Standing or sitting it's still my choice.
One thing about me that has not changed all these years is that I refuse to waste my time on anything not important. There is too much to do in this world to waste time on unimportant things.
This, however, sometimes gets me in trouble with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Do not let this get back to her, but I sometimes refer to it as the GMP syndrome. She is standing up about something and I am sitting in my easy chair not knowing what she’s talking about.
My wife’s idea of what is important sometimes does not jive with my sense of importance. The real problem is that I do not understand what she thinks is important and she, on the other hand, does not understand that I do not think it is important. On those rare occasions when our sense of what is important collides, we celebrate. That is what is important.
She thinks she won, and I know I won. Does it really matter? Very few times in life do we both get what we want. When that happens she stands up and gloats, while I sit down and grin.
I am not sure what the difference is between a gloat and a grin, but then, does it really matter?
I must confess we are on a different wavelength at times. The only time our waves are synchronized is when I am driving out of the driveway and waving goodbye and her returning the jester.
Do not get me wrong, we have been a marvelous working team for more years than I can remember. Of course, that does not mean anything because I cannot remember yesterday. However, we have worked together most marvelously for many years and I look forward to many more years of such marital shenanigans.
In spite of that, we have our differences. One of the great differences we have is in the definition of importance. It is a rare day in June when our definitions are united in holy macaroni and cheese. It does happen though and we both revel in those moments.
It is wonderful when we can stand together on some project or some issue. Now that I think of it, I believe we stand together more often than I have given credit.
The thing that makes our relationship so marvelous and wonderful is that we allow the other person to have their differences. She is a broccoli [yuck] kind of a person and I on the other hand am an Apple Fritter kind of person.
It just goes to show there are certain things that a person should stand for and then there are things that really do not matter.
Looking out at the world, I notice a few things I just cannot stand for. Some do not make any difference one way or the other, while others really makes a difference. The problem is by the time we understand the significance of something we are too old to do anything about it.
The Pennsylvania Dutch has a wonderful saying, “We grow too soon old and too late smart.” By the time we have grown enough to become smart about something that something is no longer in vogue. At my age, of course, I am learning that I cannot stand too long for anything.
Out in the world of politics and religion, people are always coming up with solutions to nonexistent problems. It takes a good politician and religious person to spend a lot of time working on a solution of which there is no problem.
Our world is full of problems, to be sure. It would be a rare day when people would get their heads together and work on problems. All we have today are solutions. The trouble is finding the right solution for the right problem.
Only in politics and in religion can we spend all our time working on a solution that does not address any particular problem. As this stands today, I think I am just going to sit down and let it go by, because it will.
My father taught me the most important thing in life was never to try to fix something that ain’t broken… or ain’t broken too bad. It is amazing what a little duck tape can do to put off fixing something that is not broken too bad. Not every crack needs fixing.
Silence is golden and noise can be expensive especially when somebody else is talking. I like surrounding myself with the wonderful sounds of silence. I do not even like talking to myself. I do not listen anyway so what is the use.
Often in my life, I have regretted saying something, but never, to my knowledge, have I regretted keeping my mouth shut. Yes, I will stand up for some things, but many things I will just sit down and take it. No reason to get all riled up when what people are talking about is like a breeze on a summer afternoon. It comes for a moment and then it has gone, and where it goes, nobody knows.
The apostle Paul knew what to stand for. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).
If you do not stand for something good, you will fall for anything, usually bad.
