Longer Than It Should

Well, it looks like I'm not going to get a podcast done this week (slight chance I'll be wrong about that)... Maybe I can at least do a blog post...  It's a Thursday afternoon... I did a couple of productive things this morning (therapy and life coaching), but since lunch time I've stalled.  I've been so depressed on-and-off recently that I get paralyzed just expecting the negative thoughts to come back.   I said this in last week's podcast, but in case you don't listen regularly... I'm finally considering ECT (electro-convulsive therapy... aka shock therapy).  There's some stigma around it, but the idea is really a good one... They're creating a seizure in your brain... using it like a reset button... like restarting your computer when it gets sluggish.  I've thought for years that a brain reset is what I need.  Seems that is what I'm trying to do with all the hypersomnia... if I could just sleep long enough, maybe I'd wake up cured.

 My brother has invited me to play some of my Christian songs at an event for Virginia Mennonite Conference on Saturday, May 4th (details to follow).  This gig will be the first time ever that I'm trying to have a backing band (The Thunderstorm Warnings).  It is still unclear who all will be playing.  I have a couple weeks to invite people and practice a bit.  More details on that later, but for now, here are the lyrics to one of the songs we might play.  I wrote it when my sister was pregnant with her first child (my first nephew, Jeremi... who is now 10)... the fun thing was that their in-utero name for Jeremi was 'Niko,' and coincidentally, while she was in labor on a Sunday, the passage we read at Church was the story of Nicodemus and Jesus' conversation about being born again...  So, I wrote this song: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I consecrated you. x2 It was just a normal day when Nicodemus came to visit Jesus. He came at nig

Here... as I sit in the back of the car on our way to Ohio (chasing the eclipse)..  I decided to type up an old song which had slipped through the cracks... enjoy... Arthur Ashes Action Plan Do you want to know how to do anything at all? Take it from a man who could smash a tennis ball His name was Arthur Ashe,  and he said: Chorus Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can     That’s Arthur Ashe’s Action Plan.    x2 Do you want to be a doctor, helping people’s health, Do you want be a banker, wielding people’s wealth Do you want to know how to be anything at all? The key is to start small.   chorus Do you want to be known for a skill you’ve yet to learn? Is there some amount of money that you’d like to earn? If you’d like to earn yourself a spot upon the team, This is how you make reality out of those dreams. chorus Chorus acapella

11: Partly Sunny... Today the weather folks are optimists... it could just as easily be partly cloudy... they would mean exactly the same thing.  I haven't even been outside yet today.  I'm hoping to catch a walk with a friend here in a few minutes, but for now, I'll get some keystrokes in.  My life currently is Partly Cloudy... it wouldn't take much to transition it to Partly Sunny, and then not much more would be required to make it just plain Sunny.  I have plenty of things to be grateful for, and indeed I feel I turned a corner after taking my friend's advice and restarting a gratitude journal.  He suggested 3-5 things every night, but I've been doing at least 3 lines every night... unless I forget.  I also printed out Zig Ziglar's motivational card to read to myself morning and evening, but it's a little long, so I've only gotten through it once. I recommend taking a few minutes to listen to Episode 113 of Hold That Note.  It features my comedy

  010: Hmm, am I on number 10 or have I miscounted? Either way, here I am, trying to blog, and today what I want to talk about is the fruit of the Spirit. Without looking up the verse can you recite them? I'm guessing many of you can. And why? Because there's a great, catchy song. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control! I don't recall the song having the next section which says: against such things there is no law. Perhaps it's a translation issue, a minutiae, but I would say that it would be better worded: against such things there should be no law. Because there are many stupid laws out there. It could also more accurately read: such things are behind the spirit of most laws. Jesus talks about good fruit coming from good trees and bad fruit coming from bad trees. He says: you can't pick grapes from thistles. What does this mean? Can we train ourselves to grow different fruits? If we are

I recently heard someone claim that the only way to become a good writer or podcaster is to follow the beaten path.  He compared it to attempting to become a chess master.  In other words, he thinks the paths to success are obvious if you can stand their rigor.   For whatever reason, I think I'm the exception to such rules.  I believe I can find a different way, a better way.   Unfortunately, the person who made the above claim was Cal Newport, and I tend to trust his opinions.   Fortunately, Cal is not on board with many productivity gurus who would say you have to work a ridiculously intense schedule and post about it non-stop all over the internet.   The internet is a blessing and a curse of course.  I'm old enough to remember when it was slow... beeeeeeeebooooobeeep (I'm talking dial-up slow)... but really, I've come of age with the internet.  At least I've grown up... the internet doesn't show any signs of slowing down... it keeps evolving, and I have stag