Local View 2

Social Network

I've long envisioned a utopia in which all the people important to me, all my friends and family, were all in one place. I miss those that are scattered across the country...I want my friends to know each other....

But poking around Facebook (which I've not YET taken the plunge to join), seeing people from work, high school, church, etc., recently cast question on that ideal. Would I really want people from all the different phases and parts of my life all in one pool? I have mixed feelings about that! I haven't decided yet if that's good, bad or both.

Failing to Eat!

Midway through a recent afternoon I realized I hadn't eaten all day!

I've known for awhile that my eating habits are too sporadic.

What contributes to this?

• Lack of good routines.
• Letting things that seem more urgent or interesting squeeze eating out.
• A large amount of meal times occuring either when I'm alone or at work.

It's easy to take underestimate the signficance of eating with other people and the variety of positive impacts this can have practically and relationally.

What shall I do to improve this situation?

How might these issues factor into my church's recently identified, but yet to be developed focus around our food shelf?

Do-able To Do Lists

In response to my to-do lists being too long, a reader suggested I focus my lists on one day or one room.

I think some of my lists should focus on even less. They should encouraging discipline for the specific times of day I know I'm likely to loose focus. They should acknowledge things that take up time that I don't factor in well enough.


Furthermore, what if I made my lists short enough that I knew I could actually accomplish them?


I keep making unrealistic lists. Sometimes I let myself think I could actually accomplish them. Other times I know I can't, but feel the need to keep all the things on the list, because they have to get done sooner or later, preferably sooner.

That's not helpful or rewarding. I suppose I need that big master list somewhere. But what point is there in taking on more of it than I can handle at a time?

Dark Picture

Yes, I know the photo in the last post is dark. When I first viewed it on the blog I thought it was a problem.

Then I looked got closer and looked more, as if letting my eyes adjust to the darkness and focus in. I could see enough. I even noticed something I really liked that I hadn't noticed before.

Is it just because I already know what's in the picture? Or can you see enough if you look closely? (I don't know.) If you need a hint, it's a view from a porch (or is it...no wait, I won't give the other perspective away).

Looking and listening closely, or not, creates interesting effects.

When I picked my car up from the shop I listened intently to see if the noise I took it in for was gone. The noise was gone. But I heard another I was sure hadn't been there before. Later when I wasn't paying attention, I heard that "new" noise again, and realized it was familiar.

Yesterday at the clinic the doctor asked if a certain sore little mark was always there. I didn't really think so. Walking back to my car I suddenly recognized the familiarity of that spot's discomfort.

What am I tuning out that I might want to notice today? What problem? What beauty? What presence? What question?

Local View 1

I love words. But sometimes it's so much work to try to communicate effectively with them.

You know the saying about pictures and 1,000 words.

This picture & others I imagine I might post mean something to me. I won't try to explain what on this blog.

I hope you you find them evokative in some way.

Children, Pets & Vinyl

Currently listening to: "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" on Crosby, Stills & Nash - on 1969 vinyl!
Playing on a portable self contained record player!

If you have kids or pets I'm sure you've noticed how they become ice breakers for small talk with strangers.

Guess what. Vinly does the same thing.

I had a fun little conversation with the clerk at the 2nd hand store where I got this LP and a stack of other cool finds (for 80 cents each). A stranger walking along in front of Target saw me coming out with the old style recored player, grinned and said, "That's fun."

She's right of course.