...

When you squeeze a lemon, lemon juice comes out. When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out. When a person is squeezed...no, this is not a poop joke. The pressure that life brings is a lot like squeezing a piece of fruit. Under pressure, under the squeeze, what's inside comes out. We can't stop it. We can try to ignore or deny what's there, but it's pointless. It comes out. I'm finding that there are still mindsets, attitudes, beliefs, etc that find their way to the surface when I'm squeezed. What to do, what to do...

Ponderings

I've been thinking about life. Not necessarily the "miracle of life," but the way we/I live it. I've been noticing some things lately. It seems to be easier to be negative than it is to be positive. This is both in outlook or worldview & in the words people speak. It seems easier to point out what's wrong with the world & what's wrong in the world, than to see what's good or what's right. It also seems that there will never be a shortage of things to complain about...people...circumstances...situations...or fill in your own favorite.

There's nothing like attitudes of negativity & criticalness (possibly my own word) to get our focus off where it should be. These attitudes are selfish, they're about us...or me. What pushes this? Why is it so common, so normal? BItterness, unforgiveness, loss of hope, emotional pain, physical/emotional trauma, "real" life experience? Sin? Probably.

Like with most things, I have to...or get to choose what will be true of me. How will I look at people, circumstances, & situations? Am I going to be critical? Negative? Am I going to complain & think of little more than me, me, me? I can tell myself that this is normal & this is just how people are. I could, but I'd be selling myself a load of you know what.

I'm pretty sure it says somewhere, in some book I once read, that I should be a person who loves, who hopes, & who sees people, situations, & circumstances in a different way. It's a much better way to live. It's preferred. God help me to live it & not settle for less.

bluahhh

A couple nights ago Ellie launched all over her bed...this was at 12:18am. The good thing is that she promptly asked for a towel to clean up her mess. I like her style. Yesterday after church, I had a soccer game. On our way back, about 1 minute from home, she launched again, this time in her brand spanking new car seat. I just finished cleaning it. Upon arriving home, my wife made her contribution, although she made it to the bathroom. She continued puking into the night. I can only imagine that they were made sick by watching the team I play on attempt to play soccer. It was ugly. We have lost every game so far. 0-6. We lost 5-0 yesterday. You know it's bad when someone walks off the field. Regardless, soccer brings me joy & I hate it when something that I enjoy so much turns into more of a frustration. I look forward to the next game. With that being said, I could sure go without my family being sick, granted Ellie is just cranky now. Jessica is off most of this week with summer session coming next week. I don't think being sick on her "break" was part of her plan. Alas!

On a lighter note, I have a softball game. Team Armor Plate is 4-2 so far, far exceeding last years record of 2-7-1 (the 1 was a forfeit, which is different that a win). We play at 8:50 at shadow mountain field 1 if you want to come watch greatness.

college

Just because I haven't blogged in awhile doesn't mean life has stopped. One new development in the life I live...
I was accepted into our denominations college to continue my education. I've considered going attending there in person before but this will do for now. I applied for a program via distance learning, but it's not the program that they normally offer through distance. I guess an exception was made. I think the hardest part was getting into the college. I talked to an insider who said the meeting where my app was reviewed was interesting. I was what they call an "outlier." This title is mine because I am both a "christian," AND I moderately gamble, consume alcohol, and I've smoked tobacco in the last year. Good thing I had someone in there to vouch for me. It's just one of those things. Needless to say, I am extremely thankful & grateful that I get to continue my education & that the college made an exception for me. I'll be getting a second bachelors degree & it will require 39 units. That's only 13 classes, & after I transfer my other "bible" units, I'll be down to 33 units.