Hags Huddle

From a Halloween Costume to Thanksgiving Day

Maybe it is a guy thing or it might just be a me thing.  I am peering into the pantry for an ingredient for a recipe.  I exhaust all shelves searching but honestly I could have been distracted by the container of dark chocolate peanut butter cups that I did not know we had.  I later realize the ingredient was in the pantry but I had a totally different vision of what it was suppose to look like.  This is my feeble attempt in revealing I have tendencies. 

So the story begins in September when my wife points out to me a flyer that came in the mail explaining the need for Poll Observers at the upcoming November Election.  I immediately have interest as the last presidential election made no sense to me as where all the votes mysteriously showed up from in the middle of the night.

After going through three training sessions I sign up for observing at Absentee Vote counting at the courthouse, Early Voting for three shifts and two shifts on Election Day.  My sole focus is to do my part in making sure only registered voters with the proper ID vote.

The locations I am observing for Early Voting and Election Day Voting are not areas I normally frequent.  I find a common denominator that my initial reception is chilly but with my blinders on I am determined to hold my ground.  I could tell when I put on my observer name tag with party affiliation I was truly outnumbered.  I love people though and since I was going to be at each location for several hours I decided within the observing rules to at least show a few Halloween pictures and before the site officially opened, to ask the Chief Judge and other election workers about their Halloween experiences and also about their families.  I notice a faint grin or two when a Wendy’s cheeseburger homemade costume our daughter and I made comes up on my screen.  Anything to change the vibe in the room.

As the tabulator tape showed “0” and the doors were officially opened, I immediately pulled out my rigorous binder with highlighted points to check on during each shift.   I must confess a lifelong struggle of mine has been the battle of fixation on my objective while actually still breathing and generating somewhat of a pleasant look on my face.  I continued during the first hour in listening to the check in process which is where a proper ID is presented and the voter announces their address.  As time wore on I became aware of how the Chief Judge / Site Supervisors run their election sites with a sense of pride in not only following the rules but in being efficient to help the voter have a pleasing experience.  I also met many fine election workers who put in a tremendous amount of hours for minimal pay.

Bottom line is my poll observing experience was extremely rewarding.  You will never guess that to my surprise, the gratifying takeaway was, I met some really cool people.  There was the observer with six children that the only thing we did not seem to have in common was our political party.  Great guy who seemed interested in what I had to say and I was so impressed with the work ethic he and his wife instilled in their children.  Then there was this election worker who not only did her job at the tabulator but when there was a slowdown, she was sweeping the floor.  I saw her at two different locations and you just felt good being around her.  Lastly, I will never forget the hug I received from the Chief Judge at a site I worked in High Point, NC.  It was important to her that all workers were recognized and appreciated.

What dawned on me was I got to experience an authentic play depicting exactly what Jonathan Robbins’ message was from Summit Church in Kernersville, NC in his last of a three part series called “Allegiance.”  “This election is important and no matter who you vote for we all need to walk away from the result with one key thought.  Love thy neighbor.”

My only regret is not getting contact information from some of those that I made a personal connection. I catalogued two smiles though and I hope we will meet again.  Thankful for my experiences, I hope to grow from them.  My remote on Thanksgiving has a history of being focused on parades and football in Detroit and Dallas.  It is important to me to take time for acknowledging people that have made my fall days brighter when it could have been a confrontational, tense time.

Of course I must also translate this lesson into the area of my palate.   As I savor in my mind the delicious gravy, turkey, and stuffing that fortunately will be available later this week I take a moment.  Holy smokes!  I almost missed my younger sister’s cranberry relish!

Back in the 1960’s Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants high leg kick was so distracting that many batters got lost in the delivery and forgot to concentrate on what is important.  Stick to your process, remember what makes you a good hitter, don’t get caught up in the leg theatrics, look for the ball.

President Trump’s pitch to some in the voting public can be construed as abrasive and arrogant.  To those that feel that way, please stick to your process of evaluating what is best for me, this country and our children.  Trump’s track record during his presidency was exactly what he campaigned on; lower taxes, a better economy, more jobs and a safer living environment. 

Delivery is just the first step in analyzing our presidential candidates.  I digress for this analogy.  I worked for the company that invented Bubble Wrap in 1960.  Selling inside the carton protection packaging for almost 33 years lent itself to seeing several damaged outer cartons, but because of the protective packaging inside, the product was still in excellent shape.   Hence it is vitally important to check out the product to make sure what was delivered has the benefits promised before total acceptance.  Additional research on history of past performance and consistency of leadership bolsters one’s reasoning.   

To some President Trump comes across in a way that people either are not comfortable with or they just wish he would stick to the issues only. They might possibly wish there was a candidate that was not so direct and was more of a politician.  The problem is we have way too many politicians and not enough men and women in Congress that want to work together for the betterment of the United States.  Power is an aphrodisiac and Washington D.C. needs a thorough cleansing.  Keep in mind that no matter who is the Conservative Candidate our ridiculously highly liberal media will do anything in their power to destroy the creditability of the candidate via slander.

I wrote the following in a blog article in October 2020 before our last presidential election.

“This presidential election comes down to a few key points. Do you want to continue your right to pursue the American Dream of success through your own hard work rather than by chance. Or do you want Joe Biden and more big government that will dictate what your freedoms will be. Do you want more money in your take home check or less job opportunities because Joe Biden will tax us into a recession. A true patriot defends our country against detractors or enemies.  In order to do that you need a strong military and adequate law enforcement budgets.  Donald Trump wants us to feel safe at home. Do some research on Joe Biden and see how scary his policies would be on defending our country.”

This article is not about who is right or wrong.  It is about saving our country and reporting facts.

Two of the most important issues for this election year are:

1. Inflation / Economic Policy

              Found on forbes.com, here is the United States Annual Inflation Rate % for 2021-July 2024  (Compare it to 2017-2020)

Source- World Bank

Biden / Harris                               Trump / Pence

2021             4.7%                         2017        2.13%

2022             8.0%                         2018        2.44%

2023             3.7%                         2019        1.81%

July 2024     2.9%                         2020        1.23%

Total           19.3%                         Total        7.61%                 250 %  HIGHER INFLATION under Biden / Harris  with No Proven Plan in sight to improve the Economy

What are you paying for a lunch in a restaurant in 2024?  Is your monthly grocery bill considerably higher now?  What absolutely floors me is the liberal community calls themselves so compassionate for others yet do they do not know this economy has devastated so many hard working middle of the road and less fortunate families.  I guess if you have coin, you don’t feel and understand the true impact.

2. National Security

 10 million illegal immigrants have entered this country under the Biden Administration and supposedly Vice President Harris was in charge of border security.  Then from Paul Bedard at the Washington Examiner, “Illegal immigration tab: $ 182 billion total, $ 1,156 per taxpayer,” “As America struggles to meet the countless societal needs while facing the realities of our staggering $ 31 trillion national debt (actually $ 36 trillion now), the costs of providing for millions of people who have no legal right to be in the United States continues to grow at an alarming rate,” said Dan Stein, president of FAIR, in a statement.  To make sure we are all knowledgeable with the facts, please look at the data put out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in late September stating tens of thousands of illegal immigrants have serious criminal convictions.  Where is the legitimate concern by the current administration?  

If President Trump was granted immunity by this slanted liberal mainstream media and I mean by immunity, protection from defamation, the polling would be dramatically different.  So many of Harris’ policies are completely opposite to her stance for the first 3 ½ years of being Vice President.  Why hasn’t the Biden / Harris administration enacted anything that would affect inflation, border control and global security?  Only now is Harris talking about these major problems which conspicuously corresponds to our National Election in less than 30 days.

I just took off my flip flops after returning from the beach and of course I found sand.  Vice President Kamala Harris’ flip flops only have room for the saying, What Do I Have To Say Today To Get Elected?

Donald Trump does not waiver.  Trump states exactly what he will do, as he did in 2016 and the United States of America received the positive results during his presidency. 

Delivery may temporarily obstruct some but I am confident the concerned Patriotic American who investigates the truth will vote for the candidate, who will reduce inflation, control our borders so those coming in legally will pay their fair share and he will keep our military strong to keep us safe globally.  That candidate that will provide our children and grandchildren with a better future is Donald Trump.

Let me set the scene.  So here it is June 3, 1989 and I am in Wake Forest, North Carolina with 600 other runners for a 5K (3.1 Mile) Race.  Our athletic club in Cary, NC has entered us in the team competition as you can have 4 runners and they count the first three.  I am not a speedster by any means and if I finish in the 20 minute area I am happy.  This is only my third 5K race ever, but I have found if I can be somewhere around a 6 and a half minute first mile, I am on target to not only finish but possibly break the 20 minute barrier.

The race is at 5:30pm on a Saturday as the temperature is still in the mid to upper 80’s.  I usually run in the mornings with cooler temperatures.  The other tricky part of this particular race is Wake Forest has some hilly terrain and we are starting at the top and the first mile is basically all downhill.  My pregnant wife and 3 year old son are here to see me at the finish line and then there is a picnic after the race.

The horn blows and our four runners from Cary along with 600 strong are off and hopeful of a respectable middle of the pack team finish.  I’m feeling quite perky with plenty left in my tank as we approach the one mile mark and our times being shouted out.  Hoping for that 6:30ish call out, I hear “5 minutes 57 seconds” and immediately I know I am in trouble.  I have never run that fast for one mile, knowing I still have over two miles to go.  The second mile flattens out and then starts to climb up a long elevated slope.  By the end of the second mile, Mr. Worry has set in along with his friend, Pre Rigor Mortis. 

Halfway through the third mile our fourth and final team runner passes me easily as I am currently filming a jogging shoe commercial sponsored by a cement company.  She yells, “You don’t want them to count me.”  Thankfully we are approaching a slight downgrade to the last few hundred yards to the finish.  I am motivated by wanting to be counted and my family cheering at the hundred yard mark.  I end up passing my teammate and finishing at 19:57.  After recovering from pure exhaustion, my family and I enjoy a tasty picnic.  It cost me the whole next day as I devoured too much food in warm temperatures after the grueling run.

What did I learn from this experience?  Obviously, I should train some under like temperature and course topography conditions.  Just as if not more importantly, Pace myself!  The only reason I finished well was out of pure pride to show my family and team I was a decent runner.  That is not sustainable.

When I Google, “What does learn to pace yourself mean?”  “pace yourself” “: to do something at a speed that is steady and that allows you to continue without becoming too tired.  If you don’t pace yourself, you’ll wear yourself out.  He quickly learned that he would need to pace himself so he could get all of his work done.”

How are you in the pacing department?  Do you find too many times you are going 100 miles an hour and then you drop, out of pure exhaustion.  Not a smart way to live, but on a bright note, you keep the energy drink companies solvent and the medical field employed….. I recommend checking out these flowers along your journey as it not only will slow you down but it will calm you.

I checked out www.prevention.com and found a great article titled, “15 Healthy Habits From People Who’ve Lived to 100.”  Here are the 15.

“1. Stretch It Out

  2. Get Outside

3. Don’t Smoke

4. Eat more vegetables

5. Have Faith in God

6. Be social

7. Eat beans

8. Stay positive

9. Be proactive about maintaining your health

10. Keep moving  (on a personal note, I do not think this means addresses, unless your picture is in the post office)

11. Give back

12. Nosh on nuts

13. Have a sense of purpose

14. Don’t stress

15. Avoid skipping breakfast”

As we all have found in our trek through time, we have ups and downs.  A slice of the pacing pie was best illustrated to me by Joe Paterno, former football head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions.  I am paraphrasing when Joe said, “When you are 5-0 you are not as good as they say you are and when you are 0-5, you are not nearly as bad as they say you are.”  In other words, don’t get too high or too low, stick to your fundamental plan of a consistent work ethic and positive results will show up sooner or later.

I know in my younger years trying to slow down took not only discipline but it seemed like a job with a good deal of drudgery.  There is little fanfare in pacing yourself but the ensuing health benefits are inevitable.  Us in the mature circle find a bonus chip in our pocket of not having quite the energy level so the process is not as mundane.  Look over the list of 15 again and see where you are now and can you work toward the 15.

To put a bow on it, this theory to have a long, healthy future does not come without defiance.  Pacing myself in a race or a work project is a phenomenon I can buy into. The facet that continues to challenge me is my eating style.  I was extremely fortunate growing up as not only was my Mom a great cook but in most cases there were seconds at dinner time.  Once in a while though, Mother would set a plate in front of me of some specialty dish and she would say, “Bob, this is all there is, you can eat it in five seconds and then get out the PB and J or you can take your time, actually taste it and enjoy it.”  I can visualize all of our former 3 dogs laughing and then raising their paws to ask what “taste it” means?  Needless to say, after 68 years, I still need the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car in front of my fork at every meal.

I am in a real pickle. I have been invited by a bubbly cute girl I met on a Methodist youth trip to a dance in North East, PA.  I have two left feet and if the band doesn’t play 25 slow dances in a row I will be embarrassed out of the building. Where is Kevin Bacon when you need him to teach you rhythm and a few dance moves. I was so desperate, Kevin James and his “making the pizza dance” from the movie, “Hitch” would have given me something! But of course, what do I do, make some lame excuse and don’t go. I was chosen and instead of being excited to enjoy the opportunity I baled.  So disappointing to let fear and what others might think to get in my way.  Why wasn’t confidence invited to go with me?

Why bring up dancing now? Well, the “Big Dance,” the NCAA Basketball Tournament for men and women got selected 10 days ago and between television commercials, picking your bracket and betting, it seems to be the talk of March.

What entices me to watch these championships is to see a group of individuals come together by sacrificing their egos for a common goal.

What you really need after you scour the terrain is a group of individuals that all have passion and something unique to bring to the ballroom.  Remember the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey Team that was so young and the clearly impossible task that faced them to win the Gold Medal by having to defeat the Russian Team that had played together for 10 years.  Kurt Russell, the actor playing Herb Brooks, the head coach for the U.S. had some motivating lines in the movie, “Miracle on Ice.”  Paraphrasing Herb, “When you pull on that jersey you represent yourself and your teammates.  And the name on the front is a heck of a lot more important than the one on the back!  Get that through your head!”

The other profound line by Kurt Russell in that movie propelled from the lacksidazical practice game approach his team put forth before the start of the Games.  “You think you can win on talent alone?  Gentlemen, you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone.”

That captivating line that you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone funnels right in to why there are early upsets in the NCAA Tourney.  On the men’s side, with the one and done theory being so prevalent, many prima donnas may be more concerned about their brand than team cohesion.  In the first round on the men’s side, Yale and James Madison pulled upsets with mostly juniors and seniors in their starting line ups.  North Carolina State only got into the NCAA’s by winning their conference tournament

and now they are through to the Sweet Sixteen, again with a senior and junior class of starters.  On the women’s side, South Carolina is undefeated with a senior and two juniors leading their team.  Lastly, Caitlin Clark, the Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year is a senior and her team, the Iowa Hawkeyes are through the first two rounds with victories.  Working together over a period of time not only brings continuity but it gives you intimacy.

No matter if it is Coach Dawn Staley of the favored South Carolina Women’s Team or Dan Hurley Coach of the Men’s number one seeded Connecticut, you need another key ingredient.  A group of players that are willing to take responsibility.  Baffling to me is that we don’t stress enough how huge this character trait is, in all education, from home to school to work.

Please examine two key paragraphs from lifehopetruth.com,

“The Importance of Taking Responsibility”

“A responsible person is one who is accountable, can be counted on, is trustworthy, upholds his or her word, and is reliable. Responsible people will even make sacrifices for the good of others.”

“A responsible person is what a spouse looks for, what a family needs, and what makes a strong society and nation.”

Being responsible is not a flexible concept.  When do you feel most responsible?  With me, it is when meaningful people in my life are counting on me to come through.

As we approach Easter,  I cannot help but think of what happened almost 2000 years ago.  A far more important selection process was going on.  Jesus had to figure out who he was going to choose to be his twelve disciples.  I highly recommend if you have not seen the first several seasons of the drama about the life of Jesus, “The Chosen,” please put it on top of your list.  Jesus prayed about these monumental selections, which is a wonderful fundamental reminder to all of us, when making decisions.  Jesus ended up picking ordinary men because he wanted the most comprehensive approach to connect with everyone.  I am just assuming that God thought it would be a good idea if some of the men had experience in netting their catch, so Jesus asked several fishermen.   Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and through the Holy Spirit, the disciples overcame fear, despite insurmountable odds and grew the church.  According to “Wikipedia,” as of 2023 roughly 2.4 billion people are followers of Christianity.  That is 31.2% of the world’s population.

As I appropriately stumble back to thinking about that dance I did not accept the invitation to, my mind wanders to, if I only had a pair of magical dancing shoes.

Beckoned by the clicking of Dorothy’s shiny red shoes in the renowned movie, “Wizard of Oz,” I cannot help but feel there is a correlation with her famous repeating line, “there’s no place like home,” and what the disciples were taught to instruct.  The beauty is, this selection committee has a limitless supply of rooms.  To confirm, check out John 14: 1-3.

Happy Easter!

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