4/29/2020. Something Small

    To me Spirit is like akin to electricity. Can't see it. But to know it's there flip a wall switch and let there be light or if it's a radio, let there be sound. With a TV you get the light and sound. Spirit can give you the effect. It takes action on your part to start the process. First came the idea, then your intent and then you use action to get the ball rolling.

    One day I noticed one of the hubcaps on my touch was missing. I have fancy ones, I looked it up, 125 dollars for one, didn't want it that bad. Checked on a used hubcap guy, he wanted 35 dollars. No I say, I want to pay zero dollars and I want it quick. Driving down the highway a week later, I spot a Chrome hubcap off to the side in grass. Pull over pick it up, yep it's a match. Bang it on with my rubber mallet, right then and there, looks good. Thank you Spirit, says I. Two weeks later it's MIA( missing in action). I say to Spirit same deal ok. Week later different road another hubcap, these are super fancy ones mind you. It's my hubcap. Get my hammer out but this time I notice on my tire rim a small dent in it. But the cap seems to grip it good. Month later it's off again. Probably that little dent. I gave up. From that day forward, I never saw a hubcap like mine again. You know if I would have given it more thought, I should have gotten a different rim. Me big dummy. Spirit helped me 2 times and I couldn't do my part. For the rest of that trucks life, I drove it with 3 hubcaps.

    Spirit did it's part. Got me the cap free of charge, the how was on me. When you ask spirit be specific, how quick you want it or what color or how much you want to spend. Lay it out there. See what you get. Start today, now.

4/28 /2020. A Beat Down

    A mother is now yelling at her kid. The kid is screaming. Before peace and calm, now two unhappy people. The mother started it, so the kid didn't do what you wanted, theres got to be another way. The kid is learning to get what it wants, he has to scream. Day in and day out of this makes for an unhappy future adult.

     I was on a bus in San Francisco many years back, I was in center of bus. A kid near the front was carrying on, the grandmother tried to bribe him to be good, when that didn't work the threats started. I moved up the aisle and sat behind them. Out loud I said God is love. The grandmother started using loving words instead, the boy screamed even louder, because he knew that the grandmother was bullshit. Kids know.

    I was living with a gal, who had a 6 yr old. The kid was wild, acting out, sometimes in the home, sometimes out of the home. One day I had to give her a spanking, it brought her around. I now know I would have done things differently. When she would act out, her mother would put her in her room for 30 min, she would have all her toys there. Didn't fix the problem. One Saturday she lost it again, I guess she was 7 and a half. I put her in time out, my way. She had to stand in corner face to wall and be quiet for 10 min.  She turned and yelled at me. I said 11 min, again she faced wall then turned to me with more yelling. I said 12 min. Now all of sudden this repeats till it's up to 20 min. She turns again but as she's about to yell, she stops herself and faces wall. Twenty minutes is a long time for a kid. I would check on her, she did not slouch once it stayed the full 20 min. Tough kid. She earned my respect.

    Two months later, she was acting up. I said lisa you can either have punishment A or punishment B which was easier or stop what your'e doing and have no punishment . You pick it. She chose no punishment. I gave her love and she knew it. She was done with temper tantrums. She went from a weed to a peony. We were at a party and my sister came to me and said you've done a great job with her. Lisa was a smart loving kid all along

4/28/2020. Early Bird get's the Dandelion

    In the Spring, I usually here the birds start to stir around 5:30 am. If theres time I like to take a long walk in the morning. Now in this neighborhood it's pretty quiet, very agreeable. It starts in April, the first dandelions begin to appear. I like a dandelion now and then but these guys are prolificators. Like rabbits. Get out my Home Depot orange 5 gal bucket and start to exercise. Mostly I'm stalking the seed head of the weed. It's got a dark green tightly bound outer seed cover with a tuft of white at the tip. Ripe for picking, I pick them and any opened seed pods. Up and down good exercise. While I'm at it also pull the weeds, best when ground is wet. If it has a woody stem you grip it good give it a twist and pull, you usually get the root. A friends yard was covered with it. One Spring when I could I went after the dandelion. The next year the population was cut in half. Those are pretty good results. In 2 yrs it was only 10 % of the yard, with no chemicals. You can mantain your yard at a leisurally pace. When you see a bad area of lawn, dig out some soil get good topsoil add some grass seed mix then put it down in shallow area, then tamp and mist , keep from drying out.

    We can do this to ourselves. Weed out things we don't like about ourselves and plant better seed. Gal I knew was trying to do this, she asked me what I thought was wrong with her. I said seriously, she said yes, you r 'e not going to like it. Hit me she says, I told her and I thought she was going to hit me. When you ask that question better be strong enough to handle it. Also have a pen and paper handy. Try asking a friend what he or she thinks of you. If they speak truth you may have a negative reaction, well that person is definetly your friend. It's now time to get to work. ON You. Talk

4/26/2020. Spirits

    Beer. When I was a kid, my job was to help my Pop out in the yard. Pop liked bushes, small trees, ponds, patios, birds and vegetable gardens. His interests later became my interests. Pop was the pruner and I was the bundler. Sticks had to be tied up in 4 ft bundles to be put out to curb. I became an expert bundler in my younger years. Another job was to get Pop a shaffer, which was a beer brand. Pop was not a heavy drinker. The first shaffer I had tasted like crap. Over time I got used to it.


    When I turned 18, my friend took me to a bar. My friend had been there before. We sauntered up to the bar. The bartender looked at me and said get out. I said I'm legal, get out, get out and out the door I went. Beer, gin and tonics, wine and an occasional shot of whiskey. Got sick twice in my life at young age. I learned from it, once on cheap wine and one too many gin and tonics. I was playing pool at a bar, drinking gin and tonics, the bar tender said you better slow it down, I didn't listen, I knew it all. I had about13 tonics and drove to my buddies house, he was in passenger seat. We got home and I said how did I drive, he said perfect. Hour later watching TV got sick for an hour. Didn't make that mistake again. From then on, I knew when to quit. I'd be in a bar and sometimes have a couple shots of whiskey during the night. Then a voice would say that's your last, I'd set the glass down and walk out. I would always listen.

   One day after work, I'm in this go-go bar. The dance floor is in shape of an L and the counter traveled 6' from the dance floor36O.° There was a door 2 ft up from floor with 2 little steps, this was door used by the dancers. I heard voices to my right getting louder. I picked up my glass of beer and started to walk left. The door on my left was 2 ft up and recessed a ft and a half in, leaving a little alcove. I got up in there as my Bud beer bottle goes whizzing by me, crashing into the adjacent wall. Bottle survives with not even a blemish, just missing a guy by inches. The Bud was mine. The jerk to my right threw at his friend. They were grappling as the barmaid dialled 911. Those cops were there in 2 min flat, I couldn't believe it. They dragged them out likety split. I got another beer, and everything continued, like nothing happened. Look around yourself for potential problems and figure out what to do in an emergency.

    One day Spirit gives me a nudge, time to stop drinking. If you want to go further. Spirit can only do so much for you if your brain is fogged. So I gave up gin and tonics, whiskey and wine. Six months later, I get give up drinking, I said I did. No... the beer. I said come on not the beer. I did not want to do this. Eh... another month goes by, give up beer. Damn. So I did, I use to drink a little over a case a week, never in the morning. It was hard to give up. Usually I have a bad smeller but 6 months later I was in a huge room where people were drinking. Someone popped a cap on a beer and I smelt it 25 ft away, boy did I want it bad. Another 6 months goes by, a different arena, someone twists off a beer cap, I could smell it real good, but this time I didn't need it. That was over 30 years ago. I've been a non drinker.

    You either move forward or your moving backward. I choose forward. Plus you do get smarter along the way. Which is a good thing.

4/24/2020. Get off the Pot Already

    One Thanksgiving day, I saw my sister Lara with a sad countenance about her. I said what gives? Oh it's my marriage. What are you going to do about it. I don't know yet. O k I said. The next Thanksgiving, the same thing happens. What are you going to do about it ?  She says I'll think about it. I said thats what you said last year. The only way it gets done is you have to take action.

    Flashback.  Lara is at her mother inlaws (Cathy)kitchen table where theyre discussing her son Jerry's behavior, Lara's husband. Cathy says to Lara, do what I've done let it go in one ear and out the other, and go and do what you want to do. This is what Cathy did in her own marriage. Lara says to Cathy, Well first of all my names not Cathy. Thats it in a nut shell. Shes going to do it her way. Good for her.

 
    It's now 6 months later in the spring. I get a phone call from her, can you help me move? Ok I say. It takes two hours to get there. Pull up 9am on Sat. Other family members are there and no Jerry. The blitz move was on. Six hours later, she was moved out and in her new place. Jerry came home to a different life.

 

    Next Thanksgiving, her mood was brighter. Are you glad you did it?  I say. Oh yes she said.  Things will go on and on if there is no action. Action is a determination and a strong will. Use it to make yourself a better life. Lessons are learned and nothing goes to waste.. She and Jerry are still friends to this day.

4/23/2020. Boiler House

    Those were the words on the  side of an old wood boat, sitting on a trailer. The paint scheme was red and black. When I see that combination, to me, it means watch out. Most likely not a pleasant experience. I noted it. This was the begining of March 2020, the start of covid19.

    A small swelling on my left bicep started to develop. I didn't pay it much mind. I flew out of state. By the  3rd week, I knew I had a problem. I called an urgent care, they wanted 150 dollars to look at it and 250 to remove it. Hung up and said no way. I asked Spirit what to do, no answer. I used my smartphone instead. I found out the difference between a cyst and a boil, I had the later. It said it takes about 3 weeks to resolve. Occasionaly use hot compresses and eventually the body will dispense with it. I found all of it to be true. So Sprirt tipped me off with message that was on boat. And it knew I had a smart phone. Spirit doesn't always give you a direct answer, you may have to look for it yourself. It gives you the tools and you do the work. Persistance and focus wins the day. May you have a safe day.

4/21/2020. Nova Scotia

    One of my favorite places, just a beautiful island. It's in the news today, because of a terrible evil that befell them Saturday. Mass murder. Or unbridaled narcissism. I'm not happy with the way my life is going going, so I'm going to end it and take some people with me. One word....Sicko.  For a narcissist to heal himself he has to put his focus outward get it off himself. Go out and do for someone else. Volunteering helps you heal in slow motion. Over time your attitude will shift and with it comes a place of joy.

    I put out to Spirit, if you want to get my attention show me doubles of whatever. So one day I'm at the flea market and I see a table with a Nova Scotia souvenir on it. I didn't pay it any mind, 5 min later another table had a bunch of old postcards all on Nova Scotia, I bought them all. Never been there, made up my mind that I'm going. It was a fantastic trip. Took my camper truck and headed north.

    Eventually made it to long Island. The highway was something, I'm doing  60 and the other motorists are passing me like crazy, even on the shoulder. After 3 hours of that I had enough. Next exit I'm getting off. Soon I enter a suburban town, I don't know where. Up ahead I see an all you can eat place, make a bee line for the parking lot. I open their massive door and there are tables laden for a king. You name it they gots it, and all for 10 dollars including drinks. The pain between my shoulder blades long forgotten. I stayed there 2 hours, one of the best 2 hours of my life. And there were only 6 patrons in there, with a gorgeous fire burning to my right. New York ain't so bad after all. Next day rode up to Montauk and took a ferry to Conneticut. Stopped in Mystic to see the Charles Morgan whaling vessel. The day was heavy overcast and cool and damp. It was earie. But probably the best way to see the ship. The weather kept the crowds away and seeing it in black and white, gave it an old timey feel. It felt like it couldn't wait to get out whalin.

    Now it was up to Bar Harbor ME to catch a ferry to Nova Scotia. I didn't know where to go, it was getting late. So I parked on side of a small road, slept in the camper. The next morning I looked down the hill and 100 ft down is the ship I'm looking for. I got down just in time, if I were to miss this boat, I would have to wait 2 more days. Lucked out there. It was over an 8 hr trip to get to Yarmouth N. S. Had great time. Peggy's Cove has huge boulders that fall into the ocean, an off white color. The lighthouse is small but picturesque. Then it was on to Halifax. Had some experience here during the week. Met a guy from another country that moved here from Asia, who spoke perfect english. He was an unofficial advocate for the poor. He had a giving nature about him. He was somebody you would want to emulate. There are few like him around.

    One day there in town, I'm walking on sidewalk and look to my left and see a couple hooligans on the far sidewalk. A young prof. female walks in front of me, crossing the wide street and she's heading in their direction. What is she crazy, as I slow my gait, to see if she would need my assistance. She's ok, the one bigger guy's i're was directed at me. He steps into the road in my direction telling me to come to him, yeah right. I picked up my gait and exited the scene. My new friends there invited me to the soup kitchen, I demured but they insisted, so I went. There was a long line there, in the line I notice the guy from the street, dressed in black, he looked sereen. In the center of his vest he held a single red rose, wierd. I knew what it meant, I passed some sort of test. Sometime during the week, I was in my camper about 12 am, I here a knock, come on out I want to talk to you. I said get lost. He said I have a gun, I said so, then just shoot. And that was that. Rest of night was quiet. Another episode, one of the homeless guys got enough money to buy a big hamburger. Another homeless guy comes by and he cuts his burger in half to give to him. Talk about caring.

    Looking back at those past years. I still think of that Asian in Halifax.