Lora an I went camping at Platte River camp ground this summer and it was a wonderful time. It's a beautiful place and we had a real relaxing time there. A funny thing happened though. As we usually do when we bring our canoe, we looked at the park map , found the river , determined which way the current flowed and planned to go up stream first and down stream on the way back. That way you do the hardest paddling when you're rested and gun-ho and then you can coast home.
Well, we started and noticed immediately everybody else was going the opposite direction , there were thousands of em', all going down stream , canoes , kayaks , inner tubes, blow-up toys , anything that would float . But we persevered ,we stuck to our up-stream , against the flow plan. Soon people started saying things like "your going the wrong way", "wow, your really good"(sarcasm), even "the guy who own's this place must hate you ". It was weird , we got glared at by some and "thumbs up" from others , like we were starting a revolution. I was half expecting to find some banjo picker playing "The Theme From Deliverance".
Apparently , the owner of a near by resort rents out the floating devises and picks you up at the mouth of the river to drive you and your devise home for $35.00 a person. We didn't know. We still felt kind of like these people were sheep , can't they think for themselves? , didn't it occur to them to try the other way? How about a little exercise?
I thought of this episode the other day while shopping. Quite naturally I discovered that instead of going to the produce section first, it was smarter to go to the other end of the store , putting the frozen , well packaged stuff in the cart first and placing the soft more vulnerable -to- bruising fruit and veggies on last . Alas , I was the only one in the store going in the - frozen food to produce -direction. Maybe I'm imagining it , but I even think I was getting some looks. "where are you going?", "what's with him?","I'm not moving my cart for this directionally dysfunctional loser". Weird.
I get the same grief with hockey fans. I vote for the team with the most Canadian born players on it. I don't care about "The Sweater" , it's the person I vote for. I don't dislike foreign players , I'm a Canadian so I vote for Canadians ,they represent us internationally , as children they stood by there desks each morning , hands on hearts singing "O Canada" . I ain't voting for some mercenary who's here today and gone tomorrow.
The deal is that players move around a lot so each year I like different teams. This year it looks like Pittsburg , Boston and Chicago have the highest Canadian content. Anyway , that's going against the grain and a lot of hockey fans don't like it , they say I'm not a loyal fan because I don't like one team and give them money and free advertising by wearing there "authentic" jersey. I don't care , the truth is , to know how many players on each team come from which country forces you to look things up , learn about all the players no matter where there from , how good they are and where they presently play. I find it relaxing and that it makes me even a more knowledgeable fan.
This brings me to politics , yeah , it does. A lot of people are this way politically. They vote blue or red or orange , things change , people change , stances change , but they always vote for the same sweater , uh ,I mean party. They get all there information from people who have vested interest in the party , never trying different sources , never going up stream or frozen food to produce. And though I am generally a conservative I don't recall getting a life membership in the blue party with my baptismal certificate, and it never occurs to us that Jesus never was much of a capitalist. I think this is at the very heart of the political and financial problem in the States. They're so divided they are more loyal to the party than to there fellow Americans and there country.
I pray daily for my country and our neighbours and I hope people realize that there is no perfect party and that all things change and that the only perfect person who never changes is Jesus and he calls us to love our neighbours , blue , red , orange , maple leaf . red wing, Canadian , European , downstream , upstream , frozen food - produce, whatever. So I hope people investigate , take strong stances on issues that matter the most to you , stay updated , but don't lose sight of whats most important - to love the Lord your God with all your heart , with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself.
Well, we started and noticed immediately everybody else was going the opposite direction , there were thousands of em', all going down stream , canoes , kayaks , inner tubes, blow-up toys , anything that would float . But we persevered ,we stuck to our up-stream , against the flow plan. Soon people started saying things like "your going the wrong way", "wow, your really good"(sarcasm), even "the guy who own's this place must hate you ". It was weird , we got glared at by some and "thumbs up" from others , like we were starting a revolution. I was half expecting to find some banjo picker playing "The Theme From Deliverance".
Apparently , the owner of a near by resort rents out the floating devises and picks you up at the mouth of the river to drive you and your devise home for $35.00 a person. We didn't know. We still felt kind of like these people were sheep , can't they think for themselves? , didn't it occur to them to try the other way? How about a little exercise?
I thought of this episode the other day while shopping. Quite naturally I discovered that instead of going to the produce section first, it was smarter to go to the other end of the store , putting the frozen , well packaged stuff in the cart first and placing the soft more vulnerable -to- bruising fruit and veggies on last . Alas , I was the only one in the store going in the - frozen food to produce -direction. Maybe I'm imagining it , but I even think I was getting some looks. "where are you going?", "what's with him?","I'm not moving my cart for this directionally dysfunctional loser". Weird.
I get the same grief with hockey fans. I vote for the team with the most Canadian born players on it. I don't care about "The Sweater" , it's the person I vote for. I don't dislike foreign players , I'm a Canadian so I vote for Canadians ,they represent us internationally , as children they stood by there desks each morning , hands on hearts singing "O Canada" . I ain't voting for some mercenary who's here today and gone tomorrow.
The deal is that players move around a lot so each year I like different teams. This year it looks like Pittsburg , Boston and Chicago have the highest Canadian content. Anyway , that's going against the grain and a lot of hockey fans don't like it , they say I'm not a loyal fan because I don't like one team and give them money and free advertising by wearing there "authentic" jersey. I don't care , the truth is , to know how many players on each team come from which country forces you to look things up , learn about all the players no matter where there from , how good they are and where they presently play. I find it relaxing and that it makes me even a more knowledgeable fan.
This brings me to politics , yeah , it does. A lot of people are this way politically. They vote blue or red or orange , things change , people change , stances change , but they always vote for the same sweater , uh ,I mean party. They get all there information from people who have vested interest in the party , never trying different sources , never going up stream or frozen food to produce. And though I am generally a conservative I don't recall getting a life membership in the blue party with my baptismal certificate, and it never occurs to us that Jesus never was much of a capitalist. I think this is at the very heart of the political and financial problem in the States. They're so divided they are more loyal to the party than to there fellow Americans and there country.
I pray daily for my country and our neighbours and I hope people realize that there is no perfect party and that all things change and that the only perfect person who never changes is Jesus and he calls us to love our neighbours , blue , red , orange , maple leaf . red wing, Canadian , European , downstream , upstream , frozen food - produce, whatever. So I hope people investigate , take strong stances on issues that matter the most to you , stay updated , but don't lose sight of whats most important - to love the Lord your God with all your heart , with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself.
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