Month: March 2022

Daily Reflection

“So, in everything, do unto others what you would have the do to you…” (Matthew 7:12)

I was sitting in a Starbucks the other day (I know, I know, go figure! LOL!) meeting with someone for an afternoon coffee when I noticed an individual sitting near the front of the store with an elaborate computer set up containing multiple cords, two small monitors, and a gaming console. The friend I was meeting there attempted to make conversation with the individual, as they were amazed at the complex set-up. The individual looked over at my friend, ignored them and went back to immersing themselves in what looked to be a game. I saw they had earbuds on so I assumed they didn’t hear her. But after I sat down with my coffee in hand, I watched as another person approached the individual and asked about their setup as they were looking for some guidance and direction. The person tried several times to communicate with them, only it was obvious the individual couldn’t be bothered as they outright ignored the person, even looking at them directly and rolling their eyes, to communicate to leave them alone. I wanted to believe the person didn’t speak English or had some other inability to communicate, but that wasn’t the case when I saw them on their phone. I felt much sorrow over this.

Why do people act like this? I often ask myself this question, especially when I see people who claim themselves as Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, or follow some other devout religious path only to exhibit behaviors like this. I’m sure if this gaming individual had this happen to them when they approached another, they would have been taken aback and frustrated at the very same response.

I tend to see this happening a lot in our world these days. People like to complain about how they are being treated, yet those same individuals often do the very same behaviors and are completely oblivious to it. It only gets their attention when those behaviors come from another and affects them.

Seeing this the other day brought back the thought of the earliest golden rule I learned in life about doing unto others as I would want done to me. I’ve had many people approach me in many different coffee shops asking me about the various things I’m doing there. Whether it’s been my 12 Step recovery work, writing for my blog, or even watching a movie or playing a game, I always give them my focus because I would want the same done to me. Sadly, I wasn’t this way at all during my active addiction years. During them, I was no different than that gaming individual and might have even gone a step further to tell the person I was busy who was asking me a question.

So, if you should ever find yourself complaining about someone being rude or disrespectful to you, I encourage you to take a moment, breathe, and reflect upon all areas of your life where you may be doing the very same thing, as there’s a good chance you’ve done the exact same behavior with another and the Universe is only showing you this so that you can make a positive change on your spiritual path in life…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Silly Joke Friday

Silly Joke #1

A missionary, in Africa, was out taking a walk in the jungle. Suddenly, he heard a noise from the brush in front of him. It was a lion. He started to back up and heard a noise from behind. Sure enough, it was another lion. He looked to his left and then to his right. You guessed it, lions were on both sides. It looked grim, so the missionary sat down where he was and started to read his Bible. Shortly after he started reading, the lions jumped the missionary and ate him. The moral of this story: Never read between the lions.

Silly Joke #2

Halfway through dinner one night, our friend told us of his days playing football in college as a defensive lineman. “Did you play sports in college,” his beautifully blonde wife then asked me. “Yes,” I answered. “I was on West Point’s shooting team.” “That’s great,” she said, appropriately impressed. “Offense or defense?”

Silly Joke #3

15 Things to do at Wal-mart to pass the time by and have some fun…

1. Get boxes of condoms & randomly put them in peoples’ carts when they aren’t looking.
2. Set all the alarm clocks to go off at 10-minute intervals.
3. Make a trail of orange juice on the floor going into the rest room.
4. Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an official tone, ‘I think we have a code 3 in housewares,’ and see what happens.
5. Ask the customer service desk if you could put some M&M’s on layaway.
6. Move a “CAUTION WET FLOOR” sign to a carpeted area.
7. Set up a tent in the camping department, tell others you’ll only invite them in if they bring pillows from the bedding department.
8. When someone asks if they can help you, begin to cry and ask, ‘Why won’t you people leave me alone!’
9. Look right into a security camera and use it as a mirror while you pick your nose.
10. Dart around suspiciously while humming the theme from ‘Mission Impossible.’
11. While handling guns in the hunting department ask the clerk if he knows where you can find some anti-depressants.
12. Grab some pajamas in the clothing department, put them on in the dressing room and walk around (although this one may not work well since you might find others there are already wearing pajamas too!)
13. Hide in the clothing rack and when people browse through whisper ‘PICK ME! PICK ME!!!!!’
14. When an announcement comes over the loud speaker assume the fetal position and scream ‘NO! NO! It’s those voices again!’
15. Go to the fitting room and yell real loud…..’Hey we’re out of toilet paper in here!’

Bonus Silly Joke

9 dangerous words in your relationship that your partner may say to you…

(1)  “Fine” – This is the word uses to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
(2) “Five Minutes” – If they are getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to enjoy what you are doing before you have to help around the house.
(3) “Nothing” – This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end with (1) being spoken.
(4) “Go Ahead” – This is a dare, not a permission. Don’t Do It!
(5) “Loud Sigh” – This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood. A loud sigh means they think you are an ass and wonder why they are wasting their time standing there and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to (3) for the meaning of nothing.)
(6) “That’s Okay” – This is one of the most dangerous statements made. That’s okay means they want to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7) “Thanks” – You are actually being thanked! Do not question or faint. Just say you’re welcome. (But if they say, “Thanks a lot” – that is pure sarcasm and they aren’t thanking you at all. In this case never say “You’re welcome”, as that will bring on (8).
(8) “Whatever” – This is just another way of saying, “Go to hell.”
(9) “Don’t worry about it, I got it” – This means they have asked you to do something several times but are now doing it themselves. It’s usually followed by silence later by them and if you ask them, ‘What’s wrong?’, refer to (3) as that is the answer you’ll get.

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Thought For The Day

Today’s quotes are ones I found to help with processing the loss of a close friendship recently…

“You have to accept that some chapters in our lives have to close without closure. There’s no point in losing yourself by trying to fix what’s meant to stay broken.” (Unknown)

“You have to let people go. Everyone who’s in your life are meant to be in your journey, but not all of them are meant to stay til the end.” (Unknown)

“Some people are going to leave, but that’s not the end of your story. That’s the end of their part in your story.” (Unknown)

“When someone walks out of your life, let them. There’s no use in wasting your time on people that leave you. What you make of yourself and your future is no longer tied to them. Yes, you may miss them. But remember that you weren’t the one that gave up.” (Unknown) 

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson