Month: April 2021

I’ve been reading Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s new book, “Keep Sharp”. It’s a book about how to keep our brains functioning well as we age. It’s a terrific book and I highly recommend it to people of all ages because keeping the brain healthy and functioning well is a lifetime commitment. It is especially important as we age to make lifestyle choices that help rather than harm brain function. As a result of reading this book, I’ve made a list of commitments to myself that I’ve begun to implement and which I’m determined will be solid habits by my July 1st retirement date.

Number one on my list is getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night. I know I’ve mentioned many times about how difficult this is for me, but I learned a few things from reading the book that have helped me finally achieve this goal. Dr. Gupta makes the usual suggestions like creating a bedtime ritual, maintaining a dark cool room between 60 and 65 degrees, avoiding blue lights from clocks, televisions, cell phones, and e-readers, and avoiding conflicts before bedtime. The change I implemented was establishing an earlier bedtime hour to match my naturally early waking time. That means I’ve started getting ready for bed at 8:30pm and climbing into bed at 9pm. Wearing a mask definitely helps with the light from my bedside clock. As expected, the first couple of nights I woke up earlier than expected, but seeing that I had only been asleep for 4 or 5 hours, I made myself continue to lay in bed and think the kinds of thoughts that generally help me fall asleep. It worked. I quickly fell back to sleep and this week I managed to get between seven and eight hours of sleep every night. So early to bed is kind of strange, but I’m finally getting those important hours of sleep.

Number two on the list is 150 minutes of exercise five days a week and movement throughout the day. I already exceed the 150 minutes exercise five days a week but I notice that I spend too much time sitting throughout the day for work, television, reading, writing, or knitting. Dr. Gupta suggests that we need to be active every hour even if it is just to walk around for two minutes. So, I created little paper chore strips and put them in a bowl. I’ve made it a point when I am home, to pull at least three chores from the bowl throughout the day to motivate movement. Some of the chores include: washing a window, vacuuming a room, mopping a floor, dusting a ceiling fan, pulling weeds, or cleaning a toilet. There are tons of them and it makes my movement meaningful. Because of this innovation, I’ve ceased to dedicate one day to house cleaning because the chores are now spread over seven days. At the office, I use the two minute movements to slowly pack up my office or to get rid of things. Admittedly, I really enjoy this new found productivity.

The third commitment on the list is to eat less and to eat well, meaning to consume more of the seven colors of vegetables and fruits and far less meat and starches like pasta and rice. We switched over to organic foods a while back and we only have protein and vegetables for dinner. I gave up potato chips about two months ago in favor of organic skinny popcorn. It certainly helps that we grow most of our own produce. A few months ago, my doctor put me on an intermittent fasting diet and Dr. Gupta’s book seems to suggest that it’s a good idea. I’ve been limiting sugar for a while, so that isn’t new, but Dr. Gupta affirms the danger of sugar, fast food, fried foods, and processed foods. So, I’ve given up most processed foods and on cookies and cakes and pies unless there is a very special occasion and I’m working on limiting my trips to drive through fast food joints. I eat nothing from 6pm to 6am. That satisfies Dr. Gupta’s rule to not eat three hours before bedtime and provides me with the 12 hours of fasting my doctor suggests. That said, I admit that I can’t imagine a happy life without an occasional piece of fried chicken, though.

In total, I created a list of eight commitments for my retirement because I want to be as healthy, productive, and happy as possible for this next chapter of my life. I’m realizing that as with every other chapter in life, retirement is a journey, not a destination.

Next week I will address more of these commitments and how I plan to turn them into my lifestyle for retirement.

I asked myself this week why we collectively allow so many greedy, self-serving, unethical, and ignorant people to lead us. Too many of the leaders in our churches, media, and government today are literally leading us on a path toward death and destruction and we are allowing it. Are we really just sheep? Do we really trust charismatic personalities even when their protestations defy reason? Are we really so caught up in our busy schedules that we don’t notice the dangerous path we are on? Or are we too confused, too tired, too gullible, or just too passive to put any energy into selecting better leaders?

How many COVID-19 deaths, how many mass shootings, how many power outages, collapsing bridges, police shootings, voter suppression laws, extreme weather events, food lines, and racists attacks will it take for us to collectively demand leaders who actually address our pressing problems? Instead, I’m watching in dismay as many Americans follow the familiar name or the most loud and obnoxious voices who play to tribal fears of being replaced by minorities, whether ethnic, religious, or sexually different. Too many Americans have embraced these unfounded fears instead of demanding that their leaders address our actual problems we are facing. It is infuriating that we’ve been collectively unwilling to oust those who have shown us that they will do nothing to address our problems. I’m calling out conservative media hosts, unhinged pastors, and politicians like senators Ted Cruise and Mitch McConnell who both won re-election.

I watched in horror this week as Republican Representative Jim Jordan argued with Dr. Fauci over the notion that personal liberty is more important than public health. How much freedom can a dead person exercise? The loud and obnoxious confrontation was absurd and Jim Jordan has absolutely no business representing human lives if he can’t appreciate the fact that COVID-19 has killed more than 560,000 Americans and threatens to kill more if we do nothing. Perhaps he likes the idea that the majority of those dead are poor, elderly, and people of color. There seems to be a hidden agenda among some Republicans. My guess is that conservative media wants to make money while these unhinged ego-driven pastors seek the power, fame and money that comes with growing their congregations.

While I am for thoughts and prayers, they do nothing to get to the root of the problem we have in this nation with easy access to firearms. Almost daily, we watch in horror as high powered, rapid fire weapons are used to take the lives of innocent people at work, out shopping, at school, in theaters, enjoying a concert, or as we experienced here, in a dance club. And again, Republican leaders and conservative media behave like easy access to guns is more important than public health, especially if those gun owners are white. I’m not ignorant of that reality. While the majority of Americans want to control access to guns with background checks and eliminating weapons of war, Republican lawmakers won’t do it. Could it be that they are preparing for a race war? It seems so much more likely after Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene announced the creation of an Anglo-Saxon congressional caucus to protect Anglo-Saxon traditions. We must finally admit to ourselves that we have white nationalists in our midst who are infiltrating our evangelical churches, our media outlets, our police forces, our military, and now our government.

History has shown us what happens when one ethnic group gains economic, political and military power over others. First comes stoking fear that minorities are a threat followed by widespread oppression of rights, and finally ethnic cleansing or genocide. It should not surprise us that the fear of people of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ people is already circulating and growing to the point that many of these gunmen are targeting minorities.

If we do nothing, if we allow these Republicans to block gun control and restrict our access to voting so that white nationalist can continue to elect government officials like Jim Jordan, Ted Cruise, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, I truly believe American ethnic minorities and LGBTQ people will be led like sheep to the slaughter within the next twenty-five years. So, the bottom line is that we can’t afford to allow ourselves, nor our family and friends to continue being sheep.

As human beings we decide where to spend our time, energy, and talent. Someone once told to me that how a person spends their time determines where their passion truly lies. In a conversation with my son Saturday morning, I realized that I am passionate about justice for myself and others. Against his advice to just pay a fraudulent $500 charge and quietly change banks, I explained that I would not do that because I had a moral obligation to others who are likely victims of the same kind of scam. I explained how I felt driven to do what I can to expose and end the harmful and immoral big bank practice.

I’ve been in this position before, fighting for what I believe is fair and just for myself and others. While I don’t always win, I at least make the perpetrators aware of the harm and injustice they are inflicting on me or others. Maybe the individual or institution changes their practices as a result of the pain I attempt to inflict. At the very least, that is my intention. I don’t necessarily disagree with the cancel culture approach my son advocated by advising me to just change banks. That seemed too easy and doesn’t actually get to the root of the problem if I don’t first try to get them to change. Sometimes, we need to pick a fight to root out injustice. The Selma Bus Boycott was an example of a strategically brilliant fight that attacked the root of a systemic problem.

And I am all about getting to the root of systemic problems. It’s like cutting off the top of a weed, but leaving the root in place for it to simply grow back. So, with this bank situation, I spent time digging deeper, talking to the next person up the chain until it became evident that I needed to file a formal complaint with the Federal Consumer Protection Bureau against the bank because their practice was harmful and unfair to not just me, but to others and actually benefitted the bank at the consumer’s expense. I filed the complaint and I also wrote a letter to the bank detailing my experience, how I wanted them to fix it, and provided a copy of the complaint I filed with the government. I’m not sure if I’ll win, but that really isn’t the point.

When I think about the times I entered these fights, I have never regretted the time, energy nor my talent for persuasion when dedicated to the effort to pursue justice. I once sued my own attorney for mishandling a lawsuit and won against him. I’ve gone before judges to pursue justice on that and several other occasions and won. I once enlisted the assistance of my congressman for help on an issue and got it resolved. But there were plenty of other times when I exposed a wrong, but the perpetrator never apologized. In these cases, I have faith that the perpetrator does not get away unscathed because their misdeed has been exposed, their reputation ruined, and perhaps they have had to spend their precious time and treasure defending their actions or repairing their reputation. And hopefully, they change their behavior moving forward.

I believe we are collectively watching this play out in the police murder trial of George Floyd. What the officer did was criminal and whether or not he is convicted, he has not gotten away with his action unscathed. Everyone knows who he is and what he has done. Whether or not he serves prison time for his inhumanity toward George Floyd and black Americans, his name and his face and his reputation will serve as a reminder to all police departments across the country to be better and to do better. The fact that the Floyd family received a settlement for millions of dollars from the wrongful death suit is also important in the pursuit of justice. That kind of financial pain to a city drives change too.

In my heart and mind, the fight for justice is always worth the time, energy, and talent.

Today is Resurrection Sunday, also known as Easter. So, I’ve been thinking a lot about my beliefs about the meaning of Christ’ resurrection and how it relates to what I believe about the human makeup of body, soul, and Spirit. I might describe it like this, I am an eternal soul, energized by the Spirit of God, and housed in a temporary body made of earth and star dust.

The week before my grandson was born, my youngest daughter expressed her curiosity as to what kind of soul was going to be dropped into his body. I laughed and said that I wondered about the same thing. It seems that humans spend an entire lifetime trying to know, accept, or reinvent themselves. I think what we are really trying to do is reconcile our brains (intellect) with our soul (preferences and personality) with the Spirit (God consciousness). But what my daughter was really curious about was the ultimate nature of my grandson’s basic essence or the core of his preferences and personality. Was he going to be a warm, generous, loving soul or a difficult one? So far, having finally been released from the hospital, he seems to be a determined yet mild-mannered little guy, preserving his fussiness to express his hunger. When I finally get to see him in person this summer, I know that I’ll likely make a judgement as to whether or not he is an old soul because on some level I do believe in reincarnation.

I am a Christian, a follower of Christ, but when it comes to the definition and role of the body, soul, and Spirit to our human existence, I am also influenced by the teachings of other religions as well as my own lived experiences. I believe in the cloud of witnesses, in heaven, and in hell as the separation of the soul from the Spirit. But I also believe in multiple chances for the soul to return to earth to perhaps “get it right”.

Anyone who has spent time with me knows that I view the human body as a tent, a house, or a shell that is knit together in the womb to one day house the soul and Spirit. I view the soul as our individual essence and the Spirit as the life force of God (silent until invited). I believe both to be eternal and inseparable until the final day of judgment. The body is an incredible house comprised of the genetic material that gives us the physical and mental attributes of generations past. I don’t care about skin color or nationality or ethnicity or culture beyond how humans treat each other because of these superficial attributes. I view the brain as a vital part of the body that is shaped by genetics, experience, and environment (nurture & nature). The brain’s interaction with the soul often leads to internal conflict over right and wrong. I believe this conflict takes place in the center of activity called the mind or heart (not the physical organ). When only the brain and soul are active in the mind/heart, I call this a “carnal mind”. On those occasions when both the brain and the soul are mired in negativity, we witness human depravity at its worst.

As I mentioned before, I believe at the center of each human is the mind or heart where the brain, soul, and if permitted, the Spirt interact. To be lead by the Spirit is to be in touch with God and to do and behave in ways that sometimes defy human expectations. Prayer, mediation, and quiet help us connect to and hear the Spirit. Some people think of the Spirit as a still small voice, intuition, or a gut feeling about something. I believe that the brain and soul while valuable, are flawed and should be in brought into submission to the Spirit. Because the brain is easily influenced by outside factors like food, drugs, experiences, and environmental pollution and the soul has been in a fallen state since Adam, we are in need of redemption. As a Christian, I believe Jesus was that redemption. Others may have another path to redemption. But I believe it is the forgiveness of my soul and my willingness to open up that allows the Spirit to become active in my mind, ultimately transforming my soul. For me, this is what it means to be born again. This is what it means to have a renewed mind. And I believe the Bible verse that says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). The word fruit refers to an outcome or tangible result.

If the relationship between the body, soul and Spirit sounds complicated, that’s because it is. And I honestly don’t even know what is completely true. I do know that I have personally had out of body experiences. I do know that I interacted with my mother and a few others after they died. I also know that sometimes I do things that appear miraculous because I followed the voice of the Spirit and not my logical brain nor my soulish cravings.

I watch a lot of Korean dramas and they seem to really believe in things like fate, reincarnation, angels, and ghosts. I have to ask myself if the story of Jesus meeting with Moses and Elijah was Him meeting with ghosts? I have to ask myself if children who seem extraordinarily wise, talented, or gifted for their young age are not reincarnated? I have to ask myself if my out of body experience in the dentist’s office watching the dentist revive me from an accidental overdose of nitric oxide from the upper corner of the room is proof enough for me of the soul’s independence of the body? Or if hearing my deceased mother’s voice literally directing me to her missing will, which I found in the most unlikely place at her specific direction is enough? I have to wonder if there were times when I narrowly escaped disaster if an angel came to my aide?

I allow the still small voice to guide me as much as possible because it has proven itself to be far more accurate, far more compassionate, and far more insightful than my brain and soul. It gives me the energy to forgive, to be humble, to be brave, and to be patient. I feel the loving energy of the Spirit within me and others have felt it coming from me. I’m grateful that my ancestors gifted me with a strong brain and that perhaps fate granted this body with a kind soul that isn’t overly mired with evil desires that greatly conflict with the teachings of Christ. I know for others, this is not the case and that it is much harder to live life as a decent human being without the power or energy of the Spirit.

So, on this Resurrection Sunday, I am thankful to Jesus for the gift of redemption that can be freely received by anyone. This redemption makes it possible for the Spirit who resides in my mind/heart to actively influence my daily life. And this redemption gives me the confidence that my soul can leave this earth one day to join that cloud of witnesses waiting for the final day of judgment. Happy Resurrection Day.