Jess and I try to live our lives as presently as we can, and prioritise our families and relationships. One thing we often say is that we wont ‘Sacrifice the present for the future’. That may hit your ears oddly, as it still does mine. Aren’t we supposed to work now and play later? Didn’t the ant live through the winter while the lazy grasshopper froze to death outside. This type of living seems odd in our current uncertain times, when many are trying to secure their financial future. But we find we have more than enough, and that the future is even more uncertain than we realise. Perhaps the future we’re trying to save is not the one we want, better to enjoy the present. Just my thoughts…
Technology will kill us all! …Probably
The most pain my computer can give me is if it doesn’t work. Based on this, I’d say the Robot Apocalypse is a long way off of it’s full realisation. Still, Jess and I have become more aware of the devastating impact our technology has.
I had heard a long time ago that for each mobile phone there’s 80 garbage bins worth of waste in the manufacturing process. That’s to say, a lot; I reckon I probably don’t produce 80 bin loads in a year!
It was one of those vague, ambiguous, possibly non-true type facts that you never really check up on to see if it’s accurate, but keep you scared none the less. Well the other night, Jess and I were looking into maybe getting a new phone for Jess. Her plan had expired so we thought we could get one for practically free, and besides that’s what you do right? Jess and I try to be conscious of the human and ethical implications of anything we buy, so she did some research into what brands were ‘ethical’. Forebode….
Apparate
Verb -
Hazel has developed the ability to make items appear out of thin air. Yesterday she apparated a plastic jug of water, which she promptly flung to the floor. While this super-skill is exciting, it is a little alarming as she tends to apparate potentially dangerous items (Knives, scissors, shavers, etc.).
I know you’re thinking ‘Well you shouldn’t leave stuff lying around’ but seriously, we don’t even know where the jug came from, or how it got within arm reach of Hazel. So far a very wet floor is the only consequence of this skill. Though she did apparate Jess’ lost watch two days ago (it’s been missing for months!), that was pretty good.
Hazel continues to grow, develop and grow, remaining the tallest baby in her acquaintance. She is also beginning to explore the world as thoroughly as possible.
Saturday for Christ’s Return
I'm a big fan of unity, and so I don't like to take up a negative stance against those who believe much of what I believe as well. Still, I think that we should be able to think independently and disagree on many things, constantly trying to find the truth and broaden each others minds. That said, I find it rather amusing that yet another Christian group has picked the date of Christ’s return. Guess what, it's this Saturday!
More accurately, Jesus' return to earth is Saturday, with the subsequent destruction of the Earth on the 21st of October. My sister is miffed that she'll miss her 25th birthday this year.
Wecanknow.com makes the argument that 'Noah knew, and so can we' but their site is so bulky that the actual details of their reason for believing this, and their reason for picking this Saturday, are well hidden. Never-the-less, they invite you to pour through the data and pray for a revelation of the truth.
focussing on the destruction of the world is dangerous. We begin to live as thought the planet and our lives don't matter. It's like the old hypothetical 'What would you do if you had only a day left to live?' Provocative perhaps, but I think a way more challenging and telling questions is 'What will you do if you don't die tomorrow?' 'What will you do if the earth doesn't burn?' 'What if we have to lie in the bed we made for ourselves?'
Maybe we'll make a better bed. Maybe we'll treat the earth better. Maybe we'll live our lives more like we'd hoped. We have to put in the effort to heal and transform, because there's no reset button. I hope my life can be different because I have hope for the world we have. How about you?
The Hard way out.
Perhaps it’s hard to remember that hanging from shackles is painful too, when we see the dynamite come out. In the long run you’ll be better off if you grab the bull by the horns, and deal with the source of your real pain. I’m sorry it’s hard. You’re totally up for it. May God be with you.
Carpe Diem
I made this image in paint when I was a teenager, and I’ve decided to use it (in its incorrectly-spelled glory) here. The intent is “never let an opportunity go by”. What kind of opportunity? Well, I guess the opportunity to push a friend in a hole.
Chances are you’ll enjoy it, and they’ll enjoy it, and everyone will laugh about it later. Just choose your friends and the holes you choose to stand next to wisely.
Boxing
Bono feels like he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for. I think a lot of us can relate; a feeling like we’re not quite there yet, or there’s something more, a general dis-content. Maybe we are all coming short, or perhaps we’re just hoping for a brighter future. Either way we’d best know what we’re looking for, and then probably where to find it.
I don’t want to get stuck, I want to keep looking. I don’t want to avoid finding what I’m looking for. It may be hard to cope with, but I’d rather die in the right place than avoid it forever. Then I think we’;; have found what we’ve been looking for all along. Just a thought…
Same Old Story
Why is it that I never seem to see the signs before it’s too late? And then I climb back out and brush myself off. It’s not that I want to avoid all the holes, it’s just how can I be falling into them again and again, same as last time.
I guess I’ll have to keep my eye closer on the path, these distractions are annoying. Also, I’ll build a barrier at the edge of the whole. maybe I’ll tell some friends where I ‘m going, and they can watch out for me. Or I could get busy doing something useful, a goal could keep me from wondering. I don’t want to see this hole again.
New and unusual pet
Sometimes life is an adventure that you should make the most of.
Sometimes It has dangers or distractions that you should avoid.
The Plan
I wrote a list of all the things that I couldn’t control. It was a long and frightening list. I wrote it down and let go of it. While i trust that there’s a more solid plan going on, I also know that sometimes there’s nothing wrong with not having a plan at all.
Feelings
My feeling are only a portion of who I am, and therefore smaller than my whole. For some reason I feel encouraged when I remember that I’m physically bigger than any negative feeling I have.
Fragility–More a visual diary than usual.
A while back the roof at our office fell in. It happened at night so no one was hurt but everyone got paranoid. Suddenly the roof, our stable friend we could rely on, was as shifting as the 1 hour parking spaces out front. Paranoia took hold of the staff as they began to doubt their personal safety. The roof looked precarious, and no part of the roof so dangerous as the part just above the beholders head.