Bfth's Boring Blog

  Let's talk about noses.  Some are big; some are small.  We all have them.  They are there to help us breathe; even though many of us (myself included) are mouth breathers. They are part of our respiratory system.  We sniff with them.  They get congested with yucky stuff.  Stuff that is thick and gross and makes breathing difficult and guarantees snoring.  We blow them to get the gunk out.  Some of us make a LOT of nose when we blow. (That would be me.  I fully admit that I make really loud noises when I'm trying to clear my nose.  It's embarrassing, but...) Some people even pick them (no judgement). Noses are a part of life. Switching gears for a moment; let me talk about grocery shopping.  I usually go the same ShopRite every Friday at 6 AM.  That's when they open.  When they opened at 7; that's when I was there.  Now that they open at 6, I am there nearly every Friday right before 6.  I usually bring my ...

Today, as I understand it (and I very well could be wrong), the majority of my son's classmates will be in school taking the PSAT.  My son is NOT among them. This was a family decision and was influenced by a variety of thoughts and experiences.  Our decision was for us, just as those who are taking this test today made the decision (hopefully) based on what was best for them. I may be in my 50s but I took the PSAT and SAT when I was in school.  I didn't do well.  Even after I took some sort of (paid) preparation course I only did marginally better.  I hated sitting there taking this test that made no sense to me...comparing words and doing math problems.  (There was no essay portion back then.)  I was not planning on going to a highly competitive school.  Ivy League was never in my plan for my future.  I am relatively intelligent; I am NOT highly intelligent and I am NOT cut out for the intensity of serious academics.  I am not puttin...

 It's been just over a year since the first case of Covid-19 landed on our shores.  It's been almost a year since I started working from home and my son started learning from home (although we've been in a pseudo hybrid mode since mid-September).  No matter how you slice it; it's a bizarre time.  I know I've done some silly things to try and keep my sanity or to just DO something.  How can we not? For most of my adult life my days started by getting dressed for an office (which included hair and make-up).  I don't do that most days.  Yes, I get dressed.  But the hair and make-up routine is sporadic and I have always been a big hair and make-up person, (I am the first to admit that I AM high maintenance.) It was March 8, 2020 when I last got my hair professionally cut and colored. I have gotten my hair cut once since then, but no professional highlights.  Over the warmer months, I did fall back on old school "sun in" (yes it still exists!)....

New beginnings Start today New beginnings Fresh and warm like the rays of sun on a cold day Comforting and embracing like a beloved hug Heartwarming as the smile of a friend The soothing of the soul can begin today Now is the time For hearts to heal As we listen with our ears and hear truth As we see with our eyes and recognize our fellow man Not for what we think he could be, but for what he is So much like us; a human being with hopes and dreams We have the opportunity (and we always have) to start anew To refresh and renew To reject hate; Not to turn a blind eye to it, but to reject To condemn it To vow that it will not corrupt us We can wash away the foul and the evil Watch it as it drains into a stench filled pool Proclaim that it shall not happen again And mean it To stand by those words with actions Actions filled with love Love of self and of others We have the power to forgive We have the responsibility not to forget We have the ability to create a better world Not just for ou...

  So we had the December holiday break.  (Remember that?)  Remote learning started on January 4th.  Now we are in the middle of the month (past the middle of the month?) and it's time to go back to hybrid school.  My son is awake (barely).  I have asked him how he feels.  (He mumbles back at me.)  I fill out the form and submit.  (Seems to me it doesn't always take on the first try...I always go back and see that it says it has been submitted.)  Soon he will drag himself out of bed, get some coffee (he's a black coffee guy...I am always amazed by this) and maybe something to eat.  Then he will head to his computer for his 7:15 choir class which is always remote. Choir has always been interesting.  They "meet" Tuesday and Thursdays at 7:15 and then Monday, Wednesday and Friday during part of the lunch break.  This did work out, but now that he's back in school I'm not sure how the lunch break thing is going to work since no...

As I sit down to write this, the above number is the total of people who have DIED from Covid-19. Of that total, the United State "leads" with nearly 400,000 deaths. If you counted to just two million (at one number per second) non-stop it would you approximately 23 days. These are not just numbers.  These are people.  Someone's mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin... Every one of those people MEANT something to SOMEONE. I have said more than once that this pandemic would not be over until everyone on this planet (that would be around 7.7 BILLION) knew someone who died of Covid.  Not everyone would know someone who HAD Covid (I think that day has come and gone possibly multiple times), but has DIED of it. Has someone you have known and possibly loved DIED of Covid?  If you say can say yes now, my condolences.  If you are someone who cannot say yes right now, know that the odds are against you and that the day will (most likely) come.   ...

So it's been a week since Epiphany and what a day that was, wasn't it?  There I was saying:  "We NEED light.  We NEED hope.  We NEED promise of better things to come."  Was I right?  I think I was.  But I didn't know how dark the day would be and how much light we STILL need.  I truly believe we need to turn inward to find our individual humanity and start/continue to act in ways that bring light to the whole world. We are thirteen days into 2021.  Thirteen is a lucky number for me.  (Remember I was married on Friday, the 13th.) So this morning I decided to pick myself up and get into a new frame of mind.  To that end, I decided to really get dressed.  That's not to say I don't get dressed every morning.  I do.  I get out of those pjs and into clothes.  I wash my face and hair.  All that boring stuff.  Today, just for the heck of it I decided to get "dressed."  Y es, that's me in a sweater and...

 What can I say about the first full week of 2021?  It certainly didn't meet the expectations that I had as the week began when I wrote a mediation for a church service ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-covid-christmasepiphany.html ) and my thoughts on Epiphany ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2021/01/epiphany-2021.html ) obviously weren't read/heard by people who perhaps needed to follow.  When I wrote those words, I certainly wouldn't have imagined that thugs (which is really too kind of a word to describe them) who delusionally call themselves patriot would attempt to hold Congress hostage and destroy American democracy.  (In typing this sentence I made a typo, which I think actually should be a word:  Democrazies.)  I could go on and write about my disappointment, disgust, heartbreak, etc., but...for me, it's rather move on.  NOT to forget (for we should NEVER forget what took place in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021), but tr...

We are not alone.  Sometimes it is hard to remember and/or accept this, but we are NOT alone. It's also important to remember that everyone needs support and help at various times in their life.  This is not a sign of weakness; it is part of life and being a human being. When a baby is born, it needs help.  You wouldn't expect a child to be born and then just leave it to its own devices.  An infant cannot feed itself or take care of itself.  It doesn't mean that babies are dumb or incapable.  Infants need time to learn and grow.  In order to do that they need a support system.  A baby needs a parent (or parents) or relatives or a capable adult to take care of their needs.  As a baby develops, grows and matures, in most cases he or she will eventually be able to take care of himself/herself.  A child would not and IS NOT able to mature without help.  A baby cannot survive on its own.  A child cannot survive on its own.  A t...

 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.  Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you." (Isaiah 60:1-5) Today is Epiphany.  The time in the Christian calendar that marks when the magi arrive to see Jesus. You know:  "In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his...

  Is there someone in your life who consistently gets under your skin?  A person who annoys you like a mosquito that won't go away?  Someone whose very presence just makes your blood pressure go up a notch or two?   I'm sure we all have a person or people like that in our lives.  Here is the question:  how do you handle it? I'm looking for a calmer, more peaceful 2021.  Aren't we all?  But there is one person who I deal with on a regular (not daily, but close) basis that gets under my skin.  It's a person I cannot avoid or dismiss.  (Because if I could; believe me I would. Who would want to interact with a person that drives them crazy if they could avoid it?  I may act crazy, but I'm NOT crazy [yet]. I would avoid big time!) I need to work with this person.  I cannot scream or yell or even stamp my feet. (Although I sure the heck want to.  And I'll admit it; I've done so in the past in the privacy of my own space...i...

Note: Every  once in a while, the pastor at my church goes on vacation. (Everyone needs one).  Today (Sunday, January 3, 2021) was one of those days.  She asked me to fill in so here is what I had to say: 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  1:2 He was in the beginning with God. 1:3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 1:4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 1:7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 1:9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.1:10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ...

  2020 is OVER!  2021 is HERE!  Woo Hoo!  It's a New Year! While I am glad that 2020 is over, the world hasn't changed overnight. There is still a pandemic going on.  There is still chaos throughout the country (and indeed the world). But it IS a new year and I feel hope.  Hope for better things.  Hope for sanity.  Hope for kindness.  Or as Paul McCartney once said (sang): "hope of deliverance from the darkness that surrounds us."  (And boy have we been surrounded.) The thing is, 2020 kind of ended the same way 2019 did.   I took a long hot bath (thanks to the tub stopper that hubby got for me for Christmas.  You may think a tub stopper is a lousy gift, but I asked specifically for it and trust me it is NOT.  Nothing like a nice long hot bath where the water stays in the tub to wash away the stink of 2020.) Hubby and I at home and son out celebrating.  (Only this year he wasn't at a party.  He went out t...