Monthly Archives: August 2024

Positivity

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Technical stuff

August 21, 2024- The technician regarded my t-shirt, with its positive message, and expressed gratitude that I wasn’t annoyed by the length of time that passed, between my scheduled time and when he was actually able to look at my laptop.

People are stressed, in general, but especially in the heat. When the woman two in front of me needed time for chit chat with the tech, it was not an imposition on me, and didn’t seem to be, to the man who was between us. He, too, needed a bit of TLC, and clarification. There was no reason for me to be impatient, especially as an hour was left before the next person showed.

The young man had been working the better part of twelve of the past twenty four hours, but was energized by the challenge posed by the strange behaviour of the Lenovo Think Pad’s software, so he has given it a three-day workup. I am grateful for the HP, on which this post is being, and the next three will be, written.

It’s been a generally blissful day, and there is no reason it shouldn’t be. Everyone I met had the time to do, and get, what they needed.

The Upward Curves (Learning and otherwise)

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Technical stuff, Travel

August 20, 2024- My main laptop has gone on the blink. Fortunately, I have this trusty HP on hand, having kept it as a back-up, these past three years. I also have enough time and resources to either get the Lenovo fixed, or replace it, before my next excursion. It almost goes without saying, that I will need a device that is in tip top working order, so as to fulfill my duties to my community here and to be of service abroad. Even the best of phones can only accomplish just so much.

I have also been learning to use other small devices: An International SIM Card packet, with my worldwide cell # (TBA, on a need to know basis) and a SIM Card removal tool, plus secure storage for whatever SIM is not being used; an Ultrasonic Rodent Repellent, for Sportage to have a safe, pest-free rest, while I am away. Ongoing revelations on use of the i-Phone, especially with replying to e-mails, have also been part of my week. These are all tiny learning curves, but they are good for the mature brain. A dental agent, which helps restore enamel, with natural probiotics, is also now a part of my morning and evening regimen. Speaking of teeth, Dr. K was able get rid of the last remaining bit of yucko, this morning, so now I am free of the bad teeth syndrome.

Small changes will continue, in the next few weeks. That’s good, though. Change is what keeps me on my toes.

Greater Things

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 19, 2024- The full moon rose this evening, known as the Sturgeon Moon, as mid-August was traditionally the time when the sturgeon of the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, Lake of the Woods and Lake Nipigon were at their most prolific. Mid-August has ever been an auspicious time.

2024 has been one long, auspicious ride, and I still sense we have a long way to go. This evening, I was asked to take on a position in our Faith community that, fortunately, may be successfully carried out by electronic communication. It will challenge me to make sure that I am able to readily communicate with my fellows in Faith, in Homebase I, with the Regional Baha’i Council for our five-state region and with the Baha’i National Center, outside Chicago-no matter where else I may be called to serve on a temporary basis.

It can be done, I have concluded, after have an hour to contemplate whilst hosting a Spiritual Feast, this evening. We, individually and collectively, are being called to achieve greater things.

There is an old Irish proverb which goes, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” We’ve heard that, in modern times, from the likes of Henry Ford and Tony Robbins-and it holds water. Maybe that’s why I have been at my worst when I’ve sat around and wallowed in the mud of stagnation and worn-out routine. I suspect that I am far from alone, in that regard.

The next three weeks will feature a lot of activity close to HB I, but it will be far from routine. Then will come the striking of a balance between maintaining ties, as described above, and service activities in the Philippines. This is only the beginning of such situations, with rapid change, including a fair amount of transitions of all kinds going on in the background.

Many of us may find ourselves being called to adjust our thinking, our practices and our daily routines, as we approach the height of the Solar Maximum, in early to mid-2025. Earth and its creatures, including mankind, are far from being unaffected by what goes on, in and around the Sun. Let’s keep that in mind, as we continue to rise to the challenges posed by unusual climatic events and by the evolving of our human society.

No matter what one is called to do, a way can be found to achieve it.

Musings on A Simple Sunday

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 18, 2024- The gentleman spoke from the porch of the house where he’s lived for almost forty years: “Sure was a beautiful sunset! Did you get to see it?” I replied that I did, and from the nearby ridge that is the top of Acker Hill, sunsets are a common treasure. The small group of residents at the park’s edge, on South Virginia Street have one of the prime comforts, seeing every sunset that cares to show itself. We, their near neighbours, can get our steps in and take in the glory from one of four benches up above.

While I was speaking to the neighbour on the porch, a young woman skirted the sidewalk. I knew I certainly wasn’t going to harm her, but maybe she’s had bad experiences in the past. A few minutes later, a couple approached on the sidewalk, one street over. I do not cross the street to avoid people, regardless of their appearance-and certainly not a neatly-dressed, happy pair who were walking along, holding hands. I just made room and wished them a nice evening.

Sundays are generally open-ended now. I spent the afternoon and early evening helping a friend get through a Baha’i study. To do that, I had to decline two other requests, but such is life, when one event is scheduled, a second is planned shortly afterward and a third is an eleventh hour request, due to the need for a replacement. I most often stick to the first event, and so it was today.

For Each One…

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 17, 2024- As I entered the patio at Rafter Eleven, to sit and enjoy the repertoire of a singer-guitarist named Dwayne, a woman invited me to sit at her table, making mention of having seen me sitting alone, a few weeks ago. Mom didn’t raise any snobs, so I gladly joined her at table, exchanging names and broader life stories. The lady asked about the Baha’i Faith, and I gave her a brief synopsis-in between interruptions by wait staff and others needing the attention of one or both of us. (The website, http://www.bahai.org, was part of the information given.)

I was mildly cognizant of being guarded as to her interest, but one of her first questions, after our mutual talk of widowhood, was “Is there someone in your life now?” My answer in the affirmative prompted her to offer that she, too, had recently met a gentleman, a budding friend.

Our conversation continued, for nearly ninety minutes, in between offering applause for Dwayne, showing appreciation for his family being there to encourage him and enjoying Rafter’s delectable food. We encouraged one another, in the growth of our respective friendships and parted with a respectful handclasp.

There is someone, I believe, for every person in the world; for every being in the Universe. It is not necessarily upon the expression of desire, and, as in a maze, there are many mistaken paths that end in a roadblock. Even those of us, like the lady above and yours truly, who have lost a true love, can find another who may have him/herself been through a loss. When this happens, there is surety and it never feels like a chore, or something that is contrived. Believe me, I have been through several false starts, that fortunately did not end in irreparable harm to either party. Several of those women are still good friends of mine.

One day at a time, sweet Lord.

Be A Tiger

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Fiction, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 16, 2024- Joseph Campbell, in his 2003 book, Myths of Light, ends his discourse on Eastern religions and thought with the story of “The Tigers and the Goats”. It seems that a pregnant tiger was out seeking food, for herself and her baby. She came upon a herd of goats. Charging and pouncing too hard, she landed roughly, laboured and gave birth, then died.

The goats took pity upon the helpless tiger cub, raised him as one of their own, teaching him to eat grass and bleat. He had no idea there was any difference between him and the goats, though he felt a discomfort. One day, a male tiger came along and charged at the goats, roaring and snarling. The genuine goats scattered, while the tiger-goat stood facing his larger nemesis.

The wise older cat listened, as the tiger-goat explained that he was a grass-eater, a goat. The grown tiger took the juvenile by the neck, led him to a pond and showed him his true likeness. Then he brought his new apprentice to his den, where other tigers were reveling in eating a gazelle they had killed. The young tiger struggled with the meat, but something inside him felt right, and he stayed with the group, learning to seize his true nature.

Each of us should be our true selves. A frugal person, who treasures conserving the best of tradition, cannot pass as a spendthrift or as a free-spirited innovator, without feeling that something is off. Likewise, an innovator, a progressive, fools no one by demanding that tradition be maintained, at all costs. Each can, and hopefully will endeavour to, see the value in what the other is doing, and work to find common ground.

The introvert needs time alone. The extrovert craves company and an expanded network. Most others, like myself, toggle between the two states of being, as ambiverts. Society needs all three personality types.

This is the balance, rooted in the love that was imbued in us by the Divine. We will ever have the process of reaching out, expanding and welcoming more to our circle, then taking time to consolidate and absorb the best of that expansion into our systems.

If you are a tiger, be fierce. If you are an ox, be taurine. If you are a goat, graze peacefully. There is space for all.

Unstolen Valor

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 15, 2024- Recent memes and diatribes have been directed at both of the major candidates for Vice President of the United States. They have stemmed from insinuations, mostly by people who have themselves never donned a military uniform and dogpiled by a few disgruntled former colleagues of each man, that the former soldier in question was amplifying his service record. Each candidate has taken the bait, and denigrated the other, to a certain extent. The term “stolen valor” has been used to describe the record of one, who has at least called for respecting everyone’s military service, including that of his opponent.

I will include attachments that accurately explain the service records of Timothy Walz and of James David Vance, but let me first go over my own military service record. Like the two candidates, I carried a weapon of war- in my case, an M-16. I used it twice: When qualifying in Army Basic Training (Fort Jackson, SC), and in a training exercise at a military firing range in Long Binh, Vietnam. I did not have to use it in combat.

My service was as a handler of U.S. mail, running a mail room in the TriService Barracks at Fort Myer, VA, from October, 1969-January, 1971 and running accountable mail (registered, insured and certified) in secure rooms at Long Binh and at Cholon, Vietnam, from March, 1971-January, 1972. I did my fair share of guard duty, while at Long Binh, but no provocateurs appeared during the nights I was at the perimeter post. Long story short-No combat.

I returned to civilian life on January 2, 1972 and went back to college, holding my own in an environment in which I had previously made a mess of things, when fresh out of high school. The discipline and sense of purpose that I acquired in the Army has come in handy, across a variety of situations, over the ensuing sixty-two years.

So, it is with the utmost respect for the United States Armed Forces, and all comrades-in-arms who have served, whether in a combat role or like me, in a supportive capacity, that I ask those who have not served, to do your diligence, before throwing up memes or quoting “sour grapes” reports that do not stand up to scrutiny. I ask those who have served-especially in combat, to respect those of us who had your backs. That includes the Reserve Units, who have actually been in combat theaters in the most recent conflicts.

Here are links to verifiable, diligent accounts of the service rendered by Tim Walz and by J.D. Vance. Both men deserve our gratitude, with regard to that service.

https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/elections-verify/jd-vance-marines-military-service-record-fact-check/536-b3bfb88b-bdb3-4a48-82e1-4c7ebdd05c03

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tim-walz-falsely-accused-stolen-valor-jd-vance-1235075718/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzva1BhD3ARIsADQuPnV3yW6Gcoh66jblz3ePgMg0bzFfzeuA6C48tcMzyTVq0AzQpcWhvigaAvuvEALw_wcB

Dog Days

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 14, 2024- Bookend events today saw two friends, who have characteristically been upbeat and supportive, in sour and distant moods. I put this in the category of Dog Days, the heat-related period when people are more than fed up with ongoing dry heat, when in the old days, August Soggy was the result of active monsoon rains. Besides the notion that we can ill-afford an ongoing lack of precipitation, Dog Days make dogs surly and nice people get snippy.

All this makes my friends in tropical climates roll their eyes-just more North American, First World problems. Yes, I am unlikely to raise a fuss when I am across the Pacific, during late summer and into Autumn, as humidity and heat are an expected part of the experience. It is jarring though, to some extent, when those who have been friendly and supportive turn surly, not for anything I have necessarily done, but because they are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Regrouping myself, I will figure out how to be of help to them-and to keep from being more affected myself, by Dog Day mornings and afternoons.

Tonight, though, is crisp and cool, so I can use the respite to hydrate and enjoy a protein shake for supper. This, too, shall pass.

Buffalo Soldiers

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 13, 2024- One of my co-workers at the Monday night soup kitchen was of the understanding that the African-American troops who were organized after the Civil War were exclusively used in the Spanish-American War (1898). I corrected him, in that they were previously sent to help quell Native American resistance to the homesteading of the West, particularly the Southwest. The “Buffalo Soldiers”, so named because of the woolly nature of some of their coiffures, and their ferocious style of fighting, were sent to monitor the Ghost Dancers, among the Lakota Sioux people, fight the Comanche in the Llano Estacado of Texas and had other duties, relative to the Apache, Cheyenne, northern Puebloans and Arapaho. They also kept order among White settlers, in parts of Wyoming, a task that was at times far more brutal than anything they experienced with Indigenous people.

It has occurred to Native Americans, then and now, that using African-Americans, most of whom were formerly enslaved, to keep them “in line”, was a cynical, insidious practice. It pitted the two groups against one another, at times, and has resulted in some Native Americans taking on the worst racist notions coming from the dominant society against Black people. To be sure, I have heard a few African-Americans, over the years, denigrate Indigenous people, with ignorant slurs. The idea of controlling both groups by pitting them against one another, however, has by and large been unsuccessful.

The arc of history is moving in the direction of people understanding one another’s good qualities and towards unity, at all levels. The insipid appeal of various prejudices will continue to fade. This is “the Day that will not be followed by Night”, in that sense.

The Iron Circle

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

August 12, 2024- His words were unequivocal: “Excuse me, who said it was okay for you to go to the Philippines?” Since this came out of left field, so to speak, and from someone who professes belief in the Oneness of Mankind, I was rather taken aback. Maybe he thought I was moving there for good, or something of that order. Regardless, what I do is not, and never will be, his call. As grateful as I am for the services he has rendered, for a good many years, managing my affairs does not fall among them. (Clarity: The individual is not an officer of any government agency.)

I love a great many people, in this state, across the country and around the world. When it comes to making decisions about my path, however, any consultation is with my son and daughter-in-law, my siblings and their spouses, maybe an aunt or two, a few cousins, four Baha’i friends in the Prescott area (three women and one man), three other women friends here, and three or four other friends around the country. I run things by my dear friend, K, but neither she nor any of the others is under any obligation to answer at a moment’s notice. In each instance, moreover, the answer I get from any of them is not tailored to what they think I want to hear, and that is so much for the better.

The above are my Iron Circle. It is from them, and the inklings I get from my spirit guides, that I base my final course of action. I do not need permission from any random “authority figure”, to go anywhere or do anything. My son and my siblings are the closest, then the others I mentioned. Anyone else is free to disagree with a course of action, but they are not free to exert control. That is the purview of the government alone.

On my way back up to Home Base I, I stopped at Penny’s grave. I got the same answer- “It’s not his call. You know what you have to do; go do it!”

The Iron Circle remains tight, and I am not afraid to cry power.