A Quiet Day

Just hangin' out here in the middle of nowhere. Got nowhere to go, got nothin' to do. Dr. John. Shoo Fly Goes Marchin' On
That pretty much sums up my day and I intend to enjoy every minute of it. Fires are raging in California. Votes are being recounted in several Sates,  leading to the possibility of many lawsuits. The President of France is scolding President Trump, who does not take scolding well, and we are still reeling from 2 mass shootings and a series of mail bombs.
Gere, in N. Georgia, it is cold and rainy and I am going to have to be content with just hanging out. There was a time when I would have been frantic because I can not get out and about.
Now, all is well. I have come to greatly enjoy ;azy days. They give you rime to think things through. Or, on better days, just turn off the logical, problem solving part of the brain and drift along.
Just drifting along for a spell is health. From such rimes springs great creativity. When you run and push, sometimes you are simply banging your head against the wall and need to back off and find away around all of your issues. Have you ever watxhe a good running back head toward the line, see no opening, then stop, back up and go around. Such a move often leads to a big gain. That is why I value lazing around as a strategy.
Of course, you di not want to spend a lot of your time doing that. You want to ease off just long enough to see that opening. Then, run with it.
So, if you are in a place where you can go slow and easy for a little while, relax and enjoy it. When you see the opening, rake off. Even if that opening does not show, you have lost nothing. Just the opposite because you have gained a nice rest and, when realty intrudes and you must crank back up, you will do is with recharged batteries.. 
Whereever you are and however your day is shaping up, enjoy yourself. Trist me. Life is too short and too scared to spend your days struggling and worrying. Have a Blessed day, one and all. Remember, Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas is right around the corner.

The Bright Side of Being Ill

Sickness can surely take the mind where minds can't usually go. The Who, Amazing Journey from Tommy
I've had a long running sinus infection. Why os too long a story to tell now. Also too boring. I kept hoping that I would catch a cold too flush all the irritants out. Well, I got one and have spent several days wheezing, coughing, sneezing and generally being a grumpy pain. At last it's passing and it seems to have worked. The sinuses are better that they have been in years.
I have done nothing but lie around, eat junk food and cough drops and take NyQuil, watch TV and doze. Yesterday, I at least stopped being grumpy. I realized that  My body was simply telling me to chill out and let it heal, so I went with that. Guess what? It turned into a fine day, sneezing and nose blowing aside.
I have had so many issues to deal with of late that I had forgotten the body's wisdom. Sometimes, you just need to shut down. Clear the tangles and snags in the body;
When you do that, there is a second benefit. The mind and soul clear. During my long dozes of the last few days, I dreamed of wonderful things, thought of past events and people and spent a good bit of time in prayer. It was sort of a somewhat forced meditative retreat, only more comfortable and with golf on the TV.
Your body is not going to last forever but it is amazingly resilient. We run on and on. A little food, water air and sleep and we just go rolling along. Until something goes wrong, The, all too often, we mask the symptoms with whatever we can find and keep going. Eventually, the body will just say no and we get good and sick. A lot of serious illness would be avoided of we properly dealt with minor issues. Tired" Get some rest. Too fat? Lose some weight. By doing these little things, we can avoid at least some later unpleasantness. Everyone is busy and it is certainly not a good idea to dwell on every ache and pain and sniffle. But all of us can spare a little time to take care of what ails us.  You di no one any good when you are seriously ill.
But, if you do find yourself actually laid up with an illness, take advantage of the situation and let your mind run free. It's not doing anything else and it may surprise you.

America - Get Some Rest

It is cold and windy, Trump is braying like a mule with a thorn in its hoof, Cruz is lying about anything he can and Rubio is whining like a junior high kid who's date just stood him up. Bernie Sanders is trying to prove that he is a friend to all minorities while glossing over the fact that he wants to jump our taxes through the roof and Hillary, while winning, is on ever shakier legal grounds. Obama has grown delusional, thinking he can rule by Executive Order like some Third World despot and the N. Koreans are still threatening war, despite their inability to feed their own people. The Stock Market and oil markets are jumpimg around like fleas on your dog's back and Kanye West is requesting donations to help him out of the 53 million dollar debt he has somehow run up.

In other words, business as usual in modern America. What to do? Let it go. Do not worry about it, because, really, when you come right down to it, what can you do? All of our worry, all of our fussing, all of the talk, will not change one damn bit of it.

On the other hand, if we put aside all thought of the mess that our leaders and celebrities and other self-appointed big shots have created, then we free up a lot of time and energy that can ve put to good use.

Take care of yourself and those you are close to. Get some exercise, a little anyway. Eat decent foods; you don't have to be fanatic, just use common sense and relax when you eat. Get proper rest. learn a little. Keeping the brain active will serve you well as you age.Read stories, even if they are simple and silly. Play games, not just video games but simple things like borad games or word games or work puzzles. If it's nice out, just throw a ball or play badmitton or go to a driving range and hit golf balls. Such things will help you unwind, mentally as well as physically.

Take some time to look around, at people, animals, flowers and trees. Watch a river flow or the clouds stream by. Close your eyes and listen to the wind, feel it on your skin. If it's raining, watch the drops fall, listen to the sound as the drops hit. Such activities are as beneficial as any formal kind of meditation; in fact their is no difference.

Take a nap, even if you don't sleep, lying quietly is good for you. Talk to people, loved ones, neighbors, kids, your dog or cat (they love to listen to you, and respond in their own way), just try to keep things light and easy.

If all of that seems like wasting time, well, yes and no. Actually, wasting time, when possible, is anything but wasting time. It is giving yourself a chance to recharge and that is as important as anythingelse you might do. It keeps you feeling young, it energizes you. And, since I see no let up in the stress we are all going to be subjected to in the next few years, it is vital that you relax and keep calm. Folks, we are in for a bumpy ride. In fact, the next few years are going to make a roller coaster seem tame, so take care of yourselves and those around you. Chill out here and there, as often as possible, and then you will be able to rise to the occasion and face any weirdness that comes your way and, have no doubt, the weirdness is just starting.