According to Ed

Knowing What I Want Is Not Always Clear.

“Going to the craft store is not a good idea for me,” I told Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, yesterday. “Right now, I’m cleaning up from my project of making Christmas tree decorations. It has been an accidental explosion of glitter that has infected the whole house, especially me, the person using it,” I explained to Ed.

“I don’t want to hear that you were wasting your time making ornaments when every dollar store has cheap Christmas decorations that require nothing more than hanging them on the tree,” Ed grumbled.

I think Ed has a good point because homemade crafts cannot always compete in beauty with the already made ones. The fun of crafts is making your done-at-home article look as good as what is in the store. I have an extreme opinion that homemade popcorn balls, candy, buns, and peanut brittle are better than the store stuff.

Is Offense Taken Or Given?

I told my old neighbor, Ed, that I came across a quote I like; “The world is a magical place full of people waiting to be offended by someone else.” Ed agreed that there is plenty of offense taking today. The supply of people saying upsetting things tends to be more than balanced by those ready to take offense by what is said.

Most have heard that Don Cherry’s words got him fired. Did his words about immigrants not wearing poppies give offense, or did folks take offense? Some call his words a rant against immigrants, while others consider his words voicing his opinion in free speech. Whatever we say, may come back to bite us.

It Is More Blessed To Give Than Receive

“Do you believe everyone needs a hug and to be told they are loved?” I asked Ed. As my old neighbor for years in Saskatchewan, Ed is used to me asking for his opinion. He is not shy about giving me his opinion even when I haven’t asked for it.

Yesterday, when I asked Ed about everyone needing a hug, he was precise in his answer. “You better make sure it is okay with the other person, or it could be called an assault. Lots of folks don’t like their personal space invaded even for a hug of welcome or affection. It is better to offer to shake another person’s hand, as it is less intrusive.”

I still believe everyone needs a hug or two each day for their emotional well being, if possible. Some people are not comfortable with giving hugs. Ed thinks that my thinking about hugs is silly, for people have lived alone for years without many hugs or hearing someone say I love you. My old neighbor believes teenagers may not want parents to hug them or tell them that they are loved except maybe on their birthday. I think that hugs and saying I love you to family members is an excellent daily habit.

Sometimes Helping Others Hurts Us

Ed, my old neighbor, phoned yesterday. I couldn’t come to the phone because I was soaking in the tub. When I got around to calling him back, I explained that my wife had said to me, “You stink.” I offered to put on a clean shirt, but she said nothing would hide my B.O. I decided to take a hot bath as I sniffed some truth to her criticism.

Ed understood, saying that desperate times call for extreme measures. We both talked of the good old days when bath night was once a week, whether you needed it or not. Ed said that it was good that I cleaned up for my wife. He felt that my sacrifice of time, soap, and water didn’t cost me much to become an odorless husband for my wife.

Ed suggested she might have asked for something far more costly. He told me of folks he knew where the wife needed a kidney transplant. The husband was tested but failed to be compatible to donate one of his kidneys for his wife.

We Dismiss The Warnings That Don’t Seem Urgent

“My hair stood on end, a shiver raced down my spine, and a lump came to my throat. It was him!” I asked Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, “Does this seem like a happy or a scary situation to you?”

“It seems to me that a lot of bad stuff could result from seeing him whoever he might be,” Ed answered. “Are you into some spooky story from Halloween,” he asked me.

“No, the quotation is not from a spooky story,” I said. It may mean both what could be positive or negative. It does center on whoever him turns out to be. He is not a zombie, a ghost, or a monster. Hair standing on end, and a shiver down the spine could suggest fear. A lump in the throat might suggest great emotion at the sight of someone special, but not necessarily dreadful. Recognizing him implies he is life-altering because of our relationship with him.

 Perfect Timing Neither Too Soon Nor Too Late

Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, always has his timing on track every Halloween. This year he was dressed up in a Deadpool Muscle Chest Costume. He looked impressive, and with the mask, no one could identify him. He admits that although he had the extra-large size, the fit was tight. I had not heard of Deadpool. I was not aware of him as a Marvel comic character or as a character in a movie or two. Ed felt it was time I paid more attention to the various hero and villain characters that everyone else knows about but me.

I admit to being unaware of the many heroes and the villains in movies and books. The time that I spend watching movies is on comedies. Even in picking movies, few people have the time to watch every film that is a new release or the many older ones. Timing is always about priorities. You can not watch every movie at the same time. You must see one movie and then another according to your preference of now or later.