Yea okay but the Earth is overheating quickly and we've got no chance to fix it. Oh and Hitler is becoming the 45th POTUS.

By the way, good story and good advice to not sweat the small things. Cheers!

It's five o'clock somewhere, grab a beer and hit reset on your day.

---

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

Yes always good to remember. The other day the basement flooded because one of the sump pumps failed for about the umpteenth time since we moved into the house, there's some varmint crawling up the dryer venting duct and chewing it's way into the house (only replaced that pain in the ass lightweight venting behind the dryer that it is chewing through twice before I figured out it wasn't just ripping on its own accord!) and my car is making some awful rattling sound. But really nothing worth getting worked up over.

I think you tend to be on the opposite side of some political/social issues from me - but dang I like your point of view and outlook on a number of topics. It makes it easy to overlook your glaringly obvious failings. :)

Ha! I needed that laugh. I always tell my wife that if she thinks my failures are bad, she doesn't realize how much worse it is for me having to put up with myself 24/7.

Hey, I've been meaning to tell you. I heard something on the radio a while back. It had to do with the homeless. Remember that thread. Anyway, they said that anyone can help by just getting to know someone by name, talking to them, taking them to lunch, etc. Anyway I thought to myself, "that is what MWR does, isn't he a cool cat."

You have some good sense despite being a whiney ass car won't start whiner. (And I'm better than you at that.)

Peace.

---

________
It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

when my wife gets rattled i tell her, we have no problems, we have inconviences.
i hate to prop myself up on the misfortune of others but when i drive down the street and see people living under bridges and such, my step-kid not cleaning up the kitchen really isn't a big deal.
i remind her that if something on the car breaks, we are fortunate enough to have the money to fix it. we have plenty of food and we are all healthy. we aint got no problems.

---

ΜΟΛΩΝ-ΛΑΒΕ
we're doomed

I do remember that thread, was actually just thinking about it a couple of days ago in context of a couple of books I'm reading about social justice work at an individual involvement level. I've gotta admit that I haven't had much interaction with that community the last few weeks due to winter & working from home more often, but I think it's time to just start putting myself in the places where those relationships happen more often (like maybe going for walks at lunch time when I'm at my office, having lunch at a bench in the park where folks congregate, etc and letting things happen naturally instead of "inserting" myself or making someone a "project"). Thanks for checking in on that!

That's one of the posts from MWR that made an impression with me. Some people talk about how others should act, MWR seems to live it.

99% of what we do here, me included, is talk about what others should do. That thread was beautiful, because MWR told about himself in a manner that was honest and open. He spoke humbly, saying in essence, "I'm only able to do X," how could I do more?" Both his current actions, and his desire to do more, were beautiful and honest. (Despite his greasy hair.)

Too often I react to what things some on opposite side of political spectrum, like veganerd and Ken, say -- not keeping in mind the good will and actions they have so often demonstrated in their own ways.

---

________
It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

You're both far too kind here. After bottoming out a few years ago, I'm grateful to be here, genuinely grateful for an incredible life, and have matured to having a really sincere compassion & empathy for others. I wish that compassion & empathy resulted in greater and more consistent generosity, but I suppose that's a next phase of maturity, if I'm lucky eventually growing into the wisdom of my adopted grandparents. But I suppose not getting rattled as often by what are really minor inconveniences is a place to start.