Feeling Cold

Posted on 28/03/2024 by Grumpa Joe

Nature has a funny way of waking a person up. Lately, like yesterday and today, I have been cold. My hands are freezing, and my shoulders and neck feel like they are in an icy atmosphere. I’m sure this signals me to challenge my heart with cardio exercises to get blood moving. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. In my case, I think it is the other way around, the flesh is willing, but the spirit is weak. The honest truth is that neither the spirit nor the flesh are willing. What I need is a good dose of inspiration and motivation to move from my chairs and to force the blood in my veins to flow. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to take a short walk.

Filed under: Aging, Funk | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Which Will It Be? Human Potential, Or Human Destruction?

Posted on 03/09/2009 by Grumpa Joe

Abraham Maslow created a theory which is presented graphically with the pyramid shown at the left in the cartoon below.  His theory is broadly taught in classes about human potential and motivation. I for one, strongly agree with his analysis. When a person is hungry, and cold without food or shelter, it is very hard for him to think about finding himself. All he thinks about is where the next meal is coming from. My life has closely followed this pyramid of needs. I am first now, at age seventy-something working at self actualization. It wasn’t easy to get to this point in life, and now I see a threat to my actually reaching the top of the pyramid. The threat is the “Wedge of Destruction,” as shown in the right panel of the cartoon. It represents the complete opposite of the pyramid of needs. It is a reverse pyramid, balanced on its tip. It is bound to fail, but not without destroying the USA in the process. We are headed toward becoming a “banana republic” which is mediocrity at its best. Let’s continue to redistribute the wealth, lose  liberties, and allow the government to make us wards of the state by complete submission.

Maslow's Pyriamid Of Need vs Obama's Wedge of Destruction

Filed under: Cartoons, Conservative, Government, liberals, Manufacturing, Motivation, politics, Society | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Bah Humbug Blahs

Posted on 23/12/2008 by Grumpa Joe

Winter Bear

Winter Bear

As good as I felt last Sunday after our Lion Club food basket distribution, I am in a Bah Hum Bug mood today. It’s two days before Christmas, and I have the blahs. Maybe its light affective disorder, or something like that. It has to be a hormone gone wild to make a person feel so down. I can’t explain it. It couldn’t be that for the last twelve months I’ve been brainwashed by the messiah speaking about failed economic policies, and  another preacher damning America, or that the entire banking system came tumbling down by some social engineering. The weather isn’t helping me out either. It’s way too cold, it’s snowing and blowing. My joints all ache, and my muscles long for a walk, but I’m too lazy to go out .  Maybe I feel blue because I just wrote to my Senator telling him not to give himself a raise, and I expect him to give me the finger instead. Watching my 401K vanish  hasn’t added any light into my life either.

For many years, people referred to me as Scrooge. I created that personae in order to survive my job. We always had ‘performance appraisals’ right before Christmas. Often,  the news I gave my staff was not what they wanted to hear, therefore, the “Scrooge,” moniker. A negativity overtook me like the devil. I became negative the year around. Then one day, I heard a motivational speaker, and he changed my life. His name is Bernie,  he’s a medical doctor, and he changed my life with his speech. I learned that “positive” works much more effectively than “negative.”

It took me several years to break out of the negativity habit, but I did it. I  became a positive person. That is why these blahs are affecting me so. My mind wants to revert to negative, yet I know its the wrong way to go.  I see myself  being tempted by Darth Vader.  I hear him calling me to the “dark side.”

Several times today, I had to stop what I was doing to  find a positive moment to reflect upon. It has kept me going. I have to make alist of everything positive happening in my life today. It will help me bury the blahs.

Filed under: Election, family, Funk, grief, Lions Club, Motivation, Uncategorized, Writer | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Leaving the Land of Pan

Posted on 09/10/2008 by Grumpa Joe

Grumpa Joe Looks at FlowerTo my friends in the Land of Pan, it has been a great time. I wouldn’t trade the experience, the friendships, the associations with anyone for all the tea in China. The journey began forty years ago, and I am tired.  I tried to give it up in 2000, but the Pan Master convinced me to keep coming back for more fun. At the time, I didn’t realize it, but it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The extra hours spent with you, were fun, therapeutic, and challenging. Now it is time to say good bye once more. For the very few of you who dare to explore this BLOG you will understand the message. The remainder can hear it over the grape vine.

My mission has not been defined this year, so I don’t feel like there is a need for me to waste my time nor yours. The money was nice, as was your company, but all good things come to an end. So be it.

Thanks for helping me get through some very rough times, you are real friends. I love all of you. Call me sometime, we’ll do the lunch thing and catch up. Or, if you chose, you can always reach me via e-mail or on this BLOG.

JSR

Filed under: Characters I knew, family, Funk, Garden, grief, Memories, Motivation, Uncategorized, Writer | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Monet Vision

Posted on 10/05/2008 by Grumpa Joe

Grumpa Joe Looks at FlowerMy vision of the new garden is a Monet painting. Lots of soft muted colors with textures, and rooms galore. The vision began as a single idea. I won’t afford a house on a lake, so I built the lake in my backyard. The lake is a pond. By making a pond, I can look at water views all year long. Right now the pond is still void of plantings. A large baby step occurred this week,  I went shopping for plant materials with my garden club.  Yesterday another baby step, I dug out a few Rose of Sharon shrubs from a friends yard. Together we unearthed a ten foot tall shrub. It was a joy to stuff the root ball into the trunk of my meticulous Avalon, the shrub hanging out over the end of the bumper. Yesterday’s baby step also included planting the shrubs into their new home around the pond. Today, the baby step was to spot the 13 perennials that I bought on Wednesday. I also planted a miniature  spruce that my deceased wife bought over ten years ago. I planted it into the pot for her. The tiny tree had a place on our patio. Today, It became a permanent part of the pond-scape. Slowly, ever so slowly, the vision becomes more of a reality.

As I place things into the ground, new details of the vision emerge from the depths of my sub-conscious and the garden expands. I will continue  to purchase plant materials all summer. Each plant will find a proper place in the vision.  Eventually, with many baby steps, the garden will evolve into a mature picture of beauty, and solitude.

 

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