A Little Thursday This and That

If all my pain and all my tears,
And all that I have learned throughout the years
Could make one perfect song
To lift some fallen head
To light some darkened mind,
I should feel that not in vain
I served mankind.
Marguerite Few

 

 As most of you know, I am a true model of what they call a 'Lifelong Learner."  One would never guess that at one time I hated school so much I dropped out in my senior year.  Regrets came later, to be sure, but I knuckled down and studied to get my GED....and I haven't stopped studying yet.  In my 40's came my counseling certification and my ordination studies for the Interfaith ministry,  in my 50's came my bachelors degree, and all through the years came certificates and completions of courses ranging from astrology, to Druidism...Rosicrucianism, Qaballah, Nutrition, etc.  So, it should come as no surprise that I find myself looking for some sort of free online course.

I did find exactly what I am looking for, but when I attempted to enroll in the class, I was told that I must answer the following question correctly first. "What is the opposite of save?"  Well, that seemed easy enough. My first thought was 'spend'. Wrong answer, try again. And so I did try again...and again...and again. Abandon, delete, use up, squander, waste, throw away, toss...all were incorrect. Why I even got so desperate I even googled it. Same answers I gave. And to add insult to injury, each time you gave an answer, you had to do that fill in that stupid word verification box. Needless to say, I gave up and said the heck with it. Can anybody think of another word that is the opposite of save?

Speaking of word verification, boy do I have a complaint about it.  Have you noticed that every time you type in a wrong letter or number they ask you to do it all over again?  Problem is, each time they make it harder.  I should think that it is pretty obvious that if one gets it wrong the first time around, it means they are having a problem seeing it.  So, what is the purpose of making it harder? 

How would you handle this one?  The other day, I decided not to go to the center.  Instead I had some banking to take care of back in my old neighborhood.  As I was waiting for my bus transfer, I happened to see one of the ladies from the center headed in my direction, but just as I smiled and prepared to greet her, she quickly did an about face and walked away.  At first my feelings were a wee bit hurt, and I wondered if I had offended her in some way. A few minutes later I caught her reflection in the glass. She was standing there talking to another woman who opened her pocketbook and handed my acquaintance some change.  A few minutes later, another woman passed, and I heard my acquaintance ask for a quarter.

It wasn't that she didn't want to see me; it was that she didn't want me to see her.  She was 'panhandling'. Right there and then I found myself in a very awkward position.  I wanted to reach out and help her, but I could see that she would rather I not know.  The next day at the shelter she was a bit nervous when she said good morning to me, but when she discovered I was not going to say anything about it, she eased up a bit.  I really DO want to reach out and help, but through her actions she has made it clear that she'd prefer to pretend I didn't know. Perhaps she doesn't even know that I saw her.  It all happened so quickly.  I know she has her pride, and I don't want to take that away from her. What do I do? The fact is, she DOES have food to eat at the Center. In fact, when I saw her, it was just about lunch time.  And she DOES have money to play Bingo every day. But still, it broke my heart seeing her out there begging like that.

Simply give others a bit of yourself; a thoughtful act, a helpful idea,

a word of appreciation, a lift over a rough spot,

e of understanding, a timely suggestion. You take something

out of your mind, garnished in kindness out of your heart,

and put it into the other person's mind and heart.

Charles H. Burr

Speaking of Centers, through word of mouth, I found another one not too far away. Upon looking at their monthly calendar I discovered that they offer both ceramics and painting classes, the two wish list items I dreamed of before retiring.  The only issue here is that ceramics is 10 am on Tuesday and painting is 10 am on Thursday.  Both interfere with things I enjoy at my center.  Tuesday is blood pressure and health day, and Thursday is meditation and yoga.  What a dilemma! Am I wrong to want it all?

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us
tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden
over the horizon--instead of enjoying the roses
that are blooming outside our windows today.

Dale Carnegie