ABSILVER's World

Things that were on my mind, yesterday. The Bible Study group that showed up at the coffee shop with a box of donuts, and most of the members are drinking water. The coffee shop may be fine with it, but it strikes me as odd, and a bit selfish. People who consistently complain and act like they want advice seem to enjoy complaining. I try and fail, occasionally, not to complain about things I don't want advice on or don't want to resolve. Most of the time, my complaints or anger are internal to me, as there is something I did and shouldn't have or something I should have done, and I need to focus on my behavior.   People assume that because we live in a small town in a red state, we must have small minds . It would help if more blue-state people to spend time occasionally in a red-state. They might be surprised that our differences are not as great as they might think, and it is important to understand people with different perspectives than their own Frank and I joined tw

Good morning, from Longview, Texas on a sunny and cool Saturday morning.  I sat at the Silver Grizzly, drinking coffee, and reflecting on an unusual but great week. Imagine the year is 2044, and we are reflecting on the eclipse of 2024, sharing the experience with family, friends, and children. I will hopefully be a healthy 79-year-old. Today that makes me 59 and actually 59 1/2, which, in terms of tax laws, makes me past potential retirement, as I can take money from 401Ks and other retirement accounts without penalty. It is not that I feel older than I did a year ago, or maybe even ten years ago, but there is a recognition that I can't call myself "middle-aged" anymore. I am also in an odd time, as the colleagues I work with daily are more than a bit younger.   We live in a world and time where age, and more importantly, young age, is more recognized as valuable, and it does make me wonder if I am young at heart or ready for a calmer pasture. On the one hand, I am chall