Laziness is Just Resting Before You Are Tired.

 I awoke in a cold sweat, I was in the middle of a terrible dream, a recurring nightmare. I remember when I decided to get myself into university, even though I had left school with no qualifications. I managed it and then the real work began. In my first year on the course I had to get Hebrew and Ancient Greek up to higher level. Now for somebody with no language skills that was frightening. So all those years later I still from time to time wake up in fear that I may not pass that examination, even although I in fact did.

It was hard work and it has obviously had its toll. Would I do it all again? Yes I would, without a shadow of doubt.

Yesterday I saw two things that made my heart heavy. Not far from me lives a lovely family. The children each day set off to walk to school at a brisk and impressive pace. The journey is just over a mile, but I am sure by the time they got there they were awake and ready for a day of learning. The eldest child has become age to drive, passed the test and got a car. She now drives to school taking her younger brother with her. I leave you to ask if this is progress.

The second thing at first made me laugh, but on reflection was really even worse. I was out having a pre dinner walk. A car drew up at the gate of a house on the road where I was walking. The driver blew the horn twice. As I passed the car the window was rolled down to allow the driver to discard her cigarette butt. I heard her say to her friend on her cell phone, “I am out at the gate waiting for you.” Now before you think the gate was a long way from the door of the house let me tell you it was no more than 20 metres.

Having seen what the lack of exercise can do I find it sad that the most familiar smell for so many young people today is the smell f the petrol station.

Reminds me of the tale of the professor who handed out the end of term examinations. At the end of the allotted period he gathered them in. On one of the examination papers he noticed a $100 note attached with a note saying, “A dollar a point.” On the day he handed back the papers he handed out that particular students work with an envelope containing $64 dollars change and the awarded mark 36. The note also said you only get what you worked for here.

There is a beautiful Chinese proverb that says, “Man stand for long time with mouth open before roast duck fly in."

Now before anybody accuses me of being on my soapbox accusing the young of sloth, let me assure you I am not. I read the other day that the trend for longer life is slowing down as the activity of people slows down. I just find that so sad when life is such a beautiful thing and we should want to live it to its full for as long as we can.

So let me end I hope with a smile, and a friendly dig at my own age group.

A visitor said to her hostess, "What a beautiful vase. What's in it?"

"My husband's ashes," she replied.

The visitor said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know he had died."

"He hasn't died. He's just too lazy to find an ashtray."



For every person on the ladder of success there are twenty waiting for the elevator.

I hope you have a lovely and a fruitful day, and I know all who will read this will do just that.

This blog is linked to my other blog.  Hands That Can Do It

Please Bring Your Own Spade.

There are every now and then days when you make a little step forward and you just know that it was a significant moment. More than once, fellow bloggers have said to me that if I stopped worrying about painters block it would just one day disappear. They were right, but nothing ever just happens in life we have to make it happen.

I remember being visited once by a young man while I was a minister. He had fallen on hard times, some of which was of his own making. He was an angry young man that morning. It was a Friday morning; I was in the study in the church building, doing preparation for the sermons I would preach on the Sunday. He was blaming everybody for the ills of his life. He said, “I joined this church because you said faith moved mountains.” I got up walked past him opened the door, looked out and then gently closed it again. I sat opposite him and said, “I notice you did not bring your spade.” I told him that faith could move mountains but you have to bring your own spade. I also pointed out that he had blamed almost everybody for his ills, except the most important person of all, himself.

It did change his life. I could almost see the penny drop.

I remember a day when I was out walking with my father. I cannot remember how the conversation had got to where it was, but I had made a comment about doing things to the best of my ability. He went on to tell me that he thought that was good. He then said, “When you do something the first time, do it to the best of your ability. The second time you do it, do it just a little bit better.” What he was saying was in fact go the extra mile.

My old Grandmother was the font of wisdom. I often wonder what she might have become in life had she not lived during a war in which her husband was killed. She one day told me something I have never forgotten. She said, "In life there are those who work all day, those who dream all day, and those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfil those dreams. Go into the third category because there's virtually no competition".

I am so grateful for yesterday. For all of those who took the time to get in touch with me. Those who wrote comments; and those who emailed me. Those who challenged me to try other things. On my other blog today I will post another attempt at the Jackie drawing and make further comment there.

Jerry is so correct. Blogging is a marvellous place and together we could achieve so much. Artists have never before had such an opportunity to share. Can you imagine what impressionism might have been like if they had the world of blogging to share their message?

Oh, the picture at the top of this blog is just there for a laugh. Feel free to do so. This was me just about the time I was having that conversation I have related above.

Please do go and read my other blog.  Its Jackie Again

Work and Play

The number of times in my life that I have been told,” All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Maybe this is because for the biggest part of my life since leaving school I took little time to play, it was all work. For the first five years of my ministry I hardly ever took a holiday and if I did, much against the wishes of my family, I was always available to return to conduct a funeral. It is equally true that we cannot on the other hand have all play and no work. There has to be the discipline of toil but there has to be room for play. Fun and play are an important aspect of our lives. It can be claimed that it is through play that we open ourselves to the wonderful moments that come to us when we have “switched off.” My friends have always been amused when I tell them that I do all my best thinking in the bath, in fact I used to “write” all my sermons in the bath. I was always amazed that they found this so amusing; after all Archimedes had his “Eureka” moment in his bath, a moment that had long lasting effects on us all. Many of the momentous moments of history have happened to people when they were relaxed and at play.


I know so many people who eat and sleep their work. They have a dedication and are probably very good employees, and good at the occupation they have chosen. Sadly they tend to be people who are less than stimulating conversationalists or people who never set you afire with great emotion.

There are artists. I have met some, who have given all to their art, every minute of every day. They paint or think paint seven days a week. Yet if you take time to read the life stories of the “greats of art,” you will very quickly notice that their lives were full of play and intrigue. So often their best art was very closely linked to those moments of life where they were enjoying life to the full. One example, Edgar Degas, he had a great love of ballet and this love led to some of his best works. It could never be argued that he only loved ballet because it stimulating his art.

Those who follow the Tao know the need to also be participants in play. To be ,”good” to be “great” to be “inspiring” we have to be prepared to leave the borders, to step over the line of work into the world of play. We all have those things in life we consider “crucial” and “important.” It may be though that if we wish to touch the heights of our creative spirit we need to learn how to “play” and so experience Tao without having to “work at it.”