Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

I praised the Lord, again. I took a shower and had hot water. To many that may be a small thing but for months our hot water heater kept shutting down. We were able to buy another one and have pay someone to install it. Now we have hot water every time. On demand. I forget all those times we did not have hot water. It went on for months. So, again, I praise the Lord for this luxury. Yes, luxury. Hot water. For that matter, there are literally millions, maybe billions, of people in this world who do not have plumbing. Or even clean water. And I am considered poor in this country. Americans are so spoiled and have no idea how rich the average person in this country is. Compare yourself to the multitudes who do not have plumbing in their house. Or worse yet have no clean water. Americans are so spoiled.

Tags: hot water, hot water heater, poverty, praise the Lord, take a shower, the luxury of hot water, the poor and plumbing and clean water, the spoiled Americans
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I will act as if my day matters.  I was depressed yesterday.  I decided to take a new tact.  Today I shaved, put out clean clothing and I will take a needed shower.  I did none of that yesterday and had a pity party.  I will act as if I matter (and that means taking proper care of myself).  You can work from the outside in.  I will take better care of myself today.  I already feel better.  All those details mentioned matter.  I will continue to act as if I matter.  And I do.

Tags: act as if I matter, clean clothing, from the outside in, God, I matter, mental health, pity party, shave, take a shower, take care of myself, you matter, your day matters
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Depression can easily become a pity party.  Our lives are always imperfect.  Things don’t always go our way.  We have expectations that fail.  It is so easy to slide into depression.  I just took a shower and reflected before I married my wife I only had a tub.  For fifteen years I had no shower.  It is all too easily to forget that and the many reasons I have to thank the Almighty for his many blessings.  And I have to reflect on that and count them.  The list is long.  Ingratitude is very easy to go to.  Our lives never go exactly as we we want them to.  Our lives are always a series of problems and only some get solved to our satisfaction.  That is life!  If we can go back and count our blessings and learn to do it routinely depression is less likely to set in.  God does not promise us anything beyond food and shelter and usually His blessings are abundant.  It is too easy to center on what we don’t have.  Our unmet expectations can easily turn into depression if you are not careful.  And then it becomes a pity party.  It is, though, hard to be positive when we don’t feel good.  Good health is a blessing.

Tags: count our blessings, depression, expectations, food and shelter, God, good health is a blessing, His blessings are abundant, ingratitude, life, many blessings, pity party, slide into depression, take a shower, thank the Almighty
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Every day is a privilege and why do I act otherwise.  I act as if my days are endless and as King Solomon says, ‘Life is but a vapor.’

I waste (our) days sometimes.  I act as if my time on this earth is infinite.  I know.  I have been there repeatedly.  I have to remind myself each day is a gift.  I know I am a master of rationalization.  I act as if I will be forever here.

It is marvelous what a shower and putting on clean clothes (and dressing nicely) does to your attitude.  I am saying today matters.  I will respect my time here.  It is truly a gift.

It is so easy for me to fall down in the dumps to use a cliche.  I really have to work at it and sometimes from the outside first and my attitude towards the day will change.

Every day I am on this earth is a privilege and I have to treat it as such.  I really matter to the one above so I have to give him the respect due and treat each day that the Lord brings me as a gift.  It really is.

Tags: Bible, clean clothes, down in the dumps, each day is a gift, endless days, give respect to God, God, infinite, King Solomon, Life is but a vapor, Old Testament, respect my time here, take a shower, the Lord, time, time on earth, today is a gift, today matters, waste time, your attitude
Posted in balance, beauty, death, God, knowledge&learning, life, love, mental health, relationships, seasons, time, wisdom, your job/mission/profession | No Comments »

It is so easy to take even the simplest things for granted.  I took a shower this morning and I had to remind myself this was something I should be grateful for.  For fifteen years not that long ago the house I lived in did not have a shower just a bath tub.  That was the big thing when we traveled — the motel always had a shower.  I forgot about that and silently thanked God for my shower.  It is so easy to take even the smallest freedoms for granted–like being able to take a shower in your house.

Tags: bathtub, be grateful, freedoms, God, house, motel, simple things, take a shower, take things for granted, thank God, travel
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Act as if your day matters.  That means preparing yourself as if you were going to get guests or were going to be in public.  That means to me, first shaving and putting on my Brut.  If I need a shower, taking it.  Getting dressed properly.  Putting on your shoes and clean clothing on.  And not trampsing around the house in slippers.  It really does make a difference in your attitude.  By all this preparation you are telling yourself this day matters and I will not waste it.  You may not feel that right away but the rest of you will follow if you act as if the day matters.

Tags: act as if, be in public, Brut, clean clothing, don't waste the day, get dressed, God, guests, prepare yourself, put on shoes, shaving, slippers, take a shower, your attitude, your day matters
Posted in balance, God, health, knowledge&learning, life, mental health, time, wisdom, your job/mission/profession | No Comments »