Isn’t that the question of the day — when all that we knew and considered routine a few months ago is now being upended? Fear of getting and sharing an illness we had never heard of this time last year is now causing our very world to be paused, and we honestly do not know how or when the uncertainty will end.
We each find comfort during unsettling times in various ways: exercising our faith, communicating with friends and family or, one of my favorites, reading. Words can inspire, challenge, and comfort us as no other source can, and the written word seems to provide an extra measure of stability amid a changing reality.
I have held off on mentioning this, but at the dawn of the developing pandemic, I had completed and uploaded a book for self-publishing on Amazon. It was the worst possible time, of course, for a book launch or anything else that involved self-promotion, as the last thing I needed was attention for my work when the world was falling apart around us. In the last few days, though, I have begun to think more about the book’s contents and how they might benefit others facing uncertainty.
The work is a collection of essays on a variety of ideas. A few are personal experiences, and others are truths that I felt were worth passing along to others. Each is intended to inspire, challenge, and encourage.
I am offering a few insights into the first few pieces, to give an idea of what is inside. Some have a splash of humor, others are more serious. All are from my heart.
Chapter 1) SUNSHINE IS FOR EVERYONE, FIRE FOR A FEW
Ah, the warmth of the sunshine! One of the few things left on earth that is free is the benefit of that great glowing orb in the blue sky. Thus far, no government has found a way to tax it or to ration it out. If you can get to it, you can enjoy as much sunshine as you want. (Just remember the sunscreen.)
Fire, on the other hand, requires some effort. We are not told exactly when fire became part of the human experience, though our impression is that man has always warmed himself in that manner. The earliest specific references to fire in the Bible come from chapters 19 and 22 in Genesis. The first reference speaks of fire from Heaven raining on Sodom and Gomorrah, and the second reference mentions fire for the impending sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham (when God tested Abraham before providing a ram for the sacrifice).
We know that fire requires effort. Wood must be gathered (or chopped and split), laid in order, and lit by some source of flame or heat—unless you have one of those push-button, flame-throwing, gas-burning fireplaces. But I digress.
Freeware, anyone?
We love the sound of that word “free,†don’t we? I mean, the pulse quickens just a little to think we might be getting something new, and we owe nothing for it.
Recently I bought a new laptop, and as I readied it for use, my twenty-something-year-old daughter advised it would run a lot better if I wouldn’t put all that “stuff†on it. I was mildly offended, as I was sure my “stuff†… was necessary for making the device run optimally …
Chapter 2) UP IS JUST BACKWARDS WHEN YOU’RE ON THE WAY DOWN
Have you ever been lost? I mean the scary kind of lost that says, “I have no idea where to go from here.†I am not talking about the feeling of, “Where in the world of this vast Walmart parking lot is my car?†I am asking if you have ever felt the kind of lost that says, “If they don’t come looking for me soon, this is going to make the papers!â€
There is no more helpless feeling, I suppose. It hasn’t happened to me more than once that I can remember, but it left a memory of fear when the familiar woods where I played began to look frightening and strange when it was time to get home.
When you are lost, things happen differently in how you relate to the world around you. Reason and intellect can assure you that a particular direction has to be right. But, taking off in that direction (instead of staying put, as all the scouting and survival manuals tell us to do) only leads further into hopelessness. Often, lost people who were later found had simply gotten turned around yet were convinced they were going the right way. The innate directional signals that should have helped them reach familiar territory got scrambled in their minds. At that point, they could not believe their map, compass, spouse, or…well, you get the picture, I am sure …
Chapter 3) THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS ME…NOW
“Yeah, I did that, but I was much younger, then — just a kid, really. I like to think I have a little wisdom on me now…don’t I?”
We may as well face it: we care how others see us; what they think of the choices we have made and the things we have done. If some example of our being less than wise is brought up, we are quick to put some distance between us now and the person who could have done that then. After all, we are allowed a few missteps in the teen and early adult years, right?
But, what if “then†was just last week?
What if we hurt someone’s feelings, forgot an important event, yelled at our kids, or jumped in front of an older lady in the check-out line because we were running late? And what if we did those things, like…yesterday?
What if we can’t put distance between ourselves and our less-than-stellar actions?
Maybe the more important question is, “Why do we want so badly to distance ourselves anyway?”
Perhaps because our actions seem to define who we are. We crave to be validated by others, to be part of a bigger group, to have others simply like us. The smile or chuckle we get from listeners for a comment we intended to be funny lets us know it was well-received. A blank stare or raised eyebrows says it was totally off-point and poorly timed. Our feelings about those responses weigh heavily on even the most independent, introverted among us …
Chapter 4) HOW TO SCRUB YOUR BATHROOM FLOOR IN 30 EASY STEPS:
Ladies, be sure to keep this handy for reference — you will want to try this at least once.
1) Start deep cleaning the kitchen and doing laundry.
2) Notice your cell-phone ringing.
3) Try to ignore it because you are on a serious roll with this cleaning.
4) Side-eye the phone and observe the number is your 76-year-old mother’s mobile phone.
5) Remember, she always uses her land-line phone from home, unless something goes wrong …
Chapter 5) FOUR MINUTES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
- True ____ False ____ An inch is a large unit of measure.
The answer is obvious…isn’t it?
This was an actual question on a Physical Science exam during my freshman year in college — possibly a final, since I remember vividly my agitated state of mind upon reading it. After all, it cost me what could have been a perfect score and helped earn only my second “B” at the school (the first was in Volleyball, but enough said about that).
I was only in the class because of a foul-up on the part of my academic advisor (another story in itself) resulting in my having to abandon the biology minor I had invested three courses in pursuing. Physical science seemed downright hokey to me after sailing through zoology and botany. Adding to my somewhat wounded pride was the undeniable fact that I simply did not like the instructor. He seemed to teach at a level of challenge designed to keep the university’s sports teams winning, with or without the players having to apply themselves academically.
With such a positive mindset, the exam question asking whether an inch was a large unit of measure set my brain to screaming, “COMPARED TO WHAT???!!! MILES OR MICRONS???!!!” With a fifty percent chance of getting that one right, as you might guess, I did not. I can’t remember which I chose but probably checked “True,” just to make my point.
Great choice …
THE REST OF THE STORY
Here are the titles to the other chapters, or doses, if you will. I would love to know how you like whatever you choose to read. Leave a comment below, or a review wherever you purchase the books. God bless.
WHAT’S UP WITH HIM??
FROM COLORS TO CHEMISTRY, FROM ADDITION TO ALGEBRA
THE SAGA OF SALLY
TWO THINGS I BET YOU CAN’T DO AT ONE TIME
THAT’S WHAT YOU GET!
JUST DON’T PLAN ON DOING ANYTHING TOMORROW
WHEN YOU HAVE TIME
WHAT ARE YOU HERE TO DO?
HOW DO YOU WALK ON WATER?
WHAT GETS TO YOU?
WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST FAITH MEMORY?
GOD WITH HIS SKIN ON?
“ARE YOU GOING TO EAT THAT?”
HOLINESS
FENCE OR GUARDRAIL?
THE TRUE WONDER OF THE SEASON
MY HEART ON CHRISTMAS EVE, 2013
CHECK IT OUT!
THE SHOW-ME STATE…OF MIND
SOMETHING FOR NOTHING?
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR WATER?
FATHERLESS DAY
THE CLOSING OF THE DOOR
ALL DONE!
WELL, WHAT IS IT GOING TO BE?