Tag Archives: spirituality

New Ramblings

Monday Night Ramblings – 7/15/2019

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Really busy couple of weeks, so I haven’t been able to write a post recently.

This summer has been one of the best of my life. My kids have been here with me since early June, and they have helped me with the business quite a bit. If you’ve known me for any time at all, you should already know how hard my divorce and the loss of custody of them were on me. For the last 11 years, I have felt like a part-time parent, relegated to nightly phone calls and twice a year visits that always ended way too soon.

I missed too many firsts to catalogue, and I’ll never get those back, but this summer, I have gotten to be a real dad again. I got to teach my oldest how to drive and my youngest how to put in a full day’s work. I’ve gotten to talk to them for hours on end and joke and be silly and be stern and instill values and all of those things a father is supposed to do.

My hope for everyone is that they can find healing and love and purpose for their lives. If I could give everyone the blessings I’ve enjoyed these last three years, I would gladly share them with all. Life is too short, too fragile, too beautiful to allow anger and bitterness to consume you. Gratitude and thankfulness are much more pleasant paths to traverse.

That’s all for now.

New Ramblings

Tuesday Afternoon Ramblings – 7/9/2019

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On Black Friday of 2016, I found a cheap chainsaw on sale for $99. I heat my home 100% with wood, so at that point in my life, the deal seemed worth it. Unfortunately, the worthless piece of junk tore up within 4 months, and the company refused to cover it under warranty. In related news, I will never purchase another Poulan product for the rest of my life.

In March 2017, I had about $200 credit available on my card and about $150 cash. I was just getting the first baby steps of the tree and landscaping business going when that POS chainsaw laid down on me. At that point, I had to make a choice: buy another cheap POS or get something of quality.

At a local hardware store, I found the 18″ Shindaiwa pictured above for $309, plus tax. After tax, I had less than $5 left on my credit card. That was a difficult choice to make. If the tool doesn’t live up to the ratings, I’m broke. However, there comes a point when you have to take a chance. In economic terms, this is called measuring risk and reward.

I’ve used the Shindaiwa for 2 1/2 years now. It’s my primary tool in the business. The only one that rivals it is my Tanaka weed eater, but that’s a post for a different day. The chainsaw has broken down three times. Two were covered under warranty, but one was a wear item. I’ve probably used $600 worth of chains and bars in that timeframe. I’ve downed some sizable trees and processed a lot of firewood with it.

Looking back, that decision, to scrape together all of my capital and use it to make one major purchase for the business was one of the best steps I’ve taken. The tool has paid for itself a dozen times over and continues to do so. A mediocre tool might have gotten me through one year, but then I would have been replacing it, spending at least the same total amount of money in a shorter timespan. I’ll probably replace that saw within the next year, but it will always hold a special place as the cornerstone of this business.

That’s all for now.

New Ramblings

Independence Day Ramblings (a day late) – 7/5/2019

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The real problem isn’t Colin Kapernick. Or Donald Trump. They may be the symbols for anger, but they are not the problem. The problem is that we as a society fear and loathe the “other” in whatever form it takes.

The problem is that we don’t listen. We shout insults and obscenities at each other over personal beliefs instead of finding common ground and working towards reasonable solutions to real problems.

The problem is that we take examples of the extremes and generalize that to a whole group. We allow mass media machines, which only thrive when we tune in and consume their ads, to constantly poke at our anger for that other group and inflame our hatred for them, mostly so we will tune in tomorrow to see what new outrage “they” have committed.

Then, we act surprised when someone shoots up a school or a government building or whatever.

The problem is that we no longer respect each other’s right to life, right to culture. We are quickly slipping into a fascist wasteland where any dissent is met not by thoughtful deliberation but violent resistance.

The problem is that we so desperately want to be seen as part of the clever, intelligent side that we completely and utterly dismiss the opposition with straw man caricatures and derisive memes that dehumanize and degrade them as something unworthy of human compassion and rights.

The problem is that we have forgotten that living in a free society means that everyone is free to believe as they wish, and as long as they are not actively calling for harm to another person, they have a right to hold and express those beliefs. If we aren’t willing to defend the freedoms of those we disagree with, we don’t deserve freedoms ourselves.

Freedom isn’t about getting your way. It’s about all of us finding a way to live together. It’s about listening and sharing ideas. It’s about accepting that there is room for all of us in this world if we will just focus on finding solutions instead of inciting hate. We have the most beautiful framework ever created, a framework that has allowed itself to grow and morph and adapt to include more people and more views as time has progressed. Everyone who lives under the umbrella of that framework should take a moment and be grateful.

That’s all for now.