Thursday's Thoughts, DIAW, Y'all

the fungus among us

America has quite an epidemic of DIAW Syndrome. People exhibit the disease every day, and every day there is a new victim….and the victim is not the one with the disease! I think I may be exhibiting a few symptoms of it myself! Why? Because I’m offended at the offended!

Casting my narrowed eyes 

toward the infected, I say, 

“I don’t want to be like them!”

(Funny how the acronym for people 

offended by offended people is POOP.)

Yes, this…this worm…seems to be taking America by storm! Actually, to call it a worm insults the worm.  We'll stick with fungus.
“Do I have it?” You ask yourself 
“How can I protect myself?” You wonder. 
“What IS IT?” you scream!

I will tell you!  It is having one’s Drawers in a Wad.

Nothing is safe from this wedgie effect.  From the Starbucks cup to the Washington Redskins; from a Target Christmas sweater to a racist Halloween! How about banned words like bossy, or “sorry not sorry,” because apologizing for not apologizing makes so much sense. Even pronouns are not safe! It may be offensive to be called “she” if one if female, or “he” if one is male.

an old fox squirrel 

And words! They can be so offensive! Here are a few examples for you to run by your offended meter to see if you have DIAW symptoms because you feel personally insulted:

• If someone says “black sheep” instead of “outcast.”
• If someone says “guys” instead of “friends” or “folks”
• If someone says “girls” instead of “women”
• “Failure” instead of “non-traditional success”
• “Manhole” instead of “utility hole.”
• “Fat” instead of “person of substance” or “horizontally challenged.”

If I were get to the real nitty gritty, I’d throw this out there:

• If someone suggests “adoption” instead of “abortion.”
• If someone believes “creation” instead of “evolution.”
• If someone is “conservative” instead of “liberal.”

But I won’t go there. That might bring some seriousness into my post.

more fungus (of course it would be in my own back yard!)

People who have DIAW waste a huge amount of precious time carefully watching and listening for the next offense, and too many want a piece of Offended Pie. The First Amendment doesn’t mean you will like everything you hear others say, but it does mean they get to say it. And when they say it, and you don’t like it, that doesn’t always make them racist, discriminatory, or prejudicial. Tolerance doesn’t mean you have to bring them around to your way of thinking. That, my friends, is pseudo-tolerance.

If you find yourself offended every day by what others say,

you are paying too much attention to others' words.

Disengage! Walk away! 

 Go have some fun somewhere!

cataloochee valley elk (GSM)

Is it more acceptable for a person to act like an idiot than it is for someone to point out that they are idiotic?  (And then be left to wonder if it’s really just an act.)  My first instinct for the is to help them in their offense, because if someone whines about some silly word like “bossy,” I find I want to toss it into my conversation as much as possible.  I don’t always act on my first thoughts, thankfully.

What should we do when confronted with someone who is in obvious throes of DIAW?  Rise above it.  Ignore them if you can.  If not, treat them with respect, or just take them to Starbucks because, as we all know, the most important thing that happened this week was a red Starbucks cup.

If you are local...in or around the Shoals area...check OB's post on this place in Rogersville HERE and HERE

Monday Musings

Great Smoky Mountains Scenery (Circa 2006) ...Have I ever mentioned how I love that place?

It’s Monday. Monday is the day each week when fat folks give thought to starting a diet. Sometimes it’s only a thought, other times, there is some success, albeit that success is often limited. I thought about it this morning. I haven’t acted on it one way or the other. I vacillate between “I ain’t never doing that again!” and “Maybe I should…”

Something I wish I’d known years ago: If a chronic dieter had lost only 2 pounds per month, every month for the last five years (you know, those five years we spent alternating between binges and diets, losses and gain, tears and celebration) she would have lost 120 pounds. Anyone can lose 2 pounds a month…without extreme dieting or extreme exercise! Or…a five pound loss per month for two years? Yep, 120 pounds!

I’m looking around for my passion. I haven’t seen it in so many years I am not sure I ever had it. The novels I’m going to write are still in my head, and I am certain there are more than one!

I have been batting around an idea for the 2016 A to Z Challenge. I am thinking of writing that unwritten novel (well…it would be more like excerpts of it, but serial short stories.) What do you think? Good idea or lamebrain? Maybe if I began actually writing it, I would gain passion for it.

I did agree to do a series on Esther for the Ladies Group at my Mom’s church in January. Maybe I’ll develop a passion for teaching. Then again, maybe they’ll never ask me to teach again. We’ll see. I love the story of Esther. It has all the necessary elements for a fine novel, and it is a true story!

I am looking for a good app to aid in memorizing scripture. Do you use or know of one?   I have trouble remembering my age at time...that might not be so much of an exaggeration.

Have a good week, y’all.

What Have I Done?

I'm not overly fond of the look of my blog…but I think it’s just too early for Christmas décor…of course, retail is not worried! I probably won’t be too worried in a week or two, myself.   I've been a long time away from this blog, but I have worked on the motif for the last few weeks, changing and tweaking, getting ready to start writing in it again.

The spider, the Ol’ Brown Recluse, is back. I’ve been designing new ones…what do you think?

Traditional Christmas Colors

It is almost alarming how quickly time is passing. In my youth, the wait between January and November seemed as if it were five years, now it seems like all of five weeks! It is now November and what have I accomplished for 2105? Not much. My books are still not written, my blogs lie dormant, I’ve found most of the weight I lost (I suppose that could be an accomplishment), and my house still needs its spring cleaning.

I have decided to dedicate a little time out of my days to write. Something. Anything. I may or may not post what I write, but I have found in the last few months that the longer I don’t write, the easier it becomes to lay aside my God-given talent and waste away the days doing mindless tasks. Not that I have all that much to say, as this particular post proves.

I love Fall, the anticipation of the colors of fall, and my annual Great Smoky Mountain trip to see the mountains alive with vibrant hues. This year, I made the trip a little too early and saw mostly shades of green. It was beautiful nonetheless. Now we are sliding right into my most favorite time of the year, “The Holidays!” I worked retail years ago, and November/December were merely blurs. Now I have more time to enjoy the season, and enjoy my family.

With my parents aging and my realization that life really is but a vapor, I find myself wanting to drink in every memory, every tradition (though we really don’t have set traditions in my family). We meet, we eat, we visit; we go about our business. But that is our tradition. At Christmas, we open gifts as well. We catch up with one another, laugh, joke, pick at each other, and comment how we should get together more often throughout the year.

I am not arrogant enough to not know that I am blessed beyond measure. God has given me a wonderful family. My little parents are still together pushing 60 years of marriage, both are alive and in reasonably good health. My entire family are free from catastrophic disease, though we do suffer with health issues here and there, we are blessed.

I know that Christmastime can be too busy (and therefore less enjoyable) for some. I know that people are missing those who have passed and won’t be here for the holidays, and grief is often compounded during November and December. I also know that money (or lack thereof) can be a real issue for some. But I hope you find rest in the midst of the busyness, and peace fills the empty places your heart.

Happy November, my friends.

And She's Back...

....she hopes!

If you get a notification for this blog, please drop me a comment so I will know the custom domain is once again working.

Moving...MovingMovingMoving

Hello, All!

Because of all the issues since the loss of my domain name, 

Margaret's Musings has moved...

Please come visit me at my new home:

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I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Thursday Thoughts

I've had a lot of jobs in my life time...more than my fair share.   Here are ten things I have learned...not necessarily the top ten.  They are in no particular order.

• The ones making the most money are not always the most knowledgeable or the hardest working folks in the group. 
• There seems to always be “one” in every group who keeps getting all the breaks/raises/pats on the back, even though everyone (except the one handing out the rewards) knows they don’t deserve it.
• There will always be one person who drives you crazy.  Hopefully, that person won’t be the boss. 
• There will always be change.   Often, the changes will get changed before the change takes place.
• The sign of a good manager is when your staff respects and likes you.   It’s an added bonus when your coworkers like you, as well. 
• Respect is never given when it’s demanded.  What you have in that situation is pretense and bad attitudes.  Respect is earned.
• It often takes more than just being the “most qualified” to get a job.  A really smooth interview or an immediate connection with the prospective employer often outweigh good qualifications.  Then there’s who you know…
• If you have a job, be thankful…even if you don’t like it or are treated unfairly.  There are many people who would love to have your job and not have to worry about making the house payment or feeding the kids.
• When in the presence of the Office Gossip, keep your eyes and ears open, but your mouth shut.  You are standing in muck, after all.  
• None of us are indispensable.  

Have a great Thursday!

Son of God

I went to see Son of God last night.   I was a little disturbed.

When Roma Downey and friends put together the Bible TV series, I watched the first hour and saw so many inaccuracies that I didn’t watch the whole series.   It is a shame when a group has a platform to reach the world for Christ and chooses to omit/alter what the Bible clearly states.  I don’t think even the timeline of the Bible should be changed, much less a storyline.   Leaving out pertinent details is just as wrong.   If I didn’t already know Christ, I believe I would have left the theater in confusion as to why He was crucified on the Cross.   Above all, the reason Jesus came to die on the cross should have been clearly covered.   There was no explanation of the gift given to us on Calvary’s Hill, nor how His shed blood saved us.  Other than Jesus placing a quick kiss on the cross as he carried it and a quote of John 3:16, salvation was largely ignored.

I know some people have been awe-inspired by this movie, but sadly, it is a watered down imitation of God’s truth.   I’m not saying the movie was a colossal waste of time and had no truth in it (there were definitely tears shed).  But I am saying that you cannot blatantly change a Bible account and call it truth.   What Jesus did when He walked on this earth should be told exactly how it happened.   His actions were according to God’s plan and need no tweaking or modification. 

There are a few more movies coming out in the next month or two I’d like to see:   “God’s Not Dead” and “Heaven Is For Real.”   I think I’ll pass on “Noah,” I think it may be too Hollywood for me to thoroughly enjoy.   It’s not like these people are changing a book of fiction…they are attempting to alter the Word of God!   

A case like this is just one more reason to study your Bible.   Memorize what’s in those pages…get the Word into your heart and soul so that you are full of the Truth, and you will immediately recognize a counterfeit story when it crosses your path.