Well! I start that way on purpose tonight as I shared a little story with my friend Collette about being stuck in a rut while writing in my journal. There was a time when I started every entry with that word. Didn't matter what had happened that day or anything else, I started with the word Well. Funny, it is probably the only legible word in any of the entries. I remember when I realized that I started every entry with those same four letters and how I had to commit myself not to start that way. It was tough. There were times when by habit (21 days) I would write that big capital W and then I would remember and have to come up with a different W word to start the entry with. For a guy that lives by routine it was a tough change to make. Isn't that life though? Sometimes we settle into certain routines and they just become part of what we do and they can make up who we are. Certainly there wasn't anything particularly wrong with using the word Well but it did get old and weighed on me after a while. I discovered I was just writing it out of pure habit. I am a routine kind of guy and I guess my routines can lead me into ruts.
Righteous Routines... I just thought of that. Righteous Routines are good routines to have. Perhaps the trick there is just to be sure your routine is moving you forward and not sticking you in a rut. The Lord teaches us line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. It is certainly my hope that my routines are righteous and are drawing me nearer to my Savior each day. So maybe not routine but consistency or constancy. Reminds me of a talk, I want to say by President James E. Faust titled Constancy Amid Change. I won't go pull that up on lds.org but you could search that title and test me memory to see if it was actually President Faust. Great talk though.
In other news I got some furniture painting done today. I like what a fresh coat of paint does for something. An old worn out chair can get a fresh start on life with a little tightening up here or there and a new coat of paint. That is one of the things I love about the furniture work. Taking something that is tired and old and giving it new life is a lot of fun. What would you pay for the old violin? The Touch of the Masters Hand. I think that is one of my favorite films and that thought came into my mind as I was pondering this subject. Not trying to declare myself a master with this furniture, no, not going there. I was actually pondering my own experience and being in the lowest of lows not long ago and thinking that all is lost. I think it is good that I am a routine kind of guy because I stuck with all the things I knew to be right and I have felt that touch of the Master. The Master healer. It humbles me greatly and I weep some while I type. Sometimes all you can do in life is trust in the Lord and press forward with faith. All is not lost.
I mentioned in opening sharing a story with Collette. We went out tonight and had a great time - well I had a great time anyway. I have enjoyed getting some practice in on the grill and so we made our own dinner at the LBH. I have to confess that when I was telling the story to Collette I botched it. I told her the word was Wow and when I started typing this I was talking all about the word Wow and after writing a few lines I started a sentence with the word Well and it occurred to me that I told Collette the wrong W word. I am certain to have over used the word Wow also but am confident that Well was my standard opener. I can go back to the journals to be sure but I don't feel the need. So I have gone back and corrected that here and am going to have to send Collette a little note on the matter. It was a fun evening nonetheless and I am grateful for good friends. I'm sure Collette had a great time too even if she had to wash dishes. I taught her the secret of the Philly Cheese Steak and let her cook up her own. She did well for a first timer. Note to Mike - Collette is quite slender and she rather enjoyed the Philly. Not sure your not so scientific discovery at the Hogi Yogi was correct.
Note to John - Wow, how ridiculous. My scientific "discovery" involves the theory that not every girl who orders said sandwich is what I call an "altered beast", rather every altered beast who orders ordered a Philly Cheese-steak, and often referred to it simply as a "Philly Cheese", adding more annoyance. In layman terms, not all who order are crazed women, but all crazed women order the Philly Cheese-steak.
ReplyDeleteWell, in other theories in the same tone, not all people who memorize large amounts of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" have played Dungeons and Dragons with real intent, but all people who have played Dungeons and Dragons with religious vigor have large amounts of the Holy Grail memorized. It is usually the line about witches or the swallow, or with laughter "blue, no yell.... AHHHHHHH."