Mix of Thoughts

The Ocean Awaits

Backstory

Since the pandemic took over our lives, we’ve become accustomed to postponements and cancellations. Events and visits and plans are on, they’re off; mask, no mask, warnings on, warnings off. This week’s story is about an attitude to adopt to help navigate these turbulent waters.

The Ocean Awaits

We came down to Florida for a few weeks’ respite before the madness of the holiday season. Since we arrived, we’ve done little of consequence. And that’s the way it was supposed to be.

No Rotary meetings…no social events…nothing for which we must prepare or cook or copy.

It was several days before we made our way to the ocean. It beckons as you drive down A1A. It is sometimes seen, sometimes heard. You’re always aware of it, reminded by the surfboard toting young men crossing the road, the families walking, laden with beach stuff, the turtle protectors with their lighted helmets. We enjoyed our first view of the ocean. It was about 8 p.m. and the entire beach was covered with the incoming tide. Very different from the sandy beach spotted with swimmers and sun-worshippers that clog the space during the day.

The next time we planned to walk the beach, it rained. The next, we got home late from shopping. Then our vigorous session at the gym left no energy for beach walking. Suddenly it was time to leave and we had only been to the ocean once.

I feel guilty. Like we’ve broken some law of nature. The only saving grace – Next time we come down, the ocean will still be there, proud and awesome, awaiting and welcoming our visit.

P.S. Some things can’t be counted on to always be there, like the ocean. People, for instance. Put off a visit to a friend or relative long enough and they may no longer be there. No guarantee. Plan that visit and make that call. I’m going to – right now.

[Show #371]

This Day Shall Never Come Again

Back Story

“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today. It’s been that way all this year. It’s been that way so many times.” ― Ernest Hemingway

This Day Shall Never Come Again

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You will never see this day again.

Surely you’ve heard that phrase before. But I wanted to repeat it for you today because it applies to this very day. This very hour.

How can you make your next 24 hours worthwhile? You could take the time to think big thoughts. You could take care of yourself. You could do something special for someone else. Nothing big, but something.

You’ll probably have a busy day – work…kids…errands…household chores. But amidst it all, take time for yourself. Take time to stop and be still…Allow yourself to drift. Give your subconscious a chance to percolate.

You will be amazed at the solutions…ideas…plans that will come your way, just by sitting for a while quietly, alone, allowing your spirit to take over. You may find you’re more clever than you thought.

My prayer for you on this special day is that you be protected at all times. May you be safe and be surrounded by people who love you – whether you know it or not. Take this wondrous day and make it your own. Make it count. That’s really all that can be expected of you.

P.S. All those individual days strung together equal a lifetime. Hemingway was right! The major twists and turns of that life were directed by what you chose and what you did – in just one single day along the way.

[Show #375]

Incorrect

Backstory

I had just concluded another shouting match with my computer, one sided though it was, over whether my password was correct. Surely my steel-trap mind was more accurate than this arrogant pile of desktop technology.

Well, I guess not. So I forgot that dot in the middle, or the exclamation point looked like a capital I. Surely there could be a little forgiveness.

Not in my digital world – or yours. Out of this frustration came today’s story of abject disillusion with the complexities of our modern world.

Click to listen or follow below to read.

Incorrect- #453

It was a cartoon that circulated on the Internet. One elderly lady is saying to the other, “Mildred, my memory sucks these days. So when I’m on the internet and it asks me to choose a password, I choose the word – INCORRECT. Then when I can’t remember my password, the computer will tell me, ‘Your password is INCORRECT.’ “

Well, I’m not too sure that will work. But it sure is a challenge to remember all those user names and passwords. I would use the same one so I could remember them all, But of course the gurus are horrified at that concept for security reasons.

Even if I wanted to, it seems that each website has a different set of rules. So many letters, so many numbers.

I have a list of passwords an arm long – but of course I dare not tell you where I keep it. That’s such a good secret that I sometimes I forget its location myself.

And how about those codes you have to type in to prove you are a human. Most of the time, I can’t make them out, let alone type them in.

Remember back when you communicated by dialing numbers on a phone? Today, they give classes – beginner and advanced – to teach you how to use your smart phone. How smart can it be if I need hours of instructions just to figure it out?

Will things EVER be simple again?

P.S.

I wonder if Mildred’s friend ever got to use “INCORRECT” as her password. Going on to another of our digital world’s miracles, I saw a reminder of how we defriended fellow classmates when we were in high school. You scratched their face out of your class yearbook. That was back when things were – SIMPLE.

[Show #453]

Empty Bowl Supper

During a time when the economy is stagnant and unemployment high, charity is not at the forefront of many people’s priorities. But some organizations have fund raisers that work for them consistently.

One of them, in the Shenandoah Valley, is the Alliance for Shelter. For some 20 years, they have sponsored the annual Empty Bowl Supper, with the help and cooperation of lots of other groups.

Potters throughout the valley create hundreds of bowls. Your ticket to the event buys you a bowl of soup and a couple of cookies. It’s a reminder that this is a typical dinner for far too many folks. The catch is – you get to keep the hand-made bowl. Over the years, bowls have become real collectors’ items of intrinsic value to local residents.

High school students and scouts bake the cookies for the event. Ladies bake luscious home-made cakes that are bid on, in a live auction. Local restaurants provide dozens of gallons of soup of different kinds. Local craftsmen, stores and business people provide items for a silent auction. There is music and laughter and people don’t even mind the waits for a table.

The Alliance has created an event that is unique and appealing to city folks and country residents alike. And to think – it raises money besides.

Show #378

24th ANNUAL SOUP SUPPER AND SILENT AUCTION

Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM : Benefit dinner and silent auction at Central High School in Woodstock, VA

Bowls are created and donated by local craftspeople, and the bowl you choose is yours to keep!

Admission:
Adults $35.00 ($36 if purchased online)
Students (6 to 17) $20.00 ($21 is purchased online)

Tickets are available for the first time this year, online by visiting the website at www.allianceforshelter.org and clicking Empty Bowl Soup Supper.

Tickets can also be purchased at Woodstock Café in Woodstock, Sager Real Estate in Strasburg, Edinburg Mill in Edinburg, and Community Store in Basye, or reserve your tickets by calling Shenandoah Alliance for Shelter at 540-459-3212 or 540-459-8395. Tickets are limited to 300, so reserve your tickets early.

Tickets go on sale October 1, 2015.