This week I kind of stumbled across an article that caught my interest, "Why No One is Interested In Your Travels." It is written by Jonathan Look, Jr. He has retired and he and his female partner are always in search of exotic travels where he can experience a sense of adventure and not be a part of cookie cutter suburbia. He noted a paper written by Harvard Psychologists titled "The Unforeseen Costs of Extraordinary Experience." It is not jealousy that make people glaze over when people tell of these exotic and unusual adventures, it is lack of the ordinary in the stories told after trips of a lifetime, or two. The paper goes on to state that those telling the extraordinary experience are not always gifted story tellers either giving too many details or not enough.
I used a little of this extraordinary experience in the Sunday School lesson I taught this morning where we mainly looked at Hannah. Now there is someone who had an extraordinary experience and it has translated well, even to us today. The communicator and writer tells her story beautifully. Truthfully, Hannah and her story has been one that I have stayed away from since she is a popular Mother's Day topic for sermons and she seems to be the patron saint of infertility. More so than Sarah or Sampson's mom, cause we are told the story of how she walked away from the year after year taunts of Peninnah at Shiloh and went into the Tabernacle to pray, all the while being accused by Eli of being drunk and having to hold it together while her husband, well meaning in his questions to her and then concluding she should think he would be better than having ten sons. This week it really have been a joy to get to know Hannah better, in fact since Judy and I are helping relieve our teacher Gale this summer since she has a family wedding consuming much of her time, I was able to split the lesson and use the Eli/Samuel portion it in next week's lesson.
It feels like I am living extraordinary experience these days in the mountains of North Carolina. Just like the article some want to hear of the travels and experiences and others don't but I write on anyway because these days are ones I want to remember. The choice is theirs, to read or not to read...that's not even the question. Being here has been so healing, in all the realms whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Of course there are other factors contributing to this well being, but it feels like this should be written in broad brush strokes.
I went old school studying for the lesson on Sunday by looking at some of FB Meyer's writings. Still relate-able today but had to look up some of the obscure words that didn't make it into the 21st century regular vocabulary.
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This June day will be remarkable in that it will only reach into the high 70's today. This morning it was 57 degrees while I enjoyed a cup of coffee on the front porch. Buddy was pretty happy about it as well. The cooler temps has made errand running rather pleasant. I thought I had more potting soil than I did, so back to Lowe's tomorrow to finish up the project. A couple of weeks ago while in CVS they reserved some of the new shingles shots for me and today it was the first thing to do while out and about. No waiting and shot number one and I'm good to go. The next shot needs to come in the next four t six months. Feeling shingle protected it was back to Tractor Supply and they had the bird seed back in stock. Oh happy day. Then the dreaded Walmart to pick up some more plastic bottles of Topo Chico. They are so refreshing when I am on gardener duty. Also, I don't know if they will be affected by the tariff dealy thingy. Across the way to Lowe's for supplies and they had some beautiful zinnias, which might be my favorite flower.
The work on the back porch is coming along today. All the screen is in and both of the storm doors have been hung. Just waiting for whoever finishes staining it. The feral cats are confused but Buddy took several trip around the edge of the porch and meowed her approval.
Yep, it has been and is a extraordinary experience.
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