kenlassblog

Sometimes you just need to take a break. A short break. It can do wonders. I was recently trying to assemble a nightstand for my bedroom. No matter how closely I tried to follow the instructions, I just couldn’t get a few of the pieces to fit properly. After several attempts I got so frustrated I started yelling and stomping around the house.

My wife Sharon just smiled and told me to take a short break. Relax and forget about it for an hour or two. I took her advice. A few hours later I returned to the project, and amazingly, I got everything to fit properly right away. Easy peasy.

I’m not sure why this works. Maybe your mind and your eye-hand coordination work more efficiently when you are fresh and calm. The same probably applies in relationships. Before you say something you may regret to someone, take a break. Cool down. Back off.

Turns out building a relationship is not that different from building a nightstand.

Have you ever been lied to? Anyone ever looked you in the eye and told you something that turned out to be untrue? You never forget that, right? That person has probably lost your trust permanently. From that point on, you likely take everything that person says with a grain of salt. You may never take them seriously again.

It doesn’t take much. Just one lie does irreversible damage to your credibility. Consider politicians. They have a reputation for spouting so many falsehoods, exaggerations and half-truths that no one believes them anymore. “Politician” has become a derogatory term.

We should always remember that trust is a precious and fragile thing. Once lost, it is near impossible to regain. We all need to be loved. But no one can love you without first trusting you. Think before you speak. Instead of lying, it’s better not to speak at all.

I am addicted to pickleball. I play three or four times a week. But there is one person in my group that drives me crazy. We are all just playing for fun and fellowship, but this individual is bossy and critical, and when this person starts losing, becomes hyper-sensitive about rules and starts calling out folks for extremely minor things the rest of us just ignore.

Sometimes I get so frustrated with this individual that I start to play badly. Recently, another one of our players put his arm around me and told me to just relax, just tune troublemakers out. Ignore them. Don’t give them the satisfaction of ruining your fun and joy. Don’t let their issues become your issues.

That’s pretty good advice in all aspects of life. Try your best to focus on the positive and the productive. Let the naysayers, the critics and the malcontents wallow in their own pessimism. There will always be those who would rain on your parade. Let their rain fall only on them.

I’ll be repeating that to myself the next time I’m on the court.

Is your life on a schedule? Are all of your days controlled by the clock? Most of us find it necessary to plan and schedule our daily activities in order to accomplish what we want to get done. Life can get pretty busy whether you’re retired or still working.

Nothing wrong with sticking to a schedule. But try to include down time. Give yourself a portion of a day, or your week, when you have absolutely nothing planned. A time when you can choose to just entertain yourself with a hobby, or by watching a little mindless TV, or by doing nothing at all except relaxing. Maybe it could be a few moments set aside to just talk to God and to listen for His reply.

Even school kids get a recess period to play and take a break. Give yourself a recess. You’ll be much better equipped when the bell rings to return to your daily endeavors.

Why is it that, when we want to know somebody’s age, we ask them how “old” they are? Why don’t we ask them how young they are? After all, the word “old” conjures up all manner of negative connotations. It’s as though every moment that passes by makes you less new, less fresh, less useful, less healthy. No wonder so many folks suffer from depression.

We have no use for old things. We throw them away and get new stuff. Sadly, our culture tends to feel the same about senior adults. When folks get to the point where their bodies and minds begin to falter, we label them “old” people, and tend to push them aside.

Just because you have lived a lot of years doesn’t make you “old”. If you think young, stay active, eat right and get proper medical care, there’s no telling how long you can sustain a high quality of life.

Next time somebody asks how old you are, tell them you’re not.

My wife and I are blessed to spend a good bit of time keeping our four young grandkids. I’ve always found it interesting that, the minute they get the least bit bored, they sing out “I’m hungry!”. Apparently, this is how we human beings are wired. When we have nothing else to do, we prefer to eat. Funny though, when we keep the kids entertained with puzzles and coloring books and board games, we never hear complaints about being hungry.

There’s a lesson in here somewhere. Idle minds will gravitate toward things that are usually not good for us. I remember an old saying that goes “Busy hands are happy hands”. Another one is “Idle minds are the devil’s workshop”. Anyway, you get the idea. If we don’t stay busy with positive, healthy activities, our thoughts will likely turn to non-productive endeavors. Like overeating. Or worse.

So stay active and constructive. Make a list of positive things that need to be done around the house, or in service to friends, or at your church or gym or library.

Or if you can’t think of anything else to do, I could use some help with four grandkids.

If you spend any time typing on a computer, chances are you have been misrepresented by autocorrect. Times when you meant to write the word “funeral” and it was changed to “funnel”. Or you meant to write “intend” and it came out “Nintendo”. Whoever invented autocorrect probably started out with good intentions, but it can backfire in some comical ways.

Like the doctor who tried to text his wife “I just delivered a baby in a cab.” But it came out “I just devoured a baby in a cab.” That could be disturbing.

Sometimes we have our own internal autocorrect issues. We try to express ourselves to someone, but it just doesn’t come out right. It’s always best to give some thought to what we are about to say, rather than just blurting out whatever pops into your head.

After all, you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelers.

Trainers and coaches often use visualization to help their students. They want you to see yourself making the perfect shot, or executing the perfect speech. It really boils down to being determined to see your situation in a positive light. The idea that you determine whether to be happy, rather than relying on what’s going on around you.

It’s certainly worth a try. You haven’t much to lose. Decide that this will be a good day. Accept adversity as a challenge you are confident you can overcome. See the positives instead of the negatives. God has given you this day. You know your talents and abilities. Visualize your day. See yourself being a blessing to others. Recognize the opportunities. Then follow through.

They say seeing is believing. Why not find out if it’s true?

I’ve always known you had many choices when it comes to which blogs you choose to subscribe to and read. But I never imagined just how many. I read the other day that there are 600 million blogs out there. Apparently there are throngs of writers with something to say. Or perhaps something to sell. And blogs are just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of other media sources competing for your attention.

With so many voices washing over you, it’s understandable if you are skeptical and suspicious. And you should be. Scammers and dishonest sellers are constantly improvising new ways to gain your confidence and access to your finances. Artificial intelligence enables crooks to simulate virtually every trusted source.

All of which makes me very grateful and appreciative of your attention. I will never ask for money, run ads, or try to sell you something. I get absolutely zero income from this blog and seek none. It’s strictly a hobby and my feeble attempt at ministry. And I will always keep these daily entries short, because your time is valuable.

You have 600 million options. I am honored and humbled you have stuck with me.

I don’t like to fly. I’ll get on a plane if I have to, but I don’t like it. The thought of being in a plane crash is terrifying to me. I try not to worry about it, but I always breathe a tremendous sigh of relief when we touch down on the runway. I know plane crashes are rare, but it only takes one. I guess what really scares me is putting my life in the hands of a pilot I know nothing about.

Kind of like putting your life in the hands of God, even though we understand so little about Him. It can be scary to depend on someone we don’t see, to trust Him to design our lives, especially when He steers us in directions we are not comfortable with.

It can be a bumpy ride. You can expect some turbulence now and then. But the airplane pilot usually finds a way to get you to your destination. Being obedient to God will get you to your ultimate destination.