Author: Paul

Sharing the shiny bits of life since I can remember. I run http://greenergrassmedia.com/.
Posted on

Dreaming

1971 Honda SedanI love small cars. I love Hondas. But I don’t love this car, that I spotted on a local street. The owner was (and probably still is) asking $7,500 for this old gem. It may be “All REBUILT” – but you would have to be very much in love with this particular car to pay the asking price.

Yes, it’s quirky. Yes, it’s very small (smaller than an original Mini), but it would take about three times longer to get from stoplight to stoplight than with just about any new car on the road today. Getting a simple oil change would be an exercise in frustration, as parts are rare, even in Japan! And you could get a used Honda Fit for even less than that price and get about the same good fuel economy.

So before you take a deep dive into nostalgia, count the costs.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

Being a pain sometimes works

first-ten-speedWhen I was about 12, I desperately wanted a racing bicycle. I saved some money but couldn’t quite stretch to make the investment. I dreamed how amazing it would be to have a bike that was faster and much cooler than my 3-speed. I nagged my parents. Over and over. Eventually, their resistance broke down and they helped me get the bike.

I recently took this photo outside my local bike shop. There’s a rack outside with old bikes people bring in when they are ready to buy a new one. Those bikes are given to a local charity every few months. That charity refurbishes the old bikes and then gives them to kids who wouldn’t be able to get a bike even if they nagged their parents.

When I park my bike there, I scan the bikes just for fun. This old bike is very close to the one I got as a reward for my persistence. It had the same florescent orange bolts and heavy steel crankset.

Don’t give up. Your persistence may pay off.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

A starter home

This is a guest post by my good friend Johanna Fenton. Happy New Year to all!

The house which we just moved into was advertised as a “starter” home. I felt slightly offended, because we had fallen in love with the place but by no means would it be a “starter” home for us. We hope it’s a “finisher” home, meaning, we hope to stay here a really long time.

There are several different ways of counting how many times one moves. There are different measurements … like, do you count the time we moved to Dallas for 3 months? Or do you only measure the major moves … entire household in all?

By different counts we’ve moved upwards to 16 times down to 7 times, depending on how you define a “move.” That’s in the last 10 years.

And I realized for the first time that Jesus never upgraded from the time he was born in a manger in a the little town of Bethlehem. A song I like by Rich Mullins goes:

Birds have nests / Foxes have dens / But the hope of the whole world rests on the shoulders of a homeless man

Jesus had a starter home – a manger. And he had a finisher home – at home with his Father God.

Anyway, I’d like to say that a lot has happened in 16 or 7 moves. I’ve gone from “moving up” to “moving down,” far enough to fall in love with the quirky, dated elements of our “new” “starter” home. Here are a few … these are different shelf papers in our kitchen cabinets. Plus, you’ll see some lovely wallpaper. 🙂

It’s the shiny bits of life that catch you.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

The solution to gun problems

loveLove.

If individuals reach out to people with violent tendencies and show them love, at least a few killing sprees can be prevented.

Most people respond to someone who shows a genuine interest in who they are and is willing to listen to their problems.

So reach out to someone today. You never know what impact you may have on them and on others around them. Listen first. Don’t try to give solutions to their problems. The more you listen, the better chance you’ll be able to build a bridge. Then later you may help with their problems or suggest someone who can.

This is not a perfect solution – there are a few people who are unreachable. But it will work for most people. Wouldn’t you like to receive a little love today?

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

Connection

connection - fingers touchingWhy do I blog? Why do you read my blog? Read on…

Listening to a sermon by Tim Soots today carried me on a long train of thoughts. He talked about how we all buy things to reflect or enhance our identity. Seeing someone drive past in a new car often makes me want a newer set of wheels. Our old Corolla works fine – but oh, how much nicer it would be to have a newer [whatever].

I put someone into a category by looking at the clothes they wear or the vehicle they drive. We all know that people are more than what we see. That lady driving a pink VW Beetle with eyelashes around the headlights may shoot her Magnum pistol very accurately. That little guy driving a gigantic truck may need it to haul water heaters to remote mountain cabins.

Just as our possessions are sometimes glimpses into who we are, so are blogs. When you read a blog, you only get a small look at who the writer is. Even when you’ve been blogging as long as I have (more than eight years), blogs only show a small slice of who you are. My blogging friend Elizabeth wrote about how adopting children drastically reduced what she could reveal online.

Similarly, I am reluctant to share some of my more deeply-held beliefs, not because of fear, but rather because I want my readers to listen to what I say. If I intensely delved into a subject that is very close to their hearts, in the opposite direction of their belief system, they might shut me out forever. I want to keep connections open.

Why do you read this blog? I can’t answer that. But I can tell you why I read other blogs. I like to read words from people I find both real and interesting. I enjoy finding out what makes actual humans tick. Today, there are few such blogs anymore. Many people used to be writing in that space, but countless dropped out or went commercial. I’m sad.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

Get together

brother and sisterIt was great to see my sister and her husband during the Thanksgiving holidays. Even though we had just over two days together, we thoroughly enjoyed seeing each other.

It can be costly – or there may be many rivers to cross before you see each other – but it’s worth it to make it happen. There are priceless experiences you already share. This time, you might create some new family memories!

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

Shopping without spending

Frye casual shoesAs the holiday season descends upon us, it’s easy to get into the spending mode when you see something you like. Here’s a little idea to stave off your purchasing hunger. It worked for me, and maybe it will work for you.

When you see something cool, just take a photo of it with your phone. Then you can savor the coolness later without having to spend anything. Chances are, the thrill of that purchase would quickly disappear anyway.

Further notes: 1) I do like these shoes, but I don’t need any more. And $135 is a little too pricey for these. 2) Yes, you should be thinking about others when you are doing your holiday shopping.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail
Posted on

Not really true

your net worth, as defined by AppleSo, Apple tells me that my net worth is a set of figures that can be tracked in their Numbers application.*

I reject that. My net worth is measured in far more than just numbers. And so is yours. It can be seen in my… experiences, relationships, time, pain, fun, family, friends, talents, shortcomings, what I can offer to others – and simply my investments in things that can’t be measured.

* For non-Mac people, that’s the equivalent of Microsoft Excel.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail