Life is for the Living

Seems like everywhere you look someone's trying to sell you something, doesn't it? Ads every five minutes when you're online, is one example. You kind of get in a groove, reading or writing or just putzing around at home with nice background music and then suddenly on pops an ad and breaks the spell of peace and calm you had going. Or you're scrolling around on Facebook and whap, here comes an ad splat right in your face. And how often is it something you even have the slightest interest in? Seriously, how often? I have a bit of a mild to moderate hearing loss and I have been hearing about a certain brand of hearing aid on the radio for quite awhile, so I decided to buy one, the cheapest version. And now, all I see is ads for this product on my social media. I mean all these young people advertising these things. Sometimes they say they're buying them for their grandma. It's crazy. Well, I got a pair of them, and let me just tell you, they haven't helped me at all. I'm going to keep trying to figure out a way to get them to help but so far, no, they don't. I need them for hearing people who don't speak clearly, who are ten feet away and talking fast, and I do ask people to repeat things probably too much for some people's liking, but there is a huge problem. The cheap one, let me just tell you, just makes everything loud, so that doesn't help. If I'm going to get any good out of these things, I'm going to have to carry them around and put them on and take them off all day long because they don't help at all when there's a lot of chaos around me, which is quite a bit of the time, and I really don't need to hear the refrigerator roaring every time I walk into the kitchen, or startle every time I set a coffee cup on the dining room table. So, you heard it from me, don't be fooled by all the ads about how wonderful that thing is. Bottom line, if you want all the fancy features such as being able to turn down background noise, etc., etc., you are going to have to spend some cash, a lot more than $100. Anyway, that's just an aside. I hear Dr. Dobson died today. He was 89, that's how old my dad was when he died in 2011. He was sounding pretty awful for quite a while on the radio, so it's not a big shock, but sorry to hear. What a monument he was. Loved Dr. Dobson. As I said, I have not been watching the news. I did have it on for a while on the bike this afternoon but no volume. For one reason, I'm reading a book, checked out from the library called "Confronting the Presidents" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. I'm just going to try to finish the chapter about Abraham Lincoln, maybe tonight, and then I have to take it back. You see, I got it from the 14-day only rack. That's so crazy. There is no way I can read a book in 14 days. So, right now I'm on page 130 out of 403. I may try to find a copy to buy. I really would like to read it, and hope I will be able to. It is interesting. I read a great book about James Garfield by Candice Millard, called "Destiny of the Republic," one of the best books I've ever read. I highly recommend it. I got another of hers at the latest library book sale, called "The River of Doubt" about Theodore Roosevelt. I'm sure I will not read all the books I want to read (and that are in my apartment) before I leave this world. This morning the great idea I had was that I should write something about all the things that are free in the world. Really, the whole of creation is filled with many wonderful things to enjoy, but I didn't quite get to that topic, but because this is a "blog"; i.e., a "web log," sorry, but I do not feel compelled to write this as a news story or a thesis or even an essay, but, rather, I am going to let it be "bloggy," I give myself permission to do that. What I really just wanted to say to you was while the world is throwing ads at you night and day, do yourself a favor and enjoy the gift of life, of friendship, most of all, of course, the offer of your soul's salvation, and all the wonderful things that surround you every moment: food, clothing, shelter, work, transportation, and all the added blessings, such as music, art, learning, children, and other people. My thought for the day: Life is for the living. So, do that. Gratitude is the key to all good things. I'm going to conclude this Friday Eve. Love to you all. Carolyn