9/26/2020 Ahh No Charge

 

    I just left Target, got into my truck turned the key and get a click click. This truck is going nowhere fast. I did have a prior warning though, it had a little hesitation early in the morning when starting the truck but it did roar to life. And it did start up  the next 5 times until the 6th time. Damn. Another day not making money.  No good.  Pop the hood and try my little trick of banging on the terminals with the handle end of  a big screw driver.  Worked many times for me before. Not this time however. The battery says it is a 6 yr battery and in two more months it will be 6 yrs. They do know their batteries. Six months before your battery hits its life expectancy I suggest you replace it now. Or you will be pondering your next move like me.  Next move was get a new battery.  Call up auto part stores, 100 bucks and up too much. I try junk yards. Way better 30 to 50  dollars for my battery. Call my wife jump in her car half hr later get to the yard and paid 30 bucks. The guy put a tester on it that places a load on battery which drains it and then I saw it return to 12 volts after the load is removed. When he did it to my old battery , there was no recovery.  Got it back in truck started right up. But the day was done.

    It's  now a week later.  I start it up and there was a just a hint of hesitation.  But it started.  I notice that the battery gauge is hitting 12 volts. Too low, the alternator should be charging the battery to the tune of 15 volts. Come to the traffic light the truck dies. Flashers aren't  working. I get out of truck and push it via the door frame and steer it walking alongside it. So I'm  trying to enter the right lane, and 2 people sneak past me in their cars, I can't  hit the brake... some people. I get the truck off onto the side road and there's a little rise into the gas station parking lot.  I'm  now in the driver's seat look in the rear mirror and there's a young guy pushing me with his hands on my tail gate. The truck's  too heavy to get it up the rise. The young guy says he'll  pull it up the rest of  the way with his truck and a strap it works fine. I walk to close by auto part store. Talk to guy says if vehicle is running and motor cuts out it's  probably the alternator. Go back to service station tell him to replace  alternator. 225 bucks..... ouch! Call my neighbor, who happened to be home, thanks spirit. He came and got me. The breakdown occured near home and not 10 miles away where I was a half hr later. Thanks to spirit it was closer to home. Plus I broke down at the gas station. All these little coincidences helped me immensely.  Thanks to spirit. The truck episode developed over 2 weeks. Spirit brought  me through it, step by step. My part was to keep pushing forward, thinking how to fix my problem  and spirit helping me behind the scenes.

9/17/2020 The Potatoe

 

    I read this article recently by a holocaust  survivor..  His name is Ernie Gross. What he went through was unimaginable  evil. There were people there that gave up and the others looked for way to survive. He tried to survive. He said that the only way for him to survive was to unlearn his selfish survival skills.

   To do that he had to do acts of generosity and charity, this enabled him to retrain his brain. He said   "if you don't  forgive, it means your angry. If you forgive, your body can relax and you keep on functioning."  He concluded with " Don't  lose hope tomorrow  can be better, that is why I'm  91 and still here."  When he was doing work cleaning train station toilets he would pickup cigarette  butts, he needed 7 to get a quarter of a potatoe from his fellow prisoners.  Those 7 butts were hard to come by.  Those pieces of potatoe  and his generosity or kindness are what kept him alive. 

    I told this story before. How a camp prisoner caught a glimmer of himself in a mirror. He was a scowling mess, he looked like the camp guards and prisoners. He said to himself, I don't  want to be like that. So he changed his ways. His countenance began to change.  His change gave inspiration to some of his fellow prisoners.  And as bad his life was, it made things better. To make change  he changed himself. That's were it starts. Don't  change the outer, change the inner you,  first and foremost. Be that beacon of..... light.

9/11/2020. Rememberence

 

    Today is the day; that America got a wake up call. I was in a post  office, there was one employee but she was way in the back room which was very big. A radio was on in the back room. I could just barely make out what was being said.  Something about a plane hitting the world trade center, I think. The gal finally  comes to the desk. She said some accident  happened at the world trade center, just now. I went a quarter mile back to my house and flipped on the TV.  There was one of the towers on fire. They were calling it an accident.  Ten minutes later  I see the second tower hit. First words out of my mouth was damn Arabs. My nephew  told his parents he had a dream, this was several days before the attack, in the dream he saw planes striking buildings. Another example of dreams foretelling the future.

    Most of the hijackers were from Saudia Arabia. Zero hijackers from Iraq. Who do we go to war with? Afghanistan  and Iraq. Why Iraq? No idea. Afghanistan  was guilty for aiding the terrorists. We should be there for good. In the future I would hope that talk can forestall any chance for war. Talk it out.

   If there is strife in your family somewhere, well then you can see how it occurs out in the world between nations. Try to make peace in your own family if it is at all possible. If not than just avoid them to the best of your ability.

    The 2nd strife point was the 07 to 08 mortgage  meltdown. Cause underlying greed ruled the day with no real repercussions to the scofflaws. Politics helped get us out. 

    Then the me too movement. This was good. Then BLM which was also good. Also global warming is the elephant  in the room. Now comes the election. What will this do to America? We will see in the next 4 mos.   My wish is that it comes off without too much violence.

9/06/2020 The Pointed Finger

    I once saw a talk show with the actor Tom Arnold as a guest. I think he said he had 4 divorces. He tells the host I looked back on my life and I would blame the woman for the marriage  failures.  Then I got to thinking wait a minute here,  I'm  the common denominator  in all the divorces. The fault lies with me. I had to change me. Very good Tom.  Every time we point the finger at someone and say you did this to me, we have to remember that 3 fingers are pointed back at you. If you can't  see yourself ask someone who loves you or a very close friend to point out your defincies.  Then do not defend yourself, keep your mouth shut. What ever the person says write it down. Now that you got the truth, you have something to work with.

    

    Everybody fails in one way or another. Without failure there can be no growth. Our failures give us the opportunity to learning more about ourselves.  All we have to do is take responsibility for our predicaments and own it. It takes time and effort from us to make our lives better. No matter what happens in our life, there's a way to fix it or live with it. Spirit can help us in this endeavor. All you have to do is ask for it's  help.

    When things don't go our way, we have to hit the reset button. Blaming someone because they cheated on us or I didn't  get the promotion I deserved, or I got fired because  of him or her. That gets us nowhere,  try looking at it as an opportunity  that has landed in our laps. The door has shut for a reason. Now look for the very best door that sits waiting for you to be found by your efforts.

    Use that finger to point the way to a more fulfilling  life that you deserve. Remember it's  going to cost you time and effort. Visualize what you want to happen, then take action have faith that it will appear in your life and be thankfull.  Write down what you learned when the last door closed  in your life. Try to remain positive through out your days.

9/02/2020 Adrift

 

    Let's  compare our life to that of a small boat. Our parents show us to the best of their ability how to get along in life. They are steering our boat until we get the hang of it. When we turn 18, it's  up to us. The scary part is about to begin. Responsibility will take center stage in our life from here on out. We try to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.  Don't  look back always push on forward, keeping a firm grip on the rudder which is found at the back of the boat.  This is what we use to steer the boat in the direction we want to go. A loose grip on the rudder means were at the mercy of the water. We will go around in circles, letting events controll us instead of us controlling them. I belonged to this category for a long time. I still learned a lot though even though I was going in circles. Better if you know what direction you want to go. Keep a firm grip on your rudder so that you will have a more fulfilling life. Keep a book in your bedroom and write down a few of your goals down and date them yr mo and day. Think about it and ad to the list at least once per week, Sunday is a good day. Always call on spirit when you don't  know what to do next. Try it for a month and see where you are after the month is over.

    Don't  wait on things  to happen, make them happen. Then you will see your days of being adrift will come to an end. Living starts when you take responsibility for your life and cease blaming others. What ever it is that is irksome to you, you focus on that problem and try to make it better. You invite spirit in to help you with the difficulty.

In a previous post I talked about my mother. I wanted the dynamic between  us to end and new positive experience to replace it. The post title was mom. It worked out just great. It didn't happen until I took action in that direction.

    If there are negative people in your life, it's  time to distance yourself from them.. wish them well and move on. Simple..... yes. If you lend money don't  expect it back. If it causes you grief then don't  lend money  out anymore. Speak no gossip at work. Stay positive with your co workers. Try to mend a beef with a coworker. If it is a no go. Make plans to leave the job. Say no to the things you don't  want and yes to the things you do want.

    A friend of mine said no to be lonely and spirt brought her a new friend. She also wanted a close male she could have an intimate relationship with. That didn't  happen because she interfered with other peoples relationships.

    Stay positve in all situations, and you will reap the benefits always. Ask yourself does this feel right? Contemplate  on your next course of action trying to feel the best actions that you can do next. If you don't  feel the answer give it a rest for a few days then return to the problem. You can also try to resolve issues down on paper. Save all your writtings, overtime it will show you how much you learned since you started taking an active roll in plotting out your new life.

    Being in control  of your boat will give you  a better view of your future life. And the ability through spirits help to surmount  problems that come along on one's  journey. 

8/23/2020 Bird Brain

 

    Pop would always feed the birds. My mom would put stale bread in a pan and put fat in the pan as well, the birds went nuts for this concoction in the winter time. I found out years later that bread is not good for birds. Seeds are good for birds and suet.  Also peanuts are not good for birds they may like it but it really isn't good for them.  Seeds and berries are for the song birds. Needless to say when I left the house  I became a bird feeder as well.

    One day I saw 3 kids near a hawk that was on the ground. The hawk was shrieking so I crossed the apartment parking lot to where they were. The hawk looked at me and then to the kids and back and forth. I could tell he wanted me to ward off the kids.  The hawk had a dead rabbit  in it's claws. That's why he didn't fly away. I told the kids to stay away from the hawk. Good karma.

     I was walking toward my front door for the last time. As I walked down the gravel walkway a huge shadow  was displayed across the yard. The shadow was a wingspan of 20 ft. It was the shadow of a turkey vulture whose wing span is 6 to 8 ft. Seeing that shadow pass over me was super awesome. As I neared the front door a small pine snake left in a hurry from my glassed in porch coming down 2 wooden steps. I hadn't  seen him since the first day I stepped on to this property which was 5 yrs ago. Deja vue. I put up a bird feeder soon after I moved in. Planted bamboo along the sidewalk and one butterfly bush. The bamboo supported the butterfly bush and it grew to 12 ft in ht. What was neat about this Bush was the hummingbird moths that inhabited that Bush at least 50 of them. Never seen them before. And never since then. There was the 8 inch snake that greeted me the first day and the other living thing were the fish in the stream next to the house. They were 10 inches apart head facing the bank about 12 of them . ...weird.   That was the last time I saw them in that formation. The ground was rock hard. Had to bring in truck loads  of good soil. I saw  the big vulture flying around.. I made a plywood platform for the vulture, I lured  him down by placing a chicken leg raw on the platform. Two of the birds came in and one grabbed the leg and flew off with the other in hot pursuit.  I then remade the platform to a smaller dimension. That did it. When the vulture landed he would extend his wings straight out and eat the leg on the platform. Way cool. The bird extended his wings to keep the other birds from making a landing  next to him. He was able to eat in peace.  Toward the end of my 5 yr stay there, I hadn't been feeding the vulture for like 3 or 4 mos . But he flew over me as a thankyou, I guess. 

    My relationship was coming to an end. I wrote a letter to her  and I was heading out the door to mail it at the post office.  The quiet voice within says don't mail it. It wasn't a nasty letter. I said no I'm mailing it. Get into the truck off to the post office.  About a 1000 ft down the road a bird dives bombs into the grill of my truck. Fine I say,  don't  want any more birds to die, so I head back home and throw out the letter.

    I've  seen pictures of bluebirds but never in person. I said spirit I'd  like to see one up close before I die. Several months later I do. Early March, early in the morning I go outside and I'm near a small tree, a bluebird alights on a branch. The sunlight does the bird justice,prettiest bird ever.  Three weeks  later I'm  in the hospital with double pneumonia,  trying  to stay alive. I got to see the bluebird though. A month later I recovered.  Soon after I installed a bluebird house. They've  come back every yr since.

    Last week I asked my father to bring a gallon of birdseed with him when he came down to see me. The first store he was going to stop at for the seed was closed. He headed through a neighboring town and then realized  the bridge was out for a year on the south side of town. He was too far along so he continued  on to the bridge. Too his surprise the bridge was open. It must of opened just a couple days ago. Bridge out signs were still up. He remembered a supermarket not to far away to get the seed. While in line with the 13. 50 dollar bag of seed, the checkout gal says to him you don't  have to pay. The elderly woman  ahead of him says anyone who treats  the birds deserves a treat themselves. Pop wasn't  paying stong attention  to what was going on around him, because he still tried to pay. The checkot gal says put your money away the lady ahead of  you  bought it. A gift from spirit. Thanks.

8/16/2020 When Opportunity Knocks

     

    Open the damn door. Those who hesitate  are lost. It appears for a moment or so in time. Quickly grab that gift and put it in your pocket. It was put there just for you.

    Once I walked into a pizza store and there were framed pictures on the wall. One of them was a mountain scene.  I  had to have it.  It was 60 dollars. I didn't have 60 so I said I'll give you 20 and the next 2 Fridays I will give 20 each day. He sold it for the artist. I made a way for it to happen. One day out of state I saw a blue jay picture on a wall of another eating establishment. It was 20. I handed it over.  I came in the next day and the guy told me that I bought the young man's first ever sale. He was very happy as was I, not only for the picture but that I was the start for something good to happen for him.

    One day I was looking for a pick-up  truck to buy. The neighbor had one for sale a black ranger, looked real good, I wanted it. When test driving it there was a little hesitation when I was accelerating.  I dismissed  it. That was a big mistake. Next time I get a warning, I'll pay attention. I took it back to the previous owner, he would not give my money back. Took it to his transmission place where he recently had it fixed  and he wouldn't honor his work either. Cost me another 1200 dollars. Expensive lesson. A couple years later I drive through a puddle on side of road and it stopped. Towed it to a mechanix who spent all day trying to get it to work. It was an electrical problem.  I was in for over 300 dollars. I know car electrical problems are expensive to fix. I gave him the bill of sale and called it even. He agreed. Cost me a lot but I was glad to be rid of it. I got smarter though.

    When oppurtunitys come you may not be happier but you definitely  will be smarter after all is said and done. And being smart is good because you become a better you.  It takes work  and time. It's good to be happy along the way too. Look to put that into your life. Write down 10 things that make you happy. Then go after the top 3 answers.