“Watch Closely Now”

  • Not The Only One!
  • Post # 150
  • 29 Aug 24  
  •        ” Watch Closely  Now “
  • Howdy,
  • Welcome  One more and let’s see what kind of  mischief we  can get into today 😀. When I  was around fifteen or sixteen years old I  saw this movie and like many  teenagers experiencing something romantic in nature, it left  a deep  impression on  me. The movie was called ” A star is Born” . I know that  most of you are probably familiar with the  one a few years ago staring  Lady  Gaga and Bradley  Cooper.  I didn’t  mean to  bust your  bubble  about it  being a remake☺️☺️. The  one that I saw when I was in high school stared Babbs… Barbara Streisand and Kris  Kristofferson . The movie that I  watched  was also  a  remake, and the original went all the way back to 1959.  Depending on your take on things , it  can  be another  King Solomon thing with  nothing  new under the sun, or that there are just  no original  ideas in Hollywood and  they  just  loves a good remake.☺️☺️
  • I’m an original  soundtrack guy, but sadly they  have  mostly  gone bye bye as   a cost cutting factor from  all of the cost overruns from  actually  making a  movie.  They  just  mostly  draw in music that  they  think  will  fit the film, much like the songs that I  place at the  end of  my blog  post each week☺️.  That being  said, I  had known and loved the voice of  Babbs, but no idea of who Kris Kristofferson was at the time.  The sound  track contained  both solos and  duets of the two of them  together. The track ” watch closely now ” and ” Hellacious Acres” were two high spirited tracks by Kristofferson , with  just a heavy  rock over tone to it. The song ” watch closely now” , basically asked the question ” did I  see what I  thought that I saw”?  We have  talked  before  about  how our eyes can sometimes  deceive us. We throw in  our jaded  perspectives as to how we think  things should  be and work together and  we can  put  together  something  very  much  on the distorted side of things. ☺️
  • There is something  known  as a ” misnomer and  it is often  defined as incorrect, misleading, or an inappropriate name or designation.  It can  be used  sarcastically such as calling one of those little smart cars a luxury automobile, maybe  to someone, somewhere, but not in my mind☺️☺️. I would  also  consider  people  doing things against  their  own best interest as a misnomer. In all fairness we don’t always get  when  we  have  blinders on to a particular  observation. Most of the time  we like  to  think of ourselves as  true north, meaning having our own  best interest at heart. We don’t  always  see everything  that we should  see or in the way that  we should  and they create  blind spots in our lives. Sometimes we miss  it, by just a  little and at other  times  when  things become  more  focused, we have  to  ask  ourselves  what the hell were we thinking in the first  place and  how did we get  so darn far of course and  away from  what we said that our objective or goal were. Again!, may  not be the best example, but think about  us buying  foreign  oil, and then having that investment  returned to us in the form of worldwide Terrorism.  Not exactly what I would call well thought  out. An ends to a means….debatable!  We experience these same  kinds of things on a personal level, perhaps not as dire, but still  very  much consequential. I will  occasionally think and say to myself that  I  just  can’t  get  out of my own way.  It’s almost as if I  subconsciously sabotage to prevent  myself  from  having  success and  moving  forward.  I’m not alone  here and  it is something  that I’ve observed  in  others and  in ways  that I  find very  perplexing. The twelve  dollar  question  is  why  do we act and carry on  in ways  that  undermine our development and  growth as human beings?  Yeah, yeah, we could  just  take  the simple  approach and  just  say  that we don’t  know  any better, but that’s just  partially true.  If something  is partially  true, then  it’s a  full lie. Ouch!, harsh and  needed to be  said.
  • There are  things that  we know that we often  just  don’t  want to own up to as truth. We know that those delicious  glazed donuts aren’t  going  to  help us loose weight, but we tell ourselves  that  just  one or two  won’t  hurt, and we even  give it a fancy name to make  ourselves  feel better about it.  It’s a ” cheat day”☺️☺️. I get  it , none of us are a hundred percent  all the time and  if we were we wouldn’t  be human, but robots☺️☺️. The same  can be said about  smoking  or a hundred other  vices. We know  that smoking doesn’t  improve our overall  health  and  we tell  ourselves  that we are all going to  die of something and at some point  which  is  true, but why go way out of your way to help the Grimm Reaper out?☺️☺️. This isn’t  supposed to  be one of those negative  pep rallies, which  makes you want to  go off and slit your own  wrist, but one of those let’s stop and do a quick  re-evaluation
  • Have  you  ever  wanted something  so bad, but it just  constantly eludes you? Even  when  you  believe that  it’s  within  your  grasp, you find yourself  ever further  away  from  it then  ever before? Let’s just put a picture to it and I’m going to  apologize in advance for  any negative  feelings that I  may  dredge up. We are  going to  use the cloak of infertility.  It’s something that  so many  couples  struggle  with and they  will  have hope over and over again, to only  have their  hopes and dreams dashed on the rocks of  disappointment. It can become an endless span of inhales and  exhales. We hold our breath  as we count the weeks  hoping to  get further  along  than the  time before.  We may  know the  scientific  why, we aren’t  having  success and  the reasons  for that can  just  be a  multitude of  things  that aren’t  working in the way that they  are  supposed to.   The knowing why is  not always  a  comfort, when  we just  want  to  set up the nursery with  pretty  colors and toys. There can  be a massive  amount of  guilt and  unforgiveness to one’s  self, if the reason  for lack of success is  specific to  one partner or  the other.  This is just  a  little  caveat that a friend  expressed  to me  a few days ago and  that is, what is your goal? Do you want to be  a parent or  do you  want to be  pregnant? Lots of kids up for adoption and would  love a good home.
  • I have  confessed  many times  before about  being a  people  watcher, and that sometimes  I will  go as far to give them a  back story.  Yes, it’s a little  weird but just  harmless fun☺️☺️. Sometimes  it’s  a little bit  more  than  just  people  watching, but it’s the people that we interact with.  We are all wired differently and  then we have  all of those experiences in  life, that do more to shape us than we are ever aware of.  Some years ago now, I  remember  meeting someone a little bit  outside  of  Boston.  We had  a lunch together and  as usual, I prayed over the meal.  They were  some what impressed with that to the point  that  they  went on to share with  others, what had taken  place.  There is nothing  magical  about  giving  thanks to  God  for  providing a meal. I guess my thought process was  if it’s such a  big deal, then  why wasn’t it  a part of their  everyday life? It’s not a judgment thing, but why are people drawn to  other  people’s  spirituality  as if it’s something  not available  to  themselves? I don’t  really believe  that  this is that unusual  because they  are  drawn to the  light  within  us.  There is something  distinct about  an active and  authentic spiritual life , opposed to  people who  go around  doing  good deeds to  feel  good about themselves and  calling it spirituality . That may sound  harsh and  judgmental, but it’s just  to prevalent and pervasive  in our culture to deny it.
  • People are  drawn to  true, real , authentic  spirituality, just like they are drawn to the word of  God and  often the thing  that  keeps them  on  the  outside  is the hypocrisy, from those who say that they  know God….yep another  ouchie!!☺️ I have  done a fact check of myself and  asked that question as to how many  people I have  turned off or put a stumbling block in their  path to God and  heaven.  Shameful, probably  more than I  would want to admit to. Yeah!, I’m human and  make mistakes  just  like  everyone  else, but that’s no excuse, because the word of God encourages us  to be gentle and  soft spoken and  to approach  people with humility and I  think  all to often  it’s just about  winning an argument, and even  when  you win…you still loose. 🥲🥲
  • Another  observation/ interaction.  I see people who want to  draw near to God, but they  want it on their  own  terms, and all I can  say to that is , good luck with that one there.☺️☺️ What  kind  of  God is cookie cutter to your particular  will? I think that we often  want to reduce  God to a genie in a bottle, and if I  rub the bottle  just  right with  my good deeds, and good intentions, then  God will  somehow be  indebted to  me and  have to  grant me favor☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️, yep it’s just that funny. We get  it twisted and  somehow  believe that God needs us…again  laughable ☺️☺️. We somehow  believe that  God should  bend to our will and our desires. Again  what  kind of  God would that be, if we could  so easily  manipulate Him? You may have  believed that I  was done with  ” Watch closely now “, but not so fast!! This is like  having  Dyslexia, and we transpose some numbers or words. People  who  attempt  to draw closer to God in this manner  actually  find themselves  further  away  from  God, then they  were before  they  started the ill-fated journey.  A major  misnomer, actually  achieving  the complete  opposite of the  goal to know  God. It’s as if they  are running  a  hundred miles an hour in the wrong  direction, they  want God on their terms.
  • I shouldn’t  do this, but it’s soap box time and I  know how dangerous that can be. I know that there are those  out there who  would  just  love to give a good kick or pull it out from  under me and that’s OK, give it your best shot☺️☺️. It seems that  some percentage of  women, over the fifty  percent  mark identify as liberal.  I’m not sure why  that  is, and it really  looks like you backed  the  wrong horse.  It’s not working for you, and instead of  backing away, you double down on it. It just  seems like  you have  given  up  so much to be able to  shout the mantra , I am women, hear me roar!  Don’t  get  me wrong, I’m not saying that  women  aren’t  capable of  competing with  men  and  doing  many and most of the same  jobs, but  they  often  have  to  turn  into  men to accomplish that. I mean they  become  hard and callus like men and sometimes loose pieces of themselves that draws them away from the  original design.  Sometimes you guys will  talk about  how men don’t  show  up and  that can  absolutely  be true. I just  don’t  know  many  men who run to embrace  ball busting emasculation. ☺️☺️
  • Yeah!, I  used that much  hated word that we just  can’t  escape  regardless of  how  hard we try and  that’s  ” design “. We want to  push through and  set new norms and  the more and harder we try to do that, the more  jacked up the  culture becomes. Women were  designed to  be help mates and  that doesn’t  mean  that they  can’t  pursue anything that their  hearts desires.  So women were kind of  designed to be lead, it’s not that they  are inferior  in any way, and it doesn’t  mean  that they  can’t  be leaders themselves.  Many  have  chosen to follow liberalism as if it is somehow  freeing , when  in actuality, it causes  them  to  get  further away  from  their design. I’m not saying  that  women  are gullible, but I do believe that we  sometimes  end up on a path, and that becomes all that we know  or are willing to accept.
  • It may  seem  as if I’m giving  men a pass…no, no, no.!! Men  are simple  creatures, we really are. I will  occasionally talk about  us in the context of  being  puppies or dogs, and it’s really   that simple.  The things  that  You reward and praise , you will  just  get more of that, it’s a positive  reinforcement.  However the opposite is  true as well.  If I’m  scolded for holding the  door open for a woman  and get  a  very  militant, ” I can  do it myself ” . That message is  loud and clear and you won’t  ever have to  worry about me doing  that  again ☺️☺️. That one may be a no brainer, but think about  how many  times  we are asked to do something and we get flack about  how we do it, because it wasn’t  done  exactly the way that  perhaps  you would have  done  it.  Most men  will  receive that as we pissed on the carpet and  you just  rubbed our nose in it☺️☺️, again  message  received. Oh! No! Men don’t  get  a  pass, but I  will  tell  you  in many instances, men have just  completely  checked out, hell, some of them are trying to  be  women now☺️☺️. I don’t  know  if that’s a cry for help, or they  think  that  is away  to circumvent and  get  some of the power back☺️☺️ . So , men vacating their  design  as well. 🥲
  • Ok, let’s see if we can  close  this rodeo out without  any broken  bones or even  worse a broken  neck☺️☺️. It absolutely  breaks  my heart, not just a  saying, but with  actual  tears and lament,  when  people  actually  set out to know  God and then find themselves further away  each time that they  try.  It makes me ask the question, did I just  see, what I  thought that I saw.   It’s a hard a painful  place to  be, but it starts with  surrender. I’m not a fan  of that word and  obedience  is another  one  that gets  stuck  in  my craw☺️☺️,  if I’m being honest.  . It’s a really  big stinker to see people  desperately  seeking  love and  putting  up  all sorts of road blocks to ensure that they won’t  receive the  one thing that  they  desperately want  and it’s the love and acceptance  of God. They  won’t  surrender  their  will  to  God , it’s a  really  hard thing to  do. And every time we lean in , but refuse to surrender, it makes our hearts just  that much more cold and hard. It gets easier as you spend more time  with  God and  realize that He has your  best interests at heart and  He knows what is coming around the corner, when  we are completely clueless. ☺️☺️
  • There is this saying  in church  circles and  that is, you can’t  out give God. I’m going to  add one to it and say that, you can  never live your life, better than the things that  God has in-store for you. 
  • God has hidden  salvation in clay  pots. Cracked and flawed pots and  it’s through those cracks that others are  drawn to God. We can  both  be  drawn to and repelled  by the earthen ware, but please  don’t  let  it become a stumbling  block, push through as if Your very  soul  depends on it, because  it just  might! ☺️☺️.
  • Till Next Time ✌️peace!
  • Sandy The  Southerner
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