Corporations

I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with my older brother on Sunday and had a wonderful time chatting with him. We talked about many interesting things and I'd love to write about all of it but won't. One thing we talked about is the impact of corporations on our everyday lives.

I have thought many times over the last few years about how strange it is that most of society gets up and goes to a job for some company or organization. As recently as 200-250 years ago, most people's jobs were at home. There were a lot of farmers. In fact, for quite some time most of society was farmers.

Once you had a place to live, you just worked hard for the food you needed to stay alive and you did it at home. Every day was a take-your-child-to-work day. Even many grist mills were run on people's properties so they could meet the community needs but they were close to home to do it. As our country got going, there were men that did go to work for a variety of things. Our own government emerged and people became government leaders. Men were needed away from home to build roads and bridges. With conflicts arising, men were needed for military service. During this time, my brother and I discussed building a home. People built their own homes. They didn't need any kind of permits to build it and they hadn't been formally trained to do so but everybody was on a timeline. Get your home built before the weather gets too cold or you die. That was really the only home-building rule people had to follow and no man enforced it, only nature.

We skipped ahead to now and corporations run everything in society and so many little parts of our lives. First of all, most people work for a business or organization of some kind. The company sets many rules for employees, including how your daily schedule will be run and how much prosperity you'll be allowed. We have evolved into a society that manages very little of our own money. We use a banking corporation to hold all of our paychecks and savings. We tell them to pay our bills to others and rely on them to do so according to our instructions.

We go to businesses to meet most, if not all, of our grocery needs. For the most part, society relies on corporations to advise us on health issues and to guide us through the process of maintaining or improving our health. How do we know what we should be doing about our health? Corporations tell us things like get a physical every year, go to the doctor for certain symptoms, get certain screenings done at certain ages, etc. It doesn't even take much digging to realize the government is being run by corporations. They sponsor everything and get paid by us to do it. The environment is heavily impacted by corporations. We are expected to behave certain ways to protect the environment: "don't use aerosal cans anymore", "buy organic food because it limits the chemicals we're exposed to", etc. Yet when companies like Dupont dump chemicals into the environment and animals start dying and people are getting sick and Dupont intentionally hides information from the Environmental Protection Agency but is STILL never held accountable for the devastion they cause in the environment, we see the power a corporation has that an individual does not.

Our conversation kind of went on but my brother looked around and saw a card I'd made him and said that was a break from the power of corporations and that it had been a way to use creativity without corporate influence. I agreed to some extent but then said, "But I bought that paper from a craft store that belongs to a corporation and they bought the paper from a paper manufacturer. I may have chosen how to use the paper but at least two corporations were involved before I even started using it." He brainstormed a bit more and said that one day he was outside and saw a beautiful flower in the yard so he cut it and brought it in and gave it to his wife and that was not influenced by a corporation. That was all nature. However, he then said the plant had to come from somewhere and chances are, it was at one time purchased from a corporation because this is all located in a highly developed city. It was just interesting to really sit and think about the ways corporations have leaked into every aspect of our lives within a few hundred years. There are some sites that give ideas about how to avoid corporate influence to the extent that we can.

Some ideas are just beautiful. Instead of consuming the entertainment that's readily available in a variety of platforms, make our own entertainment. Create our own works of art. Learn to fix things and not just replace everything that breaks. There are plenty more ideas to explore. This is just something I like to think about from time to time to at least consider.

Thankful

I wanted to write about something I'm really grateful for. My mom taught me never to show up empty-handed. If you're going to see somebody, whether they know you're coming or not, you bring them something, even something little. I don't think everybody has to abide by that rule but that's how we were raised to behave.

This is something I still practice today and I get a great amount of joy out of bringing some little thing. It's not anything particularly noteworthy. It is just small tokens, usually little treats. As often as it's possible, I try to make them look cute. This gives me a chance to practice crafting.

I never care if people come over and bring anything!!! I never have any expectations from other people. I just feel grateful that my mom planted a seed of desire in my heart to take things to people when I go over and to think of excuses to drop off little things for people in my life, too. It's something I enjoy very much!

Talking Nice

My daughter goes to hair design school. She was telling me about two girls at her school who have started doing something they hope will become a thing for other people and it's talking nice behind people's backs.

One of the days that the students were doing scalp treatments on each other, they just kept saying things about other people and all of it was nice. "Do you know so-and-so? She's one of the funniest people I've ever met! She can make anything seem funny!" "Can you even believe so-and-so? He's getting the best grades in college and he has really hard classes!" and they go on and on mentioning new people and good things about every single one of them. One day, they were scrolling through Instagram and commenting on one person's account, saying they can't believe how good every single picture had turned out and they were pointing out everything they liked about all of the posts and it turned out to be another student who noticed they were looking at her Instagram. They were a little shy about getting caught because they didn't know she was around but then there's nothing to be embarrassed about because they only said good things and it makes that girl like them even more for their kindness.

I just wanted to write about this while it's on my mind because I think it puts much good into the world. What a great idea!

Tame & Wild Olive Trees

I've been reading in Jacob 5 about the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees. Here are a few verses: ********** 21 And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard. ********** 22 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit. ********** 23 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Look hither; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree. I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit; therefore, gather it, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self. ********** I have many thoughts about this. The Lord of the vineyard planted it in a poor spot. When the tree notices how poor the spot is, is the tree allowed to be angry? Is it ok for the tree to think "Why did I get planted in such a poor spot?" We found out that another tree has been planted in a poorer spot than they so there's somebody worse off. Does that mean they are then only allowed to feel gratitude because it could be worse? It could always be worse. The tree doesn't have all the support and nourishment that most other trees have but the Lord of the vineyard says it's ok because he nourishes it and cares for it. Does the tree appreciate that but sometimes long to know what it would be like to have the nourishment of the ground that it's surrounded in, that it can see and feel around it every day? The tree brings forth much fruit. This proves by the Lord of the vineyard that poor ground doesn't guarantee poor results but will this tree always bring forth much fruit? Is there a day when the tree feels like even with the nourishment from the Lord of the vineyard, without the nourishment of all the tree is growing in day-to-day, they don't feel capable of bringing forth much fruit anymore? Does the tree being angry ruin the tree or can the tree contain the anger to some extent while still continuing to bring forth much fruit? Is the Lord of the vineyard glad he planted the tree? Would he be glad if it stopped bringing forth fruit? Was there truly a grand purpose or was it an experiment? Also, will the tree ever get to feel what it's like to be nourished by both the Lord of the vineyard and the ground all around it? Obviously, this isn't much about a tree to me. These verses have never meant to me what they do now but I wish I could answer all of these other questions as well.

What it's like to have Covid

I found out today that I tested positive for Covid-19. I wanted to write what my experience has been like. It's been very manageable for me but I certainly would never minimize the Covid experience because others have struggled greatly with it.

I don't know many people personally that have tested positive (I know a few but not really well) and many people I know have not known many people with Covid so I just share details to share information. I have been moderately cautious for the last several months. I wear a mask into any place I go and sanitize every time I return to the car. I do go to the store more than I did in the early-on Covid days but still less than most people I know. I still don't enjoy going to stores at this time and avoid it to some extent but I don't refuse to go or anything like that. Symptoms...last Tuesday, I felt really nauseated.

I had had a migraine for several days in a row and aspirin was not doing anything whatsoever. I get migraines kind of a lot and aspirin never helps but it was unusual for me to have a migraine for several days in a row.

I started getting a fever

and suddenly my muscles just ached really bad. It wasn't typical muscle aches for me. Even my eye muscles were so sore that blinking or looking in another direction were painful. My muscles were so sore that I could never get fully comfortable, even sitting or laying down. I had the chills and couldn't get warm.

The thought of exercising felt horrible and overwhelming. My skin was incredibly sensitive. If somebody lightly brushed their hand against my skin, it felt like they had pushed on a bruise. I ended up having a fever for 4 days straight, just a little over 100 degrees. If I took Tylenol, it would break but as soon as the meds wore off, the fever was right back. I've never had a fever for more than 24 hours before so this was a first. That's it. I did nothing on Tuesday and Wednesday and felt horrible. On Thusday, when the dog started getting depressed, I was deeply concerned. I pulled out my kit of homeopathic medicines.

There were several things I'd never tried before, such as Blessed Waters and an RCL tincture. I put a few drops of several things in water and drank it. The fever kept on but my muscles felt better within hours. That made me take courage in my attitude and it was the twist of events that I needed. I felt like I could beat this. I took my dog for a walk, which fixed his depression and felt pretty good to me, too. It was a slightly slower pace but it was great. On Friday, I felt even better but still had the fever. I still walked the dog. I stayed very busy because I felt like being productive again. On Saturday, my fever broke and I felt like I was starting to get back to normal. Now I feel pretty great but just need to quarantine to keep everybody safe.

I haven't heard much about the nausea or the skin sensitivity but that was what my experience has been like. I don't know if the homeopathic stuff helped alot or if it was the mental power of thinking I was doing something to help but that did seem to help things take a turn for the better. That about covers it.

The Best Boyfriend

Once upon a time, my family kept pressuring me to get a dog. I said, "No way! I can't even think about a dog until I don't have kids in diapers." One day, I no longer had kids in diapers and the next day (or so it seems), each member of the family inquired, "Now can we get a dog? Can we?" I didn't really want a dog. I had met a neighbor that had 2 very sweet dogs that were dachshunds and so I had at least decided that if we did get one, that's what it would be. To shorten the story, when we went to pick a dog, the puppy seller gave us a really great deal if we would get two dogs so that a brother and sister could stay together and we fell for it! We surprised our kids with Dazzle (the girl)

and Sly (the boy).

I had set out not really wanting a dog at all and getting two dogs but I also got a surprise. Out of nowhere, Sly just would wait for me all of the time with endless patience, show me so much joy when he saw me, and give me his undivided attention in every moment. Whatever decision I made, he not only supported me on but acted like I was fantastic for choosing that. Go for a walk? Brilliant!!! Do some yardwork? Perfect!!! Watch a show together? Genius!!! Somebody joked that he was a good little boyfriend and that phrase stuck. I started saying he was the best boyfriend I ever had and with those qualities, he really was. On top of that, he was so respectful. He never even pressured me for a kiss-ha ha. It was real unconditional love. As the dogs were puppies, things were fine but after having Dazzle & Sly for quite some time, the dogs' hair started changing and my youngest son was severely allergic. He kept breaking out in alarming hives all over his body. I took him to a doctor. I took him to an allergy specialist. We talked about the options. I was worried about how young he was as far as putting him on meds long-term. We couldn't really work out a good solution that seemed to provide relief right away at a price we could afford and in a manner we were comfortable with so we made the difficult decision to let the dogs go to another home. We still tried to keep them together but I was heartbroken about it. A little miracle happened. A couple came to look at the dogs with their kids and it turned out I had gone to high school with both of them and knew they were very good people. They had great kids and one of their kids had worked very hard to save up much of the money for buying the dogs. We even went to their house once just to see the dogs in their new environment and have the peace of mind to know they were in a very good home. It was hard to lose the dogs but the circumstances for it were the best possible ones. It's been many years since we've had them now and I was aching for a dog. My son had many various allergies over the years and we had found ways to deal with them so I thought that was under control. I knew that not just any dog would do. Dachshunds kind of steal my heart. I looked up puppies for several months, I think it was at least 4 months. There were many little cuties but nothing that I couldn't resist, until I saw Charlie. Isn't it weird how you just know? I just knew it had to be him and everything moved along smoothly and we brought him home. He attached to us quickly

His personality, for the most part, has been a great fit for our family. There have been a few really stressful days with him. At first, I felt really guilty about being stressed because I kept thinking, "Well, I'm the one who wanted a dog." I then realized that when we get stressed about children, we don't feel guilty about that and think, "Well, I'm the one that wanted a kid." Things that require a long-term commitment can stress us out at times and that's ok. The good days outnumber the bad ones. Now that it's almost been 2 months with him, I'm reflecting on how it's gone. He is very good and fun. He's different than Sly. Sly tried very hard to make me happy. Charlie just wants me to try very hard to make him happy. My happiness is not his concern. Maybe some of Charlie's disregard is just part of the puppy stage and he'll grow out of it but even if not, he's still a fantastic dog. He's really good and fun at fetch and tug-of-war, he's a great walking companion (terrible running companion because he outskills me and acts erratic trying to deal with that), he's really good at adjusting his sleep schedule to mine, and he's a great buddy to watch shows with. I guess just like kids, no two are much alike and it's an adjustment to learn the ins and outs of their personality. I'm happy to have a dog again.

Why no mask?

This might be silly but there has been a lot out there about wearing facemasks and somebody posted why won't people just wear them? tonight and this was my response: I want to give a simple answer but let me explain it like this: If I were to say, "I don't believe they help" and leave it at that, you would think, "well, actually, they do help. I've seen statistics from This Credible Organization or listened to the science from This Trusted Person" but what if I have seen just as compelling information from sources I trust? If we are both using information and personal experience to make a decision and act on it, aren't we both right and doing something good? I have seen many posts on here (Facebook) about giving dirty looks or making snarky comments to somebody without a mask on and everybody cheers. Are we really treating a fellow human being with disdain after knowing only one fact about them (they don't have a mask on) and it's not only acceptable to do that but it's applauded? Many things in the world today are dividing us more than ever and giving us an Us vs. Them mentality. The longer social media is around, the less admirable it is to do your own research and form your own opinions and the more pressure is applied to be like everybody else. For example, it's not enough just to be opposed to racism and to act accordingly but now you have to attend a protest or contribute to some organization or publicly declare your thoughts on the matter X-number of times, etc. There is this most amazing Podcast, called The Happiness Lab. All the episodes are good but if you listen to The War for Kindness, it talks about the Us Vs. Them mentality taking over right now and they are more fun & eloquent than I can be. I do not wear a mask very often. I do on some occasions but not all the time just because a bunch of people tell me I should. I wash my hands a lot, don't go to the store very often (it turns out milk is NOT actually a necessity-ha ha), and practice social distancing to the best of my ability. When I'm at the store without my mask and find other people (probably the same ones giving me those angry looks for not wearing a mask) cannot seem to grasp the concept of social distancing because they brush my arm and seem to be all up in my face as I get a few tomatoes on a trip to the store I've delayed for 2 weeks, my first instinct is to think, "You idiot! Don't you know what social distancing is?" and then I look at them and realize that's somebody's sister and somebody's daughter and somebody's friend. They are my neighbor really and we might not be doing everything the same way but we are probably both doing the best we can.