Wait Until Thanksgiving!

For the past month, I’ve continued to be bombarded with this wild fancy to start playing my Christmas music and playlists; and quite frankly, it scares me. I’d never really gave it much thought in past years; and the urge rarely came up until the start of the Advent Season. As a child, Mom would always take a couple days off to do her Christmas preparations – full-scale cleaning, decorating, cookie mixing and baking (at least 12 different kinds every year!) – all of which was done with a stack of Christmas LPs on the record player blaring through the house.

What Happens When There Are No More Churches?

I remember a time during my childhood when my parents would take us to church on Sundays. It was a regular thing, and we went every Sunday (and special days, of course) without fail, unless we were really sick with a fever. For me it was a very comforting feeling: familiar, warm, and lasting. There was tradition that was followed for many years that was mixed into everything we did. The old, red, hymn book we always used to sing the hymns and follow the liturgy were worn, the pages yellowing. The church calendar cycle was the same very year, with the ebbing and flowing of special times; of Advents and Christmases; of Lents and Easters.

The Dichotomy of Change and Continuity

It’s quite the dichotomy: As humans (just like all other animals), we need continuity, structure, discipline, and routine, though we crave constant change. “If everything was always the same,” we tell ourselves, “it would drive me crazy!” Yet when thing are constantly in flux, we’re just not equipped to keep up with it all the time. Instead, against our own reasoning, we find a sense of sanity in the mundane and routine. I often think of Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer) when life changes come up, stressing how important it is for “rules, boundaries, and limitations” in a dog’s life in order to have a healthy (and sane) existence without mauling someone’s face off. Apparently, we need those same “rules, boundaries, and limitations” in our lives to keep things balanced, while we are constantly bombarded with changes that pop up in our daily routines. It’s amazing there haven’t been more Zombie attacks with people mauling someone’s face off than there have been.

How Did We Exist Without Internet?

These days, we do everything – everything – on the Internet. We pay bills, we communicate with friends and family, we break up with our ex’s (oh, wait … that’s text messaging…), and we watch television, look up facts, verify addresses, and even talk on the telephone! Companies conduct business through the Internet, whether by email or through their email messages, and even churches communicate with the “outside world” via their web sites. Hell, there are some churches (which shall, for the present time, remain nameless) that believe the majority of their ministry is through their website, even discussing ways of charging their cherished followers for listening to music or watching one of their videos! (duh…)

My! How Things Change!

The only constants in life are death and taxes. Or so it’s been said.

However, one could also say the only constant in life is change. And it’s that constant change that can get very wearying – especially when it affects things that are best left unchanged (like one’s faith and traditions). In my opinion (and yes, I’ll agree that opinions are like bung holes: everybody has one and they all stink), there are some things that just should not change. Just like the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Healthy Changes for a Healthy Life

Spinach, watermelon, banana, orange, flax seed, and almond milk, baby!

Well, I think I’ve reached the point in my life where I’d like to do some of those “healthy” things again.

Oh, I used to do it way back in my 30’s. I did the weight lifting thing, and the proper balanced diet with proteins and carbs, eating every 2-3 hours to keep the metabolism up, dancing for hours on the weekends which also helped me keep fit – hell, I didn’t even have to watch what I ate at that point, it would just melt off me by the mere thought of it doing so! I even had a 6-pack for the first time in my life (today, it’s more like a keg).

Bloom Where You’re Planted

To bloom where you’re planted, simply put, means to make the best out of any situation. That’s very simply put; even watered down. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade! But what about the deeper meaning of it? There’s got to be more to it than just making flowers.