My favorite comedians

I have recently gotten around to finding some funny men on YouTube.  These guys are good.  You should check them out.

Tim Hawkins and Jim Gaffigan and Tripp Crosby.

But I also like stalwart Jerry Seinfeld.  Clips of his program can be found on YouTube and I still laugh out loud when I watch them.

When I was a teen I liked movies with Steve Martin and Woody Allen.  Back in the day I also liked David Letterman and the gang over at Saturday Night Live.

I love laughing.  But I need to have fairly clean jokes.  I realize that humor has some edge to it.  But I am immediately tuning out anything that is crass or has filthy language.

Our divided country

It has become very apparent to me that we are living in a dangerously divided country.  To a point where it is getting scary.  The differences between one side and the other politically are vast.  Both sides have dug in.  They each know their lines and will repeat them ad nauseam.

It is important that we open our eyes to see what is really going on.  Things are at a point where we could loose all civility and goodwill.  I think it is important that we start to act in a forgiving manner.  We need to believe the best in the other person.  If nothing else, keep away from conversations that will bring up differences.

There are more important things than politics, who has what job, and the sign in ones yard.  Things like relationships, family, friends, personal growth, and faith.  Let's live for those things.

Wild life seen while hunting

This past weekend I took part in the gun-deer hunt here in Wisconsin.  I sat in my stand both Saturday and Sunday.  We had above average temperatures, right around 50 degrees, which made it okay to be outside.

While sitting there, I observed a number of animals.  I saw blue jays, red-bellied woodpeckers, crows, geese, black-capped chickadees, mourning doves, turkey, and grouse.  There were also white-tailed deer and squirrels.  Insects are alive, so I will mention ants, spiders, lady-bugs, and flying things.

It is amazing how these animals allowed me to sit there and observe them.  Not all animals run and hide when you are near.  Most of these creatures were in constant flux.  They never were completely still.  They were always searching, sniffing, and scrounging.  It was nice to see this amount of wild life.  I just wish I had seen a buck.

Our shrinking lives

As probably many of you are experiencing, we are seeing our lives shrink.  We are pulling back, delaying, cutting, and doing without.  It is sad to see this happen especially when it involves an area that I care a great deal about.

One example of this is I had to recently call to cancel some automatic giving we were doing.  It wasn't much.  Actually it was quite small.  I liked giving to this fund because it felt like a way to care for a very basic need in the community.  It was also something no one would know about.  We also passed on giving to our community pond this summer.  It was the first time we missed chipping in a few bucks for lawn mowing expenses.

We are no longer quietly giving our little contribution.  Our lives are shrinking and I find that quite sad.  I would rather see the good things that I have started continue.  I want my giving and my care for the community to grow.

Our lives are shrinking in other ways than just giving.  Small things that we have done year after year have been put off.  This is the first year we did not go to the nursery to buy some trees for the property we've owned for seven years.  We also did not get to take a trip to Door County this summer to walk the quant little towns and enjoy Lake Michigan.  I like little traditions like that because they help define who we are and what we value.

When people's lives shrink it affects more than just themselves.  It affects the people around them that depend on those small contributions.  Then those people also pull back on their activities and spending.  What we end up having is a smaller and smaller economy.

Limelight NOT the universal dream

There is a classic rock song called Limelight, by a band called Rush.  Part of the lyrics say "Living in the limelight.  The universal dream."  It is a great tune and is often listed as the bands best hit.  Though the song is fun to listen to, and even sign along with, I can't say that my wish is to live in the limelight.  I understand why the band wrote it that way and considering that they are on the stage and probably have a strong desire to be upfront and visible it probably seems that way to them.  I on the other hand wish to live on the edge, behind the scenes, and out of the limelight.  When I was a teen, I worked at a restaurant and the customers would walk right past me as they went down the line selecting their dessert, silverware, and drink.  I could feel their eyes on me and it was very uncomfortable.  I didn't like being their entertainment.  That is just one example of how I cringe when I am in the Limelight.

I maybe the only one in the universe who does not want to live in the limelight.  However I have found that my best work is done when others are not watching me and I am able to work on my own.