How long....

I often ask the question, "How long....?" Yes, how long before dinner is ready..... how long before it's my turn at the take out window.... how long do I have to listen to that awful music? Yes, the 'how longs' had a place in my life that I was more or less unaware of until I caught myself saying it over and over in one day.
Isn't that a social issue? I wonder. I am more inclined to put it in the spiritual column for reference.
We look at things in many different ways but the "same things" are always going to be the "same things".

Merriam-Webster defines same as:

simple definition of same

·    : not different

·    : exactly like someone or something else

·    : not changed : exactly like an earlier version, event, etc.

full definition of same

1.  1a :  resembling in every relevant respect

2.  b :  conforming in every respect —used with as

3.  2a :  being one without addition, change, or discontinuance :  identical

4.  b :  being the one under discussion or already referred to

5.  3:  corresponding so closely as to be indistinguishable

6.  4:  equal in size, shape, value, or importance —usually used with the or a demonstrative (as that, those) in all senses

iI'm inclined to agree with the set definitions. So why do we keep doing the 'same things' and expecting a different result? 

I I am ashamed of myself. I should have learned this lesson a long time ago and I would be so much  farther along, but alas, I am ignorant still.

Now.... how does one break free of this 'sameness'? One might think a considerable amount of drugs would reverse the process and 'enlighten me'. But no, I've already tried that path and it stinks.

All I did was wonder around in an ego crazed stupor; all the while thinking I was smarter. Not the case.

OKay, how about "Human Enlightenment Courses". That didn't work either. They only gave me a headache... far too much introspective for my taste; not to mention cost. Really smart people think up these courses just so they can retire in Florida ...or Venice. Not the way either.

Finally out of desperation I turned to an old book on the shelf. Though tattered and worn, I found it to be very new and awe inspiring. Yes, the very simple application of reading gave me far more than the most expensive drug or man made method. I gained reason and understanding and peace and comfort and I even lost weight. How funny.

You're wondering ? Be at ease. It was the Bible, of course. It was there all along. All I had to do was pick it up and open it.... no matter where, there were answers. There were methods to cure, reasons to be successful, avenues I never dreamed possible and yet... It was there in black and white for all to see and appreciate. Believe me I do. My appreciation has grown a thousand fold since beginning to read this book on a regular basis. The words come alive on the page and take me places I never dreamed possible. The words soothe and console, rebuke and reprove, turn me upside down and rightside up at the same time and I come away with a deeper 'knowing' of life than I could have ever imagined. 

As I got to the end I found a familair statement being expressed outloud in a sacred gathering.... "How long....?"

Deception abounds

I am taking out time from my normal positive remarks to warn everyone about a very deceptive business practice being done by a company called Force Factor. I had responded to an email about a month ago regarding a supposed 'muscle building' product designed to build stamina and endurance. Since I work outside in the heat in the summer, I thought it might be worth investigating. I have suffered the loss of Potassium from being in the hot sun for many years and this product promised many positive results. The offer was for a " free sample"; all I had to pay was a small 'processing' fee of under $5.

I paid the asking price with my debit card and thought the matter was settled. I would await the arrival of the sample, try it out and hopefully begin the 'body building process' as described by the advertisement. The sample never came. The days turned into weeks and about two months passed. I checked my bank account a few days ago and to my dismay, Force Factor had taken $64.98 out of my account. I had read the advertisement, I thought, but somewhere in the "fine print" there was an something that gave them the idea they could just take an amount at a certain time if I didn't decline it in some way.

You can imagine how I felt. I was livid. I began looking up the company, which by the way wasn't easy. All I had was a code on my bank account specifying the amount taken and little else. After a bit of effort I discovered that Force Factor was indeed the culprit. I went to the internet and found a contact number to call. This is where things began to get even more infuriating and frustrating. The Force Factor answering system is a never ending sales pitch that does not allow the caller to get to a live operator. The message goes on and on often repeating the message over and over again.

I waited for almost 25 minutes with the phone on speaker as I tried to continue my work while waiting to talk to someone. That never happened. I finally hung up. my next approach was a little more successful in that I did get a response from some unknown person on the Force Factor Facebook page. I typed in my angry feelings for being deceived and a answer came in the next day asking for my last name and zip code; promising to help me. That was the end of that. Even after responding to their request, Force Factor did not reply with any information or resolution to the problem.

BE AWARE AND BE WARNED... Force Factor is very likely using deceptive business practices to take your money without your permission. It almost cost me $64.98. Thank God for Chase Bank They immediately returned the money to my account after a 5 minute phone call.

I will continue to inform everyone I know about this unscrupulous company and I can only hope that each one of you would repost comment this on your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages. We have to stand up against such dishonest business practices. If someone has a real product, they certainly do not have to DECEIVE THE PUBLIC by hidden charges that come out of your bank accounts unannounced. 

...in sickness and in health

I can't remember the last time I was so sick. I was fine Saturday morning but by that afternoon I had passed out at least twice and was wringing wet with sweat after each trip to the bathroom to throw up. The dreaded flu bug had descended on our house with a vengeance. Dianna came down with it the Wednesday before and I thought I had escaped, but not so. This bug is devastating. My ribs are extremely sore and I have had a hard time keeping warm.
It may just be me or have the 'bugs' been especially rough these past few years? I have been spared the worst of it by far but still, I keep seeing and hearing about how bad this person was or how hard that person had it and it makes me wonder.
I can barely get out of bed and make it to the couch before I'm ready for a nap. I have little to no strength and I have had a small bowl of soup, a grilled cheese and some Ginger Ale plus a handful of snack crackers in the past 48 hours. I really feel sorry for the ones that have had this worse than I have. Dianna gave me a shot of Tea Tree Oil in some Ginger Ale a few hours before I got really sick. I think that cut my bout with the bug in half or more. Had we thought of it even sooner, I may not have even gotten sick at all.
Dianna spent the night on the bathroom floor when she got ill and didn't get out of bed for almost four days. I feel very blessed to have missed that ordeal. Even while I was getting so sick she was by my side 'doctoring' me and keeping me from falling and picking me up after passing out. I don't know how she does it. I could tell she was weak but she gathered enough 'whatever' to do what needed to be done hour after hour through the two days and nights of misery. There is no stronger trooper in my opinion.
"In sickness and in health...."