A semi-regular attempt to address some of life’s minutiae that might otherwise be overlooked…..

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship lately. My father has always taught me that if a person is fortunate enough to have one true friend in their life they are blessed. I’ve agreed with him in a courteous son sort of way, yet as a child of the 80’s who watched too many sitcoms and a person with a neurotic desire for everyone to like me I always aimed higher. But as I’ve segued into middle age it has become clear that Dad always has been, as usual, right on the money. The truth is that most people are merely cordial acquaintances, work colleagues, fellow church parishioners, or pleasant neighbors. There’s nothing wrong with any of those things…they all serve a lovely purpose. The vast majority drift in & out of our lives as the wind blows. Even some who we might have considered friends fade away into the ether. Life takes folks in different directions…physically, emotionally, intellectually, ethically, spiritually. The ties that once bound us together sometimes break…or perhaps gently dissolve…and eventually we come to the realization that we’ve changed, they’ve changed, and there’s not much common ground anymore. My need for everyone to like me has diminished, tempered by a general apathy toward scurrying after people, jumping thru pointless hoops, or compromising my principles to satisfy others. I am who I am…blemishes included. The same can be said for most everyone else. If two people can look past such deficiencies and still maintain a bond that’s awesome, but the reality is that such relationships are rare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call me old-fashioned, but Uber and Air BnB seem like horrible ideas…not for the customers, but for the providers. I don’t want strangers staying in my home or riding in my vehicle no matter how much secondary income it may generate. Call a taxi or rent a hotel room…that’s what those things are for.

 

 

 

 

Have you heard about this “church” in Ames, IA?? The Ames United Church of Christ recently threw a Drag-O-Ween Party specifically targeted toward LGBTQ youth. The event drew the ire of Elizabeth Johnston, an Ohio based conservative Christian vlogger better known online as The Activist Mommy who takes scripture seriously, especially the command to “be fruitful and multiply” found in Genesis (she & her husband have ten children). Johnston isn’t shy about challenging head-on the sin so abundant in our modern world, like sexuality, gender confusion, abortion, & child abuse, and she has been an outspoken critic of this “celebration” in Iowa. Her readers responded by peppering the “church” website & Facebook page with comments, to the point that the “minister” of the “church” felt compelled to respond. However, the statement by Pastor Eileen Gebbie did nether the “church” nor herself any favors, claiming that “it was much harder to come out as Christian than as gay” (a lesbian minister…an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one) and that “this moment is a reminder that there has never been one kind of Christianity”, a direct contradiction of multiple scriptures that teach that there is only one true God, Jesus Christ is who He says he is and doesn’t change with the times (Hebrews 13:8), loving God means that we keep His commandments (1 John 5:3), and that Christians are to be peculiar & different from the sinful world. God hasn’t changed. Heck, not even Satan has changed. It is humanity that has changed. At any rate, kudos to Ms. Johnston for never backing down and putting herself in the line of fire to stand up for God & His Word. I’m not much of an activist myself…it’s just not in my nature. However, I applaud those with the fortitude to jump into the fray.

 

 

 

I am beginning to wrap my head around the reality that part of my purpose in life is to build people up in small ways, to be there for them at low moments. I’m not a rah rah motivational cheerleader kind of guy, but sometimes folks just need a sympathetic ear, nice compliment, keen insight, or moment of levity, and I excel at those things. The seedy underbelly of this…skill…is that in good times…when everything is going alright in their lives…people don’t need me and I am easily tossed aside, like the junk mail that the postman stuffs into your box every day. It is certainly an unpleasant pill to swallow, but what choice do I have??

 

 

 

So do we need common sense truck control now?? Just curious. #NYCStrong

 

 

 

A few additional thoughts about the Weinstein sexual abuse scandal that has shook up Hollywood and grown unexpected tentacles…..

*I’m not going to defend former President George HW Bush, but to compare a senile 90 year old man in a wheelchair playing grabass with the legit harassment that others have inflicted is asinine and reeks of desperation. It’s a false equivalency.

*There are a few issues with nearly 60 year old Academy Award winning actor Kevin Spacey “coming out”. First, I thought sexual preference was biological and not a choice?? Atleast that’s what promoters of the agenda have always proclaimed. So we are supposed to believe that Spacey has always known “his truth”, but chose to hide it, even in a modern society that not only accepts but celebrates such lifestyles?? This isn’t Rock Hudson in the 1950’s. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K. Either Spacey is ashamed of who he is and has no gay pride, or all of this is a convenient cover for his unearthed pedophilia. Both possibilities are disrespectful to many groups of people.

*I don’t believe in blaming the victim…BUT, allow me to reiterate something I’ve mentioned previously. I find it fascinating that so many who have been vociferously outspoken against President Trump for being kind of a creepy old lech have simultaneously been so quiet for DECADES about even creepier pervs because of power & influence that could help their career. Hey Hollywood…your hypocrisy is shining brightly in that big ol’ spotlight.

*No one seems to be talking much about this Ben Affleck video that has gone viral. Affleck appeared on a Canadian infotainment program several years ago and acted like a total assclown with the hostess, becoming all touchy feely with her and generally being the worst drunken frat boy stereotype one could imagine. But the most interesting part of the video to me is when Affleck very plainly pokes fun at handicapped people, specifically those with cerebral palsy. Wasn’t making fun of handicapped people a horrible atrocity less than a year ago?? Again though, apparently if a person leans to the correct side of the political spectrum anything they say or do is completely acceptable. Funny how that works.