Scarcity Mindset

 

 A scarcity mindset is characterized by a belief that one has limited resources or is unable to provide for themselves and others. 

From birth, and then the next several decades, I had a scarcity mindset.  I know why, and I've worked hard to overcome it.  Everyone knows I struggle with buying gifts for rich people. I have absolutely no idea what to buy.  However I'm perfectly comfortable buying things for people in need and giving to my favorite charities. 

Many years ago I had a friend who was a bishop in the United Methodist Church.  He called me one day asking for my help.  A former Methodist minister had been released from prison after serving several years.  The bishop had found the minister a mobile home and was asking my help in stocking the minister's new place.  I was all over that.  I knew exactly what was needed.  We got a list together in a hurry. 

I love Jimmy Carter.  Was he our greatest president?  No.  Is he an outstanding human being? Yes. 

His wife, Rosalynn, died recently and some of the stories told at her eulogy reminded me of myself.  Here are a couple.  Her grandson told about how Rosalynn gave each of her grandchildren a card with $20 in it.  He was 45 years old and still receiving the card and money.  I love that story.  Sounds familiar. 

But the next story was my favorite.  They were on a plane, Rosalynn Carter and family members.  After a while, she opened her big bag a pulled out a jar of pimento cheese, a knife and a loaf of bread.  She proceeded to make sandwiches for her family members and then made them for several other passengers. 

That so sounds like something I would have done years ago.  And maybe I did, but just don't remember. 

This morning I tidied up my bathroom closet.  The last thing I did was count the rolls of toilet paper on the closet shelf.  There were 17 rolls.  That is a huge symptom of a scarcity mindset.  So guess I still have work to do. 

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I Love Pop-UP Books

 

Since the day they were invented, I have loved pop-up books.  I have a copy of  the first pop-up add in a magazine.  The explanation of how it was formed was quite complicated.  It's artistry.   

Many years ago I became the owner of the state-of-the art book "Christmas in New York."  I thought I bought it from the Metropolitan Museum of Art but, in researching for this blog posting, that doesn't seem to be the case. It's magical and complicated on every single page.

The Christmas after receiving the book, I ordered four of them for friends and family.  They were pricey.  To my knowledge, no one loved the book like I did, other than my dear friend, Harry Welch.  But he, also, was magical and complicated.

Fast forward many years.  A week or so ago, at a small family gathering, my grandson, Ken gave me an amazing gift.  It is a companion piece to "Christmas in New York."  Both are written by Chuck Fischer, with paper engineering by Bruce Foster.  "Christmas Around the World" features New York, Boston and London.

If you visit me, you can look at my Christmas Pop-Up books.  They are always out.  
 

                    

 

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Merry New Yorker Christmas

 

As you know, because I've quoted them so many times, I love my New Yorker magazines.  I love the crazy long articles when they're about something I find interesting.  I love the smart cartoons and the smart satire "Shouts and Murmurs."

The fiction is something else.  I learned a long time ago that the story, whatever it is, will not end well.  In fact, they usually just end.  There's no wrap up.

The fiction in my November 20th issue, "According to Alice," takes the cake.  Weird was the word in my head while reading.  It had elements of the Christmas story with an emphasis on Mary.  But she does not come off as the mother of Jesus we know.  Nor does Jesus come off as Jesus.   Ir's just a crazy word salad.

Mary wasn't allowed to ascend to heaven, because she was a woman.

 What?

It wasn't until after reading the story that I finally understood what was happening.  Canadian writer Sheila Heti, put this "story" together.   But she didn't write it.  It was written by a customized chatbot.  To create the story she asked the chatbot questions, some of them leading and some open ended, to which its answers were never more than a sentence long. She then removed her part of the conversation. and threaded together the chatbot's answers. 

The interpretation of scripture is difficult enough for those of us who call ourselves Christian.  When we throw Artificial Intelligence into the mix, it's a convoluted mess.  

My fall-back Christmas story still begins with....Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.

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Dante's Inferno

 

First, please know that I love my computer.  Currently, It is my window to the world.  And, second, please know that I love Apple Support.  And, third, remember that I have Meniere's Disease and cannot tolerate loud noise or bright lights.  

But, about ten days ago I lost my Wi Fi on my Mac.  That doesn't sound like the end of the world.  However, after several days of Apple support on my phone, they gave up and made an appointment for me at the Apple Store in the Altamonte Springs Mall. 

This turned out to be several trips.  I tried to keep good thoughts, primarily because these guys and gals are geniuses.  I was at the Genius Bar.  What could go wrong?

That's where the Dante's Inferno, first circle of hell comes in.  That first circle is Limbo!  I knew before going to the Apple Store the first time that I was stepping into trouble.  A couple of hours later I was fried and had to leave.  I could hear Johnny Cash's words in my head, "I fell into a burning ring of fire." 

The store is beautiful.  But it is brightly lit; the entire back wall is a screen.  The roar of the crowd is out the door.  I can't imagine anyone being comfortable in there, but they were.  It was jammed packed each time I went.  And each time it took several hours for me to calm down.  

But, finally, it was over.  And I'm back in my quiet home with my Mac. I survived Dante's circle.

Once in a while someone asks me if I'm considering having some kind of home help care. The answer is Yes!  I'd like to have an IT guy move in.

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The Crocs Want to be Writers

 I love Stephan Pastis' comic strip, Pearls Before Swine.  My favorite characters are the crocodiles. They are charming, clueless predators, but they are so inept that they frighten no one.  They live next door to a zebra who's name is Zebra. They are constantly hatching up plots to kill and eat Zebra, but Zebra is unimpressed. 

It's not that the crocs don't kill and eat.  Once they had to get real jobs at a Starbucks like coffee place but got fired for eating one of the customers. 

And what's with the baby talk?  Their wives and children speak perfect English.  It's only the dads who are incapable of uttering a normal sentence.

In this strip one of them is sensing a rejection of his book proposal, so he decides to reject the editor instead.  I, personally, think the editor might have accepted the croc's proposal because I find their dialogue to be extremely entertaining. 

A couple of weeks ago I had a lovely interaction with my publisher/editor.  She was encouraging and gave me great advice.

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