Brain Cramp

I keep forgetting that I have a new blog.  Getting older sucks, but it is better than the alternative.   Not much is happening right now, thank goodness.   Monday and Tuesday were rough, but it seems like everything worked out for the best.   I will start posting more often even if nothing is happening.

Winning

We have become a society where we believe we have to win at all costs.  Sports teams cheat to win and everyone turns a blind eye.   Politicians try to destroy each other in order to win power.   They all think that if people acted a certain way, that everything will be all right.  However, they seldom follow the "rules" that they want others to follow.   And in the end, exactly what do they win?   There is a Super Bowl and World Series every year, so any win is followed by having to do it again.   Politicians get into office and spend their time trying to stay in office.   They end up selling their souls for perceived power.  Both Democrats and Republicans are guilty of this, so I am not picking on one party.    I don't know how many commercials I hear that says "be a winner" if you use a certain product.   Does being a winner mean making someone else a "loser"?   I'm not sure that I have all of the answers.   I think being a winner is someone who helps others, someone who is willing to take a stand.  You can't save the world, but you can make a difference in your corner of it by smiling and saying hi.    

Prayer

Keep us, oh God, from pettiness. Let us be large in thought, word and deed. Let us be done with fault finding and leave off self-seeking. May we put away all pretense, and meet each other face to face, without self pity and without prejudice. May we be hasty in judgment and always be generous. Let us take time for all things. Make us to grow calm and gentle. Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straightforward and unafraid. Grant that we may realize it is the little things that create differences. In the things of life, we are as one. May we strive to touch and to know the great human heart of us all. And, oh Lord God, let us not forget to be kind.

Success

To Succeed:  To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children.  To earn the approval of honest critics and endure the betrayal of a false friend.  To appreciate beauty and to find the best in others.   To give of oneself without the slightest thought of return.  To have accomplished a task, whether by a healthy child, a rescued soul, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.  To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation.  To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - This is to have succeeded.

New Beginnings

I've changed this blog a lot.   I am no longer with the Open Episcopal Church.  Rhinoceros Kitchen was the name of my old Live Journal blog.   It comes from the name of a BBS whose sysop was very helpful in teaching me things about the BBS world.   She also taught me a lesson.  I gave her a hard time about her spelling.  She then said that she was dyslexic.  Ever since then, I've been more tolerant of spelling errors.  This blog will be funny, serious and everything in between.  To paraphrase Bette Davis, "Buckle your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride".