By no means, if by leader one means in the mold of Presidents and Generals or CEOs. If called upon, I can gather myself and focus on what needs to be done. I had to be a leader of sorts when I was pastoring congregations, but I was not what was known as the Herr Pastor type– the authoritarian for whom it was my way or the highway.
Author: tallthinman72
Lock Step
I foolishly thought it would be different in America. If we ever got to the point where law enforcement and the military were given orders by a rogue President to occupy American cities with a bogus reason for doing so, I had hoped they’d rebel and say No.
Disappointing to the max. Maddening as hell.
Just doing your jobs, though, right? Following orders? You’re awesome at following orders.
It turns out that the sheep are everywhere. Especially the ones wearing masks and carrying assault weapons.
Warning
When someone can’t stop talking, needs to get the last word, seems to knowingly or unknowingly engage in one-upmanship, followed closely by someone who turns every conversation or activity into blood sport, who’s ridiculously intense and competitive and talks frequently about being bored.
These will have me implementing a flight response.
Richness and Contentment
Decent weather, an ambitious To Do list that gets accomplished, fun visits with the kids, some well-written blog posts that reflect progress in my ability to put pen to paper, so to speak. Discovering a couple or a few new recipes that we actually try.
My ideal week would go by at just the right speed– not too fast, not too slow. It would be a week in which I wasn’t as pre-occupied with and weighed down by the state of affairs in this country, where I wasn’t as cognizant of the usual spinning of wheels, feeling like I’m wasting my days stuck in neutral, twiddling my thumbs in idleness.
It would be a week in which certain things are made clear, like finding part-time work that I could actually see myself doing.
Kicking The Habit Is Hard
Daily writing prompt
If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?
When put on the spot, I’m finding it difficult to think of a word that fits the bill. I mutter the F-word with some regularity, mostly under my breath but occasionally out loud– when the neighbors next door decide to take a ride on their motorcycles and sit in the yard revving up the engines, making a ridiculous and inconsiderate amount of noise. I think this one would be tough to give up, though. As jarring as it may hit one’s ears, it’s one of the few truly versatile and cathartic exclamations.
In general, I guess it would be any word that ends up serving as a convenient place filler, used due to the lack of imagination or knowing other more interesting ones. Maybe “jeez,” or any that come close to taking the name of the Lord in vain.
That Other Shoe
What are we supposed to think when we see a military parade? I assume that, at least in part, it serves the purpose of intimidation, muscle-flexing, maybe assurance. The bailiwick of authoritarians, in any event.
To me, it’s just evidence that humanity continues to be a species with skewed priorities and debilitating distrust. It’s an indication that, rather than spending the trillions on tending to actual needs, investing in education and infrastructure and medicine and the arts and goodwill, we default to preparing for Armageddon, because the rest of the world appears to be doing the same thing—always ready to pounce, storing up armaments for that seemingly inevitable, awful day when suspicion and irrational hatred precipitate some final battle.
What a sad fucking way to live. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
Still a Gut-wrencher
I believe I am. A familiar, age-old story– against a brother-in-law I considered a friend. It’s colored my perception of things for almost 30 years. Sad, I know. I thought maybe it was water under the bridge, but now I’m not so sure. Again.
Hastening the End
It’s no surprise that a judge lambasted Trump’s solo effort at instituting legislation through Executive Order. Donald long ago decided that a judicious use of the power would not be for him. Or maybe Russell Vought and Stephen Miller and others decided for him.
Trump has abused the privilege, thinking that every matter is under his jurisdiction, just willy-nilly denying funds, stopping research, assuming chairmanship of the Kennedy Center, trying to kill green energy while aiding and abetting his fossil fuel buddies, sending troops to places that don’t need them, handing down mindless edicts that distract, edicts that enrich his enablers while jeopardizing the well-being of people who voted for him but who otherwise don’t matter.
He’s been playing games all along, testing limits. Pushback must commence and never let up. This’ll drive him crazy.
He’s always been a pretender, an impostor. It’s way past time to expose this needy, worthless fake, and his hate-fueled, ridiculously long-lasting ruse.
A Few Time Zones
Daily writing prompt
Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.
About twelve years ago, I made a trip to Israel, with a small group of pilgrims and seekers, which, according to AI, is about 5500 miles, as the crow flies, from where I lived at the time. We flew from Boston to Frankfurt, Germany, then from there to Tel Aviv, where we took a shuttle to Jerusalem. I used the same airports on the way back. One day early on, I called my wife from a coffee shop in the Christian Quarter, Old City, at around 2pm, and she had just gotten up at around 7am, starting her day in southeastern PA.
Dream On
Modest but functional ranch, well insulated, metal roof. Four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths. One main level, with a finished basement, including entertainment room with large screen 8k TV, top-of-the-line sound system, strong wifi connectivity; separate sewing and embroidery room with all necessary equipment and storage space. Detached garage/workshop; maybe 2 acres of land, mostly open, tastefully and functionally landscaped, with a bit of woods. Flat, though properly drained, and above the effects of any flood plain. Solar power generation, passive solar, and geothermal heating/cooling. Spacious kitchen, able to accomodate food prep and gatherings of family and friends. Sunken living room, baby grand piano, gas fireplace, space for 14 at a large dining table. Back patio and pergola, opening to a spacious lawn with a good mix of sun and shade.
Other than that, just a roof over our heads.
3 Cents' 