Five Minute Friday: "Connect"

Preamble:  I started not to do this prompt.  I had a meeting with my mentor on this very subject (among others) and it didn't go well.  So, warning, I'm not in the best of moods (and I've even had a nap).  This is going to be longer than 5 minutes of writing, but I need to get this out of my craw.  Thank you for your patience, and as always, for reading this mess.

At work today, I kept getting hang up calls from the same person.  I knew who it was, so I figured she was "butt dialing" and didn't know it.  So, I didn't think much of it until she continued to call.   When we finally connected, it didn't last long.  She would ask a question.  I would answer.  She would start hollering "Hello!"  I'd start hollering "Hello!"  **Click**  Dang!  It took several tries before we were finally able to have a conversation without becoming disconnected.

For me, connection in life is just as hard...only finally getting to consistent connection is rare, but it is happening more than it used to.

The great news is that I regularly connect with two good friends; one in my neck of the woods, one in the far away land called Colorado.  Barring extenuating circumstances, I connect one-on-one with each lady once a week, one in person, one via Skype.  The ironic thing is that both of these friends are married--one with two children--yet we have so much in common--a clear "line" for connection.  It's a true blessing.  I also meet weekly with a gracious mentor.  Though we don't always see eye to eye, we have a great "line" of connection.  Again, a true blessing.

The not-so-great news is that in my daily walking around life, connection is so sparse, and often futile:  people who ask me a question, then talk all over me so I never get to answer, customers who won't get off their phones long enough to have a courteous face to face exchange with a fellow human being, a church culture that is so "families and children" oriented that singles with no children (especially women) are either leaving angry and depressed or lost in obscure invisibility. My two friends keep me sane in the midst of this painful obscurity; my mentor is encouraging me to be the agent of change from this painful obscurity.

It takes two to begin connection.

It takes two on the same "line" to truly connect.

How does one connect in such a disconnected world?  Is the world disconnected, or is it just my world that's disconnected?

Sorry folks, social media isn't going to cut it.  I found that out the hard way. That, my friends, is the equivalent of "butt dialing."

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Prompts provided by Mrs. Kate over at Heading Home.

Don't Believe Me? Just Watch: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Want to join the party?  Come on over to From This Side of the Pond  for the Hodgepodge link-up!

Share one favorite moment/memory from your Christmas holiday.

On Christmas Sunday, our Pastor preached a message called "Unwrapped" where he had the kids in the church join him for an unwrapping session.  As the children unwrapped each gift, he would explain what the gift meant.  Each gift (a clock, a pair of shoes, a wallet, etc) represented what we could give the Lord as a gift all year (our time, our talents, our resources, etc).  You have to understand, Pastor Staples has a serious, scholarly personality.  That all got thrown out the window when he dealt with this gaggle of children.  It was so stinking hilarious.  Experience with preschoolers teaches that there's always that ONE kid who's going to answer EVERY question you ask, whether they know the answer or not.  They will come up with something. There was one particular little boy who came up with some zingers.  Pastor's quote, "This isn't turning out exactly how I planned."  Yep, but it sure was funny.

What was the best thing you ate over the holidays? Was it homemade or store bought? If it was homemade did you make it?

 

As I mentioned in a previous hodgepodge, I was considering going to Effina's and eating their Voodoo Pasta.  I vacillated back and forth about whether it was ostentatious or wasteful to buy myself an expensive meal.  It was neither...it was freaking delicious! 

What was one of the most beautiful things you saw over the holidays?

 

The Ladiga Trail for my Christmas Day walk.  The weather was perfect.  The only thing that would have made it better is some friends to chat with.

What does fresh start mean to you?

It means another chance to get things right.  It means another opportunity to learn.  A fresh start means all the false starts and mess ups won't be allowed.  It means a clean page to start writing a new chapter of life.  Yeah, I know it sounds like a cliché, but it's true. 

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very positive and 1 being not so great) how would you rate 2016 in terms of personal achievement and well being? Explain. 

A two, maybe.  I really didn't meet any goals.  The problem was, I set them, and then never looked at them again.  I couldn't tell you where I wrote them down.  I'm doing things differently this year.

Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness. Go here to read more about how the words were chosen or, if you're like me, to find out what in the world the word or phrase even means or the context in which it's used. There were quite a few on this year's list I'd never heard before.  Here's the 2017 list of banished words- You, Sir-focus-Bete Noire-Town Hall Meeting-Post Truth-guesstimate-831-historic-manicured-echo chamber-on fleek-bigly-ghost-Dadbod-listicle-get your dander up-selfie drone-frankenfruit-disruption. Which word on the list would you most like to see banished in 2017? What word or phrase would you add to the list?

First, who made these people the authority?  Second, I've not heard of many of these words so I don't have a dog in this fight.  Third, who cares?  If a word is being used properly what difference does it make.  Why don't we spend time getting rid of some really damaging words--racism, sexism, poverty, cancer, loneliness, depression, you know, stuff like that.  

Large or small, light or deep, share with us one goal you have for the new year. 

Each year, the Anniston Runners Club (ARC) has a mileage reward program.  An average of a mile a day (365, well 366 for leap year) wins the participant a pair of ARC socks.  Two a day (730, or 732 for leap year) garners an ARC visor.  The ultimate is the 1200 club--a average of 100 miles a month.  Not only does that win you an ARC jacket, but elite status.  I've been a member of the club for 3 years and each time I've only managed to win the socks. This year, I'm going for the jacket.  Even if I don't make it (I believe I will), I'll have walked and run more miles that I ever have.

Insert your own random thought here.

This song isn't new, but I'm usually late to latch on to good music.  I've been walking to this song all week.  Enjoy.

2017 Reading Quest: Introduction

2017 Reading Quest

Well, Auntie's 2016 Bookworm Reading Challenge has come to a close.  Time for a whole new one. 

Like last year's challenge, this one doesn't have any specific instructions or types of required books.  However, some books may be part of various categories.  Examples include:

• Glorious rereads - books I enjoyed so much that I'm reading them again.
• Everybody's Reading It - books that everybody and their grandma read that I'm just now getting to.
• Nobody Admits to Reading It - books that others have said to stay away from (whether they've read it or not).
• Impulse Reads - Books I bought or checked out of the library for no other reason than "hey, this looks interesting."

I plan to continue reviewing select books.  My rating system is:

✮✮✮✮ = Outstanding

✮✮✮ = Pretty good

✮✮ = Could have been better / could have been worse.

✮ = Not so great

 = Who wrote this crap?!





Last year, I had the goal of reading 30 books.  I "only" read 26.  This year, I will go for 30 again.

Whether you read one book or 50 this year, I would enjoy y'all joining along.

So, what are your reading goals for 2017?
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Reviews of this year's books:

Book 1     Book 11     Book 21     Book 31 
Book 2     Book 12     Book 22     Book 32
Book 3     Book 13     Book 23
Book 4     Book 14     Book 24
Book 5     Book 15     Book 25
Book 6     Book 16     Book 26
Book 7     Book 17     Book 27
Book 8     Book 18     Book 28
Book 9     Book 19     Book 29
Book 10   Book 20     Book 30


Read, but not Reviewed:

1. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon:  A glorious reread.  (February, 2017)
2. Saturday Night At the Dinosaur Stomp. by Carol Diggory Shields.  Read to kindergarten class for Read Across America.  (03/02/17)
3. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.  A new read, but there was just too much for me to try to review it.  I will say this, the book was very well written, but it was CREE-PY. (04/22/17)
4. Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night. by Lewis Grizzard.  More of Grizzard's downhome nuttiness.  (04/30/17)
5. Man's Search for Meaning.  by Dr. Viktor Frankl.  A reread (because of the subject matter, I wouldn't call it a "glorious" reread).  I didn't review it, but I did share my reaction to it here.
6. The Bluebird and the Sparrow by Janette Oke.  A glorious reread. June 2017
7. The Winds of Autumn by Janette Oke.  A glorious reread.  June 2017
8. Winter is not Forever by Janette Oke.  A glorious reread.  June 2017
9. Spring's Gentle Promise by Janette Oke.  A glorious reread.  June 2017
10. Whatever Tomorrow Brings by Lori Wick. (09/08/17)
11. As Time Goes By by Lori Wick (09/09/17)
12. Sean Donovan by Lori Wick (09/10/17)
13. Donovan's Daughter by Lori Wick (09/19/17)
14. The Last Bus to Albuquerque by Lewis Grizzard. (11/22/17)
15. Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon.  A glorious reread. (11/24/17)
16. Over the Top by Zig Ziglar (December 2017)
17. In My Father's House  by Corrie Ten Boom (December 2017)
18. The Miraculous Journey by Marty Bullis (12/30/17)

DNF's:  Books I didn't finish.

1. Knitlandia:  A Knitter Sees the World by Clara Parkes.  I did write a review for what I did read here.