Which do you like? Paper or Computer ? I am a middle of the road person on this question. Sometimes I love the computer and the various tech things it has brought into my life. Other situations I can cope with better on paper that I can hold in my hand. The idea of the computer holding a daily schedule and helping me plan my tasks---that appeals to me, but I just don't want to have to be connected to it in order to go about my day and feel I have accomplished something at the end of the working hours. I am still makes pencil and paper lists, I am still planning events in the hand written form.
In photography, I love being able to delete blurry pictures, the ones too dark, where someone has a pole growing out of their head. But I also don't have pictures to send or show unless I print them all out. I have a friend who positively hates the idea that all these pictures are floating around in some unidentifiable place she calls 'space.'
A monitor and a keyboard has simplified some of the trials of correcting mistakes made with a typewriter. Delete, simple! One can get half way through a writing and decide to move this paragraph to a different spot and insert thus ans such there with ease. Too much delete, Disaster! As long as the printer is working it is easy to have the paper copy one needs, but if not? And a constant need for ink cartridges, one more thing! Sending an attachment or an email, a piece of cake, and done so quickly. At the same time a dragging finger can cause problems. Unsaved documents vanish in an instant.
Paper piles up, paper takes up real space in your home or office. The computer helped reduce that problem we were told.. However, when you walk into the lawyer's office, or fill out an application online, etc., there comes a time when what is wanted is that hard copy, paper!
When I am researching genealogically I feel a special connection with a person long since passed away when I see their signature, handwritten. Or a will written by hand, a letter to a loved one. Some how I don't think I would feel that way if it was a font from the computer, printed out. I have a neighbor who feels the importance of writing to his grown children and their families each month. I too feel this is important and make an effort to do it. I use the computer, print it off before mailing through the snailmail. He is a businessman, fully able to do it in that fashion, but he writes his missives in longhand. His wife, on the other hand keeps in touch with their kids by email and texts.
For me, personally, I don't see this as a dilemma soon to be solved. I live much of my life feeling I have one foot lifting off the distant past, another teetering in the present. How about you?
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Eggs and Boiling Water
The other morning I was preparing hard boiled eggs. In the process it occurred to me how similar the egg is to us, human beings. We even start out in parallel fashion, encased in a protective environment, liquid surrounding us, with a cord connecting us to the membrane around us. We both endure the pressure of delivery as well.
In cooking the egg at the beginning the water and the egg were much the same temperature and the egg just lay comfortably in the pan, barely submerged. (It was a small pan, and only one egg.) Then as the water started to warm up the egg rolled a bit, then more quickly, this direction, then that. Tiny bubbles came up to the surface of the water, then the bubbles increased in size.
I turned the heat down and the action leveled off. If I had wanted it to be a rolling boil the poor egg would have been bouncing around in the water at a rapid pace. The result, after the given time, would have been much the same, regardless of the increased pressure on the egg. A hard boiled egg!
But had it gone through a rolling boil there was the possibility of having cracked the shell, part of the egg leaking into the water, and water leaking into the egg, also a pan requiring more cleanup.
Life is rather like the boiling water. For us we get nudged in different directions by the things about us. Sometimes the pressures from our environment and society are so great that we have a tendency to cave in. The outside influences can cause us to become different than we were meant to be. We are altered in some way.
We have need of having the temperature turned down when things start to get rough. There may be occasions when we need someone who can help us make some changes so that we are still good, just on a different path. The egg whose shell became cracked might not work for the perfect display, but the flavor, the nutrients, all are still intact, still perfect and acceptable by the one doing the cooking.
Just some musings of my mind, it works this way.
In cooking the egg at the beginning the water and the egg were much the same temperature and the egg just lay comfortably in the pan, barely submerged. (It was a small pan, and only one egg.) Then as the water started to warm up the egg rolled a bit, then more quickly, this direction, then that. Tiny bubbles came up to the surface of the water, then the bubbles increased in size.
I turned the heat down and the action leveled off. If I had wanted it to be a rolling boil the poor egg would have been bouncing around in the water at a rapid pace. The result, after the given time, would have been much the same, regardless of the increased pressure on the egg. A hard boiled egg!
But had it gone through a rolling boil there was the possibility of having cracked the shell, part of the egg leaking into the water, and water leaking into the egg, also a pan requiring more cleanup.
Life is rather like the boiling water. For us we get nudged in different directions by the things about us. Sometimes the pressures from our environment and society are so great that we have a tendency to cave in. The outside influences can cause us to become different than we were meant to be. We are altered in some way.
We have need of having the temperature turned down when things start to get rough. There may be occasions when we need someone who can help us make some changes so that we are still good, just on a different path. The egg whose shell became cracked might not work for the perfect display, but the flavor, the nutrients, all are still intact, still perfect and acceptable by the one doing the cooking.
Just some musings of my mind, it works this way.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Let Your Light Shine
Recently we have had some days of storm and I have some thoughts about driving in storms with the car lights off. How do we expect an oncoming driver to be aware of our presence on the road if we don't have our head lights glowing? In rain, fog, snow, I have had cars come out of the gloom ahead of me, dark in their approach. Because of the conditions, hopefully both of our vehicles are being driven with care, but not having lights adds to the possibility of accidents no matter how careful we are.
It has made me reflect on the storms we go through in life. No matter who we are, where we are, there are plenty of those storms. If we don't try to have our own personal light shining, others may not be aware of our presence. We might cause harm unwittingly to another person on the path of their earthly life. Be aware of those around us. If we do try to have the light that comes with a good attitude, a love of others, the effort to be kind, we may be able to help someone who is traveling in the dark.
Many do travel in the dark and often through no intention of their own. Circumstances, or even their background, past events or family upbringing might have left them in a blight of dark emotional stress. Some have no idea of how to be happy, even though they may envy others who exhibit happiness in their lives. They need to see that light shining from someone else.
Don't let someone else blow out the light you have within. This blog is about keeping your lights on, particularly when there is a storm of any kind near you. If you are wrapped in storms of any emotional darkness, look for those who are moving through the storms, lights on to help light the way to happiness.
It has made me reflect on the storms we go through in life. No matter who we are, where we are, there are plenty of those storms. If we don't try to have our own personal light shining, others may not be aware of our presence. We might cause harm unwittingly to another person on the path of their earthly life. Be aware of those around us. If we do try to have the light that comes with a good attitude, a love of others, the effort to be kind, we may be able to help someone who is traveling in the dark.
Many do travel in the dark and often through no intention of their own. Circumstances, or even their background, past events or family upbringing might have left them in a blight of dark emotional stress. Some have no idea of how to be happy, even though they may envy others who exhibit happiness in their lives. They need to see that light shining from someone else.
Don't let someone else blow out the light you have within. This blog is about keeping your lights on, particularly when there is a storm of any kind near you. If you are wrapped in storms of any emotional darkness, look for those who are moving through the storms, lights on to help light the way to happiness.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
As the World Turns
I am not sure if that is the correct name of the soap opera of years ago---it might still be running for all I know, I have never been a soap opera fan. Tooo much time passed between something happening for this lady. The real turning of this earth, that is of interest and it is happening as I write.
I have been noticing how the world turns these past months. I have a solar light in the front of my home, to the north, perched on my fence to keep it away from critters, human and otherwise, and yard/farm machinery. I have several lights on the south east side of the house. I move these around, depending on the season, to catch as much day time hours of sun as they can. Big trees shade much of the back yard during the afternoon hours.
During the growing season I place the back lights in my container garden, or on the edge of flower beds. They glow nicely during the summer, needing light just as do the plants. The single front light stays on the fence, year round, removed only for cleaning.
It is this front light that tells me how the earth is turning during the 365 days of the year. It also tells me the strength of the light from the sun. There is a period during the winter that it gets very little light. Some nights it fails to even flicker. I can keep close watch because it is viewed from my kitchen window, the last place I look before heading to bed. The place where I look while cleaning up from the evening meal when the days are short, or when the days are long.
For me, these lights are a daily reminder of the creation of our world, of how perfect it all is, without the help from 'man.' Man often seems bent on destroying creation, but this remains intact. I can change the back yard lights to suit my fancy, to catch the sun, but the front one is independent of my whims, yet the most constant. I might forget to check on the south side, a cat (or visiting critter) might knock those over, tilt them away from the sun. My solar lights aren't just for appearances, though that is a plus. For me, they are triggers for expressing gratitude for the efforts put forth in the smallest detail for my enjoyment.
I have been noticing how the world turns these past months. I have a solar light in the front of my home, to the north, perched on my fence to keep it away from critters, human and otherwise, and yard/farm machinery. I have several lights on the south east side of the house. I move these around, depending on the season, to catch as much day time hours of sun as they can. Big trees shade much of the back yard during the afternoon hours.
During the growing season I place the back lights in my container garden, or on the edge of flower beds. They glow nicely during the summer, needing light just as do the plants. The single front light stays on the fence, year round, removed only for cleaning.
It is this front light that tells me how the earth is turning during the 365 days of the year. It also tells me the strength of the light from the sun. There is a period during the winter that it gets very little light. Some nights it fails to even flicker. I can keep close watch because it is viewed from my kitchen window, the last place I look before heading to bed. The place where I look while cleaning up from the evening meal when the days are short, or when the days are long.
For me, these lights are a daily reminder of the creation of our world, of how perfect it all is, without the help from 'man.' Man often seems bent on destroying creation, but this remains intact. I can change the back yard lights to suit my fancy, to catch the sun, but the front one is independent of my whims, yet the most constant. I might forget to check on the south side, a cat (or visiting critter) might knock those over, tilt them away from the sun. My solar lights aren't just for appearances, though that is a plus. For me, they are triggers for expressing gratitude for the efforts put forth in the smallest detail for my enjoyment.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Empty swing musings
My backyard is large and given to much activity. I have two swing sets. One is very tall, large with heavy, black tire seats. It is out in the open and the snow level often reaches the bottom of the seats. The tires are still and stay in place. The other set is the variety you see advertized in spring and summer flyers from your local stores. Small, a couple of seats, a glider and a slide attached to one side. This one is somewhat sheltered by a large pine tree and some fruit trees, so the snow generally doesn't get quite so deep.
When we have a winter wind the small seats move back and forth. I know they are wishing for the return of those laughing children, for the pleas of "push me more," "higher." Lonely, a word that fits the feeling with the gentle empty movement. This set is bereft of the life it enjoys in the warmer months, but it is willing to wait. There is no choice. Winter birds, chickadees, sparrows may perch on the frame of the set, a squirrel might streak across the top on its way to a pine cone from the sheltering tree. The magpies in residence in the pine tree often put on a show. But still the set says empty.
After a time the snow level decreases, the dry grass beneath shows through, and children arrive. The laughter begins again. It isn't just a gently moving, it is pumping, back and forth, so much that the whole set threatens to tip. But there is action, life, wonderful.
Life brings people many situations that are similar. Loneliness may be one of them. Distress that seems insurmountable. There is the time of waiting, hoping for change for the better. Waiting can be very difficult. But there are moments that ease the waiting, just as the chickadees and sparrows break up the bleak winter days. The magpies are always nearby, supporting all year round, even if they are unable to sit and swing.
I am not sure why I have felt the need to write about the backyard swing, but it has been pushing me, perhaps it is giving me a lesson in patience. Or acceptance of change, dealing with things over which I have no control. My human magpies, friends to help... Or....I just know there are many lessons to be learned yet in my life.
When we have a winter wind the small seats move back and forth. I know they are wishing for the return of those laughing children, for the pleas of "push me more," "higher." Lonely, a word that fits the feeling with the gentle empty movement. This set is bereft of the life it enjoys in the warmer months, but it is willing to wait. There is no choice. Winter birds, chickadees, sparrows may perch on the frame of the set, a squirrel might streak across the top on its way to a pine cone from the sheltering tree. The magpies in residence in the pine tree often put on a show. But still the set says empty.
After a time the snow level decreases, the dry grass beneath shows through, and children arrive. The laughter begins again. It isn't just a gently moving, it is pumping, back and forth, so much that the whole set threatens to tip. But there is action, life, wonderful.
Life brings people many situations that are similar. Loneliness may be one of them. Distress that seems insurmountable. There is the time of waiting, hoping for change for the better. Waiting can be very difficult. But there are moments that ease the waiting, just as the chickadees and sparrows break up the bleak winter days. The magpies are always nearby, supporting all year round, even if they are unable to sit and swing.
I am not sure why I have felt the need to write about the backyard swing, but it has been pushing me, perhaps it is giving me a lesson in patience. Or acceptance of change, dealing with things over which I have no control. My human magpies, friends to help... Or....I just know there are many lessons to be learned yet in my life.
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