What animals make the best/worst pets?
After having many different types of pets, including cats, dogs, parakeets, rabbits, and chickens, I would say the best pets are chickens, because they reflect, even in a small part, human behavior. Think of all the idioms referencing chickens. Here are the first five that come to my mind:
Can you think of any chicken idioms?
What Olympic sport do you enjoy watching the most?
When I was younger, the Olympic sport that captured my fancy was the women’s ice skating competition. I was caught up in all of it: the outfits, the music, the grace and ease with which they skated. They made it look so effortless.
Then, I went ice skating for the first time. Barely able to stand, much less skate, my appreciation grew as I fully realized the amount of athleticism at the core of the programs: the jumps, the spins, all the technical requirements. I saw the skaters in a new light. I had more empathy for those who fell. I was cheering more for those who got up and kept going.
That realization didn’t just inform my view of ice skating but of all the Olympic sports and spilled over into how I view others and their work. We encounter so many people each day at different places on their employment journey. What seems like an easy, effortless job requires skill. Is the person new at their job, working on acquiring a new skill, like I was when I first tried ice skating? Am I practicing patience with them? Am I grateful for their effort?
What if we approached every skill we are learning with the focus of an Olympic athlete. Going all in on effort and getting back up and finishing professionally even when things don’t go well. Then, all those hours spent watching the Olympics are worth it, because we learned from it and applied it.
What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
Well, first I make a hot drink. Coffee is my favorite. While that’s brewing, I feed the chickens. Then, I read my Bible and think and pray and write. If all those things happen, my day is off to a good start. If they don’t, the whole day feels off kilter.
Which aspects do you think make a person unique?
Everything makes a person unique. Every. Little. Thing. It’s built into our DNA that way. And it’s a miracle that we ignore every day.
Where a person is born, when they are born, their parents, siblings (if they have them), family, hometown, etc., their environment, plays a part in nurturing the individual, shaping their character and experiences. Bodily makeup, such as, eye color, skin tone, height, weight, teeth structure, etc., also makes a person unique. Then, there is the soul, the uniqueness of the essential self, our personality, which is specific to us. Mix all that together, and you get an individual, a one of a kind, unrepeated person.
I want you, reader, to remember that. You are unrepeatable. You are full of potential. You are not one of eight billion. You are one of a kind. And there is a reason that you are here. Find your purpose. Fulfill your purpose.
So, when you hear the rumblings of the world tell you that AI is going to take over the world, I want you to think hard about whether that is really true. You are a person made in the image of God. AI is a creation of man, a repeat of everything already in the world. It cannot make itself sentient. It can take what we have and make improvements. We can get lazy and allow it to do the heavy lifting of thinking for us. But just like the Wizard of Oz, there is a person or people at the heart of the AI myth who want you to believe their story. You have a choice on what you will believe.
Write a letter to your 100 year old self.
Dear 100 Year Old Me,
How are you? I mean, really, how are you?
Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t think I want to know.
I’m just going to sit here and contemplate the idea that somehow we lived to 100. I really thought our sweet tooth would have been the death of us, but clearly that’s not true. Or did we give up sweets at some point? Make some good lifestyle changes? Never mind. You know how I, actually I mean we, overthink things. Don’t tell me.
Hmmm. I have so many questions, but I don’t really want to know the answers. I want to wait and let it all be a surprise.
So, here’s what I’ll say.
I hope you still love Jesus. If not, get right, quick!
I hope our sweetheart still loves Jesus, and he’s still with us. Don’t tell me, though. Just give him a big hug and kiss for me.
I hope the kids still love Jesus. If not, preach to them, while there is still time and breath left. Tell them how much I love them and hug and kiss them all for me.
I hope that you are preaching the Gospel to whoever will listen, family and strangers alike. That’s some pretty good news, and who doesn’t like good news?
If you do all that, then I think we have accomplished the most important thing, and everything else is just gravy.
I bet you think a lot about more about eternity, since it’s probably so close. Won’t it be so beautiful?
Make me proud, girl. Do your best. Be kind. Be loving. Be Jesus to all you meet.
With much love and lots of prayers from the halfway point,
A
Where would you go on a shopping spree?
My response to this question totally depends on which decade of life I am in.
Back in my twenties, I would have chosen a shopping spree at a clothing and shoe store.
In my thirties, I would have said a baby store.
In my forties, I would have said a bookstore.
In my current decade, I don’t want stuff just to have it. I would go on a shopping spree at the local plant store. I want things that are lasting and bring beauty. I want to look out into my yard and see beauty. I don’t want artificial beauty; I only desire to enhance the natural, native beauty. While my favorite plant is the kind that doesn’t need a lot of maintenance, I also enjoy bringing plants on the verge of death back to life by moving them to a better place in the yard or giving them a little extra something to help them.
So on my shopping spree, I would stop by the clearance rack first and check out the plants that would grow well in my yard but might need some love to rejuvenate them. Then, I would look for fruit trees that would add beauty and be useful. My list would include blueberry bushes, lowquat trees, and herbs. Of course, I would add azaleas and flowers, too.
What experiences in life helped you grow the most?
The experiences in life that helped me grow the most are the difficult ones. In those situations, I have a choice: will I follow Christ’s example or will I do what I want to do?
Through experience I have learned it is better to simply follow Christ and His example. It is not always easy, but it is always better.
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