Adaptations

I’ve been struggling a little with staying awake today.  I have some difficulty staying awake and I’m often easily asleep when I should be awake!  It’s sad, really, buy I am not trying to leave leftovers on my plate,  I’m trying to stay awake, but there’s a considerable issue staying awake as time goes on.  I do manage to stay asleep, so that’s probably a good sign?I’m certain that it will improve soon…. One friend talks about the steps to keeps going, so we’re weave got a couple of days to see how it improves, so we’ll try our best!  (If all fails, that scene is already shot!)  Jerry is busy trying to throw my iPad off my lap… we’ll have to be who wins, Don is trying to sneak the last of the Cheetos without me seeing… no comment!

When I was a child, preparing for my First Holy Communion (so age 6 or 7) I remember one day being herded guided by our teachers to church and instructed to kneel, hold my hands in the prayer position and ask forgiveness for my many sins (at age 6.  Where my biggest sin was probably making a face at  my siblings.)  I did as asked, moving to my position in the pew, and kneeling to pray.  I was caught up in the moment (I don’t remember the details of what I was doing, just that I was kneeling as instructed with my eyes shut.). The next thing that I remember, all these many years later, is my teacher giving me a sharp slap on my back and hissing at me (we were in church, after all, no loud voices) to hurry up and get out of the way because I was delaying everyone.  Since then, I have a small fear that when I go to confession, I’ll be slapped for delaying the line!  Isn’t is sad, the things that we remember as children that affect us forever after?  Confirmation, as I (blurrily) recall, my confession was brief, and handled by one of the seminarians, and since then I’ve gone to one-on-one sessions where the priest came to me.  It’s definitely had a traumatic effect on me!

I mention this because I ran into one of those unpleasant people recently who find it necessary to let you know that they are anti-religious.  I belong to a chat group online, and on one occasion, I asked for prayers as I was heading in for treatment.  One of the admins emailed me to say that they had deleted my comment, as someone “was deeply offended by my request for prayers.”  I have thought about this a lot, and I have to admit that I don’t see any rationale for offence.  My post read “Ladies, I’ve learned recently that I’ll need to have treatment for a serious disease and I admit to being a bit nervous.  Would you mind, if you are so inclined, to offer prayers for my healing and recovery, please?  I appreciate it.”    Perhaps I’m insensitive and somewhat blind, but I really do not see how that could cause a problem.  I deleted my membership, because I concluded that they would suck too much necessary energy out of me.  I thought about my First Communion experience and wondered if someone had a more traumatic experience leading to finding offence in a request for a prayer.  (For the record, I don’t feel sympathy for them, just a level of contempt.  Because that level of aggression won’t help heal them, just prolong and aggravate the hurt.). In my opinion, unless it’s someone very close to you, a request to pray for someone, or being wished Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays requires no answer from you.  You just smile and  nod, and go on with life, which is far too short to fight every last battle that presents itself!  Some of them you just ignore and go on with your life!

Similarly (again in my opinion) if the battle in question doesn’t personally affect you.  You could opt to jump in, or you could adopt the position, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”  Which covers all the online arguments that go on daily.  Do you really need to get into them, other than to spur on the fight?  It’s obviously your choice, but perhaps not?  I’m going to end this now, and go to bed because I’m starting to not make sense, so I’m off to bed.  Good night!