I am gonna get sappy here, Missy..
There is something about my mind that has difficulty in shutting down. I think it might be some kind of a personality condition; or, it might be something to do with the fact that I am a diabetic. But, I do not have the ability to shut the brain down. I dream almost constantly, and throughout the day, I am always thinkin'...
On the other hand, it might completely a normal condition, existing in the lives of everyone. But, I doubt that.
OK. Here is the sappy part.
I thank God for the animals in my life. I've a cat and two dogs, three cows and more birds around this place than any one family should be allowed to enjoy..... not to mention the wild mammals that frequent my little corner of the woods. These animals make me realize that there is a reason I've got to think all the time... You have to think to produce, and you have to produce in order to keep these critters in food...
And why do I have them around? I don't eat the beef, I don't raise dogs, and the wild critters pay no attention to me except to eat the vittles I put out for them... The reason I have them around is wrapped up in this little cliché: "The more people I meet, the more I love my critters......."
Present company, excepted...
People, in general and myself included, seem to have the natural tendency to drift towards selfishness. We seem to be oblivious to the fact that it is happenin'; but, it is like the approaching of a cool or cold front.
It starts to mist, and then the particles of water in the air become larger, and larger, and larger. And, eventually, we very well might have a damned deluge on our hands, and we are soaked to the skin.... That is how selfishness can effect us.
We do not want it to happen, we do not plan on its happening... it just is a natural thing..... After all, are we all not the most important thing in our life?? After all, we are in our skin, eh? And, it is very difficult not to have that effect our selfishness. We are #1 in our world...
It is at this point in the discussion that I have to interject the animal aspect again. When you have them around, and you take responsibility for them, you have something different happen. Looking at the weather analogy, it is like the front is coming in, but the upper level disturbances become so great that the mist and rain, are blown apart, and there is no rain.. The animals are just enough to take our minds off the self... I bet that it the identical thing happens to people who put other people on a higher scale than themselves...
If you are putting others into a more elevated position than yourself, you lose the selfishness. And, Missy and Drummer.... Isn't that what you guys are doing on this forum??
Sure it is... And when that phenomenon occurs, something really cool happens. You find that people of like mind are gravitating into the mix. And, like selfishness can be automatic and unending,,, WONDER OF WONDERS,,, so can it be that our service to one another can become automatic and unending. A win - win situation.....
And there is a medicinal effect that goes beyond the feeling of well being when this starts happening. Pretty soon, it is the cows, dogs, cat and birds and mammals that become the point of our concern, and the people that are not in the group become less and less important. And well that should happen, and the feeling of well being is the result.... It is almost like that other ss homemade cliché: "When I am having fun, the foolishness of others dissipates, and I am free from negativity." Bet you never heard that one...
So, in my life I have freed myself from the uncontrolled selfishness. I still am selfish, but it is controlled.
I have a friend that has a medical problem that might require a heart/lung transplant. That is serious chit; but, chit happens.. When I talk to mutual friends about it, I realize that there are only two things that I can do: I can pray for her, or I can offer up my healthy lungs and heart to relieve her malady..... Guess what? My selfishness returns.. So I pray for her. God willing that will effect an ending that I feel is good. But, in my heart of hearts, I know that no matter how it turns out, it will be a GOOD solution....
The woman shares my simple, simple faith, and my simple, simple faith tells me that is all I need, to come out of THIS life a winner is a simple, simple faith, and that's a done deal.....
So, sappy or not, the critters are my friends, and the people around me who have taken over that service attitude allow me to make it through the day... I still think all the time, which can be a real pain, but I am starting to thing about the good stuff, and that blocks out the bad... Sorry to take up the time of any servant who might have read this, but it seemed to me to be worth putting down into the digital format so that it can be accredited to me as a non selfish service... Now, I feel like I can go out and sweat. My service is sufficient for the day... Love and Kisses. And guess what, "I feel good, I knew that I would, now".. Thank you Mr. James Brown for putting those words into my mouth... Hey, that is a request.....
Life truly is good, even for those of us that are closer to door that leads to the next step in this progression called life.......LIFE IS GOOD. Why else could a bum like myself end up being the happiest person any of you will ever meet??
And that is what I am, and it is not the world that put that smile on my face; and, it is beyond the capacity of the world, or anything else, to remove that yard wide smile.. Sappy? You bet... And like McDonalds, I'm lovin' it!!!!!
ss
