Still Winter Scootin'

Although I had envisioned a cozy table by the fireplace at Panera Bread for today's post writing, it wasn't meant to be.  The line was practically out the door when I got there which caused me to spin (and I use that verb loosely) on my heels and beat it back to the bike to head to the much less warm and inviting McDonald's across the mall parking lot.  With the all the ambiance of an operating room with fluorescent lights, cast photos of "Leave it to Beaver" and "I Love Lucy" on the wall, and fins on the booth tops that remind me of the ass end of my dad's Plymouth Savoy, to be sure it's appealing on some level, but a far cry from that nook by the fireplace I'd been hoping to get at Panera.

Lest I sound like an idiotic ingrate, I'm not really.  It's December 21st and while the sun isn't shining brightly I am out on the scooter with the temperature hovering near 50.  Okay, perhaps I should start building an ark with the current forecast for the coming week, but rain I'll live with gladly.  I don't have to shovel rain so for as miserable as it might be to have monsoon season here for Christmas, when I take pause to think about how much shoveling this expected rain would bring if it were snow I'm more thankful than I can express in writing, but then again He, to Whom I'm thankful, doesn't need my expression to be in writing.

Unfortunately, I'm a curmudgeonly fellow.  To me that part of my personality is charming.  To those who live with me and spend good chunks of time with me, that "charm" tends to wear off fast.  On today's cardiac walk I thought the word "Grump!" to myself with every step hoping that maybe focusing on my grumpiness like a mantra might somehow make me more aware of my tendency to complain about everything especially when I can see whomever I'm with rolling his or her eyes and waiting for me to shut up.  We'll see how that works. 

Looking my curmudgeonly best

I mention this because I'm watching a McD's tractor trailer parking outside in such a way that it blocks two full handicap spaces.  I think that sucks no matter how you slice it and that it's inexcusable, but it won't affect me because I'll easily be able to sneak the bike out of the handicap space in which I'm parked.  Nevertheless that old compulsion to tell the driver what an inconsiderate oaf he is remains strong.  I wish all delivery truck drivers had to park legally to make their deliveries instead of inconveniencing countless other with their double parking and not respecting parking ordinances.  I'll be doing my best to bite my tongue if this driver is still out there when I'm leaving.

 

Really?  Do you have to park THERE?

You can tell, perhaps, that when I got here I had no particular idea of what to write because I'm doing one of those slice of life, rambling posts.  While I like to write there isn't always sufficient inspiration, but what the hell?  It seems no worse to me that a builder spending some time playing with Tinker Toys on a day when the weather might keep him from plying his regular trade outdoors.

 

On a bright note, in the middle of that last paragraph I was visited here at my table by a retired assistant police chief whose daughter it was my pleasure to have had as a student years back.  He was recently ordained to the dioconate here in our diocese and I'd been reading about him in the papers over the course of the past few weeks and had been hoping to meet up with him sometime soon to offer my congratulations and support to his new endeavor.  It's always nice to spend a little time with one of the good guys and he sure is one of them.  Without my wanting to take the scooter out today there's no way that I'd have met up with him because it wouldn't be like me at all to be at a McDonald's in the middle of a day, so coming out was a good decision after all it seems.

 

 

The McCookies were very good, the coffee at the perfect sipping temperature, and the  lighting decent for the few selfies I took.  Sometimes when I find myself thankful for little things like these it seems easier to keep on going with an attitude of gratefulness for all the good things in life.  I do pity those with no faith in a supreme being of any sort (though they very well might feel sorry for me with my pie in the sky beliefs) because gratefulness and thankfulness are so often in my thoughts.  I'd find it very "empty" for want of a better term to have these feelings where thanks of some kind seem owed, but if there were nothing besides fate, kismet, and shit luck to say, "Thank You!" to, I know I'd feel sort of lost in the universe and awfully alone.  I try not to thump my Bible here, but it is difficult for me to write anything of length beyond the size of a grocery list without being aware of my belief that there is Somebody out there who might not zap me a miracle every time I want something but Who I believe is walking the walk along with me and at least listening when I feel the need to talk to Him.

Well, it would appear that I have enough paragraphs to put this post to rest with a picture here and there between them.  With Christmas just around the corner let me take this opportunity, in case I don't write again before the day itself, to wish all of you fellow believers a most Happy, Merry, and Blessed Christmas.  I know wishes don't go awfully far these days, but mine is sincere and deep and if the good Lord sees that you need one to make something good happen for you, I hope mine will be the prayer that's needed.

The rain would appear to be nearly imminent with how dark the sky has gotten since I took my first cookie bite so I'm heading out.  If you don't hear much from me after today it will because I'll be away from December 27th till the 3rd of the new year and while I'll most likely have the laptop with me I don't now how much opportunity I'll have to crank anything out.

Best wishes for a wonderful 2016 to all!