tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87445249148569454632024-03-13T21:08:53.887-07:00The J-SpotJay M. Horne is a publisher and journalist out of Bradenton, Florida. He has over twenty published books and he actively blogs on current events, philosophy, fitness, fiction, and humor.Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-49457990416311261152022-10-15T16:32:00.005-07:002022-10-15T16:32:52.473-07:00Jay Horne’s Sacrilege<p> </p><section class="section section--body" name="be2d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="9981"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">All men sacrifice, starting with Jesus’ example. Interchanging the name of Jesus with that of God is confusing to our youths. Let us be thankful for them all.</em></h3><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="ea13"><br /></figure><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="ea13"><img alt="book and cross" class="graf-image" data-height="570" data-image-id="1*mgnOZZuEX1Ustbo1nhmixQ.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1200" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1000/1*mgnOZZuEX1Ustbo1nhmixQ.jpeg" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">Image edited by the Author</figcaption></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="ac9d">I’ve always been a praying man.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a609">Passed down from my late Pawpaw, prayer was instilled in me to be performed at the dinner table. Just a simple one, always ending in <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">bless those less fortunate than ourselves.</em></p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="e50d">There’s a lot of praying going around to Jesus these days. Lot’s of thanks and even more requests.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="d3ee">I did my duty as husband and attended a non-denominational church with my wife and children. Wednesdays and Sundays.<br />Worked overtime and double-time. When things went well, we thanked Jesus.<br />When things went wrong, we blamed ourselves.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4df6">In my graying years, my observations from the pew have led me to some reluctant truths. First of all, I wasn’t always happy to be at church. I would much rather have been jogging on the beach. Damn me now, if you must.<br />A reluctant truth is, I went to be with my wife and kids because that’s where they were going to be.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e14d">From the pew, I dropped my hard earned money into the coffers along with the other husbands who likely were there to appease their better halves. The pastors did their duty and thanked Jesus for his sacrifice, reminding us to do the same.<br />Our church was one of the good ones. Some of the offerings went to helping those in need across the globe, though it always came with the disclaimer:</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="2da0">Paid for by Jesus Christ.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="5fa7">I can’t put words in the mouth of preachers or pastors, who I’ve come to believe take joy in their work. I watched them perform their jobs with smiles on their faces and became aware that they endured many hardships through counseling families who were the victims of abuse and divorce. Loss and death. My own included.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7cf7">While their jobs were terribly heartbreaking, they were also rewarding, both spiritually and financially. And yes, in their position one may look to the North and say, “Thank you, Jesus.”<br />Full coffers and all.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c86b">A preacher, like other men, sacrifices his heart strings in his duty to the Lord. Just as a fireman sacrifices his heartstrings in his duty to the public while informing a father that their child has died.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="03f5">Likewise, the fireman may say, I am performing my duty for the Lord. But still, the duty is filling his own coffers.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ed07">When I thank the Lord, I can’t help but see a million faces of different colors. Because, I know that there are real people out there making sacrifices for me everyday. Some do it for noble reasons and some do it for penance. But, it is the sacrifices themselves that are making the blessings bloom.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2237">There are fathers who bow there heads at dinner tables all over America and teach their children to thank Jesus for everything that they themselves have provided. And yes, Jesus ultimately sacrificed himself to send the message that sacrifice is the way of God. And even Jesus, did not point to himself and say, this is my sacrifice. No, he pointed to God and said this is <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">His </em>sacrifice for I am his son.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="6c58">Refusing credit is a good man’s acclaim.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="15f0">Perhaps that is what those fathers are saying as well.<br />But, I argue that we cannot teach our children that they will obtain blessings because of the act of one man. Those on disability, those receiving child support, those receiving aid in foreign countries, those on food stamps and government assistance. Those are who fill the benches, pews, and cathedral halls of the modern Christian era.<br />Albeit, those with coffers overflowing both in time and currency find it easy to sacrifice as much to be a good Christian.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2994">The same people who can today believe that the Earth may be flat.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="e165">Those people have never looked to the bottom of a well at noon and realized that no more than a single well can be fully illuminated at its bottom at any given time because the sun will be directly over only one at any single moment. That is the reality of living on a sphere that can only be obtained through meaningful observation or better education.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="8f15">It’s okay to say, “Thank you, Jesus,” when your kids understand that their own sacrifices will enable others to live freely. But why confuse the youth? When <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Thank you, God</em> is more of an umbrella term?<br />God can include everything under the sun, including his servants, his people, his sacrificial sons. Once the name of God becomes interchangeable with Jesus, the credit of sacrifice falls all to one man.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="19b3">Sacrifice is something shared by every man, woman, and child on the planet. Along with with ecosystem, for that matter.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="8e59">Jesus can justifiably be your only savior if your a paraplegic. Then again, there did exist Stephen Hawking. Yet, he was an Atheist.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8fc7">I do agree, we could all drop to our knees and just thank Jesus for providing. Then we would all be better off.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="86a7">The mushrooms would be happy. They love to feed on decay.<br />For there would be no one to hold the plow behind the oxen. No one to reap the grain after the grow. No one to rot in the deepest prisons for making mistakes that another man was bound to die for before the lesson was known.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="c1bf">Whole heartedly I say, “Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice.”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="1a68">But today is two thousand and twenty three years after you taught us to sacrifice selflessly in the name of GOD. So, I give thanks to <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">all those who sacrifice</strong>. Not those sacrifices of joy.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e8a3">I would not dare to appreciate those self-sacrifices of ones own loves. Always, those sacrifices are self-serving.<br />I appreciate those sacrifices that are meaningful. The husband who sits on the pew because his wife loves listening to her sermon, while she thanks Jesus, as is her belief.<br />The sacrifice of the server who stays an extra shift for someone who probably is going out to party though she herself is overworked and will likely get home late to tuck her kids into bed.<br />The elderly husband who goes to the gym so his wife not have to suffer his fat belly.<br />The woman who uses Summer’s Eve.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bec6">The sacrifices that people endure that allow others hedonistic enjoyment. <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Everyone deserves a little of that in life.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="16a4">This article is called Jay Horne’s Sacrifice. I sacrificed a little time out of my day to write this article, hopefully for your amusement. No need to thank me.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="ff3a">Please, for God’s sake. Thank a fellow human who lives!</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="814d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="daf8">Leave me your email <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a> for more articles <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">that slap</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bb32">Help pay my kids’ child support <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener ugc nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0ba7">Wanna collaborate? Connect with me over a cup of coffee…<br />but not <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That would just be weird.</em></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-30067310213365743792022-04-17T17:41:00.000-07:002022-04-17T17:41:17.118-07:00How I Became a Milwaukee Nomad<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">I came to Milwaukee as a travel writer and cardiac monitor technician and became a nomad. Dread Pirate Roberts, here I come!</span></p><section class="section section--body" name="a3c1"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h4 class="graf graf--h4 graf--empty"><br /></h4><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="44aa"><img alt="Lyft Glow in Windshield" class="graf-image" data-height="1677" data-image-id="1*s80FcZYNxg0j3A24bzLvJA.jpeg" data-width="3960" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1000/1*s80FcZYNxg0j3A24bzLvJA.jpeg" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">Image by the Author</figcaption></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="1cab">Confessions of a Lyft driver.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="99cc">If you haven’t seen nor read <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/366zMrO" href="https://amzn.to/366zMrO" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Princess Bride</a> by William Goldman then stop here and do that.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1a6a">One may miss Wesley’s super ambitious, though logical, quest to seek his fortune across the sea. It is no less ambitious than <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3KwSCav" href="https://amzn.to/3KwSCav" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Richest Man in Babylon</a>’s.<br />Wesley says something to the effect of, “I shall work sixteen hours a day, beg for food, and sleep on the street, saving every penny until I’ve amassed a fortune.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7121">That journey is, of course, the very start of a much larger one that leads to even greater payoffs and rewards. But what a start!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="c254"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="abce">There I was, a cardiac monitor technician on a travel assignment to Wisconsin, imagining myself as Wesley who was setting out to amass his fortune. But, my sea faring vessel was an old minivan sputtering its last remarks, stuffed with a few personal belongings.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ccf8">I was skeptical of sleeping in a vehicle with the temperatures nearing negative fifteen. So, I played it safe and rented a room in a hostel while I considering the possibility of really moving into a car.<br />What? Was I in my early twenties, again? I mean, back then it was easy. I just rolled with the punches. But now, I’d rather avoid the pain as I near fifty.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="e304"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="ec29">Driving to and from work was bearable, though the van had no heat nor air, so the frostbite would get pretty threatening right near the end of my fifteen-minute ride; <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">also near the ends of my fingers and toes</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3e92">While lying in my tiny bedroom between work hours, I started feeling guilty of my lack of productivity. So I grabbed my laptop and ordered a <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.lyft.com/drivers/JAY43596" href="https://www.lyft.com/drivers/JAY43596" rel="noopener" target="_blank">LYFT </a>to Starbucks to do some writing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="265f">On the short ride with <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.lyft.com/drivers/JAY43596" href="https://www.lyft.com/drivers/JAY43596" rel="noopener" target="_blank">LYFT</a>, a young man informed me that I could drive with the ridesharing company by using a rental, which they provide. So, I looked into <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.lyft.com/drivers/JAY43596" href="https://www.lyft.com/drivers/JAY43596" rel="noopener" target="_blank">LYFT’s express drive program</a> and found a car they would rent me for two-hundred and twenty dollars per week. It was a hybrid electric vehicle, so I would spend minimum dollars on fuel.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="61c4">While sitting there with my coffee, I thought to myself, “This vehicle will run quite nicely on its electric motors and stay warm while parked throughout the night. And it’s probably as spacious, not to mention cleaner, as the Hostel I’m paying for monthly.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9925">Sleeping in a car might not be impossible after all.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="eac4">I immediately opted for a gym membership with <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.planetfitness.com/referrals?referralCode=FMD411GD" href="https://www.planetfitness.com/referrals?referralCode=FMD411GD" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Planet Fitness</a>. This way, no matter where I was in the city I could utilize their 24/7 facilities.<br />Besides, when you’re living in a car all day and night, one enjoys a potential daily escape to exercise, socialize, and shower.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3f7c">I considered all I had learned, and weighed the pros and cons of not having a place to call home…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="e21d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7820">Milwaukee parking is a bitch. Many consider parking tickets a right of passage to newcomers. Most parking is done on the street but you must move your vehicle to the other side of the road everyday. Having two vehicles was going to be a nightmare. So, I decided to find out if I could find a place to park both of my cars for a monthly rate and weigh that against the price of rent.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4d24">I was surprised to find that there are monthly parking spaces available for as low as forty dollars a month. Also, I had many co-workers offer me a place to harbor my vehicle if needed.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7a08">Once, I saw that living this way may be possible, I started truly considering what it would mean, and began devising a plan to set it all in motion.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="60e9">There were questions but I found answers:</p><ul class="postList"><li class="graf graf--li" name="4c01">Where would I get my mail?</li></ul><p class="graf graf--p" name="cab1">UPS stores let you use them as a local address.<br /><br /></p><ul class="postList"><li class="graf graf--li" name="f0ee">What would I use as my permanent address?</li></ul><p class="graf graf--p" name="764b">I signed up for a virtual mailbox with <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://ipostal1.com/" href="https://ipostal1.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ipostal</a>.<br /><br /></p><ul class="postList"><li class="graf graf--li" name="d3c3">What if my rental broke down and my van wouldn’t start after sitting in the cold for so long?</li></ul><p class="graf graf--p" name="08cb">I paid for <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.aaa.com/friends?ref=3032822517" href="https://www.aaa.com/friends?ref=3032822517" rel="noopener" target="_blank">AAA annual membership</a> and kept a two-hundred dollar emergency fund for a night’s hotel.<br /><br /></p><ul class="postList"><li class="graf graf--li" name="14b6">What if someone broke into my van and stole all my stuff?</li></ul><p class="graf graf--p" name="4121"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://https://www.neighbor.com/invited/jay-369488" href="https://https://www.neighbor.com/invited/jay-369488" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Neighbor.com</a>, where I paid for my parking space offered insurance for my belongings. I opted in, just in case of such a disaster. Plus my car insurance let me drop my coverage to storage mode.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ae40"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">(Important documents like titles, birth certificates, and stuff, you keep in a safe deposit box after saving them in the cloud at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AAD3YixS6mFmL8HC9jaGNoGzjz22p0iMgAA?src=global9" href="https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AAD3YixS6mFmL8HC9jaGNoGzjz22p0iMgAA?src=global9" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">dropbox.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">)<br /><br /></em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2a6b">While I was moving the things out of my rented room and back into my van for storage, I tried to imagine what I would do with my extra thousand dollars a month. But, once I got everything moved into the parking space and took up residence in the Prius one night, I started doing real calculations for my budget and realized it wasn’t going to all be profit.<br /><br /></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9ae6">Settled into the heated cloth seat, comfortably reclined at a travel center just outside of Milwaukee, I opened up my laptop, powered by the dc/ac converter I had purchased at Advanced Auto Parts for 25 bucks, and started punching expenses into excel.</p><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="375d"><img alt="Author in Car" class="graf-image" data-height="1532" data-image-id="1*FBee9Al2BN__0pNFYly2tg.jpeg" data-width="1808" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1000/1*FBee9Al2BN__0pNFYly2tg.jpeg" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">Image of the Author</figcaption></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="420a">I’m saving a thousand a month foregoing rental.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4e6c">Paying 13 bucks a month for my <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://ipostal1.com/" href="https://ipostal1.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">virtual address</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="73ad"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.aaa.com/friends?ref=3032822517" href="https://www.aaa.com/friends?ref=3032822517" rel="noopener" target="_blank">AAA</a> was an annual membership for a hundred bucks.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cea5"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://https://www.neighbor.com/invited/jay-369488" href="https://https://www.neighbor.com/invited/jay-369488" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The spot I rented for the van</a> was 200 a month, but it was insured and in a nice place.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="23d8">The safe deposit box and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AAD3YixS6mFmL8HC9jaGNoGzjz22p0iMgAA?src=global9" href="https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/AAD3YixS6mFmL8HC9jaGNoGzjz22p0iMgAA?src=global9" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Dropbox</a> membership was 20 bucks a month.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9ab4">Then the big one. The car rental is 225 a week, so that’s a whole 1000 out the door unless I could drive to make that payment. If I couldn’t make the rental fee driving, I would be taking a loss!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="11dc">But the sweet part was in having a 2022 model vehicle with heat. No more worrying about breaking down or freezing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f7cd">All things considered, something told me that this was the right move to make. </p><p class="graf graf--p" name="469a">I was going through a divorce, my father had just passed away, and I had found out I was allergic to my cat. No dad, no wife, no kids, no cat. I was a teenager, out on his own again.<br />Or, maybe this was my mid-life crisis.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="f948"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b0c3">What is a nomad anyway?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5d01">One without a home? Someone who moves around for a living? Nah, that’s a gypsy, right?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2b8b">I don’t know. I kinda think back to when my Dad sat us around the dinner table and made us set goals. Everyone seemed to want to be something in particular, but me. I just said I’d like to be a doctor as a long term goal, seeing as that would make the most money enabling me to do as I pleased when the time came. Realistically, I had absolutely no interest in doctoring anything.<br /><br /></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5692">What did you want to be when you grew up?<br /><br /></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7bb5">Honestly, there was nothing I wanted to be. At least nothing that anyone else had ever been. I mean, do the elements of the periodic table come into existence and decide, “Hey, I’d really like to be copper for eternity?” I think even the elements radioactively decay over time. Kinda like we do, I suppose.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6bf1">Just to think, the elements with the most electrons take the longest to decay.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1531">Strange, that.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4c1a">The most positively charged ion that has gathered the most negatively charged friends around it lives the longest…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a4db">Facts of life, peeps.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dbe0">I dunno, I guess there is something to be said about those who pick a profession and go for it for life. They eventually become the best at what they do. When they die, they become stars in the sky. A lingering memory. A definite personality.<br />I have no personality. I was told this fifteen years ago buy an ex-girlfriend right before we split up. I in-turn, asked her who she’d prefer I act like. This only further infuriated her.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a4dc">Truth is, I have always been a really old man in a young guy’s body. Old men are beyond personalities. They are in no hurry to beat anyone to the tactful punch unless it’s a total original. Old men are constantly drowning in dead metaphors and watch young men serve them up like they aren’t old news.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fd72">All these years, I’ve just been waiting on my body to catch up is all. Getting closer everyday. Being a little bit of everything is better than being a great big something anyhow.<br />Personal opinion.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8d1f">I’m still a star. I’m just always on the move. The shooting ones are prettiest anyhow. What do they say? It’s better to burn out than to fade away? That’s Highlander not Def Leppard.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8c33">Anyhow, nothing in this world will ever be achieved if all the possible objectives must first be overcome. So, here goes nothing! Car living here we come.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="12a9"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4c09">Staying in the car is actually pretty nice. I have blackout curtains I can hang up between the windows like a makeshift fort for sleeping during the day. But in a pinch, I pull my beanie down over my eyes and curl up with my rainbow colored quilt.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7f1f">Customers ask me all the time what that thing is hanging in my windshield. A dreamcatcher my daughter crafted at school. I’ve yet to be asked why I would have a dream catcher in the car.</p><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="6467"><img alt="Dreamcatcher in Car Window" class="graf-image" data-height="2431" data-image-id="1*fITs1FD-BAWY2qOunlLBFw.jpeg" data-width="2252" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1000/1*fITs1FD-BAWY2qOunlLBFw.jpeg" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">Image by the Author</figcaption></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="b27c">When people ask where I live, I give them my virtual address in Florida. If they persist, I tell them the town in which I have been spending the most nights. Then if it comes right down to it, and some one exclaims that I am living in my car. Well, then I tell them I prefer to say I work from home.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="94e9"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="ba61">Join me me on the rest of my adventure soon when I release my new manuscript "Confessions of a Rideshare Driver" in the fall of 2022.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="abf0">Leave me your email <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a> to keep up-to-date on the book release.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c076">Help pay my kids’ child support <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener ugc nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c53b">Wanna collaborate? Connect with me over a cup of coffee…<br />but not <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That would just be weird.</em></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-75753702165590194552022-01-20T17:25:00.000-08:002022-01-20T17:25:08.762-08:00Stand Up Tall and Make Demands of Yourself<p> </p><section class="section section--body" name="127f"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--outsetColumn"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetCenter" name="1b8e"><img class="graf-image" data-height="948" data-image-id="1*sRldauyG2aVRS1zIRTk3LQ.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="2042" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1500/1*sRldauyG2aVRS1zIRTk3LQ.jpeg" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">Image courtesy of <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/3521607551" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/3521607551" rel="noopener" target="_blank">FLIKR</a></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="22cc">I had such great posture when I came out of basic training, but the years have slowly pulled my shoulders forward, and sent my gaze back to my less than confident gait.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5bed">I could blame my downcast eyes on the frozen and slippery tundra, but I remember that the Naval Station at the Great Lakes, during winter, doled out plenty of icy marches.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5412">Our heads were still up, but our eyes would do the tedious work of making out the slippery patches. If you were really good, you could step so perfectly across the black ice that the recruit behind you would get over confident and end up on his ass in the snow.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="15f1">Laughs were rare out there, so we took what we could get.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a47b">Remembering this made me wonder why, after all these years, I don’t still walk with that stature. It’s simple really.<br />I’ve been lazy.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ba31">If you think about it, it <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">is</em> more difficult to over reach your eyes than to drop your head a little bit.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3680">That’s the thing. Back then it was never about how difficult things were. It was about how right they were.<br /><br /></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="172e"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="8ccf">The body is a slave.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bf0b">It is either a slave to compulsions, feelings, or intents. We all learned this through boot camp, where our bodies were slaves to demand.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="744e">When reveille rang, every recruit would be hard at work tightening their sheets and situating their bunk area in anticipation of the Petty officer entering for inspection and first orders.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="87f3">Once your morning duties were complete, there was one simple thing left to do.<br />Stand at attention at the foot of your bunk and wait.<br />Shoulders back. Chin up.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a00a">If our bodies were vehicles, that was our neutral. Parade rest was perhaps park.<br /><br /></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="af3f">This is just one of the things I have tried to retain after all those years ago. What they were putting us through back then is exactly what we all need to put ourselves through once in a while.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cf24">Life is easy when there is someone doing all of the organizing for you; when there is nothing else to do but what is demanded of you.</p><h4 class="graf graf--h4" name="1c2c">One question:</h4><p class="graf graf--p" name="21cc">What do you demand of yourself?<br /><br /></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8cad">Recently, I saw Steve Harvey making an argument for how hard it was in Hollywood to make good money.<br />“These millionaires aren’t sleeping 8 hours a day,” he says. “That’s a third of your life! People on the East coast already three hours ahead of us. Stock market open and they’re already making decisions. We gotta be up, making moves early to stay on top!”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5d8a">Then, I once told a co-worker that if they wanted to finish the book they were writing, all they needed to do was designate an hour a day to do nothing other than write. If you don’t write, just sit there and do nothing. But don’t let yourself do anything else.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2ecc">Better yet, stand or sit at attention. Be <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">aware</em></strong><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> </em>that you’re doing nothing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2b5d">Standing at attention is good for you. It corrects your posture and tells you that there are currently no demands. It is important for you to be very aware of when there are no demands. Only then will you be conscious of your free time and of any procrastination.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cbfe">A friend of mine once told me that he just liked drinking beer too much to spend his evening exercising. So I gave him my collection of Beach Body Fitness videos and told him to watch them a few evenings in a row while he drank.<br />“Don’t let yourself do anything else except watch the tapes,” I said.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e8c5">A week later he came back and told me, “I forced myself to sit on the couch and watch the videos and started feeling like such a lazy person I started doing the exercises.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="23b1">The body likes to do things right. It likes to improve its faculties. In fact, it is made to get better with use. The problem is, our mind doesn’t like idle time and when we give into it, the body misses out on opportunities for growth.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="57ec">I hear it all the time. “I don’t have time to do this or that.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0faa">The truth is, your mind doesn’t know when it has idle body time because, you are not in control of the demands on your life.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bebc">Even if you don’t have someone bossing you around all of the time, still, you are not in control. Something else is dictating your action whether it be compulsive behavior, fatigue, indecision, procrastination, or skepticism.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f7bb">Perhaps, you think of the word <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">demand </strong>as demeaning?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6399">In fact, demanding things of yourself is empowering! When you are after your children or your students to make the grade, or push a little harder, isn’t it because you care for them and want to see them rise up — aspire?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="30e6">Shouldn’t we treat ourselves with the same high standard of pressure?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f51e">Will Smith says, “I love you too much, Will Smith, to let you eat that pizza, because it’s not good for you and I want to see you exceed! I’m sorry you have to do those extra sit-ups, Will Smith, but I love you too much to watch you fail at this.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="64de">So, stand at attention.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5efc">Be alert that you are awaiting orders. Orders from yourself.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1b78">What can your body do if you put your mind to it?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="1c21"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4f85"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author out of Bradenton, FL.<br />He enjoys writing teen and young-adult.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e9a0"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Find more of his work on </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.amazon.com/Jay-M-Horne/e/B004KBB2QQ?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1631814369&sr=1-3" href="https://www.amazon.com/Jay-M-Horne/e/B004KBB2QQ?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1631814369&sr=1-3" rel="noopener ugc nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Amazon</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> or </em>sign-up to receive his publications as they are released <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" href="https://bookflurry.substack.com/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />They’re free.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6169">Inspire his writing with a donation <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener ugc nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-86179595489705259062021-03-19T23:44:00.005-07:002021-03-20T03:37:56.573-07:00Mys-Tree<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Did this man find a tree that once touched the sky? Or is his head in the clouds?</h1><section class="section section--body" name="b9b5"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="c56b"><img class="graf-image" data-height="902" data-image-id="1*6Ojfm4C9Y8J6Dgg5lpeuNg.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1926" height="300" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*6Ojfm4C9Y8J6Dgg5lpeuNg.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image from <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/virtualwayfarer/41960116911" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/virtualwayfarer/41960116911" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Flickr</a></span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="bfd6">You guys know I’m a <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://elventesai.medium.com/be-like-jesus-better-yet-be-like-a-tree-67a71652aeea" href="https://elventesai.medium.com/be-like-jesus-better-yet-be-like-a-tree-67a71652aeea" rel="noopener" target="_blank">tree-hugger</a> and boy would this just take the cake but man, I have to say that besides the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://darksky.net/flatearth" href="https://darksky.net/flatearth" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Flat Earth theory</a> — I mean, this guy has me smiling ear to ear.<br />Just watch and listen, or put on the closed captions.<br />That’s what I did.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="316e">But then I <b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">had</b> to turn up the volume just to hear if this guy actually believed what he was saying!</p><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--iframe" name="7307"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="267" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NovvYzzOI70" width="322" youtube-src-id="NovvYzzOI70"></iframe></div><br /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><br /></figcaption></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="5517">It’s like <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Avatar</a> had it right? Right?<br />Who can’t wait for the second movie to come out?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2d36"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjbz6aSnb7vAhWDxoYKHfNCBcsYABAAGgJ2dQ&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESQeD2qoVOC4qrcCIRvp0rjzn0oJxCFzZ47pttXHb3SesjcH_D_DT-Cx-C2rt4zKC6Mv1REPFwaL9fpVMnhYeyVEuL&sig=AOD64_1wM-iyk-KSHAavvpeqJjtgmT1NnQ&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwiEiJ6Snb7vAhVy1lkKHW4YDnQQ0Qx6BAgCEAE" href="https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjbz6aSnb7vAhWDxoYKHfNCBcsYABAAGgJ2dQ&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESQeD2qoVOC4qrcCIRvp0rjzn0oJxCFzZ47pttXHb3SesjcH_D_DT-Cx-C2rt4zKC6Mv1REPFwaL9fpVMnhYeyVEuL&sig=AOD64_1wM-iyk-KSHAavvpeqJjtgmT1NnQ&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwiEiJ6Snb7vAhVy1lkKHW4YDnQQ0Qx6BAgCEAE" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Zack Snyder’s Justice League </a>really set the bar high! He opened up after horrible circumstances and really put his creative foot forward!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4313"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000116/" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000116/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">James Cameron</a> is gonna really have a run for his money. These artists are brilliant!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="11bd">And let’s not even talk about the next <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MIwuPaSK4M" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MIwuPaSK4M" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Matrix</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="914d">Tree Sky High? Or Sky High Guy?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ece5">You tell me, and let’s talk about it!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="041e"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="d990">If you’re inspired, connect with me over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1f7b">If you’re curious, leave me your email <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="55d8">If you like any of this stuff… help pay for my kids’ lunches over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2cba">Wanna collaborate? Connect with me over a cup of coffee…<br />but not <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">That would just be weird.</i></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="3ca9"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="fda2"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e5aa"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d561"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="32a9"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-69817206212868726372021-03-19T00:55:00.001-07:002021-03-19T00:55:12.460-07:00I Won't Take It...<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Flash Fiction for Fun</h1><section class="section section--body" name="5b72"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="d405"><img alt="won’t take that train" class="graf-image" data-height="825" data-image-id="1*eSWTJTU-WOBCIL1uzK5whQ.jpeg" data-width="1920" height="275" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*eSWTJTU-WOBCIL1uzK5whQ.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo from <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/banana_man/3585579894" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/banana_man/3585579894" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Flickr</a> and edited by the author </span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="e366">This is called <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_fiction" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_fiction" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Flash Fiction</a>.<br />I’ve just re-invented it!</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="44ab">Before each sentence think to yourself, “I won’t take it anymore…” in any variety of ways, and see what you can imagine.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="c8e2"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">Let’s begin!</em></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2f46"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="3356">… She didn’t. Knife in her garter.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="694d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f1b6">… He did though. Everyday, for the rest of his life to the end of his rope.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="46a0"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b393">… She didn’t. Got better. Got worse. Then she did and she got better for awhile.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="f4a4"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="a587">The hands were mangled, and the knife…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="a4b3"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="6c99">She sits by the bench as it passes. The wind from it pulling her beggar’s sign along with the tumbling newspapers…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="574f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4c5c">… An empty toilet. It’s less messy to leave it.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="c70b"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="6d5a">… No soda for you, but you’re up a dollar.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="231a"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="1f9b">… “POP!” said the balloon.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="ef32"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="e3b3">… and don’t you take it either.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="d602"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="121e">“Put it back. Let’s go, Son!”</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="c3b2"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="6957">… That’s what she said.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="53b4"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="5282"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I hope you enjoyed my little romps of the imagination! It’s easy to do. Try it!</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3c67">If you’re inspired, connect with me over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0fea">If you’re curious, leave me your email <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="618d">If you like any of this stuff… help pay for my kids’ lunches over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="26dc">Wanna collaborate? Connect with me over a cup of coffee…<br />but not <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That would just be weird.</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="86f5"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="816f"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9f57"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d8a2"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="aa7a"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="b73e"><br /><br /></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-63654885105762901842021-03-18T22:26:00.002-07:002021-03-18T22:26:56.133-07:00A Sonnet to Silverstein II<h1 style="text-align: left;"> More off-beat poetry by Jay Horne that will make you think you caught a buzz.</h1><section class="section section--body" name="effc"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="825c"><img alt="mosquito" class="graf-image" data-height="378" data-image-id="1*8ZUfPbXJhziFX4V1xfgoTw.png" data-width="378" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*8ZUfPbXJhziFX4V1xfgoTw.png" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">All Illustrations by Jay Horne and Copyright 2021 by Bookflurry Inc.</span></figcaption></figure><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="5302">Killbuzz</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="c990">I’ll kiss you on your forehead, nose,<br />knees, and elbows too</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0e16">I’ll kiss you on your cheek,and back,<br />then along your neck</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="74ea">Woo Hoo!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1704">But when I try and kiss you<br />on your ear, please tell me why…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="41bb">You chase me with a vengeful shoo<br />and remark that I should die.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="7442"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="5b9a">Shipments and Cargo | Just take another Dose</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="9172">Jiminy Cricket lost his ball in a thicket<br />when he was doing so well</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fdc9">He was no lamer<br />than a Pokemon trainer<br />who’s turtle was beat by a snail</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cab1">When it was raining cats and dogs<br />Jill went to get her pail</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4c2c">But the poodles had all turned to ice<br />and the rain had turned into hail</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="29b0">They took shelter with a baby-sitter<br />serving cough syrup and sweets</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ab85">Then wondered why’s the running done by noses<br />and all the smelling done by feets!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="900f">Why do cars drop shipments<br />and ships drop cars that go?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d3b0">Supercalifragilisticexpeala Do!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="834a"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="c77a">In GLove</h3><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="6bf1"><img alt="hand in pants" class="graf-image" data-height="1484" data-image-id="1*ijcsqv40oQ50Nlgjg4VykA.png" data-width="1484" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*ijcsqv40oQ50Nlgjg4VykA.png" /></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="c764">Ever wonder why cartoon characters never wear rubber gloves?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f6d9">I bet there are some cartoons out there where the characters put on gloves but,<br />I don’t think I would ever want to see them.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5400">The things people do in rubber gloves…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f7bb">…and putting rubber gloves on someone like Homer Simpson would just be downright insinuating!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3390">By the way? Do you know what the man with five penises told his tailor?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="9c78">Be sure the pants fit like a glove!</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="ff64"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="6990">I once stabbed myself with a pencil<br />and it hardly bled.</h3><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="8fa0"><img alt="pencil lead break" class="graf-image" data-height="1440" data-image-id="1*18A9_fxbACZGPt8sceQtKQ.jpeg" data-width="2672" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*18A9_fxbACZGPt8sceQtKQ.jpeg" /></figure><h4 class="graf graf--h4" name="c29b">Ten years later, I still see the spot;<br />a grey dot on my head…</h4><p class="graf graf--p" name="9aa5">Guess it will always be there…<br />…for I’d broken off the lead.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9408"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Nowadays my head is smart.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1c46">I learned some good things from the mark:</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="c390">Keep my pencil sharp!</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="17e2">The more dangerous an object,<br />the more respect it will impart.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="a75b">Lead is at the farthest end of radioactive decay<br />so no matter how long I stare it’ll never go away…</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="f929">Another lesson I learned from this event;<br />From Google, modern day:</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="0e40">Pencils contain no <em class="markup--em markup--blockquote-em">real</em> lead<br />just graphite and some clay</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="2308">So what have I been pouring over<br />all these thirty years?</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="d203">A pimple, speck, a blackhead, what?!</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="8593">It’ll never be quite clear.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="09f9"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="c63d">Nah. Not That Gnat. Naht.</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="173b">Un Uh!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2d6c">I don’t play that Gnat<br />I won’t let that shit fly</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d6c7">Come back here for a second Gnat<br />light somewhere right nearby</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b869">Are you telling others I might stink?<br />Perhaps, I left a little food?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3a34">Don’t expose my mess<br />Dear Gnat,<br />Then they’ll know I’m rude!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1279">My cubicle is neat.<br />I am not a sloppy pig!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="681f">I sit and type and stare at screens<br />I’m told to for this gig —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8993">Fly to another trashcan or screen<br />pretend you are a moth —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7883">Just leave me be, alone here please,<br />only an hour til I’m off!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1aa7">Go! Before they turn and see,<br />for sure I will be caught.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a06a">CLAP!</blockquote><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="ddc9"><img alt="gnat flying around" class="graf-image" data-height="1484" data-image-id="1*oal2Wa0BUWyNVmIL8UTsPQ.jpeg" data-width="2692" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*oal2Wa0BUWyNVmIL8UTsPQ.jpeg" /></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="0da3"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">What are you all looking at?</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="1a05"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="c277">NEON LIGHTS</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="390d">Not choosing or bruising</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d234">Not refusing the injury</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5236">Just using what gifts he gives me to spread about his cheer</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f3d1">There is always work to be done</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="8553">Atten Hut!</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="64af">Listen Here!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="abf0">Some people will look you right in the face</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="094d">and say they understand how you feel…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="5c8b">Those people <em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">are</em> real</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="48be">Those people have imagined themselves in the darkest places on the Globe…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="43c8">They’ve read under their blankets</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a62a">They cried when no one’s known…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0562">They’ve scoured the internet,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="103b">burned their eyes,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7800">touched dead bodies,<br /> softened cries —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="33d8">Survived a thousand battlefields…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="863c">When that person looks at you and tells you that they <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">love and feel you</em> —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9182">They are <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">REAL</em>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9ac6">But I can’t reach outside these pages and pull you in…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b953">I sit on a shelf not a mile from your HELL<br />but can’t grow a foot fast enough to run be your friend…</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="0248">I’m there, waiting… reaching…</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="12c0">Life’s a battlefield.<br />Read your way to me.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="73c1">I’m coming.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="67cd"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="b551">Cosmic Candy</h3><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="2905"><img alt="cosmic candy" class="graf-image" data-height="1440" data-image-id="1*bOOADmXGpm8nkv07nw7hBg.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="2584" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*bOOADmXGpm8nkv07nw7hBg.jpeg" /></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="81ba">A speck became a marble,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="23bb">became a ball, became a globe.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bb6e">A globe became a planet</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1583">the moon a lunar probe.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f321">Wound around a sun</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="88c2">in outer space got tangled up.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bc58">Mixed into <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.mars.com/milky-way" href="https://www.mars.com/milky-way" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Milky way</a> and</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b9b3"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.hersheys.com/reeses/en_us/products/reeses-peanut-butter-cups.html" href="https://www.hersheys.com/reeses/en_us/products/reeses-peanut-butter-cups.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Reese’s peanut butter cups</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="98a8">Stars and stripes are frozen</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6e16">served soft on top of cones.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9273">Wieners getting relished,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7d4a">sodas, chips, and Chicharrones.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="12bf">Grab your kids some cosmic candy,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8c95">while you’re talking into space.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="05af">Sound in-<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">vis</strong>-ib-<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">i</strong>-ly carried through some stardust by your face.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="23f9">You call it rotary, dial-up, touch-tone, or mobile phone,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4eab">then you fuel up your conveyance with liquid ancient bones.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="e85d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="2f24">G.R.Z.E.S.I.K…</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="6643">This is how I start my day…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ef5a">In fact,<br />It is how I start my year.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7984">My dear,<br />If this job were to<br />go away<br />These names of patients<br />I watch all day</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="58c2">are kept in secret<br />and in code —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2ae4">I never write about my work<br />cuz it’s a major No!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bf45">But on this day<br />I walk away<br />with paper and my pen</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a73e">And if the good Lord<br />sees it so<br />I will begin again…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ed0a">I’ll pull my hair in Hindi<br />until I’m void of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://translate.google.com/?sl=auto&tl=en&text=ronth&op=translate" href="https://translate.google.com/?sl=auto&tl=en&text=ronth&op=translate" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ronth</a></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e304">Bet you a quarter and a penny<br />there’s no other word that rhymes with MONTH!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="8a32"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="b81f">Root For Me Yo</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="f32e">When I get that six figure book deal<br />You’ll know</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2036">So root for me yo</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4b0f">I’m not one to hoard all my treasure<br />So when I’m fixin’ to glow</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="794c">Keep all the fuses in measure<br />And pray to the gods that we grow</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bec7">We go together like buckles and leather<br />Your notches were ladders to all that I know</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f664">So when I tell you that things’ll get better<br />All I’m askin’s to root for me yo</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="67e6">I’ve not been doing all this for the pleasure<br />It’s a measure we needed to take</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="002d">If we’re all gonna get back together<br />Please support all that I create</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4ca5">When I get that eight figure book deal<br />You’ll know</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="20c7">So root for me yo</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="942d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="e775">Dirty Jokes</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="407f">What’s the difference between someone’s daughter and someone’s date?<br />You wipe the daughter’s ass.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1fb0">What’s the difference between a Doctor and a dildo?<br />One’s acting like he’s looking for something.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="328e"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="721e">Customer Service Servants</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="3944">They enter through the doors each day and ask for crazy things.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="50d4">More ink for a twenty-five-cent pen</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8703">a refund on gasoline.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8bab">A jug of milk dated next year, some change, a smoke, receipt…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3b50">The key to the back restroom</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6e32">and yeah, a dirty magazine.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fb2c">Service is an industry</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4463">of customer complaints.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d87e">Produced by smiling faces</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5fe9">wasting away at minimum wage.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="66ce">Service with a smile.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="535b">The customer’s always right.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d85e">How many Customer Service Servants</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dc2b">are you paying to be liked?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="0633"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="af5d">A Big Fat Hen</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="4cd4">Couple of duck.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4063">Three brown bear.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bccb">Four fleeing hare.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e321">Five fat females.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e6cd">Six simple simons sitting on a stump.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3b1b">Seven Sicilian sailors sailing the seven seas.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2b40">Eight egotistical idiots echoing egotistical ecstasy.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8e1d">Nine napping nymphs nipping and napping on naps knuckles and nicotine.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4f7b">Ten. I’m not a fig-plucker or a fig-plucker’s son but I’ll pluck figs ’til the fig-plucker comes.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="8e52"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="7640">Before the Chicken or the Egg</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="a821">I wrote a rhyme in time,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="285d">the gun went off before.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0499">A thick slick inch of slime,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="163a">beyond a snail that had stopped short.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ca9e">Flys all stuck to windshields,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="014b">before cars could all honk horns.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8f9a">Water spilled from cups,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6906">from un-turned taps where they were poured.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f754">It was tomorrow yesterday,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="697f">butts were slapped,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e9ee">then babies born.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4efe">Papaw picked,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8128">Mawmaw shucked,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2cf6">and then they planted corn.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bfbe">What came before the egg a chicken said,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a561">a rooster roared.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="76b3">His laughter kept them asking,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="64a2">but the answer went ignored.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a1a0">If you wanna use a chicken or an egg you better know;</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bc83">The rooster better cum first Baby,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fbdb">or both will never grow.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="b310"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="45c8">Self Motivation</h3><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="d509">Right now you’re in the middle</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="96a7">with a flute and a fiddle.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="15ae">Just play the bard.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="0925">Do your part.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="49dc">Try not to fart.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a00e">Then maybe one day you’ll own a house<br />as big as Walmart.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="425b">I’m leavin’ it!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="02f8">Ya know why? Cuz, I Believe in it!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="82ee">Amen. Brother <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmemory-alpha.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FBenjamin_Livingston&psig=AOvVaw3MD04qcQZqTNgp2HpUHHCc&ust=1613896507076000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKiliJKH-O4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmemory-alpha.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FBenjamin_Livingston&psig=AOvVaw3MD04qcQZqTNgp2HpUHHCc&ust=1613896507076000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKiliJKH-O4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Ben</a>, shot the rooster and killed the hen.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="14bf"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="d26e">If you’re inspired, connect with me over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="99f6">If you’re curious, leave me your email <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d4e4">If you like any of this stuff… help pay for my kids’ lunches over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5604">Wanna collaborate? Connect with me over a cup of coffee…<br />but not <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That would just be weird.</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="61b8"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="e754"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="92bb"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d205"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c8e4"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-90454354179481603762021-03-18T16:36:00.002-07:002021-03-18T16:36:33.793-07:00Phil-osophy 101<section class="section section--body" name="7174"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h1 class="graf graf--h4" name="3348" style="text-align: left;">Perversion, death and breasts, advice from a SEAL, and our right to question everything.</h1></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="2a17"><img alt="Shunamatism Nun" class="graf-image" data-height="1285" data-image-id="1*2TBjThnojEfYlYLErNMj0g.jpeg" data-width="2882" height="285" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*2TBjThnojEfYlYLErNMj0g.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">Image by <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/users/juergen_g-4893514/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4144374" href="https://pixabay.com/users/juergen_g-4893514/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4144374" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Juergen_G</a> from <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4144374" href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4144374" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pixabay</a> and edited by the author</figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b006">I’ve successfully made it through about a fifth of the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible. About now, is when I’m getting a little leery about reading any other scriptures, as I’ve seen what happened to Pharaoh.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="41ee">I mean, I don’t want to go read back through the copy of the Quran I have on the shelf and end up coming down with the plague!</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="1f0b">But, if I did come down with the plague, would I be stupid enough not to burn it?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="89a8"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Of course, this is only speculative.</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="d726"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="bb9c">Isn’t this a war on literature?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7945">My co-worker Phil (hence the title Phil-osophy) made a point that something like 1.2 billion people on Earth believe in the Hindu religion. So, wouldn’t being punished for exploring their beliefs, to better understand them, be a little harsh?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3ec8">It’s kinda like turning your back and ignoring the others. Or, as Phil put it, basking in ignorance.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b22c">Some of the other co-workers joined in and pushed further. We talked about religious intolerance. Isn’t that what really starts wars of all kinds? The cutting off of conversation; The “No! I don’t even want to look at your book!” attitude?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a05b">One thing was for sure. The majority of those involved in the conversation had a firm stance against the banning of books.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="124f">“It’s all knowledge,” they said.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5ce5">Albeit, some knowledge arguably is best left to rot, or never be repeated.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Or, is that wrong</em>?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="887b">It really comes down to the freedom of speech and the heat of debate.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="a37f">We’ve all been witness to the embarrassment of the U.S. Presidential debates during the past couple of years. But, one thing I can say for them is this:</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="118a">They didn’t come to blows <em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">on the stage</em>.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="c18a">They got heated for sure. But they did stay contained.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="964c">It was out in the masses. Among the people of the nation (<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">those watching</em>) which continued the stoking of the flames and turned argument into action. And all of it was literally <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">civil war</em>.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="1900">Civilians warring among themselves over empassioned arguments. </blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="b296">The government, of both parties, playing like Mom and Dad, trying to quell the temper tantrums in their own different ways.<br />Mom’s passive and Dad’s active.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Send in the National Guard! De-fund the police!</em></p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="7b90">To be frank. The Country is who’s acted like children not the government.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="493b"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">How did this become political?</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1b87">Obviously, what falls short is the listening.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d74e">Perhaps the next debate ought to have an entire night dedicated to one candidate making their claims, and the last half of the night be dedicated to fact checkers Googling and debating with each other over their findings?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="22a8">Then the next night, the other candidate could do the same?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e7c8">Then let them talk on the final night together… and <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">listen</strong> to the facts together, for God’s sake!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="995e">Someone on a forum suggested the candidates wear masks and their voices be changed so no one can be bipartisan until the winner is declared!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="e08d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="c932">I’m growing kinda fond of the pastor at my church.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dc6c">It is non-denominational, so that helps, but he is not the type to force dogma on anyone. He does his share when it comes to delivering scripture and thus his duty to his deity.<br />What’s nice though, is that he doesn’t waste words. He’s not like some of these early morning TV evangelists (you know the ones).</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ef1b">I mean, what’s the sense in preaching, or even talking to someone about the growth of the spirit if they’re not being receptive? My pastor has a way of weaving himself and his truth into conversation and daily life in the most appropriate and efficient manner.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a9d2">I use the word efficient because it is something we should all strive for.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4cb2">Think of those presidential debates. They are timed, so the candidates don’t have the luxury of knowing they still have a lifetime to get their point across. So, it ends up becoming a battle of who can keep the attention of the mediator the longest.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="20af">In real life, believe it or not, we do have that luxury.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="3ab3">Problem is, some people see God as the great mediator, their friends as religious opponents, and a thirty-minute conversation as the great debate. There will always be time for that… and your point isn’t all that important anyhow.<br />When you die alone at the end, doesn’t it really only matter how <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">you</em> see it?<br />Ultimately isn’t it us alone that is elevating?<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I may be wrong!<br /></em>We could still be waiting on the rapture to happen like some mass export of the good… or would that be import?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b9d2"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I still haven’t finished the bible.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="18ef"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">So, I don’t know.</em><br />There are those people who think you just kinda take everyone with you when you go.<br />But that sounds a lot like a Uni-bomber.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f89b">An old Druidic axiom states,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="664c">“Men will always go to their graves preaching their own truths.”</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="2ae9">But, smart men will know that <strong class="markup--strong markup--blockquote-strong">Truth</strong> <em class="markup--em markup--blockquote-em">always</em> prevails. The key is to see it wherever you can, and that more or less happens by how unbiased you can remain.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="eff3">It’s a difficult thing; to be unbiased.<br />Especially in world where all the sensors are going off. Emotions are tugging on your heart strings, past-experiences causing fear, even physical irritations as the body’s systems try and revolt when you go and correct them.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="41c3">It’s really hard to hear and problem solve, when your mind is screaming.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="4bf4">In the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.navy.com/seals" href="https://www.navy.com/seals" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Seals</a>, they have an exercise to practice this kind of mental soundness.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0a12">What starts as simple team exercises in a swimming pool evolves to more demanding activity.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4c80">A weighted ring was passed around a circle of men treading water. The only rule was to keep your hands above the surface. But, then the instructors started adding more rings.<br />In the end, there‘s’ more pairs of hands than heads up there.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="25e7">Next thing you know, you’re under water, trying to untie knots in a dive mask and the scuba instructor is pulling your mask off in the middle of the exercise to see if you can complete the task under new circumstances.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bc95">Water rushes in. Temporary blindness and now the prospect of drowning should not deter you from getting the knot untied. Further down the road, neither should a knife in the back.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="754a">But, that’s why they’re badass. I’m not that badass.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Well, maybe one-day.</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="e0f4"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="557f">One of the most curious things I’ve heard from a mentor of spiritual study was,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="ad10">I never debate.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="c180">It has taken me a long time to meditate on those words, and the more I look to all of the major religions of the world, Christianity being the one with the most followers, I can’t help but ask myself what would happen if…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6df6">Well, if we all just conformed? And would the absence of debate lead to conformity? Or would the truth lead the wrong to self-destruction?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2b94">It’s a lot like Amazon monopolizing the trade industry, especially booksellers. But, the fact is, they have a better system!</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a26c">I’m not vying for one religious system over another, yet.<br />I’m just making a statement.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="34a6">Societal structure is based off how we handle transactions. Now, imagine not being able to make transactions in any traditional currencies. You’d be ousted. Forced into labor or slavery for trade.<br />Isn’t that the most convenient way to perform an instant rapture?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cb44">Whosoever was good by the laws of collective man, would be able to continue transacting.<br />They’d be chosen.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="3b3f">Which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t also silence the damned.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="5e4c">I recently sat through a Zoom meeting with my peers. It was the monthly.<br />I could see all of our little icons on-screen that were attending but there was no option to un-mute ourselves and offer opinions or feedback.<br />Even when the meeting was over, the manager just offered a brief thank you and disconnected.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6a68">We were all left aghast.<br />Not that we didn’t see it coming. They must’ve finally gotten tired of hearing the same old complaints each month.<br />Honestly though, don’t ever let me be a manager like that!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="59b3">People should be able to at least ask questions.<br />If you don’t give them that, you’ll just eventually be trying to block out the sound of their torment from the depths of hell.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="16a7"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4d6c">The fact is, when one system seems to work better than another, more people tend to use it. It’s easier, more concise, more connected, less likely to be mis-interpreted…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0114">Though there are always downfalls.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Some people need a bit more discipline, a few more falls and failures to finally form a strong grip.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5bf6">Is there research on this? Do those who get it easy up front eventually fall hard later?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7e54"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">It’s probably irrelevant.</em><br />What is important is that the best system draws the most people to come together in unity. And the point of life is in the people.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9062">So, it would stand that the most popular stuff,whatever it may be, is the best way to get more connected to life.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5b4b"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4620">A friend of mine and his wife are moving out of their neighborhood because they found out a child predator lives two doors down. He was so excited to move that he was practically ready to bake the guy a pie.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">He said he would poison it first, but… (I assume he was being sarcastic, as he was joking about the whole thing anyhow)</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b993">But, man, it’s got to be hell to be that predator guy.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="7ccf"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">I’m not vying for one kind of person over another, yet.<br />I’m just making a statement.</em></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="0814">But, being totally cut off from community and publicly ousted?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="077b">I told my friend, with a rather light <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk03Rkto3zIt1rHa6B1IXYvymUkiPDA%3A1615871697586&ei=0T5QYKytI4fL_QaApY-wCw&q=aire&oq=aire&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBAgjECcyBQgAELEDMgUIABCxAzICCAAyAggAMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQMyBQgAELEDMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQM6BwgAEEcQsAM6BAgAEEM6CAgAELEDEIMBOgUIABCRAlDKqUpYn61KYJSuSmgBcAJ4AIABsQGIAaAEkgEDMC40mAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpesgBCMABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwjs2aWUh7TvAhWHZd8KHYDSA7YQ4dUDCAw&uact=5" href="https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk03Rkto3zIt1rHa6B1IXYvymUkiPDA%3A1615871697586&ei=0T5QYKytI4fL_QaApY-wCw&q=aire&oq=aire&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBAgjECcyBQgAELEDMgUIABCxAzICCAAyAggAMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQMyBQgAELEDMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQM6BwgAEEcQsAM6BAgAEEM6CAgAELEDEIMBOgUIABCRAlDKqUpYn61KYJSuSmgBcAJ4AIABsQGIAaAEkgEDMC40mAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpesgBCMABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwjs2aWUh7TvAhWHZd8KHYDSA7YQ4dUDCAw&uact=5" rel="noopener" target="_blank">aire</a>, that hey,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="6088">“God brings everyone into your life for a reason.<br />Even the hurt ones.”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="1382">His wife was right though, and I just did an <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://elventesai.medium.com/basic-instincts-878b40c5cd86" href="https://elventesai.medium.com/basic-instincts-878b40c5cd86" rel="noopener" target="_blank">article on Norway and how they rehabilitate their felons back into society</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="819a">It’s probably not the best idea to start the guy back out on the same block as a high school swimming team, especially with an unenclosed Olympic pool.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5348">I mean, how much glory is a man like that suppose to have at risk before he won’t pick up his 10X zoom Canon camera from the bedroom window?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b65a">Furthermore, even if he does resist the devil’s temptation, what’s stopping some billionaire from zooming right in via satellite while floating on their yacht in the Pacific and doing the exact same thing?!<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Also his glory at risk?</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="12b5">Everybody lookout!<br /><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-note20-5g/" href="https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-note20-5g/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Samsung</a> just released a 50X zoom lens on their new <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-note20-5g/" href="https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-note20-5g/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Note 20</a> telephones that you could capture the tail feathers of a red robin from a football field away!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="81ad"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I’ll just keep my kids indoors!</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="ca20"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="9a3f">The fact is, the world is a beautiful thing and everything in it. The older I get, the more I understand that perversion is the real demon.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="efae"><em class="markup--em markup--blockquote-em">Perversion: </em>The alteration of something from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended.<br />-Oxford Languages</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="f782">You can take a picture of anything and cherish it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5a38">I wrote a book called <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3bP6ygV" href="https://amzn.to/3bP6ygV" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Still Perfect</a>. It’s kinda creepy, but I was thinking a lot about this topic after watching <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Robin Williams</a> in <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265459/" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265459/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">One Hour Photo</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b252">I mean, centuries ago it was sin to even write things down.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Perhaps because it could later be perverted?</em><br />Way back in time, the Pheryllt priests only dared to keep their knowledge in Leaf Houses.<br />They would burn symbols into leaves and string them on a long line in a hall to later decipher their meanings by flipping through.<br />It may be where <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">the leaves of a book</em> came from.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3245">Before that, history and religion was passed down through stories. Verbally and through dance and acting.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d0bb">Back then hope was always in the future. Excitement was always in the present.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5145">There was no capturing moments. You took what you could get and moved on. Built. Made things better. No regrets.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="139a">Now, we snap a pic of something and it’s kinda like telling the Universe, I don’t have time to enjoy this now so let’s capture it. Look at it again later…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="25d9">But later, God may have better plans for you!<br />And your picture is fine, too! As long as it’s not perverse! Hang it on the wall.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="98c7">The beauty of life lies in its unpredictable end.<br />You might just have long enough to get your point across yet. So stay focused.<br />Just not on teens in bikinis.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6296">Enjoy the waves, sand, and sunset once in awhile, and breathe the fresh air as it comes your way.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="3874"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="26a4">Let’s face it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9029">The best things are suppose to be left for the dead.<br />Else, what’s there to reach for?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="0543">Only unrealized actions can be harnessed as fuel.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="a6c0">All those clean and dirty thoughts are just ponies of potential racing through the gorge.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0511">With that thought, someone needs to create a group of Shunamatistic Nuns that pray over all these old men in the hospital while covertly flashing their tits at the old geezers, just in case its his final trip to Valhalla.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="eb97">Ladies, you deserve the same — I just couldn’t think of the proper metaphor, or didn’t want to picture men in kilts;)</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="c5b8">Society would have them sign a waiver, of course.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="d129"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7097">If you’re inspired, connect with me over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0c0b">If you’re curious, leave me your email <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ff46">If you like any of this stuff… help pay for my kids’ lunches over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cef9">Wanna collaborate? Connect with me over a cup of coffee…<br />but not <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That would just be weird.</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="9867"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="84d6"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="04f6"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b889"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fcc7"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="8af2"><br /><br /></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-11622438803484713802021-03-15T17:10:00.003-07:002021-03-15T17:10:44.438-07:00Silver Linings Playbook Review<section class="section section--body" name="1115"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h1 class="graf graf--h4" name="291c" style="text-align: left;">Being the <a class="markup--anchor markup--h4-anchor" data-href="https://www.insider.com/who-has-been-sexiest-man-alive-people-2018-11#2011-bradley-cooper-27" href="https://www.insider.com/who-has-been-sexiest-man-alive-people-2018-11#2011-bradley-cooper-27" rel="noopener" target="_blank">sexiest man in the world</a> gives you room to be bat-shit crazy</h1></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="5f03"><img alt="Bradley Cooper Jennifer Lawrence silver linings playbook" class="graf-image" data-height="928" data-image-id="1*FsePELPKo-Rqhm_8pVnc6g.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1603" height="371" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*FsePELPKo-Rqhm_8pVnc6g.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image Courtesy of <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfgangkuhnle/8350569304" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfgangkuhnle/8350569304" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Flickr.com</a> and edited by the author</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="8617">For years, my mother had been telling me to watch the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045658/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045658/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Silver Linings Playbook</a> with <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0177896/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0177896/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bradley Cooper</a> and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2225369/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2225369/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Jennifer Lawrence</a>.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="6c34">It would have nothing to do with the fact that people always say I look like him. But, Mom’s interest in my watching it was more-so along the lines that I act just like he does in the movie.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="9616">My wife, Angela and I watched it together and she totally agrees.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1779">I had stuck a picture of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.insider.com/category/bradley-cooper" href="https://www.insider.com/category/bradley-cooper" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Cooper</a> on my dream board a few years back as an ultimate goal of one-day becoming his stunt double.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="14a3">I can definitely take a few hits for minimum wage.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="77c3">Hell, I’ve been doing it my whole life!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="269d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7814">So, what ‘s the Universe telling me through this movie? To take my medicine, or that I need a wife just as crazy as I am?<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Who knows</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ba0e">The world is a shit-show right now.<br />Everyone seems to want to point fingers at everyone else. Who’s responsible.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">And this is not a shot at my mother, in any way</em>! This is just speaking in general.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5ba9">I told Angela that we’d have cannon fodder for Thanksgiving, as she and Mom have been locked in an unspoken battle of wills since Mom accidentally cut our cake on wedding day.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d0f6">I’m not real sure what Dad is trying to achieve?<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Family harmony</em>?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d9e2">Mom and Angela, both are definitely working together to keep me from ever going off the deep-end again. My sister is still trying to help us all see we need more Jesus in our lives, and my brother, well, he’s a die-hard football fan.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5672">Go <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.buccaneers.com/" href="https://www.buccaneers.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bucs</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0c3e">So, yeah. We’re all a pretty good semblance of the film.</p><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="d2c4">Guess, that makes my review relevant.</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="c0c9">Pat, that’s the main character played by Cooper, is failing to see that his marriage is over, after catching his wife with another guy and going ape shit.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4774">He gets out of the mental institution an unchanged man.<br />Well, I mean, he’s learned a few things that can help him grow, but he still believes the same stuff, and acts just as bipolar.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Which I just see as normal</em>, but, I’m also off my meds.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1529">He’s focused on getting his life back together, but still thinks his entire life revolves around his ex-wife.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c4a3">Meanwhile, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://jenniferlawrencefoundation.com/" href="https://jenniferlawrencefoundation.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Jennifer Lawrence</a> (<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://jenniferlawrencefoundation.com/" href="https://jenniferlawrencefoundation.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">W</em>OW! Check out her website!</strong></a>), who plays Tiffany is going through a tough time after her husband is killed and takes a liking to Pat.<br />She seems to be handling things a little better than he is, but only because she’s more inwardly broken.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ea53">Pat, on the other hand is outwardly broken. You can see it in his eyes, his unshaven beard, his actions.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d65c">The two are made for each other.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Which explains why they start dancing together.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d1aa">You’ll have to watch it to really get the feel of what’s going on.<br />But <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000134/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t3" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000134/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t3" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Robert De Niro</a> plays Pat’s father (<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">and does a phenomenal job in the role</em>), dictating the family fortune and basing its success or failure on his son Pat’s relationship and state of sanity.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1830">It all boils down to whether Pat will stop obsessing over his ex and see the woman he has right in front of him, which is ironic since Pat is constantly correcting his Dad’s OCD-like quirks over the football games.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Albeit, I’m sure that PAT feels a little put off since he’s the only one being called crazy.</em></p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="d693">It’s all a little bit crazy!</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="3fa6"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7bbe"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000134/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000134/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pat Senior</a> was always disappointed when his crazy son wouldn’t sit and watch the game with him, bent on believing that it was Pat that was bringing him good luck. But, there was a revelation when Tiffany declared that her and Pat spending time together was the reason for all of the good fortune the Father was having lately.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="63aa">During a brief spell, I was almost convinced that everyone on screen was in on getting Pat back on track by setting him and Tiffany up together.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">But that was probably my own bi-polar.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d0ff">The dancing was meh, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">but hey we’re in our forties, </em>the cast was amazing, the direction by <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751102/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr1" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751102/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">David O. Russell</a> was outstanding, apparently! I didn’t go behind the scenes, but c’mon I wouldn’t be surprised if they had Bradley on Lithium for the shoot.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1073">It was a tear-jerker for me.<br />I can’t speak for my wife, but I’m certain that it was way too real for her. She was probably left thinking,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="22e5">“Maybe you should marry someone a little crazier.”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="f487">She didn’t say that because she’s nice.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9f97">And, it’s only fair.<br />I always tell her she should have married a priest. Because, I’m mean.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d3c7">On the flip-side, she pretends to be as crazy as a loon and me as holy as a donut. Are we pretending? Who knows!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f507"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bet ya didn’t know that!</em></p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b8a8">Hey, we’ve all got our bright sides or <a class="markup--anchor markup--pullquote-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045658/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045658/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt" rel="noopener" target="_blank">silver linings</a>!</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="1c70"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="f967">The fact that it’s called <em class="markup--em markup--h3-em">The Silver Lining</em> is another conundrum in itself.</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="a446">Officially, they say that clouds have a <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045658/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045658/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt" rel="noopener" target="_blank">silver lining</a>, kinda like,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a932"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">once the rain is gone we’ll be all white and poofy again</em>.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="3945">It reminds me of the corona you see just before the sun comes up. But the fact is, we all have good and bad parts. Good and bad days.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">So does life.</em></p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="7669">With people, it’s important to realize that the sun, in your world, doesn’t rise and set with <em class="markup--em markup--blockquote-em">them</em>.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="f7de">Sometimes, everyone will look dark. But when that happens, remember their silver lining, because they could be another shining star in your living room when it all plays out right.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="9f73">Treat people according to their silver lining and you might one-day be as righteous as we think we are.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Well, mine’s getting a little thin…</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d47e">The important part is, when the bright side comes back around again on life itself, that we all be there together…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="29b1"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="61b2">…And if you want to prevent people from falling into the trap of placing the sunset behind your eyes, you can always introduce yourself the way my good friend <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/woodyshort/" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/woodyshort/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Woody Short</a> use to do and say,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="dca6">“Nice to meet you. I’m just gonna warn you now, eventually, I don’t know why, and I don’t know when — it might not even be my fault, but eventually, I’ll piss ya off.”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="8f41">And don’t forget to say</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="314c">“Sorry in advance.”</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5a01"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b2c3">If you’re inspired, connect with me over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8216">If you’re curious, leave me your email <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8f37">If you like any of this stuff… help pay for my kids’ lunches over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bc71">Wanna collaborate? Connect with me over a cup of coffee…<br />but not <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That would just be weird.</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="7f80"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="aa3a"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6722"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2191"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="af49"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-16673270401085393182021-03-11T17:33:00.000-08:002021-03-11T22:30:59.017-08:00Fidelity Investing Advice for Everyone<section class="section section--body" name="16d3"><div class="section-content">
<div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
<figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetLeft" name="f8eb"><img alt="Financial Advice Street Sign" class="graf-image" data-height="183" data-image-id="1*M9aDiuBFK8PbtYPUwu0i3Q.jpeg" data-width="276" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/600/1*M9aDiuBFK8PbtYPUwu0i3Q.jpeg" /></figure><div class="graf graf--p" name="200d">
Whatever your level of experience with money, it is always good to get back to the brass tacks once in awhile.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="d0ee">
That’s a reference to the strip that goes down on the concrete, before laying the carpet, for all of you white collar workers out there.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="632c">
No matter if you have a hard time saving or if you already have a decent nest egg, you better take an interest in your money working the hardest and making the most for you.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5b96">
The worst mistake to make with money is letting it sit idle and unemployed. While there is something to be said about the safety in keeping a certain sum tucked away, in a safe or in the form of bullion, I don’t want to get lost in that argument. With that, take two percent post-tax and hide it.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0586">
Let’s move on.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="6f80">
I am in no way a representative for <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.fidelity.com/" href="https://www.fidelity.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fidelity</a> but I have become an advocate. I’ve found <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.fidelity.com/" href="https://www.fidelity.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fidelity</a> to offer the most comprehensive structure for growing finances available. I can say that because I have tried nearly every platform out there. Etrade, Robinhood, Stash, Chime, Numerous Bank branches…</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="7e91">
I trade stock, keep a 401k through my employer, max out my Roth IRA, and utilize Fidelity’s cash management account.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="2e84">
These four things, I’ve found through many years of trial and error, to be the perfect marriage for keeping your money in a state of constant growth. It works well, because you can fertilize, so to speak, your investments to your liking.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="2f66">
Let me elaborate and try and sway you into being smart with your money in a very simple kind of way.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7b32">
If you are just starting out, and are interested in trading stock and things of that nature, be smart and get yourself a structure that will allow that first.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="f8bf">
If your company doesn’t offer a 401k or a pension, I highly suggest searching for a company that does. Self-employed? Even better! Set up a solo 401k and match yourself.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="069e">
My advice? Do it through <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.fidelity.com/" href="https://www.fidelity.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fidelity</a>. If your company does their 401k through another financial institution, see if that institution offers Roth IRA, Individual Trading, and money management options. If so, maybe you should consolidate all of your accounts into that one institution. The key to constant growth is accessibility, simplicity, and structure.</div>
<figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetLeft" name="6b90"><img alt="money tree" class="graf-image" data-height="168" data-image-id="1*Elb62n5_Z47xKPYUSE_kug.jpeg" data-width="300" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/600/1*Elb62n5_Z47xKPYUSE_kug.jpeg" /></figure><div class="graf graf--p" name="b0d6">
The tree of finance’s structure is four tiered.</div>
<h4 class="graf graf--h4" name="c741">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--h4-strong">The top tier is the 401k.</strong></h4>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0351">
Your 401k is where you push the largest sum possible to savings. It is only accessible through loans, and even then, only to fifty percent of your vested balance. Also, it’s pre-taxed and employers often match your contributions, so put as much as you can into it per paycheck.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="316f">
A 401k offers buy-ins to portfolios containing multiple stocks depending on what you choose. It differs from an IRA (your next tier) in such that it doesn’t offer you the flexibility of buying individual stocks. However, you can still log-in and look at the performance metrics of the offered portfolios and restructure your own portfolio of ETF’s (collection of portfolios) to better suit your growth goals.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="2f7b">
In other words: You can log-in and look at how your 401k choices are doing and change the options to better performing ones with a few clicks of the mouse. This you should do a few times a year.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3c12">
The hardest part of the 401k is the first ten thousand dollars. Set that goal and push hard to make it as fast as possible. When you reach it, things will get a bit easier.</div>
<h4 class="graf graf--h4" name="b499">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--h4-strong">The next tier down is the ROTH IRA.</strong></h4>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="6f69">
The ROTH IRA may be the most beautiful form of investment available. The only bummer is that you can only contribute six thousand dollars to it per year!</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="2d06">
I know that sounds like a lot of money to some of you. If it does, then you really need to focus on tier one this year! Take my advice and contribute at least twenty percent of your income into your 401k.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0928">
It sounds like a lot of money to put out of reach right now, but let me take a second and appeal to your logical side.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0352">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">There is a golden rule that says,</em></div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="892f">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--pullquote-strong"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">“Pay yourself first.”</em></strong></blockquote>
<figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetLeft" name="e66f"><img class="graf-image" data-height="167" data-image-id="1*kKaTc8msq8Zuqdi2AzkoJg.jpeg" data-width="218" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/600/1*kKaTc8msq8Zuqdi2AzkoJg.jpeg" /></figure><div class="graf graf--p" name="e6a9">
Everyone has heard it, few know what it means.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0006">
You work hard. Every hour you work, you trade your life for dollars. Those dollars you in-turn trade for things, or, time with loved ones. When you spend those dollars, they are gone forever. Your <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">life</em>- is gone forever.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="db69">
Your 401k is:<strong class="markup--strong markup--blockquote-strong"> <em class="markup--em markup--blockquote-em">your life, worked</em></strong> (past tense). The money in your 401k is constantly making money little by little, and lots by lots when it gets bigger.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="1a4f">
The money in your 401k is essentially, the worker that you’ve been, becoming, the worker that you are.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3406">
Your 401k is <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">your guarantee that you are not giving your years away to everyone but yourself</em></strong>.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="0120">
If you give someone some money, give yourself twice that. You’ve earned it.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="de47">
Enough said.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="1e7c">
Warren Buffet knows this rule well, and it was taught to the rich since currency came into existence. Read <a class="markup--anchor markup--blockquote-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/2BKT1aU" href="https://amzn.to/2BKT1aU" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong class="markup--strong markup--blockquote-strong">the richest man in Babylon</strong></a> and see for yourself!</blockquote>
<h4 class="graf graf--h4" name="ea74">
<strong class="markup--strong markup--h4-strong">But back to tier two, the ROTH IRA.</strong></h4>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="4e6b">
Your ROTH IRA gives you the flexibility to withdraw what you contribute without a penalty. As long as you don’t withdraw any of the earnings, that is. Also, you can invest the money that is in the ROTH IRA into whatever stocks you choose. If you prefer to keep your money in AMAZON or GOOGLE, you can do that!</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="c8fb">
Whatever companies you feel are growing fast, you can put your money there.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="9ec9">
<a class="markup--anchor markup--blockquote-anchor" data-href="https://www.fidelity.com/" href="https://www.fidelity.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fidelity</a> even lets you buy partial shares, so you can invest whatever amount you want into those companies without having to wait until you have thousands in the account. So you can start your money growing right away.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="9cae">
This means larger returns than an average savings account, even if you are minimally vigilant or just getting to know the ropes of trading.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="687a">
I suggest keeping money invested in large safe companies in the ROTH IRA. Berkshire Hathaway, Google, Amazon, etc. An investor once told me that he likes things that everyone always needs, like toothpaste. I think we’ve all seen the demand for toilet paper.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8949">
Your ROTH IRA is a great well of money you can use to pay back any loans you take from your 401k. When you take your contributions out from this account you will be left with all of the capital gains.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="0204">
So always contribute the maximum amount each year!</blockquote>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="f975">
On top of the flexibility and great interest rates of a ROTH, you also get a tax credit for one thousand dollars at the end of the year called a Saver’s credit just for contributing to it!</blockquote>
<figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetLeft" name="8954"><img class="graf-image" data-height="159" data-image-id="1*C4JWY9VCU6NdS8IN-Om_lg.jpeg" data-width="317" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/600/1*C4JWY9VCU6NdS8IN-Om_lg.jpeg" /></figure><h4 class="graf graf--h4" name="157f">
The third tier is what I call the Small Capitalization account.</h4>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="0117">
This account is an individual stock account that you keep all of the money you don’t need to be liquid-able day-to-day. A small note should be placed here on liquid and non-liquid assets for the beginner.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="18f4">
Liquid assets are like the cash in your wallet. The dinero on you debit card. Anything that can be accessed straight away. For example, money you may need for gas, food, and other odds and ends. I’m going to say four days worth of living expenses is enough to have in a checking or cash management account (your next tier) at any one time.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="016a">
Because, what is in your checking account is only gaining a small percentage. And some checking accounts don’t pay interest at all, or worse, charge you! So beware of that.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="b85d">
I am not going to include credit cards in liquid assets. Though, if you are super smart, you can keep all of your money invested and pay down your credit cards from your Small Capitalization account before they become due. But, that is a technique, that, if you’ve gotten all of this so far, you probably already know!</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="80bd">
Non-liquid assets are things like your equity, you car (cuz you’d have to pawn it or sell it to use the money), your 401k (cuz you have to wait for processing before you get the money out, and your stocks (because you have to wait for market open to sell them, and then wait three days for the funds to settle).</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="235c">
The Small Capitalization tier is exactly what it describes, your place to make the most out of your money. <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Capitalize</strong>.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="d455">
In the Small Cap account you should invest in what you like and feel is trending.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="2876">
If you like Nike, invest. If you like Starbucks, invest. The key to managing a Small Cap account is in never selling at a loss, or at least not selling <em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">frequently</em> at a loss.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7af3">
The win comes from managing the <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">timing</em>.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5602">
Your money here is invested in your likes, so it can feel trendy at times, and it can be tempting to hold onto stuff you like when it goes over twenty percent. But, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">using your intuition, it can be wise to close positions when they top twenty percent and take the capital gain</em>. Then in a few days or weeks, if you’re still loving that trend, get back in. If you stay with something long enough, then think of making it a part of your ROTH IRA.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="49c2">
It’s your world, so invest your way.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5c81">
The key is not to let your money sit. When it does sit, let it sit in a cash management account that draws interest or in bonds (which are another story in themselves). Though I advise keeping bonds a small part of your 401k.</div>
<h4 class="graf graf--h4" name="ea5c">
The fourth tier is your Cash Management or Checking Account.</h4>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="efeb">
This is where you will keep your liquid assets, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">if you’re not playing the credit card game</em>. Which, by the way, you should pay down to zero balances. Why?</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="2c65">
There is no sense in paying twenty two percent interest on credit card balances while you’re making less than twenty percent gains in your Small Cap account.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3c0d">
But, that being said, if you are in over your head in debt and trying to start out here with investing, <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">don’t bypass the golden rule</strong>.</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="7452">
Pay yourself first.</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="a53e">
Make deals with your creditors to pay them back with a percentage each check, but <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">pay yourself first</strong>!</div>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="924a">
Once you get that 401k over ten thousand then you can think about using funds from your ROTH IRA or 401k loans to pay those creditors down, too. Always pay yourself first. No one deserves it more!</blockquote>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="f849">
<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.fidelity.com/" href="https://www.fidelity.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fidelity</a> offers all four types of accounts and makes them accessible in one place on-line. In my experience, they offer a simple and profitable platform for even the newest investors to pursue the American dream.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="a319">
Financial freedom does not discriminate. Every American has the ability and right to put themselves first when it comes to earning a living.</div>
</div>
</div>
</section><section class="section section--body" name="4a8c"><div class="section-divider">
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<div class="graf graf--p" name="819a">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida who has shared a genuine interest in philosophy and writing since early childhood. He is a husband and father of four. Jay enjoys writing fiction, humor, horror, and teen & young adult.</em></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="112b">
<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">View all of his professional and philosophical works of literature on his Amazon author page where you will find blogs, videos, and free excerpts:<br /> </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/2HnKcnj" href="https://amzn.to/2HnKcnj" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay M Horne</em></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-29592132874244770672021-03-09T22:55:00.001-08:002021-03-09T22:55:10.963-08:00Gnosis<section class="section section--body" name="6057"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h1 class="graf graf--h4" name="a08b" style="text-align: left;">So much that I do not know…</h1></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="8347"><img alt="eye in the sky" class="graf-image" data-height="806" data-image-id="1*i_et8IaQajyVORrOi6pNBA.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1788" height="289" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*i_et8IaQajyVORrOi6pNBA.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image by <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/users/1tamara2-15516491/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5623646" href="https://pixabay.com/users/1tamara2-15516491/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5623646" rel="noopener" target="_blank">1tamara2</a> from <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5623646" href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5623646" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pixabay</a> and <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Man_Stars_Goblin_Valley_%28Unsplash%29.jpg/2048px-Man_Stars_Goblin_Valley_%28Unsplash%29.jpg" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Man_Stars_Goblin_Valley_%28Unsplash%29.jpg/2048px-Man_Stars_Goblin_Valley_%28Unsplash%29.jpg" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Unsplash</a> | edited by the author</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b4ed">Being raised in a family who didn’t regularly attend church, I had no solid foundation for understanding what exactly my spirit was made of.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9781">Dinner-time prayer, grade-school, holiday church visits with the grandparents, and a healthy upbringing encouraged my growth physically, but only gently suggested that I should ever ask the big questions.<br />I never remember anyone trying to tell me what I <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">should</em> believe, well, except for strangers.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4490">Interesting concept, that.<br />If you really think about it, aren’t those people who try and tell you what you should believe the ones that you keep at arms length, or eventually push away?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e8fc"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Maybe we make them strangers for our own good?<br /></em>Perhaps, because they are strange.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="bf4e"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="5059">Recently, I was sitting with my teenage daughter and having a discussion about how life can get repetitive, and in-turn look boring. But I was iterating that the repetition is still just as beautiful and amazing as the first time around, because it is now essentially different. In its own time and way.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fcc6"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Can’t step into the same stream twice kinda thing.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="21fc">I remember how boring schoolwork got when you already knew what you were doing. And I remember how hard it was to say the same things about myself when moving to a new state and meeting new friends. And I remember how hard it was to finish my nine-to-five instead of leaving mid-shift to go join the circus!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c8b5">Now, as a husband and father.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="45e9">I even am aware how uneasy it <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">could</em> be to have sex with the same partner every time I get a whim.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f89b">So, what’s changed? <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Besides the pharmaceutical industry</em>?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="e0da"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="194c">Time.<br />When the second hand moves, the whole universe has shifted position and it will never return to that exact configuration in an eternity.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Every moment is original.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="40d9">It is very apparent to a Gnostic.<br />All we must do is breathe in and be here. Feel our cells exchange, look into a Physicist’s electron microscope and watch a charged particle whir.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ad17">A husband tells his wife,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="44d7">“You get more beautiful every <em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">time</em> I look at you.”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="bc7f">It’s the honest truth.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5be3"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="c5c6">But as children, both of men and humanity, we lay in the grass and look up at the stars.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9947">In them, we see the outer reaches of our own internal explosions. Our furthest viewable memories.<br />And night after night they return. Unchanged.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2c04">To those fresh eyes, it is evidence that life is boring. Stuck.<br />Always the same.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6c7d">Such a beautiful sky! But tomorrow the same.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">It’s only turning round and changing position…</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5623">Sooner or later it’s gonna get boring.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6778">This is life for us young humans. I dare to say life for <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">the once and twice born souls of yesteryear's</em>.<br />I can say that, because I am only learning.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bc5b">But those souls will always eventually ask in hopes of gaining more understanding,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="b3e7">“What can we do to shake things up a bit?”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="888c">And the honest truth is <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">nothing</em>.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="10d6">You can only get more lost.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="f009">But it won’t stop those from trying.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="60c3">And this is where Jesus enters. To break the boredom. To pick up the sparks of the creator that have gotten lost in the shake. It’s not their fault.<br />God makes mistakes too… and learns… and grows.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="af28">I can say these things because I too am learning and growing. <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I’m still making an assumption out of myself.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5c63">Our outer truths may change.<br />Certainly, our inner truths are our stability.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">But should we, even there, use caution</em>?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="21ca">Being immovable is to watch many things break around you, like a jut of rock in the fray.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="8f77"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="9a7d">I am reading and studying both the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-Living-Translation-NLT-Bible/" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-Living-Translation-NLT-Bible/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bible NLT version</a> and the writing of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://gnosis.org/naghamm/jam-meyer.html" href="http://gnosis.org/naghamm/jam-meyer.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Carl Jung</a>, attending mass, meditating, writing, exercising, facing death, and realizing —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="aaff">I know nothing at all.<br />But, I am building a version of myself in a place far off from here. Something I can look up to. Something I can look forward to.<br />And it is always quite blurry.<br />But the point is in focusing on it so that it clears up a bit.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c3ad">Once it does, I will know exactly where I am headed.<br />The Japanese call this their Budo, or Warrior Spirit.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1fff"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://hatsumi.org/" href="https://hatsumi.org/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi, Soke,</a> likes to physically repaint the version of his Budo as it transgresses so that he can clearly see it each day on the wall.<br />Is that an altar? Or is it just a reminder to be a better man and remember all your passions in your growth?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1d5c"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I will be unafraid.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="12f7">I will have built up too much momentum to even consider stopping anyway.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="46f2">This is faith.<br />Can faith be forced?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="125d">Well, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://twitter.com/sadhgurujv/status/970127970072440837?lang=en" href="https://twitter.com/sadhgurujv/status/970127970072440837?lang=en" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sadghuru</a> once said that,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="53a0">“Whatever you do, you can either do it willingly or unwillingly. If you do it willingly, it will be heaven. If you do it unwillingly, it will be hell.”</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="9618"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="a066">Virgil was once taking Dante on a tour of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.<br />They were trapped in a one-way current headed straight towards the gates of hell.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="69a1">Dante sees what’s inside and asks Virgil how he can escape the coming madness and Virgil says to effect,</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="e568">“The way out is through!”</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="268e"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="fca5">Honey,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6941">I loved you when I met you. You were beautiful.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="69a0">You were beautiful then and are still. So, I love you doubly now.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c181">I love the tomorrow you even more, for there will be three of you to love, each one better than the last.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="27b7"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="62ef">If you’re inspired, connect with me over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="64b4">If you’re curious, leave me your email <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7593">If you like any of this stuff… buy me a coffee over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7f34">Wanna collaborate? Connect with me over a cup of coffee…<br />but not <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That would just be weird.</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2186"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="dc1a"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b177"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1ef0"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1349"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-1798795070717302572021-03-08T23:35:00.005-08:002021-03-08T23:43:00.464-08:00The Death Sentence<section class="section section--body" name="2d0e"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h1 class="graf graf--p" name="feb4" style="text-align: left;">Is it God’s will? Our will? His will or their will?</h1></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="735a"><img alt="sentence of Death" class="graf-image" data-height="1516" data-image-id="1*dmzdcTz9PnoPt6KAwiUQ8g.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="3020" height="321" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*dmzdcTz9PnoPt6KAwiUQ8g.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image produced by the Author | copyright Bookflurry Inc. 2021</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="87e4">I enjoy my church.<br />It’s <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bridgechurchfl.com/" href="https://www.bridgechurchfl.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Bridge at Palma Sola Bay</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3147">I will continue to enjoy it unless I do something dumb enough that they would ban me.<br />I’m competing with myself for that award so, I know the bar is high!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9c47">I once told my pastor, after he was so inspired by the worship team’s music that he danced right out onto stage early, that I loved his sermon and his energy, but I had yet to eat enough mushrooms as to accidentally find myself up there dancing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5d10">He chuckled playfully. Probably unsure of whether to nervously encourage my own energy or suggest I not eat mushrooms.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="da8f">It’s a real possibility.<br />Not me eating the mushrooms, my wife and children would never stand for that, but the music being so inspiring that you dance your way onto the stage.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0954">Reality was, I’d simply been reading <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/" href="https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a book on mushrooms</a>, and I have a tendency to become what I read, <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">temporarily</i>.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="6da3"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f7c7">Currently, I’ve been reading through the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.tyndale.com/nlt/" href="http://www.tyndale.com/nlt/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NLT Bible</a>, which I suggest everyone try — and make sure it is the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3ccPWyJ" href="https://amzn.to/3ccPWyJ" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NLT</a> because it is written to where a normal (<i class="markup--em markup--p-em">if I’m normal</i>) person can read it like a novel.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f056">It’s not written all archaic, or Yoda-like. So, if you can read this article with some pleasure, you can probably read the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3ccPWyJ" href="https://amzn.to/3ccPWyJ" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NLT</a> with almost as much.<br />That was a pat on my own back if you missed it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="734d"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Go away ego.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="084d">Anyhow, I am up to the book of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%201&version=NIV" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%201&version=NIV" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Judges,</a> and I am unsure whether I am just trying to get everything off of my chest that I feel about judging, before I finish reading it, or if I’ve actually learned something from what I’ve read so far.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="371b">Truth is, there has been a whole lot of judging going on in my life lately, and I have found it to be quite interventional. Is that a word?<br />What I mean is, it is kind of ghostly. No.<br />Weird.<br />No.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a0ee">Well, have you ever felt like a song was about to come on the radio and then it does? Or been thinking of your wife, then she calls?<br /><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">My wife calls all the time:)<br /></i>That was also a pat on my own back;) Well hey, I think of her all the time!<br />Heck, maybe I need one as bad as you guys do sometimes!</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="5b25">Point is, I come across this book <a class="markup--anchor markup--pullquote-anchor" data-href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%201&version=NIV" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%201&version=NIV" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Judges</a> right when all this judgement is upon me and my family.<br />Coincidental? I’m not gonna say it’s a God thing because, hey, isn’t everything?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="dc9b">Anyhow, I recently had a conversation with a loved one about how being hateful to bad people is not our place.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="3cbe">“Is it our place to stand at the window of the death chamber and throw curses at the man about to be permanently punished by electrocution?”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="ee77">No.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fda7">It would be an inspiring painting to see and wonder which person is more disgusting?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="24aa">But in the end, my answer would be</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="c36c">a soft <i class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">neither</i>.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="c5b7">They are both just learning. Students and teachers.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="abe5">It would be <i class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">shocking</i> for you to hear me say that both would be beautiful.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="ecbc"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="874b">Sometimes, we wish we could just produce a random number generator to decide men’s ultimate fates.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8e8f">Did you know the switch has been pulled and the person <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/botched-executions" href="https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/botched-executions" rel="noopener" target="_blank">has lived</a>, just to be put to another longer jolt?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c8a7">An executioner’s job is the hardest and heaviest of all humanity. And it hides in other jobs, too.<br />Policemen, Judges, Doctors, Paramedics, Nurses, family members…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="8b67">What’s the difference between killing someone and letting them die? Whether it’s accidentally, for their own good, or in vain?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="d951">I read a few<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/2008/09/interview-with-executioner.html" href="https://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/2008/09/interview-with-executioner.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> interviews on death row executioners</a>.<br />I am no professional, but I’m finding that everyone involved in things share the same connections and thoughts.<br />One of the executioners went as far as to say that he would always suggest to the condemned men to take their last chance to repent, and that he would pray right alongside them because it may just be his last chance as well.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1c44">Really, even if a man does repent, find God on death row, and sit down on that chair…<br />Does the man himself feel that he deserves to die?<br />Does the family?<br />Does the executioner?<br />Does God?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8735">Recently there was a post online that said,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="5851">“You cannot connect to God without loving humanity.”<br />-<a class="markup--anchor markup--pullquote-anchor" data-href="https://erwinmcmanus.com/" href="https://erwinmcmanus.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Erwin Raphael Mcmanus</a></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="83e6">I found that an astounding statement. Then, the next girl pointed out that you could not love humanity without being connected to God.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b281">Sometimes, I think our judgement temporarily severs that connection.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="3160"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7f4b">What if there were a forensic lie detector built into the handles of the lethal injection table? And the man’s final question was,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="8561">“Do you deserve to die?”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="8b58">That is really eerie, right?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7a0c">Then what if a random number generator ran through the choices of death or life in prison —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="303b">I don’t know, I’m not a professional anything, just a philosopher I guess.<br /><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Hope that doesn’t get me in trouble!</i></p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="54cf">Just read your bible, Jay.<br />You obviously need the book of Judges under your belt!</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="795d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7957">If you’re inspired, connect with me over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" href="https://www.bookflurry.com/contact-us-or-request-a-call.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4f20">If you’re curious, leave me your email <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="71e5">If you like any of this stuff… buy me a coffee over <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kquBxVXonYQKBVY286ifIbFf4QH3tI2wGwahhEGMT9hPYr1IVTJ6WkHUcArsopG0TV3pXnKpP-GuV6T6" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0379">Wanna collaborate? Connect with me over a cup of coffee…<br />but not <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" href="https://mailchi.mp/9b0ec6a76691/this-is-your-altar" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">That would just be weird.</i></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2176"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f0fd"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1ba2"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f8d9"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2d1b"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-87788879693912336052021-03-07T06:39:00.002-08:002021-03-07T06:39:28.977-08:00I Know. I Know.<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Know Thyself and Know Nothing at All.</h1><section class="section section--body" name="fd87"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="6efd"><img alt="full of it" class="graf-image" data-height="677" data-image-id="1*aVlrakA6Z6N9lda245B1PQ.jpeg" data-width="1597" height="271" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2600/1*aVlrakA6Z6N9lda245B1PQ.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image by <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/users/anaterate-2348028/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2830904" href="https://pixabay.com/users/anaterate-2348028/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2830904" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wolfgang Eckert</a> from <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2830904" href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2830904" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pixabay</a> and edited by the Author</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="2b48">I’ve been trying really hard lately to replace all of my I knows with I agrees or I disagrees.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="29bc">It’s really hard to add water to a vessel that is already full.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0997">One of the Pastors during a Sunday service said that if you don’t believe in religion, spirituality, a higher power, or God in general, just to simply ask the universe for some understanding.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bb07">It seemed like a ridiculous thing for an atheist to do.<br />I mean, does the universe really have ears?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3ee4">But, after further analysis of myself, I found that the real question was, Do I?<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Have ears , I mean</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2955">The truth be told, my internal dialogue sometimes deafens the external world of teaching moments and opportunity.<br />I can’t tell you how many times I sat through a class in highschool rolling my eyes to the top of my skull in an effort to block out the words of a teacher that I had already heard or I already knew.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9ce1">My thoughts, back then, normally took the guise of excuses.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="828b">“If I listen to this stuff I may actually get dumber!”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="abcc">I would often say.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8bd7">But, the real dialogue that was going on inside my head was more complete. It probably rang more to the tune of,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="1fed">“I already know this stuff!”</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="3c2b"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="170b">The problem is, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I KNOW</em> is a hard stop. Learning done.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b607">I am not an atheist. Ironically, I am a Gnostic. Which technically means <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">one who knows</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9470">Curiously, and repetitively, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">what </em>a Gnostic knows is that he actually knows nothing besides himself. In such a knowing, he always remains an empty vessel, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">ready for another fill</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5625">Possibly, this explains my weakness for alcohol and the ever-present danger of becoming an alcoholic.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="daf1">As long as I keep filling my cup with knowledge, I’ll stay dry.<br />It’s only when boredom sets in that I start turning the tap on the firewater.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="7e8e">And it all has to do with your outlook.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="d0dd">For example, if I am sitting through the same annual refresher course at my career, do I sit there for three or four hours repeating in my head,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="0c98">“I know this stuff already. This is stupid. What a waste of time?”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="6a56">or do I nod while the instructor says verbatim the same thing she’s said three years running, and say to myself,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="432a">“I agree. That’s a good point,”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="8e14">and possibly get a fresh understanding?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a8d0">The truth of the matter is, when I do the latter, I always find new gems during the course because I am a whole new person this year. I understand my job in new ways than I did last year.<br />My brain downloads different bullet points from the same material.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0045">Did you know that it is impossible to memorize a series of objects while you recite the ABC’s?<br />Go ahead try it.<br />Start reciting, out loud the ABC’s over and over, and try and memorize the following objects:</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1ecb">Gold Key<br />White Watch<br />Red Phone<br />Black Cat<br />Blue Dog<br />Grey Elephant<br />Doyouthinkhesaurus</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d666"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That last one was a joke. But you can see my point.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3d3a">It’s like a computer’s hard drive.<br />You can either write info to it or read info from it. Try and do both at the same time and the bits crash mid-stream and cancel each other out.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a264">So basically, you can be talking or you can be listening. Never both.<br />And that goes for the loud mouth inside of your head as well. Just because no one can hear you but you, doesn’t mean you’re not speaking or spewing vocal diarrhea; and you’re definitely not learning.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="0242">Yes. It’s a blind dinosaur.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="121a">Point is, even when someone is saying something I’ve heard a thousand times, I never tell myself I know.<br />I may say I agree, or I disagree, but those brief words don’t end the influx of info.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f5ce"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I Know is never brief.<br /></em>It starts with two little words, and invites the ego to go on a tantrum.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4a10">Next time you find yourself about to tell yourself I know, instead just say I agree and keep listening to the speaker. I will bet you they are about to tell you the next thing they learned after knowing themselves.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b43f">And <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">that</em> you can build on because anyone who knows themselves, probably knows better than you…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="9b85"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4d2a"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br />Love the writing? <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=OsIaswJyGjeoPCLYFaBTN6M6dex-iMpE35aU_Z9Zk1JAUGiAvGjzFYH_Sk7rRDUqdE7RxrHzgq74Gb0A" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=OsIaswJyGjeoPCLYFaBTN6M6dex-iMpE35aU_Z9Zk1JAUGiAvGjzFYH_Sk7rRDUqdE7RxrHzgq74Gb0A" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Buy me a coffee</a>:)</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="863a"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="00e9"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7f7a"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2c3f"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-16143996916541005292021-03-05T20:00:00.006-08:002021-03-05T20:00:34.046-08:00Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Is there a right way to do it?</h1><section class="section section--body" name="7d81"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="ea5f"><img alt="lava drinker" class="graf-image" data-height="680" data-image-id="1*YT69OjXOkG8Uj1GUbNNvpQ.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1276" height="341" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*YT69OjXOkG8Uj1GUbNNvpQ.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image courtesy of <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alessandrobaraldi/11707592415/" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alessandrobaraldi/11707592415/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">flickr</a> and edited by the author</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="746a">You have to give it to the magistrates.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="df36">We think how difficult it must be to exact a ruling that may change peoples’ lives forever. But is it the judgement or the act itself that really changes history?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="7b81">The fact is, oftentimes it’s both.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="3604">I arrived at AA one evening to a guest speaker on the stand.<br />It was the thirtieth anniversary of the night he had killed his best-friend by being drunk behind the wheel at eighteen-years-old.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f88e">He recounted the incident with glossy eyes yet unwavering resolve.<br />Later I would find out it was because he speaks on a weekly basis in schools, at luncheons, in military academies, and at recovery meetings across the country.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="45df">His name will remain anonymous due to the AA creed, but a quick google search will turn up tons of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.news4jax.com/news/2018/06/01/advice-from-drunk-driver-to-teens-dont-do-what-i-did/" href="https://www.news4jax.com/news/2018/06/01/advice-from-drunk-driver-to-teens-dont-do-what-i-did/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">similar stories</em></a> that have led young offenders to a life of public speaking.<br />They all do it for the same reason; because they may save a single life.<br />Some call it atonement.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="72ea">The teen was standing on the witness stand in front of both his and the mourning parents of the friend whose life he had brought to an early end.<br />His parents really lost it when the judge said that their son would be spending the next fifty years behind bars.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c839">But, the story doesn’t end there.<br />Before dropping the gavel in a final ruling, the judge felt the emotion in the courtroom and the weight of such a terrible, though possibly just ruling.<br />With gavel in hand he asked the parents of the victim to stand.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="ff79">“I’m about to cast a ruling that will effect this young man’s future and the future of those he loves. It is your family that has incurred the greatest loss in this tragedy and I’m giving you a chance to pardon or condemn him in your own words,” said the judge.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bb23">The father and mother looked at each other, having already discussed their wishes for the boy in private and said through shaking voices,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="adc8">“We don’t want him to waste his life in a cell. We just want him to live with what he has done.”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="7256">The judge, in turn, revoked his license, placed him on many years of probation, and assigned community service. The parents of his friend essentially saving his life.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="19cd">But it wasn’t long before the pain of what he’d done led the kid right back to drinking. And only after a handful of close calls did he finally find the courage to walk into an AA meeting and finally face the traumatic consequences of his initial wrong-doing.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="f2f6">People are their own most critical judges.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="037b">A good judge knows this and uses the shortcomings that individuals face as grounds for proper coaching.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ff28">Is there a right way to judge? I don’t know.<br />But I know the wrong was is by taking a picture of someone’s past and nailing it to the wall so that you only ever think of them as that moment.<br />People have potential. It lies in both their fortunes and misfortunes.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="01a7">Coachable moments only have the right effect if the offender can see how their actions have affected everyone involved.<br />A smart person will open up their ears and listen to those coaches.<br />Someone not as smart, or simply more stubborn, might take years to admit that they ever wronged anyone.<br />But the truth finally comes to the surface and must be dealt with.<br />It will happen internally or externally, and it is the most important reason that our kids attend church.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3fc1">We’re pre-coaching them and encouraging them to be forgiving to themselves, but to watch out for the worst form of judgements in their own actions, which is when you paint a picture of another person, whether on-line or in public, and stick it on the wall for everyone to throw darts at.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="dd61">It is easy today to say things that hurt others, when all you can see is the screen in front of you, and not the face of who it is you’re speaking with.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="3f99">Even when you’re standing face-to-face with someone, you can never tell if they are smiling within, or just waiting for their own personal space to cry it out.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="836d">Internal dialogue can be so deafening. It is just as loud as external dialogue and has the ability to keep our attention twice as long.<br />It comes with all the inflections and cadence as those we confer with on a daily basis.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dcd4">For that reason alone, it is important to realize that your voice as a coach and parent, oftentimes becomes the internal voice of your children.<br />Then they age, and though their internal voice sounds more like their own, the sarcastic commentary, the demeaning words, and the judgemental undertones will remain the same.<br />Sometimes forever becoming ingrained in their characters.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="f96c"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="ffc3">When I was in my late teenage years, I was a bit of a careless adolescent.<br />It makes me wonder where my kids get it from…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="377e">Anyhow, I had a friend who looked up to me that attended the same martial arts class. We hung out all the time. Practiced our martial arts; did stupid things like all adolescents do.<br />Or do they? I’m still not sure.<br />My wife tells me all the time that just because I did stupid things, it doesn’t mean every kid does.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I’m starting to think she’s right.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b8ec">I had an attitude back then that I was invincible or something.<br />I was always getting angry and acting macho if someone poked at my ego. Eventually, I got into a minor accident while under the influence and had to spend a few weekends in jail.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f2c6">The incident caused strain on my friend and I’s relationship and he flew home to live with his family.<br />I spent the next few years walking or jogging to work and at sometimes living under a tree, in a park close by my job.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fad8">About five years later, I had moved closer to my family and got a new job, my license back, started an on-line business, and had a relationship with one of my co-workers.<br />I had learned my lesson and had turned out to be a pretty happy and understanding person. Being homeless and having to struggle to survive because of your shortcomings can really help you squash your ego.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Maybe that’s why things were turning around!</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="aad4">Around the same time, I had started talking to my friend again on-line and it wasn’t long before we decided that if he moved in with me, we could really get the martial arts business going well.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="42d8">To my dismay, when he arrived, he had adopted the same ‘I don’t care’ attitude that I had been all about those many years ago.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0319">We never worked on the business, spent most of our time in trouble, messed up my relationship with my girlfriend, and finally I just paid for his flight home again.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b8db">I couldn’t understand why he would act like I used to. Didn’t he see how much trouble it had gotten me into?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5308">That’s the thing. Everyone is on a different part of the great timeline of learning in life.<br />Being a leader (<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">a good coach</em>) is in realizing that, though we ourselves might have the strength to get ourselves out of a certain rut, others may not have that strength yet.<br />To set a bad example, is to endanger losing a loved one to the abyss of struggle. And if that person is not prepared to deal with such struggles, you may look back and see a lot of your friends that dared to do the same thing you were doing, but never got out of the rut.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="3414">Forgiving yourself and correcting your path is one thing. Forgiving yourself for altering another’s path is harder.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="cd01"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7e1a"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en" href="https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sadghuru</a> once said that there was a guru who used to walk the roads of India, passing by bars and restaurants, smiling happily each time he ran into friends.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="705d">He eventually gained a following like Forest Gump during his run across America campaign.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="e6ef">Each time him and his entourage would stop at a passing pub, the people laughing and drinking would recognize the famous guru and ask him to join them in the libations.<br />Always the guru would politely refuse, yet join in with some celebrated dancing before moving on.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e1cc">Finally, one day, a patron of one of the pubs asked the guru’s entourage why he never joined them in drinking.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="e98b">“Is he afraid to drink? Is he scared that we will drink him under the table”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="250e">This continued for some days until the guru grew tired of the same badgering from his followers.<br />Then at the very next bar the guru took a gallon of bourbon and drank it straight down with not the slightest ill effect before walking on.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8479">His followers took it as a sign that they were permitted to drink from now on. Each time they passed the pubs, many would get inebriated and some would not be able to follow.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0887">He would advise them against this drinking habit and they would always say,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="2ded">“But guru, you drank a gallon of bourbon with your people just last week.”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="c894">Eventually the guru grew tired of hearing this excuse.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="15f0">On the third day, at the very next town they approached, the guru went to the blacksmith’s shop.<br />After exchanging formalities with his friend, he reached out and grabbed the smelter from the forge and turned up the bowl, swallowing the whole red-hot contents of molten iron to no ill-effect before moving on.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9792">His followers just watched on in wonder.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b62c">Needless to say, no one began drinking molten lava!</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5828"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="e3d3"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9919"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="32b4"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="db4f"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-67739394505689365102021-03-05T17:14:00.004-08:002021-03-05T17:14:39.226-08:00Clear as Mud<section class="section section--body" name="4368"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h1 class="graf graf--h4" name="d35d" style="text-align: left;">When the tough gets going, it’s gonna get thicker.</h1></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="72bf"><img alt="clear as mud" class="graf-image" data-height="986" data-image-id="1*JOfQWnYZbwh3LmnqXysMfw.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1916" height="329" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*JOfQWnYZbwh3LmnqXysMfw.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">Images courtesy Pixabay and edited by the Author</figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="51d1">I’m forty now.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f5da">My latest challenge has been sent out to an old friend of mine to see who can perform a proper pike-to-handstand first.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Assuming we live that long</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a612">Man, the going has got to be the toughest I’ve been through yet!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b0f7">I was just lying on my back doing single leg lifts. There’s an open air park with an incline bench. You know, the ones with a bar at top so you can hold on above your head?<br />It’s close enough for me on lunch break.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7dcb">I can’t do a split.<br />But I lie down on my back anyhow.<br />I stretch my arms up above my head and straighten them, then try kicking my hands, twenty-times with one straight leg and then the other.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cd36">My foot makes it right about to where I can see it before it tries taking the other leg in tow.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a3ec">So, instead of a beautiful ballet-like front kick, I end up throwing more of what looks like the <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">K</strong> you make in sign language, from my hips.<br />Then, I struggle to force my foot into touching my hands overhead.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="210c">I do it ten times, not twenty. Each one uglier and slower than the last.<br />That’s all I can manage.<br />Despite the embarrassment — <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">the shit is hard</em>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="876b">It would be really easy if I just say, settled to kick waist high.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b91d">But that’s the thing that gets you. Stopping short. Not following through.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="53d8">The truth about this exercise is —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="877c">If you don’t touch your foot to your out-stretched hands in whatever <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">ugly </em>way you can…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="fced">you will never do it beautifully.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="d785">Ever heard the story of the ugly duckling?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="54ac">Yeah. Re-read that shit.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="ad30"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="0975">Muhammad Ali said,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="6f71">“I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="a112">Man, what a poet!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="582a">My seven-year-old-daughter can do three pull-ups all by herself.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">She’s gonna pass me up eventually.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b42c">She started just like everyone — hanging there, bending her arms the best she could. Then I came along and lifted her just a little bit past the toughest part for her.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fac7">Her remark every time is,</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="23c5">“Did I do it myself?”</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="31f0">“Almost,” I say, “I just helped a tiny bit.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a47d">I only help her when she is at that point of struggle where she may just give up.<br />I’m not being cruel, I’m just strengthening her hope.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Well, I hope that’s what I am doing</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dc4b">The harder you try, the more you’ll grow. The more time you spend in that resistance zone, the more your body and even soul will be pressing out to their new larger <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">shells</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a3b7">I say shells instead of <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">selves</em> for a reason.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cc94">I’ve been reading a lot of literature and listening to a lot of study on symbiotic relationships and it has piqued my interest.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2c66">I love how cicadas and snakes shed their skins.<br />It would always grab me, when I was just a kid, to find a stiff exoskeleton hanging under a dock or from a branch.<br />A whole body of some being just left behind in the name of growth.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="48be">I can’t fully envision it, but I can imagine that our soul may be similar.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2d92">Like, once you run from the shore into knee high water, and that water becomes muck, and then mud, and then it just turns into straight dirt that you have to dig your legs out of —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5e0e">but once you step up onto the fresh packed clay and dust off, you’ve emerged at least a layer thicker in this universe.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3aac">You’re taking up more space. You’re a little more of the original light of the creator that always was.<br />I don’t know…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="6660"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b026">I sometimes feel like the light of the creator has weight to it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="db2d">The brighter the heavier.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2bc6">Kinda like God is just this big ole foot — pressing down on us from above.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7336">Here we are under the ball or heel like a spider trying to decide whether to bite this threat with all of our venom or just take the pressure.<br />Maybe a little, venom-less bite, just to remind him we’re here and not to crush us, please?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0385">But that’s just behaving like a child right?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4b32"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b187">I had just finished running six-miles on the beach. I was feeling good. Actually surprised that God had given me the energy to do it, as I had just worked night shift the night before.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d7a2">I was crossing back over the bridge and having a hell-of-a-time trying to drive and simultaneously find a lighter in my backpack.<br />All I wanted was a damn cigarette, as I had been abstaining for days.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a10b">I think I may have used the lord’s name in vain a handful of times before actually getting my hands on it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="adc8">Of course, the whole time I had been subconsciously telling myself that I didn’t need a cigarette and that it was just stupid, but that I also deserved it because I just ran like <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">forever!</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ebbf">But when the drawbridge went up and traffic stopped I just let the cigarette hang from my lip.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="24cb">The filter would probably stick there and rip the shit off my skin in a minute, but I sat there and thought,</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="4fba">“Who are you cursing and for what?”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="acb4">Then I thought of a battle I had with my four-year-old son not too long ago when I was trying to get him to calm down and listen.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="c345">“Listen,” God and I say, “you’re not listening to the voice of reason and I’m not gonna sit here and fight with you, but don’t come to me when you’re Mom comes back here and whips you with a belt —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="df2e"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Cigarette’s just hanging there. Mentally, I’m two places at once.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="3169">“I’m just trying to help you for your own good, Son.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b485">In my mind’s eye, I remember my son kicking me, slapping me, yelling, “No!”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="54b3">I look at the lighter… Imagine myself kicking and slapping God…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9012">I hear a father say, “Okay, but don’t come to me when you can’t breathe!”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3a9c">I throw the fucking cigarette out the window and say,</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="5a92">“Goddammit!”</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2b7c"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7053">Point is:</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6025">God’s telling me that the cigarette is just killing me, and I’m cussing at him the whole time while he’s trying to keep me from getting my lighter. Then finally, he shows me that he won’t hurt me…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5c66">He’ll do just like I do my son.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7f78">He’ll back off and let me learn my lesson…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="653f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="1445">God’s a good God.<br />An asshole. But a good God.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b928">Someone once told me that the first part of the fetus that forms is the anus.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Something about everything needs a way out that goes in…</em><br />Which would mean that technically, we’re all a-holes.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="ff58"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="dc79">So, what is the Universe?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2baf">A conglomeration of Assholes and idiots?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="68ba">Does every parent think that they didn’t start their children right?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2e0c">What will our children become?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3aa6">What will they do?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="eab6">Who will they be?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="94cb">Does it really speak to how they were raised? Does how they turn out really speak to how good or bad we are as people?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="df58">I think it’s symbiotic.<br />The horrible <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-YpcgvOB-4" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-YpcgvOB-4" rel="noopener" target="_blank">orphanages in Romania</a> were a testament to what happens to children when there is no one to love them as they grow.</p><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--iframe" name="5c82"><figcaption class="imageCaption">Overcrowded orphanages around the world prove that we can’t grow without Love</figcaption></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="7597"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">So, we know that parenting is a must in the equation.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b157">The more I think about it, the more I feel that a child will exponentially grow depending on their access to available resources of connection.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a1bd">I think if a child were raised one-on-one by a single stern adult, that child would turn out to be their polar opposite.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2644">If the same one-on-one individual were to be only suggestive and demonstrative, perhaps the child would turn-out alike.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ef25">Ultimately however, if a child were raised in a community of elder peers with differing values, expressions, and levels of consternation, I believe the child would most likely thrive.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ec7b">Maybe I’m just trying to talk myself out of being a hermit and joining a community of elder peers myself?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="eca8">I’m definitely an idiot and I’ve grown accustomed to the smell of assholes, so perhaps I’m a good candidate…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="d7df"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="5a75"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5732"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9910"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="eea0"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-68742267844973702712021-03-02T18:51:00.001-08:002021-03-02T18:51:33.437-08:00Terminal<section class="section section--body" name="b9e9"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h1 class="graf graf--h4" name="7f48" style="text-align: left;">T-minus Life</h1></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="e26c"><img alt="Ark of the Covenant" class="graf-image" data-height="1059" data-image-id="1*x-ZZW9qqlVwrPrr_6heEuw.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1906" height="356" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*x-ZZW9qqlVwrPrr_6heEuw.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Images Courtesy of Pixabay and Edited by the Author</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h4 class="graf graf--h4" name="c34f">It’s only when we’re terminal that we give Life the respect it deserves.</h4><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b163"><i>Terminal velocity is when you’ve reached the point that you cannot fall any faster as opposed to the medium you’re falling through — </i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="64c1"> — when the air around you gets <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">real</em>. So thick it’s just like you’re standing with your feet back on the ground.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="0272"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="bfdd">I titled my first book <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/2NgZa4x" href="https://amzn.to/2NgZa4x" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Life’s a JOKE!</a> (now out-of-print) on the premise that you can prevent yourself from negatively affecting your experience by first taking things as a joke and working from there. But there is a big difference between taking things lightly and playing too much!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="01c3"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="d884">I was working as an EMT in Florida when I parked the ambulance curbside at the bus station. The call had come in as an eighteen-year-old-male that had his throat slit.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="681d">Blood was everywhere, but the guy was sitting on the curb when we arrived, keeping his head on his shoulders by gripping handfuls of neck-skin on each side.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="234c">He was literally, holding the ear-to-ear razor-blade cut closed with both hands<br />and through clenched teeth said, “It’s okay. If I keep my chin tucked down like this and keep pinching the skin together, I’m good.”</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="d75b"><i>Then he laughed, as my partner and I looked at each other in utter helplessness.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="afea">“I’m gonna get that guy,” the soon to be dead-man said, “I shouldn’t have talked to his girl that way, he was just playing with me — ”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0e04">We stared on while my brain worked at what trauma dressings were going to best occlude a slit throat without impeding his breathing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6e4c"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Was that important</em>?<br />Really, keeping enough blood in his body to get him to the hospital was probably the highest priority.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="4157">“ — He’s my friend,” the man continued, briefly taking his hand from the wound and letting a thick waterfall of plasma pulse down the front of his tank top.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="436a">“No. No. Don’t do that!” barked my partner, unsure whether to grab the now gaping flesh for the guy.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="d54c">“Jus — Just keep holding yourself together while you talk man… both hands,” I suggested, miming for him animatedly.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="47fe">“Yeah okay,” he says, pinching the skin back together. “It’s really okay, just a joke that went too far, but I’ll get him back.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e5b9">At that point my partner and I were thinking the same thing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="295f">It was one of those circumstances when all bets are off and the only thing you can do is think like the guy that’s holding himself together.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="57f6">-Get the guy in the ambulance the best way he can manage<br />-Remind him to hold his neck closed<br />-Start toward the ER lights and sirens</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="da9e">There’s a saying in pre-hospital emergency medicine:</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="64ce"><i>The best treatment for some people is high-flow diesel.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="e5d9">I knew it well, but I also knew that if I took a corner too hard or hit the breaks too stiffly, it might inadvertently make the guy let go of his throat and grab for an oh-shit handle. So it was really a fine marriage of speed and super-wide awareness.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="3aab"><i>Thank God for air horns!</i></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="1760"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="0413">To my astonishment, when we arrived at the ER the man was still laughing! A bit hoarsely, but only because his trachea was surely traumatized.<br />We wheeled him gently but quickly into the bay.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b94d">When we put him next to the hospital bed, you could feel the dread of all of the trauma nurses in the room.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="354e"><i>Immediately, we could tell that the injured man was the only one making light of the situation.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="cba9">Without a moment to breathe, the surgeons grabbed the sheets and yanked him over to the bed, causing the man to let go of his wound and his neck to yawn in all its glory. Like a wet and ragged break in a pinata full of red-hots.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2226">Then all the nurses went haywire as the guy tried to get the injury under control again. He went onto survive the incident, thanks to quick surgery, but</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="ce47"><i>His positive attitude and taking things as a joke kept that boy alive beyond all else, I have no doubt.</i></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="e477"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="492f">I recently found a bump that might turn out to be cancer.<br />I’m trying to be like our character in the story above and laugh about it.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="5d2c"><i>Somehow, I thought the damn thing up. So, isn’t there a way I can think it away?</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="6455">It kinda reminds me of when Andy Kaufman jet-setted the world looking for voodoo cures for his cancer only to turn out their secrets and ruin their effects.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="baa3"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I mean, if he knew they weren’t going to work, why would they, right?</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="b7ad"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="9a1a">You know, I have been thinking a lot about purgatory.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3152">People who kill themselves are suppose to end up there in order to be cleansed by the fire of the holy spirit.<br />Well that’s what I’ve read.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7ea8">Also, I have heard that purgatory is kind of an in-between space. Neither Heaven nor H-E-double-hockey-sticks.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0c0c">But then I also heard that it is eternal.<br />I’d say I’m getting to the bottom of this, but we know words have power and I’m uncertain that the bottom of <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">this</em> is anywhere I’d like to go.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b164"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">But</em>, we all kinda kill ourselves in some small ways, which are hard to admit. Then we also do it in big ways that are just downright obvious.<br />So maybe we all are gonna experience a little bit of this religious anomaly in some form or another.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9f3b">Might as well educate ourselves.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">So, walk with me through the valley of death and fear no evil,</em></p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="2d35"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">la te da te do…</em></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="1267"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="5dff">I’m kinda getting the feeling that purgatory is like getting stuck between two religions and never being able to find an answer.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="92db">Which can be enlightening to witness, because it reveals to us the nature of our own true selves.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a4ab"><i>What do we say and who do we say it to? That is the question.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="74b7">Respect. It comes down to that.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0109">Who do we respect? Which religious leaders?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dd2d">Ourselves? Everyone? No one?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fb2b">God?<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Surely God.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9d0f">Elders of all sorts?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="3610"><i>Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death. Exodus 21:17</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="0377">Hey.<br />Who’s been guilty of this?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="e305"><i>Let’s at least praise the Lord for Jesus who we sacrificed to be forgiven of such things!</i></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="0dd6"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="3c28">But before Jesus and everything, what was God all about?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0ca5">I mean, all these weird sacrifices, and laws about slaves and women, and crops… and what does he do with <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%208&version=NIV" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%208&version=NIV" rel="noopener" target="_blank">22,000 purified, washed, and shaven Levites</a>?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4145">It really seems God was just trying to figure things out for himself. Like he was running these simulations on what would work and actually considering our feedback.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">OUR feedback</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d800">Well, those of us who didn’t seem to be too outrageously over selfish, self-defeating, or just plain dumb. And at times, yes, even those people!<br />Of course they didn’t know how lucky they were.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="57f7">God was genuinely getting irritated with his creations! But at that point, all of his creations were just part of him, and he had no one else to listen to but his own little pieces.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="454e">Really ask yourself, if you were going to ask your own kids for advice, and that’s all you had to choose from, which ones would you ask? The ones who’ve been obedient, or the ones who always seem to have their own agendas?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4ae5">And if you’re God, why would you make them to where they could have their own agenda to begin with? <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">But, I guess it makes sense if you see we are made to reflect his existence.</em></p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="3c53"><i>Of course there were trial runs! They are gonna sound crazy because we, as in God and us, had no idea what we were doing yet!</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="1fff">HELL! We still don’t!</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="53d7"><i>But in the beginning we were constantly stepping into holy crap.<br />A mess of it!</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="9323">Perhaps, these were all the things he was imagining. All the things he was watching play out in his head before he really committed to it, because he knew when he made it physical there would only be one chance.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That might make me feel better…</em><br />But I have the feeling all this <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">was real</em> only because there was no way we could ever experience and know what is right without ever experiencing what is wrong.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ee4c">Was there only one chance? Or was it, and is it, a do-over and over kinda thing? A permanent escalating groundhog’s day?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2e40"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2011&version=NIV" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2011&version=NIV" rel="noopener" target="_blank">I mean, all those people who followed Moses out of Egypt and then complained when it got hard, and God scorched them</a>… utterly destroyed them because he was tired of their not seeing him as the one who would eventually provide.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b115">Really, those people… I get it, they were the weakest links and all, but when he scorched them, our GOOD GOD scorched them to death, wasn’t he really just sending them to the only other place available?<br />AKA Heaven and back to him completely.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cb73">Thus far I’ve read that, he divided the deep into the waters of Heaven and Earth, and he’s been doing a lot of creating and killing. But all this stuff he made from his own parts — really, it’s gotta either be here or there.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b708">Either on Earth or in Heaven. Looking up at his cleansing fire as it hovered over the Ark of the Covenant, or within that flame after being consumed by it?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a703">So the way I see it is, he’s just blastin’ folks with the label of you are either <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Rule Followers</em>, or <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Rule Makers</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8b55">The whole time <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">one can’t see within the other</strong> is the <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">real golden rule</em>.<br />Which is why there’s so much gold, I guess.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1d64">When the Lord made the promise to our ancestors he fully intended to keep it, and he has!</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="cc39"><i>But it’s obvious that it wasn’t easy. He had to recycle a lot of his people to get us this far.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="b63c">And I would say that it hurt him to do so, but with every hurt, he smiles on them and blesses them in Heaven and sends them back to Earth, if they so desire, to perform more miracles.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="427e"><i>He is a future making machine, the only way he knows how, by creating people who will obey his laws as he writes them fitfully.</i></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="118c"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="694e">The real widow maker of a question is:</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d21b">Is God still manufacturing people who are gonna be blasted for his own good? Are we one of those people?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b0dd">Are you one of the people he’s gonna make an example out of so that the rest of us can enjoy, what? Everlasting obedience. And he, unlimited shaven and oiled worshipers, with an abundance of flour and gold?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a547">This is really me just being my larger than life exaggerating self.<br />I do kinda see that there is a dichotomy here. That if you are the obedient, then you elevate to more of a Jesus/Moses level and you don’t have to worry about getting scorched because everything is just being created by you and God in righteousness — I guess.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c7f5">But until you’re there you’re gonna feel like Moses with all the followers; stressed out and held responsible for their salvation. Then when your knees start to buckle, hopefully he offers to split your overwhelming load with others.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6653">Is this how God’s existence is? Always under the threat of ending? If we were made in his likeness, I suppose it is, or at least was at one time.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="415b">Our only hope lies in the understanding that God is eternal, so we too might one day be as lucky.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0ed0">I’m only through Deuteronomy, so I am sure I will change my views between now and the end but,</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4575">If I had to break it all down into a simple understanding of what the bible thus far is trying to portray, I would have to say:</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="cad1"><i>Unless you live righteously, you will never get the privilege of everlasting life.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="ac4d">Realistically, that just means there is a recipe to immortality that must be followed. And if you look at it and consider…<br />There is also a recipe for fresh baked bread. If you don’t follow it to a tee, and say, open the oven too early, it’ll collapse before it’s got a chance to fully rise.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="42c1"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="9a10"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fe49"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0570"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8f70"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-64867171618018458362021-02-26T19:36:00.001-08:002021-02-26T19:36:19.471-08:00The Void is Full of Hope<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Don’t let the Devil Suck You In</h1><section class="section section--body" name="a808"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="68a1"><img alt="Aggressive Site" class="graf-image" data-height="396" data-image-id="1*qsiGQKZ4d4YwVy5swA1zug.jpeg" data-width="761" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*qsiGQKZ4d4YwVy5swA1zug.jpeg" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Aggressive Site</span></figcaption></figure><p class="graf graf--p" name="735b">I very wise person once said,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="a2e1"><i>“It is not the emotion that is ever wrong, only one’s reaction to it.”</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="12cb">As a young man I was managing a band. It was a group of extremely talented individuals. Travis was the best, because he had this upbeat rhythm to all of his experiences, no matter how hard.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dbe1">Which is funny, because he was the drummer. But the rhythm of his Life was even more beautiful than his drumming, which was extraordinary.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="620d">Boy, was the singer. He has the most harmonious voice, but he often screamed so loud and rageful that you wouldn’t understand his words. It was grunge rock, so that was to be expected. But boy (no pun intended) could he harmonize.<br />You should of heard his beautiful sonnets!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ec8d">I often fantasized about being up there singing where he was. Who didn’t?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7f1c">But, I was just the manager. Though they often referred to me as their inspiration.<br />Maybe it was back then that I got my first cue from God that I should end up a motivational speaker.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6c46"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I’m still working on that.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c7d5">Funny looking back at it, and me now. Still thinking of having a mic in my hand. But still scared to death to try it!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="896b">I’ll stick to writing for a little longer. I’m unsure I can handle the first few hecklers. Only because I’m so hard on myself.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7345">The Pastors at my church are great speakers. I wish I could be like them. I’ve put them on my dreamboard in hopes that it will help God hear me…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="44a2">I guess what’s so scary about it, is once you’re up there you are being taken seriously. S’pose that’s why I thought maybe it better I pursue a career as a comedian first!</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="d77b"><i>Such a hard marriage, comedy and truth.</i></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4a02"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="ac0a">My writing fits into a peculiar niche, as it is both serious and light-heartedly funny. It’s full of truth and a sprinkle of fiction.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cc33">There are a lot of times that I will quote someone how I remember they said it, just to be scolded later because it’s not what they meant. Also something I’m working on… Maybe that’s why reporters carry recorders?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="47b7">I never really wanted to write seriously anyhow.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cbc2">I want people to pick out truth from my writing. But I also want them to be able to enjoy it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6d80">Kinda like when I take my kids gem mining. They get a big bucket of sand and sift through. Most of the gems are going to just be colorful stones, but if they actually took the time to study them and identify what they’ve found, they may end up with a real treasure.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1390">And if they don’t…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="852a">Well, at least they had fun!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2779"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="a6b2">I’m the worst when it comes to thinking negatively.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3a2e">If my wife doesn’t respond to a love letter, I just assume she’s busy planning how to get the most out of our divorce.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3c64">I can hear the word ‘Hey’ while sitting at my work desk and assume that the employees are having a conversation about ‘Jay’.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0f95"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Why is he so quiet?</em></p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="37bb">Going to church on Sunday has helped me realize that the Devil is quick to fill in voids with the worst case scenarios.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="9592">It’s the easiest way to gear our mind toward worry. And that inevitably leads us to inaction. If we think we’re already in someone’s ill graces, why would we bother them more? Why would we poke a snorting bull?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0d6a">It makes us scared.<br />But fear is a liar.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ef5c">Recently, I had one of those moments at work, and instead of assuming they were talking about how shy I was, I got up and joined the conversation.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6223">Lo and behold, everyone on the floor who had been depressed for the last four hours suddenly became jovial, and we all had a great night at work. I left feeling bad, thinking that maybe my inclusiveness had been a healing salve that had not been opened for weeks!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d53c">Was kinda selfish when I thought of it…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="45b8"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="9324">Okay, so we’ve risked our pants off in the past and been caught naked.<br />I mean, it’s true!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3f3f">If we are genuinely faithful individuals then we have grown up taking risks. Probably more than necessary, and probably in the hopes that we’d get lucky or things would turn out better than we expected.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d482">We’ve also been disappointed a lot because of it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1504">If we hadn’t been, we wouldn’t have ever learned the value in caution. That’s called being an adult.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1c35">But, eventually, we have to realize that our youthful attitude toward risk was actually correct. We just didn’t have the proper authority yet to exercise it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e109">And there still may be times when our risk doesn’t pay off, and that’s fine. But, I guarantee that it isn’t as often as before. The reward <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">will</em> outweigh the risk now.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5967">Don’t take this as your go ahead to start gambling. There’s a difference.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d7d1">It’s just when you roar as a lion and you roar as a cub, you tend to get different results. Can we dare say that all that ineffectual roaring was only practice?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2d14"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4bb0">In Druidism we also have a concept of authority. It may sound strange, childish, or even ridiculous to some religious occupations but, a Druid without the proper authority over his life and environment could not possibly perform a dragon calling at a bonfire.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="744c">It is only common sense when someone steps back and analyzes the situation.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1a68">If the people present do not have the faith in the performer, fewer witnesses are going to see the dragon appear. Which is why it is exceedingly rare for a young druid to have public success in such undertakings, and when it happens it is well noted and the student’s education would be more feverishly attended than others.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="9601">Psychological manifestation is the most profound benefactor in our lives, no matter what path to truth you find yourself on.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="3ae8"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="c890">There are a lot of people out there who struggle with the lure of alcohol and illicit drugs.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ab1f">There were always a few in the AA meetings that asked if there were meetings for people who weren’t alcoholics per say, but just over indulged on weekends sometimes.<br />The answer was always,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="4e21"><i>“Yes. It’s called denial weekly.”</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="9480">Then, of course, one of the sponsors would explain the importance of the first step which is admitting there’s a problem.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="54bd">This debate always reminds me of the importance of moderation and the avoidance of gluttony in all of its forms.<br />The real danger is in habits. Sin can be forgiven. But repeating the same sins over and over again — creating habits in them, make it hard to justify, even to ourselves that we are doing the right thing and growing toward salvation.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3ce5">Alcoholics who find themselves in a meeting and also in denial, are just becoming aware of the danger in being labeled. This is because we are all subliminally aware that there is something else printed on every label:</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a4ed"><i>an expiration date.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="2367">So try not to label people, and try not to make a habit of things that lead to getting yourself labeled. If it’s already too late for you, well, let those habits expire.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f875">It’s gonna take time, and it’s gonna get awfully smelly around while it rots… at least until you can gather the courage to take out the trash for good.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e14d">But remember, we are adults now and the reward will most likely outweigh the risk.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="e33b"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="33cf"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8868"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="84e3"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3104"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="6f5a"><br /><br /></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-58784277486275910672021-02-26T18:42:00.003-08:002021-02-26T18:42:45.596-08:00Joker’s wild<h1 style="text-align: left;"> What playing a lifetime of games has taught me</h1><section class="section section--body" name="24d6"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="cf4d"><img alt="Joker" class="graf-image" data-height="692" data-image-id="1*2CXL_DQigWAcbEyF9OfCBQ.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1618" height="274" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*2CXL_DQigWAcbEyF9OfCBQ.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image by <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/users/pdpics-44804/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=390042" href="https://pixabay.com/users/pdpics-44804/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=390042" rel="noopener" target="_blank">PDPics</a> from <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=390042" href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=390042" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pixabay</a> and edited at Bookflurry.Inc</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="1507">My wife and seven-year-old daughter love playing Uno.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6df8">Colors, numbers, draw four, skip you, reverse… <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3pS4Cbt" href="https://amzn.to/3pS4Cbt" rel="noopener" target="_blank">UNO</a>!<br />It’s fun.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ca7f">I’m more of a <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://cardgames.io/spades/" href="https://cardgames.io/spades/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">spades</a> guy, but more-so really love <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/mtgarena" href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/mtgarena" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Magic the Gathering ARENA</a>. They just opened it up to the world of mobile, so now I’m being defeated by all the amateurs that are playing their basic hands (My old tricks).</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6f59">Basic hands win quick, and I’m more into a game that makes you think a little. So, when I get too irritated I just fall back on <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.chess.com/" href="https://www.chess.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Chess</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a5db">Which is also why I’m loving the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80234304" href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80234304" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Queen’s Gambit</a> series on <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.netflix.com" href="https://www.netflix.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Netflix</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="77ee">Spoiler alert, but I loved it when she was finally defeated and wretched at the fact that she couldn’t see the other player’s move coming.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="5c7f"><i>It’s all like that. Life I mean.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="85d3">Everyone wants to be the one who can see the furthest into the future. Everyone wants a certain checkmate. Well, because no one wants to be the loser.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="542d">Ironically, a good father doesn’t want his daughter, or his wife, to be a loser either…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a08b">That’s why she and mom keep a running scoreboard, so that there’s always more time to redeem themselves. It’s never THE END.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="9b5a"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="af1a">I used to play <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.sierragames.com/kingsquest" href="https://www.sierragames.com/kingsquest" rel="noopener" target="_blank">King’s Quest</a> when I was nine or ten-years-old.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8bf3">Who am I kidding?<br />I still play King’s Quest! They have re-makes at <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.agdinteractive.com" href="http://www.agdinteractive.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">AGD Interactive</a> and I’ve played them all, multiple times.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="011c">What made them good though were the stories and the characters. Roberta Williams had her team create a <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/2NWftnA" href="https://amzn.to/2NWftnA" rel="noopener" target="_blank">King’s Quest Companion Book</a> and you could read through the entire story of the adventure before playing it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e3f0">That was awesome. It was like playing through a fairy tale. You just had to figure out all of the puzzles. Plus, there was the added bonus of recognizing all of the similarities from your childhood bedtime stories like, the wicked witch in the gingerbread house, or the fire-breathing dragon, or the Minotaur in the labyrinth.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="34cf">I let my kids read the books now while they play the games.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5bab">Of course, that is kind of advocating cheating, but, at least they are learning to read and encouraged by a definite checkmate.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="ce99"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="3753">Games like <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.rockstargames.com" href="https://www.rockstargames.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Grand Theft Auto</a> were fun to play alone. Once you’ve beat it and try to play on-line, it’s like every little dude with 19 hours to kill in his parent’s basement just shoots you with a sniper rifle while you’re joy riding around anyhow…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="82c4">So, there’s no payoff or growth in continuing that mess.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="98ce">That’s the thing about short cuts, cheats, and definite checkmates…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2207">All you’re really doing is putting yourself in check.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="df61">People are just gonna lose interest in games that can be definitively checked by cheaters.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="f8a9"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="a883">When I watched the new <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PaOb8CRUSM" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PaOb8CRUSM" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wonder Woman</a> I found it enlightening that Diana didn’t get the win when she took a short cut.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6d65">I’m unsure if it’s exactly the message that the director was trying to portray but I really got from it that even if you win, you’re not ready.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8af6">Like Lance Armstrong cheating on all those championships. He had to have been relieved when it finally came out and he could really go for an honest win. I mean, how can you stand up and speak in front of people, or write a book about success, when you’ve cheated your whole life?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cd8c">Now, if he were racing in a race of dopers, he would have been great!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e377">Who knows, maybe he secretly was?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="8e27"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="53f2">I once read that drugs are the shortcut to the soul.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0222">And I’m not here to debate the statement. Well, I’ve never gotten closer to the divine through alcohol… unless I’ve been hugging a toilet and praying for my life to either be over or begin again, and swearing I’d never drink again….</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="23bf">But that is just feeling like you’re gonna die — not divine whatsoever.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="93b9">But there are some substances that many like, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison claimed brought them closer to what may be called God.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5d3c">So, there may be a little truth there.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b981">But, it’s still a shortcut.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="44f5">And what shortcuts do is, bring you face to face to the cheering crowd and stand you up on the podium before you’re ready to give the acceptance speech.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="1428"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="2fec">The tortoise beat the hare because the hare was over-confident. Let’s just say what it is:<br />The Hare Deserved It.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0792">The tortoise went further, faster. He won on fair grounds.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b282">If turtle woulda took a short cut (tried to undermine the already wrongful hare) he’d never claimed the title of victor, he’d have gone from called slow-poke to cheater, because two wrongs don’t make a right.<br />Community loves those who go all the way.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="33ef"><i>We’re majority underdogs I guess.</i></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4dab"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="07a2">How many opportunities have been spoiled by shortcuts?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c310">I’m guilty. Hell, I went to the Navy Seals trying to get a crash course on modern Ninjutsu. I figured, heck, I can go out there, learn all the trade secrets, get what I want and come out a better ninja, battle ready. (For what though? I never asked myself that question.)</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8afb">I’d already been practicing Ninjutsu since childhood for years. I’d read every book, bought every weapon, climbed every tree, taken classes in Atlanta at the Bujinkan Dojo…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d624">And it was everything I asked for — <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">The Seal Training</em>. I got exactly what I wanted… learned everything from firefighting, sailing and shooting, to swimming, explosives, and psychology… ran obstacle courses, got sugar-cookied, gained experience, gathered stories, met people, lived…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ee46">But I didn’t follow through and get my Trident. I didn’t finish my full four-year-deployment. I didn’t cross the finish line. Hell- I didn’t even get to ring the bell.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="68e1">Even the guys who say, “I give up.” get to ring the bell.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I just washed out</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3d99">During my adventure, I saw how glorious life could be if it all worked out how it should. I saw people showing up to work everyday early. Great work ethic, top-of-the-line morals.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="30e4">I ironed my clothes everyday. We all took the time that life deserved to do it right.<br />We had the time.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="6b1a"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="777a">When I came home, I had been honed into a civil servant. Best in class.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b58d">But I was back among those who had never taken pride in what they were doing. Here I was battle ready, with no battle to fight. Back here where all my great achievements meant nothing at all.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b05b">All these odd little jobs were nothing? What was everyone complaining about?! It’s work! It’s what we do!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2739">Ever since, I’ve tried the best I can to be a light in the darkness. A hope for the better.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8ce1">I’ve tried to motivate. Have faith.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5574">The commanding officer said it to me the day I drove away from the base,</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="9639">“No one is going to want to hire you. You’re going to have a hard time out there. But stay away from drugs and you just might make it.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="03a6">I loved that man.<br />I can’t remember his name. But that man had gone the distance. He was the commanding officer of the Naval Base in Coronado California who trains the best soldiers in the world. He was a man who never took shortcuts, purple heart, who never cheated.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8c8c">I met that man. And that was his advice.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6797">Now, looking back, after all these years…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4af7"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="6379">What if I would have just followed through?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="50e7">With either crazy dream…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="697e">I could have stuck with the Bujinkan Dojo and maybe opened a studio teaching ninja somewhere, even Japan…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="eca1">I could have stuck with the Seals and traveled the world, made a million dollars!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c390">I wouldn’t say that I was a cheat. But, I never saw how valuable a follow-through then could turn out to be now.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d4b4">Now, it’s all just good writing, if that!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a5dc">As far as the Commanding Officer’s advice about drugs, well. You can see I was always good at quitting. Though, I’m told that I never know when to quit!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a842">But when applied to life, the truth is, you should never quit. Never give-up. Quitter’s never win… well, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I don’t know about that</em>…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="86f0"><i>But winner’s surely never quit!</i></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="6980"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="9e61">Hasbro likes sticking a couple of Jokers in their decks of playing cards. I think they belong there. In fact, they should make it a legal rule.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="47bf">People can count cards anyhow.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ac9e">I don’t want to see the furthest into the future. Maybe I‘d rather you be the one that thinks they can see the future, because — </p><p class="graf graf--p" name="61bb">I want to see the look on your face when I throw the Joker’s Wild just when you think you’ve got it all figured out.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="db25"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="a956">There’s always going to be unpredictability in life. Be thankful for it. You can’t avoid it, but you can prepare for it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0b16">It takes time to prepare.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e506">But if you do it diligently and properly and righteously…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9b42">Slow and steady…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6b8b">When you cross the finish line you will be well-received and will have arrived with a well-prepared acceptance speech.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="bd83"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b3e2"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2f56"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="eade"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6e30"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-24230956270685789942021-02-19T17:42:00.001-08:002021-02-19T17:42:14.753-08:00A Sonnet to Shel Silverstein<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Off-kilter Poems by Jay Horne</h1><section class="section section--body" name="b44a"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--outsetColumn"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetCenter" name="90c2"><img alt="Heroine" class="graf-image" data-height="1201" data-image-id="1*zD_UWvpueQnEgccxwE75fA.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="2268" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1200/1*zD_UWvpueQnEgccxwE75fA.jpeg" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">All Illustrations by Jay Horne and Copyright 2021 by Bookflurry Inc.</figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="dbb9">Chillin’ Like a Heroine</h3><h4 class="graf graf--h4" name="04dc">I’d rather not chill like a villain… Villains never chill, they’re always so busy trying to chill, they never chill…</h4><p class="graf graf--p" name="440a">Then they die tryin’ to chill… They’ll probably die saying, “I was just trying to chill…”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="22ef">Then they will be chilly…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b2af"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That’s creepy</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e2d6">And to be clear, that is Heroine not Heroin.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1c2e">Also will make you too chill and then chilly… blue in fact…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e706">and your family blue, too…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b70d">Okay, I’ve gone too far.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3538">Point is…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2ae7">Let’s chill, but only cuz we’ve worked hard for it, and haven't hurt anyone.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="ce4d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="752a"><em class="markup--em markup--h3-em">SIN</em>cere</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="7b79"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Sin</em></strong>cere</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="399a">Sin here</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5f89">Sin there</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d7c7">Sinclair…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3ccc">Do I sin, if I in my mind,<br />literally pluck a duck?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6113">In this world we’ve all sinned enough</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d5c6">Where sin has, in fact,<br />run amok.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9206">Sin is a crime</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9373">Crime is a sin</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5f33">Even when sin is for love.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="01de">Inter specially mating’s a sin…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9880">Tell that to a sweet turtle dove.</p><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="266a"><img class="graf-image" data-height="673" data-image-id="1*etYoJ51DvEi8C0jX1-gZyQ.png" data-width="1911" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*etYoJ51DvEi8C0jX1-gZyQ.png" /></figure><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="62f0"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">You should use your creativity for something more productive.<br />I tried that at work. It didn’t work.</em></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="1e9f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="13a3">I’m All Pockets</h3><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="246c">Would you prefer, if I may ask,<br />what would your preference be…</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a3c3">To lick between an elephant’s ass —</blockquote><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="67c4"><img class="graf-image" data-height="556" data-image-id="1*7XOPYQH_pj8OFY5sc89vVQ.png" data-width="644" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*7XOPYQH_pj8OFY5sc89vVQ.png" /></figure><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="24ec">or the ears of<br />some bunny?</blockquote><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="ebdc"><img class="graf-image" data-height="1000" data-image-id="1*hjlktUzqHetLoGS6-gg7RQ.png" data-width="1159" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*hjlktUzqHetLoGS6-gg7RQ.png" /></figure><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="9faf">Start licking:)</blockquote><figure class="graf graf--figure" name="ddf7"><img class="graf-image" data-height="1000" data-image-id="1*Ii8hof_w5NkrAJEY1NWiRA.png" data-width="894" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*Ii8hof_w5NkrAJEY1NWiRA.png" /></figure></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="dc15"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="189f">If There Were Hare on the Field Play Balls</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="4049">If there’s no hare there, then no sin be if it were just shaved off…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="df77">But to be a proper pun indeed —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7a95">It’d have to be said by a man of the cloth.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="631c"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="0bb3">In a World of Hurt</h3><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b8ce">There’s one brave soul<br />that sticks and stones can’t break</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="5736">Mum’s and Dad’s have tried it<br />when their kids deserve a spank</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="4dd2">Poke and prod<br />and yell and scorn — <br />still silly faces they will make</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="e134">The young and old are wise —</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="39b1">They hide behind their funny bone<br />until their dying day.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5f4f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="dc64">I was a poet and knew it<br />till I blew it.</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="b110">You know it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="57eb"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Yeah, I changed that.</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="b956"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="63bc">How Dead are You?</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="72bb">The man was one-hundred-and-two.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b3a4">The thirty-year-old woman had but one month to live and took the old man’s hand and said,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="d083">“You have three more good years in you. I’ll meet God sooner, I know more deeply that he’s real…”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="0d5a">The old man said,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="15d6">“Just because you’re closer to death, doesn’t mean you’re wiser…”</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="8d46">The woman said,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="abe3">“Who’s suffered more?”</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="1224"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="8f62">Let There Be Dark</h3><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="bfc1">Ever wonder what it would look like to remove all the physical stuff in the Universe and just watch the space dance around?</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="6080"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="ffe8">Ever look at that and say,</h3><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b896">I could do that?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="6c60">Ever look at this and say,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="c092">I did that?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="f005">Ever look at all this shit and say,</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="47e0">Why the fuck did I do that?</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="ae51"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="ed5c">ET phoned home</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="6ca2">ET cloned home</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0e81">ET roamed Rome</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f176">who built Rome?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e15d">and how long did it take?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="10f7">ETc.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="42b4"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="3121">I reason that there is a reason we reason.</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="daf4">Everything I unreasonably do ends up being for some reason I didn’t see.<br />Might the reason be reasoning itself?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="58ef">Like meat in its seasoning.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="73c7">Reason just takes on meaning as it soaks and seasons.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9ba1"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">That sounds reasonable</em>.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="e51f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="5bf1">Okay maybe you’ve not heard it before —</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="b22a">The alarm goes <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">off</em> when it makes a noise and</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2350">I sit-up or sit-down, what’s the difference? Same result.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d657">Put on only <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">one</em> bra but a <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">pair</em> of panties?<br />I stuff my <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">suit</em> in a <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">garment</em> bag and all my <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">garments</em> in a <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">suit</em>case.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8fd1">Then I <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">cook</em> a bacon for breakfast… tonight I’ll bake a <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">cook</em>ie for dessert.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="759d">The car’s <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">park</em>ed in a driveway, but I drive it on the <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">park</em>way,<br />to the build<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">ing</em> which is already built.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8e6b">Inside I stop to take a dump but leave a turd.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f33d">I’ve got my Masters and my Doctorate but in my office I will ever only get to Practice —</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e61e"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">on this vegetable that has likely fallen into a coma,</em></p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="6b9e"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">does that make it a person?</em></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5bab"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="9a78">Brilliant!</h3><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b9b3">Please, don’t expose my brilliance,<br />because I can’t keep it up!</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="8fa5">But if you ladies can handle it<br />I may try to stand for it.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="6db5">Poem’s over</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="90a7">Bottom’s up!</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="98a0"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="1667">Tits Up</h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="b953">Breasts are best when served with legs</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5593">a million dollar bill…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b581">She’s all dressed up<br />for heated fun<br />what a perfect grill</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a7c7">Let’s get it cooking<br />She’s a hookin’<br />Ocean’s got its fill</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0153">Are we talking</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5c88">Winner, winner?<br />Chicken dinner?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="39fc">or a thrill?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5e2a"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="ca27">ALL CONTENT COPYRIGHTED 2021 BY BOOKFLURRY INC.<br />Written February 18th, 2021 by Jay M. Horne</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8456"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="366f"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b401"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="88ef"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-33777354865794093922021-02-16T20:38:00.006-08:002021-02-16T20:45:43.692-08:00The Power of the Word<section class="section section--body" name="039a"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h1 class="graf graf--h4" name="e528" style="text-align: left;">Maybe prayer casts spells... words are made by spelling after all.</h1></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="1510"><img alt="prayer casting spells" class="graf-image" data-height="783" data-image-id="1*47ma8Dhhgbx6Ei8A6i7MVw.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1677" height="299" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*47ma8Dhhgbx6Ei8A6i7MVw.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image by <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/users/cocoparisienne-127419/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3006823" href="https://pixabay.com/users/cocoparisienne-127419/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3006823" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Anja </a>from <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3006823" href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3006823" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pixabay</a></span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="12c5">I am of a spiritual designation known as <b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Gnostic </b>which literally means ‘<i class="markup--em markup--p-em">one who knows</i>’, as opposed to Agnostic which means ‘<i class="markup--em markup--p-em">one who does not know</i>’.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0d26">When I tell people this, I see them looking at me in that tone of voice that says, Oh you think you know everything?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="42e3">In fact, I have suffered this prejudice time and time again.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="090a"><i>Sometimes people dress me up like a paper doll in the clothes of some ego-maniac. It happens.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="3d6c">Funny thing is, I’ve squashed my ego (well, not-completely) over the past twenty years or so… It’s still a work in progress, but I’m willing to bet that <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">my making a conscious effort of squashing it,</i> is more than most can say for themselves!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4f31">The truth is, being a Gnostic means I only know one thing for certain. Everything else is a mystery to me.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="cc47"><i>I know myself, but never entirely</i>.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="32e8"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="6a2d">I grew keen on this little tidbit of knowledge, <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">the fact that everyone must assume I am an ego-maniac</i>, while dining with my wife at a high-end restaurant.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8e21">I have a habit to pick my teeth with a flosser and we we’re nearing our second course…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f401">She says to me, while I reach in my pocket for it, “You’re not gonna floss your teeth right here and right now are you?”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f38d">I sent out the immediate order of cease and desist.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="280b">“I have stuff in my teeth,” I say.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="c4b7">“So does everyone else. What do you think you’re God or something?”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e2d6">Hmm. I think, <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">no</i>.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="c1e5">“Does everyone else have stuff in their teeth?” I ask while truly wondering if everybody’s teeth <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">hurt</i> as bad as mine did…</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="c85e">“Yes!” she says, her cheeks blushing like the portrait of a perfect french princess.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c896">Then, I became slightly more empathetic and I thought perhaps that everyone at the venue may in-fact be in such pain. So, I joined the elite.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a955"><i>Beauty is pain, I told myself.</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="1bbc">…and I suffered silently until the next dainty course.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="289b"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="db9c"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Oysters with caviar</i>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="17cb">While I pondered the question of whether I was devoid of inhibitions or merely a pansy, I thought of my first experience with how powerful a word could be.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2427">It was in Mrs. Sheppard’s class, 1988. We were having a canned food drive. Whichever class brought in the most non-perishables naturally would receive a pizza party.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="67ec">I was surprised when it was mine. Just one little suggestion to us kids, and our suggestion to our families, gathered enough canned goods to provide for someone else who was terribly in need.<br />One word grows into great impact.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c88b">Of course, I saw the pizza party as proof that any class lucky enough to have me in it would surely have won!<br /><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">A prime example of why my ego needed a good squashing over these last many years!</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d5cd">Next, I started to understand that the spoken word might have a little more to it than meets the eye.<br />I saw <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3rYNgLm" href="https://amzn.to/3rYNgLm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Sword in the Stone</a> that year.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2415">It was displayed on a genuine tube TV atop a wheeled iron cart.<br />You know the ones the teachers used to keep a projector on, which never worked! <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Though, I do somehow remember the shadows of the slides falling…</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="228d">Mrs. Sheppard wheeled it into our fifth grade classroom and we all watched.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="5bf4"><i>Best history lesson I ever had!</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="86c1">Though, I think the point of the story had something more to do with the fact that animals could teach us things if we just saw the world from their point-of-view. Or maybe, it was that education was more important than swordplay and shenanigans.<br />Yes, that’s more grown-up.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="ba35"><i>The pen is mightier than the sword and all that stuff!</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="f05d">Anyway, <b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">great teacher</b>, Mrs. Sheppard!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2c9c"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="9746">She showed me the magic of words!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="41ff">Watching <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/2Zmewao" href="https://amzn.to/2Zmewao" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Merlyn</a> weave young Arthur into different shapes was incredible and imaginative to say the least. What was better was, that the words he used and the experiences he bestowed gave the boy an education. They made him think!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3560">I read a poem on the internet that almost unravels the mystery of words themselves.<br />I am searching for the source of the poem to cite it correctly and have ordered two books, one is <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3b9e7h8" href="https://amzn.to/3b9e7h8" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Where the Sidewalk Ends</a> by Shel Silverstein with a publication date of 2014 and another called <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/37imNQW" href="https://amzn.to/37imNQW" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Egghead</a> published in 2013 by Bo Burnham, both seem to lay claim to the poem called MAGIC…<br />A mystery in itself!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9278">But the excerpt follows:</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="3a6e"><i>Read this to yourself. Read it silently.<br />Don’t move your lips. Don’t make a sound?<br />Listen to yourself. Listen without hearing anything.<br />What a wonderfully weird thing, huh?</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="caee"><b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">NOW MAKE THIS PART LOUD!<br />SCREAM IT IN YOUR MIND!<br />DROWN EVERYTHING OUT.</b></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="da53"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Now, hear a whisper. A tiny whisper.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="38de">Now, read this next line in your best crotchety old man voice:<br />“<i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Hello there sonny, does this town have a post office?</i>”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f544">Awesome! Who was that? Whose voice was that?<br />Certainly not yours.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0f71">How do you do that? How!?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="58ba"><b class="markup--strong markup--pullquote-strong">Must be magic</b>.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4e6e"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="1910">They served us a little sorbet as a palette cleanser while we waited on the third course.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3066">Elk. Two small medallions with a butter sauce. She’s opted for adventure and chosen the duck.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7408">I wipe my mouth and sip the pink soiree of fruit juices which mimic an alcoholic beverage while she drinks vodka straight-up.<br />Okay, not straight-up, she has a cushy drink, but I <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">think</i> vodka straight-up because I’d totally slam that vodka and whatever…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7755">Why’s there still vodka there? What’s the point of it? Drink it for god’s sake! One drink too many, two never enough…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dd97"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Words are more important than the drink right now because we’re still using them civilly between us.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ce31">Sticks and stones may break my bones…<br />Pastor Luke had suggested during morning service that words are worse because they take even longer to heal.<br />I’m thankful for this pleasant time to exchange some healing ones between us.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fd36">We talk about the book of Exodus. How the Lord hardened the Pharoah’s heart again and again so that we would finally and totally be heard when God cast the final Judgement…<br />I think she was as surprised as I was that he would do such a thing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b1cb"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">There’s something about the word of God passing gently between husband and wife</i>.<br />She had never been more beautiful.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="21cb">The conversation reminded us that we always say a little prayer over our dinner. This time it was two courses late, but better late than never.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="05e7"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="17b2"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">May he travel with us and bless those less fortunate.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0d63">Prayer is words. There is power in prayer, for sure.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="71cf">Words have healed the sick, made the blind man see, sewn marriage vows, declared death sentences, created the universe…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c489">Someone once said that the strongest form of prayer was worry. When we look at it that way…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="fb21"><i>aren’t all words prayer?</i></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="b29d">Mary’s other son, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%203&version=NLV" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%203&version=NLV" rel="noopener" target="_blank">James declares</a> that if we can but control the tongue we could be perfect and control the rest of the body.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e209">Maybe he’s onto something.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="66a7"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="2a9f">Man, dinner was good. Just wait til dessert!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="081d">Oh la la! Her chocolate cake was delivered with a candy shell which was covered in hot fudge before her eyes. Blue crystals, still vibrant after all these years.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9e91">I am a chocolate connoisseur, but that was too rich for me. I dined on a strawberry shortbread that indelibly hit the spot.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8107">When the bill came we joked with each other that we would be paying with a credit card whose limit barely affords the one meal. Then, one final glance at the lovely atmosphere and that was it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="570c">I gathered my jacket and she her purse, then open the car door for her to keep chivalry alive a few more years.<br />We head home.</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="66cb">“I guess we’ll never eat somewhere that fancy again,” she says laughing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="033a">And just like that we’ve forgotten the power of our words all over again…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="a29e"><i>Lessons lost in the more important and divine experience of true love.</i></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="0f06"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b08e"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</i>.<br /><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4fb6"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9b0c"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d6dd"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="f381"><br /><br /></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-39778833169701714562021-02-11T16:48:00.000-08:002021-02-11T16:48:06.224-08:00Your Day Starts at the End<section class="section section--body" name="46bf"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h1 class="graf graf--h4" name="3c9a" style="text-align: left;">Look Onward to Your Epitaph</h1></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="af12"><img alt="flying fish" class="graf-image" data-height="1540" data-image-id="1*PBJpI5EBQVGagkHkROkFtg.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="2310" height="427" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*PBJpI5EBQVGagkHkROkFtg.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://unsplash.com/@johncobb?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" href="https://unsplash.com/@johncobb?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="noopener" target="_blank">John Cobb</a> on <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/flying-fish?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/flying-fish?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f06a">What are words?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6486">Very few words make any sense without a word or two surrounding them; a punctuation mark.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fa2c">A picture is worth a thousand of these words because only the people in them can sum up the experience in a few. Take that same photograph and place before it any number of different circumstances and the reality of that moment changes instantly.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="55e6">Ever been talking to someone and been cut-off right before you make yourself perfectly clear? Sometimes, a tiny pause is enough to let a listener jump to conclusions.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="9466">A paragraph is so much more complete than a sentence. A sentence more complete than a clause. A clause more complete than a word. A word more complete than a syllable and a syllable more so than a letter.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="1169">An epitaph is most complete of all.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="1e4f"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">A life fully realized.</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4964"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4b3c">In physics, they call the observation of the smallest physical things, the collapse of the wave function. Because once you break down atoms into their tiniest parts, they begin to act in ways that are unpredictable. Rather, in ways that the observer <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">chooses</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5498">In transcendental meditation there is a short meditative exercise that is called the collapse of thought. Its practice is in observing your initial thought, and then asking the self where the observer of the thought is looking at it from, and etc. and etc. until you become completely unsure who it is and where it is these Thinker’s are located.<br />Basically, breaking down thinking into its smallest pieces.<br />This practice is suppose to give the individual a stronger ability to define the self, rather than by all of the thought processes that invade the mind.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dacf">If you ever find yourself alone in a busy train station amid a myriad of conversation you can experiment with a similar exercise in language.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c9e6">Try to tune your hearing to encompass the babble at a global scale. If you, for a few minutes, not allow yourself to pick out a single conversation, but instead just let the many words register with non-bias in your ears. You can break down the paragraphs, into a more intelligible garble of short sentences or even down to words. And in this garble start crafting meaning.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8bdf">In my many attempts at this exercise I find that the conversation seems to take on an eerie dialogue about myself.<br />I can’t guess as to why this happens for me. Perhaps, I replace my internal dialogue with this garble, and it makes it easiest for me to discern? But, it <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">does</em> work.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4f65">It can give real insight into the psychology of the paranoid schizophrenic.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Are they talking about me</em>?<br />In individuals prone to disassociation, it could surely seem that way.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2487">But, in all of these examples, aren’t we merely removing all of the context, and belittling the more complete vision of what these things are a part of?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="9461">I think it’s just easier to assign our meanings to things that we don’t fully understand.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="d774"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Didn’t Adam name all of the things of the Earth? I don’t know that it is in our scope to relabel them…</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5a0f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7345">Where am I going with this article?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="170d">If my pen ran out of ink right now, this article would be left a different story…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b03d">I often ask myself if I were to die tomorrow, what would be my epitaph?<br />Surely, it would be different than from my vision of myself.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="32f1">I recently sat through a Sunday Service at <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bridgechurchfl.com/watch" href="https://www.bridgechurchfl.com/watch" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Bridge</a> where the Pastor talked about something we all can relate with, temptations.<br />And, like all things, without <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bridgechurchfl.com/watch" href="https://www.bridgechurchfl.com/watch" rel="noopener" target="_blank">listening to the whole thing</a> you may not get from it the full-scope…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3feb">But, it, and the combination of going for a biopsy next week made me ask myself again, right then and there, what will be my epitaph?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3feb"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fJtqIH1cMRk" width="320" youtube-src-id="fJtqIH1cMRk"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--iframe" name="a86a"></figure></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5261"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="85ee">Vision is one of those words that you <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">do</em> need context to define.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ffba">Take mine for example.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3b4e">I have always had a vision of myself as an old man on a mountain. Roughly ninety-years-old, teaching a few students Ninja training, maybe taking a disciple under-wing in my own philosophies…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5670">But that vision is so far off, as I am at a ripe young age of forty!</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="af1d">What to do for the next fifty years?! And what will I <em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">be</em> if I don’t achieve that vision?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="daa8">A hopeful? A dreamer?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9755">What’s our vision for next year? Next week? Tomorrow?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="d566">Today?</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="bd13"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4cc5">The Pastor encouraged us to read through the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201&version=NIV" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201&version=NIV" rel="noopener" target="_blank">book of James</a> as a study in temptations and a testament to keeping that long-vision in sight.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="f3a5">Boy, how great it was to clarify for everyone how vision is lost!</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="d4de">A man without vision is a man obscured by temptations.<br />I use the word <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">obscured</em>, because they can actually blind you from anything that might be of value in the long-run.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5bae">If you watch the Sermon, you’ll hear Pastor Mark use the Grouper Fish as an analogy of temptation. Kinda how we lure a Grouper out of its hole to take the bait. Get it away from its cave and place of strength, where he may just take the hook and all.<br />Pastor Mark uses a big juicy piece of bait on his hook, not some unappetizing leaf to tempt the fish out.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="5441">He’s promising the fish life here!</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="433b">I mean, on that hook is a great piece of vitality giving food. Why wouldn’t the fish take it? Look what it offers?<br /><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Fun</strong> and <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">yum</strong>!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7d59">It really is akin to men and their hot girls on Instagram, but <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I’m not the one who said it</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bb3c">The Pastor reminds us that we all have appetites…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="2823">A man without a vision is a Grouper in a sea of bait. Just one bite at fun and yum and that fisherman can run with you all the way to the horizon of your next vision.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="664a">And mine’s pretty far off. How far is yours?<br />More importantly, do you have the strength to fight that long?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="fa40">Envision the Lord as a cave.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="bc8a">Staying in the cave is safe. But, you’ll never enjoy life out there among the tempted without taking a little risk. Mitigate that risk by bringing part of that cave with you when you go.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="7638">Have a vision.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="95ed">Don’t be tempted.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="0604">When you’re in your cave.<br />Eat. Quell Anger. Get Intimate. Sleep. Cry… and Pray.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="b293">When you swim the vast and beautiful waters of the deep, carry with you a vision of what you and your cave are becoming.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="6e6d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7b0a">I walk in from work in the morning and my kids are getting ready to leave for school. My wife is beautiful, and ready to go influence small minds at her teaching job… but my cave is soon silent.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="453a">My eyes see this vision of what I want. It is the vision of what I have, and it is as real as heat from a flame.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cb93">I sit before bedtime and stare at the television from my couch. It’s off. Quiet. Black.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="378a">I cross my legs horribly, but comfortably.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4419">Then, I ask myself…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="98c6">What are my cave and I becoming besides a man on a mountain in fifty years?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="54e5">Then, a thought comes from, I know exactly who… even if I don’t know from exactly where…</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="f1fd">“What can I do to make our marriage better for you?”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="06c5">And then,</p><p class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="4a6f">“What can I do to make our cave better for you?”</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="ae8e">I’m a grouper surrounded by temptations. Mostly quelled.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4f4f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="960a">Think<strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong"> HALTS</strong>.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="7763">Temptation feeds on <strong class="markup--strong markup--blockquote-strong">H</strong>unger, <strong class="markup--strong markup--blockquote-strong">A</strong>nger, <strong class="markup--strong markup--blockquote-strong">L</strong>oneliness, <strong class="markup--strong markup--blockquote-strong">T</strong>iredness, and <strong class="markup--strong markup--blockquote-strong">S</strong>adness.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="0df2">We know these things…<br />Just pieces of a bigger whole.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="6bf2">Alone time is our greatest time of power.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="e749"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en" href="https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sadghuru </a>says, and I’m not sure I believe all this, but Gurus shower three and four times a day. And not some hot and lathered shower.<br />No. <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Cold</em> and thorough.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="544c">I can’t say why.<br />He says it’s not just to wash off, but to neutralize impurities of spirit we’ve gathered during the day!</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="046d"><a class="markup--anchor markup--blockquote-anchor" data-href="https://medium.com/illumination/the-stones-are-alive-291a296a83b3" href="https://medium.com/illumination/the-stones-are-alive-291a296a83b3" target="_blank">As a man who’s stood naked under a eons-old waterfall in the back of a dark cave</a>, I can agree!</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="5ca3">But, I can also use one because the gallon of milk might start looking like my wife’s butt after a week of imperfect union.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d63e">Hey, gotta have vision! (<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">At least I didn’t compare it to the cottage cheese</em>)</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d086">Vision and imagination can be dangerously related in this regard. But vision and imagination can also be ingratiatingly related as well!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7b62">We’ve all heard of idle hands.<br />Desire, I find is best stunted under routine, because <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.glamour.com/story/revenge-bedtime-procrastination-is-real-according-to-psychologists" href="https://www.glamour.com/story/revenge-bedtime-procrastination-is-real-according-to-psychologists" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Revenge Bedtime Procrastination</a> is a thing. We will sit and scroll through social media for hours when we ought to be sleeping.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="228c">In my case, a cold shower, incense, melatonin, and a book seem to work.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6ec1">Something as simple as not taking your phone to bed, and developing a routine can change your life immensely.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a070"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Tempting the tired is an easy catch for any fisherman</strong>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="17b2">So, get good sleep.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="f1ba">Your day starts at the end, remember that.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="039c"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="ea88">When I was a teenager, everything had its spot.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1c80">I may not have been the old man on the mountain, but I was the kid in his bedroom, which was a Japanese Dojo. (<em class="markup--em markup--p-em">I remember at one of our houses I even confined my dojo to a closet as not to let it die</em>) …And boy did I have an imagination that matched my vision!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c9a5">My friends would come over, and try and move a piece of ornamental oriental scroll or something, and I would go haywire.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d1f3">It became a game to them. I always knew if the smallest thing was out of place.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="80f3">My bedroom was a living holding cell for my old man’s soul.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="8dbf">And I practiced everyday. Weapons, gymnastics, climbing, Japanese language…<br />I was setting out on a eighty year plan that would come to fruition tomorrow. Boy, I was a visionary.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8f11">Now, I’m not gonna say it’s been twenty-some-odd years since I’ve had a vision. But, we should renew our visions, no matter how far out they may seem. Imagine them, grow more friendly with them again.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9c96">Because, as we age, temptations try and take their place. But they’re just bait. And it can be a long tiring fight with these fishermen if we’re not smart.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="eebc">You know…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="13b4">There’s a fish that cuts through the water and right past all of the window shopping so fast that it can breech the surface and take to wing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="95d4">Yes, they can be caught, like all of us. But, you can only bait a flying fish with the tiniest hooks and glass minnows.<br />Those lucky enough to snag one, quickly notice their beauty, show mercy, and generally toss them back out for another run…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="54af">If you caught one, could you help but release it like a paper airplane to the wind?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="f6e7">…and then, aren’t you really just helping the little Sinner fly?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="6068"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="893f"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="09fe"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d2e1"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9e1a"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="a631"><br /><br /></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-63407118962849088132021-02-05T17:42:00.003-08:002021-02-05T17:42:42.408-08:00Coffee with a Father<h1 style="text-align: left;"> … Blending with a friend</h1><section class="section section--body" name="4ddc"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--outsetColumn"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetCenter" name="3469"><img class="graf-image" data-height="774" data-image-id="1*FOV4oN1R31-IyC8AeWFi8A.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="1722" height="287" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1200/1*FOV4oN1R31-IyC8AeWFi8A.jpeg" width="640" /></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="a6f9">As I prepare myself for another meeting with Pastor Mark, I ask myself, “why prepare?”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="988d">I’m really staying ahead of myself here.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9974">I mean, I use to reach out to the future with my little mental tentacles to see if there was perhaps any danger there waiting…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="aebb">Last month, I was wondering if maybe my meeting was going to be centered around the gross negligence of my relationships.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ef75">This month, I’m more worried that he’s sizing me up for the proper straight jacket.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="d635"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="16d2">God, I am glad that my tentacles don’t reach out, probing for danger anymore!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0f13">Instead they reach out, probing for wounds to heal — no.<br />Correction, they’re probing for hope.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fffa">It’s different once you’ve hopped on the bandwagon. No one wants you to fail. In fact, Jesus wants you to heal, and to grow. <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Fulfill</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e232">I had this horrifying vision in my teens once when I did ecstasy. Most people love that stuff, but the one time I did it, I regretted it immediately, and for the remainder of my life up until <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">this</em> exact moment.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3be7">I think it has finally abated.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="05e7">T/G<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Can I abbreviate Thank God? Cuz, I think I’m gonna be using it a lot from now on!</em></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="c0ea"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="8b75">I’m not going to beat around the bush. I did drugs that day.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="940b">I also had been practicing this weird stuff where I could see people’s auras. And as always, I was constantly reading, so I was partially convinced that our soul was energy of some sort and that it could be measured, or seen, or contained… maybe controlled.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d704">Maybe <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">that </em>is what saved me.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="399f">But, when that stuff hit me, I saw a freight train coming to get me. The universe was smashing in — and in Five, four, three, two …</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0784">I had only a split second to be terrified and realize I was going to die. I had overdosed, that was it. I was done.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f68b">All I could mentally do, after my physical self gripped the sides of the table, both hands in a vice, was hear the bang when it hit, and try and convince myself that I was energy. That was my only way to survive.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e5ea">When the scream came, it went up and out of my mouth toward the heavens.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c517">I won’t explain what happened on the other side, but when I finally caught a thought and returned, I remembered what evil I had done and that God wasn’t happy. No one was happy.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7021">There were no excuses and if I tried to explain it, it was only going to get worse.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="d27d">That didn’t stop me from trying.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="e405">The result of that route of thinking found me in a padded room, locked in a straight jacket.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="825e"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">At least I was alone</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f88e">It was silent.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e853">Right up until I realized there was no way I was going to <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">think </em>my way out of this. Then the room was filled with my screams again.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2171">I screamed so loud that I remembered how hot the pain had been when the overdose hit. And that must’ve triggered <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">something</em> because there I was…<br />after a thousand rounds of spiritual Russian roulette… body in reach again.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3cdb">Standing by that table, still on my feet. But I couldn’t go there without losing it again, so I put myself somewhere else — somewhere <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">serene</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="008f">Close by.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a17b">Comfortable.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fac4">Alone.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e7ea">A couch with a friend…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="34c3">…but that’s a different story.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="bd18"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="44a3">Now, after all this time, I can see that my fear of ending up permanently in that straight jacket has materialized as all the belts and lassos that might tie me into a community. Make me responsible.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fcb5">Force me to be a people.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ec94">Make me cast off the doubts, the worries of insignificance. The petty superficial falsehoods of immaturity and look to the future, and to the past with good clean lenses.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="923b">Boy, how I am relieved!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="89df">I can deal with a life of metaphors. It’s the nouns and verbs that getcha…<br />So permanent!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6615">What’s funny is. There’s a term for metaphors that have been used-up. Dead metaphors, they’re called.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="364c">Clean as a whistle. Clear as a bell. Black as night.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="237a">Words that retire and age… My favorites. Why? They’re beautiful because of their mortality.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="b17b"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f2cc">There are so many things I took away from my meeting with Pastor Mark this time. Incredible advice. Marriage-saving advice even.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e82c">I was almost inclined to leave some thought provoking ideas in return. But, I am still in awe of the guy. And when you’re even slightly unsure of your own greatness, or equality of company, you can tend to be a little sheepish.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ec59">Is that really it?<br />I’m unsure.<br />I mean, when God is talking through someone, it is definitely more valuable to just shut up and listen. The things I have to say, or rather, think I have to say, really could be completely valueless. I know them to be — in fact.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7817">Wow.<br />Maybe <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">that’s</em> why I put them down on paper. So, people can read them if they find time. Because honestly, my time is so valuable that I want to hear what you have to say!<br />I’m learning here… and well, I may not be around forever, nor may you. Last thing I want to do is waste someone else's.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4a03">That is a really selfish thought isn’t it? The fact that I don’t want to talk because I already know these things and might not gain any further insight from divulging them?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="09ea"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">Assuming that I know things is the real problem!</em></blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="37e1">But if, just <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">what if</em>, I divulge something that a friend takes and transmogrifies by alchemy or by miracle into something more amazing, and better yet, more truthful?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="afbf">Well, we weren’t there to talk philosophy anyhow…<br />Though we nearly breached it when he said that the dichotomy is in science and philosophy, not in science and religion, as most people understand.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dfe7">I read in a biology book that mycelium (the fluid networks of underground fungi) act in a semi-conscious way. The research found that the fungal symbiotes could actively decide which plants to more fully nourish with a real-time intelligence of which plants were giving them the most nourishment in return. They discriminate!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4907">In fact, studies showed that these fungal networks knew which plants would eventually give them nourishment later if they gave them nourishment now. This was assumed to be largely in part that most living organisms have these fungi and bacteria living inside of them already, as they have evolved from these first biological organisms and now are actively living in symbiotic harmony with them.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b054">Even we are a make-up of these tiny biological marriages, eons old. Just look at our stomachs. It is a huge movement right now; our digestive cultures. Modern diets are sculpted from the results of our internal microbiomes.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="842c">Now, are they conscious? That’s the real question. In fact, that has always been <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_problem_of_consciousness" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_problem_of_consciousness" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the hard problem</a>?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="842b">Theists are still skeptical, and rightly so! That’s science.<br />Where’s the proof?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="e4e9">The answer may not be all that far away.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="bee2">When we lack a complete answer to a question, I like to look at it from a different viewpoint. So, let us start from a theist’s perspective.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b257">Is God conscious?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="a969">Does God’s consciousness have a body?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="edc7">Now here it can get hairy. And I am interested in your responses. I imagine, some will say that God <em class="markup--em markup--blockquote-em">is</em> everything… in everything… Some will say that he exists in Heaven which he separated the waters from the Heavens from the waters of the Earth. Some will say that he’s just an idea.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="aaf9">Either way, I suggest that God needs us. I also suggest that we need him.<br />That is, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">if either of us want to grow</em>.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="32b3"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="6f71">My statement about these first biological organisms being conscious, wasn’t necessarily to profess their intelligence… I wouldn’t want to insult anyone… I mean, who’s smarter?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f8f7">Me about to have sex, who looks in the mirror, squeezes a black head, fails — now there’s a red blotch — leans back, wipes the fog off the mirror from my own breath, adjusts my glasses — also fogged now… farts.<br />Or the damn alga and fungi who look across a lava rock at each other and just say, “Let’s do it.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4e0f">And all just from the simple ability to see beauty in each other. In <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">the extreme case of lichens</em> (the first marriage of alga and fungi or bacteria) the beauty of another’s struggle and pain; their inability to survive alone on the lava rock…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="f7c2">the empathy for one another…<br />was enough.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="fe4d">Not only to see beauty, but to marry with it in order to survive. And not only to survive but <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">thrive</em>. When things marry they don’t only work together to keep existing, but they change their whole environment into one that is more conducive to their lives altogether.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="29b7">I mean, these things mended their abilities to use light and carbon to produce oxygen. And now they survive the vacuum of space for years at a time; revived with just a little water!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4ee6"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="eff9">It’s easy to get passionate about the smallest part of God, which is the physical stuff. So, I want to stop it here, because that’s not what I am talking about.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f834">We’re not lichens. Man is made in his image. There’s a difference.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b5af">But his plan shines though Pastor Mark, like it shines through those symbiotic relationships that I now know…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="dd40">There’s a reason we sometimes see ourselves as the big, sloppy, greased walruses at the tupperware party…<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">just stick with me here</em>…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2dc3">Because God is the opposite, which we know, but we and God both also know something else. That as soon as we popped up something started killing us. And it’s beautiful!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="502f">And just like those single cells on the lava rock we can see each other across the expanse. So let’s focus on another reason this walrus is at the tupperware party, Baby.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8983">We’re looking for a tight seal!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f632">Now, the good news is. This metaphor is referring to sealing a relationship with God. And vulgarness, ludeness, and all that aside… Man and wife do this together.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="c714">It’s only obvious.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="74c3"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">They</em> made us in the in <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">their</em> image.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="7489"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="ecce"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Are the oldest accounts of the Greek god’s human relationships and offspring purely fantasy or are they parables? If we’re going to bring Heaven to Earth, isn’t it only through seeing the beauty of God and he seeing the beauty in us?</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c6e6">Eyes connecting and marriage occurring to bring us into a shared space where we can co-exist for the better of us both?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3782">When I said God needs us, people cringed… doubted.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f2e2"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Need</em> is a strong word. So, I will give it to you guys…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5757">God may not have <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">needed</em> us to create the Universe? And we may not <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">need</em> him to make a salami sandwich. But, if we are going to survive past the end of this phase...</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="49e8">We’re going to have to work together.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="eb56"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="aa83">You know, I met this guy once that could draw perfect circles with a piece of chalk.<br />Marty amazed people.<br />I never knew a Marty… Like ever... But this guy’s real. I promise. I saw him somewhere.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="94ea">I used to tease him by making him draw two or three at a time, which always tripped him up a bit. The layers would make it come out more like a tight spiral and I would say, “You see!”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6c01">He always hated when I did that!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="75f4">Who’s Marty?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3d14">I liked that better. It more represented the reality of life. The addition of time.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="91cc">Like a blue morning glory on a field of green circling upward toward a golden sun.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4b26"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="d992">Two steel rails wind side-by-side for over eight miles through aspen groves above a 12,000 foot tree line. The Pike’s Peak Cog sometimes chugs up a twenty-six percent grade to reach the summit which is now a historical landmark.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="48cb">I can’t remember the journey because I’ve never ridden that particular train. But I’ve read about it, and watched a YouTube video of the adventure in time-lapse.<br />It was really quite amazing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9658">In one of my working novels, the Character of Father Time, tells the reader that they are pieces of his memory. That, if not for them, he could not exist, because he would forget where he came from. Where he’s been.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1f76">In a way, I kinda see that as rail one.<br />Because, if not for him (God I mean), we’d not know where we are going.<br />I think of that as rail two.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bb62">But eternity is not a destination, it’s an idea that we both have. God and I.<br />His idea of what he has always known I was, and my idea of what I know he is.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b6f0">There is a summit. And there is a train.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d332">And there will always be…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="223d">ADVENTURE.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="1727"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="df3e"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e602"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b2fd"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9c61"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cf33"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="d5ff"><br /><br /></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-6321293254759564942021-02-03T00:45:00.007-08:002021-02-03T01:57:06.309-08:00 Jay’s Magnum Opus<p></p><section class="section section--body" name="a497"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><h1 class="graf graf--h4" name="0507" style="text-align: left;">Lilith, Eve, and Adam</h1></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--outsetColumn"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetCenter" name="b554"><img alt="EVE" class="graf-image" data-height="1309" data-image-id="1*C0TB8PSrNwqGIplDYK6AOQ.jpeg" data-width="2111" height="397" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1200/1*C0TB8PSrNwqGIplDYK6AOQ.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright 2021 Bookflurry Inc.</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="7080">I began my journey in writing many years ago…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b4b0">Perhaps, my passion existed before I was even aware. As some zygote in my mother’s womb when my handsome, hard-working, self-motivating, and athletic father coupled in desire with my creative, beautiful, and artistic mother in the early eighties.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9f61">They do say that it takes two to tango. But, throughout my more than ambiguous studies of philosophy, biology, and religion I have teased out a theory that is rather triune in nature.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="eaa8">I mean, who can blame their parents for giving birth to them?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f8a4">Have you ever thanked them? <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Ever cursed them</i>? Both?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fe7c">Or, are you <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">perhaps</i> as humble as I and presume that you may have, in fact, chosen to take part in this grand game of conscious evolution <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">yourself</i>?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="44ec">It really is an art, raising children. Trying to gently explain to them that life is an exercise in personal, and then global accountability.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="7163">It’s a death sentence is what it is!</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="3a1b"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="095b">Well, gently I will tell you what I think. Take it or leave it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="edd3">I’ve read things like <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://annerice.com/" href="http://annerice.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicle’s</a> and wondered, just how can she write a world like that?! She must have lived it!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="56e9">And then I read <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://stephenking.com/" href="https://stephenking.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Stephen King’s Gunslinger Series</a> and think, wow, this guy <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">did</i> live some of this! And as one avid reader wrote, “and his poor wife as well!”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="06f1">Now, I understand.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="8bf4">In writers’ defense everywhere I am going to attempt to make us seem less crazy, and in-turn make us out to be even more insane.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="4cac">But, if you were to just read and research anything to do with the power of blood, and Romanian history, and if perhaps you moved to New Orleans for awhile, you may just think that the only way you are going to be able to live forever is to drink some life-giving fluid from another beautiful and perfectly sane vampire.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d2d5">On another hand, if you were confined to a padded cell with paper and pen, and stuck with nothing but your own imagination, you may just start scribbling anecdotes and stories like Michael De Luca. Then before you knew it, you may have written a world haphazardly into existence and convinced yourself along the way that you were creating something from a <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3jol9Cx" href="https://amzn.to/3jol9Cx" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mouth of Madness</a>…</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="9572">My fifteen-year-old son once told me his greatest fear was ‘making it big’ and then someone Googling his search history.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="369f">But he was also grown-up enough to say one of the most self-appreciating things I have ever heard. He told me, “I believe if you think something, it’s just as bad as doing it.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="28b1">And I’m going to go out on a limb, because that is where he literally told me this (while we were sitting on a limb together) and suggest he was talking about sin.<br />And, hey! They say children and old fools speak the truth.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1474">I assured him, when the time comes to collect, you can only give what you have. It takes money to make money. But hey, the boy skirts the lines of creative genius. Fear inspires creativity. The fear of death, especially, inspires <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">humane</i> creativity.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="32bb">God knows what Van Gogh was guilty of <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">thinking</i>…</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="b42f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="5774">A couple years back I wrote a book called <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3cCNWSq" href="https://amzn.to/3cCNWSq" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Only Thing I Like About Living</a> while I was attending AA and therapy. It pretty much boiled everything down to my own personal accountability.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fd67">Not that I’ve never had any, but it’s clarified for me that we are always a part of the process.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3195">Mom and Dad wanted to be together. I was once that desire.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7d9c">I mean, there’s a reason we say we’re <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">com</i>ing. Excuse my French. You know, right at <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">that</i> moment.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d1c7">Well, we’re both saying it, or screaming it, or whimpering... My wife and I, at the same time…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="61a0">But sometimes I think women are more receptive to the other little guy who’s screaming too. Yep, the little dude or gal who’ll show up… in time.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e731">Somehow, Mom and Dad thought me up, and I said, “Yes.”<br />They <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">came</i> up with me, together! I hear kids everywhere saying, “Eeeewwww!”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="af95">I know, I know… This leads into all kinds of gross and slippery arguments about vasectomys and contraceptives and what not. But, think of your best orgasms. Not now, that can get messy.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7b78">But, was someone else there?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="2a10">If they weren’t; they are now!</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="de09"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="de85">And that, guys be warned, is what made me believe that <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.arianagrande.com/" href="https://www.arianagrande.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Ariana Grande</a> may be partially correct in assuming <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/2YC4D8c" href="https://amzn.to/2YC4D8c" rel="noopener" target="_blank">God is a Woman</a>. Well, at least that the first physical person was a woman.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0562">Then comes the crazy debate cycle. Well, bring it on! I have no side here, I’m a student myself.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e68b">In honor of man, though, how great was your first creation? The first two? Heck, most of our first works, especially, in my own case, when we rush them out of the chute, end up working against us.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a469">People read my first stuff and said, “I’ve had enough!”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0e1f">But here I am again…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="44d1">So, why wouldn’t God get a few practice swings?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="59db">Now, I’m not saying that my wife was a practice swing… <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">I saw that coming a mile away.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b528">In fact, official doctrine now says that she’s the final product (the perfect specimen), but I’m talking before all that.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b1a2">When the world was young. Back before the Tower of Babel was cast down.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="080f">Yeah, now you’re speaking my language…</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="25bc">Back in a time when the waters were gathered together in one place to reveal the land. And that land was Pangea.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="3b77">Isn’t unity nice?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="aa3e">So, how can we get back there from our nine-to-fives, and international airline flights? Gaping distances of ocean separating landmasses, mankind, and womankind alike? How can we speak the same language again?</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="1330">Be a people?</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2e8b"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="310a">Well, it starts with water, rocks, and lichens, and then there’s s a great band called The Beatles.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="310a" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/45cYwDMibGo" width="320" youtube-src-id="45cYwDMibGo"></iframe></div> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=45cYwDMibGo" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=45cYwDMibGo" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=45cYwDMibGo</a> | may present with Ad</span><p></p></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f05e">I’ve been working on my Magnum opus for some years. It is a trilogy.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f3d8">Lilith will recount the birth of the first physical form to Earth (God’s first practice swing) and the construction of the Tower of Babel in an effort to understand Love.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="35d3">Eve (God’s second practice swing) is what you can listen to <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="https://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a> and has been published under numerous titles including Hubudi, Tower Hearts, and Eve… but currently is under the working title of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="https://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Remember</a>. Yet, I am going to end up titling all of them chronologically Lilith, Eve, and Adam when I am through sometime late 2023.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3880">I will replace the current <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3cAOzM9" href="https://amzn.to/3cAOzM9" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Eve</a> with the re-write and it will go forever into the bowels of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=jay+m.+horne&_sacat=0" href="https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=jay+m.+horne&_sacat=0" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ebay’s</a> antiquities dealers. <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">I really should buy some copies of those old things</i>… but I think all authors tell themselves that.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3fc3">Just a waste of money when you’re trying to make a living, really. But tell that to ebayers trying to sell my <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3axUTS9" href="https://amzn.to/3axUTS9" rel="noopener" target="_blank">out-of-prints</a> for like five hundred bucks!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4a26">That book, however, delves into a present timeline and a love story, where the tower gets resurrected.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7ac5">The third installment, Adam, will perhaps be the straw that breaks the camel’s back when Evelyn’s child is born and God finally decides to start anew with Man.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f8e6">Must have been something about all those feelings that women have that was messing things up to begin with!</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4cc2">Better off just making her subordinate!</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote" name="aa95">“Here Adam, I give you Earth! It is yours to populate and command, just don’t let your feelings govern you for God’s sake!</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="12d8">And here, I will craft you a companion that will respect you, love you, reflect your beauty, clean the dishes, laugh at your jokes, down right worship you, and it will only cost you an arm and a leg,” God says.</blockquote><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="46b4">and Adam of course replies, “Eh, what can I get for a rib?”</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="fa6a"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="ff23">So, come on over and bug me. I’m on Facebook <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/elventesai" href="https://www.facebook.com/elventesai" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/elventesai</a></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5018">I could use a little community support.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="fdec"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f5a2"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</i>.<br /><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="24ea"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ecff"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6a62"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="6e81"><br /><br /></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-49242612439831395912021-02-02T12:14:00.004-08:002021-02-02T12:14:51.456-08:00A Testament to Roots<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Sheldrake’s Bibliography</h1><section class="section section--body" name="1b49"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="ef46"><img alt="Mushroom" class="graf-image" data-height="1128" data-image-id="1*5h_cmZDH54rcspUneIdWcQ.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="2103" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2600/1*5h_cmZDH54rcspUneIdWcQ.jpeg" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">Image Courtesy Pixabay</figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="c617">I’m certain that I am not the first person to point out the importance of referencing the places we obtain the unique pieces of information contained within the art we lay down on paper.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a2c9">In fact, because it is art that we are creating when we write, we can often throw our pen back over our shoulder when we’re finished and put our hands up in exuberance at a job well-done, rather than hold onto our pen or brush while we reflect on whom and what it was that brought that particular creative piece to light.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2a59"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="5df2">I was both disappointed and humbled when I finished reading Merlin Sheldrake’s <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.amazon.com/Entangled-Life-Worlds-Change-Futures/dp/0525510311" href="https://www.amazon.com/Entangled-Life-Worlds-Change-Futures/dp/0525510311" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Entangled Life</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="82ce">I have to admit that my eyes may never fully dance across the entirety of the volume and sorely it may never be totally consumed, <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">unless I eat it </strong>(<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/videos" href="https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/videos" rel="noopener" target="_blank">like he himself did</a>), because two thirds the way through he begins his bibliography.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4e0c">I say I am both disappointed and humbled because I was sad his dialogue ended before my appetite abated. Though I have found tons of content on-line, of his and his father’s, Rupert, that has kept me busy listening in my spare time…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1cb0">But humbled because, I myself have done a lot of writing and always get done and kind of<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">throw the brush over my shoulder</em><br />to say the least.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="dc30"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f7d8">Why take such time to cite all these references?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="3db6">I’m not complaining.<br />It just made me question my own habits.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e164">With every piece of knowledge right at our fingertips, is there really any new information being created?<br />Well, the beautiful answer is yes.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f6ea">But it’s being made from someone else’s stuff.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="f918">When it comes down to it, the same information is being regurgitated time and time again, by different mediums until it is wholly heard.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="857d">For example, we all know that relativity, gravity, the big bang, and so on and so forth is real-life, right?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f13a">Do we?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7d31"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Of course we do</strong>, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">depending on who you heard it from and if you trust them</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="66aa">Just as we all know that God exists and that Jesus died for our sins on the cross many centuries ago…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8eb4">Don’t we?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2bc7"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Of course</strong>!<em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> But who told you</em>?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a4a8">Or did you research? Perhaps someone told you and displayed the research and you just kinda picked through and decided what felt right?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ea6f">We’re all bloody scientists!<br />Breaking stuff down into tiny little pieces and trying to discover some definitive proof that we’re Good. Connected. Self-replicating.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="69e9">Maybe that last one’s a stretch.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6b0f">But, for real. Some people are more comfortable hearing that God has a good and decent plan for us from a guy that once tried jumping off a bridge rather than hearing it from a preacher in a suit at an altar.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b899">Some prefer reading about it in science books and engaging in philosophical debate…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fde7"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">And some people avoid it all together</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f5d8">But it eventually finds you.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="976c"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Cold</strong>, <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">hard</em>, truth.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0667">When you can’t find another thing to do other than to turn and ask some questions.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="acb0">Bored to death?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a255">Ask.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1c2d">Where did he get that from?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="c6bc"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b1a7">In Merlin’s case it was from his father.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8163">There’s tons of great <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.sheldrake.org/videos/videos-of-the-mckenna-abraham-sheldrake-trialogues" href="https://www.sheldrake.org/videos/videos-of-the-mckenna-abraham-sheldrake-trialogues" rel="noopener" target="_blank">trialogues</a> that I have had the pleasure of listening to. Three dudes just sitting around chatting, kinda like Plato and Homer, or Socrates and Descartes. Just bouncing ideas off one another.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="b0dd"><em class="markup--em markup--blockquote-em">addendum:</em> whilst under the influence of psychedelic substances.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="37bb">But it reminds me of the constant search we all engage in together.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="2439">There <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">is</em> a, ‘He said. She said,’ going on.<br />It’s unavoidable.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a8bd">These talks, I enjoyed because they were engaging. I mean, they were quoting guys like Pythagoras. And it is in this <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">convergence</em> with historical dialect, rather than an <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">ownership</em> of it that I find some humility.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8bd6">I am not naive enough to believe that the collective knowledge of human consciousness could ever fit inside of my little brain.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="507b">I can’t remember where I’ve left my keys for God’s sake.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="38c8">My Pastor ordered a coffee at the Starbucks across town while we were sitting outside a Starbucks downtown, but then proceeded to give me some genuinely spiritual and valuable insight.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="8457">So, no. I am on board with the collective memory theory. It is language and dialect that are ways to craft the new clays our forefathers have fashioned for us.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ed76">It’s why we cite the bible. Plagiarism is one thing; outright copying a sentence you see as your own. But expressing something in a way that can be understood by another populace is, in itself, art.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0bb2">Whether you use the word Rad. Cool. Neat. Tight. Smooth. Righteous. Hip. Sweet. Groovy…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a892">All depends on how many ski slopes you’ve carved or bowls you’ve smoked.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="9818"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b447">In a way, bibliographies can show us that there is so much that we really do not know.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7626">It can be devastating to look at Sheldrake’s bibliography and think, “Well, I will die before I get through all of those references that he’s cited…”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9183">And that is how it should be.<br />Stephen King said it best in his book On Writing, and I am paraphrasing, but he mentioned melancholy over all the great books that he will never have time to read in his life.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a04f">This is how life unfolds to us though, through relationships and dialogues with one another. A flower could no less explain to you the mathematical and biological processes it underwent to bloom, before falling off of its bud into decay.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="6760">You just have to take its smell for it.</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="9a33"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="bdb2">For these rather ambiguous reasons I find it important that we continue to dialogue with one another. And what better time and place than today?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="433a">I read three books at a time. Listen to an audio book when I walk, and keep a magazine by my toilet. Then in leisure watch some damned television show or another…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f643">Why can’t we keep open many social streams of inquiry and loving, non-judgmental, dialect that educates those who would otherwise not have that option?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5406">Not these useless and fiery debates that seem to crowd out the underlying truths that are inherently interesting and important to all human beings. Self-serving and divisive dialect just implies that what we have to say has value.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c3c3">And it does. But that value was put there by our ancestors.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="287d">Just because a goal seems too monumental to be undertaken in one lifetime doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be attempted. I’m sure someone said that before me. <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">What words could possibly be my own</em>?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9019">When Merlin started studying the roots of his first plant species and realized that he would never be able to count the number of fungi and bacteria that were working together down there, he didn’t let it deter him. He just changed his mind about it.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="5f57">Roots of everything grow deeper than we might be able to reach, but that doesn’t mean that they ever stopped drawing us up water…</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="6414"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="dd61"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="44ef"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9569"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="52af"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-16503888909331072802021-01-29T22:37:00.003-08:002021-01-29T23:16:16.491-08:00Write with Rapture<h1 style="text-align: left;">Less than One Percent of all Goodness is the Physicality.</h1><section class="section section--body" name="1c4c"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--outsetColumn"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetCenter" name="dd89"><img alt="write happy" class="graf-image" data-height="1080" data-image-id="1*WbZgG4aWaZo4Gdj9ys2svg.jpeg" data-width="2652" height="260" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1200/1*WbZgG4aWaZo4Gdj9ys2svg.jpeg" width="640" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright 2021 Bookflurry Inc. Pen Image edited from <a class="markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor" data-href="https://pixabay.com/vectors/filler-fountain-pen-pen-feather-2022184/" href="https://pixabay.com/vectors/filler-fountain-pen-pen-feather-2022184/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pixabay</a></span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="09db">Back in my twenties I watched a B-rated movie called <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/39wgZoz" href="https://amzn.to/39wgZoz" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mind Walk</a>. It was right around the time that <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3r4nMvQ" href="https://amzn.to/3r4nMvQ" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Secret</a> came out, and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3cmYkNZ" href="https://amzn.to/3cmYkNZ" rel="noopener" target="_blank">What the Bleep-Down the Rabbit Hole</a>, and such things…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f533">I really enjoyed that movie twice, and I don’t watch movies twice.<br />Well, except Frozen, but that was forced, over, over, and over again.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="703d">Another one I watched twice was <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3crQWAO" href="https://amzn.to/3crQWAO" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pontypool</a>. They both had this meditative zeal. The kinda feel like, if you were alone and had real time to just relax, but not waste, then that was it. They were the kind of movies that you could just listen to without the film even. But the film made it better.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d27e">I’ve never looked to see if those were based on books because, if they were, they had to have been mostly dialogue. But man, they kept you attentive.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="4a7d"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4c80">A philosopher, a politic, and a scientist walk around discussing the exact thing they are on vacation retreating from; the problems of the world. Almost sounds like the start of a good joke, and it may be, right?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="99d3">I mean they’ve spent billions splitting atoms and gazing out into the universe in an effort to figure it all out. Meanwhile, people on planet Earth still starve. Still fight. Still end up unhappy. Ashamed. Scared. Hopeless. Lost.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="8ffc">I sometimes wonder why people who show up in the jungles of untouched inhabitants always have to start out by saying, “Let us show you what we’ve learned,” instead of asking, “How can we help?”</blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="de1f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="b266">The best pets I ever had wandered up as strays.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0d36">I just offered them something with my hand out. And then let them run away.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6963">After a long time, those animals followed me anywhere. They roamed free, but they listened. Of course, I hardly ever asked for anything, other than an occasional, “Over here, boy.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9242">They listened because I helped them.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6d34">Certainly their last owners abused them — drove them out. And maybe that’s what made them love me more…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b8bf">Sounds kinda like a life between a whip and a salve. I’m unsure that is true goodness. Perhaps it’s a way to find it, eventually.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0637">I think goodness is the true nature of all things.<br />God called it good.<br />It’s a good essence.<br />We couldn’t be born from sin because he also said to multiply.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="70bf">I recently read a comment on a Christian blog where a kid asked if Adam and Eve had sex before they ate the apple. LOL.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="569e">Somebody else commented, “Yes, you idiot!”</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="b8a5"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f1b2">I mean, <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">it’s common sense to read the bible</i>, but you gotta find a translation that at least makes sense or you won’t understand a damn word of it.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="755f">Try keeping a copy of the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/2M7WN3J" href="https://amzn.to/2M7WN3J" rel="noopener" target="_blank">New American Standard Bible</a> on hand so you can reference anything you question and form your own opinions. But read something like the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3r3WZ2z" href="https://amzn.to/3r3WZ2z" rel="noopener" target="_blank">New Living Translation</a> just to get through the stories.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="fc29">You want to enjoy the experience of reading no matter what the book. Or why read it?</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="9ea2">The first bible I ever read was the Jehovah’s witness children’s bible. It was a good start for a teen who knew nothing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ebf9">Grant it, looking back I can see the writers were aiming at rapture. No pun intended.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="b87a">I’m doing something similar with <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/2NDUdCH" href="https://amzn.to/2NDUdCH" rel="noopener" target="_blank">War and Peace</a>. Took me two translations to find one that I could follow.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="9ea0"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="6824">Everybody’s worried about people translating it to their own ignoble desires or something… Just read one in your language.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1b1e">You’re the final translator — Idiot!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="2be7"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="6a1f">Sorry, I’m talking to myself, not you.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f037">Well, I’m talking to both of us, but see… I can relate.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="6bc6"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="aa69">When I write, I do it with rapture. So, why wouldn’t everyone else?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="51fe">Thing is, you’re just getting the tip of the goodness poured into my writing.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="46e9">That’s right. Just the lead on the end of the pencil is left behind. My smile is gone, my laughter, my feeling. The soreness in my fingertips. Sometimes my tears.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5383">My ass was probably even hurting, and I wanted to stretch at one point but didn’t.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="01bd">But, you just got these little hieroglyphics to interpret and decide what I may have been doing at that moment. Or what I was thinking?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="153c" style="text-align: center;">It is all goodness that I put in, or try. But the physical stuff you see and experience is less than one percent of what Life, God, Goodness, really is.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="afac">Look at the atom. Look at the planets. The physical things are the tiniest parts.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fcb3">The stuff that’s moving everything else around is what makes up most of it. The stuff you can’t see.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="02a1">People’s choices, emotions, perhaps thoughts even…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="acec">Imagine plankton floating in the ocean. You don’t think the tides move those things around more than they do themselves?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="d7b6">If a tidal wave came, it’d wash us all away!</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="94bd"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="35ac">Science and automotive manufacturers have simulated car crashes for decades. They’ve used dummies, and even donated human cadavers to adjust their products to a safer experience in case of such accidents.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="562a">Mary Roach wrote about it extensively in <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://amzn.to/3r5HgAg" href="https://amzn.to/3r5HgAg" rel="noopener" target="_blank">STIFF: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers</a>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7573">But they never used live people.<br />Oh, c’mon! I’m not suggesting they should! I am just making a point. According to <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.atlautoaccidents.com/blog/2019/december/why-do-drunk-drivers-walk-away-unharmed-/" href="https://www.atlautoaccidents.com/blog/2019/december/why-do-drunk-drivers-walk-away-unharmed-/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Auto Accident Attorneys</a> drunk driver’s are 65% more likely to survive accidents than the sober. Supposedly, because they just go with the flow.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7e90">Cars are safer, yes. But, because of the love, time, and design that the people have put into them. The cars themselves are just specks in the whole scheme of things.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="da36"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="5ce2">It’s so insignificant that you cannot be too passionate about it or you’ll over react.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9cc9">If you want to live life in rapture. You can only do it three ways, over and over in cycle.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="b027">How you judge it, how you react to it, and then what you give to it.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="70e9">Because anything in physicality is just a cycle of time.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f3f7">The Earth around the Sun is called a year, the moon around the Earth is called a month, and the hand around the clock is called an hour.<br /><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en" href="https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sadhguru</a> said that.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f9a9">Then he challenged us to rise above the cyclical nature and show interest in things' growth. To see ourselves as the unintentional nurturers. Bees that enjoy the beauty of a flower. Kids that play in the dirt.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="00a1">It’s enough for us to simply spread the pollen and stir the soil.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1884">And even <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">that</i> can happen by accident.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="5eb1"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="4be3"><b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">If this article helped you. Share it. Because I know a few people who could use a few more beautiful things…</b></p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="d6de"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="0a00"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</i>.<br /><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cd2c"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f53e"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </i><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</i></a><i class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</i></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7ba1"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744524914856945463.post-70799590201329188432021-01-29T00:59:00.002-08:002021-01-29T00:59:40.873-08:00Me and Miyagi<h1 style="text-align: left;"> Are you an old soul?</h1><section class="section section--body" name="6ced"><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--fullWidth"><figure class="graf graf--figure graf--layoutFillWidth" name="49f4"><img alt="Cobra Kai" class="graf-image" data-height="3004" data-image-id="1*DZbaaXr17Zgd9Td8d9PqQA.jpeg" data-is-featured="true" data-width="2708" height="640" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2560/1*DZbaaXr17Zgd9Td8d9PqQA.jpeg" width="578" /><figcaption class="imageCaption"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image Courtesy of pixy.org</span></figcaption></figure></div><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="dd8f">A lot of people will argue that forty isn’t over-the-hill. But, it will always be over the hill to me.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="162e">Give me black balloons and a whoopee cushion on my big four zero day! Sadly, that day has passed and I didn’t get my party.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="034d">I can see the debate. No one wants to admit that they are old. Or do they?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bba0">Hell, I’ve wanted to be ninety since the day I saw Mr Miyagi teach Daniel San Karate. Then, I watched another old man teach some kids to be happy through Ninja training, in the movie Three Ninjas.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="f300">Yep. I’ve waited a long time to be old.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="82b3">Now, I may never get to be it.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="d0dd"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="0ef5">Well, that remains to be seen. No one can really tell the future.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bbd5">One thing I do know, however, is that I walked along the boardwalk on lunch break and was thinking about just how I might perfect my handstand before I die when all of a sudden it hit me.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="29de">The definition of my own self-worth.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="fc5b">So, we’re worthless.<br />Middle-aged. Used-up. Finally settling into the cut.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5435">Like an old train wheel, used to the track and the rolling.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="58ed"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="a83d">When I was young, and dumb as hell, my friend Justin and I decided it would be cool if we could derail a train by taking one of the loose railroad spikes out of the timber and putting it on the track.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="5454">It seemed the that the spike lying down on its side might slip right under the cowcatcher and send the train off its rail.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1dd3">We fiddled around on the track awhile, trying to figure just how we could be certain the wheel wouldn’t fling it off or what not… but eventually, time, or lack of interest, or God, or whatever had us just lay one on the track and run off to make another mess elsewhere.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="ed1f">The train never derailed. But I’m sure some dumb ass somewhere was more successful than us two young idiots. Jesus did say something about you can only be forgiven over the things you’re willing to forgive another for…</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="75e1">You see. The old train wheel had an advantage over us young bucks.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="c025">It had been carrying tons of weight on its shoulders for thousands of miles for many many years.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="a731">I’m sure when it came along to that railroad spike we placed there it just hopped right on over it, upsetting the iron spike more than anything else.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="3ad6"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="f17f">My kids asked me when they would be as old as me, and I told them never.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7655">Of course, my wife said, “No, you’ll be Dad’s age in so and such years…”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0c72">I said, “Yeah, but you’ll never catch up.”</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="a823"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="20e1"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">It’s the weight that makes us steady</em>.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7f90">I will teach you a trick.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote" name="4afb">Take a weight and hold it anywhere uncomfortable. Just, keep doing <em class="markup--em markup--blockquote-em">that</em>. Eventually you’ll be able to do something no one else can.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="cf4a">Things are easier with weight on top, just as long as what’s underneath can hold it up. For some of us, it takes practice.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="0ffe">Young souls will always be tossing our old pieces at us trying to derail us. Only cuz they have nothing <strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Better</em></strong> to do.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7fae">If they had some weight up there on their shoulders, a little worry maybe… direction?</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="cbd7"><strong class="markup--strong markup--p-strong"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Better</em></strong> means <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">good</em>. There’s a definition, you know? Challenging, engaging, questioning, influencing, not letting them be free to wander… Yes, let them wonder.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="e083">But, if your mind’s wandering, so’s your kids.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7664">Take the weight. Teach them. Jump the spike. Get a new dent.</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="74c0"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="6be0">The forties threatens us with all the same pitfalls of teenage years. Being a grown-up means we can’t just go de-rail trains. We know better.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="98ef">Still dating, just the same person in a billion different ways.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="adfa">Yet, we’re not yet Mr. Miyagi.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="7030">So, what’s left to do but realize what we have.<br />Time. </p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="9f51">We have <em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">this</em> time.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="35d1"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">This</em> time it can be different. <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">This</em> time we can enjoy it. <em class="markup--em markup--p-em">This</em> time we can be aimless animals for awhile, but try and not wreck everyone else’s stuff.</p><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="082c">We’re the grown-ups.</blockquote><p class="graf graf--p" name="924e">… and maybe we can do it without picking on all the little kids that know no better?</p></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="24ad"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote" name="4077"><em class="markup--em markup--pullquote-em">This wheel bends, warps, and even wobbles, but it holds the weight and it can hear the engine running us up the line.</em></blockquote></div></div></section><section class="section section--body" name="159f"><div class="section-divider"><hr class="section-divider" /></div><div class="section-content"><div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn"><p class="graf graf--p" name="116d"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Please Comment and Inquire</em>.<br /><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. is a growing blog and interested in your engagement.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="bd30"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida. He is a husband and father of four.<br />Listen to all of his works in progress for FREE at </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry.com</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><br />Where Book Clubs Grow.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="6d14"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Bookflurry Inc. houses all of Jay M. Horne’s </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/bookshelf.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">literary works</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em"> and </em><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/audio-books-and-samples.html" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">audio files</em></a><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">. Come spend some time and enjoy! Everything is always FREE and you can stay as long as you want.</em></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="55e0"><a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" href="http://www.bookflurry.com/" rel="noopener nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.bookflurry.com</a></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="28d7"><br /><br /></p></div></div></section>Jay M. Hornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04939681983638895144noreply@blogger.com0