5/13/2020. The Little Things

    Or little nudges.  I had this old loose leaf binder I liked, but the rings inside no longer fitted nice together,  with that familiar snap. I tried to manhandle them into fitting together, total failure. Then I get in my head, hit the tops of the rings. I find my hammer, and strike the two half rings that are close together, the rings meet perfectly, then the second rings and third rings. Good as new. Thanks spirit! I didn't ask for help, it just came out of the blue.

    It's February, I'm heading to a class. Coming down a small hill, I gently touch the brakes no grip. Stop sign ahead and its a busy intersection, so I quick steer the truck into a snow bank directly to my right, that worked. Now to dig myself out, with a small shovel I had in bed of pickup. This is going to take awhile. I'm working 5 min, when I say could use a little help here. No sooner than I ask, a guy runs to me can I help? Thank you! The only thing I have to offer him is a dust pan. He takes it and sets to work. Ten minutes later I'm free. Thank you dude and spirit! Got to class on time.

    Before I knew about spirit, spirit used me. Back then to make a call you used a pay phone. For some reason I left my wallet on top of the phone. The phone had a silver rectangular box around it. Half way back to work I realize I left the wallet there, hurry back. Theres a girl there, I saw her before I left the area, the first time. My wallet is where I left it. The gaI is a crying mess. What's wrong, she said she had fight with boyfriend, she had no money and no one to turn to. I said what about her parents? She said they were not an option, what a shame I say. I tell her I will drive you back to your place, fifteen min away. It felt good to be of service.

    Another friend of mine was complaining about her mortgage. I said I'll get you another one at a better rate. Which I did. Six months later, she didn't like that the mortgage company would sell her mortgage to another company. After hanging up on the company because they were rude to her. She said out loud I'm not going to take this. Then words form in her head, get a home equity loan and she did. Worked out perfect. She had beginning alzheimers. She said she would have never thought of it. Spirit helped her out. But it was her saying, I'm not going to take it, that got the ball rolling.

5/10/2020. What Goes Around Comes Around

    I was about to find out what those words really meant .... the hard way!

    Some people call it karma, one word instead of using five words. Karma is not necessarily bad, it can be good also. Here's an example , say your on the road and you cut someone off, deliberate or accidentally, what you did will happen to you, in one form or another. It may happen that day or the next day or next week,next month or even next year. Sometimes on the highway I see people get it back fairly quickly. When I see people trying to merge, I let them in, many many times when I need to merge,I always can due to others civility.  Return to them a wave gesture, it makes them feel good, it dosen't cost anything to be Kind! When you feel that you were wronged, send that person a blessing, wish them future good in their life. It does have an affect.They say by burning(living it) karma you can proceed more quickly along the path of life. Sounded good to me, I'm all in. I used my imagination, I visualized a locamotive and I'm in the driver seat, my hand on the lever, it's way to the left. I'm moving at a nice leisurely pace and all is tranquill, I move that lever midway, now I'm moving at a pretty good clip. Then I get a brilliant idea, let her rip, all the way to the right we go. I just sped up my karma, you big dope, now you did it.

    Two days later, my girlfriend anounces she's moving away. What the! Soon after that my friend, who I was going into business with goes over the deap end. Me and him worked months to secure financing for our project. The check came in the mail 100,000 dollars. We were on our way to making a whole lot of money. Unbenowst to me, he moved into a hotel downtown using his credit cards left and right. He now saw himself as a big time promoter. I visited him in his hotel room, Evan wtf are you doing. He said he had a plan to make way more money.  Earlier, he had given me a book to read, called the Art of the Deal. I read the book that week. I guess he saw himself as Donald Trump. I came to give Evan his book back, he took it and said just you wait and see, were going to meet Trump. I said yeah right. In the mean time, Evan's putting people together and networking, holding brunches at the hotel for his guests. And these people are set to hand over money to him, to get his venture off the ground. People were coming out of the woodwork.  Amazing, Evan was a king maker. He also was in a manic state. Problem was, he was always 4 steps ahead of himself.  He never completed step 1 before moving to 2. If he could have done that, he would have been a millionaire in less than a year. He put so many people together in such a short period of time.

    It's midnight, phone rings it's Evan can you pick me up. Where are you, at a 7/11 (convience store) somewhere. He took rt 10 south. He said it was real dark there. Last thing I wanted to do was go get him. Eh ... what the hell, I'll give it a try.  No cell phones back then. The night is inky alright. I'm heading south and I don't know where to turn right, I said I'll try this exit. Travel 3 miles, just dark trees no street lamps. There's a store up on the left Iit up like a roman candle. Lo and behold it's a 7/11. No way! But theres no Evan. I go inside and say, hey you see a guy wearing a cowboy hat?  Sure did, he was trying to get a limo to pick him up, only limos allowed use of a credit card. The cashier said 5 min after he hung up phone, a huge, huge limo pulls into parking lot. Evan goes over to him and says to him, where you headed? To Atlantic City, I'm Trumps driver. If you want to come, it's free. Evan gets in. Unbelievable! I go home. I didn't find out the Trump part till the next day. Evan says that's how were going to meet Trump, I'm going to say I found the Art of the Deal book in your limo and I personally want to return it to you. In less than a week he was well on his way to meeting Trump. Didn't happen though. Evan was driving that train right toward the brick wall, me the conductor waving to him to slow it down. He was deaf to my beseachments.

    Another phone call from Evan, I'm in jail. What! Yep, can you bail me out, maybe I say. I ask my pop for the money. Pay the bail. Evan developed some enemies back at the hotel. I guess his networking was a little frowned upon by management. They were getting paid though. Evan was nearing his hotel room one day when 2 guys round the corner, there he is, they bull rush him. At the last minute Evan drops real low, those 2 guys go flying. The hotel wanted him out, Evan says No I'm paid up for the week. They call the cops on him. Evan protests as cops drag him off,  I'm paid up, it ain't right! Evan is so livid, he makes his one call to me, then he wants another call, they say no. Evan is not a happy camper, put in jail unjustly. Evan was ranting, the sole cop would tell him to shut up. Evan didn't stop, the cop took his frustration out on Evan namely fisticuffs. I bailed Evan out, he went back to where he was comfortable, an easy chair and a bottle of vodka. Evan a great guy when sober not so much when drunk. I had a buddy rent one of his rooms.

    I bought a 78 Buick Skylark, the guy told me it ran for over 50 miles with no oil. Since that time it didn't run right. I had problems with the car stalling out, it went on like that for a couple days. I got a new gas filter for it bigger than the old one .made of hard plastic. I had to cut the metal gas line to get it in. Job done. I saw metal gas tube on car fender and I turn it upside down and tap the car fender, lifting the tube up, there is a perfect pyramid of rust particles glinting in the sunlight. It was a rust problem. Not any injury from a lack of oil. Took it out on road, ran like a sport car. Very happy. Fun to drive. I was going to make it better so I bought  an oil pump kit, there were 4 colored springs in it. I read directions, it said use the yellow spring for my make and model. Put it together, no oil pressure. Did it 3 times same result. I get it towed to mechanic. Pick it up, got oil pressure back. The mechanic took it apart and did what I did, used the yellow spring, no oil pressure. He tried green one, nope, red one, nope, blue one got oil pressure. Mechanic was smarter than me. Paid the guy 130.00. Took it for test run, to Evan house. Everything ok there, considering. Evan still drinking.  It's dusk, head back home, 8 min from Evan's house a woman is taking too long to make a left into her driveway. There was a big patch of a macadam off to the right, I pass her on the right bam too late for the brake, my head hits the headliner, I'm ok. Ah cannot say that for the car though. So I gave the mechanic 130 dollars around 2 pm and totaled it 9pm. Damn. At the last second I saw the manhole cover, it caught the oil pan and drove it into the transmission case. Not a good night. The paving contractor didn't place a caution sign at the unfinished area around man hole cover. Idiot!

    Next week, I have a dream there is a parade of ugly clowns and one of them is a brother to Larry who I had rented Evans spare bedroom. Had to get to Evans house to see what's what. I get into my last truck, a 66 F100(Ford) pickup. I'm nearing Evan's house, this time I take a pararell street to the one I had an accident on. The road is closed off to the intersection up a head, there's a Japanese Restraunt on my right. I'm going to cut through their off hour parking lot. There's a garbage truck stopped at the approach ramp to the parking lot. It's early morning beautifulI blue fall day. He is parked on an angle, I have to wait on street till he clears the entrance, so I can make my right hand turn into lot. I'm blaring my horn as he hits me head on! I watch my hood crumble like and old tin can. Took out my steering. Truck finished. Two totaled vehicles in 9 days on 2 pararell roads. The garbage truck driver, said it was his first traffic accident, said he didn't see me. It was a sunny day no obstructions. Wham! This was not normal. God had bigger plans. Oh, the dream was right, Larry did have his no good theiving brother staying at the house, kicked him out.

    So in one months time I lost two relationships, had three car accidents, two of which got totaled, no collison insurance on either vehicle. Screwed up one job I was on. I was reeling. I visualized me back in train, hand on throttle putting it back to where it was. Next day things slowed down. It took me three years to recover. So please don't do what I did, let events unfold naturally without putting in your two cents. So much better and happier.

    You may say there's no such thing as karma but as for I and me,   we...... believe.

5/06/2020 Purple Reign ll

    This ford or F250, taught me quite a few lessons over  10 yrs. Four years later, I notice the truck's paint on the hood is starting to peel. I read about peeling paint problems with the ford vehicles in the past. I took it to a Ford dealer to see if they would fix it. The next day, I got the answer and the answer was no. So I thought to myself eh I'll try somewhere else. And the next week I did. I got a different answer here after a couple days. Yes we'll do it, no charge to me. I talked to an employee, who said, we send them out to get painted. It will be painted orig color. I found out the place where they were going to take it. Talked to the owner of the body shop and asked him if he would paint the truck with my paint, he said no problem. He said a quart would do it. I got a quart of air craft paint cost like 90 dollars, color a magenta with metalic flakes. Got the truck back, boy was it bright. I thought I made a mistake with the color. After 2 weeks I got accustomed to it. That paint wore like iron. It was emron paint.

    So picture what you want and do things to make it happen. Don't give up without some fight.

    One night, I was driving down a highway about 12:.30 am. In my mind, it says something is wrong with the truck, I check my gauges, everything is normal. I say out loud, there's nothing wrong with this truck! Wrong! I hear a click and the truck can no longer hold a gear, from 70 mph I coast over a mile to a dead stop. Eighty bucks later I'm back home. The F250 is a 3/4 ton truck, my model had 5 diff transmissions put into it. They could not be interchanged. My mechanic couldn't find one on the internet. First he sent it to a transmission shop. After 2 weeks I didn't hear anything, I went to mechanic, what gives? Tells me where transmission guy is, guy says it's there in cardboard box, little pieces of gears, he says can't fix it. I don't know why he didn't tell my mechanic. You want things done, you'll have to take the bull by the horns and do it yourself. I tell my mechanic and that's when he looks for parts in junk yards across the US via the web. A week goes by, can't find anything.

    I head home thinking, I'm going to find this damn blasted trainy if it's the last thing I do. That was box number one...... check mark. Box 2 up next, need more info. I knew there was a little brochure sold in the convince stores that catered to selling of used trucks and parts. In my haste,  I grab the car version of vehicles and parts, it is when I get home, that I realize my mistake. Just great, didn't need that. A couple days earlier I found out about my trainy. Of the 5 Trainies, there were three ford and two Mazda, mine was one of the Mazdas. I jotted down the long part number. There were only two places I could get it Atlanta and Chicago. Brand spanking new, cost a little over 3000 dollars. Say what!  I had 500 bucks max for that trainy. I had my model and serial number writ down and started to call junk yards that I found in the car brochure. I got alot of nos. one guy I called was busy, the phone line, called again, same thing. Before I made my 5 th call, I said this is the last time I'm calling this guy.  Ring Ring at least there's no busy signal. Hello, finally! Yes, do you have a Mazda trainy with blah blah(numbers) . Yes I do he says. I proceed to drop dead. How much says I, holding my breath... 500 bucks says he. No way says I, Way he says. He said it just came in yesterday. Noo I says. Yeah the kid wrapped it around a telephone pole. Do not sell it, I'm coming tomorrow morn with the cash, which was almost all my money. The auto yard was in the next state over. When I neared the place, I saw a very small sign welcome to blank blank the same town I grew up in but a different state. Took the transmission over to my mechanic, he looked at it, how did you do it? I didn't, Spirit did it with my help. I kept getting delayed, because the transmission wasn't available yet.

    Spirit was setting things up for my miracle. There were far fewer F250s made than the more popular 150s. Plus I could only use 1 of the fi've trucks. The odds were astronomical against me, but not for spirit. I was use to automatic trucks at the time, to check the trainy fluid you would check the dip stick. The truck I had was manual transmission, no dipstick. To check my transmission, I would have to crawl under truck, remove a small bolt and stick my finger in, if I didn't feel liquid, it was time to add fluid. I had no clue. So my old transmission ran out of oil and the smaller gear failed which took out the other gears, just like a handgrenade. Reading the owners manual would have helped, but then I would have missed my big miracle, thank you spirit.

5/ O4/2020 Purple Reign

    It was moving day in August. Nice and hot. I got my good friends to help with the two day move. A lot of books and tool stuff, a lot of back and forth, each trip took two hours. After two days of their help and one day of my own, it was, back to work.

    When I got to the job site, I told my helper Greg what needed to be done. Then jumped in truck and headed for the hardware store. I'm 500 ft down the road when a big car from the left ignores a stop sign, we meet loudly in the intersection. My vehicle pushed him up a road sign pole. My friend Greg comes running up the street, saying I knew it was you. Greg and I sat way off to the sigde. Theres gas leaking under my truck. The guy who comes out of the wrecked car, is ok, but he's smoking a cigarette. I tell him to put it out, he doesn't. I tell him  3 times, still doesn't. A cop heres me telling him, I leave to a nearby yard with Greg, incase he blows up the place. As the cigarette guy walks around the cop is his shaddow trying to get him to put it out. Eventually he puts it out. Then the wrecker guy comes, tells my truck is totaled. He drags it away. The second tow truck is backing up to the rear of the car, that's when cigarette guy decides to get something from his trunk. The tow driver slams his brake not to hit him. The dude removes his things from trunk not realizing he was heading for a pedestrian accident. Lucky for me, the dude just signed his insurance contract 2 hrs before. Got some money but way way short of a replacement vehicle. One day after big move kapow, Greg says looks like someone is trying to tell you something, like change occupation.

    I got an inheritance around the same time, so I had enough for a replacement. Saw a heavy duty truck with a camper on it and 4 wheel drive. Looked underunder the motor and saw some seals leaking. That night had a dream about 3 trucks for sale, 1 was the one I looked at, 2  a truck near a bar I used to go to and a 3rd truck. Around Christmas I was playing a board game with family members, when I get a nudge to head to bar area. I waited till the game was over before I left. Get to bar and there was no truck for sale. If I left when I got the nudge, I might have found it. On Craigs list I found a truck camper, for sale up north,60 miles, got there but didn't like truck. Heading back I promptly got lost, but I saw a newer truck for sale an F250, 1 year old. He wanted  12000, I offered 10,000. Had another dream he was driving his truck under the apartment. Backing up he hits a pillar. The dream let me know, he had been rough with the truck, he had it for 26000 mi. I got a cashiers check for 10 thousand. When I got there he tried to up the price, I said this was agreed on price and here's the check, he took the check. The mettalic gray truck was now mine, with two gas tanks under the truck. It was also my first truck with an air conditioner.  As I'm driving home, it begins to drizzle. I put wipers on and the knob comes off in my hand. The wipers are stuck in intermittent delay mode. The windshield is a streaky mess. I'm in stop and go traffic on a major highway. I can't get the knob back on, I have my window down. I'm getting madder by the minute, this is going on for over 15 minutes. Just great! I'm stopped at a light and just when I'm at peak mad, the car next to me. The passenger says, hey buddy want to buy a car stereo system real cheap? I say no o...' then I hold the knob out the window and say do you have one of these. He laughs says no and I laugh. The laugh lightened my mood and at next light I examined the knob more closely and saw that opening of knob was not round but had shape of the letter D, that meant it could only go on one way. Bingo, it went on, no more mess on windshield. I was so happy.

    Spirit used that dude to break my funk and my attitude changed for the better. A clearer altitude helped me solve my problem. So when we have a problem, we can fix it from a calmer perspective. So much better this way.   
This ends part one.

5/03/2020 Broom me up Scotty

    I find my self out of state one day. I come upon a guy pushing a broom in the street  He's looking for a handout. I tell him I have none to give. But I said if you're looking to improve your situation, try asking Spirit for some help. If your sincere, you will get the requested help. Spirit will send you people that will open some doors for you. He understood. I didn't have the coin but I had an idea for him. It's like whats better giving someone a fish or teaching him how to fish. People are looking for a way to make themselves safe. It can be a cruel world out there but there is a way to deal with it. I hope that sweeper was able to find himself. The mind may say don't try it's futile, it's stupid. Belief that it can be done, can save the day.

    A gal I knew was a christian, and one day she was moving to a new apartment. One problem was she had little money and no bed. She turned to Jesus and asked him for his help in getting a bed. Twenty minutes later way down the hall, she sees someone moving out. Most of the stuff is gone except the bed. What about the bed someone says, he says he has no use for it. She overheard that and says I have a use for it. Her need led to an ask, her belief in Jesus led to manifestation of said bed. It doesn't have to be Jesus. Whatever gives you peace. 

  My non religious friend found himself in a pickle. He was 100 miles from home and had no phone and his car broke down with no money too boot. He started the long walk home. As he crossed a small stone bridge he decided to peer over the rail, looking down he sees a big turtle laying on it's back in the water. That turtle was a metaphor for his predicament. He slept in the woods. The next morning he's trudging along thinking he's at the end of his rope. He calls out Louie his nickname for me I need help bad. Less than 5 min later, a car stops near him, hey dude want to make some money, I need help moving a bunch of stuff into my house. My friend got in. And eventually got home. His parents weren't much help to him. He basically grew up by himself. Spirit only cares if you want the help, no matter what you believe in. Try it out for yourself. What do you have to lose?

5/02/2020 Making the Cut

    A friend of mine calls me up, hey can you help me with some cove moulding? I tell him I never did it before. But I'll try to help. When doing baseboard its easy with a powered mitre saw. Put the mitred boards together in the corner then caulk the joint. Faster than coping, which is a way harder cut. He onced watched a TV show how to do it. This was before you tube. He didn't remember the TV show too well. Also crown moulding is expensive. We tried small pieces to see about the fit in the cieling corner. The fit was super terrible. Readjusting the mitre saw angle. Try again, no better. We must have done it 25 times. At 3.00 a foot it was way expensive. We went at it half cocked, and had the results to prove it. Eventually he used putty to fix the corners. Just terrible.

    Many years later, I had a short stint with a carpenter, we were putting up crown moulding. He showed me how to do it. You hold the moulding against the fence of the saw, the way it would be put on the wall. The moulding would be protruding away from the fence at a 45 degree angle, then you make the cut. A little caulk and wella, looks great.

    A friend of mine got me a job at a friend of his. It was to put up crown moulding. It's usually a 2 person job, but it was just going to be me. Gave her a price and set to work. Three days later, it all looked great. My first crown moulding by myself, I was happy. Then she wanted kitchen done, gave her price. Too much she said. Six months later my friend says come over to her house, I want to show you something. Ok. Get there and I see new custom cabinetry, solid wood, fitted into position, really nice. My friend found her the cabinet maker. Everything looked good except the finished crown moulding. She did it herself and it looked like the job me and my friend did over 20 yrs ago. I told my friend, it wasn't me, she didn't want to pay. Penny wise, pound foolish.

    Standing on top of others, can help us see better and get a way better result. I thank my friend for letting me see that kitchen. It helped me, see the big picture. Also spirit was behind everything.

 

5/0 1/2020 So Sad

    One thing I know for sure,  God is not looking for perfection. What we do with our lives is up to us. We can flip the switch and use Spirits help or not. Up to us. There are infinite ways that Spirit uses to let you know that it's there waiting for you to take notice. Look and Listen are your tools of the trade.

    Perfection Ehh ...  A friend of mine told me a story about a carpenter who worked on houses. He's no longer a spring chicken. Well he hired a handyman to put up some insulation over the weekend in a room he just built. He comes back Monday and freaks out about the insulation. The insulation was hung right, paper side to the inside of room. This is no bull. The old guy is upset because the makers name John Mansville, is sometimes right side up and other places upside down. Wallboard is then attached to the 2x4s to make the finished wall, hiding the insulation. This dope goes home and kills himself, because it wasn't perfect. That there is wrong thinking. Want perfection hire a robot.

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    Another topic, is don't have a kid just to have a kid. As far as I know it doesn't work out that well. My friend had a father that was a perfectionist. He redid the hardwood cabinets in the kitchen, sanded them down, stain and urethane, took him 6 months. Not a great father. His mother was worse, one day she told him she never wanted him. Imagine that. So sad. Larry had an albatross around his neck for the rest of his life. He spent his life looking for human love, not too successfull there. But he did love his job. And when you love your job you're not really working. He also learned to work with spirit.

    So if life gives you lemons learn to make lemonade. We all get lemons it's what we do with them that determines our character. I saw on TV a guy who got his feelings hurt, when another classmate made fun of his obesity.  He used that cut to motivate himself to be a body builder. He made lemonade. Good for him.