Back to Baking Bread

 I feel like just going back to being an artiste' and relaxing into the way it was. But deep in my heart, I know every one of us has a bigger responsibility now that our democratic republic just had a close call. It doesn't mean you become somebody else, like someone invested in the arts suddenly becomes a marching political activist all the time. Admittedly, George Takei and others are doing a pretty good job of it, but they have more influence, money, and time.

Earlier on Face Book I told the story about how a fellow student at my college, in the cafeteria, relayed a sermon to me she'd heard. Interviewer: "What do you do for God?" Baker: "I bake bread." Interviewer: "No, what are the things that you do for God?" Baker: "I bake bread." Interviewer: "But I'm asking what specifically do you do for God?" Baker: "I bake bread."

Okay, there you have it. Hopefully, there will be a way you can integrate a sense of purpose to your vocation or avocation.

What was left behind was not only a mess but a wake. We still have people in a number of "cults" who believe lies fed to them on the "fantastic" level. And unfortunately, as you think, so you act.

So what's to be done? Another sermon I'd heard was called, "Duck Herding", about a dog who'd continually chase ducks every morning near the pond, and of course, never succeed at catching them. Having been one who tends to think she can control people, places, and things in the outer, I've learned it's kind of a lost cause. I guess the answer is, BE the Change, and "Bake Bread Better".

The Inauguration

 Got to see President Biden's inauguration at the very moment on the internet, thankfully.

I was also thinking about my storytelling friend, Virginia Pastoor, who knew ALL. She wanted to live until she could see Biden get elected, and she did. (Four years ago, her post was, "Sorry, Ben, we couldn't keep it!") She didn't know how many hurdles, especially on the 6th, would be thrown in Joe's way to Inauguration today. If, in a certain way, she knows, she probably has been pretty self assured, unlike those of us "down here" biting our nails and gripping our white knuckles.

Jimmy Kimmel made a comment about how the presidents generally age a lot in four years, but during the time under Trump, it might be...All of Us.

So, I'm not going to look at any selfies taken in 2016 and compare them to 2021. Despite the challenges and hard work we face as citizens, maybe we can go into reverse, aging wise, due to the relief we feel.

And even though there was an unfortunate assault on the Capitol (that was Us, they assaulted, because those people represent Us), it didn't morph into what our parents (or grandparents) fought in the 1930s "Over There".

Because we have more effective ways here of removing a demagogue.

Fuss over States

 Night thoughts. I'm not very worried that my wrist aches, because I found out first "hand"

yesterday that "Rosy, the Riveter" had a harder job than I thought.

I now have learned from two sources that all this fuss about WI, MI, PA, and GA, have something to do with the demographics in Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. I even "Googled" around and thought, "Aha! Some folks are still living in the 50's." I was around then, and even as a child when we got our first TV, I thought, "Where are all the black people?" That came quite naturally, as I was living in a neighborhood where I was becoming a minority. As far as AZ goes, the minority population in Phoenix is a little more mixed, but it adds up. Or maybe John McCain was just saying, "I like people who answer their call to military service and don't screw up the Presidency by not realizing it is also a "service" to our country, okay?" Of course, there were other blue states, but those seem to be the principle ones being fussed over.

I've looked out the window a number of times today at the pretty snow and wondered if it would be okay for a senior to walk out there. Bill answered my question by going out into it and telling me "the weather outside is frightful" (i.e. cold). It does mean , though, that I have to climb up and down the stairs, because I didn't "go" to Zoom Yoga.

So the Lions Won, Did They?

 I was given a good analogy from someone who will not be named, as I might screw it up. It goes (sort of) like this. "The Lions Won!"

"But the scoreboard says they lost." "Someone must be messing with the scoreboard. You can't believe what you read. So, the Lions Won!"

"But the evidence points to the fact that the Lions lost." "I don't see any evidence that they lost. The Lions Won!"

"The evidence has been checked, double checked and triple checked." "Those people aren't calculating right. The Lions Won!"

"The judges have determined that they lost." "No, they won!"

"Sigh."

Four Years Ago Complaint

 We Yarn Spinners took off on dealing with clerks and waitresses, etc. about what they're required to ask, and how we've answered. So, if someone at the grocery store asks me again if I'm "finding everything okay", I think I'll say, well...it was a little bit of a hassle trying to climb up in the freezer to the one carton of regular frozen yogurt that wasn't non fat, and the same goes for the regular yogurt. Then, there was the six pack of water that was too far in the back to reach, and I had to get down on my hands and knees to get a carton of orange juice. If that's "finding everything okay", then, yeah.

The Straight Line

 I have a cousin who's an artist; in fact I have several who are artists. This one, though, knows me well. She said whenever I was angry, she knew, because she observed a straight line between my lips. I checked the mirror, after yesterday's capitol assault. Yup, there it was.

Graduating from How To Books

 We got so upset with how-to books that often disrespectfully told you how to work, economize, organize, and play...(For example: Bill was told he had to have three hours of recreation, and I was told I had to accomplish six things daily, despite the fact that one thing can take all day) so, I rebelled by scheduling nothing. Well, that didn't seem to work. Verification was that Bill said I seemed to be "walking around in a daze" yesterday.

So, I went back to scheduling. Maybe I only tackled one third of it, but I was more "with it". I guess it was the "disrespectful" parts of these books were the problem. One would insist on organizing the kitchen first, even though your office may have been driving you nuts. The kitchen project was supposed to take a month. You found yourself STILL organizing the kitchen as you approached the end of the month, and there was no end in sight. Or the budgeting books would chide you and say, "Order the store brand at least the first time, because your rich uncle isn't going to leave you a hefty inheritance, (don't remind me) so you'd better eat that blah-tasting excuse for a meal, Idiot."

When my dad coached me on writing, he told me, "You have to respect your reader, or they won't continue reading. They'll just put down the book."

Yet, we continued reading these books. We must not have had the self respect to say, "Hey...just a minute. Just how am I going to get all that recreation time in? And what if I'd like to tackle the office first? How can I possibly go to the next project next month, when I'm not done with this one?

It all goes back to teaching; you had to have a plan. For subbing, you had to have the other person's plan. I was pretty surprised, when subbing, the kids would ask, "What are we going to do today?" I thought, "You mean even though I'm a sub, you won't just be content to torture me for an hour? You really want to follow an agenda, to DO something?" So, kids actually WANT healthy boundaries.

I guess we never outgrow that need, but when you really "grow up", your plan has to be your own.