wearing my Canada jersey at work today

Ziggy Palffy? really? who wears a Ziggy Palffy Team Slovakia jersey at their workplace in Winnipeg Manitoba? well, i have 1 co-worker who wo-manned up and REPRESENTED today. there were sloughs of Canadian jerseys trolling around the office today and there was a lone Ziggy Palffy fan mixed in amongst them. Canada plays Slovakia for the chance to enter the Gold medal game at the Olympics tonight at 830 CST.

so i went to talk to her. i'm a big puck fan and i couldn't just ignore a complete oddity like this one.

"y'know Ziggy will actually be playing in that game", i said to her.

"really? i don't even know who he is but that's my team."

"oh, well he will be in that game but the guys you'll want to watch as a Slovakia fan would be Gaborik, Hossa and Jaroslav Halak. i'm most nervous about Halak having a great game and spoiling things for Canada."

"well, i'll probably watch a little at the beginning and then tune in for the end."

"oh ... well don't watch the end, you're not going to like the end."

GO CANADA GO!

the passive aggressive me

yes Mr Bus Driver, that was me waving at you as you drove right past me standing at the bus stop. it's only -30 so i'll just run through the shopping mall under Portage and Main St so that i can get to the next bus stop and try to catch you there. i'm sure that my heavy winter boots won't slow me down too much and the 3 layers of clothing won't cause me to smell too badly by the time i catch up to you.

and yes i saw that you saw me. why is it that you were driving in the wrong lane anyway? and why is it that you didn't just stop so that i could jump in, i'm sure i could ask the one car who was between us to stop so that i could run on to the bus and get home 15 minutes earlier than otherwise.

sigh.

maybe i should just get the bike back out but then i'd have to brave the same roads as you and i've already seen that it's not very accomodating out there.

at least you could've apologized when i saw you the very next day in the very same place. you didn't apologize ... but you did stop.

spring can't get here soon enough so that i can change my commuting habits.

Validation

i say a LOT that there is not nearly enough validation in society. i had my performance appraisal at work this week (it went amazingly well thank you very much) and i reinforced that we can't have an environment where "i'll let you know if anything is wrong". not only are you required to tell people when something is wrong but you should also be telling them when they're doing it RIGHT.

a kind word of encouragement goes a LOOOOOOOOOONG way and face it, you're going to need that person down the road so ... help them along the path.



h/t to of Wool and Water. that was flipping amazing Dana, thank you.

Community

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

- Brian McLaren

i really want to read A New Kind of Christianity.

Broken Glass

i'm absolutely enthralled with this tune right now.

a Lenten season

i'm not at all ready for Lent. it's a "sober" time, a time to reflect and to reach into depths that i'm not sure i have anymore (i'll point out that this is called SHALLOWfrozenwater).

i'm not sure what to do with my desire not to cut anything short in my life. in fact Wendy was saying yesterday that she feels so backward all the time that she should have a piece of chocolate EVERY day during Lent. that's how i feel too. i want everyday to be a feast day and i think i'll encourage Wendy to be doing that for the season.

for much of the last year i haven't given blood like has been my practice (i did go once) and the reason has been an emotional one. i've been feeling dry with little reserves and i haven't felt like i can afford to lose anything, not even a pint of blood even though in a physical sense there is no danger whatsoever. i do want to encourage anyone reading to give blood, it's a wonderful practice that brings life to any recipient. i just can't do that right now. i can't give anything up. that's also why i'm not giving anything up for Lent. i'll still be praying and i fast in my own way but i won't be dropping anything from my diet over this period. i also don't think i'm being anti-Lent, i'm one of the most sober people i know. i'm almost ascetic for much of the year and Wendy is pure ascetic.

our Lenten practice should be prayer, so pray my friends. lock yourselves away and seek God out. you WILL find Him. you WILL. if i were to give up coffee or something for 40 days or become vegan for a season then i'd certainly be miserable but i also think that i'd be no more closer to God.
Lent is about seeking God, that's what i'll be doing.

and now for your further enjoyment, you'll love this.




h/t to Ironic Catholic although i actually found it at Fellowship of the Travelling SmartyPants

or if you completely disagree with me above then let me encourage you to do something like this.

Forty Days of Water from Blood:Water Mission on Vimeo.

the good old days

they don't exist.

as i travelled to work this morning i passed thousands of folks who were doing the same. some were the unwashed masses and others were the washed masses but in the end, we're all the same. folks walked and bussed or drove their little economy vehicle as they meandered along to continue their lives. it struck me that everyone is so obviously struggling with life just as i am, perhaps more. every second person is worried about how to pay the rent or the mortgage, how to get food for the day and find a little leisure time before they curl up ... perhaps for the last time.
i then think of years ago and many times i see our struggle (mine and Wendy's) as being something that i don't want to go back to. we had our share of great times, don't get me wrong, and we're REALLY fortunate and blessed to have the life that we share ... but something still pokes at me.

life is hard.

it was hard years ago when i struggled with a $9/hr job and we tried our best to meet the rent on a monthly basis but it's still hard when i have an unbelievably well paying job and our mortgage is paid off. i think of those times and i realize that we never could've succeeded like we have today when we were stuck where we were then.

as i get older i get more nostalgic. i long for a simpler time but i also realize that the simpler time was such a long time ago that i can't really see it any longer. reminiscing is important to seniors (no i'm not a senior thank you very much) but the more i think about it the more that i see that the good old days weren't all that good. in many ways these days are loads better and than i stop and think HOLY CRAP, these days are BETTER? life is hard.
there have been some mountaintop moments and there have been some pretty deep valleys. metaphorically a valley is supposed to be a beautiful place but emotionally it's not for me. i'm also afraid of heights (a bit) so it's weird that i consider a mountaintop a lifegiving place. nevertheless, we came through and we've gotten to where we are now. i'm relatively healthy (although under too much stress and probably a bit depressed) and i'm still here. i have no way to discern how in the world Paul was ever content in whatever circumstance he was in because i find contentment a constant struggle.

today is Wendy's birthday and i never know what i can do to bring her happiness. i got her a present, but it had to be ordered and it won't be coming in by today. i will be heading down to Tall Grass Prairie Bread Co (owned by dear friends and prayer mentors Lyle and Kathy, and Paul and Tabitha) to get some of their KICK-ASS chocolate cake and lemon poppyseed cake for Wendy as well as a slice of carrot cake for me but that doesn't seem like much.

i long for contentment. i long for my wife's contentment. the Psalmist is now ringing in my head and i realize that i'm longing for God. i will find Him because He's all around me. i'll see Him where i look and i fully expect to see Him in my loved one's face when i see her.

i still have all my anxieties and worries about it all, because life is very much hard, but i can still see God. i have no desire for the "good old days" whenever that was but i still want today and i'm still desiring tomorrow. God is there and that is the contentment i need right now.

oh my, Lent starts tomorrow. i'm already planning a post about that.