It’s another Dollar Dilemma from Wal-Mart! Do you pay the $5 for 4 regular size rolls of toilet paper or go all out and buy the 12 double rolls for an extra buck? I’m not sure how soft an angel is, but the name sounds like something that would feel amazing against my skin. It would definitely be worth the extra dollar for all that extra angely soft paper.
If you want to improve your life, be more like a turtle. Being like a turtle will make you happier, less stressed, and will lead to a more adventuresome life.
We are constantly being bombarded by information, input, and interference from all around. The overload comes from a variety of places: music in the car on the way to and from work, cell phones constantly vibrating and ringing to notify us of the next call or text message, and our perceived need to stay connected to everyone we have ever met via e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter. Like a turtle who disappears inside his shell, we occasionally need to disengage and be still. From time to time we need to find a place of solitude, cut off all the distractions, and take time to clear our mind, heart, and soul. This simple act can greatly reduce the feelings of being stressed and overwhelmed.
We also need to learn to exert more control over the speed of our lives and possibly scale it back a few notches. Turtles tend to get made fun of for being slow, but maybe they are on to something. Whereas our tendency is to allow outside sources to determine the pace of our lives, turtles live their lives at their own pace and do things at their own speed. It seems that nearly everything we do has to be done at a certain time and in a specific amount of time. Whether it is school, work, church, sports games and practices, or something else, we are constantly told where we have to be and when we have to be there. Rather than let commitments and activities determine the pace of our lives, we should let the pace of our lives determine what we commit to and participate in. Don’t let your schedule control your life – let your life control your schedule. Find a pace of life that is comfortable and that fits you best and live life at that speed. It’s okay if you can’t find the time to do everything. Determine your priorities, commit yourself to those, and do other stuff when you can.
Perhaps one of the most amazing things about turtles though is the amount of courage and commitment they show. Have you ever really stopped to think about what a huge deal it is for a turtle to cross a road? Not only does it take an immense amount of courage for a turtle to decide to cross the road, but once he’s out in the middle of the road, there is no turning back. A turtle doesn’t move fast enough to be able to dart back to one side or another when a car is coming, so they must have the courage to press on through the difficult, stressful, and dangerous times.
It would be much easier for a turtle to stay on the side of the road where he is at, especially when he has no idea what is waiting for him on the other side or if the journey across the road will even be worth it. What if what is on the other side is basically the same as what he is leaving? What if what is on the other side is worse than what he is leaving? It very well could be the same or worse, but what if it is a much better situation in a place that is better suited for that particular turtle? He really never knows until he gets to the other side, but if nothing else, at least it’s always an adventure.
Turtles definitely have the right attitude in this area. I would encourage all of us to have the courage to take the first step, push on through the unknown, stressful, and sometimes dangerous situations, and see how it turns out on the other side. I think that if we are honest with ourselves, all of us struggle with at least one of these areas. Some of us worry about how everything is going to turn out when we get where we are going. Others of us just give up when we encounter situations that worry us, stress us out, or seem questionable. And then there are those of us that can never get up the courage to take the first step. Whichever one(s) of these that you struggle with, just remember that if you step out, press on, reach your destination, and then realize when you get there that you made a horrible mistake…it’s not the end of the world. If you don’t like where you end up, try something different. You can go back to where you came from or you can set out on a whole new adventure. Just enjoy the journey and see where you end up.
Be like a turtle. Slow down. Control your life – don’t let it control you. Take time to get away from the noise and distractions of life. Have times dedicated to refreshing your heart, mind, and soul. Be brave. Don’t always settle for what you know…you’ll never know what you are missing. Don’t be afraid to take the first step. Once you take the first step, keep going. Don’t let fear or doubt stop you. Enjoy the journey. You only live once. At the end of your life may the list of things you’ve done be longer than the list of things you wish you’d done.
And watch out for turtles along the road.
This may be is my favorite sign that I have ever seen in a church bathroom. I think it makes a good point – we never really consider the feelings of the toilets we use. Without going into too much detail, I would say that most of what we do to a toilet would be considered fairly rude in any other context. Maybe it’s about time some toilets get a mind of their own. I just hope that they never get to the point where they can retaliate because they will be able to catch us in the most vulnerable of positions.
I think sometimes I think too much. Or maybe I just over-analyze stuff.
I think the best example of this is when I am walking toward a door that I am going to have to open. Most of the time it goes fairly smoothly, but I sometimes get the feeling that I’ve started reaching for the door handle way too soon.
On a smooth door-opening, I tend to reach for the handle when I am a step to a step-and-a-half away from the door. Sometimes though, for some reason, I will start reaching for the door when I am several steps away. Sometimes I realize when I am in mid-reach that I am still too far from the door, which is where the real conundrum is.
Do I put my arm back down, take the steps necessary to get close enough for a standard door reach, and then reach again? Or do I just fully commit to the false start and keep that arm out in all its early reaching glory? Seems like it would save some energy and keep from looking quite so silly if I just leave it out and maybe pick up the pace a little. Is it better to look like you are trying to fly or to look like you are pumping a handle while walking? One of the great questions of our time…
I sometimes wonder if people are staring and thinking, “Why in the world is he reaching for that door so soon? Can’t he see that it’s still a good eight feet away? A little overzealous there aren’t we?” Then I realize that nobody in the world probably even gives it a second thought. I’m sure no one else has ever reached for a door handle too soon. Really, I’m sure you always reach for it at the optimal door reach moment. Don’t be self-conscious about it, it’s not like everyone is watching you. No one will ever notice if you look like you are flying or pumping water. It’s completely normal.
Silly Wal-Mart…you’ve done it again. Another great deal! I guess technically you’re saving more than you would be if they had raised the price.
As I was driving down the road the other day I say a big hill and thought “Man, that sure would make a good sledding hill. Too bad it’s 70 something degrees and not a flake of snow in sight. I bet it would be a ton of fun once we get a good snow.” Okay, so those may not have been my exact thoughts, but it was something along those lines. Regardless, it caused me to wonder…why is it that we only go sledding when there is snow on the ground?
Surely there is a way to slicken (new word, feel free to use it) something up so it will slide down a grassy hill. In fact, you could probably use a lot of the same things to grass sled that you use to snow sled. I’m guessing sleds would probably be out, but I think rubber tubes, plastic trays, and most other sledding props would work fine on grass, especially if you were to grease them up somehow. If nothing else, you could always just make a huge slip-and-slide, find something to sit on, take a running start, and fly right down the hill.
When you think about it, sledding in the winter when it’s cold and snowy is really the worst time to go sledding. Conversely, fair weather sledding has its advantages:
So there you have it. We need to stop limiting our sledding to just those cold, snowy, winter months. The next time you are outside on a beautiful spring day and you see a hill that would be good for sledding, do something about it. Go grab something to sit on, slicken it up, and conquer that hill!
Came across this little beauty in the clearance section at Wal-Mart. Seems innocent enough and, in fact, seems like a decent deal. That is, until you consider the fact that this picture was taken in April 2010. Really Wal-Mart? You honestly think someone is going to buy last year’s planner because you marked it down a dollar to the new, amazing price of only $5.00? Surely there is someone out there who wouldn’t mind going through this planner and correcting all the dates. Me? I think I’d be willing to pony up that extra buck for an up-to-date planner.
It’s bad enough that they tend to exaggerate the supermarket price on most things at Food 4 Less, but this is the first time I have ever seen this. I think they are teaching a new kind of math at that store.
I came across this stack of books one day at a house here in town. I thought it was quite the interesting combination of books. The best word I can think of to describe it would have to be eclectic. I realize that the picture isn’t the best due to a glare and the fact that it was taken quickly, so here is a list of the books from bottom to top:
1. Don’t Know Much About Geography?
2. Know The Bible In 30 Days
3. The Amplified Bible (Large Print)
4. Adult Video Business
5. Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia Of Knitting
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t get “silent protests.” Isn’t the whole idea of a protest to let people know why you don’t agree with something? Don’t people who are protesting something want to let people know their beliefs and why they think what they are protesting is wrong?
Why would you cover up your mouth if you have something to say? It seems like taping your mouth shut would severely limit your ability to answer questions that people ask of you. Not to mention the fact that you taping your mouth shut is exactly what the people on the other side of the issue want. Then they don’t have to hear your nonsensical yammering.
I wonder if there are other forms of protests that involve taping stuff shut. For example, if I don’t like what someone is saying or the music someone is making/playing, should I protest by putting tape over my ears? Or if I don’t like the fact that a video store is renting pornographic movies, should I stand outside the store with tape over my eyes? What about protesting factories that produce foul odors – should I stand outside said factory with tape over my nostrils?
I don’t mean to discourage silent protesters – by all means, keep taping your mouths shut. I’d really rather not hear you anyway. Besides, you taping your mouth shut saves me from having to tape my ears shut. And not having to tape my ears shut means not having to rip out all my ear hair when I take the tape off. Just be careful if you ever decide to do a silent protest outside a stinky factory.
TIM PAYNE 