So here we are, and the beginning has begun. Almost two weeks in, we are now immersed in our Happy New Year. The New Year is what we make it while we dodge the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. I never liked Dodge Ball; it hurt. Nevertheless, here we are, and our future depends on how well we can move when possible or absorb the spherical missile when it comes directly to our solar plexus. The reason we fail to realize our New Year Dreams is the Dodge Ball Diversion.

Dancing is a skill. Necessary for a sudden surprise. Life can be like combat where you are under enemy fire as you advance on the Hill of your desire.

Life is not for the faint of heart. Many admired people suffered greatly. The Glamour Shots are staged…life is down and dirty.

President Joe Biden will leave the stage in a little over a week. He has been praised for his accomplishments and damned for his mistakes. Neither the highest praise nor caustic indictment describes him. He like we is no more than a man in the arena dodging the balls and attempting to move forward for people.

I took a job in leadership at Southern Illinois University. Many were unhappy with the direction of our department. At first, I was praised as a breath of fresh air. As time goes by a leader makes unpopular decisions. Before the conclusion of my 25 years, the criticism was equal to the praise.

Each morning brings a new opportunity and a new challenge. Mistakes are wonderful. Mistakes illustrate motivation. Mistakes are the fuel of progress. We move forward by falling down and getting back up.

For mistakes to be wonderful we must learn by them…

It’s another snow day at Southern Illinois University, the third this week. MJ and I enjoy them vicariously through Jonathon. The ice has been plentiful. 2025 has provided an Ice Palace like I have not seen since childhood. This event happens while Los Angeles is burning. In a large country, there can be different worlds.

Four days in the house—four more than usual—card games, blogs, and thoughts about big things for a little mind. Our reality is in our heads, and thus, communication is a failure. I speak from my perception, and you hear from your perspective. We recently experienced Christmas, when we attempted to meet in the middle. We need a little Christmas all year long.

My good friend reminded me that we Baby Boomers, ‘Were The Shit.’ She made my day.

So our motivation is the same as Annie’s…Tomorrow…Tomorrow…Tomorrow.

The great thing about life is that it has the same challenges and more as when I was a kid. It never gets boring. It gets better the more we fight against Bullies and prevaricators.

There is meaning in making others feel comfortable wanted and seen. Light enters our spirit when we share our candle with our neighbor who holds an unlit candle. My favorite part of our Christmas Eve Service at Church is the singing of Silent Night in a darkened Sanctuary while we share the light with our neighbors.

‘A drunk man knocked at the door. Upon answering the door the man told his friend in the house to please come out and give him a push. Rain was pouring down and it was the middle of the night. The man of the house shut the door and returned to bed. The man’s wife cajoled him to go out and help his friend as his friend had helped him in a similar circumstance just a few days ago. The man dressed and exited into the cold rain. ‘Where are you at…I am here to help you,’ the now very wet and cold man from the house beckoned.’

‘I am over here sitting in the swing…can you give me a push…, said Drunk Friend?

Push Story is from Garfield Hug Blog

Help others without examination of the reason…as Jesus has helped us…

More snow is coming. Three to five inches tonight and tomorrow. A hard winter for Little Egypt. The crunch of ice is memorable, especially for an old man who broke three ribs. Living on Earth is a joy and a scary burden. Los Angeles is burning. Apocalyptic Burning. There are numerous fires surrounding homes and the people who live in them. They do not know where to go, what the safe exit is, or where they are safe from fire.

Former President Carter demonstrated a focus on living well. He did not lie. He did not cheat. He played by the rules. President Carter lived his long life helping the poor. A stellar example in troubled times.

When leaders use the misfortune and suffering of people to make their political points we have chaos.

Life requires focus. Leaders must judge the people fairly. Do not hold your breath in our present distress. We sought Statesmen and Stateswomen…now we have Panderers and malcontents. Truth is conditional. Promises are made to be broken. The poor are at fault for our condition while the rich are a blessing sent from a god focused on money.

The Golden Rule is really Golden. Treating others like you want to be treated is vital. Money is a small component of living a happy life.

I had a pastor who often said some people are like baby geese who eat and never look where the food comes from. I never cared for the analogy but lately have seen a preponderance of people benefiting from politicians who they call ‘Demons.’

As a manager/administrator at Southern Illinois University, I was criticized for not being harsher with those whose colleagues believed they deserved the wrath of discipline. Thoughtful management is not always popular with the populists.

Mr. Tortise told Mr. Hare,’ Slow and steady wins the race.’

‘We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.’ Jimmy Carter

The old man of the woods made his first meager steps into the Ice Palace. The glistening beauty was stunning. Nature was quiet under her blanket of ice. The trees did bow. The crack of the fallen could be heard in the distance. No hikers. No explorers. A pause.

We need a pause. A reset. A pondering of our present distress. The frenetic fury of change has left us crippled. We are maimed by self-doubt. The business of living has sapped life. Empty vessels seeking fulfillment. A halcyon time for conmen charlatans and thieves. We look behind us searching for answers.

Cold focuses the mind. Ice freezes movement. ‘Please, sir, I want some more,’ Oliver Twist said. ‘Desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery,’ he asks for another bowl of weak porridge.

So it goes…when will we follow the pristine example of our dear departed President Jimmy Carter and live the Christian message of humility and service? Shall we be recognized for our rhetoric or our lived reality?

We are the star of our story. Many of our actions directly result from how we see ourselves. Will we break free from our frozen condition to benefit our children or will we feel best doing the things that suit our needs?

Happy New Year… giving this greeting on January 9, 2025, is still alright. Much will happen to us during our New Year. We hope to lose some weight. To be better people. We engage in the pursuit of happiness. Each day is a chapter in our book. Some chapters are support structures for the plot. Other chapters are critical plot turning points.

‘This year I will make each day count,’ Chet said. ‘I shall keep a diary to ensure I am moving toward my goals,’ Chet continued. ‘By the end of 2025 I shall have written my book,’ Chet said with a wink and grin. ‘I will write of our capture in the Ice Palace…our failure to accomplish our journey due to our frozen condition, Chet said giving a preview of his work.

‘Who will be the main character,’ asked Jane? Where is the Ice Palace located, Jane continued? ‘Will there be a Sloth…I love Sloths,’ Jane laughed.

‘Funny you would mention the Sloth as he inspires me,’ Chet responded. ‘Mr. Sloth is looked upon as lazy or not producing what he is capable of but I see him as a methodical thinker,’ Chet explained. ‘Mr. Sloth is always about his business of improvement with a smile and a song…on his timetable,’ Chet grinned.

‘Ice Palace is ruled by an evil Princess who distorts reality and causes her subjects to lose time, Chet said somberly. ‘Once a person fails they tend to fear trying again and thus become ensnared in the Ice Palace where they feel safe and secure but fail at their calling,’ Chet said. ‘Each of us has a Calling… God-given talents for others to benefit from…Ice Princess robs us of those gifts,’ Chet said with downcast eyes.

We were the ‘Shit’ we thought. We were never going to get old. Never trust anyone above 30 until 30 came and left like the last Bus to the coast. Determined to change the world we set forth. Now we watch the snow and ice through our picture windows.

We grow old too fast. From one Christmas to the next is but a moment. Excited to become adults we stretched our wings and flew a little. Some of us were afraid of heights. The Greatest Generation told us to mind our money. Buy a home. Go to College. Question Authority. We learned that committee work is democratic but tedious. It takes time to hear many voices. School Boards and City Councils were tiresome with their lengthy curriculum and sewer needs discussion. The House of Representatives poured coffee and the Senate cooled it in the saucer. It has not been long since we all used saucers.

Power Corrupts. The Greatest Generation told us Boomers. We assumed that they were all like Nixon and his Watergate cronies. The Vietnam War disillusioned us. Yet the Constitution served us well when Nixon fell. He understood that his Party would not back him in criminal activity. We were still able to be shocked in those halcyon days.

‘Germany was the Weimar Republic established after World War I following the collapse of the German Empire; however, this democracy faced significant challenges and instability, ultimately allowing Hitler to rise to power and establish a dictatorship.’

‘The Weimar Republic experienced significant political instability due to extremist groups on both the left and right, economic hardship, and resentment over the Treaty of Versailles.’

Jeff and Margo made candles. Michael made leather Bible Covers. I enjoyed Gefilte Fish and Matzo for breakfast at the Commune. I showered in the shower in the cornfield with a wash tub on top to hold the water and no shower curtain. I wondered if I would stay forever young…

The path seemed clear. Christ was returning to Earth…we were living in the last days. Now I am old and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

We look into the sun as an outfielder looks for the long ball. Something is coming. Change is afoot. A Billionaire believes he speaks for the masses…most of us can not hear him…

Who shall we send to govern us? Shall we send the Academic…the preacher…the teacher…or the richest among us? Surely the richest have demonstrated their command of Capitalism… As Tony Soprano told Dr. Melfi…’It is about the motherfucking cock suckin’ money! We seek the living among the dead…

‘I have returned to the house of my fathers,’ Billy B said. ‘My great grandmother a Cherokee Indian lived a sense of place,’ Billy B noted. ‘Love each other Grandma said…love the Earth…love freedom…

I stood on my front porch and listened to massive limbs crack and fall to the ground. Ice and snow were falling. It was not possible to determine where the limbs were or how large. They sounded big. Nature left me with a feeling of helplessness. The world, as you know, can change in a moment.

Our environment is a fishbowl. We see the familiar surroundings. Safe we are in our hermetically sealed home. The Pandemic of 2020 was a massive change in our perception. We had enjoyed trips to Europe and Caribean Cruises without thinking of getting on a ship and proceeding with retirement perks and glory.

Such is life on Earth. We travel along with a song in our hearts until … This reality gives us our Joie de vivre. We know life changes suddenly.

‘We are moving to Eldorado,’ Billy B told Susie. ‘Dad is going to go into the mechanic business with his friend Bob,’ Billy B continued. ‘It will be quite a change from the Windy City,’ he laughed.

‘Who will I hug,’ Susie said with a tear in her eye. ‘Mom says that we are going to come and see you in your Southern Illinois Home,’ Susie smiled. ‘Steve will bring his Marionettes…he will put on a Marionette Show for us when we see you and Neva J.

‘I invite the audience to watch President Kennedy and Jackie visit Dallas,’ Steve said as he opened the Marionette Stage and lifted the curtain.

‘Jack I have a Scary feeling about the motorcade today,’ Jackie said. ‘Let’s cancel it and go directly to the big lunch being held in your honor,’ Jackie continued. ‘I had a dream where trees were falling amid the cacophony of loud cracking and a terrible thud as they fell to the ground. ‘The Crack of the falling limbs sounded like gunshots,’ Jackie said…

‘Hoorah…President Kennedy withdrew our troops from Vietnam…so many lives were saved,’ Neva J said. ‘It was a last-minute good decision when Jackie advised Jack to skip the Motorcade in Dallas…the police found would-be assassins on the Grassy Knoll,’ Neva J said.

‘So you see dear children we are on stage…a slight change in our actions changes the story,’ Shadowman said.

No Woods Walking today. For a person with wanderlust, the ice has brought a change. Christmas assimilates us. We become immersed in the season. There are Christmas movies to watch. Christmas places to go. Christmas people to see. Then comes now. January Ice Storm. A change that will not last. Change is the theme of life.

Have you a special place you visit? A special food or drink? A friend you confide in? Do you have trouble remembering when you stopped eating the special food or drinking the special drink? Do you recall when you and your special friend took divergent paths?

Adjustment is the key to success. Flexibility is important.

The path was lovely, sunny, dark, and stormy as Billy B walked along. He sang and danced in the Sun. He hid from the night. In the storm, Billy B sought shelter. The mountaintop had a spectacular view…the valley had long shadows.

So we feel the pains and fears of change. Many are buffeted by all of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune we experience yet have no one who has their back. There is no quick turnaround from being hungry and ill-clad against the cold.

‘Here is your cot,’ Kind Lady said. ’30 people are sleeping in this room so be careful if you have to get up during the night,’ KL continued. ‘You must be out by 8:00 a.m.,’ she said.

Horace remembered when he had a nice home. He was warm and well-fed. Horace worked at University. There was little change…until there was. Budget cuts took his job. Horace could not find another. His wife left him and took their daughter with her. Horace enjoyed a drink or three after work but had always been able to control his thirst…until dramatic change pushed him from his sense of place. No longer was he a manager. No one seemed to know his name. Soon he became one of the faceless voiceless unseen on the cold streets of Chicago.

Miriam held Anna close and wrapped the old blanket around her tightly. The ice kept falling. The awning provided some shelter against the frigid rain. Broadway Theatergoers walked along the boulevard with cashmere overcoats and waterboots. ‘This weather is terrible Rodger… I would have preferred another night to see the premier,’ Daphene said with a frown. ‘You know how I hate to get my hair wet,’ Daphene continued. ‘I hope our seats are front row,’ Daphene sighed.

Winter in our neck of the woods is often mild and cloudy. Thirty to forty degrees with a dip into the twenties at night. More talk about snow than snow. When a little snow falls we get excited. The sleds come out and meager weight-reduced snowmen appear. Times are hard for snowmen in Southern Illinois. Once in a winter, we get some single-digit temperatures…we talk about them for the rest of the year.

Tonight we wait for the coming of the Ice Queen. Santa just left us and did not leave a forwarding address. The Christmas Cookie plate had crumbs but has now been washed. As MJ said if the power goes out we can watch movies we have recorded… I had a brilliant Ice Queen event thought…we will brew extra coffee and heat it up in the microwave…

Winter 1978 we had a blizzard. I had a lovely lady that I wanted to impress as I hiked the snow drifts over to her house to shovel her Ford Maverick out of the snow. It was cold, and the snow was deep. As I shoveled I knew she must be as impressed as I was at my accomplishments.

Steve and I drove to Zeigler Coal Companies offices in Johnston City. The snow was a white sheet in front of the car’s windshield. Marooned in the ditch. When we extricated ourselves we turned around for home. The road was indistinguishable from the fields surrounding it.

1979 marked another snowstorm. Having just begun at Southern Illinois University I was reluctant to not report for work amid the storm. Faye had heard on the radio that SIU was closed except for essential staff. I wondered if I was Essential? Again, the drive was akin to driving through an open field for fifteen miles. As I bumpily pulled into the little driveway in front of the Building Services Office I noticed no other cars no lights on except for a little light bulb burning next to the window. Elbert pulled in and jumped out of his car. ‘Are we open Brooks Bradley he asked’? Elbert walked boldly to the front door and knocked loudly saying, ‘Brooks Bradley and Elbert Covington reporting for duty.’ Upon being satisfied that we would not gain access he asked me to come over for hot chocolate with MJ. I thanked him and noted if I arrived home safely I would not be venturing out.

Long dry spells happen between visits from The Ice Queen.

I took some pride in my negotiation with the fearful ice. I fell the first winter of being the Superintendent of Building Services. I had my suit on and a cashmere overcoat feeling pretty…pretty…pretty good that I had made it to the top. I was a Serious Man. I was humbled and honored by the confidence administration had placed in me. Suddenly I was on my back looking up at the trees. The pomp and circumstance were knocked out of me in one ice slip.

So, confused we are as we age. Kids in old folks’ bodies.

‘Oh, the silent majesty of a winter’s morn…the clean, cool chill of the holiday air…and an asshole in his bathrobe emptying a chemical toilet into my sewer.’ Clark Griswold

‘The Shitter is full,’ Cousin Eddie shouted to Clark…

Winter Storm Warning for Sunday. Danger of fallen power lines and outages. Serious business for we who moderate winter folk. During times like these, I wish I had purchased a generator. The optimum time to buy a generator is probably in the summer.

So many perils are coming down the track. We take the Winter Storm Warning seriously. There are other imminent dangers, not so much.

When we find reality onerous or heinous we create an alternative that suits our disposition. Science may inform us of danger while our guru or wiseman tells us as the famous philosopher from Mad Magazine often said, ‘What Me Worry.’

Politicians gain office by the votes of hard-working people and subsequently forget how they got the job. Their eyes are glazed with the possibilities of their newfound fame. They stand on the obscure principles that make up the alternate reality in which they live. Hell Bent the new leaders of the people are to have it their way. The accolades of a strident few ring in their ears as millions suffer for lack of voice.

Free Speech is precious…as long as it is speech we like. Freedom of Assembly is vital…as long as it is our Assembly.

The Woman stood against her peers. She was a leader of quick ascendancy. Her name was well known. She was respected until she stood for the rights of all people. Many laugh in dark corners.
They mock and gesticulate. They wonder about the hair…they wonder about the man… The crowd said to the Woman…’ Go get them…you are what we need…you are our voice…we are scared…you are fearless.’

Ice is treacherous. You can not see it…you feel it…when you fall.

Our year is New but we are not. Dear departed President Carter knew that leadership is nuanced. If we are a country for all people we must include those unlike us. History is not explained by self-serving analogies to Biblical figures to make a square peg fit in a round hole.

Those leaders in love with their mirror image govern in the direction that brings them praise. Those who care about the humanity of their fellow humans tread lightly and with quiet consideration.

It is January 2nd. We can still say Happy New Year. We have just heard the starter pistol and lifted our feet to run the 2025 race. We are headed toward the deep midwinter. ‘Water like a stone’. The forecast is for some of that stone water this Sunday. We are looking for the answer to life’s persistent questions.

Stand we do before an Open Door. Change we want…change we can have…we have to be the Change.

A new/old government is coming. Some are happy others are not. Certainly, our personal life will remain static unless we shake it up. No one will do it for us. The power of weight loss is in our hands… Putting down the fork will help…

Movement increases momentum. The action breaks the wall of depression. Good thoughts come from good deeds.

We walk through the ‘slough of despond’ seeking someone to be our advocate. Speaking up can be a bit scary but a freeing experience. Nothing simply falls on us from above. Jesus suffered in the Garden…it was not an amusement ride.

Most deteriorating institutions can be recovered by hard-working people. New ideas help.

Perspiration is essential combined with inspiration and imagination. If you can see it you can be it.

Humility is a hidden virtue. The show horse is applauded admired and emulated. The workhorse often continues in obscurity doing the work of real change without fanfare or praise.