New Year's Tipoff

This will be a tipping point post.  Some of this content was already percolating in my brain during the last two days - year-end reflections I was hoping to type out - but it did not happen.  Then Rick Mercer and the New Years party countdown was upon us,  8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 0.  Happy New Year!  Here we are 2021.  My last thoughts of the old year shall become the first scripted of the new year.

During this year 2020 I have learned something of the art of blogging.  It has become quite an experience for me, by now almost an essential.  My need to write is perhaps a personality feature of the little boy described by my dad as the "nesheah" (nosey one).  I was the son who asked "why" a lot, and in short order also had opinions, often to the point of parental exasperation - demise even?  R.I.P. I love you mom and dad.

I started the year with huge plans - retirement project ready in mind complete with suggestions and even offers of help from friends. I would write a book! My retirement had commenced a number of years past the magic 65 mark. Now three years past that later mark and well into the seventies, it was time to get started. The plan was to organize into a publication some 155 articles which I had written during those trucking years often at end of day in the sleeper of my truck on a trusty old Thinkpad (which also harbored a PC Miler route planning program duly pirated from somewhere by my son).  As fate would have it, the mere prospect of organizing those previous tomes became boring and tedious in this nesheah's mind.  My freshly invigorated perspective, thanks to two million miles of truckers and open highway, along with some new volunteer opportunities in our church conference, brought on new agenda.  Much more to do, to think about, and to write about.

Enter the possibility of blogging.  Some of my friends were waxing eloquent almost daily.  I was intrigued. With some apprehension I began some copy and paste samples of those earlier brilliant (?) articles from the sleeper of my truck.  I still liked them, but began supplementing those with new thoughts.  Life is more than cut and paste. In short order it was the new stuff getting my 'prime time' attention. I determined a blogspot is the better way to go.  Life goes on, you know!

BANG!  Two things happened.  Firstly, I got some readers, or should I say some readers found me.  Some current friends, some long time old time school friends, some family, some trucker friends, and gulp, even some scholar friends! It was unanimous encouragement. Keep writing please.  Secondly, Covid-19 hit and cracked my world open yet more. 

So now we have what we got. Plans of mice and men do not always evolve as per plan. "We take it as it comes," to quote my mom once more (See my last post, Dec 29 💗). In a way Coronavirus has become a friend.  Seems that my reflections whether looking back or forward have been coming from common experience allowing words to flow easily.  For that reason, I am enjoying some considerable responses - although not in blogpost itself; mostly in other formats, emails, Facebook and Messenger, even the occasional telephone conversation! At the moment I am satisfied, reminding myself that the goal is to write stridently (say it as I sees it).  If it become merely people pleasing then it will become boring! 

One learning edge I must identify with some embarrassment.  Usually on the day following Publish, I read the blogpost over again, and then with some urgency submit it to a ruthless editing, all the while hoping so and so has not yet read it in that original barenaked awkward format!  Sometimes while fixing it up I'd hope and pray they'd read it again and perhaps realize I am able to write complete sentences that make sense! 😖 Recently I have begun a new method; Save and let it sit a bit before the big Publish button, perhaps sparing myself some embarrassment in 2021.

So at this point in time my greater energy is in the blogging. There are still many articles lounging in my computer.  They are now dated, and I am still proud of some deep sentiment and pithy observations contained therein, but I think they will keep. Very occasionally I will paste one in just because it may seem particularly appropriate. I am not quite sure what will eventually become of them and I cannot say I don't care.  One thing clear, however, is that the theme of my recent blogposts, of Christian faith, of God's eternal Holy Spirit presence in both the sacred and profane, beyond the failures (or accomplishments) of the church and current political systems will continue. It is a spiritual awareness that has come upon me in the recent past. 

My new joy in Jesus Christ is reason to continue blogging.  The orthodoxy may occasionally seem a bit shakey to some of my dear friends, especially as my Jesus has become considerably more universal. However, my rigorous newfound faith will be evident. This is a new day, and also I need the reflective conversations with those who read. I need my community.  If the memoir book does not happen so be it. The greater priority is to speak of what I have seen and heard. Two of my heroes put it this way once upon a time. ²⁰ As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20).