday stories for years. Thank you so much for tuning in. Many of you respond by email. You can also post your comment on our blog. Hope you will do so, after listening to this story.

Consider This Show – Hit by a Brick

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A young executive was driving through our town in a shiny new Jaguar. He was looking good. Suddenly a brick came out of nowhere and hit the side of the car. He slammed on the brakes and looked around seeing a guilty looking young boy of about ten standing on the sidewalk. He ran up to him, angry and grim.

“Why on earth did you do that” he asked, shaking the kid. “Look what you did to my new car.” As tears streamed down his face the child said, “It was the only way I could get someone’s attention. My brothers’ wheelchair tipped over and I can’t get him up. No one would stop to help me.”

Well, the pair ran to the overturned chair and the driver helped right the chair and seat the handicap boy. After making sure both kids were okay and accepting their thanks he walked back to his car and felt the new dent and something occurred to him. He had been so caught up in the success and the perks, like his new car, that he had let slide the more important things, like paying attention to those he loved.

He decided right there and then to listen and watch and know where he was needed and respond before he had to be hit by a brick. Don’t wait for a brick to head your way. Take time to notice where you’re needed and be there.

[Show#293]

Filing

Backstory – Filing

I’ve had careers that always involved administration. I had to keep files and pull files and make files available. It was one of the most difficult tasks for me to conquer. You would think that computerization would have solved my filing challenges. No way! They get lost in the computer as easily as they disappeared in the filing cabinet.

I envisioned that a major benefit of retirement would be – no more files. Then I found out about all the paper work involved with Medicare, IRAs, activities of grandchildren and keeping track of birthdays and other celebrations of relatives and friends.

Hear about my filing adventures and strategies in this week’s story.

Consider This Show – Filing

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Has anyone figured out a good way to file papers? I am very good at filing. Putting papers away. What I can’t seem to master is FINDING THEM AGAIN when I want to get them back out.

I remember a rule of filing. You eliminate everything that is redundant. For instance: If you were filing something for the US Department of the Interior. You would not file under U for US because you might have a lot of US stuff. You would not file under D for Department because you might have a lot of departments.

You would file under I for Interior and then add – US Department of. OK, that sounds simple.

Now where do I file the plumber’s invoice? In the house file? The plumber’s file? Alphabetically under his company name? His name?

Maybe I should just do what my guy does. One large box into which goes every paper that passes through his hands. Receipts, letters, solicitations, reunion notices, discount coupons. All in the box.

What do you think? Is it better to spend the time filing them away in an organized manner? Or spend the time finding them amongst a myriad of jumble when you need them?

If I had to keep score, I’d say that each method, for us anyway, takes the same amount of time. The only difference is that he does not get to have cool rules like – Interior, US Department of.

[Show # 334]

Song from the 80’s – Make Things Better

Backstory – Song from the 80’s – Make Things Better

We were listening to the songs from half a century ago, played by Craig Orndorff on Old Time Radio. Then songs from the 1980s came on. There seemed to be a thread through much of the music. Artists sang about the troubles of the time and how they needed to be fixed. Here we were, 30, 40 or 50 years later. Were those things fixed? Are we able to sing of the joy and sweetness of conquering the challenges? Asking those questions led to the story featured this week. Please listen in.

Consider This Show – Song from the 80’s – Make Things Better

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A song from the 1980s came out of the radio today; one of those oldies but goodies where you know every word and sing along. The lyrics were about how we simply HAVE to make things change for the better.

The words of the song applied today as eloquently as they did thirty years ago. How sad! Have we learned nothing from our experience?

Our values and preferences contain so many opposing views. Whatever suits one group infuriates another. We can’t seem to come together. Compromise seems out of the question.

We need leadership to bring us all back to a place where there is hope, because our current actions are tearing us apart.

What a challenge. Are we up to the task? Who will step in to take the lead? Will it fall into place after the next election? Or will it take someone somewhere speaking up to go viral and give a wakeup call that is heard around the globe?

Of course, our fear is that the wakeup will be a tragic event that could have been prevented if we had only heeded the words of the songs of the 1980s . . . or 90s . . or those that were sung at the turn of the century.

Or will the songs we sing today be the mantra of the next generation, and will they wonder why the words were never heeded?

[Show #616]

Elder Sayings

Backstory – Elder Sayings

As the years have vanished, I realize how different the aging process is today, compared to how it took a toll on my mom and her mom. Take this incident, for example.

My grandmother stepped off the bus. I was just barely a teenager and was hanging out on that corner with some of my friends. She headed home, up the hill. It was early evening and far from my curfew so I stayed with my friends. After a few minutes, I heard her calling me. I was surprised and responded that it was not time for me to go home. She called again anyway, and a third time.

I stomped up the hill, really annoyed and finally caught up to her – only to find that she had fallen and could not get up. That’s why she had called; too proud to say she was in trouble. I helped her up and got her home.

Years later, I thought about the incident and calculated her age. She was 50. She was 50 years old and was an old woman. She wore orthopedic shoes and dressed in out-of-date styles and was not interested in the new or what was going on in the world. She was old. I loved her dearly, but she was old. And she was 50.

Contrast with my mother, who was the charming celebrant at her 75^th birthday party, dressed in brand new cowgirl attire before taking off on another Roads Scholar adventure. At 75, she was energetic and young..

Today, we are even better off, as we age. Many relatives and acquaintances are probably still going strong in the second half of their seventies and beyond.

The elder sayings in this week’s story applied to past generations. Are they relevant to old folks today? Listen to the story and see what you think.

Consider This Show – Train that left the Station

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I’ve been gathering sayings about aging. There is a lot of wisdom out there on the subject. I’d like to share some of it with you. How about this?

The age of maturity is that age at which one is still young but is much more resourceful. I sure agree with that one.

To get old is to go from passion to compassion. Another good one.

Many people never reach 80 because they waste time trying to stay at 40 forever.

When you’re past 60, there are fewer things that seem absurd. We’ve seen life imitate art far more than the imagination can conjure up.

Here’s another saying I like – In the eyes of youth, there glows a flame.

In the eyes of maturity, there shines a light.

The initiative of youth and the experience of age each have equal value and should go hand-in hand.

Each age calls for its own appropriate behavior

Here is an insightful observation – Young people travel in groups; adults travel in pairs; old people walk alone.

In that case, I believe that the passing years are meant to be lived, not just accumulated. If we end up walking alone, let’s have lots of fine memories to take with us.

[Show #627]

World Upside Down

Backstory – World Upside Down

The last few months of 2016 in our house were spent in a stupor of political rhetoric, promises, accusations and commentary. No different from homes throughout America. But it was more than listening to the candidates and making your best guess to separate fact from fiction. Views and values were so opposite one another that it took really delving into each of them to try to sort things out. That was a lot of work!

Just when you came to a conclusion on an issue, something new would pop up that seemed to shoot down your well-developed logic, or lay waste to a new truth you thought you could hang onto.

I wanted to write about it; but not in favor of one candidate or the other. I wanted to voice the questions echoing in my heart. I wanted to stop the fear. No matter which way the election went, I could feel fear.

Looking back in my own life made it clear that this is not the first time that things seemed confusing to the average citizen. I was not yet a teenager when I cheered my first presidential candidate and proclaimed, “I like Ike.” Extremely uninformed of the issues, I was delighted to feel part of this important process. I remember how heated things got.

And reading the history of our country, I see that early campaigning was no less kind or gentle. Candidates went for the jugular!

With all this in mind, I took to writing this episode entitled, “Upside Down.”

Consider This Show – World Upside Down

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Things are so different these days. Sometimes it feels like the world is upside down. Right is wrong and wrong is right and it’s all so confusing.

Our Communication is instant and uncensored, with opinions developed often on inaccurate or inadequate information. No time to bother finding out the truth. And the very concept of truth is spun so completely that the truth is illusive, if not invisible.

Fear is prevalent daily – especially for parents.

Did our parents feel the same way? Were they as terrified as war raged in one part of the world or another and seemed to get closer and closer? Was there so much danger in the world then?

Or is it just that we didn’t have the capacity to hear instantly about every crime in every corner of every town.

Values are changing at break-neck speed. Do we go along with the new trends? Oppose them? Just sit around and shake our heads?

Are we caught up in pining for the good ole days? Or have we fantasized those days into something they were not?

So many questions; so few answers. Yet the decisions we make daily based on the facts we perceive create the quality of life that we enjoy or suffer in the future.

So much to consider. Such high stakes. God help us!

[Show #615]

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